The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-08-09
AN IRISHLEGEND.
Enhhlin TrniversItY MarazIne.l

"A rCn lazy bat up lhLe Ono nlRnJ ChIu-
ing and preparing wool, while all the
family and servants were asleep. Sud
denly knock was given at the door and
voice called "0penl openl" "Who Is
there2' said the woman ofthe house. II
am the Witch Of the One Horn," was
answered. The mistress, supposing that
one of her neighbors had called and re-
quired assistance, opened the door, and a
woman entered, having in her hand a
pair Of wool carders, and bearing a horn
on her forhead, as If growing there. She
sat down by the fire in silence,and began
to card the wool with violent haste. Sud
denly she paused and said aloud where
are the women? They are gone too long"
Then a second knock came to the door,
and voice called as before, "Open!
openp The mistress felt herself con-
strained to rise and open to the call, and
Immediately q second witch entered,
having two horns on her forehead, and
in her hand wheel for spinning the
wool. "Give me place." she said; Il am
the Witch of the Two Horns" and she
began to spin as quick as lightning, And
40 the knocks went on, and the call was
heard, and the witches entered, until at
last twelve women sat around the fire
the first with one horn, the last with
twelve horns. And they carded the
thread and turned their spinning-wheels,
and wound and wove, all singing togeth-
er an ancient rhyme, but no word did
they speak to the mistress of the house.
Strange to hear and frightful to look up.
on we're these twelve women, with their
horns and their wheels; and their mis-
tress felt near to death, and she tried to
rise that she might call for help, but she
could not move, nor could she utter
word or cry, for the spell of the witches
was upon her. Then one of them
called to her in Irish, and said: "Rise,
woman, and make us a cake" Then the
mistress searched for vessel to bring
water from the well that she might mix
with the meal and make the cake, but she
could find none. And they said to her:
Take a seive and bring water in it," And
she took the seive, and went to the well;
but the water poured from it, and she
could fetch none for the cake, and she
sat down by tile well and wept. Then a
voice came by her, and said; Take yell
low clay and moss, and bind them to-
gether, and plaster the seive so that it
will hold" This she did, and the seive
held the water for the cake. And the
voice said again: Return, and when
thou CONTEST to the north angle of the
house cry aloud three times and say, The
mountain of the Fenian women and the
sky over it is all on fire. And she did so.
When the witches inside heard the call,
great and terrible cry broke from their
lips, and they rushed forth with wild
lamentations and shrieks, and fled away
to SLEEVE -namon, where was their chief
abode. But the Spirit Of the Well bade
the mistress of the house to enter and
prepare her home against the enchant-
ments of the witches if they returned
again. And first, to break their spells,
she sprinkled the water in which she had
washed her Child's feet (the feet-water)
outside the door of the threshold; second
ly, she took the cake which the witches
had made in her absence, of meal mixed
with the blood drawn from the sleeping
family. And she broke the cake in bits,
and placed bit in the mouth of each
sleeper, and they we're restored, and she
took the cloth they had woven and placed
it half in and half out of the chest with
the paddock; and, lastly, she secured the
door with great oss-beam fastened in
the jambs, so that they could not enter.
And having done these things she wait
ed. Not long were the witches in coming
back, and they ragged and called for ven
geance. "0penl open!" they screamed.
"0pen, ,feet-water" II can not" said the
feet.water. 81 am scattered on the ground,
snd my path is down to the Lough."
"Open, open, wood and tree and beam!'
they cried to the door. / can moi"
said the door, "for the beam is fixed
in the jambs, and / have no power to
move" "Open, open, cake that we have
made and mingled with bloodp they
cried again. II can not said the cake,
"for l am broken and bruised, and my
blood is on the lips of the sleeping chill
dren." Then the witches rushed through
the air with great cries, and fled back to
uttering strange curses on
the Spirit of the Well, who had wished
their ruin, but the woman and the house
were left in peace, and mantle dropped
by one of the witches in her flight was
hung up by the mistress as a sign of the
contest, and this mantle was
in possession of the same family from
generation to generation for 500 years af-
ter. I..s,