His house in such a condition? and does n't it rain a'most every Sunday, as if He wished to remind you of your duty? — are n't you wet to the skin a'most every Sunday? O, God is good to you! to put you in mind of your duty, giving you such bitther cowlds that you are coughing and sneezin' every Sunday to that degree that you can't hear the blessed mass for a comfort and a benefit to you and so you'll go on sneezin' until you put a good thatch on the place, and prevent the appearance of the evidence from Heaven against you every Sunday, which is condemning you before your faces, and behind your backs, too; for do n't I see this minit a strame o' wather that might turn a mill running down Micky Mackavoy's back, between the collar of his coat and his shirt?"

Here a laugh ensued at the expense of Micky Mackavoy, who certainly was under a very heavy drip from the imperfect roof.

"And is it laughing you are, you haythens?" said Father Phil, reproving the merriment which he himself had purposely created, that he might reprove it. "Laughing is it you are, at your backslidings and insensibility to the honor of God, laughing because when you come here to be saved, you are lost entirely with the wet, and how, I ask you, are my words of comfort to enter your hearts when the rain is pouring down your backs at the same time? Sure I have no chance of turning your hearts while you are under rain that might turn a mill,- but once put a good roof on the house, and I will inundate you with piety! Maybe it's Father Dominick you would like to have coming among you, who would grind your hearts to powdher with his heavy words." (Here a low murmur of dissent ran through the throng.) "Ha! ha! so you would n't like it, I see,- very well, very well,- take care then, for I find you insensible to my moderate reproofs, you hard-hearted haythens, you malefacthors and cruel persecuthors, that won't put your hands in your pockets because your mild and quiet poor fool of a pasthor has no tongue in his head! I say your mild, quiet, poor fool of a pasthor (for I know my own faults partly, God forgive me!) and I can't spake to you as you deserve, you hard-living vagabonds, that are as insensible to your duties as you are to the weather. I wish it was sugar or salt that you are made of, and then the rain might melt you if I could n't; but no, them naked rafters grins in your face to no purpose,― you chate the house of God,— but take care, maybe you won't chate the Divil so aisy." (Here there was a sensation.) "Ha! ha! that makes you open your ears, does it?

More shame for you; you ought to despise that dirty enemy of man, and depend on something better, but I see I must call you to a sense of your situation with the bottomless pit undher you, and no roof over you. O dear! dear! dear! I'm ashamed of you,- throth, if I had time and sthraw enough, I'd rather thatch the place myself than lose my time talking to you; sure the place is more like a stable than a chapel. O, think of that!- the house of God to be like a stable! — for though our Redeemer was born in a stable, that is no reason why you are to keep His house always like one. "And now I will read you the list of subscribers, and it will make you ashamed when you hear the names of several good and worthy Protestants in the parish, and out of it, too, who have given more than the Catholics."

SUBSCRIPTION LIST

For the Repairs and Enlargement of Ballyslough-Gutthery Chapel. PHILIP BLAKE, P. P.

Micky Hickey, £o 7s. 6d. "He might as well have made it ten shillings; but half a loaf is betther than no bread."

66

"Plaze your Reverence," says Mick, from the body of the chapel, sure seven and a sixpence is more than half of ten shillings." (A laugh.)

"O, how witty you are! Faith, if you knew your prayers as well as your arithmetic, it would be betther for you, Micky." Here the Father turned the laugh against Mick.

Billy Riley, £0 3s. 4d. “Of course he means to subscribe again?"

John Dwyer, £o 15s. "That 's something like! I'll be bound he's only keeping back the odd five shillings for a brush full o' paint for the althar; it's as black as a crow, instead o' being as a dove."

He then hurried over rapidly some small subscribers as follows:
Peter Hefferman, £o Is. 8d.

James Murphy, £o 2s. 6d.
Mat Donovan, £o Is. 3d.

Luke Dannelly, £0 35. od.
Jack Quigly, £o 2s. Id.

Pat Finnegan, £o 2s. 2d.

EDWARD O'CONNOR, ESQ., £2 os. od. "There 's for you! Edward O'Connor, Esq.,- a Protestant in the parish, two pounds."

Long life to him!" cried a voice in the chapel.

Amen!" said Father Phil; "I'm not ashamed to be clerk to so good a prayer."

Nicholas Fagan, £o 2s. 6d.

Young Nicholas Fagan, £o 5s. od. "Young Nick is betther than owld Nick, you see."

Tim Doyle, £o 7s. 4d.

Owny Doyle, £1 os. od. "Well done, Owny na Coppal,you deserve to prosper, for you make good use of your thrivings." Simon Leary, £o 2s. 6d; Bridget Murphy, £o 10s. od. "You ought to be ashamed o' yourself, Simon; a lone widow-woman gives more than you."

Simon answered, "I have a large family, sir, and she has no children."

"That's not her fault," said the priest,-" and maybe she'll mend o' that yet." This excited much merriment, for the widow was buxom, and had recently buried an old husband, and, by all accounts, was cocking her cap at a handsome young fellow in the parish.

Judy Moylan, £o 5s. od. "Very good, Judy; the women are behaving like gentlemen; they'll have their reward in the next world."

