CHAPTER PAGE I. NORAH 1 II. THE THUNDER-STORM 14 III. ST. PATRICK 32 IV. DANIEL O'CONNELL 44 V. KILLARNEY 54 VI. HALLOWE'EN 70 VII. FAIRIES 80 VIII. BLARNEY CASTLE 96 List of Illustrations PAGE NORAH _Frontispiece_ "THE DRIVER STOPPED HIS CAR AND ASKED NORAH HOW FAR IT WAS TO THE LAKES OF KILLARNEY" 16 NORAH'S HOME 30 THE MONUMENT TO DANIEL O'CONNELL 52 NORAH AND MOLLIE AT LOUGH LEAN 62 MOLLIE AND HER FATHER VISIT BLARNEY CASTLE 100 Our Little Irish Cousin CHAPTER I. NORAH "Londonderry, Cork, and Kerry, Spell _that_ to me without a K." "CAN you do it now?" said Norah, laughing. "Can I do it? Yes, easy enough, for I've heard the riddle before. T-h-a-t. There, Norah, you didn't catch me this time." Molly laughed, too, as she spoke, and the little girls went on dressing their rag dolls. They were great friends, these two children of Ireland, and, although they were ragged and dirty most of the time, and neither of them owned hats or shoes, they were happy as the day is long. And, when I say this, I mean one of the longest days of Ireland, which are very long indeed. Norah had beautiful blue eyes and dark auburn hair. Her teeth were like pearls and her cheeks were rosy as the brightest sunset. "She is a true daughter of Erin," thought her mother, as she looked at the child. "May God will that she grow up to be as good as she is beautiful," she said to herself, making the sign of the cross on her breast. As for Molly, Norah's little playmate, her hair was black as night. Many other lads and lasses of Ireland have hair like that. It is because, long years ago, before even the Christ-child dwelt among men, Spaniards came to the west coast of Ireland and settled among the people there. They gave their black hair and dark eyes to the people already in the country, most of whom were fair in face, hair, and eyes. So it happens that sometimes they now have dark hair and blue eyes, and sometimes light hair and dark eyes. "Norah! Norah, darlint! Come and feed the pigs," called her mother. "They are that hungry they would eat the thatch off the house if they could reach it." Norah jumped up, and running home as fast as her young feet could carry her, took the dish of mush from her mother's hands. She was instantly surrounded by a thin old mother pig and her ten little ones. They were cunning little things when they were born, and Norah loved to hold them in her arms and pet them. But they were big enough now to root about in the mud, and the little girl held them no longer.