“Late! A Corporal late!” ginning to receive form in In the stillness I heard her the words “Is it faultin' me gently upbraid, while she re- that he is,

that he is the conthrary construoted. Then a big bony toad ?" when the Sister raised face, like a knee, came to the a reprehensive finger, bed's surface. The face looked Speech, divinest work of sheopishly grateful for these so man, relapsed into its raw great mercies.

material of booming sound.

This sank by degrees. Lance“ We must perish if Thy rod, Justly should requite us."

Corporal Martin was still out

to be good. That was the visible feeling. The Sister looked down at No doubt Lance - Corporal Toomey, reining him in. In Martin was vowing, within, bim, too, mighty reservoirs of that he would be first man formless sound were straining in bed, from that night on- against sluices. “Why don't ward, for ever.

you Corporals screen one anHer tour of inspection fin- other,” she said, with the ished, the Sister was passing voice of the dove and the the foot of my bed, on her serpent's wisdom, “like Serway to the door, when an- geants ?” other huge frame of & man, “If anny Sergeant,” Toomey Lanoe - Corporal Toomey, & impressively opened, “in all the rag-headed Rafus, half rose wide worrald, had lived wi' the from the bed on my left- Martins of County Fermanagh the end bed on our side of these twinty years baok, the the ward.

way I've had to enjurs“Sisther,” he hailed her. “We won't tell any tales," She looked.

the Sister decided, and “ Ye'd do right, Sisther," Toomey's oonditional sentence he said, with a olarion dig- never achieved its apodosis. tinotness that seemed to me “Good-night, all," the Sister parposeful, “to be firm wi' said at the door. '

"Don't that man beyant at th' end talk too long." of the room, or ye'll not have She gone, the ward, for a a momint of peace.” He paused while, was all in a buzz. It

' for

a seoond. Somehow I is always the way at first, in thought of an angler expeot- night nurseries. Not for long, ing & rise. He went on, in though. Sleep swiftly invaded tones of virtuous indignation. one simple organism after an“Flyin' into his bed like a other. Soon a few speeialiste Too Emma bomb!” Another only were riding their hobbies momentary pause. No rise. on into the night. In the “Aye, or an aigle itself,” he bed opposite mine the ward appended.

grouser was manfully keepA low thunderous noise ing it up. " Call them ole oame from the far end of the dishwashin's supper! Well, ward. The first chaos of this roll on, breakfus'! 'S all I mass of sound was just be- 'ave to say."

Three beds

away on my right-two beds him the like of

& grassbeyond the moribund man- hopper !” the ward braggart, like Alex- Toomey always seemed to ander the Great at the feast, return to that vision of MarWas still routing his foes. tin's retirement for the night “An Austrylian 'e was, an'as if it were fuel wherewith 'e oome powkin' 'is conk in to stoke important fires. I me fioe, aht in Ahmenteers. cannot think that Martin's • More'n twelve thahsand jump was intrinsically offenmahl ah've come,' he says, sive to Toomey. All jumping, 'to sive you tioks,' 'e says. by man or beast, is highly 'Well,' ab says, 'you down't valued in Ireland. Was it oome a bloody inob further,' that any salient gesture of a ah says, an' knooks 'im dahn. foe's helped to make the whole That's wot ah done. Fair on abhorred image of him more 'is boko. Knooked 'im silly, provocatively vivid ? I leave ah did. 'Strath!”

it to you: I am not a psychoTo these shrill melodies & logist, only a reporter. fortifying bass was furnished " The both'ration I've had by my neighbour Toomey. wi’ the Martins, the whole of

' Cowed, but not changed in the pack!” “If our Lady of heart, by the Sister, he still Siven Sorras oud set eyes upon rumbled on in his bed like a thim she'd know what it is to distant bombardment. Like be vexed I” You have heard Martin's last share in debate, the low seismio swallowings, it was mainly a deep rolling or pantings, and gulps of a big heaving sound, not chopped up looomotive held in leash at a into words; in its vague im- station, Toomey, making a pressiveness it affected my ear good recovery from ganshot somewhat as a distant range wounds and wrestling in spirit of undulating hills affeots the with a friend, was rather like eye. But now and then & that-& voloano tied down with short passage of firm artiou- string. Then reverie fell back la te oommination lifted itself on the old refrain, " An' ho into olearnees, as tiny islands descindin' into his bed the of ooral, emergent morsels of match for

airiplane vast unexplored structures, landin'!” “The spit of some stiok out into daylight. “No owl'hivvinly body bruk loose peace an' quiet at all to be an' traversin' a big share of had!" " Lettin' on to

on to be the firmimint!” The obsegwounded, an'he leppin' the sion of Toomey by this hauntwidth of the worl' into his ing spootaole was becoming bed” And I used to think ungovernable. He had to onoe that soliloquies in plays oommunicate it. were unnatural! " He an' his “Did y'ever see the like of at Bloody Han' of Ulsther! Let Lever?” he said across to him put it in his pookut, th' my bed. owl' miser!” " Boundin' into "No," said I, feeling my his bed wid a thrajeothry on diction somewhat jejune, where

an

so much pioturesque figuration bangin' out of their mouths, was going.

