children, a little pig, a drake, two ducks, a cock, and three hens. You may say they were warm enough without turf. At first Molly and Mick were very happy. She used to sing at her wheel so that the whole country heard her; and every night, after his day's labour, Mick would dance heel and toe, and cover the buckle on a trencher to her piping. But it was no joke to get potatoes for fourteen mouths, besides the pig that paid the rent, and the ducks and hens which bought herrings, and buttermilk, and salt.-Molly began to cry and fret when she was hungry, and Mick got lazy as his case became hopeless.

"Near Mick's cabin, there grew an old blackthorn, round which the whole court of king Oberon and queen Mab, it was said, assembled to dance and drink tea every fine summer evening. I suppose Periwiggin, Periwinckle, Puck, Hobgoblin, Tomalin, and Tom Thumb, stood round the king or emperor of the Fairies; whilst Hop, Mop, Drop, Pip, Trip, Skip, Fib, Tib, Tick, Pink, Pin, Quick, Gill, Jin, Tit, Wap, Win, and Nit, as maids of honour, in little red bonnets and silver shoes, attended the empress. Well, I declare, 'tis a pity

that we cannot believe such things; for I should like dearly to see them all dancing under the bell of a lady-finger, or fairy-cap *. There were a thousand reports round the country about this haunted place. Some had heard sweet music there; others had seen strange sights. A little man with a blue coat, red cap, and brown stockings, had been seen under it with a spade; and every one believed that his money was hidden there in a crock, but no body would venture to dig round it for fear of hurting the fairies, who were sleeping under the roots of the thorn.

"Mick and Molly, however, had brave hearts; and when the latter saw that her husband would not work for bread, she put him up to digging for money. They were obliged, however, to go very privately to work about eleven o'clock at night Molly posted herself on Big Rock, near the tree, to watch lest any one should pass that way from a dance or wake and see Mick digging for the crock of money. Mick was a very Paddy jewel; he neither feared man, nor the son of man, nor man's man, he often said; and he also believed that he

would not turn his back on the old black boy, even after seeing his cloven foot. So he threw off his ragged coat, just as though it could make any difference, and fell to as he would clear a turf-hole, dashing the mould up all round, and looking with both his eyes for the crock.

"He had not gone on till he drew sweat, when he heard just beside him a gruff voice, asking, 'Mick Magiveragin, what are you doing?'-An Irishman is not apt to let go such a good weapon as a spade when he is assaulted; Mick raised it up as a guard, and looked round him, filled with wonder and some apprehension.— Is it what I'm doing you want to know?' said Mick, in rather a weak voice. That was what I asked,' replied the invisible. Come out of your shell, wherever you are,' said Magiveragin, who was recovering his courage, and making a few flourishing turns about himself with his spade to keep off the enemy.'Here I am,' said the voice. Where?" asked Mick: 'Here'-'Where ?'-' Here'- Where?' were the echoes for some time round the thorn, till Mick was as wet as though he had been soaked in Grinan Lough for a month. Molly heard some

thing very extraordinary, like two men running, one asking, 'Where?' and the other answering'Here;' so she left the rock, and bounding forward like a she-goat, without making a breath of noise, she saw Mick running like a madman round the tree, and the little red cap, blue coat, and brown stocking, skipping over it as though he had wings; "though,' said she, sorra a one there was on the Cluricaune's shoulders.'

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Molly was, as I said, a very bold woman, and she well knew that her only chance was to catch the little man, and squeeze him bravely; so, just as he made the next clean leap over the tree, which was higher than Mick's cabin, she opened her arms, and the Cluricaune, never dreaming that Molly had left the rock, fell directly into the snare, and he was taken just like a rat in a snap-trap.-0 I have him-O I have him, Mick,' shouted Molly

-Catch him by the head and legs, while I search his pockets for the Sprè na Skillenagh.―That's it-that's it, Mick, hold fast,—I have it.'-' Give me your crock, you imp of darkness!' said Mick, 'that I could not till now set a single eye on; or,

by the father of the Magiveragins, I'll make a corpse of you!-Just at that instant Mick and Molly heard a tremendous roar, as though the sea in a storm had been behind them; they both turned their heads back, and saw a great wave like a mountain, just ready to break upon them. So they thought only of flight, and let go the Cluricaune. But no wave came near them; it was a shadow raised by the little man, who by this time had recovered from his fright in falling into Molly's paws, that were not more tender to him than pussy's would be to a fat

mouse.

“Go home, and good luck to you,' said the Cluricaune; you deserve what you have got; you will never want a shilling for life; but I shall take care never to be caught by you, Molly Magiveragin, you devil you, again. You have nipped my sides to pieces, and left the marks of your nails in my back. Leave a little goose-grease for me on the black stone; it will cure me; I wish you no harm, Mick Magiveragin, and Molly Magiveragin, for what you have done to me; the