Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-10-05

yc. Who knows but the good people o
the fairy well have likin' for yc too So
on one fine mornin' | dressed mesef il
my best, tied what L had in handker
chief, and set out on foot to seek my for
tune, and the last saw of BalagannaI
ould Mother Murphy was kickin' off hei
shoe after me for good luck, and her daugh
ter Molly was cryin' into her checked
apron fit to kill herself. Arrah, Molly
darlin', sez |, if yell wait for me, and no
have Tim RoOny, I'll come back to We, anC
marry We when | am rich : and wild that
| turned the corner of the Hill, and Ballv.
gannan went out of my sight, and took
Mother Murphy, and Molly, and the ould
COW I'd MIXED from boy along with it
and felt for the first time that home wa,
behind me, and world full of stranger.
forninst me.
q could tell yc more than the biggest
book would hould about what happened
me. How some was good and others bad
how | had hard masters and left them
how | slept one night in a church, and was
frightened by spirit that came in its
winding sheet and glared at me with the
two eyes of it, without any eyes in them
but blue frc-how | went to a wake with
some boys | met, and had my head broke
in a fight of the wimmn cousins about who
was to have the clancy taypot and the
looking glass But I'll 90 on to the dav
when me good luck brought ME to Castle
Derry, on the cOuldest winter night that
ever froze pertaters. I'd not had a bit nor
a sup since the morn, and | was in dread
I'd bekilt with could and hunger together.
and | was trudging along the road praying
that St. Patrick I'D throw shealing wild
dacent people in it before me, when big
noise Of wheels and q bright light reused
me, and looking up, | saw a carriage with
gilt lamps and an iIligant pair OF horses,
and, Heaven above US all queer, crook
ed, daunchy, black crathure, sitting among
the cushions glowring at me. Sure
thinks l, its the king Of the witches HIM
self after me- and with the fright and sur
prise | gave a halloa, and away went in
10 the snow, and | behave the horses knock
cd me down and run over me. Anyway. |
was Immediately insensible the first thing
[ knew | didn't know anything.
Il woke up out Of my swooin' on a sofy
in an illigant room, and the square daun-
chy body bending over me, and l saw at
once that it was human c1aythure, he
was"
So" Well, how are ye now Z? he says.
Och, yer honor | answered It's kilt
am entirely. I've no breath in me body
its impossible for me to spake-and as
for how l am, only respect for yer honor's
presence keeps me from giving the biggess
scratches on account of the pain I'm IN.
90 thought I'd make the most of it on
account of his having done it to me, 50
he'd feel the propricty Of givin' me some
thin for me trouble in bein' knocked down.
"'Wel, sez he, be asy, he says. .Ye
shall have the best of medical advice, and
yen be well again in jiffy; only kape
from under the horses heels, aftcrthis time
"'Sure hope the horses will kape from
over me- says ; and if the medical ad-
vice is where to get place and wages, III
take it and be thankful
90 Don't be unasy about Uat,' sez he.
Ye shall have place with US when you're
better if that will be any compensation.
SO Sure sez |, catching at the big word
in minute, it will be the height of COM
pensation, yer honor : and l made him the
best bow / could, layin' on my back as
was
"Wcll, slept that night and was up
and well again in the mornin'; and l dis
covered that the little dwarfn, daunchv
body was the masther of Castle Derry, and
that there was only him and his moth
er in it, only the servants, and the ould la
dy-stif and stately and handsome she was
too-was as proud Of her little son as
though he'd been beauty, and list doated
on him, and iver and always. The best
Of masthers and misthresses they made,
and a good time l had with EN-, for when
ever they set me doin' more than l liked,
I'd be took i'll from the effects of bein' run
over by the masther, and got off from do
ing it in that way. And so the spring
came, and the winter went, and | was al
ways braggin' how | was the happiest boy
in creyation. So | would have been to this
day if it hadn't been for taken 4 nap in
the barleymow, one illigant morning. I'd |
been off an arrant, and tired enough was,
to say nothin' Of glass OF whiskoy at
starting and two on the way, and one when !
l got there, and three when I got home.
SO | lay me down under the barlcymow,
and fell a thinkin'. What a thing nature
is sez l, out loud. Why didn't she make !
me the masthcr, instead of him \ fine |
boy, with an illigant figure like mine, would !
do credit to the place as for him, sure
he'd do better for poor Pat O'Donohue
Where's the fairy people that didn't change |
US?
"' Arrah, spoke out voice atmy elbow, !
{ tell ye, Pat, that's what they did, en-
tirely.'
/ looked around in a cold perspera-
tion, savin' yer presence; and there, swing !
in on long sthraw, stood little man not |
knee high to duck, wild a crown on his
head and gold watch in his fob, and |
boots wild white tips to em. And when
1 looked at him he winked his eye at me,
and says he; Put that in your pipe and /
smoke it, Pat O'Donohue'
"'What did yer worship's highncss manc,
if it's plasing to ye to answer 2 l said, for
me curiosity got the better of the fright,
and the fairy-for he was nothing else-an-
swered:
O." name that our folks changed you in
your cradle for the lord of Castle Derry |
You are the rale lord, and he'sa bit Of fairy |
ry changeling put in the cradle out of spite
to his father, that had barn built over
our green ring
- Sure, the truth flashed upon me like
lightning, and | wondered / didn't know it |
from the first
GO And why won't your honOr's goodness
change me back again" | sez.
"' It's not me can do it, says the fairy.
m only subject it's our king would |
have the power
90 And how will l get at him 2
SO You'll find his majesty in the shape