Irish fairy tales . behind,and a small boy feels a switch. Fionn would run his bestto get away from that prickly stinger, but how he wouldrun when it was his turn to deal the strokes! With reason too, for his nurses had suddenly grown im-placable. They pursued him with a savagery which he couldnot distinguish from hatred, and they swished him wellwhenever they got the chance. Fionn learned to run. After a while he could buzz arounda tree like a maddened fly, and oh, the joy, when he felthimself drawing from the switch and gaining from behind onits bearer! How he strained and panted to catch on
Irish fairy tales . behind,and a small boy feels a switch. Fionn would run his bestto get away from that prickly stinger, but how he wouldrun when it was his turn to deal the strokes! With reason too, for his nurses had suddenly grown im-placable. They pursued him with a savagery which he couldnot distinguish from hatred, and they swished him wellwhenever they got the chance. Fionn learned to run. After a while he could buzz arounda tree like a maddened fly, and oh, the joy, when he felthimself drawing from the switch and gaining from behind onits bearer! How he strained and panted to catch on thatpursuing person and pursue her and get his own switch intoaction. He learned to jump by chasing hares in a bumpy went the hare and up went Fionn, and away with thetwo of them, hopping and popping across the field. If thehare turned while Fionn was after her it was switch for 46 How he strained and panted to catch on that pursuing person and pursue her andget his own switch into action. To face page THE BOYHOOD OF FIONN 47 Fionn; so that in a while it did not matter to Fionn whichway the hare jumped for he could jump that way too. Long-ways, sideways or baw-ways, Fionn hopped where the harehopped, and at last he was the owner of a hop that any harewould give an ear for. He was taught to swim, and it may be that his heartsank when he fronted the lesson. The water was was deep. One could see the bottom, leagues below,millions of miles below. A small boy might shiver as bestared into that wink and blink and twink of brown pebblesand murder. And these implacable women threw him in! Perhaps he would not go in at first. He may have smiledat them, and coaxed, and hung back. It was a leg and anarm gripped then; a swing for Fionn, and out and away withhim; plop and flop for him; down into chill deep death forhim, and up with a splutter; with a sob; with a grasp ateverything that caught nothing; with a wild flurry; with araging despair; with a bubble and snort a
Size: 1466px × 1705px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectfairyta, bookyear1920
