I'll warrant you that
God will prosper you; an' that He may, avick, I pray this day!" and as
he spoke, he raised his hat in reverence to the Being whom he invoked.
"An' tell me, dear--where do you intend to sleep to-night?"
"In the town forrid here," replied Jemmy. "I'm in hopes I'll be able to
reach it before dark."
"Pooh! asy you will. Have you any friends or acquaintances there that
'ud welcome you, _a bouchal dhas_ (my handsome boy)?"
"No, indeed," said Jemmy, "they're all strangers to me; but I can stop
in 'dhry lodgin',' for it's chaper."
"Well, alanna, I believe you; but _I'm no stranger to you_--so come home
wid me to-night; where you'll get a good bed, and betther thratement nor
in any of their dhry lodgins. Give me your books, and I'll carry them
for you. Ethen, but you have a great batch o' them entirely. Can you
make any hand o' the Latin at all yet?"
"No, indeed," replied Jemmy, somewhat sorrowfully; "I didn't ever open a
Latin book, at all at all."
"Well, acushla, everything has a beginnin';--you won't be so. An' I know
by your face that you'll be bright at it, an' a credit to them owes (*
owns) you. There's my house in the fields beyant, where you'll be well
kept for one night, any way, or for twinty, or for ten times twinty, if
you wanted them."
The honest farmer then commenced the song of _Colleen dhas Crotha na
Mho_ (* The pretty girl milking her cow), which he sang in a clear
mellow voice, until they reached the house.
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