"My son," said the good old man, "if you only work hard enough when you undertake a thing, you're bound to be at the top when you've finished."
"But suppose I undertake to dig a well?"
"Did you have any trouble with black ants in Ireland, Bridget?"
"No, ma'am, but I had some trouble onc't with a white uncle."
"There's a young woman who makes little things count."
"How does she do it?"
"Teaches arithmetic in a primary school."