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034 - The Devil The Demon Cat - The Long Spoon - The Countess Kathleen · Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty three of Fairy and Folk Tales of the
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  Speaker 1: Irish Peasantry. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more informational to volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Fairy and Folk Tales of
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  Speaker 1: the Irish Peasantry, edited and selected by W. B. Yates.
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  Speaker 1: Section thirty three. The Devil, the demon Cat Lady Wilde.
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  Speaker 1: There was a woman in Connemara, the wife of a fisherman.
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  Speaker 1: As he had always good luck, she had plenty of
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  Speaker 1: fish at all times, stored away in the house ready
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  Speaker 1: for market. But to her great annoions, she found that
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  Speaker 1: a great cat used to come in at night and
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  Speaker 1: devour all the best and finest fish. So she kept
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  Speaker 1: a big stick by her and determined to watch. One day,
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  Speaker 1: as she and a woman were spinning together, the house
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  Speaker 1: suddenly became quite dark. The door was burst open, as
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  Speaker 1: if by the blast of the tempest. When in walked
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  Speaker 1: a huge black cat, who went straight up to the fire,
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  Speaker 1: then turned round and growled at them. Why surely this
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  Speaker 1: is the devil, said a young girl who was by
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  Speaker 1: sorting fish. I'll teach you how to call me names.
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  Speaker 1: Said the cat, and jumping at her, he scratched her
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  Speaker 1: arm till the blood came there. Now, he said, you
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  Speaker 1: will be more civil another time, when a gentleman comes
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  Speaker 1: to see you. And with that he walked over to
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  Speaker 1: the door and shut it close to prevent any of
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  Speaker 1: them going out. For the poor young girl, while crying
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  Speaker 1: loudly from fright and pain, had made a desperate rush
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  Speaker 1: to get away. Just then a man was going by, and,
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  Speaker 1: hearing the cries, he pushed open the door and tried
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  Speaker 1: to get in, but the cat stood on the threshold
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  Speaker 1: and would let no one pass. On this, the man
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  Speaker 1: attacked him with his stick and gave him a sound blow.
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  Speaker 1: The cat, however, was more than a match in the fight,
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  Speaker 1: for it flew at him and tore his face and
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  Speaker 1: hands so badly that the man at last took to
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  Speaker 1: his heels and ran away as fast as he could.
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  Speaker 1: Now it's time for my dinner, said the cat, going
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  Speaker 1: up to examine the fish that was laid out on
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  Speaker 1: the tables. I hope the fish is good to day. Now,
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  Speaker 1: don't disturb me nor make a fuss. I can help
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  Speaker 1: myself with that. He jumped up and began to devour
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  Speaker 1: all the best fish, while he growled at the woman.
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  Speaker 1: Away out of this, you wicked beast, she cried, giving
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  Speaker 1: it a blow with the tongs that would have broken
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  Speaker 1: its back, only it was a devil. Out of this,
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  Speaker 1: no fish shall you have to day. But the cat
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  Speaker 1: only grinned at her and went on tearing and spoiling
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  Speaker 1: and devouring the fish, evidently not a bit the worse
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  Speaker 1: for the blow. On this, both the women attacked it
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  Speaker 1: with sticks and struck hard blows enough to kill it,
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  Speaker 1: on which the cat glared at them and spit fire. Then,
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  Speaker 1: making a leap, it tore their heads and arms till
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  Speaker 1: the blood came, and the frightened women rushed shrieking from
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  Speaker 1: the house. But presently the mistress returned, carrying with her
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  Speaker 1: a bottle of holy water, and looking in she saw
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  Speaker 1: the cat still devouring the fish and not minding. So
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  Speaker 1: she crept over quietly and threw holy water on it
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  Speaker 1: without a word. No sooner was this done than a
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  Speaker 1: dense black smoke filled the place, through which nothing was
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  Speaker 1: seen but the two red eyes of the cat, burning
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  Speaker 1: like coals of fire. Then the smoke gradually cleared away,
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  Speaker 1: and she saw the body of the creature, burning slowly
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  Speaker 1: till it became shriveled and black like a cinder, and
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  Speaker 1: finally disappeared. And from that time the fish remained untouched
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  Speaker 1: and safe from harm. For the power of the evil
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  Speaker 1: one was broke oken, and the demon cat was seen
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  Speaker 1: no more. The Long Spoon Patrick Kennedy, the Devil, and
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  Speaker 1: the half money collector for Bantry set out one summer
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  Speaker 1: morning to decide a bet they made the night before
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  Speaker 1: over a jug of punch. They wanted to see which
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  Speaker 1: would have the best load at sunset, and neither was
