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Track 3 THE
THREE FEATHERS Andrew Stewart,
Blairgowrie
Andrew Stewart belongs to a
remarkable family. The Scottish folk scene of today knows it best for
"the Stewarts of Blair": Alec Stewart of Blairgowrie (piper),
his wife Belle and daughters Cathie and Sheila (all singers). Alec and
Belle have also recorded some fine stories, though the general public
knows little of this side of them: but Alec is only one of a talented
family of ten "children" (writes Hamish Henderson) "of the
late John Stewart, born at Cromdale, who for a time was piper to the Duke
of Atholl, and he was one of the 19 children of old James Stewart, the
patriarch, and his wife Maria McPhee. (Another of their children was Maria
Stewart, Jeannie Robertson's mother.)" Jeannie indeed said when she
recorded the story of "The Kineva Hills" mentioned above that
she learned it from her grandfather, whom she calls William Stewart. So he
was a storyteller; John his son certainly was, and we have a few
recordings made not long before he died in 1955 by Maurice Fleming to
prove it (see Tocher 3:165-74 for two of these and Maurice's
account of those of the family he knew.) Both he and his wife, who
belonged to an Argyll travelling family, told many stories to their
children, whether settled in Perthshire or travelling through Scotland and
Ireland, and among those who have passed them on, apart from Alec, are the
late Mrs Bella (Isabella) Higgins of Blairgowrie, who tells the tale on
track 4 of this disc; another John, now living in Perth, many years
younger but with an equal wealth of stories which he is just beginning to
reveal; and Andrew, "Andra Hoochten", who has lived in Canada
for the past twenty years, but like Bella was extensively recorded in the
1950s. "Andra" has the raciest style of any of the family I have
heard, tumbled out at breakneck speed, mixing colloquial dialogue and
up-to-date background with the formal speech; and mediaeval trappings
appropriate to international wonder-tale to make a spicy haggis
reminiscent of Standish H. O'Grady's baroque renderings of Irish hero-tale
in Silva Gadelica - but of course a lot closer to the Scottish soil.
This tale ranks among the
liveliest of the longer Märchen we have from Scots traveller
storytellers - its only rivals are too long or too indistinctly recorded
(like Geordie Stewart"s wonderful blend of magic and debunking humour,
"The Green Man of Knowledge", which may be read in Scottish
Studies 2:47-85) or have been found too recently to include here. This
international tale-type, AT 402, "The Frog Bride" is in
published translations of Grimm's Fairy Tales with the same title and
opening as here, and it is not impossible that Andra's story is an
elaborate embroidery of the much balder and less imaginative Grimm tale
which one of his ancestors read or had read to him. But the resemblance
proves very little: this is one of those international types which, having
been polished by generations of storytellers to a near-perfect form, can
be handed on across barriers of language and culture with very little
change. At least one of the Stewarts' tales which has been studied,
"The King and the Miller", AT 922 (see Tocher 3:169-71;
Briggs:485-7; Scottish Studies 17:147-54) is significantly more
like German variants than any from England or the Highlands. And indeed,
as John Stewart, Andra's younger brother, recently told the story it
includes a long heroic episode, not in Grimm or this version, in which
Jack has to kill a giant to turn his enchanted bride from a frog to a
woman. But never mind where the story comes from - enjoy it in its quite
unheroic wealth of imaginative, expressive and earthy detail. -AJB
WELL, ONCE UPON A TIME
there was a king and this king wis gettin up in years, he wid be away
nearly the borders o eighty year auld, ye see, and he took very ill, an he
wis in bed. So his doctor came tae see him and . . . he soundit oot the
old king lyin in bed, an everything - he come doon, he's asked for the
oldest brother tae come, ye see, so he spoke tae the oldest brother, and
he says to the oldest brother, he says: 'Yer father hasnae very long tae
live,' he says, 'the best o his days is bye, an,' he says, 'Ah wouldn't be
a bit surprised,' says the doctor, 'if ye come up some mornin an find him
lyin dead in his bed,' ye see?
