THE STORY OF RHONDA & PADRIC

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21355, 24 December 1934, Page 11 (Supplement)

THE STORY OF RHONDA & PADRIC

Everyone knew that Padrig had a fairy wife —everyone knew but Padrig himself. How should he know it? Rhonda was a lovely gipsy girl he had fallen in love with at the Arran fair. And they'd had a merry wedding, and he'd brought her home. It was old Marthe, the broom maker, had told the people first. She had seen Rhonda up on the mountain side, singing wild, strange songs, that hushed the very mountain breeze. She it was who'd seen her call birds in a strange tongue, so that they flew to her hands without fear, and once she had whistled a wild, preying hawk, and it had paused in its flight and lighted by her. So the people of the village knew her to be a fairy, and gradually shunned her and Padrig more and moi;. Padrig found it hard to sell the produce at the fair—no one seemed willing to buy. As for Rhonda, she was well content to live on milk and potatoes, to warm herself by the peat fireside, or roam by herself on the mountain side. And Padrig would have been well content, too, had he not been so much in love with his wife that he considered nothing too good for her, and he would come home sad and long-faced, grumbling that he'd not fine laces and linens to adorn his Rhonda with, or fine food for her eating. In vain she assured him she did not want them. Padrig became sadder and sadder, never dreaming it was his wife herself to blame for his ill-luck, never noticing how the people shunned him, so full always was he with his thoughts of her. Rhonda herself might never have suspected she was the cause of her husband's misfortunes had not she met the old broom maker oh the mountain side, and so startled her when she had approached her, that the old woman had risen with a scream of "Witch! Witch!" and gathered her skirts about her and fled. Rhonda looked on astonished. Presently she laughed aloud, so that the old broom maker, hearing, doubled her pace and tripped and stumbled in her flight. Then Rhonda sat quietly in the purple heather, and suddenly her eyes were opened, and she saw why it was she and Padrig had been shunned so—saw why Padrig was so constantly pursued by misfortune, and knew that the only way

was for her and Padrig to leave the villag: But then she remembered how hard Padrig would find it to earn a living elsewhere —'twas better for him to stay. She looked up the mountain at the purple and the blueness of it, then down into the valley where her home nestled, whitewashed and thatched, and her heart went out to'it with the memory of the happy hours she had spent there with Padrig, but she stood steadfast in her resolve. "Good-bye!" she called softly, through misty eyes. "Goodbye!" She turned and trudged up and over the mountain, never daring to glance behind lest her love should draw her back along the nath of sacrifice that her feet were treading. And Padrig? When his wife did not return, he set out to search for her, and though he looked everywhere he couldn't find her. When he asked the village folk, they

shook their heads in silence, and cast significant glances at one another. On the third day he met Marthe, the old broom maker. "Have I seeii your Rhonda?" she echoed maliciously, "sure I've seen her—up on the mountain side it was, and she a-cackling like the witch she is!" Padrig gave a shout of laughter as Rhonda had done at the absurdity of the idea, but the old woman came close. "Aye," she wheezed, "ye may not know it, or maybe

(By Barbara Silver)

ye do, but I've seen her. many's the time, on the mountain side. . . ." But Padrig did not wait for her to finish, snd the old woman mumbled after him, "It's no good your searching. Padrig, for she's gone back to the fairie folk." As for Padrig. it was not long before the broom maker was saying the same about him, for Fadrig disappeared, too. He knew it was impossible for him to eat, sleep, or work for thinking of Rhonda, and convinced that she was not of the fairie, though everyone openly told him so at the last, he took the little path over the mountain and went in search of her. As for Rhonda, it was not long before she met with one of her own gipsy tribe, and there started many months of weary wandering for her, always thinking of Padrig, and wondering if he loved her, and if he prospered now. Daily she grew older and weary, though her gipsy beauty still clung to her.

