"Is—is it out, Ned?" he said at last, scarcely knowing whether he ought to be vexed or pleased. "Out!" cried Ned; "don't you see it, man? Didn't I tell you I'd give you relief? Here, wash out your mouth with this sup o' soft water. An' I don't think your appearance is improved very much by you lyin' there on the floor. Now, is it?" Larry rose and rinsed his mouth, as he had been bidden. "Do you know what, Ned," he cried, "you're the finest doctor in Ireland, an' that's the greatest charm I ever heard of in my life. I dunno how you done it, but I must send up Nannie to you to-morrow." At that moment a young lad thrust his head in at the door. "All right—an hour ago," he cried, and disappeared as quickly as he had come. "What did he say?" asked Larry, as he saw a look of the utmost pleasure come across Ned M'Grane's face. "He said," answered Ned, as he folded his arms and leaned his broad shoulder against the wall, "that[Pg 23] you've got the best son-in-law in Ireland, an' that Seumas Shanley has the purtiest an' the sweetest little wife that ever stepped in shoe leather!" [Pg 23] "What do you mean, man; what do you mean?" cried Larry in an angry and excited tone, as he gripped the blacksmith by the arm. "Are you mad, Ned M'Grane?" "No, Larry, my decent man; I'm not mad, an' I only mean what I say, an' that is that the best part o' the charm that's after bein' worked is that while you were gettin' the pain taken out o' your jaw here, your daughter and Seumas Shanley were gettin' the pain taken out o' their hearts by Father Martin above at the chapel—long life to them! "The boys an' girls o' Drumberagh are dancin' at their weddin' for the last half-hour, an' every tongue in the country is talkin' o' the Blacksmith's Charm." [Pg 24] [Pg 24] HOW JIMMY SETTLED THE SOJER It would be very unjust to say that Ned M'Grane was insufferably vain on account of his storytelling abilities, or that he was a bore who insisted, whenever he could find an audience, on relating some of his wonderful and thrilling experiences, as a goodly number of those who pose as storytellers are in
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