Herminie Templeton Kavanagh

“ Although only one living man of his own free will ever went among them there, still, any well-learned person in Ireland can tell you that the abode of the Good People is in the hollow heart of the great mountain, Sleive-na-mon. That same one man was Darby O’Gill, a cousin of my own mother. ”

“ Ten jumps to the second and a hundred feet to the jump. Rosie’s tail standing straight up in the air, firm as an iron bar, and Darby floating straight out behind; a thousand furious fairies flying a short distance after, filling the air with wild commands and threatenings. ”

“ But there’ll be lads there, and hundreds you won’t see, that’ll stand no ill words, Darby O’Gill.”
“One question more, ma’am," says Darby, as Sheelah was moving away. “How late in the night will they stay without?”
Sheelah caught him by the collar and, pulling his head close, whuspered:
“When the cock crows the Good People must be safe at home. After cock-crow they have no power to help or to hurt, and every mortal eye can see them plain.” ”

“ With that they marched our bould Darby, a prisoner, down the long passage, which every second grew wider and lighter and fuller of little people.
Sometimes, though, he met with human beings like himself, only the black charm was on them, they having been stolen at some time by the Good People. He saw lost people there from every parish in Ireland, both commoners and gentry. ”

“ Right and left, generation after generation, the fairies had stolen pigs, young childher, old women, young men, cows, churnings of butter from other people, but had never bothered any of our kith or kin until, for some mysterious rayson, they soured on Darby, and took the eldest of his three foine pigs.
The next week a second pig went the same way. The third week not a thing had Darby left for the Balinrobe fair. You may aisly think how sore and sorry the poor man was, an’ how Bridget, his wife, an’ the childher carried on. The rent was due, and all left was to sell his cow Rosie to pay it. ”

“ But at night, as he turned, hungry and footsore, toward home, who should he meet up with on the cross-roads but the ould fairy doctor, Sheelah Maguire; well known was she as a spy for the Good People. ”

“ But you must be patient and wise and wait.”
“I will so, with the help of God,” says Darby.
At these words Maureen gave a terrible screech.
“Cruel man!” she cried, “don’t you know that to say pious words to one of the Good People, or to one undher their black charm, is like cutting him with a knife?”
The next night she came to Darby again.
“Watch yerself now,” she says, “for to-night they’re goin’ to lave the door of the mountain open to thry you; and if you stir two steps outside they’ll put the comeither on you,” she says. ”

“ Darby’s dancing was such that purty soon those around stood still to admire.
There’s a saying come down in our family through generations which I still hould to be true, that the better the music the aisier the step. Sure never did mortal men dance to so fine a chune and never so supple a dancer did such a chune meet up with. ”

“ On a day when they two were sitting alone together she says to him:
“Darby, dear,” says she, “it isn’t right for a dacint man of family to be spending his days cavortin’ and idlin’ and fillin’ the hours with sport and nonsense. We must get you out of here; for what is a sovereign a day to compare with the care and protection of a father?” she says.
“Thrue for ye!” moaned Darby, “and my heart is just splittin’ for a sight of Bridget an’ the childher. Bad luck to the day I set so much store on a dirty, ongrateful, treacherous cow!” ”

“ One could have scraped with a knife the surprise off Darby’s face.
“Would yer Reverence have me let out the Corkonians, the Connaught men, and the Fardowns, I ask ye?” he says, hotly. “When Mrs. Malowney there goes home and finds that Tim has married the Widow Hogan, ye’ll say I let out too many, even of this parish, I’m thinkin’.”
“But,” says the priest, “ye might have got two hundred pounds for aich of us.”
“If aich had two hundhred pounds, what comfort would I have in being rich?” axed Darby agin. “To enjoy well being rich there should be plenty of poor,” says Darby. ”