ilin vig O?"

"Brigid Beg, sir."

"And what does your father call you?"

"He never calls me at all, sir."

"Well, Seumaseen and Breedeen, you are good little children, and I like
you very much. Health be with you until I come to see you again."

And then the Leprecaun went back the way he had come. As he went he made
little jumps and cracked his fingers, and sometimes he rubbed one leg
against the other.

"That's a nice Leprecaun," said Seumas.

"I like him too," said Brigid.

"Listen," said Seumas, "let me be the Leprecaun, and you be the two
children, and I will ask you our names."

So they did that.

The next day the Leprecaun came again. He sat down beside the children
and, as before, he was silent for a little time.

"Are you not going to ask us our names, sir?" said Seumas.

His sister smoothed out her dress shyly. "My name, sir, is Brigid Beg,"
said she.

"Did you ever play Jackstones?" said the Leprecaun.

"No, sir," replied Seumas.

"I'll teach you how to play Jackstones," said the Leprecaun, and he
picked up some pine cones and taught the children that game.

"Did you ever play Ball in the Decker?"

"No, sir," said Seumas.

"Did you ever play 'I can make a nail with my ree-roraddy-O, I can make
a nail with my ree-ro-ray'?"

"No, sir," replied Seumas.

"It's a nice game," said the Leprecaun, "and so is Capon-the-back, and
Twenty-four yards on the Billy-goat's Tail, and Towns, and Relievo, and
Leap-frog. I'll teach you all these games," said the Leprecaun, "and
I'll teach you how to play Knifey, and Hole-and-taw, and Horneys and
Robbers.

"Leap-frog is the best one to start with, so I'll teach it to you at
once. Let you bend down like this, Breedeen, and you bend down like that
a good distance away, Seumas. Now I jump over Breedeen's back, and then
I run and jump over Seumaseen's back like this, and then I run ahead
again and I bend down. Now, Breedeen, you jump over your brother, and
then you jump over me, and run a good bit on and bend down again. Now,
Seumas, it's your turn; you jump over me and then over your sister, and
then you run on and bend down again and I jump."

"This is a fine game, sir," said Seumas.

"It is, a vic vig,--keep in your head," said the Leprecaun. "That's a
good jump, you couldn't beat that jump, Seumas."

"I can jump better than Brigid already," replied Seumas, "and I'll jump
as well as you do when I get more practice--keep in your head, sir."

Almost