254 SPORTING REMINISCENCES 



the Forth and whom her own people roasted alive 

 to get the fairy spirit out of her. 



They held her in her nightdress over a red-hot 

 fire crying " Up she go. Up she go," believing 

 the fairy spirit would go up the chimney and leave 

 the woman whole and sound. Every crack of door 

 and window was secured. They believed, really 

 believed, that they were wrestling for the woman's 

 soul ; that she was fairy struck, and that the fairy 

 would go and her own spirit come back. She 

 could say her prayers and cry for pain, but that 

 did not convince them. She died of burns and 

 pain and exhaustion and the whole case was in 

 the papers. 



My groom whom I have now, a very intelligent 

 man, believes that the idiots one sees in the 

 cottages are changelings, the fairies having whipped 

 the " rale child for themselves and left that. 

 And if the mother was to burn it anear the fire an' 

 it young to make it cry sorrowful enough, it 

 would be off up the chimbley in a ball of fire and 

 she'd find her own in the cradle." 



The idiots are " thim wans " not right, rejected 

 fairy children sent to earth. 



You must never admire a child or an animal 

 without saying " God bless it," or the fairies have 

 a chance of shpping in and making it pine away. 



" The fine child she is. God bless her or him." 

 They never forget that. " Bollo Yerrib. God 

 bless the work," and a very pretty custom as you 



