Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales from Burns to Buchan (Penguin Classics) by Gordon Jarvie Page A
Authors: Gordon Jarvie
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behind him.’ So they all passed in together.
Once again, Katherine seated herself on a stone, and looked around her. The same revels were going on as yesternight, and the Prince was soon in the thick of them, dancing and laughing madly. The girl watched him narrowly, wondering if she would ever be able to find out what would restore him to his right mind; and, as she was watching him, the same little bairn who had played with the magic wand came up to her again. Only this time he was playing with a little bird.
And as he played, one of the dancers passed by, and, turning to her partner, said lightly, ‘Three bites of that birdie would lift the Prince’s sickness, and make him as well as he ever was.’ Then she joined in the dance again, leaving Katherine sitting upright on her stone quivering with excitement.
If only she could get that bird the Prince might be cured! Very carefully she began to shake some nuts out of her pocket, and roll them across the floor towards the child.
He picked them up eagerly, letting go the bird as he did so; and, in an instant, Katherine caught it, and hid it under her apron.
In no long time after that the cock crew, and the Prince and she set out on their homeward ride. But this morning, instead of cracking nuts, she killed and plucked the bird; then she put it on a spit in front of the fire and began to roast it.
And soon it began to frizzle, and get brown, and smell deliciously, and the Prince, in his bed in the corner, opened his eyes and murmured faintly, ‘How I wish I had a bite of that birdie.’
When she heard the words Katherine’s heart jumped for joy, and as soon as the bird was roasted she cut a little piece from its breast and popped it into the Prince’s mouth.
When he had eaten it his strength seemed to come back somewhat, for he rose on his elbow and looked at his nurse. ‘Oh! if I had but another bite of that birdie!’ he said. And his voice was certainly stronger.
So Katherine gave him another piece, and when he had eaten that he sat right up in bed.
‘Oh! if I had but a third bite o’ that birdie!’ he cried. And now the colour was coming right back into his face, and his eyes were shining.
This time Katherine brought him the whole of the rest of the bird; and he ate it up greedily, picking the bones quite clean with his fingers; and when it was finished, he sprang out of bed and dressed himself, and sat down by the fire.
And when the King came in the morning, with his old housekeeper at his back, to see how the Prince was, he found him sitting cracking nuts with his nurse, for Katherine had brought home quite a lot in her apron pocket.
The King was so delighted to find his son cured that he gave all the credit to Katherine Crackernuts, as he called her, and he gave orders at once that the Prince should marry her. ‘For,’ said he, ‘a maiden who is such a good nurse is sure to make a good queen.’
The Prince was quite willing to do as his father bade him; and, while they were talking together, his younger brother came in,leading Princess Velvet-Cheek by the hand, whose acquaintance he had made but yesterday, declaring that he had fallen in love with her, and that he wanted to marry her immediately.
So it all turned out very well, and everybody was quite pleased; and the two weddings took place at once, and, unless they be dead since that time, the young couples are living yet.
TAM LIN
Anon.
‘O I forbid you, maidens a’
That wear gowd on your hair,
To come or gae by Carterhaugh,
For young Tam Lin is there.
There’s nane that gaes by Carterhaugh
But they leave him a wad ,
Either their rings or green mantles
Or else their maidenhead.’
Janet has belted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she has braided her yellow hair
A little aboon her bree ,
And she’s awa to Carterhaugh
As fast as she can hie .
When she came to Carterhaugh,
Tam Lin was at the well;
And there she fand his steed standing
But away was himsel’.
She hadna
Once again, Katherine seated herself on a stone, and looked around her. The same revels were going on as yesternight, and the Prince was soon in the thick of them, dancing and laughing madly. The girl watched him narrowly, wondering if she would ever be able to find out what would restore him to his right mind; and, as she was watching him, the same little bairn who had played with the magic wand came up to her again. Only this time he was playing with a little bird.
And as he played, one of the dancers passed by, and, turning to her partner, said lightly, ‘Three bites of that birdie would lift the Prince’s sickness, and make him as well as he ever was.’ Then she joined in the dance again, leaving Katherine sitting upright on her stone quivering with excitement.
If only she could get that bird the Prince might be cured! Very carefully she began to shake some nuts out of her pocket, and roll them across the floor towards the child.
He picked them up eagerly, letting go the bird as he did so; and, in an instant, Katherine caught it, and hid it under her apron.
In no long time after that the cock crew, and the Prince and she set out on their homeward ride. But this morning, instead of cracking nuts, she killed and plucked the bird; then she put it on a spit in front of the fire and began to roast it.
And soon it began to frizzle, and get brown, and smell deliciously, and the Prince, in his bed in the corner, opened his eyes and murmured faintly, ‘How I wish I had a bite of that birdie.’
When she heard the words Katherine’s heart jumped for joy, and as soon as the bird was roasted she cut a little piece from its breast and popped it into the Prince’s mouth.
When he had eaten it his strength seemed to come back somewhat, for he rose on his elbow and looked at his nurse. ‘Oh! if I had but another bite of that birdie!’ he said. And his voice was certainly stronger.
So Katherine gave him another piece, and when he had eaten that he sat right up in bed.
‘Oh! if I had but a third bite o’ that birdie!’ he cried. And now the colour was coming right back into his face, and his eyes were shining.
This time Katherine brought him the whole of the rest of the bird; and he ate it up greedily, picking the bones quite clean with his fingers; and when it was finished, he sprang out of bed and dressed himself, and sat down by the fire.
And when the King came in the morning, with his old housekeeper at his back, to see how the Prince was, he found him sitting cracking nuts with his nurse, for Katherine had brought home quite a lot in her apron pocket.
The King was so delighted to find his son cured that he gave all the credit to Katherine Crackernuts, as he called her, and he gave orders at once that the Prince should marry her. ‘For,’ said he, ‘a maiden who is such a good nurse is sure to make a good queen.’
The Prince was quite willing to do as his father bade him; and, while they were talking together, his younger brother came in,leading Princess Velvet-Cheek by the hand, whose acquaintance he had made but yesterday, declaring that he had fallen in love with her, and that he wanted to marry her immediately.
So it all turned out very well, and everybody was quite pleased; and the two weddings took place at once, and, unless they be dead since that time, the young couples are living yet.
TAM LIN
Anon.
‘O I forbid you, maidens a’
That wear gowd on your hair,
To come or gae by Carterhaugh,
For young Tam Lin is there.
There’s nane that gaes by Carterhaugh
But they leave him a wad ,
Either their rings or green mantles
Or else their maidenhead.’
Janet has belted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she has braided her yellow hair
A little aboon her bree ,
And she’s awa to Carterhaugh
As fast as she can hie .
When she came to Carterhaugh,
Tam Lin was at the well;
And there she fand his steed standing
But away was himsel’.
She hadna
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