DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 251 



no way understood and the much-offered box for the 

 coin I had spent in toffee. But Mike was interested in 

 St Anthonv, and desired to know if his riverence wore 

 bathing drawers, and 'would he kape a fish that got 

 inside thim?' 



I am not easily discouraged, and I so longed to 

 make the ancient face put on a smile that I really 

 should be pardoned for ha\nng tried just once more. 

 I was moved to my choice by the beard that pendu- 

 lated before me. ' I took the precaution to ask if he 

 had ever heard of the Jew who wagered a hair from 

 his beard with a hairy-faced Irishman against one of his 

 that he could name more saints than the Irishman 

 could, a hair {o be pulled for each saint. 



'There's nothing new, sorr, the world is too old, 

 but tell it, for Mike would bite his nose off, and no 

 danger to it, to hear a joke that's new.' 



So I went on with the tale and told them how, 

 when single hairs in numbers had been extracted, 

 the Jew demanded and took a dozen for the twelve 

 apostles. The painful loss of these sharpened the 

 Irishman's wits as to the advantages of disposing of 

 his saints wholesale, so he replied, — 



'Thin be jabers I'U give ye the Royal Irish Fusiliers, 

 every one av thim a saint, and clear yer chin, ye divil.' 



It was Mike that laughed; Tony had heard it once 

 too often. The day was waning before I saw him 

 smile, and, as will happen with many folk, it was 

 at no tale told by others but at what he said himself. 



'I am afraid tales worry you, Tony, and that you 

 prefer more attention to the fishing.' 



'Not at all, yer honour; it's meself that's niver 

 toired of listening, and it's sorrow I have that j in tie- 

 men's tales get here before thim.' 



There was roguery in this, for Mike laughed loudly, 

 and Tony's face relaxed, while Harry, thinking it 

 'a hit* or to encourage Tony to further speech, laughed 

 and said, 'Hear ! Hear I' 



