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A wide blue ribbon kept her wealth of jet black hair in order as it hung down her back and the squeaking of her little shoes drew attention to the fact that they were new and in the fashion. "It's a mortal pity she's a girl," said Bridget, "bekase she might hev been an althar boy before she goes."
A big woman was elbowing her way towards the rails of the altar, and Father Phil, casting a sidelong glance at her, sent her to the right- about, while he interrupted his appeal to Heaven to address her thus: "Agnus Dei you'd better jump over the rails of the althar, I think. Go along out o' that, there's plenty o' room in the chapel below there."
"By this sacred an' holy book of God, I will perform the action which we have met this night to accomplish, be that what it may; an' this I swear upon God's book, and God's althar!" On concluding, he struck the book violently with his open hand, thereby occasioning a very loud report.
Every Sunday he brings you up, an' me, if I'd go, to the althar, an' keeps you there by way of showin' you respect. Pether, it's not you, but your money he respects; an' I think there ought to be no respect o' persons in the chapel, any how. You're not a bit nearer God by bein' near the althar; for how do we know but the poorest crathur there is nearer to heaven than we are!"
"Brothers," said he "for we are all brothers sworn upon all that's blessed an' holy, to obey whatever them that's over us, manin' among ourselves, wishes us to do are you now ready, in the name of God, upon whose althar I stand, to fulfil yer oaths?"
Saints in glory! is this the way you're settlin' the dispute between the two dacent young men, that's sorry, both o' them, I'll go bail, for what they done. Sit down, every one o' yez, or, by the blessed ordhers I wear about me, I'll report yez to Father Hoolaghan, an' have yez read out from the althar, or sint to Lough Derg! Sit down, I say!"
"Well," said she, "I've often heard it said that one is sometimes to disbelieve their own eyes; an' only that I known the thing couldn't happen, I would swear on the althar that I seen it movin'."
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 cowhouse, 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 his raverence seen him comin' in at the door, wid the fair fright, he flung the bell at his head, an' hot him sich a lick iv it in the forehead, that he sthretched him on the floor; but fain; he didn't wait to ax any questions, but he cut round the table as if the divil was afther him, an' out at the door, an' didn't stop even as much as to mount an his mare, but leathered away down the borheen as fast as his legs could carry him, though the mud was up to his knees, savin' your presence.
Well now afther that remember I give it from the althar, that from this day out sthraw bonnets pay fi'penny pieces. L s. d. Thomas Durfy, Esq. 1 0 0 "It's not his parish and he's a brave gentleman. L s. d. Miss Fanny Dawson 1 0 0 "A Protestant out of the parish, and a sweet young lady, God bless her! Oh, 'faith, the Protestants is shaming you!!! L s. d.
"Now mark me," continued the priest, "if either of you ever brathes a syllable of this, salvation to me, but I'll read you both out from the althar. Here now help me on with this sack; it's for a distressed person in the neighborhood that wants it badly, as you may judge, or I wouldn't be trudging off with it at this hour of the night.
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