Cinder Path Tales

178 CINDER-PATH TALES Connemara Irishman atthat? His face was growing redder and more smiling every min­ ute, and his feet, although they performed their duties after a fashion, would certainly not have been equal to the " crack in the floor test," as on the night when he encountered the "ghostly hurdler." But although Pat would have been con­ tented tocontinue inthe same blissful state until thecrack ofdoom, therest of us began to tire of the quest, andto look around in search of other things beside " Dinny, the copper." The streets were crowded, the stores open, thebar-rooms doing a rushing business, andthe places ofamusement in full blast. Suddenly Jim stopped before the bulletin board of a little variety theatre, and began to examine it critically. There wasa long list of names inblack letters, — singers, dancers, acrobats, boxers, and I know not what else; but Jim's eyeswere fixed with great serious­ ness at the tall red letters at the bottom. They declared, in extremely mixed meta­ phor, "A Galaxy of Stars, andEvery Onea Winner." " I'm goingin," said Jim, withmuch grav­ ity, throwing his cigar away. " How about Paddy's cousin, the copper ?" asked Harry.