flections, now turned upon him to supply a new
batch.

"What's in the news, Kerry O'Leary? I think ye might as well read it
out, as be mumbling it to yourself there," said she, in a tone seldom
disputed in the realm she ruled.

"Musha then," said Kerry, scratching his head, "the little print bates
me entirely; the letters do be so close, they hav'n't room to stir in,
and my eyes is always going to the line above, and the line below, and
can't keep straight in the furrow at all. Come here, Mickey, alanah!
'tis you ought to be a great scholar, living in the house with his
reverence. They tell me," continued he, in a whisper to the cook--"they
tell me, he can sarve mass already."

Mrs. Branaghan withdrew her dudeen at these words, and gazed at the
little fellow with unmixed astonishment, who, in obedience to the
summons, took his place beside Kerry's chair, and prepared to commence
his task.

"Where will I begin, sir?"

"Begin at the news, av coorse," said Kerry, somewhat puzzled to decide
what kind of intelligence he most desired. "What's this here with a
large P in the first of it?"

"Prosperity of Ireland, sir," said the child.

"Ay, read about that, Mickey," said the cook, resuming her pipe.

[Illustration: 088]

With a sing-song intonation, which neither regarded paragraph nor
period, but held on equably throughout a column, the little fellow
began--

"The prospect of an abundant harvest is now very general throughout the
country; and should we have a continuance off the heavenly weather for a
week or so longer, we hope the corn will all be saved."

As the allusion made here by the journalist, was to a period of several
years previous, the listeners might be excused for not feeling a perfect
concurrence in the statement.'

"Heavenly weather, indeed!" grunted out the cook, as she turned her eyes
towards the windows, against which the plashing rain was beating--Mike
read on.

"Mr. Foran was stopped last night in Baggot-street, and robbed of his
watch and clothes, by four villains who live in Stoney-batter; they are
well known, and are advised to take care, as such depredations cannot
go long unpunished. The two villains that broke into the house of the
Archbishop of Dublin, and murdered the house-maid, will be turned off
'Lord Temple's trap,' on Saturday next; this, will be a lesson to
the people about the Cross-Poddle, that we hope may serve to their
advantage."

"Sir Miles M'Shane begs to inform th