sure as daylight it was
Jim Soolivan himself, an' they were wondhering he'd do sich a dirty turn
as to go kill himself for spite.

Well, your honour, they waked him as well as they could, with what
neighbours they could git togither, but by rason iv the snow, there
wasn't enough gothered to make much divarsion; however it was a plisint
wake enough, an' the churchyard an' the priest bein' convanient, as soon
as the youngsthers had their bit iv fun and divarsion out iv the corpse,
they burried it without a great dale iv throuble; an' about three days
afther the berrin, ould Jim Mallowney, from th'other side iv the little
hill, her own cousin by the mother's side--he had a snug bit iv a farm
an' a house close by, by the same token--kem walkin' in to see how she
was in her health, an' he dhrew a chair, an' he sot down an' beginned to
convarse her about one thing an' another, antil he got her quite an' asy
into middlin' good humour, an' as soon as he seen it was time:

'I'm wondherin', says he, 'Nell Gorman, sich a handsome, likely girl,
id be thinkin' iv nothin' but lamintin' an' the likes,' says he, 'an'
lingerin' away her days without any consolation, or gettin' a husband,'
says he.

'Oh,' says she, 'isn't it only three days since I burried the poor man,'
says she, 'an' isn't it rather soon to be talkin iv marryin' agin?'

'Divil a taste,' says he, 'three days is jist the time to a minute for
cryin' afther a husband, an' there's no occasion in life to be keepin'
it up,' says he; 'an' besides all that,' says he, 'Shrovetide is almost
over, an' if you don't be sturrin' yourself an' lookin' about you,
you'll be late,' says he, 'for this year at any rate, an' that's twelve
months lost; an' who's to look afther the farm all that time,' says he,
'an' to keep the men to their work?' says he.

'It's thrue for you, Jim Mallowney,' says she, 'but I'm afeard the
neighbours will be all talkin' about it,' says she.

'Divil's cure to the word,' says he.

'An' who would you advise?' says she.

'Young Andy Curtis is the boy,' says he.

'He's a likely boy in himself,' says she.

'An' as handy a gossoon as is out,' says he.

'Well, thin, Jim Mallowney,' says she, 'here's my hand, an' you may
be talkin' to Andy Curtis, an' if he's willin' I'm agreeble--is that
enough?' says she.

So with that he made off with himself straight to Andy Curtis; an'
before three days more was past, the weddin' kem an', an' Nell Gorman
an' Andy C