Northern mythology

XETHERLANDISII TRADITIONS. 237
said the motlier-in-law, " I know that ah-cady ; I have just
been tokl it/^ At this the man was greatly surprised^ for
no one in Stockhem knew anything of the matter, and
the wife^s mother lived a good half-hour from the village.
"Wlien the man was returning and quietly
going along
by the brook that runs by the road-side, a cat suddenly
darted after him, and passed between his legs : a second
followed, a third, a fourth, and so on to the number at
least of thirty. All these surrounded the man and so
annoyed him that he struck into the midst
of them with
his stick. But his striking was to little purpose, they
evaded his blows, and in reward for his good intention,
cast him into the brook, after having torn from him his
silver shoe-buckles.
Wet and fatigued the poor man reached his home, and
instantly sent for the priest, to whom he related the adventure.
" Ah," said the priest, " I see what ^s in the
wind, and all that I can say and advise is this : Give nothing
to anybody that begs of you at the door, if you
desire your wife and child to continue well." The man
promised to follow the advice, and observed it
faithfully,
at least for a while.
On the following morning there came a poor old woman
to the door, begging for a morsel of bread ; but the
man said :
" Go your way, I give nothing." In the
afternoon there came two very aged women, one leading
the other : they were dismissed in a similar manner.
Greybeards, cripples, children came begging, but no one
got anything, and this went on for more than three weeks.
The woman liad in the mean time become quite well
again, and the child grew every day stronger and stronger.
One forenoon, when she was sitting at home with the
babe on her lap, an old woman came, who begged in a
most piteous tone, imploring with tears that a morsel of
bread might be given her ; for that for two days she had