She's sitting at the
fireside
now, talking to mother.
Yeats
She was like Miss Betty, your grandmother's sister, and
Betty was like none of the rest, not like your grandmother, nor any of
them. She was round and fresh in the face, and she never was married,
and she never would take any man; and we used to say that the Wee
Woman--her being like Betty--was, maybe, one of their own people that had
been took off before she grew to her full height, and for that she was
always following us and warning and foretelling. This time she walks
straight over to where my mother was standing. "Go over to the Lough
this minute! "--ordering her like that--"Go over to the Lough, and tell
Joseph that he must change the foundation of this house to where I'll
show you fornent the thorn-bush. That is where it is to be built, if he
is to have luck and prosperity, so do what I'm telling ye this minute. "
The house was being built on "the path" I suppose--the path used by the
people of faery in their journeys, and my mother brings Joseph down
and shows him, and he changes the foundations, the way he was bid, but
didn't bring it exactly to where was pointed, and the end of that was,
when he come to the house, his own wife lost her life with an accident
that come to a horse that hadn't room to turn right with a harrow
between the bush and the wall. The Wee Woman was queer and angry when
next she come, and says to us, "He didn't do as I bid him, but he'll
see what he'll see. "' My friend asked where the woman came from this
time, and if she was dressed as before, and the woman said, 'Always the
same way, up the field beyant the burn. It was a thin sort of shawl she
had about her in summer, and a cloak about her in winter; and many and
many a time she came, and always it was good advice she was giving to
my mother, and warning her what not to do if she would have good luck.
There was none of the other children of us ever seen her unless me;
but I used to be glad when I seen her coming up the burn, and would run
out and catch her by the hand and the cloak, and call to my mother,
"Here's the Wee Woman! " No man body ever seen her. My father used to
be wanting to, and was angry with my mother and me, thinking we were
telling lies and talking foolish like. And so one day when she had
come, and was sitting by the fireside talking to my mother, I slips out
to the field where he was digging. "Come up," says I, "if ye want to
see her.
She's sitting at the fireside now, talking to mother. " So in
he comes with me and looks round angry like and sees nothing, and he up
with a broom that was near hand and hits me a crig with it. "Take that
now! " says he, "for making a fool of me! " and away with him as fast as
he could, and queer and angry with me. The Wee Woman says to me then,
"Ye got that now for bringing people to see me. No man body ever seen
me, and none ever will. "
'There was one day, though, she gave him a queer fright anyway, whether
he had seen her or not. He was in among the cattle when it happened,
and he comes up to the house all trembling like. "Don't let me hear
you say another word of your Wee Woman. I have got enough of her this
time. " Another time, all the same, he was up Gortin to sell horses, and
before he went off, in steps the Wee Woman and says she to my mother,
holding out a sort of a weed, "Your man is gone up by Gortin, and
there's a bad fright waiting him coming home, but take this and sew it
in his coat, and he'll get no harm by it. " My mother takes the herb,
but thinks to herself, "Sure there's nothing in it," and throws it on
the fire, and lo and behold, and sure enough! coming home from Gortin,
my father got as bad a fright as ever he got in his life. What it was I
don't right mind, but anyway he was badly damaged by it. My mother was
in a queer way frightened of the Wee Woman, after what she had done,
and sure enough the next time she was angry.
Betty was like none of the rest, not like your grandmother, nor any of
them. She was round and fresh in the face, and she never was married,
and she never would take any man; and we used to say that the Wee
Woman--her being like Betty--was, maybe, one of their own people that had
been took off before she grew to her full height, and for that she was
always following us and warning and foretelling. This time she walks
straight over to where my mother was standing. "Go over to the Lough
this minute! "--ordering her like that--"Go over to the Lough, and tell
Joseph that he must change the foundation of this house to where I'll
show you fornent the thorn-bush. That is where it is to be built, if he
is to have luck and prosperity, so do what I'm telling ye this minute. "
The house was being built on "the path" I suppose--the path used by the
people of faery in their journeys, and my mother brings Joseph down
and shows him, and he changes the foundations, the way he was bid, but
didn't bring it exactly to where was pointed, and the end of that was,
when he come to the house, his own wife lost her life with an accident
that come to a horse that hadn't room to turn right with a harrow
between the bush and the wall. The Wee Woman was queer and angry when
next she come, and says to us, "He didn't do as I bid him, but he'll
see what he'll see. "' My friend asked where the woman came from this
time, and if she was dressed as before, and the woman said, 'Always the
same way, up the field beyant the burn. It was a thin sort of shawl she
had about her in summer, and a cloak about her in winter; and many and
many a time she came, and always it was good advice she was giving to
my mother, and warning her what not to do if she would have good luck.
There was none of the other children of us ever seen her unless me;
but I used to be glad when I seen her coming up the burn, and would run
out and catch her by the hand and the cloak, and call to my mother,
"Here's the Wee Woman! " No man body ever seen her. My father used to
be wanting to, and was angry with my mother and me, thinking we were
telling lies and talking foolish like. And so one day when she had
come, and was sitting by the fireside talking to my mother, I slips out
to the field where he was digging. "Come up," says I, "if ye want to
see her.
She's sitting at the fireside now, talking to mother. " So in
he comes with me and looks round angry like and sees nothing, and he up
with a broom that was near hand and hits me a crig with it. "Take that
now! " says he, "for making a fool of me! " and away with him as fast as
he could, and queer and angry with me. The Wee Woman says to me then,
"Ye got that now for bringing people to see me. No man body ever seen
me, and none ever will. "
'There was one day, though, she gave him a queer fright anyway, whether
he had seen her or not. He was in among the cattle when it happened,
and he comes up to the house all trembling like. "Don't let me hear
you say another word of your Wee Woman. I have got enough of her this
time. " Another time, all the same, he was up Gortin to sell horses, and
before he went off, in steps the Wee Woman and says she to my mother,
holding out a sort of a weed, "Your man is gone up by Gortin, and
there's a bad fright waiting him coming home, but take this and sew it
in his coat, and he'll get no harm by it. " My mother takes the herb,
but thinks to herself, "Sure there's nothing in it," and throws it on
the fire, and lo and behold, and sure enough! coming home from Gortin,
my father got as bad a fright as ever he got in his life. What it was I
don't right mind, but anyway he was badly damaged by it. My mother was
in a queer way frightened of the Wee Woman, after what she had done,
and sure enough the next time she was angry.
