"
"As you say, Your Majesty," Naggeneen went on, "but, anyway, I was a
lepracaun, and I did what any other lepracaun does: I sat in the field
or under a tree and made brogues. But it was sorry work and people was
always trying to catch me, to make me show them the gold they thought
I had. And one time a great brute of a spalpeen did catch me, and he
nearly broke me in two with the squeeze he gave me, so that I wouldn't
get away till I'd showed him the gold. And I nearly had to show it to
him, but I made him look away for a second, and then of course I was
off. And after that my friend the King here let me come and live in
the rath, just for company--not that I belong to his little tribe at
all."
"And now you see," said the King of All Ireland, turning from
Naggeneen to the King of the rath, "what trouble comes to you from
taking those into your rath that have no right there. He's sending
people out of Ireland that might be of use to you and to all of us. He
wants to go with them, and that is no loss, but you want to go, too
and to take all your people.
Pages:
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91