Séadna 4 The Best of Men

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Séadna 4, Togha fir

Séadna, Chap. 4

With the fat purse in his pocket Séadna headed for the Fair. He decided to buy a horse and, maybe a milk cow.

Alas, when he put his hand in his pocket at the Fair it was empty. He searched high and low but there was no sign of the fat purse.

While he was searching he noticed a thimble-rigger. Séadna thought he recognised the man. He looked like the old man to whom Séadna had given his last shilling that morning.

Anyway, there was no escape. He wouold have to go the Diarmaid Ua Márlaigh, the honest man in the leather shop, and get enough leather, hemp and wax on credit, enough to make a pair of shoes.

'You will have it and welcome!' said the honest man.

Séadna headed for home, very tired. He sat in his súgán chair and fell asleep.

When he woke in the morning he could feel the weight of the useless purse in his pocket.

He remembered the bargain he had made with the Devil. He saw no benefit whatever, and he would have to go with the Devil in thirteen years.

'What kind of bargain is that', he said to himself. I am a proper eejit!

But what can I do? The bargain is made!'

'I know, I will make shoes and maybe I'll be able to pay back his money to Ó Marlaigh when I have sold them, without bothering with the money in the Devil's purse at all.

He threw the purse across the room into a corner where it stayed for many long years gathering dust and spiders webs.

He pulled the leather, the hemp and the wax to himself and he set to work.

He sold those shoes for two pounds and brought home four pounds worth of leather. He sold those shoes and brought home eight pounds worth of leather.

In a little while he employed two cobblers on a day wage, and a little while later two more.

Soon he was famous for the quality and cheapness of his shoes.

It was to Séadna that the poor people in trouble came for help. He loaned money to everyone. He gave rent money to a woman who was about to be evicted by the fat, corrupt Bailiff who had promised her cottage to someone else.

He denied no one except a stuck-up contemptuous man who gave the impression that it was a privilege for someone low class like Séadna to lend money to someone of his social standing.

Séadna showed him the door.

Some people thought that he was a fool to lend money to people who had no means of paying it back.