OCR Text |
Show ! FARRAGH FLYNN I ' AND THE- - REVENGEFUL LEPRECHAWN J! -2QM. OLSH MOONEY wiyi so in- '5 -tr- J tluiato with the good peo- 8 Jyl 2 p,e that ,he cou,1 turn ', ' r 8C" nt0 n hare any minute. WW Hhc often saia that Fnr- rngu I'Jynn wcUd novor come to a good cud bocnuso ever and nlways bo wns making fun of tbo fairies. When Farragh heard It he burst out laughing and said: "The next tlmo Molsh turns "herself Into a hare I'll get mo gun." "It's little I caro for hlinsolf or his ,run, then," sneered Molsh, when tbo Itory wns brought to her. She knew well that Avhon she was under tbo en- v chaulment tho only thine; that could Jk, hurt her nt nil was a golden bullet, life J!07 "nd sura gold was too tenrco In Rath- 4- N.,,, Nn-Gar to go shooting hired or rabbits $ - with It rfjjm Farragh Flynn lived alone, nil by ' 'himself, on a farm of his own, and as -thrro was a big whitethorn, tree nnd a fairies' rath in tho corner of his gar-Ion, gar-Ion, every one in tho village know It wasn't right fcr him to ho uiukiug tamo ot tho fairies. Ah, ho was tho stubborn man on-tlrcly, on-tlrcly, and him n young man nt that. He wouldn'r brliovo that Doininlck Doian saw tho ghost that disappeared 'In a flash o" fire nt cock-crow, and he even wouldn't glvo in that there was such n thing ns n bmishce, after ull tho village heard it the night before the big wind. Well, it wns bad enough to be so tin-I tin-I reasonable as to deny tb evidence of the senses, you might say, but when .Farragh dug up tho big whitethorn bush and leveled out tho fairies rath at the cud of his garden for n potato patch everybody held his breath, know-Ing know-Ing tho good people would soon have their rovengo on hira. Tho whltetborr bush was as old as the cliffs of Rath-Na-Car. No one know when " began crowing, nnd 8omo thought niaybo It never grew at ail. but was built far back in the beginning be-ginning of tho world by the fairies for reasons best kn'.wn to themselves. At J any rate it was well known to ho tk?' meeting place of the good people, and ' " It wns at Its foot they ni ..-ays went into their underworld and camo out of It, too. When Domlulek Dolan's cow was bewitched, be-witched, nnd he caught hold of her by tho tall to keep her from tho falri-a, -sure, didn't sho disappear Into that eamo rath of an evening, draggln? Doi dnlck wilh her luto tho tlnct-country tlnct-country man ever laid eyes on. email, pleasant-spoken man wanted to trat Domlnlcl: to a j&viitn of punch; but Domlnlcl: knew well that If he took food or drink ho would never como back, and, greatly ns ho liked to bo sociable, he put the temptation behind be-hind him, nnd that's why ho canio oat of the place all right with his cow. But tho cow never was the sane lnco. She wouldn't give a drop of milk excepting w.ien tho village piner would piny "Tho Coolln," or the "Crulskccn Lawn." Now It wns mighty unhnndy to have to send for tho nlpcr every time Domlnlck Dolan's pcoplo wanted to mKk their cow, nnd when tho piper died not n drop more milk would fcho give. They tried Darby Fogarty'- flute on her. but it was no use; nothing but tho pipes would move Ucr, nnd seeing thoro was no other 1 piper to bo had, die went dry. Cut that was neither hero nor there. 4L It's Farragh Flynn I'm telling about. . When rhelim Tlgue, tho fisherman, heard that Farrngli turned tho ratli I Into n potato patch, he Bald: "It's I ' meflcli: tltat wouldn't llko to ate wan J o' thlm praties that'll grow there." I "An', shure, what hnrnin would It do you, father?" asked his daughter Kathleen, Kath-leen, tho prettiest girl In all tho village. vil-lage. "No harm In tho world, nlanna," said Molsh Moonoy, with a knowing wink; "for it isn't praties that will grow thcro nt all, but thls'Je.s." "Mnybo you don't llko Farragh," says Kathleen, with a toss of her pretty bead. "I'm 6orry for rjim that does," and Molsh spoko ns lfSio know Kathleen's ccret. To tell the truth, Kathleen did lovo Farragh, nnd Farragh loved her In return, re-turn, but between themselves It was; although Molsh hinted many a tlmo that it wasn't right to love a man who wasn't friendly with tho good people. Mnny's tho tlmo Kathleen went out Ashing with her father in his small boat, or currngh, and it wns good to spo her pulling on an enr llko tho best, while her black hair was blown nbout tier rosy cheeks by tho salt sea breezes. Farragh Flynn didn't go out In tho boats very often, but he wns fond of bream fishing from tho great cliff of I Rnth-Na-Gnr, which wan nearly five hundred feet high and mostly whlto -4 .with sea gulls that had their nests there. ' icro tic would fish for hours with n 1 ind line', k.i cinsn to tho edg." of then th-en that it would make your head or m a dlzry to go so near, and listen to Uv sound of lite sea far below . happened of a lino ovpiiIuk in i prlng that Farragh, who was fishing, as usual, smoking his pipe and thinking think-ing of cubing at all, without It might bo of Knthloen oneo In a'whlie, felt three strong tugs nt his hook that told him thero was u fish there. That very mluute, all of n sudden ho spied the queerest man on two feet nt his side. Although disbelieving In tho good people. peo-ple. Farragh knew nt onco. that tho dawny llttlo man was a leprcchawn, and thnt as long as ho kept his eyes ou him ho could get any wish he wanted. "Why don't you pull in your line?" says tho little man; "don't you 6ce there's a fish on It?" "I'm better