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023 - The Tall Man of Ballacurry · Manx Fairy Tales

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  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty two of Manx Fairy Tales. This is a
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings were in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information ought to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Francisca Power. Manx Fairy Tales by Sophia Morrison,
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  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty two. The Tall Man of Bella Curry, Tom Crane,
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  Speaker 1: was going home at midnight from brother Mine to his
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  Speaker 1: home at Colby. The road was lonely and he met
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  Speaker 1: no person, but the full moon was shining and it
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  Speaker 1: was as light as they As he began to pass
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  Speaker 1: under the trees that grow round the house at Ballacurie,
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  Speaker 1: a little dog appeared suddenly from the black shadow at
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  Speaker 1: the roadside, and followed at his heels. He whistled to it,
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  Speaker 1: but as he turned his head to look at it,
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  Speaker 1: it ran on in front of him, and for a
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  Speaker 1: minute he did not see it. When he came in
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  Speaker 1: sight of it again, he was terrified to see that
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  Speaker 1: it has grown larger, as big as a and it
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  Speaker 1: grew bigger and bigger till it was the size of
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  Speaker 1: a donkey. It galloped before him and disappeared round the
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  Speaker 1: bend of the road where the gate of Belacarias. When
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  Speaker 1: Tom came to the gate, he saw a very tall,
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  Speaker 1: thin man leaning on it with his arms folded on
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  Speaker 1: the top of it. The beast was not there. As
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  Speaker 1: Tom reached the gate, the tall, thin man turned and
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  Speaker 1: walked up the long path that leads to the house.
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  Speaker 1: When he got to the door, he turned again and
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  Speaker 1: walked back down the path towards Tom. By the bright moonlight,
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  Speaker 1: Tom saw the lace ruffle round his neck, the satin
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  Speaker 1: of his knee breeches, the silk of his stockings, and
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  Speaker 1: the shining buckles on the shoes, the dress of by
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  Speaker 1: gone days. His face was white and dreadful. As Tom looked,
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  Speaker 1: he was all at once taken with terror and ran
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  Speaker 1: off as hard as he could go down the road
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  Speaker 1: to Colby. He had not gone far when he met
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  Speaker 1: two of his friends, Ben Miles, Creased and Built. He
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  Speaker 1: told them what he had seen, and they made fun
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  Speaker 1: of him and would not believe that he had seen
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  Speaker 1: any such thing. They said they would go back with
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  Speaker 1: him to the gate, so they all three turned back.
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  Speaker 1: When they got to the gate, they saw the big man,
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  Speaker 1: as tall as two men, walking up the path with
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  Speaker 1: his back towards them as before. When he reached the door,
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  Speaker 1: he turned. What they saw they never told any man.
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  Speaker 1: They took to the heels, all three, and ran till
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  Speaker 1: they could run no longer. They were trembling from head
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  Speaker 1: to foot, and the sweat pouring from them. They were
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  Speaker 1: too terrified to go home, so they turned in with Tom,
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  Speaker 1: and they slept, all three in one bed end of
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  Speaker 1: chapter twenty two. Recording by Franciska Power