s small as a little
cock elven, and thin we'll have our revenge upon them aggravation thaves.'
How the puck he done it nobody knows; but by dad there was his little,
ragged, red poll, followed by the whole of his small body, seen coming out
o' that trap-loop there, that doesn't look much bigger than a
button-hole--and thin sitting astride the ould bit of rotten timbers, and
laffing like mad, was the tiny Masther Danny, robbing the nests, and
shouting with joy as he pulled bird after bird from their nate little
feather-beds. 'This is elegant,' says he; 'here's lashins of 'em.'

"'How many have you,' says Tom Sheeney.

"'Seven big uns--full fledged, wid feathers as black as the priest's
breeches on a Good Friday's fast.'

"'Seven is it?'

"'It is.'

"'Well, then, hand them in.'

"'By no manes.'

"'Why not?'

"'Seein they're as well wid me as you.

"'Give me my half then--that's your'--

"'Aisy wid you; who's had the trouble and the chance of breaking his
good-looking neck but me, Mr. Tim Sheeney.'

"'Devil a care I care; I'll have four, or I'll know why.'

"'That you'll soon do: I won't give 'em you.'

"'Aint I holding the wood?'

"'By coorse you are; but aint I sitting outside upon it, and by the same
token unseating my best breeches.'

"'I bid you take care; give me four.'

"'Ha, ha! what a buck your granny was, Mistet Tim Sheeney; it's three
you'll have, or none.'

"'Then by the puck I'll let you go.'

"'I defy you to do it, you murdering robber.'

"'Do you! by dad; once more, give me four.'

"'To blazes wid you; three or none.'

"'Then there you go!'

"And, worse luck, sure enough he did, and that at the devil's own pace.

"At this moment I turned my eyes in horror to the Tower, and the height
was awful."

"Poor child,--of course he was killed upon the spot?"

"There's the wonder; not a ha'porth o' harm did the vagabone take at all
at all. He held on by the birds' legs like a little nagur; he was but a
shimpeen of a chap, and what with the flapping of their wings and the soft
place he fell upon, barring a little thrifle of stunning, and it may be a
small matter of fright, he was as comfortable as any one could expect
under the circumstances; but it would have done your heart good to see the
little gossoon jump up, shake his feathers, and shout out at the top of
his small voice, 'Tim Sheeney, you thief, you'd better have taken the
three,--for d--n the daw do you get now!'" And so ends