y.

"'That's yerself entirely,' says Dooley to him agin. 'I'd betther thrust
me arriants to a four-legged jackass as to wan wid two. He'd go twict as
fast an' remimber as much. I'll go meself,' says he, only wantin' an
axcuse, an' so he did. He found Miss Rooney thried to be plazin', an' it
bein' convainient, he wint agin, an' so it was ivery day whin he'd go fur
the calf's milk he'd have a chat wid her, an' sometimes come over in the
avenin', bekase it wasn't healthy fur him in town just thin.

"But he wint to Owld Moll about the cow, an' the charm she gev him soon
made the baste all right agin, but, be that time, he'd got used to goin'
to Rooney's an' liked it betther than the town, bekase whinever he wint to
town he had to make so many axcuses he was afeared the widdys 'ud ketch
him in a lie.

"So he shtayed at home most times and wint over to Rooney's the rest, fur
it wasn't a bad job at all, though she was about one an' forty, an' had
give up the fight fur a husband an' so saiced strugglin'. As long as
they've anny hope, owld maids are the most praypostherous craythers alive,
fur they'll fit thimselves wid the thrappin's av a young gurrul an' look
as onaisey in thim as a boy wid his father's britches on. But whin they've
consinted to the sitiwation an' saiced to struggle, thin they begin to be
happy an' enjoy life a bit, but there's no aise in the worruld fur thim
till thin. Now Miss Rooney had gev up the contist an' plasthered her hair
down on aitch side av her face so smooth ye'd shwear it was ironed it was,
an' begun to take the worruld aisey.

"But there's thim that says an owld maid niver does give up her hope, only
lets on to be continted so as to lay in amboosh fur anny onsuspishus man
that happens to shtray along, an' faix, it looks that-a-way from phat I'm
goin' to tell ye, bekase as soon as Misther Dooley begun to come over an'
palather his fine talk to her an' say shwate things, thin she up an'
begins shtrugglin' harder nor iver, bekase it was afther she'd let go, an'
comin' onexpected-like she thought it was a dispinsation av Providence,
whin rayly it was only an accident it was, beways av Dooley's cow goin'
dhry an' the calf too young to lave suckin' an' ate grass.

"Annyhow, wan day, afther Misther Dooley had talked purty nice the avenin'
afore, she put an her cloak, an' wint to Owld Moll an' in an' shut the
dure.

"'Now, Moll,' she says to the owld cuillean, 'it's a long time since I've
been to