Shaun O'Day of Ireland Page 9

  CHAPTER VIII

  OVER THE GREEN LAND

  Above is so blue And below is so green; We are sailing away In our flying machine.

  John was in school. But his mind was not on his lessons. For the firsttime, the letters in his book swam before his eyes. The teacher's voiceseemed far away.

  He was thinking of the girl fairy and of his coming trip with her. Shehad told him to say nothing, and he must obey her. But he could not helpthinking about her. Surely she was good and would let no harm befallhim.

  His father had told him that the Good People were kind and loved littleboys. So he smiled and paid no attention to his school work.

  The teacher set him in a corner with a dunce's cap on his head.

  In the meantime, John's father was walking to the shore of the lake. Hewondered who wanted to see him. John had told him that it was animportant matter.

  He scratched his red head and puzzled. He waited on the banks of thelake until he heard a light step behind him.

  He turned and saw John's girl fairy. She walked over to him silently. Hejumped up and looked at her. Shaun thought he had never seen soexquisite a being. She spoke.

  "You are Shaun O'Day," she said softly. She held out something andcontinued, "Please take this."

  Shaun took from her graceful white hand a slip of paper. She keptlooking into his eyes.

  "Read it, Shaun," she said.

  Shaun opened the paper. His eyes fell on his own boyish handwriting anda shamrock pasted across the top of the letter.

  "Faith, 'tis a letter I wrote, myself, when I was a lad!" he exclaimed.

  O'CONNELL STREET AND NELSON'S COLUMN, DUBLIN]

  The girl fairy only smiled and kept looking into Shaun's eyes.

  "Begob!" he suddenly shouted, looking hard at the girl fairy. "'TisMiss Marjorie, the baby Princess!"

  "Yes, Shaun," answered Marjorie happily. "'Tis Marjorie come all the wayfrom fairyland to see you."

  Then the two sat down on the bank. Shaun took off his coat and spread iton the ground for the girl to sit upon. They talked and laughed andremembered old times together.

  Suddenly Marjorie grew serious and said, "Shaun, I have seen your son!"

  Shaun looked surprised.

  Marjorie continued, "Shaun, I want you to help me. I want to give agreat pleasure to your little John."

  Then she told Shaun how John had seen her the previous day. She toldhow John had believed her to be a fairy. She told Shaun that she hadpromised to take the little lad on a trip through Ireland.

  DUBLIN IS QUAINT AND ANCIENT]

  She finished by saying, "I want to make him happy, Shaun, as you mademe, long ago. Will you say that I may take him?"

  Shaun's eyes were moist. He felt very grateful to the girl.

  He replied in a low voice, "Och, Miss Marjorie, you are indeed no fairy,but a great good angel!"

  Marjorie jumped up gayly and cried, "Then you will let him go with me,Shaun?"

  "And sure you know well I will, Miss Marjorie. 'Tis a great good youwill be doing for my lad. It is surely," he said.

  Marjorie looked very serious then. And she bowed her head.

  Her words were whispers as she said, "If it is a great good, then it isthe first great good I have ever done. I have been very selfish, Shaun.Everyone has always done for me. This is the first time I have ever donesomething to give some one else pleasure. And, oh," she suddenly claspedher hands together and smiled radiantly, "it is a wonderful feeling! Ithas made me happy, Shaun."

  She kissed his rough brown hand and turned on her dainty heel. She fledbefore Shaun could utter a sound.

  "Well, begob, begorra!" he at last sputtered, scratching his head andwrinkling his nose. "Now isn't it a great wonder?"

  Then, as if some breeze had contradicted him, he nodded his head andsaid loudly, "It is surely!"

  It was several days before Marjorie's next visit to the lake.

  Although the little boy John went thither daily and waited longingly, nogirl fairy appeared. But he never doubted that she would come. He knewshe would keep her promise. And she did.

  At last, one day, she came tripping over the ground, laughing andcalling, "Shauneen, Shauneen, 'tis I!"

  John trembled. But he smiled at her and held out his hand.

  To-day she was not dressed in fluttering, light-colored garments.Instead, she had on a brown leather coat. She wore a little round cap.

  She carried a small coat, which she held out to John.

  "Put this on quickly and come, for our air chariot awaits us," sheexclaimed, helping John put on the fine warm coat.

