“Health and prosperity to ye all,” says Grady.
“And bedad the same to ye, sir, an’ the top of the mornin’ to ye,” cried the showman.
“An’ sure now I’ve bin tould that ye have a joiant in yer show. If this be so, might one jest ha’ a look at ’im?”
“By the powers, you’re a bit of a joiant yerself I’m afther thinkin’,” says a young woman, laughing at him quite pleasant.
“Them’s my raisons, my darl——, that’s to say miss,” says Grady, very respectfully, for he was struck intirely wid her, never seeing the like afore. She was a weeshy little crathur, dressed out wid fine ribbons, wid a sallow face, and a spot ov ruddle on each cheek like a poppy in a corn field. But then she had a purty nate foot, and them was faymale accomplishments Jack was mighty partial to.
Well, my frinds, to make a long story short, when they hard he had come all that way to see the joiant they agreed to let him have a look for a bob, tuppence being the regular price on show days, but this was a private view, and cheap at a bob.
So the long man was brought out, an’ he an’ Jack stud up beside aich other, an’ sure enough, Grady wasn’t within a head of him, but then he wasn’t within three feet as big round the body as Jack, and when they came to talk of sthrength and fell a wrastling, Jack threw him on his back with the greatest aise.
Jack was quite plazed at overcomin’ the tall un—so much so, indeed, that he got quite friendly wid the whole ov us, more especially wid the young woman, and when the one-legged man pulled out a pack of cards and proposed a game he went in, as good manners dictated, and av coorse got rooked most awful.
No wondher; he was wake as wather when girls was present, and instead of mindin’ his play he was carryin’ on wid the young woman, and she encouragin’ him, all to spite the long un, who was by way of courtin’ her. While this was goin’ on the showman was eyein’ Jack, and remarkin’ “how thunderin’ big he was.”
“He’d make a mighty good property,” says he to the one-legged man.