left of me late husband's
property. Michael Mulligan thought the world of that goat, he did.

MRS. O'TOOLE. I'm a peaceful woman, Mollie Mulligan, and a calm,
neighborly woman; but I don't like goats.

MRS. MULLIGAN. I don't blame ye at all, at all, Kathleen. But poor
Shamus O'Brien was probably only nosing around fer a bit of Christmas
Eve dinner. I'll kape him tied in the future.

MRS. O'TOOLE. Sure and it is Christmas Eve, isn't it?

MRS. MULLIGAN. Indade it is, and for the sake of the holy eve, I think
ye'd best be after forgiving the poor goat and not harbor any ill
feeling agin him on Christmas Day.

MRS. O'TOOLE. Harbor ill feeling, is it? Faith, then I'll not, Mollie
Mulligan, and it's meself that'll be bringing over a big cabbage head
on the morning for Shamus O'Brien's Christmas dinner.

MRS. MULLIGAN (_rises_). I'll be after tidying up the house a bit.
It's little enough I've got for the children's Christmas tomorrow
morning; but at least I can have me house in order and a burning
candle shining in the windy. (_Lights candle and sets it on table in
front of the window._)

This light shall burn on Christmas Day,
For Him who in the manger lay,
And all are welcome at my door,
The high, the low, the rich, the poor,
And every heart shall sing again
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

MRS. O'TOOLE (_rises_). Your burning candle takes me back again to the
days of me childhood in County Clare. Well do I mind me last Christmas
Eve in ould Ireland, the little thatched cabin with its one window,
the stinging smoke of the peat fire, the lads and the colleens and the
ould piper--and the merry dances and songs, do ye remember, Mollie,
darling? (_Puts arms on hips, wags head from side to side and sings
briskly_:)

[Music illustration:

1. Did you ev-er go in-to an I-rish-man's shanty,
Where mon-ey was scarce but where wel-come was plen-ty?
A three-leg-ged stool and a ta-ble to match it,
But the door of the shan-ty is al-ways un-latched.

2. Our nate lit-tle house, it looks out on the street,
There's two beau-ti-ful rooms and a pig-sty com-plete.
Each girl has a dress and each boy has a coat,
There's tin hap-py chil-dren, six pigs and a goat.

3. Sure the Mul-li-gans al-ways are hap-py and bright,
They sing in the morn-ing, they sing in the night,
Now Pat-sy and Mat-sy are strong as can be,
But the bil-ly-goat's str