“Maybe he’s fallen in love wid some forward jade he’s met wid,” murmured his wife.
Jack was quiet, silent, and a bit thoughtful—an’ whin he turned into bed, he says, “Waken me airly for I’ve got a thransaction at Ballinrobe,” and wid that he goes to slape, detarmined to make a complate discovery of the whole matther before he was a day oulder.
In the mornin’ he set off for Ballinrobe; but as bad luck would have it, when he got there, the carrywan wid the joiant was gone and all that they could tell him was that it tuk the Castlebar road.
Off goes our frind post haste widout waitin’ to take bite or sup, and at last about six miles out of the town he sees the carrywan standin’ by the roadside.
It was a big yalla chay made in the shape of a house, wid an illigant hall door and glass windies to it, and “O’Shannasey’s Pavilion” wrote in big letthers over them, an’ the people belongin’ to it was sittin’ on the grass by the side of the road aitin’ their dinner aff the top of the big dhrum, an’ sure now I was one of those, for I first larnt my business wid old O’Shannasey.
The guv’nor was there as well, and a mighty clever fellow he was, too. He used to do thricks wid knives and forks, and crumple a large buck rabbit quite small and put it in his wesket pocket.
“Oh, I say,” cried one of the audience.
Oh, divil a bit am I afther spaking ony unthruth. He done it as asy as anythin’, and there was a north countryman wid one leg, who was mighty handy at a Highland fling, which was a bit of a cooriosity for a cripple, you’ll all acknowledge.
“Ah, yes, certainly,” exclaimed several. “Anybody else?”
Sartinly. There was a young woman who used to dance in throusors wid frills to them, and take the money in a tambourine when the people went to see the show. An’ people did go to see shows in those days. Besides all thase there was the joiant, but the moment they saw Jack Grady comin’ puffin’ down the road, they made him lave off actin’, and crawl into the carywan, not likin’ to let him be seen too chape.