102 THE SILVER FOX 



ascended in Irish from the depths of the 

 well that they were sinking, the general 

 topic was the same, and was one that 

 intimately concerned Mr. Glasgow. 



"Jim Mulloy's brother told me he seen 

 the paymasther 'ere yestherday in Letther 

 Kyle/' said a withered little man, who 

 was mixing mortar with extraordinary 

 deliberation. '* He was comin' out o' the 

 bank, an' he havin' the brown bag with 

 him." 



" Maybe it's little chance oursel' has of it, 

 whether or no," responded his satellite, 

 a red-faced youth, whose occupation of 

 eternally shaking sand through a sieve 

 might well foster pessimism. "Don't ye 

 know well thim isn't w^orkin' for nothin' " — 

 indicating the bricklayers on the gable, and 

 the portly and prosperous stonemasons, 

 chipping away in professional silence. 

 " Short thim fellows 'd be leggin' it away 

 to Dublin if they wasn't get tin' their pay; 



an' d d well Glasgow knows it's the 



likes of us must be waitin' oii him ! " 



