J. F. Campbell Collection > Fireside stories of Ireland

^6 THE FIRESIDE STORIES OF IRELAND.
pimcheons of wine put out in tlie lawn, Tlie young Prince
of Greek was married to tlie King's daughter, and the
prince's sister to the gardener's son. He and she went a
shorter way hack to her father's house, with many attend-
ants, and the King was so glad of the golden bird and the
golden apples, that he sent a wagon full of gold and a wagon
full of silver along with them.
^ THE GIANT AND HIS ROYAL SERVANTS.
There was once a very good king and queen that would
he as happy as the day was long only they had no children.
So as they were one day sitting in a garden chair by the
edge of the pond at the bottom of the lawn, and talking
how lonesome the palace was for young people, a giant
stepped out of the grove that was behind them, and says
he, " King and queen, if you'll give me your eldest son
when he's twenty-one years of age, I'll give you a necklace,
ma'am, and so that you never put it off night or day, you
will have four sons and three daughters in the next ten
years. I'll be here to-morrow at the same hour to know
your will."
They talked and they talked all the rest of that day,
and till they went to sleep, but the end was — they'd take
the giant's offer: — twenty-two years was a long time off,
and many a thing falls out between the milking of the cow
and the print of butter coming to the table. They agreed
to the giant's offer, and he went away well pleased. In less
than a year's time a prince was born, and the queen was
not tired till she had her four sons and her three daughters
sitting at the table with herself and her husband. They
were all as handsome as the sun, moon, and stars, and
there was no sorrow till the eldest prince was near his
twenty-first birthday.
The very day to the hour, they were sitting in the very
same seat when the giant stepped out of the grove, and de-
manded their eldest born. " I'll wait for him here," said
he : " don't keep me long." They went up to the castle