School: Finiskill (roll number 13075)

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1. Old Stories - Childe Charity

   

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   Once upon a time there lived in the west of Ireland a little girl who had neither father nor mother. They died when she was very young leaving her to the care of her uncle. He uncle was the richest farmer in all the surrounding country. The father and mother were very proud and their daughters believed themselves the greatest beauties in the world. None of them would speak civilly to anybody they thought beneath tehem. Although she was their near relation it was little they looked upon the orphan girl because she was kind to the poor. For the more needy and despised any creature was, the more ready was she to befriend it so that the west country people called her Childe Charity. If she had another I never heard it. Childe Charity was considered of no account in that proud household. Her uncle would not own her for his niece. Her cousins refused to play with her and her aunt sent her to work in the dairy and to sleep in the back garret. Childe Charity had more work than rest or play to do in her uncles house. All day she scoured pails, scrubbed dishes and washed crockery ware. Every night she slept in the back garret as soundly as a princess could in her palace chamber. Her uncles house was large and white and stood among green meadows by a river side. In front it had a porch covered with a vine; behind were high granaries and a farmyard. Within there were two parlours for the rich and two kitchens for the poor, which the neighbours thought extremely grand. One day in the harvest season when the corn was all cut the rich farmer invited his neighbours to a harvest supper. They were very sick that night after the supper

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

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   English