Bab Bab 37 · Kate Crackernuts

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.