THE MEET OF THE HOUNDS loi 



" Sure, they're me cows' tails," piped the old 

 fellow, like a child saying a lesson. " Me beautiful 

 cows' tails that the blackguards chopped off wid 

 a knife — divil mend them ! — and I lyin' in me bed 

 in the grey of the marnin'. * Listen,' I says to me 

 wife. ' What ails the crathurs and they boohooin' 

 Hke that? ' ' Get up an' see,' she says. And up 

 I gets and shps on me breeches and coat, and out I 

 goes, and finds thim hangin' over the rail, dhrippin' 

 wid blood, and they cut off wid a knife. Oh, the 

 blackguards, to chop their knives into the poor 

 innocent crathurs and lave me widout a cow, and 

 the rint comin' due and me wife sick in her bed and 

 all. Sure, what way is that to be thratin' a man just 

 bekase I niver answered their divil's notice to quit?" 



"Cut off his cows' tails!" cried the girl in 

 horror. " Were they ahve? " 



" Yes," said French. " It's little those ruffians 

 care for an animal — or a man either." 



" Oh, but what a cruel, sneaking thing to do ! 

 Tf% did they doit? " 



" Because he would not give up his bit of a farm. 

 And they call themselves Irishmen ; and the worst 

 of the business is, they are. Well, Ryan, keep your 

 seat and I'll send you in a drop of whisky. And 

 don't bother about the rent. I expect the next 

 thing will be they'll visit me. Faith, and they'U 

 get a warm reception if they do! " 



He left the room, followed by the girl. " That's 

 the sort of thing that's been the ruin of Ireland," 

 said he, as he pulled the sitting-room bell for 



