fairly shtiff wid
troutses in the saison, and a growth of rooshes under the edge lookin'
that smooth and greeny it must be a pleasure intirely to the grand young
pig and the goat that spinds their time by the side of it when out of
doores, which is seldom. Paddy himself is raggetty like, and a sight to
behould wid the daylight shinin' through the ould coat on him; but he's
a dacint spalpeen, and sure we'd be lost widout him. His mother's a
widdy woman with nine moidtherin' childer, not countin' the pig an' the
goat, which has aquil advantages. It's nine she has livin', she says,
and four slapin' in the beds o' glory; and faix I hope thim that's in
glory is quieter than the wans that's here, for the divil is busy wid
thim the whole of the day. Here's wan o' thim now makin' me as onaisy as
an ould hin on a hot griddle, slappin' big sods of turf over the
dike, and ruinatin' the timpers of our poulthry. We've a right to be
lambastin' thim this blessed minute, the crathurs; as sure as eggs is
mate, if they was mine they'd sup sorrow wid a spoon of grief, before
they wint to bed this night!

Mistress Colquhoun, that lives at Ardnagreena on the road to the town,
is an iligant lady intirely, an' she's uncommon frindly, may the peace
of heaven be her sowl's rist! She's rale charitable-like an' liberal
with the whativer, an' as for Himself, sure he's the darlin' fine man!
He taches the dead-and-gone languages in the grand sates of larnin',
and has more eddication and comperhinson than the whole of County Kerry
rowled together.

Then there's Lord and Lady Killbally; faix there's no iliganter family
on this counthryside, and they has the beautiful quality stoppin' wid
thim, begob! They have a pew o' their own in the church, an' their
coachman wears top-boots wid yaller chimbleys to thim. They do be very
openhanded wid the eatin' and the drinkin', and it bangs Banagher the
figurandyin' we do have wid thim! So you see Ould Ireland is not too
disthressful a counthry to be divartin' ourselves in, an' we have our
healths finely, glory be to God!

Well, we must be shankin' off wid ourselves now to the Colquhouns',
where they're wettin' a dhrop o' tay for us this mortial instant.

It's no good for yous to write to us here, for we'll be quittin' out o'
this before the letther has a chanst to come; though sure it can folly
us as we're jiggin' along to the north.

Don't be thinkin' that you've shlipped hould of our ricollections,
thou