“No, faith!” said the boy; “and sick and tired I am of the job! God and the world wouldn’t plase Heffernan with a wife!”
“Och, wait till your own turn comes round, me hayro! maybe you’ll have picking and choosing then....”
“When I want a wife, I’ll see to do the thing myself!” said the boy; “I’ll have no interference, only go and kill a Hussian for meself! Why can’t a man go and make it all right with the girl herself, and not to be having all this ould botheration...?”
“Musha!” says Moll, “there’s a great deal to be looked into, besides the girl!”
So then she went on to talk of Kitty, and they spoke about that over and over and up and down; and at long last the spokesman agreed to bring Heffernan across to Cusack’s the very next Sunday; and he sent word by Moll.
That all came about; and very pleasant they were, all round. Heffernan and a few more; tea they had and hot cake and punch afterwards.
“I thought to have the girl herself here,” said Cusack, “but she’s not willing to leave the mother, that’s ‘donny’ this len’th of time; and besides she’s a bit timersome in herself....”
“She’s none the worse of that!” says the spokesman; “and anyway, won’t it be time enough, when we have all settled ... we’ll see her then....”
To make a long story short, they agreed about the whole thing, that very evening; Cusack praising up the Dempseys’ farm, sure, and all the fine grass it was able to grow; and the spokesman not one bit behind in making much of the Furry Farm. Mickey himself said nothing, only sat there smoking and looking into the fire.
And there’s the sort they were laying out for little Kitty Dempsey! and he without a word to throw to a dog! But they never minded him; only settled everything, even to having the wedding in a week from then. Heffernan and the boy went off home, and Cusack went to his bed, very satisfied with the work he was after putting over him.