The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-04-05 00:00:00

LITTLE FAIRLY.

From the Dublin University Mayazine.
Well now I must tell you what big Fairly done—and the
dirty turn it was ; but the dirt was in him ever and always,
and a kind mother it was in him. Well what did he do but he
dug big pits all through the field where little Fairly's cow used to
graze, and he covers them up with branches o' threes and sods,
makin'it look fair and even, and all as one as the rest o' the
field, and with that he goes to little Fairly, and says he, "1
tould you before," says he, "not to be senctin' your little black-
guard cow to thresspass on my fields," says lie, " and'mind I
tell you now, that it won't he good for her health to let her go
there again, for I tell you she'll come to barn), and its dead
she'll be before long."
" Well she may as well die one way as another," say's little
Fairly, " for sure if she doesn't get grass she mast die, and I
tell you again divil an off your land I'll take my cow."
" Can't vou let your- dirty cow grake along the road side ?"
says big Fairly.

" Why then do you think," sa/s little Fairly, answering him
mighty smart, "do you think I have so little respect for my
father's cow as to turn her out a beggar an the road to get her
dinner off the common highway ? troth I'll do no sitch thing."
" Well, you"Il soon& see the end iv it," says big Fairly, and
off he wint in great delight, thinkin' how poor little Fairly's
cow would be killed. Andnow wasn't he the dirty treacherous,
black-hearted villain, to take advantage of a poor cow, and lay
a thrap for the dumb baste—but whin the dirty dhrop is in it
must come out. Well, poor Fairly sent his cow to graze next
mornin', but the poor little darlin' tray they fell into one o'the
pits and was kilt, and when little Fairly kern for her in the
evenin' there she was cowld and stiff, and all he hadsto do now
was to sing drimmin dint dheelish over her, and drag' her home
as well as he could, wid the help of some neighbours that pitied
the craythur and cursed the big bosthoon that done such
threacherous turn.

Well, little Fairly was the fellow to put the best face upon
every thing; and so, instead of givin' in to fret, and makin'
lamentations that would do him no good, by dad he began to
think how he could make the best of what happened, and the
little craythur sharpened a knife immediantly, and began to
shkin the cow, " and anyhow," says he, " the cow is good
mate, and my ould mother and me 'ill have beef for the
winther."

" Thrue for you, little Fairly," said one of the neighbours that
was helpin' him, " and besides, the hide 'ill be good to make
soals for your brogues for many a long day."
" Oh, I'll do betther wid the hide nor that," says little
Fairly.

-;;-Why what betther can you do nor that wid it ?" says the
neighbour.
" Oh, I know myself," iays little Fairly, for he was as cute
as a fox, as I said before, and wouldn't tell his saycrets to a
stone wall, let alone a companion. And what do you think he
done with the hide? Guess now—throth I'd let you guess from
this to Christmas, and yo'd never come inside it. 1, aix it was
the complatest thing ever you heerd. What would you think
but he tuk the hide and cut six little holes an partic'lar places
he knew av himself, and then he goe's and he get his mother's
fortin, the six shillin's I tould you about, and he hides the six
shillin's in the six holes, and away he wint to a fair was con-
venient, about three days either, where there was a great sight
o' people, and a power o' senile and byin', and dhrinkin' and
fightin', by course, and why nat?
Well Fairly ups and he goes right into the very heart o' the
fair, an' he spread out his hide to the greatest advantage, and
he began to cry out—(and, by the same token, though he was
little he had a mighty sharp voice and could be hard farther
nor a bigger man)—well he began to cry out, " Who wants to
buy a hide ?—the rate hide—the oul, original goolden bull's
hide that. kem from furrin parts—who wants to make their
fortune now ?"

" What do you ax for your hide?" says a man to him.
"Oh, I only want a thrifle for it," says Fairly, "seeiia' I'm
disthressed for money, at this present writin'," says he, " and
by fair or foul manes I must rise the money," says he, "at
wanst, for if I could wait, it's not the thrifle axin now I'd
take for the hide."

"Bv gor you talk," says the man, "as if the hide was worth
the King's ransom, and Fin thinkin' you must have a great
want of a few shillin's," sayS he, " whin the hide is all you
have to the fore, to dipind an."
" Oh, that's all you know about it," says Fairly, "shillin's
indeed! by gor its handfuls o' mony the hide is worth. Who'll
buy a hide ?—the rale goolden bull's hide! ! !"
A What do you ax for your hide ?" says another man.
" Only a hundher guineas," says little Fairly.
"A hundher what ?" says the man.
"A hundher guineas," says. Fairly.
" Is it takin' lave of your wen small sinses you are ?" says
the man.

" Why thin indeed I b'lieve I am tnkin' lave o' my sinses,
sure enough," says Fairly, "to sell my hide so chape."
" Chape,, ' says the man, "arrah thin listen to the little mad
vagabone," says he to the crowd, that was gother about by this
time, "listen to him askin' a hundher guineas for a hide."
"Aye," says Fairly, "and the well laid out money it 'ill be
to whoever has the luck to buy it. This is none o' your com-
mon hides—it's the goolden bull's hide—the Pope's goolden
bull's hide, that kem from furrin parts, and its a fortune to
whoever have patience to bate his money out iv it."
" How do you inane ?" says a snug ould chap, that was
always poachin' about for bargains—" I never heard of batin'
money out ofa hide," says he.
"Well, then, Pli show
.you," says Fairly, "and only I'm
disthressed for a hunder guineas, that I must have before Mon-
day next," says he, "I wouldn't part wid this hide; for every
day in the week you may thraSh a fistful o' shillin's out iv it,' if
you take pains, as you may see." And wid that, my jew'l, he
ups wid a cudgel he had in his hand, and he began leatherin'
away at the hide; and he hits it in the place he knew himself.;
and out jump'd one o' the shillin's he hid there. " I-lurroo !"
says little Fairly, "darlint you wor, you never desaived me
yet! !" and away he thrashed agin, and out jumped. another
shilEn'. "That's your sort!" says Fairly, "the devil a sitch
wages any o' yiz ever got for tnrashin' as this"—and then
another whack, and away wid another shillin'.
" Stop, stop !" says the old cravin' chap, "I'll give you the
money for the hide," ' says he, "if you'll let me see can I hate
money out iv it." And wid that lie began to thrash the hide,
and, by course, another shillin' junip'd out.
Oh.! its yourself has the rale twist in your elbow for it,"
says Fairly; "and .I see by that same, that you're above the
.common, and desarvin' of my favour."
Well, my dear, at the word "desarvin' o' my favour," the
people that was gother round, (for by this time all the fair
a'most was there,) began to look into the rights o' the thing,
And one and all they agreed that little Fairly was one o' the
`good people ;' for, if he wasn't a fairy, how could he do the
like ? and, besides, he was sitch a dawnshee craythur they
thought what else could he be ; and says they to themselves,
"that ould divil, Mulligan, it's the likes iv him id have the
luck iv it; and let alone all his gains in this world, and his,
scrapin and screwiu, and it's the fairies themselves must come
to help him, as if he wasn't rich enough before." Well, the
ould chap paid down a hundher guineas in hard goold to little
Fairly, and off he wint wid his bargain.