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O'Hara did not understand what Donelly meant, but he was impressed by the ferocious earnestness with which he spoke. If you'd tell me what the trouble is," he said, "I might be able to help you." "You'll not be able to help me," said Donelly. Nobody'11 be able to help me. But what happened was this. Mr. Jameson, the police inspector, was out my way the other day, and he seen the apples that I had stored away in the loft behind the house. Will you sell me a few stone of them, Donelly? says he. I'll do better than that,' says I. I'll give you a present of as many as you like, for they're no use to me.' It's as well to be civil to the police, so it is, when you get the chance. So I packed up a hamper of them apples, and I gave them to Thady Maher's boy, who was coming into the town with the ass and cart, and I bid him leave them at Jame- son's house." I- And he left them here by mistake," said O'Hara. There's no harm done if that's all." "But that's not all, nor near all. For I had a little something I was want- ing to send to you, Mr. O'Hara, and I thought Thady Maher's boy might as well be taking it in at the same time. So I put the stuff in a hamper and a few apples on top so as the police wouldn't be wondering what was in it. Six bottles there was, and as good as ever came from the still beyond." "Whisky?" said O'Hara. "Po- theen ? The thought of possessing six bottles of whisky, whisky which could only be obtained at fifteen shillings a bottle, and whisky from Poacher Donelly's private store, of his own distilling-the splendid thought blinded O'Hara to the seriousness of the situation. It was only after a moment's thought that he realised what had happened. Great Scott I he said, and that ruffianly boy of Thady Maher's has left the hampers at the wrong houses. I've got the apples, and the District In- spector has the whisky." And I'll go to jail for it," said Donelly; He's been after me about the distilling this long time, and he has me properly caught now." O'Hara was not much troubled at the thought of Donelly's going to jail. The! man had been there before and was none the worse for it. What vexed him was that six good bottles of whisky should be lost; not only lost to him—though that was bad enough—but lost to the world, a very thirsty world. The police would certainly destroy the liquor. We must get it back somehow," he said." Perhaps Jameson hasn't un- packed his hamper yet and doesn't know what's in it. I'll go round there at once. I'll tell him there's been a mis- take. I'll offer to change hampers. You stay here till I come back, Donelly. Or go upstairs to my sitting-room and pack up these apples again. Then if he agrees to exchange hampers I can take them jround to him at once." » Mr. Jameson, the District Inspector of Police, was at home. He received O'Hara in a perfectly friendly manner. He listened without any sign of special interest to a story about the two ham- pers of apples and the mistake in their delivery. O'Hara "felt reassured. It seemed plain to him that Jameson had hot yet unpacked his hamper and did not know what lay beneath the top layer of apples. He proposed an ex- .=-- change. Jameson did not think it worth while to take the trouble of moving the hampers. You keep your own," he said, and I'll keep mine. It'll come to the same thing." Not at all," said O'Hara, the apples I have, those meant for you, are much the best. Twice the size of yours and far finer in every way. Donelly told me so. He's greatly dis- tressed about it, poor fellow. He wanted you to have the good ones." I prefer small apples," said Jame- son, "so it's just as well the mistake was made. Tell him that. Besides, mine aren't so small at all. I was look- ing at them just now in the kitchen where the hamper was left. They seemed to me capital apples." O'Hara ventured, in desperation, on a statement of actual fact. The hamper I have is full," he said. The one that was left with you is only half full. I'd feel as if I was robbing you, Jameson, if I kept all the apples I have." You needn't feel that way in the least," said Jameson. I've quite as many as I want. I'd really rather not have any more. They'd probably go bad. O'Hara went back to his own house baffled, but undefeated. He hasn't unpacked the hamper yet," he said to Donelly, that's one point to the good. But he won't agree to exchange. It seems to me there's only one thing to do. Did you ever burgle a house, Donelly ? I did not," said *Donelly, and what's more I've no notion of trying." You'll have to to-night," said O'Hara. You and I will go together and will get the hamper out of Jameson's kitchen. It's ten to one the back door isn't locked. No one locks doors in Dunbeg." I might get ten years with hard labour if I did the like of that," said Donelly. You'll certainly go to jail if you don't," said O'Hara, "whereas if we work the thing properly there'll never be a word about it. We'll take the other hamper with us and leave it there, then nobody will know that there's been a burglary at all. Hang it all, Donelly, we can't leave the whisky there, six bottles of it. I'd never forgive myself if I allowed the police to pour all that good stuff down a drain." Poacher Donelly allowed himself to be persuaded. At three o'clock in the morning he and O'Hara stepped cautiously into the street. It was