Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-06-22
THE
Widows Lazy Daughter.
THE.
A FOLK TALE.

There was once poor widow
woman, living in the North of Ireland,
who had one daughter named Nabla.
And Nabla grew up both idle and lazy,
till at length, when she had grown to
be g young woman, she was both
thriftless and useless, fit only to sit
with her heels in the ashes and Groom
to the cat the day long. Her mother
was annoyed with her, so that one day,
when Nabla refused to do some little
tribe about the house, her mother got
out good stout sallyrod aud came in
and thrashed her soundly with it.
AS her mother was giving Nabla the
whacking she had so richly earned,
who should happen to be riding past
but the kings son himself. He heard
the mother walloping and scolding,
and Nabla crying and pleading within.
So he drew rein, and at the top of his
voice shouted to know what was the
matter. The widow came to the door,
,ourtseying when she saw who he
was. Not wishing to give out a bad
name on her daughter, she told the
kings son that she had daughter
who killed herself working the leelong
day and refused to rest when her
mother asked her, so that she had
always to be beaten before she would
stop.
''What work can your daughter
ao?" the prince asked.
"She can spin, weave and sew, and
do every work that ever woman did, !"
the woman replied.
Now, it so happened that a twelve
month before the prince had taken a
notion of marrying, and his mother,
anxious he should have none but the
best wife, had, with his approval, sent
messengers over all Ireland to find
him woman who could perform all a
woman's duties, including the three
accomplishments the widow named
spinning, that is, Weaving, and sewing.
But all the candidates whom the mes
sengers had secured were found un-
satisfactory on being put to trial, and
the prince had remained unwedded.
When, now, the kings son heard this
account of Nabla from her own
mother, he said:
"You are not fit to have the charge
of such a good girl. For twelve
months, through all parts of my
mothers kingdom, search was being
made for just such young woman
that she might become my wife. I'll
take Nabla with me-"
Poor Nabla was rejoiced, and her
mother astonished: The kings son
helped Nabla to seat behind him on
the horses back, and bidding adieu to
the widow rode off.
When he had got Nabla home, he
introduced her to his mother, telling
the queen that by good fortune he
had secured the woman they had so
long sought in vain. The queen asked
what Nabla could do, and he replied
that she could spin, weave and sew,
and do everything else woman
should; and, moreover, she was so
eager for work that her mother was
failing her within an inch of her life
to make her rest herself whom he ar
rived on the scene at Nabla's own cot
tage. The queen said that was WE'LL
She took Nabla to large room and
gave her heap of silk and golden
wheel, and told Der she must have all
the silk spun into thread in twenty
four hours. Then she bolted her in.
Poor Nabla, in amazement, sat look
ing at the big heap of silk and the
golden wheel. And at length she be-
gan to cry, for she had not spun a
yard of thread in all her life. AS she
cried an ugly woman, having one of
her feet as big as a bolster, appeared
before her.
"What are you crying for?" she
asked.
Nabla told her, and the woman said,
"Ill spin the silk for you if you ask
me to the wedding"
''I'll do that" Nabla said And
then the woman sat down to the
wheel, and working it with her big
foot, very soon had the whole heap
spun.
When the queen came and found all
spun she said: THAT is good" Then
she brought in a golden loom and told
Nabla she must have all that thread
woven in twenty-four hours.
When the queen had gone Nabla sat
down and looked from the thread to
the loom and from the loom to the
thread, wondering, for she had not in
in all her life even thrown shuttle.
At length she put her face in her
hands and began to cry. There now
appeared to her an ugly woman with
one hand as big as a pot hanging by
her side. She asked Nabla why she
cried. Nabla told her, and then the
woman said, "I'll weave all that for
you if you'll give me the promise of
your wedding" Nabla said she would
surely. So the woman sat down to
the golden loom, and very soon had
all the thread woven into webs.
Then again the queen came and
found all woven she said, "That is
good" And then she gave Nabla a
golden needle and thimble and said
tha. in twenty-four hours more she
must have all the webs made into shirts
for the prince.