So Barney picked it up, and for fear of any other mistake, he handed it to the dealer himself.
“It’s an ugly turn whatever, to be knocking a poor cripple about that-a-way!” said the dealer, dropping the luck-penny into his pocket.
“Ach, how poor he is, and let him be crippled, itself!” says Barney; “it’s easy seeing you’re strange to Ardenoo, or you’d not be compassionating Hughie so tender!”
No more was said then, only into the tent with them again to wet the bargain. Hughie gathered himself up. He was in the divil’s own temper. Small blame to him, too! Let alone the disappointment about the shilling, and the knock Barney gave him, the people all had a laugh at him. And he liked that as little as the next one. You’d think he’d curse down the stars out of the skies this time, the way he went on.
And it wasn’t Barney’s clout he cared about, half as much as Mickey’s meanness. It was that had him so mad. He felt he must pay Heffernan out.
He considered a bit; then he gave his leg a slap.
“I have it now!” he said to himself.
He beckoned two young boys up to him, that were striving to sell a load of cabbage plants they had there upon a donkey’s back, and getting bad call for them.
“It’s a poor trade yous are doing to-day,” said Hughie; “and I was thinking in meself yous should be very dry. You wouldn’t care to earn the price of a pint?”
“How could we?” says the boys.