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  Speaker 1: to pick up anything that wasn't offered with the good
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  Speaker 1: will of the giver. They passed by a house and
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  Speaker 1: they heard the poor banner Tyee cry out to her
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  Speaker 1: lazy daughter, Oh, musha, take you for a lazy straw
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  Speaker 1: on such of a girl? Do you intend to get
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  Speaker 1: up to day? Oh? Oh, says the taxman. There's a
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  Speaker 1: job for you, nick Ovock, says the other. It wasn't
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  Speaker 1: from her heart, she said it. We must pass on
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  Speaker 1: the next cabin they were passing, the woman was on
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  Speaker 1: the born ditch, crying out to her husband that was
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  Speaker 1: mending one of his brogues inside Oh tatheration to you, nick,
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  Speaker 1: you never rung them pigs. And then they are in
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  Speaker 1: the potato drill's root in a way. The run to
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  Speaker 1: Lusk with them. Another windfall for you, says the man
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  Speaker 1: of the ink horn. But the old thief only shook
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  Speaker 1: his horns and wagged his tail. So they went on,
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  Speaker 1: and ever so many prizes were offered to the black
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  Speaker 1: fellow without him taking one. Here it was a gore
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  Speaker 1: soon playing marvels when he should be using his clappers
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  Speaker 1: in the corn field. And then it was a lazy
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  Speaker 1: drone of a servant to sleep with his face to
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  Speaker 1: the sod when he ought to be weeding. No one
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  Speaker 1: thought of offering the half money man even a drink
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  Speaker 1: of buttermilk. And at last the sun was within half
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  Speaker 1: a foot of the edge of coolier. They were just
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  Speaker 1: then passing mona molin, and a poor woman that was
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  Speaker 1: straining her supper in a skidge outside her cabin door,
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  Speaker 1: seeing the two standing at the bourn gate, bawled out,
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  Speaker 1: oh here's the hearth money man, run away with him.
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  Speaker 1: Got a bite at last, Oh no, no, it wasn't
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  Speaker 1: from her heart, says the collector. Indeed, and it was
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  Speaker 1: from the very foundation stones it came no help for misfortunes.
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  Speaker 1: In with you, says he, opening the mouth of his
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  Speaker 1: big black bag. And whether the devil was ever after
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  Speaker 1: seen taking the same walk or not, nobody ever laid
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  Speaker 1: eyes on his fellow traveler again, the Countess Kathleen o Shay.
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  Speaker 1: A very long time ago, there suddenly appeared in Old
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  Speaker 1: Island two unknown merchants of whom nobody had ever heard,
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  Speaker 1: and who nevertheless spoke the language of the country with
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  Speaker 1: the greatest perfection. Their locks were black and bound round
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  Speaker 1: with gold, and their garments were of rare magnificence. Both
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  Speaker 1: seemed of like age. They appeared to be men of fifty,
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  Speaker 1: for their foreheads were wrinkled and their beards tinged with gray.
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  Speaker 1: In the hostelry where the pompous traders alighted, it was
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  Speaker 1: sought to penetrate their designs. But in vain they led
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  Speaker 1: a silent and retired life. And whilst they stopped there,
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  Speaker 1: they did nothing but count over and over again out
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  Speaker 1: of their money bags pieces of gold, whose yellow brightness
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  Speaker 1: could be seen through the windows of their lodging gentlemen.
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  Speaker 1: Said the landlady one day, how is it that you
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  Speaker 1: are so rich and that being able to succor the
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  Speaker 1: public misery, you do no good works. Fair hostess replied
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  Speaker 1: one of them. We didn't like to present arms to
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  Speaker 1: the honest poor in dread. We might be deceived by
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  Speaker 1: make believe paupers. Let want knock at our door, we
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  Speaker 1: shall open it. The following day, when the rumor spread
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  Speaker 1: that two rich strangers had come ready to lavish their gold,
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  Speaker 1: a crowd besieged their dwelling. But the figures of those
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  Speaker 1: who came out were widely different. Some carried pride in
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  Speaker 1: their mien, others were shamefaced. The two chapmen traded in
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  Speaker 1: souls for the demon. The souls of the aged was
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  Speaker 1: worth twenty pieces of gold, not a penny more, for
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  Speaker 1: Satan had had time to make his valuation. The soul
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  Speaker 1: of a matron was valued at fifty when she was handsome,
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  Speaker 1: and a hundred when she was ugly. The soul of
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  Speaker 1: a young maiden fetched an extravagant sum. The freshest and
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  Speaker 1: purest flowers are the dearest. At that time there lived
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  Speaker 1: in the city an angel of beauty, the Countess Kathleen
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  Speaker 1: o Shay. She was the idol of the people and
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  Speaker 1: the providence of the indigent. As soon as she learned