So, of coorse, it wid come
as a blow tae the oldest brother, and here, the oldest brother sent for
the other two brothers, ye see, sent for Jeck and the other two brothers,
see? So when the two brothers come up, there wis one o this brothers like,
ye understand, they cried him 'Silly Jeck', he wis awfae saft an silly, ye
know, he widnae dae nothing. He wis a humbug tae the castle; he'd done
nothin for the father - in fact he wasnae on the list o gettin onything
left when the father died at aw. That wis jist the way o't, ye see. He wis
a bad laddie. So anyway, here the three sons is stan'in, the oldest
brother tellt them that the father wis goin tae die and something wid have
tae be done, and 'at he was goin to be king, ye see. So the good adviser
said: 'Well,' he says, 'before the father dies,' he says, 'he told me that
the one that would get the best table-cover, the best an the dearest
table-cover that could be found in the country, would get the castle and
be king,' ye see?
'Well,' says the oldest
brother,' he says, 'what are we goin to do,' he says, 'have we tae go an
push wir fortune?'
'No,' says the good
adviser, he says, 'your father gave us three feathers,' he says, 'here
they're here,' he says, 'out of an eagle's wing,' an he says, 'each o yese
got tae take a feather each an go to the top tower o the castle, and throw
yer feather up in the air,' he says, 'an whatever wey the feather went,
flutter't, that wis the way ye had tae go an push yer fortune for the
table-cover.'
So right enough they aa
agreed, ye see, an Jeck wi his guttery boots an everything on - the other
yins wis dressed in gaads, ye know, and swords at their side, an Jeck jist
ploo'ed the fields an scraped the pots doon in the kitchen an everything,
cleaned the pots, but Jack wis up wi his guttery boots along wi the rest o
the brothers, ye see, an they threw the feathers up, ye see, the two
brothers, an one o the feathers went away be the north, the oldest
brother's. 'Well,' he says, 'brothers,' he says, 'see the way my feather
went,' he says, 'away be the north,' he says, 'Ah suppose that'll have to
be the way Ah'll have to go an look for the table-cover.' The other second
oldest brother threw the feather up, and hit went away be the south. 'Ah
well,' he says, 'Ah think,' he says, 'Ah'll have tae go be the south.' So
poor Jeck, they looked at Jeck, an they werena gaen tae pey any attention
tae Jeck, ye see, but Jeck threw his feather up an it swirl't roon aboot
an it went doon at the back o the castle, in the back-yaird o the castle,
ye see? Aw the brothers startit laughin at him: 'Ha! ha! ha! ha!' They
were makin a fool of Jack, ye see, because his feather went doon at the
back o the castle. So Jack gien his shooders a shrug like that an he walks
doon the stairs, intae the kitchen.
Noo the two brothers, they
got a year an a day to get a good table-cover. So Jack never bothered goin
to see aboot his table-cover or nothing, ye see, aboot his feather,
rather, or nothing, ye see, so he'd jist aboot a couple o days tae go when
the year an the day wis up and Jack's up one day lyin in his bed and he
says: 'Ma God!' he says, 'Ah should go an hae a look at ma feather tae,'
he says, 'Ah've never seen where it wis gettin.' It wis a warm kind o
afternoon. He says: 'Ah'll go for the fun o the thing,' he says, 'an see
where ma feather went.' So for curiosity Jeck went roon the back o the
castle, an went roond the back o the castle, an he wydit through nettles
an thistles an he hears a thing goin: 'Hoo-ho, o-ho-ho-ho,' greetin. Jack
looks doon at his feet an here there wis a big green frog sittin, a green
puddick, sittin on top o a flagstane, an the tears wis comin out o its een.
An Jack looks doon an says: 'Whit's wrang wi ye, frog?'
'Oh Jeck, ye didnae gie us
much time tae go on tae get ye a table-cover, did ye? Ye should hae been
here long ago. You were supposed tae follow yer feather the same as ony
ither body.'
But Jeck says: 'I didnae
ken,' he says, 'I thocht . . . when the feather went doon at the back o
the castle Ah jist had tae stay at the castle.'
'Oh well, ye cannae help it
noo,' said the frog, he says, 'Ye'd better come away doon. Luft that
flagstane,' he says. There wis a ring, an iron ring in the flagstane. (Ye
know whit a flagstane is? It's a square big stone that's in the ground an
ye can lift it up, ye see.) An this big iron ring wis in this flagstane,
an Jack wis a big strong lump o a fella, he lifts the stane up aboot half
a turn aff the grun, ye see, an there wis trap stairs goin doon. Jack went
doon the trap stairs, an the puddick hopped doon the stairs like 'at, an
tellt Jack tae mind his feet.
Jeck went in. He says:
'Well, Ah never seen frogs,' he says, 'haen a place like this before.' A
big long passage an 'lectric lights burnin an everything an frogs goin
past him, hoppin past him, an the smell o the meat an', nice smell o
reshturant an everything was something terrible, ye see. Took Jack into a
lovely place like a parlour, an here when Jack went in he sut doon on this
stool, an the frogs aw speakin tae him, ye see, an one frog jumpit on tap
o Jack's knee, an Jack's clappin the wee frog like this, an it's lookin up
wi its wee golden eyes, up at Jack's face, an Jack's clappin the wee frog,
pattin him on top o the back, an it's lookin up at him an laughin at him
in his face.
'Well Jack,' he says, 'you
better go now,' he says, 'ye havenae much time, yer brothers'll be comin
home tomorrow,' he says, 'we'll hae tae get ye a table-cover.' So Jack
thocht tae hissel, where wis a . . . puddicks goin tae get him a
table-cover, frogs, ye see, goin tae get a table-cover tae him. But
anyway, they come wi a broon paper.
'Now,' he says, 'Jack,' he
says, 'there is a broon paper parcel,' he says, 'an there's a cover in
there,' he says. 'Right enough,' he says, 'yer brothers will have good
table-covers, but,' he says, 'the like o this,' he says, 'is no in the
country.' He says, 'Don't open it up,' he says, 'till you throw it on your
father's bed, an when you throw it on your father's bed,' he says, 'jist
tell him tae have a look at that.' See?
Jack said, 'Aa right.'
'Haste up noo, Jack.'
He could hae done wi lookin
at the table-cover, but he stuck it 'neath his airm an he bid the wee
frogs farewell, an he come up, pit the flagstane doon, an back intae the
kitchen. So one o the maids says tae him, 'What hae ye got 'neath yer airm,
Jeck?' Jack's pitten it up on a shelf, ye see, oot the road.
'Och,' he says, 'it's ma
table-cover,' and aw the weemen start laughin, 'Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, silly Jeck
gettin a table-cover in his father's castle. You've some hopes o bein
king, Jack.' An they never peyed nae attention tae Jack, ye see, so Jack
jist never heedit, he's suppin soup wi a spoon, liftin the ladle an suppin,
drinkin a ladle oot at a pot, drinkin the soup an everything, ye see.
When he looks up the road,
up the great drive, an here comin down is the two brothers comin gallopin
their brae steeds, an the medals on their breist an the golden swords,
they were glutterin, an here they're comin at an awful speed down the
drive, ye see. 'Here's ma two brothers comin,' an he ran oot the door an
he welcomed his two brothers, ye see, an they widnae heed Jack.
'Get oot o ma road,' one o
them said. 'Get oot o ma road, eediot,' he says, 'you get oot o the road.'
An they stepped up, ye see, an opened the door an went up tae see their
father. So the father said, 'There no time the now, sons - they were
greedy, they wantit tae get made king, ye see . . . 'Wait,' he says,
'until yese get yer dinner, boys,' he says, 'an then come up an . . .
Ah'll see yer table-covers. Ah'll have tae get the good advisers in, ye
see.' (The good advisers was men. There wis three o them an they pickit
whatever wan wis the best, ye see, same as solicitors an things in this
days nowadays, ye see.)
So anyway, the two brothers
efter they got their feast an everything, their dinner, an come right up,
ye see, an here the good advisers - rung the bells, an here the good
advisers come up, red coats on them an they're stan'in beside them. Well,
the father, the two sons felt awfy sorry for the old king because he wis
gettin very weak an forlorn lookin. He wis ready for tae die any time.
'Well, sons,' he says. 'Well, sons, did yese get the table-covers?'
'Yes,' says the oldest son,
'father,' he says, 'have a look at this table-cover.' An he
throwed it ower on the bed an they all came an liftit the table-cover, an
he examined the table-cover an it was a lovely, definitely, a lovely silk
that ye never seen the like o this table-cover, heavy. Ah couldnae explain
whit kind o table-cover this wis.
'Yes,' he says, 'son,' he
says, 'it definitely is a good table-cover,' he says, 'an it'll take a bit
o beatin. Have you got a table-cover?' he says tae the second youngest
son.
'Well,' he says, 'father,
there's a table-cover,' he says, 'Ah don't know if it's as good as ma
brother's or no,' he says, 'but have a look at that table-cover.' An they
looked at the table-cover. Well, the one wis as good as the other. The
good advisers couldnae guess which o them wis the best.
'Aw but,' says, 'hold on,'
says one - there wis wan o the good advisers likit Jack, ye see. He says,
'Hold on,' he says, 'where's Jack?'
