| Show i Tu ve Wild Whet W il Geese By Seumas Macmanus tf 4 Oaro Onee 01 0 upon 3 time tIpe there ivas wae a n girl grI named l Maura Maur who bud hod had laa twelve brothers br but when ouch of o her bor brothers reached IS Ii 1 years of ot age he suddenly disappeared and no one ODe on knew what became of or them When Maura reached 16 years of ot age and her twelfth brother was wa just ju t car carried carried ried ned off oft she said Maid she would not re maln at home but would travel away aw r I IV V 1 I 4 V VI VW VL I W L The rh Red Headed Woman Tells thor tho the ther r Prince His ma Wife Has Ens Killed the thc Baby Bab in search of or her brat brof and never noer stop Slop until she would 1 I d them So sho she started and traveled away be before fore her har tar far further than I could auld tell you ou and twice as tar far ar as you ou could tell mf mp until She Site reached a strange stra le coun country country country try and there at a wee hona hoo In which there lived only one old woman she put up one evening as night was vu wa com corn coming ing down The old woman welcomed her and set sether her down to a good gond supper f I again agal and nd asked for a drink of ot water And as Maura reached him a bowl of or water h he be caught hold bold of her arm ann drew her up on the horse home behind him and rode trade off I And he ordered those that attended 1 I him to bring with them the silver wheel hd and the ivory loom the golden needle and the silk thread and the heap of ot of ot which h Maura wrought and he be rod od away and away with Maura behind him until he came to his own castle and here he married Maura I He thought it very very strange that Maura Maum would not speak to him and that she would not laugh and would not cry but tout spent all her days In Ingathering ingathering gathering and spinning and weaving the and making it up into shirts Ho HI H tried everything he could to I change hange her He gave gae great feasts and great Ire t balls bIlUs and mane made Maura attend them nil all but never never altered After a year a young son was born to her Now there was a redheaded woman In that castle who had expected to marry the he t prince and who ho hated Maura because she had married him himOn himOn On the night this child was wa born she had it thrown thron into the sea and she stained Mauras hands bands with blood and put blood in the room So when the prince came to look at his child he could find none but saw the blood on Mauras hands bands and over aver the room and the redheaded woman said she had murdered murder d the Ute child And wh wt n Maura Maurs did not speak prince went away in very great sorrow For the next nert months Maura went rent on as before and at the end of or J I that time another child hIld was born borr The rohe redheaded woman had this child chUd also thrown into the sea and nd stained lau Mau Mauras lauras I ras raLs hands and the room with blood pin And when the prince came In Into Into Into to look at his child and found round no child and Mauras hands and the Ute room j with blood he was in a it terrible rage and he could not get Maura to toY t j t say ay Y one word on the subject I He went away and Maura for the next twelve months worked harder barder I than fat foi the gathering and spinning was very tedious I i work 4 Ter J 0 a j c cL L 1 S I Q I j EB UP ON HORSE BEHIND HEM RTh AND KOBE BODE OT 1 Maura saw there were preparations made for twelve others beside herself at t the table and Just as she sat down she he saw sav Ji n flock of or wild geese coming toward the house They flew in at the thedoor thedoor thedoor door and she counted twelve and as they lit on the floor loor every very one of the wild geese turned Into Inte a n man and they were Mourns Mauras twelve broth brothers ers erg rs Mourn Maura as you may be sure ure was re rejoiced rejoiced rejoiced and she said laid to them that they th Y would all set out for home lome the next I morning morninE but they Uley told her they could never go home that they were en ent enchanted t chanted but allowed to come to this thia house every night nIg t and enter into their I own shape until cockcrow next morn mornIng morning morning Ing Poor Maura cried bitterly when she heard this They sat up all night t lk Ing and talking but th moment the cock crew In the morning moaning mo tile the twelve brothers turned into twelve wild geese again and flew out of the door and A away Maura Maur asked uk d the old woman if there thereWa vac ivas Wa no vay way at all of releasing her brothers and the old woman told her that she he could release them In one way How is that said Maura It is this said the old woman I that for three years you neither laugh II cry nor speak but spend all aU your time In spinning weaving w ving and making I I twelve shirts from the caen vawn The is a flower that grows I in the tho bogs It has a perfectly white i plumy head en Maura M um agreed to do this And after j jn n vre r rj j I t t I Ill IllI I IllI I 1 YI J k VAlL Wi fL The he Old Woman Welcomed Her er and Sat Hex Het Down to a n Good Supper sho Bhe got her breakfast she went out into the bogs and gathered up the full fun of her arms with and brought them home borne Then the old woman gave her a silver wheel bool an ivory loom and a golden needle noodle and silk thread to spin ami and to weave and to make the shirts And every day Maura sat down with her wheel outside the little house lung jiing the But Rut she hurl hud not been many days dos at fit this when who should ride past but r the young oung prince of that country and an I when he saw Maura he fell feU in love with hor lir at once she was so very very J t beautiful r He Ho i lIed up his horse and asked for fora forSo a So drink and Maur Mauri t brought him a bowl of water He Be said a n lot of ot sweet things to Maura but she made him um no reply He Be gave her back the bowl kissed her herband herband band hand and rode on Next day he be rode past the house again and Maura was wa Va without work in mt her silver sUver wheel Ho ITo stopped again and nd asked for a drink rink of water which Maura brought brou ht to him He asked Maura her name and where she came caine from but bt b t Maura Maum only shook hex her head and andy y though he said many nice things thing to her she would give Ive him no answer and he rode away again I IOn On Or the flay day ila II r ho hI rode pj t th ro i At t the end of the next twelve months when She he had the twelfth shirt almost finished a third child chUd was born bom to her herand herand herand and the redheaded woman did l this time as 08 she had har done one on the Uta other two times and the prince came into the room he found no hUd child but the th blood again upon Mauras hand and on the t e floor Hoor he was in u L terrible wrath and nd the woman said to him hini that he would have to burn Maura laura On the two times before she had Irad also alse urged him to burn his wife but the lie had always refused Now he thought there j was nothing for or Jt It T but ut to agree so when he gave his liis consent a great heap 1 of wood was prepared for lor a 3 fire In the castle yard and arid Maura Maum was taken out and bound to a stake on the heap When she found herself being car ear earned ned out ahe dhe he seized the shirts and when they tied her to the stake she worked and worked as her fin fingers fingers fingers gers could go upon the twelfth shirt for tor it was very very nearly finished but It was very doubtful whether she would be able to finish it before the fire would begin to burn her herBut herBut herBut But behold just as they fue put the he fire to the wood she he drew drev the test last stitch in the twelfth shirt and that instant a flock of or wild geese were seen flying toward them Straight for the pile and for Maura the wild geese flew lIew She caught hold of the twelve Shirts and andover andover andover over each wild goose as rt it t cume up he fise threw a u shirt and the Instant she did so the bhe wild geese were transformed into fine line handsome young men And when the prince and all an there were wondering up walked the very old wo we woman Woman weman man with whom she he had spent the th night on herb hep travels and this woman had three babies with her Mauras three that had been thrown Into the sea The oW ohi woman led Jed the children t It othe prince and told him bim what had really happened and Maura was taken off Jf the pile and the thc women woman was put on It instead and burned Mauras twelve brothers were now forever released from their enchant t mont ment and the prince appointed them twelve officers In his Is army and he and Maura and their three children were very very ery happy ever after I Copyright 1301 1901 by b S McManus |
