he
ugly nose that's on ye, ye're an angel."

"Niver ye mind me fut," responded Mike. "Me inimies don't like it, an'
they can give a good raison fur it; an' as fur me nose, it'll look
worser nor it does now when Jim Fenton gets a crack at it."

"Mike," said Jim, "ye hurt me. Here's my hand, an' honors are easy."

Mike took the hand without more ado, and then sat back and told Jim all
about it.

"Ye see, afther ye wint away that night I jist lay down an' got a bit iv
a shnooze, an' in the mornin' I shtarted for me owld horse. It was a big
thramp to where ye lift him, and comin' back purty slow, I picked up a
few shticks and put intil the wagin for me owld woman--pine knots an'
the like o' that. I didn't git home much afore darruk, and me owld horse
wasn't more nor in the shtable an' I 'atin' me supper, quiet like, afore
Belcher druv up to me house wid his purty man on the seat wid 'im. An'
says he: 'Mike Conlin! Mike Conlin! Come to the dour wid ye!' So I wint
to the dour, an' he says, says he: 'Hev ye seen a crazy old feller wid a
b'y?' An' says I: 'There's no crazy owld feller wid a b'y been by me
house in the daytime. If they wint by at all at all, it was when me
family was aslape.' Then he got out of his wagin and come in, and he
looked 'round in all the corners careless like, and thin he said he
wanted to go to the barrun. So we wint to the barrun, and he looked all
about purty careful, and he says, says he: 'What ye been doin' wid the
owld horse on a Sunday, Mike?' And says I to him, says I: 'Jist a
pickin' up a few shticks for the owld woman.' An' when he come out he
see the shticks in the wagin, and he says, says he: 'Mike, if ye'll find
these fellers in the woods I'll give ye five hundred dollars.' And says
I: 'Squire Belcher,' says I (for I knowed he had a wake shpot in 'im),
'ye are richer nor a king, and Mike Conlin's no betther nor a pauper
himself. Give me a hundred dollars,' says I, 'an' I'll thry it. And be
gorry I've got it right there' (slapping his pocket.) 'Take along
somethin' for 'em to ate,' says he, 'and faith I've done that same and
found me min; an' now I'll stay wid ye fur a week an' 'arn me hundred
dollars."

The week that Mike promised Jim was like a lifetime. To have some one
with him to share his vigils and his responsibility lifted a great
burden from his shoulders. But the sick man grew weaker and weaker every
day. He was assiduously nursed and literally fed with dainties; but the
tw