The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-12-22
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THE cHANGE[ING

> knew the woman Weii-anQ her nCspdHu
died, leaving The poor widow not a
ha'porth to bless herself with, barria' a
little gossoon of child named Patsy.
Fax, thin, he might have left her
worse off at any rate. for pigs, an COWS,
an horses, an even silver have way OF
taking wings and flynn OF with them
selves whin you Taste expect it. But the
comfort Mrs. McNulty got out of that
little crachure bate anything you ever
see or heerd tell of-she was that fond OF
him.
And in faith and in troth it was the
small blame for her to be fond and
proud of Patsy, for two purifier blue eyes
than her own never looked from undher
& wave of brown curis, the little lad 3
cheeks were for all the worruld like a
pair of wild roses, and sure ye d wondher
10 see such a sturdy, handsome pair OF
legs on a child of T.
Fax maybe the widow set altogether
too much store upon her son-she was
fair daft over him
Il wouldn be shown me fondness for
that child SO plain if l wor you Deia
ScNulty,'' says ould- Mrs. Fagin, the
childs godmother. There's thin that
ride the wind at night-you know who
mane-its manys the child they've taken
before, and
.Botheration on you and yer croakin'
Ann Fagin says Della. Its little fear
/ fear and little care ] care for the fairies
or the COLLINS / do me worruk and L
mini the child, ard I'm not the Taste
aleared of anything human or unhnman- >
Mrs. Fagin shivered and hildt UP beth
Lands at the woman's righteousness.
Well she might, for yez'n all agree that
It was a surprsin' foolish thing for so
sinsble woman as Della McNuity to be
trowin' dayfiance that away at the fair
tes.
-'kh, thin if Patsy wor my child wint
on Mrs. Fagin as soon as she ketched her
breath, IAN I'd be afther sayin thin
desperate worruds agin the good people.
I'd niver lave him night or day without
a bit Of rowan twig or some other char
rum sewed up in his clothes till the lad
grew to the age of Maythuseler."
Mrs. McNulty only tucked her hands
undher her apron and laughed dubious
Wen, time wint on an sorra thing out
of the way happened till it fell May eve,
thief ariries night. Thin, Della was
sittin alone, her chin in her hand, beside
the doing turf fire-the child lay curled
asleep on the bed-suddin. from without,
there rose a sob OF low, sweet music.
Wondering, Della listened. 1t seemed to
come from the road feminist the house
soft an 'entreatin', but so sadly beauti-
full that the heart must ache which heard
IT. She sesitayted a minute, thin bouldly
got up and flung wide the door What
she saw was only the white simmering
stars. the mist covered fields, and the
empty road fading away until the shad-
ows.
But, ochone. marrone, them usic! 1t
grew and grew, and rose and fell clear.
maylodious, "a sorrowful; the whole night
throbbed with it She felt the weird
sthrains dhrawin' the heart from her
body. Against her will she took a step
out until the night Clearer and more
ravishing sweet swelled the sthrange,
wild chune. So was not alone, she knew
that. for she felt the presence of num-
berless invisible creachures crewding on
ayther side Like blind woman, Della
stretched out her hands into the dark and
the music led her down the boreen. Ev-
cry thought every fear now was ban
ished from her mind; she follyd. step by
step. the retreating sounds. She had
barely raiched the stile wffin, like
friendly warning voice calling to he
through the darkness came the chime of
the distant chapel bell. Instantly the
fairy music stopped. broken into thous-
and tinkling fragments. like a glass that
is shattered on the stone. Thin, a low.
jeering laugh from somewhere behind her
in the shadows. The spell was broken
For an instant a flash Of fear for Patsy
took the strength from her limbs. With a
cry Della turned; through the distant
open door she saw the yellow glow of her
own turf fire: moaning ike a wild cra-
chure, she ran back to the cabin.
But. o, thanks be. There on the bed
the little darlint lay fast asleep as she
had left him.
"O." said Della. farvant. If ever live
till the morrow. I'll have foine branch
OF rowan for him.
But, 20 an behold We. the next day the
little goSsoon was took 10 its bed bad
sick: and the sorra know the dochtor or
the priest knew what allied ii at all at all.
For time every one said the poor child
was goin' TO die: then a wonderful thing
happened; the little lad s head began to
grow till. savin' yes presence. its head
was the size of that three-leged pot there
But its body stayed the same. The child
lost the power of speech. too and nay
Their be look nor be sign did it rayspcnd
10 any question. Mr.. Mcnamara said it
was deaf as well as dumb. The most
amazin' of all. things was the lad 5 appe-
tite-hed ate stirabout enough to do four
men, an yed wondher in the name of
tun6er how he could hould all the but
termilk he'd swallayed.
Well. as you may aymasine. he became
the marvel an the miracle of the five
parishes
Some of the neghbors gave the widow
one kind of advise about him and some
aonther;
I'D bate him with the hoe" says long
Pether Mccarthy.
Put him sittln' en- the live Goals of
the hearth" says Mrs Casey, the woman
without childhien
I'd trow his intil tub of scaldin' wa
ther. ~'Tis a sure. saIe way. sayd Mrs.
Driscoll: thin if he's a fairy he'll 90
away. says she
But if he's me own child says Della
with white lips. and no fairy AT all,
wouldn't that be turribles" says she
a. dunno. sayd they. He'll have tie
comfort OF knowin' that his mother was
sthrivin to do 44er jooty be him at any
rate" says them.
But, however. Misthress McNulty took
none Of their advise. She treated the
lad the best she could and KEEP hopin'
Tor the best