144 BEATING THE SPRINGS AND THE WOOD. 



me a piece of pasteboard on which was en- 

 graved, " Mr. Joseph O'Brien, ' Castletown 

 Eagle.'" 



I rose to meet Mr. O'Brien, who was in- 

 deed the retiring editor of the ' Eagle ; ' and as 

 the door opened, a very tall powerfully-built 

 man, rather coarse and florid-looking, but 

 with handsome features, dressed in sporting 

 costume, and with a brace of red setters at his 

 heel, stood before me. 



" How d'ye do, sir ? I'm glad to see you," 

 said Mr. O'Brien heartily, and with an honest 

 ring in his voice that took my fancy at once 

 (" To hale, ye divils ! " this to the setters, 

 who were sniffing curiously now at my legs). 

 " I hope you had a pleasant voyage." 



I told him I had, and asked him to join me 

 at breakfast, which he did ; and when it was 

 over he began immediately, at my request, to 

 give me a notion of the duties I was about to 

 enter on. The ( Eagle,' I learned, was the sole 

 property of a Mrs. Brady, whose husband had 

 started and conducted it many years before. 

 The editorial functions to be discharged con- 

 sisted in writing two leaders (I am afraid Mr. 



