'
The Indians had their woodland spirits, spirits of rocks, trees,
mountains, star and moon maidens; the negroes had their enchanted
animals and conjure men; but as for real wee folk, either they were
not indigenous to the soil or else we unconsciously drove them away.
Yet we had facilities to offer! The columbines, harebells, and
fringed gentians would have been just as cosy and secluded places to
live in as the Irish foxgloves, which are simply running over with
fairies. Perhaps they wouldn't have liked our cold winters; still
it must have been something more than climate, and I am afraid I
know the reason well--we are too sensible; and if there is anything
a fairy detests, it is common-sense. We are too rich, also; and a
second thing that a fairy abhors is the chink of dollars. Perhaps,
when I am again enjoying the advantages brought about by sound
money, commercial prosperity, and a magnificent system of public
education, I shall feel differently about it; but for the moment I
am just a bit embarrassed and crestfallen to belong to a nation
absolutely shunned by the fairies. If they had only settled among
us like other colonists, shaped us to their ends as far as they
could, and, when they couldn't, conformed themselves to ours, there
might have been, by this time, fairy trusts stretching out benign
arms all over the continent.
Of course it is an age of incredulity, but Salemina, Francesca, and
I have not come to Ireland to scoff, and whatever we do we shall not
go to the length of doubting the fairies; for, as Barney O'Mara
says, 'they stand to raison.
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