till the hour 'ud come they'd “'Faith, then, I have,” said be free to lep in at the door an' Toomey—“the time that I tell the boys they mus’ shout seen his mother's starved hens or come out of ut. Martin flyin' in at me own mother's beyant 'ad not give ye the door, the valehers, fit to grab oboioe. He'd liefer lose drink all the nourishment out of me than not oanse human mis’ry. plate, an' I a young child.” A narra-spirited man an'a

“Bit of a war on," I asked, bigoted peeler! "over there?” I wanted to "I thanked God for this tiff sleep. I am only an Eng- wi' the Germans. Ye see, in a lishman. I do not hold two sense, it gev Martin, boun' an' turbulent quarts of tireless life gagged, into me han'. 'Jawn,' in the modest pint pot of my I said I was just after enbody. It seemed the shorter listin'— 'Jawn, I'll be back way to sleep-just to open the before long. I'm on'y steppin' dykes and let the whole narra- over to France, to destroy,' tive flood escape and be done says I, 'the greatest Prod’with, rather than lie there all stunt Pow'r in Europe.' night being splashed with “I might be at him before these interjeotional sports from ye,' says he, pensive like, an' the dammed seething waters. that made me onaisy. Ye'll “Bit of a war on?” I asked, understan' I'd always taken

“Ye'd not know," he im- me own part the best way I pressively said, “hwat war is oould in this chat that we had, till yo'd visit the County Fer. wan day an' the next, an' yet managh. Talk of this little I'd the wish in me min' to have onpleasantnuss wi' the Ger- peace an' quiet awhile, away mans! Ooh, nothin' at all! out of Dhromore, leavin' that Here wan day an', mebbe, plague of the worl' oonfined gone

in the mornin'l Th' owl' where he was. An' so I'd wars of Troy'd be hard set to thanked God for th' affair wi' matoh hwat we have in Dhro- the Germans. But now I was more, where the Martins are not aisy at all. nex'-door neighbours to as, an' "Yo wudden't sneak off,' not respected by anny excipt says I, 'out of the country, blaok Prod'stunts the like of an' lave all the poor German thimselves. To orown all, Jawn bands in the streets onprotected Martin beyant had no sooner from pop'lar voilence-an'they grown up than nothin' ud do niver safe in Irelan' yit since him but join the police. Mind, eighteen-sivinty.' If I'd have there's manny a decent lad in had more diplom'oy, God help the force; the way yo'd pity me! I wudden't have said it. thim on a summer night in Bat I had me quarrel to mind. Dhromore-we in the licensed I've ped for it since. prem'ses, all at our aise, an' “Says Jawn, There's a sowl they walkin' this way an' that of good, as they say, in annyin the street, wi' the tongues thing aivil. I see be the papers

on

me

was

6

thege Germans are smashin' afther lookin' away with the every

Romish cathaidral howl foroe of your eyes while they'd meet the road.' th' Orangeys landed their Half thinkin' it out, he seemed Mausers from Hamburg, to to be, for an' against, an' half slaughter the wan as lief as stiokin' the knife into th' other?' bow'ls. The same as meself, “We bruk away then, he

“Don't fear to spake,' says to-Hellin' the reel Pope an' I I, of '98, an' of all that the doin' the like be ivry weeny Hessians done for ye then.' black Pope in his wrinkly tin Madness it was to say that. I Vatioun all over Ulsther. It was dhrivin'him into the army,

a kin' of g'lute we had that might have been a haven always, meetin' an' partin'. of rest for meself for the howl “Begob, if the nex' Monday of the war, with him out of mornin' he didn'come sbankin' ut. Lavin' all was I, an' on to parade on the wan bafflin' meself, to have the wan barriok - square with meself. dig at him.

