Matheson Collection > Folk tales and fairy lore in Gaelic and English

FOLK TALES AND FAIRY LORE. 15
Stir, and the hen-wife told her that the man who owned
the place was coming home and going to marry that
night. She considered for a moment, but whatever
she suspected she kept her opinion to herself. She
got the scissors, the thimble, and the needle, and set
them going. In a short time there was not a person
about the place who did not come to see the curious
things the woman in the hen-wife's house had.
Among the rest came the newly-married couple, and,
when the bride saw the sewing implements going of
their own accord, nothing would please her but to
get them for herself. The remainder of the tale may
be told in a few words. The bride got the sewing
implements on condition that she would suffer the
strange woman to watch three nights in succession in
her husband's room. But she took good care to leave
him a drink which put him in so sound a sleep that
he heard not a syllable the strange woman said for
two nights. But the third night the eldest boy, having
understood beforehand that the strange woman was his
mother, spilt the sleeping draught and filled the cup
with other stuff. His father remained awake this
night and beared the strange woman saying: " Summer-
under-dew, dost thou not pity me? and that I have
travelled the world after thee." At once he knew
whom he had. Next day a great, bountiful, merry
wedding was made, and the erst bride got leave to
stay with her scissors, thimble, and needle in the hen-
wife's house; and when the wedding was over they sent
me home with little paper shoes on a causeway of pieces
of glass.