In a few minutes he returned with six black turf. The fire was rebuilt and we basked in its warm white glow. The bogman snored on. Billy inquired about the amount of his change. Then he became solicitous about his comfort on the floor. Each suggestion was a furtive flank movement on Boyle's loose change.
Anna saw the bent of his mind and tried to divert his attention.
"Did ye ever hear, Billy," she said, "that if we stand a dhrunk maan on his head it sobers him?"
"Be the powers, no."
"They say," she said with a twinkle in her eyes, "that it empties him of his contents."
"Aye," sighed the sweep, "there's something in that, Anna; let's thry it on Boyle."
There was an element of excitement in the suggestion and we youngsters hoped it would be carried out. Billy made a move to suit the action to the thought, but Anna pushed him gently back. "Jamie's mouth is as wathry as yours, Billy, but we'll take no short cuts, we'll go th' long way around."
That seemed a death-blow to hope. My sisters began to whimper and sniffle. We had many devices for diverting hunger. The one always used as a last resort was the stories of the "great famine." We were particularly helped by one about a family half of whom died around a pot of stir-about that had come too late. When we heard Jamie say, "Things are purty bad, but they're not as bad as they might be," we knew a famine story was on the way.
"Hould yer horses there a minute!" Billy O'Hare broke in. He took the step-ladder and before we knew what he was about he had taken a bunch of dried rosemary from the roof-beams and was rubbing it in his hands as a substitute for tobacco.
After rubbing it between his hands he filled his pipe and began to puff vigorously.