We were formin' B Comp'ny “Jawn looked at me quarely, that day, an'th' owl' Sergeant' An' so ye'll fight for th' Eng- Major, Yorke, was expoundin': lish,' he says, 'afther all? 'Sixteen men I'll have now, Ye're pepitint, are ye?'

for

Number Wan Seotion. “However, I know me fao's Who-iver they are, they'll there.

work together, eat together, ““Th' English are givin' sleep together, an' fight tofree thransport,' says I, 'to gether, from this out to th' this Wipers beyant, to see th' end of the war. So anny man owl' flag hangin' up in a churoh wishful to be with his pal, let that the French an' th' Irish him look to it now, or howld tuk off thim in Malbury's wars. his peace afther. Men off'rin' There's the fine penitinoe for for Number Wan Section, two ye,' says I.

paces step forrad.' "Oh, yo'll see Waterloo yit, “Jawn gov me wan vinegar me fine touris',' says be, jus' to glanst an' stept out. "Good!' howld me in play, an' ho puz- thinks I, 'the sky's clearin’ zlin' it out what to do.

wangt more.

Num'er Sixteen "I may that,' says I, “if Seotion's the boys for me it's annywaye near Fontenoy.' money.' I sted where I was.

"" Dad!' says he irrel'vantly, “A big man on me right soratohin' the baok of his head was gazin' melancholy at Jawn in the ag'ny an' sweat of his standin' out there be himself. thinkin' about somethin' else, "Be the grace of Gawd,' says 'haven't I got a better right the big man under his breath, not to be friends wi' the Eng "he may not be lousy,' an' then lish than you, an' they jus' he steps forrud. afther passin' Home Rule?' " Another tall man, on me

What way'd ye be friends,' lef' flank, was a big grazier says I in me anger an' folly, from Antrim. The two of wid English or Irish, an' you thim's evenly fed,' he says VOL, CCVII. NO, MCCLVI.

3G

eye

be now.

soft an' low, an'he steps forrud opposut Quinshy, a good place too.

in itself, wi' the makin's in it “Three hefty merchants,' of quiet an' peace—the dugBays Yorke.

Anny more outs more Christianable than welther weights ? Come, men; manny; some derelio' trucks th' enemy's waitin'.'

on a line pretty handy with “Ye'll notus, big men herd more or less coal ye oud together. The lads of six fut pinoh ; our Quarthermastheran' a bit began steppin' out in Sergeant had genius—he gev their pride.

us the firs' plum-duff ever et "Anny more Tiny Tims ?' be British troops in & firin' says Yorke, sizin' up wid his trenob. Nothin' to trouble the ten gi'nts he'd colleoted at all, on'y Jawn's clapper

A good man he was, tongue, ud deafen & miller, an' had his joke always. Kilt murdh'rin' the life of the in the Railway Thriangle, east home. of Arras, an' the las' thing he "Wan night he let all. He said was, 'Get on wid ye, men! went beyant the beyants. In I'm makin' a separut peace.' the depth of the perishin' “Be now he

he had fifteen spring it was, that they have ver'table monsthers. •Wan in those parts, an' a nasty more Little Tich is required,' thin evenin' - mist at the he says; 'gran' featherweight time an'a cowld rain, an' the boxin' we'll have

in this moon
not risin'

L& geotion.'

Bassy till later — & night “Yo'll think me an ijjat. the monkeys ye'd see in a Me that had the chanst to be Zoo 'ad be huggin' each other shut of him, for the duration, to keep off the chill. An' be the howl len'th of Jawn there in the dug-out, comp'ny! I dunno. Was it settin' a little apart, hottin' the wicked conceit of me his nose wid & short pipe statoher? Was it the shame ye'd be sick an' tired of seein' of me bein' left there stickin' before ye all day, an' all

' out of the ranks like a lamp- th' off-jooty men round him pos' surrounded be ohildher? good practical Cath’lios, an' Was it that word of the ho just gabbin' an' gabbin' on boxin', an' all the good ut about the will doin's of some might bring? Dear knows. wiokud medjeevul Pope he'd We're the quare oraytures. invented. I stept out, be some divil's

"Of

oorse I was gettin' guidance.

him right. Why wuddent I, “I'll not trouble yo with a knowin' me fao's. But not report on our trainin'. Ye've enjoyin' at. Weary I was of had it yerself. It was six at all. I'd liefest have had months for all an' six years the man dead, an' all the worl' for th' onfort'nates condemned tranquul. to the wan hut wi' Jawn, “Near diroot aotion we were We came out to the trenches when Shane, our platoon Serabove be the briekstaoks, geant then he was kilt at

over

8