Kate Crackernuts

Once upon a time there was a king and a queen, as in many lands have
been. The king had a daughter, Anne, and the queen had one named Kate,
but Anne was far bonnier than the queen's daughter, though they loved
one another like real sisters. The queen was jealous of the king's
daughter being bonnier than her own, and cast about to spoil her beauty.
So she took counsel of the henwife, who told her to send the lassie to
her next morning fasting.

So next morning early, the queen said to Anne, "Go, my dear, to the
henwife in the glen, and ask her for some eggs." So Anne set out, but as
she passed through the kitchen she saw a crust, and she took and munched
it as she went along.

When she came to the henwife's she asked for eggs, as she had been told
to do; the henwife said to her, "Lift the lid off that pot there and
see." The lassie did so, but nothing happened. "Go home to your minnie
and tell her to keep her larder door better locked," said the henwife.
So she went home to the queen and told her what the henwife had said.
The queen knew from this that the lassie had had something to eat, so
watched the next morning and sent her away fasting; but the princess saw
some country-folk picking peas by the roadside, and being very kind she
spoke to them and took a handful of the peas, which she ate by the way.

When she came to the henwife's, she said, "Lift the lid off the pot
and you'll see." So Anne lifted the lid but nothing happened. Then the
henwife was rare angry and said to Anne, "Tell your minnie the pot won't
boil if the fire's away." So Anne went home and told the queen.

The third day the queen goes along with the girl herself to the henwife.
Now, this time, when Anne lifted the lid off the pot, off falls her own
pretty head, and on jumps a sheep's head.

So the queen was now quite satisfied, and went back home.

Her own daughter, Kate, however, took a fine linen cloth and wrapped it
round her sister's head and took her by the hand and they both went out
to seek their fortune. They went on, and they went on, and they went
on, till they came to a castle. Kate knocked at the door and asked for a
night's lodging for herself and a sick sister. They went in and found
it was a king's castle, who had two sons, and one of them was sickening
away to death and no one could find out what ailed him. And the curious
thing was that whoever watched him at night was never seen any more. So
the king had offered a peck of silver to anyone who would stop up with
him. Now Katie was a very brave girl, so she offered to sit up with him.

Till midnight all goes well. As twelve o clock rings, however, the sick
prince rises, dresses himself, and slips downstairs. Kate followed, but
he didn't seem to notice her. The prince went to the stable, saddled his
horse, called his hound, jumped into the saddle, and Kate leapt lightly
up behind him. Away rode the prince and Kate through the greenwood,
Kate, as they pass, plucking nuts from the trees and filling her apron
with them. They rode on and on till they came to a green hill. The
prince here drew bridle and spoke, "Open, open, green hill, and let the
young prince in with his horse and his hound," and Kate added, "and his
lady him behind."

Immediately the green hill opened and they passed in. The prince entered
a magnificent hall, brightly lighted up, and many beautiful fairies
surrounded the prince and led him off to the dance. Meanwhile, Kate,
without being noticed, hid herself behind the door. There she sees the
prince dancing, and dancing, and dancing, till he could dance no longer
and fell upon a couch. Then the fairies would fan him till he could rise
again and go on dancing.

At last the cock crew, and the prince made all haste to get on
horseback; Kate jumped up behind, and home they rode. When the morning
sun rose they came in and found Kate sitting down by the fire and
cracking her nuts. Kate said the prince had a good night; but she would
not sit up another night unless she was to get a peck of gold. The
second night passed as the first had done. The prince got up at midnight
and rode away to the green hill and the fairy ball, and Kate went with
him, gathering nuts as they rode through the forest. This time she did
not watch the prince, for she knew he would dance and dance, and dance.
But she sees a fairy baby playing with a wand, and overhears one of the
fairies say: "Three strokes of that wand would make Kate's sick sister
as bonnie as ever she was." So Kate rolled nuts to the fairy baby, and
rolled nuts till the baby toddled after the nuts and let fall the wand,
and Kate took it up and put it in her apron. And at cockcrow they rode
home as before, and the moment Kate got home to her room she rushed and
touched Anne three times with the wand, and the nasty sheep's head
fell off and she was her own pretty self again. The third night Kate
consented to watch, only if she should marry the sick prince. All went
on as on the first two nights. This time the fairy baby was playing with
a birdie; Kate heard one of the fairies say: "Three bites of that birdie
would make the sick prince as well as ever he was." Kate rolled all the
nuts she had to the fairy baby till the birdie was dropped, and Kate put
it in her apron.

At cockcrow they set off again, but instead of cracking her nuts as
she used to do, this time Kate plucked the feathers off and cooked
the birdie. Soon there arose a very savoury smell. "Oh!" said the sick
prince, "I wish I had a bite of that birdie," so Kate gave him a bite of
the birdie, and he rose up on his elbow. By-and-by he cried out again:
"Oh, if I had another bite of that birdie!" so Kate gave him another
bite, and he sat up on his bed. Then he said again: "Oh! if I only had
a third bite of that birdie!" So Kate gave him a third bite, and he rose
quite well, dressed himself, and sat down by the fire, and when the folk
came in next morning they found Kate and the young prince cracking nuts
together. Meanwhile his brother had seen Annie and had fallen in love
with her, as everybody did who saw her sweet pretty face. So the sick
son married the well sister, and the well son married the sick sister,
and they all lived happy and died happy, and never drank out of a dry
cappy.