AND HOW I HAVE CAUGHT MY FISH 149 



How her little big voice drowns all else, excepting 

 only the approving cooing of the doves ! " 



Again I was being pulled away, as I have seen 

 kind friends pulling other men from great tempta- 

 tion, when the woodpecker's tap, tap, tap, made me 

 look round once more. 



Who can be sure that such sounds in such a 

 spot, when you are attuned for fancies, are not made 

 by Leprechaun, the fairies' shoemaker and treasure 

 keeper ? 



" In a shady nook, one moonlight night, 



A Leprechaun I spied; 

 With scarlet cap and coat of green, 



A cruiskeen by his side. 

 'Twas tick, tack, tick, his hammer went, 



Upon a weeny shoe; 

 And I laughed to think of his purse of gold; 



But the fairy was laughing too ! " 



Who is not superstitious ? If there is one 

 amongst my readers, let him beware, for I can 

 make him so in a line or two. 



It's a pretty fine compliment, I own, to pay 

 a town-bred man to say that by the mere reading 

 of a country superstition it will so lay hold of him 

 that he can never shake it off. 



This is for the one man amongst ten thousand, 

 if there be one, who has no superstitions. The 

 first time he ventures forth into the green fields, 

 after reading this, he may see a magpie, and it will 

 be a great relief to him if he sees a second one with 

 it. Should he not, let him beware what path he 



