 There
once was a Scottish lass that lived on a farm all alone. The
village folk thought she might be lonesome or frightened.
But she had her dog and her cat for company, and they chased
away any wild beasties that bothered her garden or her hen.
The cottagers were thinkin' she was uncommon brave for a lassie.
One evenin' the lassie saw that she had naught for her breakfast
porridge. Though the sun was settin', off she went to the
mill with her bag of oats.
But the miller told the lass that he wouldna grind grain in
the mill of a night for, if he did, a great ugly goblin would
come up through the floor, steal the grain, and beat him black
and blue.
"Hoots to your goblin," said she and set to grindin'
the oats herself. She saw and heard naught but the whish!
of the grain, the whir! of the mill wheel and the gurgle!
of the water. When the oats were oatmeal, she closed the sack.
Just then--up rose an ugly goblin.
"You'll not be takin' my meal!" cried she and chased
him in and out of every corner of the mill. Now, the goblin
had met many a man in that mill by night, but never before
in all his days had he met a woman the likes of the lass.
They made a fearful racket, they did, the goblin and the lass
fightin' over the grain. Then the lass, usin' her wits, maneuvered
the goblin into where she'd ground the grain, and turned on
the mill wheel.
Now nothin' can kill a goblin, but bein' ground between the
mill stones was hurtin' him awful bad. "Och! I promise
I'll go away and leave off hauntin' the mill!" he howled.
And 'twas just what he did.
Like as not, you'll be thinkin' that this surely was a lass
that couldna be frighted. Willy the weaver's son thought so
too, 'til he happened to be passin' by her farm the next mornin'
and heard her shriekin' for help. Willy the weaver's son found
the lass happy to have a body about when her dog and her cat
were away on some business of their own. But 'twas a wee bit
of a thing that frighted such a fearless lassie!
Och, aye, it's hard to be brave all the time, isn't it?
Back
to Shows
|
|
