“At any rate they came down with the cash, and after drinking a bottle between them, went home in choice spirits entirely at their good luck in so aisily getting us off.  When they had left the house a bit, the priest sent after them—­’Jemmy,’ says he to Finigan, ’I forgot a circumstance, and that is, to tell you that I will go and marry them at your own house, and bring Father James, my curate with me.’  ‘Oh, wurrah, no,’ said both, ’don’t mention that, your Reverence, except you wish to break their hearts, out and out! why, that would be a thousand times worse nor making them stand to do penance:  doesn’t your Reverence know that if they hadn’t the pleasure of running for the bottle, the whole wedding wouldn’t be worth three half-pence?’ ‘Indeed, I forgot that, Jemmy.’  ‘But sure,’ says my uncle, ’your Reverence and Father James must be at it, whether or not—­for that we intended from the first.’  ’Tell them I’ll run for the bottle, too,’ says the priest, laughing, ’and will make some of them look sharp, never fear.’

“Well, by my song, so far all was right; and may be it’s we that weren’t glad—­maning Mary and myself—­that there was nothing more in the way to put off the wedding-day.  So, as the bridegroom’s share of the expense always is to provide the whiskey, I’m sure, for the honor and glory of taking the blooming young crathur from the great lot of bachelors that were all breaking their hearts about her, I couldn’t do less nor finish the thing dacintly; knowing, besides, the high doings that the Finigans would have of it—­for they were always looked upon as a family that never had their heart in a trifle, when it would come to the push.  So, you see, I and my brother Mickey, my cousin Tom, and Dom’nick Nulty, went up into the mountains to Tim Cassidy’s still-house, where we spent a glorious day, and bought fifteen gallons of stuff, that one drop of it would bring the tear, if possible, to a young widdy’s eye that had berrid a bad husband.  Indeed, this was at my father’s bidding, who wasn’t a bit behindhand with any of them in cutting a dash.  ‘Shane,’ says he to me, ’you know the Finigans of ould, that they won’t be contint with what would do another, and that, except they go beyant the thing, entirely, they won’t be satisfied.  They’ll have the whole countryside at the wadding, and we must let them see that we have a spirit and a faction of our own,’ says he, ’that we needn’t be ashamed of.  They’ve got all kinds of ateables in cart-loads, and as we’re to get the drinkables, we must see and give as good as they’ll bring.  I myself, and your mother, will go round and invite all we can think of, and let you and Mickey go up the hills to Tim Cassidy, and get fifteen gallons of whiskey, for I don’t think less will do us.’