very dark. Not a light showed in any window in the town. Not a sound was to be heard. They carried the hamper between them. I hope to God," said Donelly, that the police is in their beds and asleep." Sure to be," said O'Hara. They're fat men every one of them, especially the sergeant. They wouldn't be near so fat if they spent the nights walking about the roads." He was wrong in his inference. The police, though fat, were regular in patrolling their district at night. O'Hara became aware of the fact a few minutes later. Donelly climbed the wall which separated Mr. Jameson's back yard from the road. He dropped softly to the ground on the far side and gave a low whistle. O'Hara hoisted the hamper of apples on to the top of the wall. Then he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. And what might you be doing there? said a voice. O'Hara was startled, but. he did not lose his presence of mind. He recognised the voice. It was that of Sergeant Gafferty. Good evening, sergeant," he said. You know me, don't you? I'm Mr. O'Hara, the solicitor." The sergeant was surprised. He had no doubt, after hearing him speak, that the man he held was Mr. O'Hara. He was tolerably certain that he was not drunk, and respectable solicitors seldom commit burglary when sober. He hesi- tated and then repeated his question. And what might you be doing here, Mr. O'Hara? The fact is," said O'Hara, that I'm taking a number of apples to Mr. Jameson. That's the hamper on top of the wall. You can look into it if you like and see that .it is apples. I didn't want to wake him, so I thought I'd put it in through the back door. It's sure to be unlocked." Curious things are done in Ireland, and the police, who have large experi- ence, are seldom surprised at anything. But Sergeant Gafferty was frankly amazed at O'Hara's story. It's a queer time of night to be taking apples to anyone," he said. Why couldn't you give them to him in the daylight, if giving apples is what you're at? I want them to be a little surprise to him, sergeant. To-morrow is Christmas. You may have forgotten that, but it is. My idea is to leave the apples where he'll find them in the morning with a little note wishing him all the compliments of the season." Sergeant Gafferty was in grave doubt. He might make a bad mistake if he arrested Mr. O'Hara for burglary, and Mr. O'Hara was just the man to make things unpleasant afterwards. On the "1 hope to goodness the police is in their beds and asleep!" I other hand, he could scarcely allow his j own officer's house to be broken into in ] the middle of the night even by a I solicitor. I needn't keep you here, sergeant," said O'ELarta, cheerfully. I'm sure you've a lot to do, and I can manage the i hamper quite well by myself. It's not ] very heavy." Then the front door of the house opened, Mr. Jameson, in pyjamas, carry- ing a bedroom candle, stepped into the street. What the deuce is the matter? he said. Is that you, Sergeant Gafferty ? It is, sir," said the sergeant. Can't you talk somewhere else, if you must talk? You've wakened the baby, and that meant wakening my wife, and now I've had to get up to see what on earth is going on. Is it burglars? It might be," said the sergeant. "It isn't," said O'Hara. "It's me. It's O'Hara. I'm bringing round that hamper of apples to you. I couldn't sleep easy thinking I'd robbed you of two or three stone of apples, good apples. My conscience tormented me so that I had to get up and bring them round to you at once. If the sergeant hadn't started talking you wouldn't have known a thing about it. I shouldn't have disturbed you or the baby." Sergeant," said Mr. Jameson, it's all right. You can go on with your patrol. Now that you are here, O'Hara, you may as well come in and have a drink. Thanks," said O'Hara, I will." Leave the apples where they are, said Jameson. No one will touch them and we can get them in the morn- -j ing." '4 By the light of his bedroom candle Jameson found two tumblers. He un- locked a cupboard in his dining-room and took out a bottle. Try a mouthful of that whisky neat, O'Hana," he said. "I'd like to have your opinion of the flavour of it before you pour in any water." O'Hara sipped. It was good whisky. It had the smoky flavour peculiar to Scotch whisky. It had a further flavour which Scotch whisky has not.. O'Hara sniffed at his tumbler and then sipped again. Well, I'm hanged he said. And you're a police officer." For the matter of that," said Jame- son, you're a solicitor and supposed; to be respectable. I don't see that there is much to choose between us in the matter of'our professions." t I suppose you had the six bottles unpacked and locked away when I was here with you this -evening offering to change hampers." I had," said Jameson; "Butr I didn't want to give myself away." 5 It'll be a relief to Donelly," said O'Hara: The poor fellow really was upset about the mistake. He naturally thought-" He probably thinks so still," said Jameson. I saw him bolting for his life over the wall directly the sergeant's back was turned. He'll spend an uneasy, night; but you can tell him in the morn- ing that I'll give him five shillings a stone for another hamper of apples same il p as the last. He has plenty more I sup- pose? Gallons," said O'Hara. Apples are not usually measured in gallons. But Jameson did not Seem to 6 notice anything odd about "O'Hara's reply.