Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 2 1884.djvu/76

 THREE FOLK-TALES FROM OLD MELDRUM, ABERDEENSHIRE.

HE following folk-tales have been communicated to me by Mr. Moir, Rector of the Grammar School, Aberdeen. He had them from his mother, who kindly wrote out "Mally Whuppie" and "The Red Calf" at my request.

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Ance upon a time there was a man and a wife had too many children, and they could not get meat for them, so they took the three youngest and left them in a wood. They travelled and travelled and could see never a house. It began to be dark, and they were hungry. At last they saw a light and made for it; it turned out to be a house. They knocked at the door, and a woman came to it, who asked what they wanted. They said if she would let them in and gee them a piece. The woman said she could not do that, as her man was a giant, and he would fell them if he came home. They priggit that she would let them stop for a little whilie, and they would go away before he came. So she took them in, and set them doon afore the fire, and gave them milk and bread; but just as they had begun to eat a great knock came to the door, and a dreadful voice said—

Who have you there, wife?" "Eh," said the wife, "it's three peer lassies caul' an hungry, an they will go away. Ye winna touch them, man." He said nothing, but eat up a great big supper, and ordered them to stay all night. Now he had three lassies of his own, and they were to sleep in the same bed with the three strangers. The youngest of the three strange lassies was called Mally Whuppie, and she