Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 25, 1914.djvu/125

 Collectanea. 1 1 3

About two years ago, Kate Caher was passing through the plantation above the glen. What should she see but a big tall Cliitharacdn and a big red hat on him, and he having a stick in his hand. She told me after, — " I thought that I could catch him to take spardn tia scillinge from him, but faix ! as I was coming near him, the stick fell from him, and, just as I went by it, it tripped me, and faix ! I cursed and swears as I fell over it, and the Cbitharacdn disappeared, and no sign of him did I see any more. And, begar ! I was that sorry to fall and to lose the money that I thought my heart would fall out ! "

Now there was a man looking for his cows one night, and he see a little Siabhra ^ coming out of the ditch, and he with a pipe and smoking, and bejapers ! he ran away home as quick as he could lay his legs on the ground, for he was terrified of his life before the little man with the druidin, [pron. dthroodthheen^ "a pipe"].

3. ^^ Nothing to the feller behind him."

The Cliitharacdn is a small little man with a black hardy '^ hat and a red coat and small little breeches, and, when you go up to him, he'll run away, for you can't catch him. And if you could catch him you could get little money from him, but you couldn't keep up to him at all. But begar ! if you could catch him, .you'll take spardn na scillinge from him.

There was a farmer went out for his cows on a morning, and he had used to be always hearing that there were Clutharacdns about the place, but had never seen one, and was always wishful to see one of them for the hope of getting spardn na scillinge from him. So this morning he met one of them, mending shoes by the side of the ditch. He said then, — " Well, begar," says he, "ye're a great cobbler," and got ready to stop tlie little man from running away, should he wish to run away. So the Clutharacdn said, — " I'm nothing to that feller behind ye," says he. So he looked back to see who it was behind him, and thinking, maybe, he would have two spardti fia scillinges. But as soon as he took his eyes off the Clutharacdn he disappeared.

^Pron. Sheivra ("a fairy"), another word for the local Clutharacdn.
 * Probably meaning a hard or top hat.

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