The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 215: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

212 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. motts and the Brolickbones have been fast friends since Ould Ireland was made. Och, murder, who’d have thought of find- ing a Dermott. The milkman received Rafferty graciously, and they soon got into a long chat, and then came Rafferty’s question about his knowing or not knowing of a young lady who had lost herself. . **A great beauty,” said Dermott, ‘‘is she? Well, then, it's the oddest thing in life; but there was a servant-girl in here for two new-laid eggs this morning, and she said to me, ‘ Mr. Der- mott,’ says she, ‘ you’re a man of discretion entirely,’ she says, ‘and there’s a young lady in our house,’ she says, ‘as has lost herself anyway.” ‘‘Och, murder, fililoo!” ae I up and says, says J, ‘ia there,’ says I, and that’s all I said.” “t » Bad cess to you, Dermott, why didn’t you ask her all about i 99 ‘* Because I didn’t, and that’s the reason, I tell you. But you can ask her yourself anyhow. She’s a countryman of ours.’ ‘*Is she? then all’s right. Where shall I find the darlint >” ‘*T’ll be bound, now, as it’s getting on toward the dusk, if you walk past the ‘airy’ of No. 7, and whistle the ‘Groves of larney,’ she’ll come out in less than no time. You are not so young as you was, but you ain’t the ugliest man in the world, after all.” ‘*Thank you kindly,” said Rafferty: ‘‘ don’t you see me blush- ing? No. %. Ill go, and if it snould be the same I want to find ont, it shan’t be the worst day’s work you ever did, Dermott, to tell me.” | Away went Rafferty to No. 7. while Dermott came to the door after him, and flung an old shoe after him for luck, which hit him on the side of the head. “Thank you for nothing,” said Rafferty, as he walked on and soon found himself at the area rails of No. 7. It was a respectable enough looking house, and he tried the persuasive tune of the Groves of Blarney, as had been suggested to him by Dermott, without, however, producing any apparent effect upon the nymph of the kitchen. He had gone through the whole tune about five times, with all sorts of variations, and then he got tired of it, and dealt one of the rails a hearty kick. This was a more effectual proceeding, for he saw a face at the kitchen window, the contour of which was sufficient at a glance to convince him that it came from the land of praties and buttermilk; so he put on his most insinuating appearance, and nodded and winked with a force that was quite miraculous. ‘‘ Bedad,” he said, as the face disappeared, ‘“‘if that don’t bring her out, she’s one of a thousand.” Rafferty now prudently walked away some paces, and he was quite delighted to find that in a few minutes the area gate was opened, and the girl came out with a key dangling on her finger and a basket on her arm. ‘‘Och, murder!” said Rafferty, as he came up to her, “ what a comicbooks. com