Page:The Social War.djvu/65

 "We-ll, ye may not belave me, but shure as life be in me, the dacon, what jist lift, is no frind of me Mishtress Lucinda; becase, I heerd him spake to a stranger the other evenin' what was not true, nor kind to spake of a nice lady like Mishtress Lucinda," said Pat.

"What was it, Pat?" demanded General Armington.

"An' shure, good mashter, he said tow the stranger: 'Well, brother, I have discivered that Miss Lucinda Armington is a fast young lady, becase she has visited Victor Juno in they dark night,'" exclaimed Pat, angrily.

"How does it come, Pat, that he would make such a remark in your hearing; he knows that you live with us, and would not utter such words in your presence, fearing you might tell us? Where was this?" indignantly ejaculated General Armington, who thought, "Pat, you are either lying, or the deacon is a hypocrite."

"Good mashter, belave me, an' he said that very ting; but it was one dark night, whin I heerd many noises along the rood as I was acomin' home from Judy's father's," said Pat, without hesitation.

"Surely, Pat, I cannot understand this; but I will see by and by what it means," responded General Armington.

Pat now sought his Judy and Miss Armington, to tell them how he worked the deacon's mutton. He said:

"Och, be me howly Moses, but I worked the dacon 's mutton; I jist made him belave that there was a fight down by Jabob's plantation, atween his howly saints an' the worthless paople, an' mind ye, he belaved every word uv it, an' clared right strate away from yer noble father; whin I tould yer good father, what will cause him to look to the ould curmudg—excuse me, I mane hypocret," jocularly said Pat.

"We must be very cautious not to expose our secret workings, or our plans will prove futile, and dear father then might be turned against Victor Juno," sadly responded Miss Armington.

"But, have ye herd of the riot last Sunday evenin' at