Now Padrig roamed and roamed m search of his Rhonda, until he, too, was stooped and grev though never without hope of finding her. Often the whispers of his village folks reached him. "She is a fairy, Padrig, it is useless searching. She has gone back to her own people " But his love for her still conquered and he plodded on, asking of her on his way, and living on the kindness of the poor. One Christmas Day his wanderings brought him back to his own

mountain >'.<:<■. i" : •■' •:'. ---">"* in.ir.- and the ::"■:: :. .' ---■■■ I '"} ' blotches of wh:'.- '"; , "".■■ ''zz'S. * OVCT the iv.r';'.:: . • ' . :".":' ."/ H brcwr. and dar.k v.:". ' ." '•'.-■..: :r> ; covered, and !u;-':y •■ .:r" :" :v;i.4 j look from <-u: •• .-.: : ': -" '•'<'-"' . I at his nppro::r>:. Th" -'. '■''--' "'•"''* I f lumbering, crrey c: •••::." -' /■'•"■ *-'■ '. : \ \ I now and thou a ;-• -p :' ''■'•'.? J-* '•"•■* \ •' show, and the i\> ' '.:'. : _ ■■■ r - s '-"-" ; 5. light catch the v.':..-- ■.- ' <"j ."; , ;|; snow. Pad:iq ',..'. '::.r.'-r.cr.r*-:j^''. : '"- he walked up a: - ..: v.\, -'•■' ■'■ :■; >'«-•'»'■,■ ;j----thru lie had f< r ::. •:• '■ '■■"•'•' ■) 'i: wild bird ei:v!-..-'; -,■ y " •;- ,"-": i uttered r,-,- ■ ~> : . _"•'■'*;' > '.'.7 i. cap and crda-d :■ .' '-' '■■'''■ ■',-J.V ?' seen Rhonda .'■ *'•■• i the bird cried \ ■■■'■;■■ "■'■■ ' ']■' r omen:'" cried P.vi- ... - .- ■ ■:■■ \]--j :, thought of --'.ran '■- ■'. :> r .„';:;.! '. heard. "Xo" r-- "-' '•"■'•' be rav Rhor.dn'' a-.- ;: <-" ! "- rVI off at !ha! and :<■:• '':' ! ' : -/ r ~ So Pach hj: v. - -: ' -.'.-' ■:■■'■- -■ and over t l , ■;: Ko was !n.: : ' "• • ' : -,« but he lor-- -d !■ -. ■ '' \'"„.'; ; the heme he hv : .- '" '" '■;: , T .', jl some brow; !v ■'■' . : '•.".-.•» I into the i. - ' '• ; „.' r '-.-I . v.-;-. <'.■■■■-'■ "' ''~-..-',« i'^' : s clan: '" " .. ' ,|. very c:''■•: ■■ - ' ".V-., ! . had not o: ■•■ '" "_; ;/ , jl fa!ri'' : : : '"" : :; : . I Church b.,- ; - ■ ■■ ■■ i: : r i I; the ■.■■■\\i".'.- ". ■ soft'v utj ';.•-.. ' .'/ minJl-d v:":- ' ' " " ■',-._'., . But harh' S ■ ~';-"., j ;, sound reach - ''"..■■'/ if. with :!;■■ i- ". -.'.:!•'- !;' lovciv, -■•■ ■ ■■-.:,;, s and :■■-'■ . " ; | ' I liiir,. --j air ' , - ", r i | turn:::-. : '■'>-.,-;:. I " " " ■ -i tr.at I Oh. wr,a: '. . ' ■ ;... jri . f Cliristraa i'. ■■ '■ 7 \ tain, a;.-: :-. ' ".V->-a | down Vj 'a-:: ' : ' -.' no v.c,::.'-- -.-.-■ -."'' '-r'jjg | both t;r.d-.: :"■ .' '•' ';!.; «-*i:c I | would iv.-Vi-i a. r 'U''-'i 1 | couple v.-ero • ■ :■-•■• - : ,"',."-'~ic Z& I Rhonda :hc::-"v':v ■ . : -"'.:'"',.' ;,it 1 they toid the:: ■:•:: i'..'' ' ■"' , " f couple, and ra-w ' ■ '-. ••"'"' _. - | ! taken by the fa:: •'--- |