e contented,"
Mr. Brown replied. "I knew that Pat had the money, for he had served me
in that manner half a dozen times; but I also knew that he had a great
reluctance against working on the road, and that to save himself he
would even sell a portion of his claim, if that was necessary. He has
made money since he has worked in the mines, and I will do Pat the
justice of saying that, with the exception of celebrating St. Patrick's
Day, he knows how to save it."

As he ceased speaking, we drew up before a ragged hut, at the entrance
of which stood a stout Irishwoman, with a terrible dirty-faced child in
her arms.

"It's little ye'll get here," she shouted, shaking her huge fists at
the inspector, and spanking the child, who set up a roar of fright. "Go
on, an' the divil be wid ye, for not a ha'penny do ye get."

"Now we shall hear lying," muttered the inspector, when he saw a grin
upon our faces. "Of all the she devils in the mines, she is the worst."

"Tell Mike that we want his license fee," Mr. Brown said, addressing the
huge female, who varied her time in spanking her child and making faces
at the police force.

"To the divil wid ye and yer fees, ye lazy spalpeens. There's no money
in the house, and if there was ye shouldn't have it. Do ye think that I
can pick up goold like dirt? or what do ye think?"

"Come, come, Judy," the inspector said, "we have heard your complaints
so often that we don't believe them. Let me have the thirty-four
shillings without delay."

"Who do you call Judy? I'm Mrs. Michael O'Flaherty, and a bitter husband
and one more honest don't exist; and that's more than I can say of some
women who's got husbands tied to 'em. It's little ye think I know of ye;
so don't, if ye valey yer reputations, stand there chattering, but pass
on to thim that gets the money."

"We are not afraid of our reputation, Judy," the inspector said. "We
know that you are bad, but we don't believe that you can corrupt the
whole of the squad."

"O, ye murdering villains, to thus slander an honest female who has only
her vartue to protect her." Then raising her voice as though to attract
the attention of some one within the house, she shouted, in satirical
language, "It's little me husband cares about me, or he'd niver stand by
and see me treated thus, and I niver making the least complaint in the
world. It's mighty fine husbands there is in the world now, and it's
little use they are to us fable females."

As th