it
so that some of it went down her throat, and she fell dead. They had
only to carry her home a dead corpse and bury her.
The prince and his two wives were long alive after this, pleased and
peaceful.
I left them there.
KING O'TOOLE AND HIS GOOSE
Och, I thought all the world, far and near, had heerd o' King
O'Toole--well, well, but the darkness of mankind is untellible! Well,
sir, you must know, as you didn't hear it afore, that there was a king,
called King O'Toole, who was a fine old king in the old ancient times,
long ago; and it was he that owned the churches in the early days. The
king, you see, was the right sort; he was the real boy, and loved sport
as he loved his life, and hunting in particular; and from the rising o'
the sun, up he got, and away he went over the mountains after the deer;
and fine times they were.
Well, it was all mighty good, as long as the king had his health; but,
you see, in course of time the king grew old, by raison he was stiff in
his limbs, and when he got stricken in years, his heart failed him, and
he was lost entirely for want o' diversion, because he couldn't go
a-hunting no longer; and, by dad, the poor king was obliged at last to
get a goose to divert him. Oh, you may laugh, if you like, but it's
truth I'm telling you; and the way the goose diverted him was
this-a-way: You see, the goose used to swim across the lake, and go
diving for trout, and catch fish on a Friday for the king, and flew
every other day round about the lake, diverting the poor king. All went
on mighty well until, by dad, the goose got stricken in years like her
master, and couldn't divert him no longer, and then it was that the
poor king was lost entirely. The king was walkin' one mornin' by the
edge of the lake, lamentin' his cruel fate, and thinking of drowning
himself, that could get no diversion in life, when all of a sudden,
turning round the corner, who should he meet but a mighty decent young
man coming up to him.
"God save you," says the king to the young man.
"God save you kindly, King O'Toole," says the young man.
"True for you," says the king. "I am King O'Toole," says he, "prince
and plennypennytinchery of these parts," says he; "but how came ye to
know that?" says he.
"Oh, never mind," says St. Kavin.
You see it was Saint Kavin, sure enough--the saint himself in disguise,
and nobody else. "Oh, never mind," says he, "I know more than that. May
I make bold to ask how i
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