followed him to Mucruss church-yard

-Mother, mother, you hurt my hand- -I looked in at the gate-there was great moonlight there, and I could see everything as plain as day".

"Well, darling-husht! softly! What did you see?" "My husband by the grave, and the horse,

Turn your head aside, mother, for your breath is very hot and the dog, and they eating.Ah, you are not my mother!" shrieked the miserable girl, as the Brown Man flung off his disguise, and stood before her, grinning worse than a blacksmith's face through a horse-collar. He just looked at her one moment, and then darted his long fingers into her bosom, from which the red blood spouted in so many streams. She was very soon out of all pain, and a merry supper the horse, the dog, and the Brown Man had that night by all accounts.

OWNEY AND OWNEY-NA-PEAK.

Ay, marry, sir, there's mettle in this young fellow;
What a sheep's look his elder brother has!

FLETCHER'S Elder Brother.

-when there was no

WHEN Ireland had kings of her ownsuch thing as a coat made of red cloth in the countrywhen there was plenty in men's houses, and peace and quietness at men's doors (and that is a long time since)—— there lived, in a village not far from the great city of Lumneach,* two young men, cousins one of them named Owney, a smart, kind-hearted, handsome youth, with limb of a delicate form, and a very good understanding. His cousin's name was Owney too, and the neighbours christened him Owney-na-peak (Owney of the nose), on account of a long nose he had got-a thing so out of all proportion, that after looking at one side of his face, it was a smart morning's walk to get round the nose and take a view of the other (at least, so the people used to say). He was a stout, able-bodied fellow, as stupid as a beaten hound, and he was, moreover, a cruel tyrant to his young cousin, with whom he lived in a kind of partnership.

Both these were of an humble station. They were smiths-whitesmiths-and they got a good deal of business to do from the lords of the court, and the The present Limerick.

knights, and all the grand people of the city. But one day young Owney was in town, he saw a great procession of lords, and ladies, and generals, and great people, among whom was the king's daughter of the court-and surely it is not possible for the young rose itself to be so beautiful as she was. His heart fainted at her sight, and he went home desperately in love, and not at all disposed to business.

Money, he was told, was the surest way of getting acquainted with the king, and so he began saving until he had put together a few hogs,* but Owney-na-peak finding where he had hid them, seized on the whole, as he used to do on all young Owney's earnings.

One evening young Owney's mother found herself about to die, so she called her son to her bed-side and said to him: "You have been a most dutiful good son, and 'tis proper you should be rewarded for it. Take this china cup to the fair-there is a fairy gift upon it-use your own wit-look about you, and let the highest bidder have it-and so, my white-headed boy, God bless you!"

The young man drew the little bed-curtain down over his dead mother, and in a few days after, with a heavy heart, he took his china cup, and set off to the fair of Garryowen.

The place was merry enough. The field that is called Gallows Green now, was covered with tents. There was plenty of wine (potteen not being known in these days, let alone parliament)-a great many handsome girls-and 'tis unknown all the keoh that was with the boys and themselves. Poor Owney walked all the day through the fair, wishing to try his luck, but ashamed to offer his china cup among all the fine things that were there for sale. Evening was drawing on at last, and he was thinking of going home, when a strange man tapped him on the shoulder, and said: "My good youth, I have been marking *A hog, 1s. 1d.

you through the fair the whole day, going about with that cup in your hand, speaking to nobody, and looking as if you would be wanting something or another."

"I'm for selling it," said Owney.

"What is it you're for selling, you say?" said a second man, coming up, and looking at the cup.

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Why then," said the first man, "and what's that to you, for a prying meddler, what do you want to know is it he's for selling?"

"Bad manners to you (and where's the use of my wishing you what you have already?) haven't I a right to ask the price of what's in the fair ?”

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"E'then, the knowledge o' the price is all you'll have for it," says the first. "Here, my lad, is a golden piece for your cup."

"That cup shall never hold drink or diet in your house, please Heaven," says the second; "here's two gold pieces for the cup, lad".

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Why, then, see this now-if I was forced to fill it to the rim with gold before I could call it mine, you shall never hold that cup between your fingers. Here, boy, do you mind me, give me that, once for all, and here's ten gold pieces for it, and say no more".

"Ten gold pieces for a china cup !" said a great lord of the court, that just rode up at that minute, "it must surely be a valuable article. Here, boy, here's twenty pieces for it, and give it to my servant".

"Give it to mine", cried another lord of the party, "and here's my purse, where you will find ten more. And if any man offers another fraction for it to outbid that, I'll spit him on my sword like a snipe".

"I outbid him", said a fair young lady in a veil, by his side, flinging twenty golden pieces more on the ground. There was no voice to outbid the lady, and young Owney, kneeling, gave the cup into her hands.

"Fifty gold pieces for a china cup!" said Owney to

himself, as he plodded on home, "that was not worth two! Ah! mother, you knew that vanity had an open hand."

But as he drew near home, he determined to hide his money somewhere, knowing, as he well did, that his cousin would not leave him a single cross to bless himself with. So he dug a little pit, and buried all but two pieces, which he brought to the house. His cousin, knowing the business on which he had gone, laughed heartily when he saw him enter, and asked him what luck he had got with his punch-bowl.

"Not so bad, neither," says Owney. "Two pieces of gold is not a bad price for an article of old china."

"Two gold pieces, Owney, honey! erra, let us see 'em, may be you would?" He took the cash from Owney's hand, and after opening his eyes in great astonishment at the sight of so much money, he put them into his pocket. Well, Owney, I'll keep them safe for you, in my pocket within. But tell us, may be you would, how come you to get such a mort o' money for an old cup o' painted chaney, that wasn't worth, may be, a fi'penny bit ?"

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"To get into the heart o' the fair, then, free and easy, and to look about me, and to cry old china, and the first man that come up, he to ask me, what is it I'd be asking for the cup, and I to say out bold: A hundred pieces of gold,' and he to laugh hearty, and we to huxter together till he beat me down to two, and there's the whole way of it all."

Owney-na-peak made as if he took no note of this, but next morning early he took an old china saucer himself had in his cupboard, and off he set, without saying a word to anybody, to the fair. You may easily imagine that it created no small surprise in the place, when they heard a great big fellow, with a china saucer in his hand, crying out: "A raal chaney saucer going for a hundred pieces of goold! raal chaney-who'll be buying?"