Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

English Fairy Tales by Unknown
page 39 of 232 (16%)
daughter had done for him, and of all her kindness. Then they took her
in their arms and kissed her, and said she should now be their
daughter, for their son should marry her. But they sent for the hen-
wife and put her to death. And they lived happy all their days.



JACK HANNAFORD

There was an old soldier who had been long in the wars--so long, that
he was quite out-at-elbows, and he did not know where to go to find a
living. So he walked up moors, down glens, till at last he came to a
farm, from which the good man had gone away to market. The wife of the
farmer was a very foolish woman, who had been a widow when he married
her; the farmer was foolish enough, too, and it is hard to say which
of the two was the more foolish. When you've heard my tale you may
decide.

Now before the farmer goes to market says he to his wife: "Here is ten
pounds all in gold, take care of it till I come home." If the man had
not been a fool he would never have given the money to his wife to
keep. Well, off he went in his cart to market, and the wife said to
herself: "I will keep the ten pounds quite safe from thieves;" so she
tied it up in a rag, and she put the rag up the parlour chimney.

"There," said she, "no thieves will ever find it now, that is quite
sure."

Jack Hannaford, the old soldier, came and rapped at the door.

DigitalOcean Referral Badge