Page 40 - The snake's pass

28 THE snake's pass. .
whin ye want it bad, and then niver laves ye till he has
tuk all ye've got — yer land an' yer shanty an' yer holdin'
an' yer money an' yer craps; an' he would take the
blood out of yer body if he could sell it or use it
"
anyhow !
" Oh, I see, a sort of usurer."
"Ushurer ? aye that's it ; but a ushurer lives in the city
an' has laws to hould him in. But the gombeen has
nayther law nor the fear iv law. He's like wan that
the Scriptures says ' grinds the faces iv the poor.'
Begor! it's him that'd do little for God's sake if the
"
divil was dead !
" Then I suppose this man Murdock is a man of
means—a rich man in his way?"
" Rich is it ? Sure an' it's him as has plinty. He
could lave this place if he chose an' settle in Galway
—aye or in Dublin itself if he liked betther, and lind
money to big min—landlords an' the like—instead iv
playin' wid poor min here an' swallyin' them up, wan
be wan.—But he can't go ! He can't go ! " This he
said with a vengeful light in his eyes ; I turned to
Andy for explanation.
"Can't go! How does he mean? What does he
mean?"
" Whisht Don't ax me. Ax Dan, there. He doesn't
!
owe him any money ! "
"
" Which is Dan ?
"The ould man there be the settle what has just
spoke, Dan Moriarty. He's a warrum man, wid money