AN IRISH FAIRY TALE

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 19, 25 November 1927, Page 15

AN IRISH FAIRY TALE

(By

Hazel

Murphy

There was once a little white cottage, hidden away at.the bottom of’a inighty, 1ugged mountain. In this cottage there lived an Trish. cobbler called Martin, and his little danghter, Naneen. Noebody conid have helped loving Naneen: she was a rosy, merry little person. Her father simpiy adored her. One day when Martin left off his work, he noticed that Naneen was paler and thinner and inclined to be peevish ‘This continued for some weeks, till the poor man was néa1iy driven mad with anxiety for his little daughter One evening he came home earlier than usual, and, hearing strange soft music in his house, he peered through a crack in the deor to see what it was. Seated on the earthen floor with his legs crossed, there was a little old man playing a finte, while Naneen danced to him. Immediately Martin knew what had happened, ané whv his child had

changed so in the past weeks. The _ little girl who was dancing in the kit- | chen was not his daughter, but a fairy--child, while Naneen must have been carried away to the land of Little Men. He knew that the Good People, as he always called the fairies, often changed their babies for morta{ ones, and sent little men to play and dance with the fairy children. The only thing to do was to catch the little old man and bully him into restoring Naneen, Martin sprang into the house, but was net quick enaugh 5. for, before he could get near the fairy man, he had vanished. Day after day. Martin tried to catch him, but without success. Then he had a wonderfnl idea He went and honght a hit of the softest and finest leather, and then sat down to make a pair of shoes. Never before had such heautiful shoes heen seen; they were tiny and dainty, and wonderfully made, and fastened with bright silver buckles. The next day, before he went to work, Martin left these in the middle of the kitehen, and when he came hack in the evening, he saw the little old man sitting on the floor, husily trving on the new shoes. Then Martin sprang into the room, and the fairy man was unable to escape from him, because a fairv is pawerless when it is wearing anvthing made hy human hands, He was seized and shaken rouchily. "What have you done with my daughter?" said Martin, "restore her to me and then TI will let you go, otherwise--," "No, no, no," serecmed the little man, "please don’t hurt ime; see, I will return her to vou!’ © And as he spoke, Nanecn, the same chubby little three-year-old. ran into the reom to her father. Martin lifted her up in his arms and kissed her. and when they had time to look rovnd, the room was empiv, and the littl man and the fairy child had vanished. Naneen soon forvot her stranve adventure, and she and her father lived happily together for the rest of their lives.