employed now," uays Farragh, "nil' I'll keep my eyes on you, nover fear." Tho llttio mnn.lct a dry laugh out of him and says: "Your ilsh will got awny and that will bo a loss to you entirely." "Faith, there's plenty more If it doe," and Fnrragh didn't take his eyes for n minute oft tho leprcchnwn. "I think I'll bo golu' now," says the llttlo man. "You can't budge till I say so, an have mo wish," says Farragh. "An what would you like to havo? Would you like to seo Ireland free, an' have a counthry ot your own?" asked tno little man with u grin. "That I would," said Farragh, "but it isn't In your power to glvo mo a couutury of mo own. Tho sthrangcr has oo hard a liowlt of it." "Wo will seo about that," bays the lopreehawn, nnd ho began walking round nnd round Farragh, who got so tired trying to keep his eyes on him that he fell fast asleep thero on the edge of the great cliff, wilh his line tied around his wrist and a ilsh tugging tug-ging away nt it far below. When Fnrragh woko up it was the morning of the nest day, and, wonder of wonders, n great thing had taken place! Tho pavt of the cliff ho was perched on was cut as clean as if you cut it with n knifo off from tho mainland, main-land, n distance of u hundred feet or more, mnybe. There Fnrragh found himself lying on tho top of a' narrow pillar of rock thnt rose straight out of tho sea about flvo hundred feet or eo, like u round tower, Between him nnd tho mainland main-land a roaring sea was plunging, nnd it gavo him an uneasy feeling to look around nnd seo himself C3 helpless as anything. "Troth, the llttlo man has kept his word," snys Farragh to himself. "I havo a counlliry of mo own, but not the sort of a counthry I wanted, at nil." Fnrragh was ono of tho best runners and Jumpers you'd find in a day's walk, but that leap was loo much for hlra. There was no sign or token of tho llttlo man, and Fnrragh was afraid to budge for fear he'd fall oft that tall rock with the wild jsea heating about Its base llko all possessed. As the day wore on tho people of the village flocked to the cliff nnd wondered won-dered mightily nt Farragh's fix. Ho called out for help, but sure fio ouo could do anything more than wonder at him. IIo could eco Molsh Mooney among the people, shaking her Anger nt him, nnd ho could hear her sharp voice above the discourse of tho wavo-i, as she cried out: "Aha! Farragh Flyn1.', I knew you'd como to no good. Tho fairies have their revenge on you, and there's not a man or woman In the world can save you. Now, mnybe you'll give in to tho good people." "Yoursslf nnd tho good peonlo can go to n plnco I won't mention," shout-ad shout-ad .Farragh back at her. "I've n conn-try conn-try of mo own, nt any rate," and he snt on tho rook nnd lit his pipe as calm ns you piMise, not wishing to show fear, although you may bo suro he was badly bothered. The people enmo from far nnd near .that day to look In astonishment at thj man who wns cut oft from the world, like, and him still alive and in possession posses-sion of his seven senses. Toward evening tho wind softened to a whisper, and tho sea, that had raged round Fnrragii's rock all day, grow as still as a sleeping babe. Then tho people on the cliff wondered still more to see a small boat with a woman In it rowing for dear life lirough the shadows toward tho enchanted en-chanted rock in tho ocean. So far bo-low bo-low vns tho boat that they couldn't tell win wns In it; but they watched it with all their eyes, thinking that it was a fairy boat going to carry Farragh far out into the middle of tho sea, where he'd bo lost forever. It wns a tlmo ot wonderment, you may bo sure. Kvcry eyo was on tho boat nnd tho girl. She rowed straight to tho foot of tbo towering rock. Leaning over tho edgo of tho boot sho caught hold of Fnrrngh's Itno thnt was still fas-cned fas-cned to hU wrtst nt tho other end, and od a strong rope to It. Then looking ip and raising her voice, she shouted: 'Pull up your line. rar-r.g'i'" He Btvrtort like orw 1:: it dream, and looking down, saw Hit face that ho loved, It filled, hlri 'v.'th hope. It I mado hS lu-nrt leap. M was the fiea 'of KutMtfen Tlgui. . 'Katliln, nroon!" he cried'. "It was tho saints that sent you." "Pull up the rope, Farrngli; f.tsttn It fc something nnd save yourself." It didn't tako him long to tnko ncr advice, lie drew up his line, with tho ro. r.t the end of it. Knthlcen held tho other end of the ropo steadily. Farragh then matf tho ropo fast to n skelp of rock n utrniig n t-ilbraltar Kself, and soon, to the astonishment of everybody, he wns climbing down hand over hand against the fnco of the cliff. In a little while he stepped into tile bont beside Kathleen. Then you niny bo sure there was n wild cheer from the people, for. In splto of Molsh's mnVdlctious, they wcro sorry to seo poor mortal in such a fearfut placo ns Fnrragh was in. Soon Fnrragh and Kathleen rowed round to nn easy landing on tho Clnd-dagh, Clnd-dagh, .ud the welcome they got mnde ovcrybody glad that night, nnd there wcro dancing and diversion in Rath Nn-Gnr. Did ho marry Knthlcen? Well, now, don't nsk me. What would you do If you wcro In his plncc? If any ono doubts this story he can go to Itath-Na-Uar nnd see for himself. him-self. The lonely pillar of rock stands thero yet, a hundred feet or so from the cliff, with the sea dashing between, to tell of the leprcchnwn'R revenge on Fnrragh Flynn. Ned Newcome, In tho Now York Times. |