Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/238

 226 J otirnal of American Folk-Lore.

��FOLK-LORE SCRAP-BOOK.

In the " Southern Workman " for May, 1899, are given a number of "Irishman Stories," that is to say, tales related by American negroes con- cerning the stupidity of the Irishman, who in their folk-lore replaces the Welshman of the English nursery, as responsible for actions characteristic of rustic simplicity. The collector observes that the Irishman stories form as widespread a part of the American negro folk-lore as do the animal stories, even although in their present form they cannot claim an African origin.

"The Irishman and the Pumpkin. — Once there was a man driving along the road with a pair of mules and a load of pumpkins, when an Irishman stopped him and wanted to know what those things were that he had in his cart. The man replied they were mule's eggs, and told the Irish- man that, if he would put one on the south side of a hill and sit on it, it would hatch out a mule. So the Irishman bought one, and carried it up on the south side of a hill and sat down on it and soon went to sleep. Of course he fell off, and the pumpkin went rolling over and over down the hill and into the brush; out jumped a rabbit and went running off. ' Koop, colie ! Koop, colie ! Here 's your mammy,' called the Irishman, but the rabbit would n't stop. So the Irishman went back to the other man and said he wanted another mule's egg ; the first one hatched into a mighty fine colt, but it ran so fast he could n't catch it, and he would like to buy another."

" The Sea Tick and the Irishman. — This story is told about the sea tick, and also about the rattlesnake.

" An Irishman had heard of sea ticks but had never seen one, though he wanted to very much. Once he was walking along the beach, and found a watch, dropped by some one who had gone on ahead of him. The Irishman had never seen a watch before ; so when he heard it ticking he said, ' Be Jasus, it 's a long time I 've been hearing of sea ticks, and here I 've got one.' Then he got a stick and beat the watch until it stopped ticking.

" In the other version the Irishman is walking in the woods, and sees a watch with a long chain lying in his path. When he hears it ticking he says, ' Faith, there 's a rattlesnake ! ' and gets a rock and smashes it all to pieces."

" The Irishman and the Moon. — Once upon a time there were ten Irishmen who were always on the lookout for something to eat. One bright moonlight night they took a walk by the side of a river, and the greediest one of all espied the reflection of the moon in the water, and he thought it was cheese. So he said to his companions, ' Faith, boys, there 's green cheese ! Let 's get it.' The others answered, ' Sure- an*we will, if you kin find some way for us to reach it.' No sooner said than done. He made a leap into the air and caught hold of the bough of a tree which stood near by, and bade the rest of them make a long line by swinging one on to the other's feet until the man at the end could reach what they thought

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