More English Fairy Tales, part 8 · page 21 2101"So thou 'rt come back," said she, with a nod. "102What dost thou want with me now?"103So he sat down and told her how he'd tried to get a coat o' clay, and he wasn't any wiser for all of it.104"No," said the wise woman, "thou 'rt a bigger fool than ever, my lad."105"So they all say," sighed the fool; "but where can I get the right sort of coat o' clay, then, missis?"106"When thou 'rt done with this world, and thy folk put thee in the ground," said the wise woman. "107That's the only coat o' clay as 'll make such as _thee_ wise, lad.108Born a fool, die a fool, and be a fool thy life long, and that's the truth!"109And she went into the house and shut the door.110"Dang it," said the fool. "111I must tell my mother she was right after all, and that she'll never have a wise man for a son!"112And he went off home.113The Three Cows114There was a farmer, and he had three cows, fine fat beauties they were.115One was called Facey, the other Diamond, and the third Beauty.116One morning he went into his cowshed, and there he found Facey so thin that the wind would have blown her away.117Her skin hung loose about her, all her flesh was gone, and she stared out of her great eyes as though she'd seen a ghost; and what was more, the fireplace in the kitchen was one great pile of wood-ash.118Well, he was bothered with it; he could not see how all this had come about.119Next morning his wife went out to the shed, and see!120Diamond was for all the world as wisht a looking creature as Facey--nothing but a bag of bones, all the flesh gone, and half a rick of wood was gone too; but the fireplace was piled up three feet high with white wood-ashes.121The farmer determined to watch the third night; so he hid in a closet which opened out of the parlour, and he left the door just ajar, that he might see what passed.122Tick, tick, went the clock, and the farmer was nearly tired of waiting; he had to bite his little finger to keep himself awake, when suddenly the door of his house flew open, and in rushed maybe a thousand pixies, laughing and dancing and dragging at Beauty's halter till they had brought the cow into the middle of the room.123The farmer really thought he should have died with fright, and so perhaps he would had not curiosity kept him alive.124Tick, tick, went the clock, but he did not hear it now.125He was too intent staring at the pixies and his last beautiful cow.126He saw them throw her down, fall on her, and kill her; then with their knives they ripped her open, and flayed her as clean as a whistle.127Then out ran some of the little people and brought in firewood and made a roaring blaze on the hearth, and there they cooked the flesh of the cow--they baked and they boiled, they stewed and they fried.128"Take care," cried one, who seemed to be the king, "let no bone be broken."129Well, when they had all eaten, and had devoured every scrap of beef on the cow, they began playing games with the bones, tossing them one to another.130One little leg-bone fell close to the closet door, and the farmer was so afraid lest the pixies should come there and find him in their search for the bone, that he put out his hand and drew it in to him.131Then he saw the king stand on the table and say, "Gather the bones!"132Round and round flew the imps, picking up the bones. "133Arrange them," said the king; and they placed them all in their proper positions in the hide of the cow.134Then they folded the skin over them, and the king struck the heap of bone and skin with his rod.135Whisht! up sprang the cow and lowed dismally.136It was alive again; but, alas! as the pixies dragged it back to its stall, it halted in the off forefoot, for a bone was missing.137"The cock crew, Away they flew."138and the farmer crept trembling to bed.139The Blinded Giant140At Dalton, near Thirsk, in Yorkshire, there is a mill.141It has quite recently been rebuilt; but when I was at Dalton, six years ago, the old building stood.142In front of the house was a long mound which went by the name of "the giant's grave," and in the mill you can see a long blade of iron something like a scythe-blade, but not curved, which was called "the giant's knife," because of a very curious story which is told of this knife.143Would you like to hear it?144Well, it isn't very long.145There once lived a giant at this mill who had only one eye in the middle of his forehead, and he ground men's bones to make his bread.146One day he captured on Pilmoor a lad named Jack, and instead of grinding him in the mill he kept him grinding as his servant, and never let him get away.147Jack served the giant seven years, and never was allowed a holiday the whole time.148At last he could bear it no longer.149Topcliffe fair was coming on, and Jack begged that he might be allowed to go there.1 2← previousMore English Fairy Tales, part 7next →More English Fairy Tales, part 9↑ back to More English Fairy TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg14241/22/page/2/