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  Speaker 1: that these miscreants profited to the public misery to steal
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  Speaker 1: away hearts from God, she called to her butler, Patrick said,
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  Speaker 1: She to him, how many pieces of gold in my
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  Speaker 1: coffers a hundred thousand? How many jewels? The money is
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  Speaker 1: worth of the gold? How much property in castles, forests
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  Speaker 1: and lands? Double the rest? Very well, Patrick, sell all
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  Speaker 1: that is not gold, and bring me the account. I
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  Speaker 1: only wished to keep this mansion and the domain that
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  Speaker 1: surrounds it. Two days afterwards, the orders of the pious
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  Speaker 1: Kathleen were executed, and the treasure was distributed to the
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  Speaker 1: poor in proportion to their wants. This says the tradition
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  Speaker 1: did not suit the purposes of the evil spirit, who
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  Speaker 1: found no more souls to purchase. Aided by an infamous servant,
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  Speaker 1: they penetrated into the retreat of the noble dame and
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  Speaker 1: purloined from her the rest of her treasure. In vain,
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  Speaker 1: she struggled with all her strength to save the contents
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  Speaker 1: of her coffers. The diabolical thieves were the stronger. If
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  Speaker 1: Kathleen had been able to make the sign of the cross,
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  Speaker 1: adds the legend, she would have put them to flight,
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  Speaker 1: but her hands were captive. The larceny was effected. Then
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  Speaker 1: the poor called for aid to the plundered Kathleen alas
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  Speaker 1: to no good. She was able to succor their misery
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  Speaker 1: no longer. She had to abandon them to the temptation. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: but eight days had to pass before the grain and
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  Speaker 1: provender would arrive in abundance from the western lands. Eight
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  Speaker 1: such days were in age. Eight days required an immense
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  Speaker 1: sum to relieve the exigencies of the dearth, and the
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  Speaker 1: poor should either perish in the agonies of hunger or
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  Speaker 1: denying the holy maxims of the Gospel. Then for base
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  Speaker 1: lucre their souls the richest gift from the bounteous hand
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  Speaker 1: of the almighty. And Kathleen hadn't anything, for she had
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  Speaker 1: to give up her mansion to the unhappy. She passed
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  Speaker 1: twelve hours in tears and morning, rending her sun tinted
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  Speaker 1: hair and bruising her breast of the whiteness of the lily. Afterwards,
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  Speaker 1: she stood up resolute, animated by a vivid sentiment of despair.
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  Speaker 1: She went to the traders in souls. What do you want?
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  Speaker 1: They said, you buy souls? Yes, a few still in
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  Speaker 1: spite of you, isn't that so? Saint with the eyes
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  Speaker 1: of sapphire? To day I come to offer you a bargain,
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  Speaker 1: replied she. What, I have a soul to sell, but
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  Speaker 1: it is costly. What does that signify? If it is precious?
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  Speaker 1: The soul, like the diamond, is appraised by its transparency,
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  Speaker 1: it is mine. The two emissaries of Satan started. Their
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  Speaker 1: claws were clutched under their gloves of leather. Their gray
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  Speaker 1: eyes sparkled the soul, pure, spotless, virginal of Kathleen. It
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  Speaker 1: was a priceless acquisition. Beauteous, lady, how much do you
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  Speaker 1: ask a hundred and fifty thousand pieces of gold? It's
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  Speaker 1: at your service, replied the traders, and they tendered Kathleen
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  Speaker 1: a parchment sealed with black, which she signed with a shudder.
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  Speaker 1: The sun was counted out to her. As soon as
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  Speaker 1: she got home, she said to the butler, here, distribute this.
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  Speaker 1: With this money that I give you, the poor can
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  Speaker 1: tide over the eight days that remain, and not one
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  Speaker 1: of their souls will be delivered to the demon. Afterwards,
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  Speaker 1: she shut herself up in her room and gave orders
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  Speaker 1: that none should disturb her. Three days passed, she called nobody.
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  Speaker 1: She did not come out. When the door was opened,
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  Speaker 1: they found her cold and stiff. She was dead of grief.
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  Speaker 1: But the sale of this soul, so adorable in its charity,
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  Speaker 1: was declared gnall by the Lord, for she had saved
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  Speaker 1: her fellow citizens from eternal death. After the eight days
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  Speaker 1: had passed, numerous vessels brought into famished island immense provisions
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  Speaker 1: in grain. Hunger was no longer possible. As to the traders,
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  Speaker 1: they disappeared from their hotel without anyone knowing what became
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  Speaker 1: of them. But the fishermen of the Blackwater pretend that
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  Speaker 1: they are enchained in a subterranean prison by order of Lucifer,
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  Speaker 1: until they shall be able to render up the soul
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  Speaker 1: of Kathleen which escaped from them. End of section thirty three.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Michel Eaton