'Aw,' says the other good
advisers, 'what dae we want with Jack?' he says.
'Aw, but he's supposed tae
be here,' he says, 'and see if he's got a table-cover,' the oldest yin
said . . . tae the other good advisers. He says, 'Ye're supposed tae be
here,' ye see?
So anyway, here now . . .
they shouts for Jack an Jack come up the stairs, in his guttery boots as
usual, an he's got the broon parcel 'neath his airm. So the two brothers
looked at Jeck wi the green [sic] parcel 'neath his airm, ye see,
an he says, 'Have you got a table-cover,' he says, 'son?' the old king
said.
'Yes, father,' he said,
'did ma brothers get the table-covers?'
'Aye,' he said, 'there
they're there.'
'Well,' says Jack, he says,
he says, 'They're definitely nice table-covers, but,' he says, 'if Ah
couldnae get a better table-cover,' he says, 'than what ma two brothers
got,' he says, 'in yer ain castle, father,' he says, 'Ah wadnae go
searchin, Ah widnae go,' he says, 'seekin ma fortune,' he says, 'the
distance they've went,' he says, 'tae look for table-covers,' he says.
So the men start laughin at
Jack as usual: 'Ha-ha-ha-ha! nonsense, Jack,' an the old king says, 'Ah
told ye not tae send for him, he's daft,' ye see.
'Well,' he says, 'have a
look at that table-cover, father,' so here the father took the scissors
and opened the string, an took out . . . Well, what met their eyes was
something terrible. It wis lined with diamonds and rubies, this table-cover.
One diamond alone would ha' bought the two table-covers that the brothers
had, ye see?
'Aye, aye,' says the good
adviser, he says, 'that is a table-cover an a table-cover in time,' he
says. 'Where did ye get it, son? Did ye steal it from some great castle?'
'No father,' he says, 'I
got this,' he says, 'in yer own castle.'
'It can't be true,' says
the king, he says: 'I've never had a table-cover like that in ma life.'
But tae make a long story
short, the two brothers wouldnae agree. They said, 'Naw, naw, naw,
father,' he says, 'that's not fair,' he says, 'We'll have tae . . . have
another chance,' ye see. 'We'll have tae have another chance,' an here
they wouldn't let Jack be king. 'Aw right,' says Jack, he says, 'it's all
the same tae me,' he says, 'if yese want a chance,' he says, 'again,' he
says, 'very good,' he says, 'it's aa the same tae me.'
So the father says, 'Well,
if yese want anither chance,' he says, 'Ah tell ye what Ah want yese tae
bring back this time,' he says, 'an Ah'll give the three of yese a year an
a day again,' he says, 'seein that Ah'm keepin up in health,' he says, 'Ah'll
give yese another chance. Them 'at'll go an bring back the best ring,' he
says, ' 'll get my whole kingdom,' he says, ye see, 'when Ah die.'
Well, fair enough. The
three brothers went an got their feathers again and went tae the top of
the tower. The oldest brother threw his feather up an it went away be the
east. 'Aw well,' he says, 'it'll have tae be me away for east.' The other
brother threw a feather up - the second youngest brother, an it went away
be the south. 'Aw well,' says the other brother, he says, 'Ah'll go away
be the south.' Jack threw his feather up, but they didnae lauch this time.
It swirl't roon aboot like that an it went doon the back o the castle in
amongst the nettles an the thistles. So they looked, the two brothers
looked at each other but they never said a word. They jist went doon the
stair an Jack follae't them the big tower, ye see, doon the steps. (Stone
steps in them days in the old castles.) And the two brothers bid farewell,
mountit their horses and they're away for all they can gallop in each
direction, waved tae each other wi their hands an away they went. Ye could
see them goin ower the horizon, see?
Jack never bother't, ye
see. He went down an he's two or three month in the hoose an oot he went
roon. An he seen the same thing happen't again, he went roond the back o
the castle an here's the frog sittin on tap o the flagstane. 'Aye,' he
says, 'Jack, ye're back quicker this time,' he says. 'What did ye think of
the table-cover?'
'Och,' he says, 'it wid hae
bought ma faither's castle althegither, right oot be the root.'
