The Merry Past 



your ugly mug, and make haste out of this, or I'll 

 make an anabaptist of you in the pond there, and keel- 

 haul you, hypocrite that you are." This was said with 

 the growl of a lion and the grin of an ogre, brandishing 

 a crutch which gout alone prevented his applying. 



A well-known figure in this part of the country 

 was an old Irish priest, whose quaint phraseology and 

 ready wit made him a welcome guest throughout the 

 district. Dining one day at a squire's, the conver- 

 sation turned upon a curious old marriage ring which 

 one of the guests had acquired, upon which the priest 

 joined in : *' A marriage ring thin is it yer talking 

 about ? Faith thin, it's not so curious as one 1 used 

 yestherday, anyhow. Sure and there were two poor 

 people, Irish ye could tell by their brogue, who came 

 to be married, and they had never a ring; so I'd well- 

 nigh stopp'd altogether ; when the lady suggested a 

 kay. ' Faith ! that's an illigant notion,' said the bride- 

 groom ; * but where are we to get a kay, Nancy 

 darlin' ? ' — ^ Ain't there his Riverince's strate-door 

 kay ? ' answered Nancy. ' By the powhers and that's 

 thrue.' So I married them with my Riverince's 

 strate-door kay ! " 



" What a good notion ! " said the hostess : " 1 

 wonder where Nancy learnt it." " Jist what I asked 

 her, my Lady," replied the good Father, and she 

 answered, "And what thin was I married in last year at 

 Ballyshannon, county Fermoy, by blessed Father 

 O'Phelim, to Teddy O'Flanaghan, him as I wouldn't 

 live with no more for his drunken basteliness, but 

 the top of his Riverince's strate-door kay ? " 



243 



