THE BROWNIES IN IRELAND.

No horse will stumble on the road,
No wheel come off and dump a load,
But light of heart

and undismayed
They travel by

the fairies’ aid.”

 

Ere long each Brownie
in the band
Bore a

shillalah in his hand
That black- thorn bushes did provide,
Which flour- ished thick on every side,

 

Such sticks
To use at faction-
That through their
Of timid folk soon
A happy band,

as men oft carried there

fight or fair,

fall on tender crowns
cleared the towns.
they took the road,
the country showed.

 

Enjoying scenes
At times they paused
upon the way
In verdant fields
to run and play.
Some gathered shamrocks—

 

well they could,
For thick on every side they stood.
Said one: “This plant so widely known
Has quite a history of its own,
For we are told that long ago,
Ere Erin did religion know,
The good old saint with one, in brief,
Brought to his knees a barbarous chief.

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