THE
SECOND MARRIAGE
A
woman died, and left her husband sorrowing with a
baby boy. His grief was terrible, but quick and
sudden, like as such griefs sometimes are. Before
his wife was long settled in the old
burial-ground of Creggan, his fancy was captured
by another, and in a short time he was again
before the altar. This second marriage was not so
happy as his first, because of Mrs Number Two's
jealousy, and the son of the first marriage fared
badly at the hands of the stepmother.
This
went on until one evening his first wife appeared
to him, and told him she was with the fairies,
but so unhappy about her boy that she wished to
return, and that he alone could help her. He,
poor man, was greatly flustered, for what was he
to do with two wives, even if they did agree,
which was far from likely. However, he promised
to rescue her, upon her saying she would be a
servant to him and Mrs Number Two all her days,
if allowed to look after her boy, and that she
would never trouble either of them in any way.
There was but one plan of rescue, and that was by
aid of the milk of a particular cow in the byre.
This milk, too, had to be gathered in a can free
from water, as the least drop would prevent the
escape, and prove fatal to her. To these
conditions her husband agreed, and gave his
promise not to mention the subject to a living
soul.
This
promise he did not keep, though, for he told his
wife, and in the byre, when he was not looking,
she spilled some water in. This was on Hallow
Eve, and he was to know his wife as the fairies
rode past that night, because she would be riding
on the third grey horse. He waited with the milk
on the kitchen dresser, and sure enough, he soon
heard them coming, and out he went to the gable
of the house, and threw the milk over the lady on
the third grey horse. She fell off at once, and
there was a great commotion, and in the morning
the roadside was covered with blood. The fairies
had murdered her, as she said they would if water
should be in the milk, and they found out that
she had spoken of them to mortals.
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