  Again they walked to the shining white automobile, and then they droveand drove. At last they came to a large field. It was an air port, aplace where airplanes land.

  The girl stopped her car. John saw a winged machine standing in thecenter of the field. It was a strange, terrible thing to the boy John.

  "Come," said Marjorie, taking him by the hand. "It is our airplane. Weshall fly over the green land together!"

  An airplane! John had seen airplanes before, but never like this. He hadseen them circling far up in the sky.

  He could often hear the whirring sound they made. They usually were sohigh that they looked to the lad like small birds.

  But this one was a monster. There was a pilot ready to start the planeand carry them off. They stepped inside the monster. John sat besideMarjorie, and she held his hand. He edged up close to her.

  The plane's motor started. They began to rise from the ground. Oh, itwas like being a bird, John thought. It was even like being a fairy.

  He stole a glance at the girl fairy. She was beaming at him.

  "Do you like this, Shauneen?" she asked.

  "Faith, 'tis surely a great wonder! And you the good angel!" breathedthe boy.

  Marjorie remembered Shaun had said those same words to her. She felthappier than she had felt ever before in her life.

  It was a trip that John O'Day never would forget. John would rememberthat trip to his ninetieth birthday.

  They flew in the plane to the city of Dublin. They stopped at a finehotel, and the girl fairy gave John a handsome little traveling bag witheverything in it that he needed.

  There were soft, fine pajamas. There was a new suit of clothes. Therewas a cap to match his coat, with fine socks and shoes.

  SHE GAVE JOHN A HANDSOME LITTLE TRAVELING BAG]

  They started out early the next morning to see all of Dublin town. Agreat city it seemed to John, with its strange noises and its jostlingmobs on the streets.

  SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN NEAR DUBLIN]

  In the center of O'Connell Street stands Nelson's Pillar. It is a thin,tall pillar. Inside there are one hundred and sixty-six steps which windright up to the top. John and Marjorie walked up to the top and stoodlooking down on the streets below.

  John noticed later when they walked in the streets that some of thesigns were written in Irish.

  SOME OF THE SIGNS WERE WRITTEN IN IRISH]

  John was just learning to read Irish in school. So he could read some ofthe signs.

  School children have to study the Irish language in that part of Irelandcalled the Free State. The Free State is free from Great Britain and hasits own government. It is the southern part of the country, and Dublinis the capital.

  The northern part of Ireland is still under the government of England.The County Galway, wherein John's village stood, belongs to the FreeState.

  A SCHOOL WHERE THEY TEACH THE IRISH LANGUAGE]

  Policemen on the streets of Dublin wear caps with silver harps on theirvisors. You know that the harp is the symbol of Ireland, and it is usedon the new flag of the Irish Free State.

  Dublin is a quaint and ancient city. There are few automobiles on thestreets.

  One sees many jaunting cars, which are funny little high carts with aseat on each side and big wheels. People sit with their legs hangingover the sides, while the driver sits up on the high box and drives anold thi
n horse.

  A JAUNTING CAR]

  There are also many bicycles whirling along in Dublin.

  Children seem to be everywhere. Some look very poor, indeed. Some begthe wealthy people for money. There are many beggars. They crouch besidebuildings and on the steps of churches. John and his fair guide visitedPhoenix Park in Dublin. After Yellowstone Park in the United States,Phoenix Park is the largest in the world.

  LOVELY LAKES IN PHOENIX PARK, DUBLIN]

  It is very beautiful, too. It has a fine zoo, and lovely lakes, walks,and drives.

  PHOENIX PARK, DUBLIN]

  The Royal Hibernian Military School in Phoenix Park is used by the FreeState Irish Speaking Union as a school to teach the Irish language toyoung men.

  They visited St. Patrick's College where a large number of studentsattend. This is a fine old college.

  ST. PATRICK'S COLLEGE, DUBLIN]

  They left Dublin after seeing everything of interest there. They left ina drizzling rain in Marjorie's big white motor car. It had been broughtto them from the flying field to Dublin. It seemed to John that thingswere always being brought to Marjorie in a magical way. And why not?Marjorie was a fairy! Now they motored to the Vale of Avoca.

  This is the beautiful woodland spot where Tom Moore, the Irish poet,wrote much of his poetry.

  THE COUNTRY OF TOM MOORE]

  His famous words are:

  "There is not in this wide world a valley so sweet As the vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet."