ne of the other children of us ever seen her unless me; but
I used to be glad when I seen her coming up the bum, and would run out
and catch her by the hand and the cloak, and call to my mother, 'Here's
the Wee Woman!' No man body ever seen her. My father used to be wanting
to, and was angry with my mother and me, thinking we were telling lies
and talking foolish like. And so one day when she had come, and was
sitting by the fireside talking to my mother, I slips out to the field
where he was digging. 'Come up,' says I, 'if ye want to see her. She's
sitting at the fireside now, talking to mother.' So in he comes with me
and looks round angry like and sees nothing, and he up with a broom
that was near hand and hits me a crig with it. 'Take that now!' says
he, 'for making a fool of me!' and away with him as fast as he could,
and queer and angry with me. The Wee Woman says to me then, 'Ye got
that now for bringing people to see me. No man body ever seen me, and
none ever will.'

"There was one day, though, she gave him a queer fright anyway,
whether he had seen her or not. He was in among the cattle when it
happened, and he comes up to the house all trembling like. 'Don't let
me hear you say another word of your Wee Woman. I have got enough of
her this time.' Another time, all the same, he was up Gortin to sell
horses, and before he went off, in steps the Wee Woman and says she to
my mother, holding out a sort of a weed, 'Your man is gone up by
Gortin, and there's a bad fright waiting him coming home, but take this
and sew it in his coat, and he'll get no harm by it.' My mother takes
the herb, but thinks to herself, 'Sure there's nothing in it,' and
throws it on the floor, and lo and behold, and sure enough! coming home
from Gortin, my father got as bad a fright as ever he got in his life.
What it was I don't right mind, but anyway he was badly damaged by it.
My mother was in a queer way, frightened of the Wee Woman, after what
she done, and sure enough the next time she was angry. 'Ye didn't
believe me,' she said, 'and ye threw the herb I gave ye in the fire,
and I went far enough for it.' There was another time she came and told
how William Hearne was dead in America. 'Go over,' she says, 'to the
Lough, and say that William is dead, and he died happy, and this was
the last Bible chapter ever he read,' and with that she gave the verse
and chapter. 'Go,' she says, 'and tell them to read them at the next
class meeting, and