J. F. Campbell Collection > Fireside stories of Ireland

9<5 THE FIRESIDE STORIES OF IRELAND.
back, and the mouse in his ear, and away "with them. They
hadn't the trouble of going far, when they see the chest
which was stopped among the rushes at the edge of a little
island. Over they went, and the weasel and the mouse
gnawed the rope till they had the led off, and their maister
out on the bank. Well, they were all very glad, and were
conversing together, when what should the weasel spy but
a beautiful egg with the loveliest colours on the shell lying
down in the shallow water % He wasn't long till he had it
up, and Jack was turning it round and round, and ad-
miring it. " Oh, musha, my good friends," says he, " I
wish it was in my power to show my gratitude to you, and
that I had a fine castle and estate where we could live with
fall and plenty ! " The words were hardly out of his mouth
when the beasts and himself found themselves standing
on the steps of a castle, and the finest lawn before it that
ever you saw.
There was no one inside nor outside to dispute possession
with them, and there they lived as happy as kings. They
found money enough inside in a cupboard, and the house
had the finest furniture in every room, and it was an easy
matter to hire servants and labourers.
Jack was standing at his gate one day, as three merchants
were passing by with their goods packed on the backs of
horses and mules. " Death alive ! " says they, what's this
for] There was neither castle, nor lawn, nor three here the
last time we went by."
" True for you ! " says Jack. But you shant be the worse
for it. Take your beasts into the ba^vn behind the house,
and give 'em a good feed, and if you're not in a hurry, stay
and take a bit of dinner with myself." They wished for no
better, and after dinner the innocent slob of a Jack let
himself be overtaken, and showed them his painted egg,
and told 'em every thing that happened him. As sure as
the hearth money, one of 'em puts a powder in Jack's next
tumbler, and when he woke it was in the island he found
himself, with his patched coat on him, and his three friends
sitting on their currabingoes near him, and looking very
down in the mouth.
"Ah, master!" says the weasel, "you'll never be wise