J. F. Campbell Collection > Fireside stories of Ireland

THE GREEK PRINCESS AND THE YOUNG GARDENER. 49
jMimtiii. " Miisha, sir," says lie, " would you spare a bit
of that meat to a poor body that's hungry V " Well," says
the other, "you must have the divel's own assurance, you
common robber, to ask me such a question. Here's the
answer," and he let fly at the moddhereen rua. The arrow
scraped from his side up oyer his back, as if he was made
of hammered iron, and stuck in a tree a couple of perches oiF.
" Foul play,'' says the fox; "but I respect your young bro-
ther, and will give you a bit of advice. At nightfall you'll
come into a village. One side of the street you'll see a
large room lighted up, and filled with young men and
women, dancing and drinking. The other side you'll see a
house with no light, only from the fire in the front room,
and no one near it but a man, and his wife, and their child.
Take a fool's advice, and get lodging there." "With that he
curled his tail over his crupper, and trotted off.
The boy found things as the fox said, but hegonies he
chose the dancing and drinking, and there we'll leave him.
In a week's time, Avhen they got tired at home waiting for
him, the second son said he'd try his fortune, and off he set.
He was just as ill-natured and foolish as his brother, and
the same thing happened to him. Well, when a week was
over, away went the youngest of all, and as sure as the
hearth-money, he sat under the same tree, and pulled out
his bread and meat, and the same fox came up and saluted
him. Well, the young fellow shared his dinner with thr-
moddhereen, and he wasn't long beating about the bush,
but told the other he knew all about his business. " I'll
help you," says he, " if I find you're biddable. So just at
nightfall youll come into a village, .... Good-bye till
to-morrow." It was just as the fox said, but the boy tooJv
care not to go near dancer, drinker, fiddler, or piper. H«!
got welcome in the quiet house to supper and bed, and Avas
on his journey next morning before the sun was the height
of the trees.
He wasn't gone a quarter of a mile when he saw the fox
coming out of a wood that was by the road-side. " Good
morrow, fox," says one ; "Good morrow, sir," says the other.
" Have you any notion how far you have to travel till you
find the golden bird ?" " Dickens a notion have I : — how
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