The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-27
THE WITCH OF GLEN CARA.


enchanted lochs and raths between tbs
mountains and in the valleys of Ireland
Here the fairies played on moonlight,
nights, and whoever had spoke with OF
as the people said again. had seen tbs
FAIRIES. was ever after wise in good
ways. simple and happy
But let him take care that he did no,
offend or wrong the good people. for il
he did. his life would ever after be in
| danger
one of the many enchanted spots noted
II. old times, was the Loeb of Glen Cara
In the heart of the Connemara mount
aims. Through the pass of Cionmacrule
on the east. few had ever dared ven
ture, and the peaks of Landarrah held
il from the west.
Here, great many years ago. before
| the wars Of Elizabeth, which We're very
| trying to the fairies. the good people
never liking bloodshed, lived old Phelin1
| Toole and his drone of wife. Peggy
Phelim was old and infirm and tottered
upon his stick. Peggy had long teeth. a
ieathery brown face, and two little deep.
black eyes. She had hump on her back
| ana was very lame, and carried a strong
| klackhorn crook
Still, the fairies were very good to
| Peggy; not because they liked her-for
| her voice was harsh and she took snuff
put because she was the wife OF Phelim.
whom they loved for his simple. honest
| ways.
But the neighbors over the mountains
! always dreaded to see Peggy coming
| down the 'reeks, carefully stepping
| her ass over the gullies, with her two
| creels of turf. the wind lifting her
| long. black cloak. When they did they
| called in the children. who hid in the
corner behind the bed until the witch of
Loeb Cara had passed. Still, every one
cfr- 10 oil
| IN the town the grocers gave her her
own price for her turf, because it was
not known what bad luck might follow
the cross Peggy of the Reeks''
1t was always noticed that the morning
after great storm, when much damage
had been done by the wind and when
the air was clear and the rocks cawed
Loudly around their nests, would be the
| tine selected by Peggy to visit the town
This gave cause to suspect that Peggy
u Toole, the witch of Loeb Cara, had
come in the morning in the flesh to count
The roofs she had unmatched when the
night before she had ridden down from
over the mountains. her spirit the CEN
ter of a great black cloud
NO one had ever seen Pheiim go beyond
the peaks. and only once had the priest
Of the nearest parish entered the pass of
Clonmacrule. IL was said that he met
Phellm IN the pass, and tried to have
nm change his ways. come out of the
mountains. and live Christian life; but
he never spoke of it himself.
Besides the loch, Phelim would sit all
Gay in the sun. with his fute-this to
make the spirits sleep, as the echoes of
the music came back from wonderful
rcck in the pass. Meanwhile Peggy sat
at the open door of the little cottage in
FER White cap, and made fishnets which
she Sold as she did her turf, to the shop
keepers in the town
One night in the month, the night of
the full moon, just as it came over the
''reeks.' Phelim would come out beside
The lake, take his seat in the little oak
settee beneath the wide spreading haw-
thorn, the ground beneath all soft with
green, velvety grass, and there play his
flute for the fairies
from all around-from the pass Echo
eek, the shadow of the great oaks at
the foot of the Landmarks. and from
across the loch in boats-would the fairies
come at the sound of Phelims flute upon
the water, and the wtchery of the soft.
bright moon.
Under the spreading hawthorn they
would assemble; and Pheli. touching the
stops so lightly only a fairy's ear could
catch the music the fairies would dance
Round and round the tree they would GO
the fairy queen all the time singing in
the center, as she clapped her two white
hands to the music.
At times Phelim would rise to a louder
note, and then while he played some bold.
marching, Irish air. and while all the
glen and mountain far would be echoing
a glad answer, the fairies would put OFF
tfeir green kirtles, and changing to tin
lest forms would each hide beneath a
spear of grass or leaf of shamrock A
drop of dew. glistening on a daisy. would
CHI
crown.
1t was during these interruptions
while the fairies were losing their dane
ing, that was the profitable time to
Ihelim and Peggy; for then the spirits In
the loch, awakened. would come to the
surface, beating time to the music with
their white hands. and blowing shells,
and drive the fish in shoals to the shelly
ing shore. where Peggy, coming down
with her cross-handled basket. they
would fill up enough TO last the old couple
until the next fun moon. But one nigN,
If an untoward spirit of greediness, Peg
gy took two baskets too much The
spirits said nothing of this. but cheerfully
filled up the measure, and afterward went
ard danced with their friends under the
hawthorn. But at the call of twelve by
the clock in the cottage Phelim noticed
that the fairies left and never courtesied
Excepting this. everything was as it
had been; the spirits dived deep in the
water in the direction OF a moonbeam
and the fairies went off over the rocks
in white cloud.
In the morning Phelim cleaned and
feggy fried fish for their breakfast. Then
Phelim filled and salted down his quintal
Of fish as he always did-enough TO last
until the full of the next moon. But
when he did so. and the kettle was pack
ed, there was still a large heap on the
floor
What does this nance" said Phelim
1T Names. said Peggy-sticking her
crock into the creel OF turf that was on
the ass back before the door and filing
up two baskets with fish-'that last night
took two baskets OF fish too much.
an as this is market day in the town,
I'm going to sell them
An that We never come back said
Fhelim. "catchin' the good people cut O.
their dancin' and maxim the spirits work
more than they ought
The old bag said nothing. but put down
the covers on her two baskets. tied on
her black-trimmed hat and cloak said
Git oop." to the ass, and with her has
kets in hand. passed up by the loch
soitg TO market
N the hawthorn tree the ass stopped
Peggy put down her baskets and beat
him with her crook. The ass ran al fun
speed up the mountain. Peggy. brandish-
ing her crook and crying, Stchop We
bastei" hurried after.
Phelim. when she had gone. went over
and emptied the two baskets of fish into
the lake They were not dead. ard as
they all swan away. a voice from its /
depths called out;
May pleutiness always sit at the table !
Of Phelim OF the reeks,
Phelim looked hard at the lakes center /
H.. -
he did 81 a shriii cry up the mountain I
~. IL. hin, tr,--. and Innklrz IL. IL -