well , when the sticks were all burned tom was sent off again to pick more . this time he had to fight with a giant with two heads on him . tom had a little more trouble with him -- that 's all . the prayers he said was to give tom a fife that nobody could help dancing when he was playing it . begonies , he made the big faggot dance home , with himself sitting on it . well , if you were to count all the steps from this to dublin , dickens a bit you 'd ever arrive there . the next giant was a beautiful boy with three heads on him . he had neither prayers nor catechism no more nor the others . so he gave tom a bottle of green ointment that would n't let you be burned , nor scalded , nor wounded . " and now , " says he , " there 's no more of us . you may come and gather sticks here till little lunacy day in harvest without giant or fairy man to disturb you . " well , now , tom was prouder nor ten paycocks , and used to take a walk down street in the heel of the evening . some of the little boys had no more manners nor if they were dublin jackeens , and put out their tongues at tom 's club and tom 's goat - skin . he did n't like that at all , and it would be mean to give one of them a clout . at last , what should come through the town but a kind of bellman , only it 's a big bugle he had , and a huntsman 's cap on his head , and a kind of painted shirt . so this -- he was n't a bellman , and i do n't know what to call him -- bugleman , maybe -- proclaimed that the king of dublin 's daughter was so melancholy that she did n't give a laugh for seven years , and that her father would grant her in marriage to whoever would make her laugh three times . " that 's the very thing for me to try , " says tom . so , without burning any more daylight , he kissed his mother , curled his club at the little boys , and he set off along the yalla highroad to the town of dublin . so there was no more fighting that day , and tom was invited to dine with the royal family . next day redhead told tom of a wolf , the size of a yearling heifer , that used to be serenading ( sauntering ) about the walls , and eating people and cattle ; and said what a pleasure it would give the king to have it killed . " with all my heart , " says tom . " send a jackeen to show me where he lives , and we 'll see how he behaves to a stranger . " the princess was not well pleased , for tom looked a different person with fine clothes and a nice green birredh over his long , curly hair ; and besides , he 'd got one laugh out of her . however , the king gave his consent . in an hour and a half the horrible wolf was walking in the palace yard , and tom a step or two behind , with his club on his shoulder , just as a shepherd would be walking after a pet lamb . the king and queen and princess were safe up in their gallery , but the officers and people of the court that were padrowling about the great bawn , when they saw the big baste coming in gave themselves up , and began to make for doors and gates . the wolf licked his chops , as if he was saying , " would n't i enjoy a breakfast off a couple of yez ! " the king shouted out , " o gilla na chreck an gour , take away that terrible wolf , and you must have all my daughter . " but tom did n't mind him a bit . he pulled out his flute and began to play like vengeance . dickens a man or boy in the yard but began shovelling away heel and toe , and the wolf himself was obliged to get on his hind legs and dance tatther jack walsh along with the rest . a good deal of the people got inside and shut the doors , the way the hairy fellow would n't pin them . but tom kept playing , and the outsiders kept shouting and dancing , and the wolf kept dancing and roaring with the pain his legs were giving him : and all the time he had his eyes on redhead , who was shut out along with the rest . 
tom was playing the flute .
why did everyone dance ?
why did everyone dance ?