New-York tribune., 1903-01-25
He KnesU Gbere tg/ere FAIRIES.

Macdonald McAllister a long name with
which to saddle baby. But the baby soon became
Mac to his friends, and he was so winsome as
lad that he was always just Mac to everybody
He had a firm belief in brownies, and as for irish
fairies he believed in them too. even If he were
an American. If he felt sharp pain. he was
frightened nearly TO death. He feared he had re-
ceived 1.-The touch" which would give the irish
.'little folk" who wanted workers and always
chose them from human beings the power to steal
him from his bed every night and put shape in
his place that could deceive his own father and
mother
Mac believed in the good genii and the evil
genii of the Arabian Nights also, so that with
these and MANY other beings of a supernatural
nature fill his fancy he was forever on Inc
lookout for one kind another.
At last one cold December day, at twilight he
was rewarded He standing at the window,
looking out into the yard. The wind blew such a
gale that the blinds ratified, the trees trembled
and shook and the dead leaves danced furfously
up and down. like feathers blown by mighty
breath
There was a moon, and for the first time
Mae saw as clearly could be the sharp features
of the man In it. The in the moon appeared
to looking straight down into the McAlhster
back yard and Mac following the direction OF his
stare, perceived he was interested IN the 1ahtal
pigeons.
Now Mac had always felt that there was some
thing unnatural about these pigeons. and as he
looked them too, he saw they were oehaVlhs
more strangely than usual. They were strutuhs
hack and forth on the top Of their coop spreading
their tails sticking out their wonderful rounded
breasts and looking naughty and domineering at
one of their number, the limp white tail feathers
of which dropped till they touched the ground
This pigeon appeared TO be sick and utterly mlser-
able 1t shvered with cold. and tried again ana
again TO flop its wings and fly into the pigeon
bouse Rut as soon as it came into their midst its
cruel COMPANIONS would nip it or push 1t off the
tiny ledge in front of the warm nests within or
strike it with their outspread wings.
It didn't take Mac long decide what to do
and moreover he urged forward by the man
in the moon who nodded and beckoned to the little
how as the clouds scudded over his face on their
wav to the cotton fields of snow, where they had to
get filed for a great blizzard which the weather
nronbet had promised to all lads with new sleds.
Mac ran out of doors, and as soon as the man
IN the moon saw that the boy understood he made
his light ten times yellower, so that every pigeon
that had turned in for the night came out again
thinking it was day-all but the poor sick pigeon
for there was no place for him to roost except
the icy top of the pigeon house. where he sat hud-
died in a sad tumbled heap, his feathers sticking
out in the most disorderly fashion. for he was too
i'll to preen them and look fine. did his neigh
bors.
The strong. well pigeons flew about Mac and
cooed and spread their tails into beautiful fans
which they turned this way and that, If to say
to the lad. See how beautiful! And they threw
back their heads and strutted back and forth with
the moonlight SHINING on their Whlle oredSts' ti
YOU would have thought them the sweetest tenn
pered pigeons In the whole world. But all that
these selfish pigeons wanted was an extra supper
and great was their surprise and disappointment
when the lad who always before had taken corn
and seeds from his pocket whenever he visited
them, sent scurrying to bed fast as they
could fly. Then he lifted the sick pigeon tenderly
poor little feet showing blood red with the cold
He put ii inside his jacket and to his delight he
did it gave faint, gurging coo. AS for the
man the moon, that his mission was ac-