Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-06-08

Ger himself. anu as lie SaG uOWn on tne
side of the Rath, and snapped his fin
gers TO mark the time, the dancing stop
ped, ,snd little man in black hat anda
green coat, with white stockings and
red shoes on his feet, comes up to Pat.
"Won't your honor take q turn with
us?' says he, bowing till he nearly
touched the ground. And indeed, he
had not far to 20, for he was barely two
feet high.
"Don't say it twice, SIR says Pat
'Its meself will be proud to have
a twirl wild ye )" and before you
could look round, there was Pat in the
circle dancing away for dear life.
At first his feet felt like feathers for
lightness, and it seemed as if he could
have gone on for ever. At last, howev-
er, he grew tired, and would have liked
to stop, but the fairies would not, and so
he danced on and on. Pat tried to
think Of something good to say, that he
might free himself from the SPELL but
all that he could think of was:
"a dozen hanks of gray yarn for Mis-
tress Murphy.
"Three gross of bright buttons for the
tailor.
"Half an ounce of throat drops for
Father Andrew, and an ounce of black
pepper for his housekeeper."
For these were what he had gone to
town to fetch, and he ran over them in
his mind as he came along, to be sure
they were all right; and he could think
of nothing else. And it seemed to Pat
the Rath when they began to dance,
and on the other when they left Off;
but he could not be sure after all that
going round. One thing was plain
enough. He had danced every bit of
leather off the soles of his feet, and they
were blstered so that he could hardly
stand but all the little folk did was to
stand and hold their sides and laugh at
him.
At last the one who had spoken to
him before stepped up and said:
"Don't break your heart about it,
| Pat says he; "l'll lend you my shoes,
till the morning, for you seem to be
good natured sort of boy"
Well, Pat looked at the fairy's shoes
that were the size of baby's, and he
| looked at his own feet; but not wish
ing to be uncivil, he says:
'Fts kindly obliged that am to you,
SIR" says he. "And if your honor'd be
| good enough to put them on for me,
| maybe you wouldn't spoil the shape"
For he thought to himself "Small blame
to me if the little gentleman can't get
them to fit
With which he sat down on the side
of the Rath, and the fairy fitted on the
shoes for him. But no sooner did they
touch Pats feet, than they became alto
gether convenient SIZE, and fitted him
like wax. And more than this, when
he stood up, he didn't feel his blisters
at all, at all.
Bring 'em back to the Rath at sun
rise, Pat, my boy" says the little man.
And as Pat was climbing over the
ditch, "Look round, Pat" says he.
And when Pat looked round, there were
the iurze-bushes on the ditch, as thick
as peas.
Willyou help yourself, or take what's
given ye, Pat" says the fairy man.
"Sure, I've learned manners" says
Pat. Would you have me help myself
before company? I'll take what your
honor pleases to give me, and be thank
full"
The fairy man picked lot of yellow
furze-blossoms from the bushes, and
filled Pats pockets.
Keep 'em for love, Pat. DEAR" says
he.
"Good evening to your honor" says
he.
"And where are you going, Pat, my
boy ?" says the fairy man.
"fm going home," says Pat. And if
the fairy man didn't know where that
was, small blame to him.
"Just let me brush them shoes for
ye, Pat,' says the fairy man. And as
Pat lifted up each foot he breathed on
| 1t, and busted it with the tail of his
green coat. Home ~ says he, and
when he let go, Pat was at his own door
step before he could look round, and
his parcel safe and sound with him.
Next morning he was up with the
sun, and carried the fairy mans shoes
back to the Rath. AS he came up, the
little man looked over the ditch.
"Good morning to your honor" says
Pat; "here's your shoes"
"You're an honest boy, Pat" says the
little gentleman. "Its inconvenienced
am without them, for | have but the
phS pam nave you ioohcu ap thSih
flowers this morning, Pat, dear" he
| says.
"No, I've not, sir" says Pat; 4" I'd be
10th to deceive you. | came off as soon
as was up"
g Be sure to look when you get back,
Pat" says the fairy man, "and good
luck to you.h
With which he disappeared, and Pat
went home. He looked for the furze-
blossoms, as the fairy man had told him,
and bad luck to him if they weren't all
pure gold pieces.
Well, now Pat was so rich, he went
to the shoemaker to order another pair
OF brogues, and being kindly, gossip
ing boy, the shoemaker soon learned
the whole story of the fairy man and
the Rath. And this so stirred up the
shoemaker's greed, that he resolved to
go the very next night himself. to see
if he could not dance with the fairies,
and have like luck.
He found his way to the Rath all cor
rect, and sure enough the fairies were
dancing, and asked him to join. He
danced the soles off his feet, as Pat had
done, and the fairy man lent him his
shoes, and sent him home in a twinkling.
AS he was going over the ditch, he
looked round, and saw the roots
of the furze- bushes glowing with
precious stones as if they had been
glowworms.