So enjoying your stories, Riobard. Thanks for taking the time to entertain us, even while dealing with so many things! I hope Joan is on the mend, and that you continue to feel better. I have a question about those missionaries who would come to preach about the devil. Where did they come from? What faith? I was just today reading a 19th century Irish short story by Rosa Mulholland ("The Hungry Death"--quite good), and there was mention of a missionary who had come to preach and left a large crucifix behind in their church. Was that sort of thing common? I found Rosa Mulholland's story, though fictional, to have some marvelous details--much like Riobard's!--about life in the west of Ireland during the Great Hunger. If anyone is interested in reading it, it is in the *Penguin Book of Irish Fiction*, edited by Colm Toibin. Jane Harrington Virginia