ost foolish and besotted
tendency which so many of the ignorant and uneducated peasantry have of
entering into such associations, did not fail in working out M'Clutchy's
designs. Most of those in whose houses these papers were placed, fled
the country, among whom was O'Regan, whose dying son Deaker's Dashers
treated with such indefensible barbarity; and what made everything
appear to fall in with his good fortune, it was much about this period
that Grimes, the unfeeling man whom O'Regan appeared to have in his eye
when he uttered such an awful vow of vengeance, was found murdered not
far from his own house, with a slip of paper pinned to his coat, on
which were written, in a disguised hand the words--"Remember O'Regan's
son, and let tyrants tremble."

Many strong circumstances appeared to bring this murder home to O'Regan.
From the day of his son's death until the illegal papers were found in
the eave of his house, he had never rested one moment. His whole
soul seemed darkly to brood over that distressing event, and to have
undergone a change, as it were, from good to evil. His brow lowered,
his cheek got gaunt and haggard, and his eye hollow and wolfish with
ferocity. Neither did he make any great secret of his intention to
execute vengeance on those who hurried his dying child out of life
whilst in the very throes of dissolution. He was never known, however,
to name any names, nor to mark out any particular individual for
revenge. His denunciations were general, but fearful in their import.
The necessity, too, of deserting his wife and child sealed his ruin,
which was not hard to do, as the man was at best but poor, or merely
able, as it is termed, to live from hand to mouth. His flight,
therefore, and all the circumstances of the case considered, it is
not strange that he was the object of general suspicion, and that the
officers of justice were sharply on the lookout for a clue to him.

In this position matters were, when the Castle Cumber corps of cavalry
made their appearance under all the glitter of new arms, housings and
uniforms, with Valentine M'Clutchy as their captain and paymaster, and
graceful Phil as lieutenant. Upon what slight circumstances do great
events often turn. Because Phil had an ungainly twist in his legs, or
in other words, because he was knock-kneed, and could not appear to
advantage as an infantry officer, was the character of the corps changed
from foot to cavalry, so that Phil and Handsom