Legendary fictions of the Irish Celts

Household Stories. 1
The chief incidents of the following household tale
would determine its invention to a period subsequent to
the introduction of Christianity ; but it would not have
been difficult for a Christian story-teller to graft the
delay of the baptism on some Pagan tale. It is slightly
connected with the "Lassie and her Godmother" in the
Norse collection. An instance of the rubbing-down
process to which these old-world romances are subject
in their descent through the generations of story-tellers,
is the introduction of the post-office and its unworthy
officer, long before the round ruler and the strip of
parchment formed the writing apparatus of the kings of
Sparta or their masters, the Ephori.
THE BAD STEPMOTHER.
Once there was a king, and he had two iine children,
a girl and a boy; but he married again after their mother
died, and a very wicked woman she was that he put over
them. One day when he was out hunting, the stepmother
came in where the daughter was sitting all alone, with a
cup of poison in one hand and a dagger in the other,
and made her swear that she would never tell any one
that ever was christened what she would see her doing.
The poor young girl—she was only fifteen—took the oath,
and just after the queen took the king's favourite dog
and killed him before her eyes.
When the king came back, and saw his pet lying dead
in the hall, he flew into a passion, and axed who done*
* The reader must calculate on finding the perfect participle doing
duty for the imperfect tense, and a total neglect of the pluperfect
tense, when the story is given in the words of the original teller.
C
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