ong afore my time," said the poacher; "but I know that the
rabbit-burrow between that and Jack Appleden's garden will soon be run
out."

"Your time!" responded Shane Fadh, with contempt; "ay, and your father's
afore you: my father doesn't remimber more nor seeing his funeral, and
a merry one it was; for my grandfather, and some of them that had a
respect for the family and his forbarers, if they hadn't it for himself,
made up as much money among them as berried him dacently any how,--ay,
and gave him a rousin' wake into the bargain, with lashins of whiskey,
stout beer, and ale; for in them times--God be with them every farmer
brewed his own ale and beer;--more betoken, that one pint of it was
worth a keg of this wash of yours, Ned."

"Wasn't it he that used to _appear?_" inquired M'Roarkin.

"Sure enough he did, Tom."

"Lord save us," said Nancy, "what could trouble him, I dunna?"

"Why," continued Shane Fadh, "some said one thing, and some another;
but the upshot of it was this: when the last of the Grameses sould the
estate, castle, and all, it seems he didn't resave all the purchase
money; so, afther he had spint what he got, he applied to the purchaser
for the remainder--him that the Mountjoy family bought it from; but it
seems he didn't draw up writings, or sell it according to law, so that
the thief o' the world baffled him from day to day, and wouldn't give
him a penny--bekase he knew, the blaggard, that the Square was then as
poor as a church mouse, and hadn't money enough to thry it at law with
him; but the Square was always a simple asy-going man. One day he went
to this fellow, riding on an ould garran, with a shoe loose--the only
baste he had in the world--and axed him, for God's sake, to give him of
what he owed him, if it was ever so little; 'for,' says he, 'I huve
not as much money betune me and death as will get a set of shoes for my
horse.'"

"'Well,' says the nager, 'if-you're not able to keep your horse shod, I
would jist recommend you to sell him, and thin his shoes won't cost you
any thing,' says he.

"The ould Square went away with tears in his eyes,--for he loved the
poor brute, bekase they wor the two last branches of the ould stock."

"Why," inquired M'Kinley, in his small squeaking voice, "was the horse
related to the family?"

"I didn't say he was related to the fam----

"Get out, you _shingaun!_" (* Fairy-like, or connected to the fairies)
returned the old man, perceiving by the l