club,
where they sat from about eleven till dark every day, chatting
pleasantly over public and private events. It was thus found necessary
to give it a kind of organization, and so we named for President the
oldest,--that is, the longest expectant of place,--who, by virtue of his
station, occupied the seat next the fire, and alone, of all the members,
possessed the privilege of poking it. The poker was his badge of office;
and the last act of his official life, whenever promotion separated
him from us, was to hand the poker to his successor, with a solemn
dignity of manner and a few parting words.

[Illustration: 233]

I verily believe that most of us got to be so fond of the club that it
was the very reverse of a pleasure when we had to leave it to become,
maybe, a Police Inspector at Skibbereen, Postmaster at Tory Island, or a
Gauger at Innismagee; and so we jogged on, from one Viceroy to another,
very happy and contented. Well, it was the time of a great Marquis,--I
won't say who, but he was the fast friend of O'Connell,--and we all of
us thought that there would be plenty of fine things given away, and
the poker-room was crammed, and I was the President, having ascended the
throne two years and a half before. It was somewhere early in March; a
cold raw day it was. I had scarcely entered the club, than a messenger
bawled out, 'Gorman O'Shea,--Mr. Gorman O'Shea.' 'Here he is,' said I.
'Wanted in the Chief Secretary's office,' said he, 'immediately.' I gave
a knowing wink to the company around the fire, and left the room. Three
mortal hours did I stand in the ante-room below, seeing crowds pass in
and out before I was called in; and then, as I entered, saw a little
wizened, sharp-faced man standing with his back to the fire paring
his nails. He never so much as looked at me, but said in a careless,
muttering sort of way,--

"'You're the gentleman who wishes to go as resident magistrate to
Oackatoro, ain't you?'

"'Well, indeed, sir, I'm not quite sure,' I began.

"'Oh yes, you are,' broke he in. 'I know all about you. Your name has
been favorably mentioned to the office. You are Mr. O'Gorman--'

"'Mr. Gorman O'Shea,' said I, proudly.

"'The same thing, Gorman O'Shea. I remember it now. Your appointment
will be made out: five hundred a year, and a retiring pension after six
years; house, and an allowance for monkeys.'

"'A what?' asked I.

"'The place is much infested with a large species of oorang-outang, a