th two others, for burning the house of an "Aagint."

Then the Findramore boys were not easily dealt with, having an ugly
habit of involving their unlucky teachers in those quarrels which they
kept up with the Ballyscanlan boys, a fighting clan that lived at the
foot of the mountains above them. These two factions, when they met,
whether at fair or market, wake or wedding, could never part without
carrying home on each side a dozen or two of bloody coxcombs. For these
reasons, the parish of Aughindrum had for a few years been afflicted
with an extraordinary dearth of knowledge; the only literary
establishment which flourished in it being a parochial institution,
which, however excellent in design, yet, like too many establishments of
the same nature, it degenerated into a source of knowledge, morals, and
education, exceedingly dry and unproductive to every person except the
master, who was enabled by his honest industry to make a provision for
his family absolutely surprising, when we consider the moderate nature
of his ostensible income. It was, in fact, like a well dried up, to
which scarcely any one ever thinks of going for water.

Such a state of things, however, could not last long. The youth of
Findramore were parched for want of the dew of knowledge; and their
parents and grown brethren met one Saturday evening in Barny Brady's
shebeen-house, to take into consideration the best means for procuring
a resident schoolmaster for the village and neighborhood. It was a
difficult point, and required great dexterity of management to enable
them to devise any effectual remedy for the evil which they felt. There
were present at this council, Tim Dolan, the senior of the village, and
his three sons, Jem Coogan, Brian Murphy, Paddy Delany, Owen Roe O'Neil,
Jack Traynor, and Andy Connell, with five or six others, whom it is not
necessary to enumerate.

"Bring us in a quart, Barny," said Dolan to Brady, whom on this occasion
we must designate as the host; "and let it be rale hathen."

"What do you mane, Tim?" replied the host.

"I mane," continued Dolan, "stuff that was never christened, man alive."

"Thin I'll bring you the same that Father Maguire got last night on his
way home afther anointin' 'ould Katty Duffy," replied Brady. "I'm sure,
whatever I might be afther giving to strangers, Tim, I'd be long sorry
to give _yous_ anything but the right sort."

"That's a gay man, Barny," said Traynor, "but off wid you like a