Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-11-28

good end because ever and always b
was making fun Of the fairies. Whel
Farragh heard it he burst out Laughing
and said: '"Che next time Molsh turn
herself into hare I'll get me gun"
Its little I care for himself or hi!
gun, them" sneered Molsh, when tn,
story was brought to her. She knew
chantment the only thing that coult
hurt her at all WIS golden bullet
and sure gold was too scarce in Rath
Na-Gar to go shooting hares or rabbits
with it.
Faragh Flynn lived alone, all By
there was big whitethorn tree and q
fairies rath III the corner of his gar.
den, every one in the village knew il
wasn't right for him to be making
game of the fairies.
All, he was the stubborn man en-.
tirely, and him a young man at that
He wouldn't believe that Dominick
Dolan saw the ghost that disappeared
III flash O. fire at cock-crow, and he
ceen wouldn't give in that there was
such thing as banshee, after all the
| village heard it the night before the
big wind.
Well, it was bad enough to be so un.
reasonable as to deny the evidence OF
the senses, you might say, but when
Farragh dug up the big whitethorn
bush and leveled out the fairies rath
at the end of his garden for potato
patch everybody held his breath, know.
Ing the good people would soon have
their revenge OH him.
The whitethorn bush was as old as
the cliffs Of Rath-Na-Gar. No one
knew when it began growing, and
some thought maybe it never grew at
all, but was built far back in the be-
ginning of the world by the fairies for
reasons best known to themselves. AT
any rate it was well known to be the
meeting place of the good people, and
1t was at it's foot they always went into
their underworld and came out Of it.
too. o.
+ When Dominick Dolan's COW was be.
witched, and he caught hold Of her by
the tail to keep her from the fairies,
sure. didn't she disappear into that
Jame rath of an evening, dragging
Dominick with her into the finest
country man ever laid eyes on. A
small, pleasant-spoken man wanted to
treat Dominick to a jorum of punch;
but DOminici1 knew well that if he
took food or drink he would never
come back, and, greatly as he liked to
be sociable, he put the temptation be-
hind him, and that's why he came out
IF the place all right with his cow.
But the cow never was the same
since. She wouldn't give drop OF
milk excepting when the village piper
would play "The Coolin," or the
.Cruiskeen Lawn" Now it was
mighty unhandy to have to send for
The piper every time Dominick Dolan's
people wanted to milk their COW, and
when the piper died not drop more
milk would she give. They tried Darby
Eogarty's flute on her, but it was no
use; nothing but the pipes would move
her, and seeing there was no other
piper to be had, she went dry.
But that was neither here nor there.
it's Farragh Flynn I'm telling about.
When Phelim Tigue, the fisherman,
heard that Farragh turned the rath
INTO a potato patch. he said: ITS
meself that wouldn't like to ate wan
. thin praties that'll grow there
"An', shure, what harum would it do
you, father?" asked his daughter Kath-
leen, the prettiest girl in all the vii
lage.
mo harm in the world, alanna," said
Molsh Mooney. with knowing wink;
for It isn't praties that will grow
there at all, but thistles."
Maybe you don't like Farragh," says
Kathleen, with a toss Of her pretty
head.
"I'm sorry for thin that does" and
Molsh spoke as if she knew Kathleen's
secret.
To tell the truth, Kathleen did love
Farragh. and Farragh loved her in re-
turn, but between themselves 1t was;
although Molsh limited many time
that it wasn't right to love n man who
wasn't friendly with the good people.
Many's the time Kathleen went out
fishing with her father in his small
boat, or curragh, and it was good to see
her pulling on an oar like the best,
her rosy cheeks by the salt sea breezes.
Farragh Flynn didn't go out in the
boats very often, but he was fond Of
Dream fishing from the great cliff of
Rath- Na-Gar, which was nearly five
hundred feet high and mostly white
with sea gulls that had their nests
there.
There he would fish for hours with
a hand line, so close to the edge of the
cliff that it would make your head or
mine dizzy to go so near. and listen to
the sound of the sea far below.
1t happened of 4 fine evening in
spring that Farra gh. who was fishing,
IS usual smoking his pipe and think
ing of nothing at all. without it might
be of Kathleen once in a while, felt
three strong tugs at his hook that told
him there was fish there. That very
minute, all &C a sudden he spied the
aueerest man OH two feet at his side.
Although disbelieving i'll the good peo-
Die. Farragh knew at once that the
lawny little man was q leprechawn,
and that as long as he kept his eyes on
aim he could get any wish he wanted.
"Why don't you pull in your line?"