“There’s the heart of an Irishman—Begoora! but I’m mistook!” exclaimed Mike in dismay, for when the tuber burst open the interior was black with decay!
Calvert threw back his head and roared, and Alvin and Chester came near falling from their chairs. Even the man at the other table joined in the boisterous merriment, which was increased by the comical expression of Mike. With open mouth and staring eyes he sat dumfounded. For once in his life he was caught so fairly that he was speechless.
The deft little trick he had performed many times, but never before had he been victimized by what seemed to be a rich, mealy potato. He couldn’t understand it.
Oddly enough the stranger was the first to recover his speech. He must have had little liking for Hibernians, since he called:
“You’re right, young man! You showed us the heart of a real Irishman!”
With lower jaw still drooping, Mike turned his head and stared at the speaker. He yearned to crush him with a suitable reply, but all his wit had been knocked out of him by the cruel blow of fate. However, it could not long remain so. He picked up the fragments of the potato, fumbled them reprovingly and gravely laid them on the tablecloth beside his plate. Then the old grin bisected his homely face, and addressing the three, he said:
“I made a slight mistake, as Jerry Sullivan said whin he stepped out of the third story windy thinking it was the top of the stairs. If it’s all the same to yees, we’ll now give our attintion to disposing of the remaining stuff on the boord.”
Out of curiosity, the four cut in two each of the potatoes left in the dish. Every one was as sound as a dollar, whereat all laughed again, Mike as heartily as any.
“It’ll be a sorry day whin I can’t take a joke, as Jim Doolin said smiling whin his frinds pushed his cabin over on top of him as he lay sleeping behind it, but I was niver sarved such a trick before.”
Chester thought the unanimous merriment caused by Mike’s mishap would open an acquaintance between the lone guest and the others, but nothing more was said by the respective parties, nor did the watchfulness of the youth detect any further signals while at the table. Evidently an understanding had been brought about, and nothing else was required.