Pat Finnerty, £o 8s. 4d. "I'm not sure if it is 8s. 4d or 35. 4d., for the figure is blotted, but I believe it is 8s. 4d."

"It was three and fourpence I gave your Reverence," said Pat from the crowd.

"Well, Pat, as I said eight and fourpence, you must not let me go back o' my word, so bring me five shillings next week." "Sure, you would n't have me pay for a blot, sir?"

"Yis, I would,- that's the rule of backgammon, you know, Pat. When I hit the mark, you pay for it."

Here his Reverence turned round, as if looking for some one, and called out, "Rafferty! Rafferty! Rafferty! Where are you, Rafferty?"

An old, gray-headed man appeared bearing a large plate, and Father Phil continued,

"There, now, be active-I'm sending him among you, good people, and such as cannot give as much as you would like to be read before your neighbors, give what little you can towards the repairs, and I will continue to read out the names by way of en

couragement to you, and the next name I see is that of Squire Egan. Long life to him!"

SQUIRE EGAN, £5 os. od. "Squire Egan-five pounds-listen to that a Protestant in the Parish!-five pounds! Faith, the Protestants will make you ashamed of yourselves if you don't take care."

Mrs. Flanagan, £2 os. od. “Not her own parish, either,— a kind lady."

James Milligan, of Roundtown, £1 os. od. "And here I must remark that the people of Roundtown has not been backward in coming forward on this occasion. I have a long list from Roundtown,— I will read it separate." He then proceeded at a great pace, jumbling the town and the pounds and the people in the most extraordinary manner: "James Milligan, of Roundtown, one pound; Darby Daly, of Roundtown, one pound; Sam Finnigan, of Roundtown, one pound; James Casey of Roundpound, one town? Kit Dwyer, of Townpound, one round-pound, I mane; Pat Roundpound-Pounden, I mane - Pat Pounden a pound of Poundtown also there's an example for you!

"But what are you about, Rafferty? I don't like the sound of that plate of yours, you are not a good gleaner,- go up first into the gallery there, where I see so many good-looking bonnets,— I suppose they will give something to keep their bonnets out of the rain, for the wet will be into the gallery next Sunday if they don't. I think that is Kitty Crow I see, getting her bit of silver ready; them ribbons of yours cost a thrifle, Kitty-Well, good Christians, here is more of the subscription for you."

Matthew Lavery, £o 2s. 6d. "He does n't belong to Roundtown,- Roundtown will be renowned in the future ages for the support of the church. Mark my words! Roundtown will prosper from this day out,- Roundtown will be a rising place."

Mark Hennessy, £o 2s. 6d.; Luke Clancy, £o 2s. 6d.; John Doolin, £o 2s. 6d. "One would think they all agreed only to give two and sixpence apiece. And they comfortable men, too! And look at their names,- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,the names of the blessed Evangelists, and only ten shillings among them! O, they are apostles not worthy the name,- we 'll call them the poor apostles from this out!" (Here a low laugh ran through the chapel.) "Do you hear that, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Faith! I can tell you that name will stick to you." (Here the laugh was louder.)

A voice, when the laugh subsided, exclaimed, "I'll make it ten shillin's, your Reverence."

"Who's that?" said Father Phil.

Hennessy, your Reverence."

Very well, Mark. I suppose Matthew, Luke and John will follow your example?

We will, your Reverence."

Ha! I thought you made a mistake; we'll call you now the faithful apostles, and I think the change in the name is better than seven and sixpence apiece to you.

"I see you in the gallery there, Rafferty. What do you pass that well-dressed woman for? thry back Ha! see that, she had her money ready if you only asked her fot it,- do n't go by that other woman there -O ho! So you won't give anything, ma'am? You ought to be ashamed of yourself. There is a woman with an elegant sthraw bonnet, and she won't give a farthing. Well, now, after that remember, I give it from the althar, that from this day out sthraw bonnets pay fi'penny pieces."

Thomas Durfy, Esq., £1 os. od. "It's not his parish, and he's a brave gentleman."

Miss Fanny Dawson, £1 os. od. "A Protestant, out of the parish, and a sweet young lady, God bless her! O faith, the Protestants is shaming you!"

Dennis Fannin, £o 7s. 6d. "Very good indeed, for a working mason."

Jemmy Riley, £o 5s. od. "Not bad for a hedge carpenther." "I gave you ten, plaze your Reverence," shouted Jemmy, and by the same token, you may remember it was on the Nativity of the blessed Vargin, sir, I gave you the second five shillin's."

66 So you did, Jemmy," cried Father Phil, "I put a little cross before it, to remind me of it; but I was in a hurry to make a sick call when you gave it to me, and forgot it afther: and indeed myself does n't know what I did with that same five shillings."

Here a pallid woman, who was kneeling near the rails of the altar, uttered an impassioned blessing, and exclaimed, “O, that was the very five shillings, I'm sure, you gave to me that very day, to buy some little comforts for my poor husband, who was dying in the fever!" and the poor woman burst into loud sobs as she spoke.

A deep thrill of emotion ran through the flock as this accidental