the most marked peculiarities of the Leprechawn family is their
intense hatred of schools and schoolmasters, arising, perhaps, from the
ridicule of them by teachers, who affect to disbelieve in the existence of
the Leprechawn and thus insult him, for "it's very well beknownst, that
onless ye belave in him an' thrate him well, he'll lave an' come back no
more." He does not even like to remain in the neighborhood where a
national school has been established, and as such schools are now numerous
in Ireland, the Leprechawns are becoming scarce. "Wan gineration of
taichers is enough for thim, bekase the families where the little fellys
live forgit to set thim out the bit an' sup, an' so they lave." The few
that remain must have a hard time keeping soul and body together for
nowhere do they now receive any attention at meal-times, nor is the
anxiety to see one by any means so great as in the childhood of men still
living. Then, to catch a Leprechawn was certain fortune to him who had the
wit to hold the mischief-maker a captive until demands for wealth were
complied with.

"Mind ye," said a Kerry peasant, "the onliest time ye can ketch the little
vagabone is whin he's settin' down, an' he niver sets down axceptin' whin
his brogues want mendin'. He runs about so much he wears thim out, an'
whin he feels his feet on the ground, down he sets undher a hidge or
behind a wall, or in the grass, an' takes thim aff an' mends thim. Thin
comes you by, as quiet as a cat an' sees him there, that ye can aisily, be
his red coat, an' you shlippin' up on him, catches him in yer arrums.

"'Give up yer goold,' says you.

"'Begob, I've no goold,' says he.

"'Then outs wid yer magic purse,' says you.

"But it's like pullin' a hat full av taith to get aither purse or goold av
him. He's got goold be the ton, an' can tell ye where ye can put yer
finger on it, but he wont, till ye make him, an' that ye must do be no
aisey manes. Some cuts aff his wind be chokin' him, an' some bates him,
but don't for the life o' ye take yer eyes aff him, fur if ye do, he's aff
like a flash an' the same man niver sees him agin, an' that's how it was
wid Michael O'Dougherty.

"He was afther lookin' for wan nigh a year, fur he wanted to get married
an' hadn't anny money, so he thought the aisiest was to ketch a Luricawne.
So he was lookin' an' watchin' an' the fellys makin' fun av him all the
time. Wan night he was comin' back afore day from a wake he'd been at, a