Once upon a time there was a king and a queen, as in many lands have
been. The king had a daughter, Anne, and the queen had one named Kate,
but Anne was far bonnier than the queen's daughter, though they loved
one another like real sisters. The queen was jealous of the king's
daughter being bonnier than her own, and cast about to spoil her
beauty. So she took counsel of the henwife, who told her to send the
lassie to her next morning fasting.
So next morning early, the queen said to Anne, "Go, my dear, to the
henwife in the glen, and ask her for some eggs." So Anne set out, but
as she passed through the kitchen she saw a crust, and she took and
munched it as she went along.
When she came to the henwife's she asked for eggs, as she had been
told to do; the henwife said to her, "Lift the lid off that pot there
and see." The lassie did so, but nothing happened. "Go home to your
minnie and tell her to keep her larder door better locked," said the
henwife. So she went home to the queen and told her what the henwife
had said.
The queen knew from this that the lassie had had something
to eat, so watched the next morning and sent her away fasting; but the
princess saw some country-folk picking peas by the roadside, and being
very kind she spoke to them and took a handful of the peas, which she
ate by the way.
When she came to the henwife's, she said, "Lift the lid off the pot
and you'll see." So Anne lifted the lid but nothing happened. Then the
henwife was rare angry and said to Anne, "Tell your minnie the pot
won't boil if the fire's away." So Anne went home and told the queen.
The third day the queen goes along with the girl herself to the
henwife. Now, this time, when Anne lifted the lid off the pot, off
falls her own pretty head, and on jumps a sheep's head.
So the queen was now quite satisfied, and went back home.
Her own daughter, Kate, however, took a fine linen cloth and wrapped
it round her sister's head and took her by the hand and they both went
out to seek their fortune. They went on, and they went on, and they
went on, till they came to a castle.
Kate knocked at the door and
asked for a night's lodging for herself and a sick sister. They went
in and found it was a king's castle, who had two sons, and one of them
was sickening away to death and no one could find out what ailed him.
And the curious thing was that whoever watched him at night was never
seen any more. So the king had offered a peck of silver to anyone who
would stop up with him. Now Katie was a very brave girl, so she
offered to sit up with him.
Till midnight all goes well. As twelve o clock rings, however, the
sick prince rises, dresses himself, and slips downstairs. Kate
followed, but he didn't seem to notice her. The prince went to the
stable, saddled his horse, called his hound, jumped into the saddle,
and Kate leapt lightly up behind him. Away rode the prince and Kate
through the greenwood, Kate, as they pass, plucking nuts from the
trees and filling her apron with them. They rode on and on till they
came to a green hill. The prince here drew bridle and spoke, "Open,
open, green hill, and let the young prince in with his horse and his
hound," and Kate added, "and his lady him behind."
Immediately the green hill opened and they passed in. The prince
entered a magnificent hall, brightly lighted up, and many beautiful
fairies surrounded the prince and led him off to the dance. Meanwhile,
Kate, without being noticed, hid herself behind the door. There she
sees the prince dancing, and dancing, and dancing, till he could dance
no longer and fell upon a couch. Then the fairies would fan him till
he could rise again and go on dancing.
At last the cock crew, and the prince made all haste to get on
horseback; Kate jumped up behind, and home they rode. When the morning
sun rose they came in and found Kate sitting down by the fire and
cracking her nuts. Kate said the prince had a good night; but she
would not sit up another night unless she was to get a peck of gold.
The second night passed as the first had done. The prince got up at
midnight and rode away to the green hill and the fairy ball, and Kate
went with him, gathering nuts as they rode through the forest. This
time she did not watch the prince, for she knew he would dance and
dance, and dance.
But she sees a fairy baby playing with a wand, and
overhears one of the fairies say: "Three strokes of that wand would
make Kate's sick sister as bonnie as ever she was." So Kate rolled
nuts to the fairy baby, and rolled nuts till the baby toddled after
the nuts and let fall the wand, and Kate took it up and put it in her
apron. And at cockcrow they rode home as before, and the moment Kate
got home to her room she rushed and touched Anne three times with the
wand, and the nasty sheep's head fell off and she was her own pretty
self again. The third night Kate consented to watch, only if she
should marry the sick prince. All went on as on the first two nights.
This time the fairy baby was playing with a birdie; Kate heard one of
the fairies say: "Three bites of that birdie would make the sick
prince as well as ever he was." Kate rolled all the nuts she had to
the fairy baby till the birdie was dropped, and Kate put it in her
apron.
At cockcrow they set off again, but instead of cracking her nuts as
she used to do, this time Kate plucked the feathers off and cooked the
birdie. Soon there arose a very savoury smell. "Oh!" said the sick
prince, "I wish I had a bite of that birdie," so Kate gave him a bite
of the birdie, and he rose up on his elbow. By-and-by he cried out
again: "Oh, if I had another bite of that birdie!" so Kate gave him
another bite, and he sat up on his bed. Then he said again: "Oh! if I
only had a third bite of that birdie!" So Kate gave him a third bite,
and he rose quite well, dressed himself, and sat down by the fire, and
when the folk came in next morning they found Kate and the young
prince cracking nuts together. Meanwhile his brother had seen Annie
and had fallen in love with her, as everybody did who saw her sweet
pretty face. So the sick son married the well sister, and the well son
married the sick sister, and they all lived happy and died happy, and
never drank out of a dry cappy.