126 MOTHER BERTHA'S StORIES. game-bag, and when I had filled my pipe she gave me a lighted piece of wood and commenced a new story, which I had heard she knew. " One summer, long, long ago, the Melbustad people sent their cattle up to their dairy in the Halland hills. But before long the cattle began to be so restless that it was impossible to manage them. They set one young lass after the other to watch them, but there was no peace to be had till they got a young woman who had just been engaged. The cattle suddenly became quiet, and it was no trouble to look after them after that time. She was there all by herself with the exception of a dog. She was sitting in the dairy one afternoon, when her sweetheart, as she thought, came in and sat alongside her, and began speaking about their wedding. But she sat quite silent and made no answer, for she began to feal so strange. By and by more people came in, and they began to lay the table and put all sorts of dishes and silver plate on it. The bridesmaids brought in the bridal crown, the silver ornaments, and a fine wedding gown, which they put on her. They put the crown on her head, as was usual at that time, and on her fingers they put rings. " She thought she knew the people who were there ; they were farmers' wives, and some girls of her own age were there also. But the dog must have noticed that there was something wrong. He set off for Melbustad, and began whining and barking, and gave them no peace till they showed signs to go back with him. " Her sweetheart took his rifle and set out for the dairy ; when he came to the slope in front of it, he saw a number of saddled horses about the place. He stole up to the house and looked through the door, which was aj ar, and he saw all the people who were sitting in the room. He soon guessed that it was all witch craft, and so he fired his gun over the roof of the dairy. The next moment the door flew wide open, and a number of balls of worsted the one bigger than the othcr, came rolling out of the door between his legs. When he went in he found his sweetheart in her wedding dress, and with crown on ; all she wanted was a ring on her little finger.