'Aye,' he says, 'Ah tellt
ye it wis a good table-cover,' he says. 'Now,' he says, 'Ah'll have tae
get ye a ring,' says the frog. 'Ye better come away doon an see the rest o
the family,' ye see? Lifts the flagstane up an Jack went doon the steps,
ye see, an intae this big parlour place an he's sittin down, the 'lectric
lights is burnin, an this wee frog jumped on tap o his knee an he's aye
clappin this wee frog, ye see, on tap o his knee, clappin the wee frog, an
it's croakin up in his face wi its wee golden eyes, ye see. Well, when the
time come when Jack got - they gien him a good meal, ye know, no frogs'
meat or onythin like that, it wis good meat they gien him on dishes, this
frogs hoppin aboot the place an gien him a nice feed, ye see, an they gies
him this wee box - it wis a velvet box, black, did ye ever see wee black
velvet boxes? He says, 'There it is, Jack,' he says, 'an the like of that
ring,' he says, 'is not in the country,' he says. 'Take it tae yer father
an let him see that.'
So Jack stuck it in his
waistcoat pocket - an auld waistcoat he had on, ye see, an he's oot, an
he's cleanin - but he wis forgettin aboot the year an the day - it passed
quicker, ye see. Here's the two brothers comin doon the avenue on their
great horses, galloping. Jumped aff an said, 'Did ye get . . .' They
wantit tae ken if Jack got a ring.
Jack says, 'Look,' he says,
'dinnae bother me,' says Jack, he says. 'Go up an see the aul man,' he
says, 'instead o goin lookin for rings,' he said. 'Ah've never seen as
much nonsense as this in ma life.' He says, 'Why can they no let you be
king,' he says, 'onywey, ye're the oldest,' he says, ' 'stead o cairryin
on like this?'
'Oh,' he says, 'what's tae
be done is tae be done, Jack,' so away they went, up tae see their father.
The good advisers wis there. And they showed the rings tae their father,
an the father's lookin at the two rings, an judgin the rings, oh, they
were lovely rings, no mistake about it, they were lovely rings, ye see,
diamonds an everything on them. Here they come - Jack come up the stair
again an he wabbles in an he's lookin at them arguin aboot the rings and
Jack says, 'Look, father,' he says, 'have a look at that ring.' Jack never
seen the ring, and the father opened the wee box and what met his eyes, it
hurtit the good advisers' an the old king's eyes, it hurted them. There
wis a stone, a diamond stone, sittin in it would have bought the whole
castle an the land right about it, ye see?
So anyway, here the
brothers widnae be pleased at this. 'Naw, naw, naw, this is nae use,
father,' he says, 'give us another chance,' he says. 'The third time's a
charm,' he says, 'give us another chance.'
'But,' says the father, he
says, 'Jack won twice,' he says, 'it's no fair,' an this good adviser, the
old man 'at liked Jack said, 'No, no, Jack'll have to be king; he won
twice.'
'No, no, father, gie us
another chance,' he says, so the brothers says, 'Ah'll tell ye, father,
let us get a good wife,' he says, 'tae fit the ring an them that gets the
nicest bride tae fit the ring'll get the king's castle. How will that do,
Jack?'
Jack says, 'Fair enough tae
me. But Jack got feart noo because he mindit it wis puddicks he wis
amongst. Where would he get a wife from amongst a lot o wee puddicks,
frogs an things, ye see? Same thing again, up tae the tap o the tower an
threw off their feathers, and one feather went away one road and the other
feather went away the other road, but Jack's feather went roon tae the
back o the castle. 'Aw,' says Jack, 'Ah'm no goin back. That's it finished
now, Jack.' Jack says, 'Ah'm lowsed.' He says, 'Ah'm no goin tae tak nae
wee frog for a wife,' ye see?
So anyway, Jack waited tae
the year wis up, an jist for the fun o the thing, he says, 'Ah'll go roond
the back o the castle,' he says, 'an see what's goin 'ae happen.' Roon he
went tae the back o the castle and here's three or four frogs sittin
greetin, and the wee frog that sut on his knee, hit wis greetin, the tears
runnin out o its een, an it wis jist like a man playin pibroch, 'Hee-haw,
hee-haw', an aa the frogs is greetin, ye see, an here all danced wi glee,
and this wee frog come an met him an looked up in his face and climbed up
his leg, this wee tottie frog, an he lifted the flagstane an they hoppit
doon, ye see.
'Well Jack,' he says, the
old frog says to Jack, he says, 'Ah wis thinkin,' he says, 'Jack, ye
widnae come,' he says. 'Ye were frightened,' he says, 'we couldnae get ye
a wife, didn't ye [sic] Jack?'
