344 TUBBER TURNER. 



first man who is exposed to the fairies' wrath ; 

 and sure enough, to my utter disgust, all the 

 beautiful raths on his property were taken 

 into cultivation, and the fairies were dis- 

 possessed." 



"And the result," said the Squire, "I 

 suppose is, that the fresh soil produces un- 

 usually fine crops, arid that the people are 

 fully convinced now that your friend is living 

 under the fairies' especial blessing." 



" Why no — not exactly," said the Parson ; 

 ''my friend died not long after, and as his 

 affairs turned out to be in a very involved 

 state, his heir could not, or fancied he could 

 not, keep up the place, so he turned absentee, 

 put on an agent, and his English farm now 

 bears as good a crop of ragwort as any in 

 Ireland." 



" Well," said the Squire, " I believe there 

 are instances on record — one or two — where 

 an Irish landlord has come to such a con- 

 clusion without the intervention of the 

 fairies." 



" Very true," said the Parson, " there are 

 such things ; but for all that the Fates 

 have granted him but half his prayer. His 

 raths are cultivated, no doubt ; but he has 



