MAJOR MAHON'S APARTMENTS.
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II
Burke; and while he is talking the matter over the
evening before the meeting with his Irish second Ma
Mshon the latter relates the following personal emi-
ni.cence by way of illustrating the manners Of the
Coun,ry:l


" Tom, here, doesn't like a story al supper, SAID
the major, pompousy; fer, perceivlng our attitude
Of attention, he resolved on helng little Vrahhicai
before telling H.


The priest made immediate submission and, syly
limiting that his objection only lay against slofes NJ
had been hearing for the last ihrty years 5alu ne
could listen to the narration IN question with much
pleasure.


You shall have it, then - said the major, as he
SQUARED himself In his chair, and thus began


% You have never been in Castle Connel, Hinton
Well. there is a wide, bleak line Of crgntry there,
that stretches away to the westward with nothing but
large, round backed mountains, low, boggy swamps,
with here and there miserable mud-nOvel, ssrroun-
ded by maybe half an Of Jumpers, or bad rats
few small streams struggle through THIS on thelr
way to the Shannon but they are brown and dirty as
the soil they traveEse and the very fish that swim
In them are brown and smutty also.


" In the very heart OF this wild country, took 1t
into my head TO bslld house. strange notion 1t
was for there was neighbOrhood and no sporting
but somehow, had taken dislike TO mixed society
some time before that, and found II convenient TO





were not in abundance about me, neither were the
process-servers and the truth was, | kept much
sharper lookout for the subsheri than did Tor the
snipe


g Of course, as was over head and ears IN debt,
INV notion was TO build something very considerable
and imposing and, TO be sure, had ilne porueo'
and gh, Of steps leading up to II and there were
ten windows in front, and grand baustrade al the
TOD and faith, taking it all In all, the building was
so strong the walls thick, the windows so narrow,
and the stones black, that my cousin, Darcy Ma
hon. called it Newgate and not bad name either
and the devil anOther 1t went by and even that
same had its advantages for when the creditors used
10 read that at the top of my letters, they'd say
Poor devil, he has enough on his hands there's no
use troubling him any more Well big as Newgatc
looked from without, it had not much accOmmoda'
lion when you got inside. There was, It's true, hne
hall, all tagged and, ou, of 1t, you entered what
ought to have been the dinnerroom, thrtyeight fset
by seven ndtweny, but which was used for herdlng
sheep in winter. On the right hand there was cozy
little breakfastroom, Just about the SIZE OF this we
are in AT the back of the hail. but concealed by a
pair of folding doors, there was grand staircase of
old Irish oak that ought to have led up TO great
suite of bed rooms, but it Ouly conducted to one,
little crib had for myself The remainder were new
er pasered nor hoored and, indeed, IN one OF them,
that was over the big drawing room, the jolSts were
never laid which all the bcuer tor 1t wes there
we used TO keep our hay and straw


Now. at the time mention, the harvest was not
brought in and instead of being full as 1t used TO
be il was mighty low SO that, when you opened the
door above stairs, instead of finding the hay up be-
side YOU. it was about fourteen feet down beneath
you. ,.,


al can't help boring you with all these details
first because they are essential TO my story ana
next, because, being young man. and foreigner
TO boot il may lead you TO little better Understand


r al al
tistes we Irish have after lush and the ladies', be-
leve our ruling passion is to- build big house. spend
every shilling we have, or that we have not, as the
case may be- in getting it half finished, and then live
In a corner of it, just for grandeur, as BODY may
saw. It's droll notion, after all but show me the
county in Ireland that hasn't at least SIX specimens
of what mention.


"Neweate was beautiful one and although the
sheep lived in the parlor, and the cows were kept IN
the blue drawing room, Darby VIII, Ter slept III the
boudoir, and two bulldogs and a buck goat kept
house in the libraryfath, upon the outside 1t looked
yery imposing and not that saw 1t, frsm Inc
high road 10 Ennis-and you could see II for twelve
miles in every direction didn't say That Mahoh
must be snug fellow-look what a beautiful place
he has of il there Little they knew that 1t was safer
10 90 up the Reeks than my grand staircase, and 1t
was like pe-dancing TO pass from one room 10
the other


"Weu. it was about four o'clock IN the afternoon
of dark, Touring day IN December, treadlng home
wards in no very good humor; for, except brace
and half of snipe and gray pover, had met with
nothing the whole day The night was falling fast /;
SO began TO hurry on as quickly as could when
heard loud shout behind me, and voice called out


"sIt's Bob Mahon, boys BY the hill OF Scarifi,
we are in luck


"Iturned about, and what should ! see but par
eel of fellows in red coats-they were the blazers
There was Dan Lambert, Tom Burke Harry Eyre,
Joe N'Nahon and the rest Of them fourteen souls
m all They had come down 10 draw cover oi
Stephen Bake's, about ten miles from me but, IN
the strange mountain country, they lost he oogs-
they lost their way and their temper IN ruth, 10 al
appearance they lost every thing but their appettes
Their horses were dead beat too and they looked as
miserable crew ever you set eyes on.


"' Isn't il lucky, Bob, that we foundyou al home
said Lambert.


"'T They told us you were away says Buke


"Some said that you were grown so plous, that you
meyer went out except on Sundays, added old Harry
with grin.


"'Begad, said |, as TO the luck, won't say much
for If: for here's all can give you for your dinner
and so pulled out the tour birds and shook them d
Them; and as to piety troih, maybe, you'd Ike to
keen fast with as devoted a son of he church as
myself


"'But isn't that Newgate up there = SAID one


40 That same


"sA md YOU don't mean TO say that such house as
that hasn't good larder, and fine cellar


"'You're right said |, and they're ooth iui al
this very moment-the one with seed potatoes ahd
the other with Whitehaven Goals.


Have you got any bacon J said Mahon'


ssOh yes SAID I there's bacon.