J. F. Campbell Collection > Fireside stories of Ireland

l6 THE FIRESIDE STORIES OF IRELAND.
girl that came into our hands. It's a pity to put such an
innocent and handsome girl as you are out of the world, but
we must keep our oath." " But," said she, " I'm your only
sister that never knew anything about this till yesterday ;
and I stole away from our father's and mother's palace last
night to iind you out and relieve you if I can." Every one
of them clasped his hands, and looked down on the floor,
and you could hear a pin fall till the eldest cried out, " A
curse light on our oath ! what shall we do 1" " I'll tell you
that," said an old woman that appeared at the instant among
them. " Break your wicked oath which no one should keep.
If you attempted to lay an uncivil finger on her I'd change
you into twelve booliaun buis (stalks of ragweed), but I wish
well to you as well as to her. She is appointed to be your
deliverer in this way. She must spin and knit twelve shirts
for you out of bog down, to be gathered by her own hands
on the moor just outside of the wood. It will take her five
years to do it, and if she once speaks, or laughs, or cries the
whole time, you will have to remain wild geese by day till
you're called out of the world. So take care of your sister ;
it is worth your while." The fairy then vanished, and it was
only a strife with the brothers to see who would be first to
kiss and hug their sister.
So for three long years the poor young princess was oc-
cupied pulling bog down, spinning it, and knitting it into
shirts, and at the end of the three years she had eight
made. During all that time, she never spoke a word, nor
laughed, nor cried ; the last was the hardest to refrain from.
One fine day she was sitting in the garden spinning, when in
sprung a fine greyhound and bounded up to her, and laid
his paws on her shoulder, and licked her forehead and her
hair. The next minute a beautiful young prince rode up
to the little garden gate, took off his hat, and asked for
leave to come in. She gave him a little nod, and in he
walked. He made ever so many apologies for intruding,
and asked her ever so many questions, but not a word could
he get out of her. He loved her so much from the first
moment, that he could not leave her till he told her he was
king of a country just bordering on the forest, and he beg-
ged her to come home with him, and be his wife. She