t her out nohow."

And with that they set to again raking, and forking, and sweeping away.
Then the young squire burst out laughing, told them they were fools for
their pains, and bade them look up over their heads where the moon was
riding broad and full. But they wouldn't, and they wouldn't believe that
what they saw in the water was only a reflection. And when he insisted
they began to abuse him roundly and threaten to duck him in the pond. So
he got on his horse again as quickly as he could, leaving them raking,
and forking, and sweeping away; and for all we know they may be at it
yet!

But the young squire said to himself, "There are many more sillies in
this world than I thought for; so I'll just go back and marry the
farmer's daughter. She is no sillier than the rest."

So they were married, and if they didn't live happy ever after, that has
nothing to do with the story of the three sillies.

[Illustration: Headpiece--The Golden Ball]

THE GOLDEN BALL

Once upon a time there lived two lasses, who were sisters, and as they
came from the fair they saw a right handsome young man standing at a
house door before them. They had never seen such a handsome young man
before. He had gold on his cap, gold on his finger, gold on his neck,
gold at his waist! And he had a golden ball in each hand. He gave a ball
to each lass, saying she was to keep it; but if she lost it, she was to
be hanged.

Now the youngest of the lasses lost her ball, and this is how. She was
by a park paling, and she was tossing her ball, and it went up, and up,
and up, till it went fair over the paling; and when she climbed to look
for it, the ball ran along the green grass, and it ran right forward to
the door of a house that stood there, and the ball went into the house
and she saw it no more.

So she was taken away to be hanged by the neck till she was dead,
because she had lost her ball.

But the lass had a sweetheart, and he said he would go and get the ball.
So he went to the park gate, but 'twas shut; then he climbed the
railing, and when he got to the top of it an old woman rose up out of
the ditch before him and said that if he wanted to get the ball he must
sleep three nights in the house: so he said he would.

Well! when it was evening, he went into the house, and looked everywhere
for the ball, but he could not find it, nor any one in the house at all;
but when night came on he thought he heard bogles moving about in the