vagabone.'

"The next morning Jack was going round and round the lake, trying about
the edge of it, if he could find any place shallow enough to wade in;
but he might as well go to wade the say, and what was worst of all, if
he attempted to swim, it would be like a tailor's goose, straight to
the bottom; so he kept himself safe on dry land, still expecting a visit
from the 'lovely crathur,' but, bedad, his good luck failed him for
wanst, for instead of seeing her coming over to him, so mild and sweet,
who does he obsarve steering at a dog's trot, but his ould friend the
smoking cur. 'Confusion to that cur,' says Jack to himself, 'I know now
there's some bad fortune before me, or he wouldn't be coming acrass me.'

"'Come home to your breakfast, Jack,' says the dog, walking up to him,
'it's breakfast time.'

"'Ay,' says Jack, scratching his head, 'it's no matter whether I do or
not, for I bleeve my head's hardly worth a flat-dutch cabbage at the
present speaking.'

"'Why, man, it was never worth so much,' says the baste, pulling out his
pipe and putting it in his mouth, when it lit at once.

"'Take care of yourself,' says Jack, quite desperate,--for he thought he
was near the end of his tether,--'take care of yourself, you dirty cur,
or maybe I might take a gintleman's toe from your tail.'

"'You had better keep a straight tongue in your head,' says four-legs,
'while it's on your shoulders, or I'll break every bone in your
skin--Jack, you're a fool,' says he, checking himself, and speaking