forth the hungry desire of the people for instruction
in the arts of life. Several Members of Parliament asked the Chief
Secretary searching questions on the subject of the Ballymoy Technical
School. But the Chief Secretary declared himself quite unable to wring
the money out of the Treasury. Thady Gallagher wrote articles and
made speeches which ought to have caused acute discomfort to the Prime
Minister. But Doyle found himself obliged to give up the idea of a
Technical School. He waited hopefully. In the end, he felt sure, some
way of utilising the old mill would be found. In the meanwhile the
building, though unprofitable to Doyle was not entirely useless. Its
walls, boarded doors and windows, formed the most excellent place for
the display of advertisements. The circuses which visited the town in
summer covered a great deal of space with their posters. When retiring
members of the Urban District Council wanted to be re-elected they
notified their desire by means of placards pasted on the walls of
Doyle's mill. All public meetings were advertised there. Doyle himself
made nothing out of these advertisements; but Thady Gallagher did. He
printed the posters, and it was admitted by everyone that he did it very
well.

Two days after his arrival in Ballymoy, Mr. Billing strolled down to
the harbour. He was a man of restless and energetic disposition, but the
visits which he received from Dr. O'Grady, and the speeches about Home
Rule to which Gallagher subjected him, began to worry him. In order to
soothe his nerves he used to spend an hour or two morning and evening
looking at the fishermen who spent the day in contemplating their
boats. There is nothing in the world more soothing than the study of a
fisherman's life on shore. When he is at sea it is probably strenuous
enough. But then he very seldom is at sea, and when he is he is out
of sight. Having, so to speak, drunk deeply of the torpor of Ballymoy
harbour, Mr. Billing turned his face towards the shore and looked at the
wall of Doyle's mill. He was startled to find six new posters stuck
on it in a row. They were all bright green. Mr. Billing read them with
interest.

The announcement opened with a prayer, printed in large type:

"GOD SAVE IRELAND,"

GENERAL JOHN REGAN

This was repeated at the bottom of each poster in the Irish language,
which Mr. Billing could not read. Next to the prayer, in very much
larger type, came the w