Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-08-27

II
root reached UP and caught the tnkers needless feet
and thump he rolling head heels to the
bottom Of, the ditch.
For second he lay where he had tunbled; but only
second, for in mind and body the tinker was
quick cat. Indeed, he already scramblng to
hts feet again. and the edge of the bank when
Darby O'C1ill charging along like mad bull aud
plunged into him headfirst Saints above, but that
was the thump
Freeing himself, Darby rose feeby to his knees
and began climbing out of the ditch The bank
steep and slippery with the dew, that at first the
lad was hard set to get foothod. He reached the
top however, and was clutching at bit of twisted
when to his unspeakable surprise the began
to twist and to squrm, and to wrgge in his hand.
Darby raised the thing for closer look, when sud
enly little foot flew out like lightning, and kicked
him squarely the nose, and wee, spiteful voice
piped up:
broke the ribs of me side! Pick up cap We
ferna schoundrel an put it head so I'll have
the power to turn an that schreen' villain be-
hind ye into two yellow tomcats" And there strug-
CLING in Darbys fist, bareheaded little man in
green velvet jacket and brown knee.breeches. His
swapping black eyes and weakened face the
angrest Darby had
"Begarries, Bill, come here. think I've got the
leprechaun! y spluttered Darby
Eye lie, We daytractin mullet headed dayrogotory
vituperator" ragged the little man. "Im not the lepre
chaun I'm Mai the fiddler, from slievena mon;
sometimes they call Nal the scod, an I've been
waitin' here these three nights to help We whin We
whit diggin' for the crooks O goold. This is the
thanks get. Where have ye been? What KEEP We,
We lazy, fddle-faddng potthern', dawdlin
polthroons'
"Aisy afsy there" warned Darby. "Aist or West,
since the day was bor-rn l niver heard yer aquil
for bad langwidge. An tell We now, if We say
of thin bluggard wurruds I'll rap the little head
Of ye agn this stone. Tell me- what dye name about
waitin' for to 60 diggin for the crooks o goold
He gave the fairy rattling shake
''Sthop that! ~ roared the captive. do that agin
me spells! Tll-Il sussitate the both of yez, so II
will. Bah We unclassca, undaycorious, umphibious
. examples ye!'
Bill was the first to recover from this deuge Of
blurteO
BE this an that Darby. I'll STAN no more Hand
the Nillyputian here till | souse him"
"Oho, is that you. Bill Donohue? thought It was
Dominic OHara that was in it. Man alive Darby
OGl., what are We dom here with that raycreant
mayfacthor of cockathrice of tinker?'
BE aisy now" warned Darby pushing Bill aside. as
he made thrust at the fairy with his stick. I'm
thinkn' he's here as friend What wor We sayin',
little hayro, about the crooks O good?' And Darby
loosened his fingers that the fairy stood upright
in his hand. The little fiddler shook himself and
adjusted his cloak.
"Well. as I was sayn', got the wurrud that you
an Dominic O'TIara goin to dig for the crooks
O good, an it's little Nkin' we Good People have
in the crooks these fourteen hundred years
Look at that now" exulted Darby. 'Shure we
thought -ye. wor an nnimy. To tell the truth yer
honor Misther Donohue here is just thrife afeared
Of meetin up wild thin same diseased ghosts"
The little fairy flung glance of whitening dsdain
at the tinker what are yez all afeared of? Don't
We know that one of these days Yell all be ghosts?"
I'm not afeared Of thinl,' Dragged Darby, "but
don't oike sociating wild the oikes of thin oness it's
that nd kape heart lifted the loneest road and
the darkest night; she wasn't afeared Of ghost livn
dead and she promised to whisper it to me before
she died; but the poor crachure forgot the wurruds
'Fax, I've heard that charrum this hundherds of
years. said the fairy but I'll give betther wan
Besides mine has grand chime to it, an if yere in
any kind of fear trouble just trow back yer head
an sing it this away:
oh Phadrg and Phelim and Red Conan More
The Lehras and Lahras are gathern',
Come out of the mountain they're weltin me sore,
Bring yer sojers and champeens to ather EN-
"Now all together" urged the little fellow The
three took up the tune and roared it so Justify that
Bring yer sojers and champeens to lather EN- was
heard good mile away in her own house by big
Mrs Flaherty, as truthful woman as lives in the
village Of Ballinderg.
When they had sung the powerful charm many times
the little fiddler said swell, first and foremost it's
not in the abbey at all that the crooks O goold are
buried but undher the three in the great court
where the monks do be lynn.
"eome on, Darby, an bring the wee man wild ye,"
cried BILL starting up
"Botheration on We for tinker" snapped the fairy
'will We patience Ye must begin afther midnight
and ind before cockcrow an this is the way yell go
about it, Yell find bran pick an shovel lynn
snug be the abbots grave; an yell measure fo1ve
lengths of the pick handle toward the broken gateway
and there's the identical spot where ye must dig Yell
find good nough there to make you and yer glnera-
lions rich forever"
Darby gave great cough into his hand and Bill
Donohue swallowed hard at big lump that popped
into his throat
.Don't think that the ondertakin' is asy wan
warned the fairy "for there be thin wachn' We the
while that would sthrke the sight from yer eyes and
wither the tongue in yer head'
"An what's to purwint thim?" asked Darby.
"Ah ha! that's what I'm here to tell We. Until the
sthroke of midnight the ghosts beyant helpless
as field full of unfant childer and afther cockcrow
they're nayther less than flock of jackdaws
rocsthin in the oud rune. Let yez hurry now before
midnight and make ring of holly tunty feet wide
around the spot where ye're to dig, the way the
moothern' rapscallians can't within hands rache
of We The ghost of no diseased person can cross
twig of holly
"Shure the whole worruld knows that" said Bill.
If anyone has ring of holly around him no shu-
pernatural ghost can bother him.
"Eagh Is that so,' sneered the wee man. well,
maybe We know this, too, Mr. Diogga the pill
pious or raygious worrud while yere diggin in that
place. yell nver raygret it but an thatll be all
the days Of yer life