The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-12-31
A Fairy THORN.

phA NNa h't ""p
cottage in Ireland. He vas not quite
alone either, for before his son sailed
he had sent home q very small boy,
saying in a brief note that the little
fellows name was also Shaun and that
If his father did not want to keep
him he should send him back. Young
Shaun would wait two weeks to re-
| ceive him. If the youngster did not
appear within that time his father
would understand that his grandfather
meant to keep him and would elnigrate
without further delay. The boys
mother was dead. From these state
ments it will be inferred that the OLD
man and his son were not ION terms
In fact there had beer a quarrel, but
that had nothing more to do with THIS
story. The grandfather did not SEND
the boy back and no more was heard
of young Shaun for fifteen years.
shaun, the youngest, grew up duti-
fully, at his grandfather's knee he
was spirited, but he had none OF his
fathers wildness, and the old man
and he were, like Pip and Joe Gargery,
"eyer the best of friends
The old Shaun talked to him often
! dDOut Ills utlC ohu
thought much of the father he had
never seen. He was thinking Of him
one morning in the course of one OF
his habitual strolls about the neigh
borhood when his meditations were
broken in upon by a hearty voice hall
ing him from across the dyke. He
looked UP to see a tall, sturdy man,
dressed in what seemed to young
Shaun very fine clothes indeed; and
sporting a brilliant gold watch chain
across the somewhat broad expanse OF
his waistcoat. Shaun liked the man
instinctively. He had an honest, good
humored face, and his eyes twlnkled
merrily under their twin matches or
bushy hair.
"God save you,'' said the stranger,
TO which Young Shaun answered in the
quaint delightful Irish fashion, God
save We kindly" >,
Then the stranger asked for old
Shaun, and, on being told that he was
at the fair, stepped over the dyke n
engaged the lad in conversation. lie
was q most entertaining man, this gor-
geously dressed wayfarer; and, almost
before he knew it young Shaun was
eagerly confding in him ali his small
trials and fluctuations. The big man
laughed peculiarly over the longing or
his boy friend to explore the valley;
but he looked grave enough when told
of old Shaun's sorrow, and how the
aged farmer pined for his lost son:
Presently he smiled again ana asked
the boy why his grandfather had never
visited the 'Tree of the Lost Chill
dren."
Young Shaun started. He had never
heard of any ''Tree of the Lost Chill
dren.'
"What!' exclaimed the stranger.
"And you a Slievecarney boy! Never
heard tell of the famous treeT
Young Shaun shook his head. TEL
me about it." he whispered eagerly.
"Why," said his new friend, sitting
beside the listening lad, Its an old,
old story. y * y The tree is a fairy
5 blackthorn; and it stands on the very
+ top of the hills beyond, where the
fairy rath is. They say that Saint
Patrick blessed it, and promised tina
if ever son or daughter came to be car
ried off TO Fairyland, or leave thei1
parents roof tree that tree should bt
their trysting place. For. if the sor
S rowing father or mother should make
q VOYAGE to the tree at the fall OF thu
moon and call three times upon tn
: missing child the lost would straight
! way be found.
> Il In old times many n man!
a. lost child was found at the fair!
. blackthorn; but people are getting for
! getful in Ireland nowadays, and sup
pose ever your grandfather has forgot
d ten the Tree of the Lost Children.
81 will tell him. cried young Shaun
"I1l make him go there when he come
back-this very night hell go there.
!, ave. avick; do So" said the stran
.DJ A. wa nntianohln that IN
more he talked the more his accent
lost the polish of travel and becam
IS instinct with the brogue of ireland.
t. Young Shaun insisted upon havin
full particulars regarding the exact pc
:: sition of the fairy tree, n woul
doubtless have kept his kindly inform
ant by the dyke-side all the afternoo
had not the %latter's keen eyes discern
ed the figure of a man toiling up tn
hill road.
as not that your grandfather| h
rs asked, and young Shaun, ~recogniz1n
as the bent back and blue coat, answere
70 that it was. Then the stranger ros'
Ill saving that he must perforce continr
~ his Journey, and left the lame boy
- n condition half of joy and half
Vi doubt.
III No sooner were he and his gran'
father seated over their dinner tina
young Shaun plunged into the gre:
news of the day.
, "Gran'dad," he asked, 'have We ev'
heard tell O. the Tree O the Lost Chi
. dren?"
The old man started slightly. Aye
he mumbled. "'Tis an ould wife
story. l had forgot, I'm thinkih.'"
'There was a gentleman here to-da
,r. them continued young Shaun, vol
=, bly,, that knew all about it. "
He tould me to tell you that if W
went there and called out my dad
name three times, the lost would
found, an dad would come back to
again." ~
Old Shaun had risen and vas trel
. bling, his lack-luster eyes fixed upt
the boy.
"Wil ye go to the fairy tree, graz
dad?" demanded the boy.
}. For a minute the farmers ia
seemed to light up; then the old gloo
=, resettled upon it, and he sank ba'
D. upon the oaken settee.
n '"Tis an ould wife's tale, avick,"
" said, " u * Yer father is gone *
ever, I'm afeared."
Young Shaun stumped across to t
lod settee and put one arm around t
EST sunburned neck.
Nv Sure, an it's worth thryin', at a
~ u,+o,, IL, nrio1 ssSor uaiu thru