ell a ticket, till Mrs. Dillon
gathered around her the Boss of Tammany Hall, an' Senator Dillon, an'
Mayor Birmingham, an' Mayor Livingstone, an' says to thim, 'let the
Countess o' Skibbereen have a concert an' let Tammany Hall buy every
ticket she has for sale, an' do yeez turn out the town to make the
concert a success.' An' thin she got the greatest singer in the world,
Honora Ledwith, that ye cudn't buy to sing in Ireland for all the little
money there's in it, to do the singin', an' so the Countess med enough
money to buy shirts for the whole of Ireland. But not a door wud have
opened to her if Mrs. Dillon hadn't opened them all be wan word. That's
why Castle Moyna is open to her to the back door. For me I wondher she
shtays in the poor little place, whin the palace o' the American
ambassador in London expects her."

The audience, awed at Judy's assurance, was urged by pride to laugh
haughtily at this last statement.

"An' why wudn't his palace be open to her," Judy continued with equal
scorn. "He's afraid of her. She kem widin an ace o' spoilin' his chances
o' goin' to London an' bowin' to the Queen. An, bedad, he's not sure of
his futtin' while she's in it, for she has her mind on the place for Mr.
Vandervelt, the finest man in New York wid a family that goes back to
the first Dutchman that ever was, a little fellow that sat fishin' in
the say the day St. Pathrick sailed for Ireland. Now Mr. Livingstone sez
to Mrs. Dillon whin he was leavin' for London, 'Come over,' sez he, 'an'
shtay at me palace as long as I'm in it.' She's goin' there whin she
laves here, but I don't see why she shtays in this miserable place, whin
she cud be among her aquils, runnin' in an out to visit the Queen like
wan o' thimselves."

By degrees, as Judy's influence invaded the audience, alarm spread among
them for their own interests. They had not been over polite to the
Americans, since it was not their habit to treat any but the nobility
with more than surface respect. New York most of them hoped to visit and
dwell within some day. What if they had offended the most influential of
the great ladies of the western city! Judy saw their fear and guessed
its motive.

"Me last word to the whole o' yez is, get down an yer knees to Mrs.
Dillon afore she l'aves, if she'll let yez. I hear that some o' ye think
of immigratin' to New York. Are yez fit for that great city? What are
yer wages here? Mebbe a pound a month. In our city the girls get