door wid
sticks and stones,' says he, 'antil I fairly thought every minute,' says
he, 'the ould boords id smash, an' the sperit id be in an top iv us--God
bless us,' says he.

'Phiew!' says the priest; 'it'll cost a power iv money.'

'Well, your raverence,' says Andy, 'take whatever you like,' says he;
'only make sure it won't annoy us any more,' says he.

'Oh! by my sowkins,' says the priest, 'it'll be the quarest ghost in the
siven parishes,' says he, 'if it has the courage to come back,' says he,
'afther what I'll do this mornin', plase God,' says he; 'so we'll say
twelve pounds; an' God knows it's chape enough,' says he, 'considherin'
all the sarcumstances,' says he.

Well, there wasn't a second word to the bargain; so they paid him the
money down, an' he sot the table doun like an althar, before the door,
an' he settled it out vid all the things he had wid him; an' he lit a
bit iv a holy candle, an' he scathered his holy wather right an' left;
an' he took up a big book, an' he wint an readin' for half an hour,
good; an' whin he kem to the end, he tuck hould iv his little bell, and
he beginned to ring it for the bare life; an', by my sowl, he rung it
so well, that he wakened Jim Sulivan in the cowhouse, where he was
sleepin', an' up he jumped, widout a minute's delay, an' med right for
the house, where all the family, an' the priest, an' the little mass-boy
was assimbled, layin' the ghost; an' as soon as his raverence seen him
comin' in at the door, wid the fair fright, he flung the bell at his
head, an' hot him sich a lick iv it in the forehead, that he sthretched
him on the floor; but fain; he didn't wait to ax any questions, but he
cut round the table as if the divil was afther him, an' out at the door,
an' didn't stop even as much as to mount an his mare, but leathered away
down the borheen as fast as his legs could carry him, though the mud was
up to his knees, savin' your presence.

Well, by the time Jim kem to himself, the family persaved the mistake,
an' Andy wint home, lavin' Nell to make the explanation. An' as soon
as Jim heerd it all, he said he was quite contint to lave her to Andy,
entirely; but the priest would not hear iv it; an' he jist med him marry
his wife over again, an' a merry weddin' it was, an' a fine collection
for his raverence. An' Andy was there along wid the rest, an' the priest
put a small pinnance upon him, for bein' in too great a hurry to marry a
widdy.

An' bad luck to the