Story - Old Hazel and Board the Tailor, part 3
Board the Tailor was staying in the town. He was disabled. He was a paraplegic. He had wooden boards on each hand and on each knee. He would move the boards on all fours and in that manner he would go from house to house.
The Tailor was good at telling the news and the old stories, but he was cocky and conceited. He put other people down. People weren't keen on him and it wouldn't bother if someone were to take a rise out of him.
He happened to be be working that night at a house not more than sixty yards from the gate of the cemetery. And as usual the house was full of people visiting.
Board the Tailor was giving out about every witch and wizard, ghost and fairy that ever was, or wasn't. After a while, thirst struck one of the company, but it happened that there wasn't a drop of water in the house.
An young man offerend to go to the well. The well was half a dozen yards from the cemetery gate, and when he was near the well, he heard the cracking of nuts from the cemetery.
He stood still, and he listened ; he heard another nut being cracked.
The young man ran back to the house, without filling the water-bucket, breath in chest and his eyes almost leaping from out his head with fear. He said that Old Hazel had risen from the dead, she was sitting in the graveyard whistling and cracking her nuts!
The others made fun of him.
"Poo!" said one fellow after another, "You're nothing but a poor coward."
"Give me the bucket," said a crop-haired, dark youth who was sitting in a corner and he left with it swaggering. But the same thing happened to him. When he was near the well, he heard a nut being cracked.
He returned without water, but with the story that the witch was cracking nuts in the graveyard, swearing to each power, high and low, without any denial in the matter, that she was there beyond doubt.
" You're cowardly and useless," said Board the Tailor. "Well really! There's many a corner of the world I've been, but I've never before been in such a house full of cowards like you. If I could walk, I'd fetch a full bucket from the well, Old Hazel or no Old Hazel!"
The Tailor was good at telling the news and the old stories, but he was cocky and conceited. He put other people down. People weren't keen on him and it wouldn't bother if someone were to take a rise out of him.
He happened to be be working that night at a house not more than sixty yards from the gate of the cemetery. And as usual the house was full of people visiting.
Board the Tailor was giving out about every witch and wizard, ghost and fairy that ever was, or wasn't. After a while, thirst struck one of the company, but it happened that there wasn't a drop of water in the house.
An young man offerend to go to the well. The well was half a dozen yards from the cemetery gate, and when he was near the well, he heard the cracking of nuts from the cemetery.
He stood still, and he listened ; he heard another nut being cracked.
The young man ran back to the house, without filling the water-bucket, breath in chest and his eyes almost leaping from out his head with fear. He said that Old Hazel had risen from the dead, she was sitting in the graveyard whistling and cracking her nuts!
The others made fun of him.
"Poo!" said one fellow after another, "You're nothing but a poor coward."
"Give me the bucket," said a crop-haired, dark youth who was sitting in a corner and he left with it swaggering. But the same thing happened to him. When he was near the well, he heard a nut being cracked.
He returned without water, but with the story that the witch was cracking nuts in the graveyard, swearing to each power, high and low, without any denial in the matter, that she was there beyond doubt.
" You're cowardly and useless," said Board the Tailor. "Well really! There's many a corner of the world I've been, but I've never before been in such a house full of cowards like you. If I could walk, I'd fetch a full bucket from the well, Old Hazel or no Old Hazel!"