Stories of persons and places in Europe . e north talk of giants, those of thewest tell fairy stories, and are quitewell satisfied that certain of theirpretty mountain glens are the favoritehaunts of real fairies. It is not unu-sual to see a rustic countryman takeoff his hat when he sees an eddy ofdust raised by the wind whirling aboutin the road before him, and mutterhalf aloud God speed ye supposes that the elf-folks are pass-ing along, and says it is always best tobe civil and polite. At any rate hewishes to keep on good terms withthese invisible little people for he hasheard t
Stories of persons and places in Europe . e north talk of giants, those of thewest tell fairy stories, and are quitewell satisfied that certain of theirpretty mountain glens are the favoritehaunts of real fairies. It is not unu-sual to see a rustic countryman takeoff his hat when he sees an eddy ofdust raised by the wind whirling aboutin the road before him, and mutterhalf aloud God speed ye supposes that the elf-folks are pass-ing along, and says it is always best tobe civil and polite. At any rate hewishes to keep on good terms withthese invisible little people for he hasheard that they are armed with flint-headed arrows, which they sometimesshoot at cattle to bewitch them. This was the way they used to take revenge, it was said, upon the people who set-tled too near their haunts. A story is yet told of an industrious peasant, who purchased a farm thatbordered upon one of the abodes of the fairies, and he not only dug andplowed the land close to their doors, and built him a house, but he also setup a THE BOYNE OBELISK. 140 Persons and Places in Europe. This was more than the fairies could allow, and they soon began to visittheir displeasure upon the daring farmer. First his horse fell into thequarry, then three of his cows died, and nine of his pigs. He concludedthat it was because the fairies were displeased with him for digging upthe earth for his lime-kiln, and so, though it had cost him five guineas, hetook it down without delay and never burned another brick. The Lakes of Killathstey.—The finest scenery in Ireland is in thevicinity of the ]akes of Killarney in the southwest. Macgillicuddys Rocks,the highest mountain in Ireland, watch over the beautiful lakes, sur-rounded by many other bare and rugged rocks. Passing these sentinels,the hills become partially wooded; the crags which over-hang the roadare tufted with rich verdure. Then the broad bosom of the upper lakebegins to spread out in its calm beauty like a smooth mirror set inm
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