, thin," said O'Halloran, loftily, "allow me to infarrum you, sir,
that this is the thirty-seventh toime that I've had the plisure of
taking part in a jool, ayther as principal or sicond."

Whereupon Jack was suppressed.

In all this the doctor took no part He looked cold, wet, uncomfortable,
and unhappy.

And now O'Halloran turned to me again.

"Me boy," said he, "if ye'll not grant me this as a feevor, I'll cleem
it as a roight."

"A right?" said I.

"Yis," said O'Halloran, solemnly, "a roight!"

"I don't know what you mean," I said, in some perplexity.

"I'll expleen. I'm undher a debt of obleegeetion to you that I nivir
can repee. Ye've seeved the loife of me daughter, me choild, me Marion
--that's one debt--then ye've seeved my loife, me own. But for you, I'd
have been tarrun in payces by a howling mob, so I would. Me oun loife
is yours. Jewty, and the cleems of gratichood, and the code of honor,
all inspoire me with a desoire to meek some rayturrun for what ye've
done for me.

"On the other hand," he continued, "ye've made a misteek of an
onplisint nature about Mrs. O'H. Ye didn't main any harrum; but the
dade's done, and there it is. It necissitates a jool. We must feece one
another to satisfy offindid honor. But at the seem toime, while this
jool is thus necissiteeted be the code of honor, jewty and gratichood
must be considhered. It's a moighty noice case," he continued,
meditatively, "and I don't think such a case ivir came within my
ixpayrience; but that ixtinsive ixpayrience which I've had rinders me
the best judge of what may be the most shootable course on the prisint
occasion. But the ulteemeete tindincy of all me mideeteetions on the
subjict is this--that I must allow you to fire the first shot."

"Well," said I, "if you insist on looking at it in that light, and if
you persist in feeling obligation, that sense of obligation ought to
make you yield to my wishes, and, if I don't want to fire first, you
ought not to insist upon it."

"No, me boy," said O'Halloran; "that's all oidle casuisthree an' imply
mitaphysics. There's no process of ratiosheeneetion that'll be iver
eeble to overturrun the sintimints of jewty and dilicacy that spring
spontaneous in the brist. So blaze away."

"Excuse me, but I insist on your firing first."

"Be the powers, thin! and I insist on your taking the lade."

"Pardon me, but you must."

"I'm inkeepeble of such a lack, of common cevileetee," said he. "I must