'Yes,' says Jack, 'tae be
truthful wi ye,' he says, 'I thought,' he says, 'a frog,' he says, 'widnae
do me for a wife.'
'Well,' says the old man,
efter they gied him somethin tae eat, he says, 'How wid ye like Susan for
a wife?' An this wis the wee frog that wis on his knee, an he wis clappin
it.
Jack says, 'That wee frog,'
he says, 'how could that make a wife tae me?'
'Yes, Jack,' he says, 'that
is yer wife,' he says, 'an a woman,' he says, 'a wife,' he says, 'yer
brothers,' he says, 'will have pretty women back wi them,' he says, 'but
nothing like Susan.'
So anyway, here, they says,
'Go out,' to Jack. 'Go out for an hour,' he says, 'round the back,' he
says, 'an intae the kitchen,' he says, 'and take a cup o tea an come back
out again,' he says; 'we'll have everything ready for ye.' Jack went roond
noo an he's feared, he didn't know what wis gonnae tae happen, an he's
taken a cup o tea, but he's back roond.
Here when he come roon at
the back o the castle beside the trees, there wis a great big cab sittin,
lined wi gold, an the wee frog, it wis the frog, was the loveliest
princess ever ye seen in yer life. She wis dressed in silk, ye could see
through the silk that wis on her - she wis jist a walkin spirit, a lovely
angel she looked like, an when Jack seen her, he says, wi his guttery
boots an everything, he wouldn't go near her. So this old king, it wis an
old king, a fat frog wi a big belly, green, an he says, 'There is yer
bride, there's Susan,' he says, 'How dae ye like the look o her, Jack?'
Jack rubbed his eyes like
that . . . He says, 'Look,' he says, 'I couldnae take a lady like that,'
he says, he says, 'it's impossible . . . Look at the mess Ah'm in.'
'Oh but,' says the puddicks,
they says, 'we'll soon pit that right,' says the old frog, and he says, 'jist
turn three times roon aboot,' an Jeck turned three times: an as he's
turnin roon aboot his claes wis changin, an there he's turned the
beautifullest king ye ever seen in yer life - a prince, medals an a gold
sword - ye never seen the like o it in yer life, an this cab wi six grey
horses in it and footmen an everything on the back o the cab, an here when
she seen Jack she come an put her airms roon Jack's neck, an Jack kissed
her, ye see, an they went intae the cab.
Now they drove oot - this
wis the year an a day up now, ye see, this was the [?term's dayl - but
when they come roon here they're comin drivin up the road, but the two
brothers wis up before Jack, an . . . they sees the cab comin up the
drive, an the two brothers looked oot the windae, an 'Aw, call out the
guard,' they said, an here's the guard out and the old king got up oot o
his bed, he's lookin through the windae, opened the big sash curtains
back, an he says, 'Ah told ye,' he says, 'Jack stole the ring an stole the
table-cover. This is the king come,' he says, 'tae . . . claim his goods,'
he says, 'that Jack stole.'
Well anyway, here, what
happens but the two brothers cam oot an they says, 'Oh,' they says, 'Ah
told ye, father, not tae take Jack,' but here when Jack stepped oot o the
cab an they seen Jack, Jack waved up tae the windae, his father, 'Hi Dad!'
he says, an he shouts tae his father. The father looked doon an he rubbed
his een an he says, 'Is that you, Jack?'
Jack says, 'Yes, father,
it's me,' he says, 'an here is ma wife. Ah'm comin up tae see ye.'
Well, when the two brothers
seen Jack's wife they went an took their two wifes an they pit them intae
the lavatories an locked the door. Haud them oot o the road, intae the
lavatories they pit them. 'Get away oot o here, shoo, get oot o here, get
oot o here! Oh, Jack's wife,' he says, 'we wouldn't be shamed wi youse
women!' An the two lassies that the two oldest brothers had, started tae
cry, ye see, they shoved them intae the lavatories. 'Go in there,' he
says, 'oot o the road,' he says, 'until I get ye a horse,' he says, 'that
ye can gallop away.'
An when Jack come up an . .
. when the father an the good advisers seen this lovely princess, the like
wis never in the country, they made Jack king, and the bells were ringin
for the feast an Jack was the king; an he wis good to aw the poor folk aw
roon the country, folk 'at the owld king used tae be good to, Jack wis
three times better tae them an they loved Jack for ever after, an Jack
lived happy, an he's king noo on the tap o Keelymabrook, away up in the
hills. That's the end o ma story. |
