The Purcell Papers, vol 3 | Page 7

for all,
open the door quietly,' says he, 'or, by my sowkins, I'll not lave a
splinther together,' says he.
Well, whin Nell an' Andy seen he was getting vexed, they beginned to
bawl out their prayers, with the fright, as if the life was lavin' them; an'
the more he bate the door, the louder they prayed, until at last Jim was
fairly tired out.
'Bad luck to you,' says he; 'for a rale divil av a woman,' says he. I 'can't
get any advantage av you, any way; but wait till I get hould iv you,
that's all,' says he. An' he turned aff from the door, an' wint round to the
cow-house, an' settled himself as well as he could, in the sthraw; an' he
was tired enough wid the thravellin' he had in the day-time, an' a good
dale bothered with what liquor he had taken; so he was purty sure of
sleepin' wherever he thrun himself.
But, by my sowl, it wasn't the same way with the man an' the woman in

the house-- for divil a wink iv sleep, good or bad, could they get at all,
wid the fright iv the sperit, as they supposed; an' with the first light they
sint a little gossoon, as fast as he could wag, straight off, like a shot, to
the priest, an' to desire him, for the love o' God, to come to them an the
minute, an' to bring, if it was plasin' to his raverence, all the little things
he had for sayin' mass, an' savin' sowls, an' banishin' sperits, an'
freakenin' the divil, an' the likes iv that. An' it wasn't long till his
raverence kem down, sure enough, on the ould grey mare, wid the little
mass-boy behind him, an' the prayer-books an' Bibles, an' all the other
mystarious articles that was wantin', along wid him; an' as soon as he
kem in, 'God save all here,' says he.
'God save ye, kindly, your raverence,' says they.
'An' what's gone wrong wid ye?' says he; 'ye must be very bad,' says
he,' entirely, to disturb my devotions,' says he, 'this way, jist at
breakfast-time,' says he.
'By my sowkins,' says Nell, 'it's bad enough we are, your raverence,'
says she, 'for it's poor Jim's sperit,' says she; 'God rest his sowl,
wherever it is,' says she, 'that was wandherin' up an' down, opossite the
door all night,' says she, 'in the way it was no use at all, thryin' to get a
wink iv sleep,' says she.
'It's to lay it, you want me, I suppose,' says the priest.
'If your raverence 'id do that same, it 'id be plasin' to us,' says Andy.
'It'll be rather expinsive,' says the priest.
'We'll not differ about the price, your raverence,' says Andy.
'Did the sperit stop long?' says the priest.
'Most part iv the night,' says Nell, 'the Lord be merciful to us all!' says
she.
'That'll make it more costly than I thought,' says he. 'An' did it make
much noise?' says he.
'By my sowl, it's it that did,' says Andy; 'leatherin' the door wid sticks
and stones,' says he, 'antil I fairly thought every minute,' says he, 'the
ould boords id smash, an' the sperit id be in an top iv us--God bless us,'
says he.
'Phiew!' says the priest; 'it'll cost a power iv money.'
'Well, your raverence,' says Andy, 'take whatever you like,' says he;
'only make sure it won't annoy us any more,' says he.
'Oh! by my sowkins,' says the priest, 'it'll be the quarest ghost in the

siven parishes,' says he, 'if it has the courage to come back,' says he,
'afther what I'll do this mornin', plase God,' says he; 'so we'll say twelve
pounds; an' God knows it's chape enough,' says he, 'considherin' all the
sarcumstances,' says he.
Well, there wasn't a second word to the bargain; so they paid him the
money down, an' he sot the table doun like an althar, before the door,
an' he settled it out vid all the things he had wid him; an' he lit a bit iv a
holy candle, an' he scathered his holy wather right an' left; an' he took
up a big book, an' he wint an readin' for half an hour, good; an' whin he
kem to the end, he tuck hould iv his little bell, and he beginned to ring
it for the bare life; an', by my sowl, he rung it so well, that he wakened
Jim Sulivan in the cow- house, where he was sleepin', an' up he jumped,
widout a minute's delay, an' med right for the house, where all the
family, an' the priest, an' the little mass-boy was assimbled, layin' the
ghost; an' as soon as