The Project Gutenberg EBook of Stories from the Ballads, by Mary MacGregor

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: Stories from the Ballads
Told to the Children

Author: Mary MacGregor

Illustrator: Katharine Cameron

Release Date: July 30, 2007 [EBook #22175]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES FROM THE BALLADS ***

Produced by Robin Monks, Joseph Cooper, Sankar Viswanathan,
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net

[Illustration: She was off and away to the lone plain of
Carterhaugh]

STORIES FROM

THE BALLADS

TOLD TO THE CHILDREN BY

MARY MACGREGOR

WITH PICTURES BY

KATHARINE CAMERON

LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK

NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.

* * * * *

TO DORIS

* * * * *

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the
tales which I have told you in this little book.

It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down
dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the
country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with
them a harp, as harpers.

In court, in cottage, by princes and by humble folk, everywhere,
by every one the minstrels were greeted with delight.

To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they
made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who
listened could forget nor tale nor tune.

In those far-off days of minstrelsy the country was alive with
fairies. Over the mountains, through the glens, by babbling
streams and across silent moors, the patter of tiny feet might be
heard, feet which had strayed from Elfinland.

It was of these little folk and of their visits to the homes of
mortals that the minstrels sang. Sterner songs too were theirs,
songs of war and bloodshed, when clan fought with clan and lives
were lost and