Fairy Tales Traced by Lexicographer

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 454, 8 September 1928, Page 18

Fairy Tales Traced by Lexicographer

East Anglia Rich in English Folk Stories ORIGIN OF CINDERELLA The origins of many fairy tales have been lost in the mists of antiquity, but some of the beginnings have been traced to East Anglia, England, including one of the Cinderella type. Dr. Frank H. Vizetelly, best known as a lexicographer and dictionary editor, is also a fairy tale addict and has devoted many hours in search of little known fairy and folk stories. Among the results of his researches are a number of fairy tales which had their origin in East Anglia, England, and which he has translated from their native dialect into understandable English. “An East Anglian fairy story that is not widely known is called ‘Cap o’ Rushes,’ ” says Dr. Vizetelly. "It belongs to the Cinderella or outcastchild group of stories, and is sometimes classed in what writers of folklore term the King Lear group, for in King Lear the adventures of the King’s three daughters, and the conduct of the elder children, is presented in strong contrast to that of the youngest. “The ‘Cap o’ Rushes’ story runs in this wise:

“Once there was a very rich man who had three daughters, and he

made ttp his mind to learn from them how fond each one was of him. So, one day, he suddenly turned to the first and said: ‘How much do you love me, my dear;’ And the daughter replied: “ ‘Why, father, I love you as life.’ ‘That’s good,’ said the old gentleman, and he turned to the second daughter and said: ‘How much do you love me, my dear?’ and she replied: ‘Father, better than all the world.’ ‘That’s fine.’ said he, and then he turned to the third daughter and repeated his question: ‘How much do you love me, my dear?’ ‘Why, daddy,’ she replied, ‘I love you as fresh meat loves salt.’ “Whereat the father was angry, and he turned upon his youngest child and said :‘You do not love me, child. Out of my house you go, for you cannot stay here.’ “And he drove her out then and there, and he closed the door in her face. Sad at heart, she went her way, and travelled aimlessly on and on until she came to a fen or a ditch, and there she gathered a lot of rushes and out of them made a cloak with a kind of hood to cover her from head to foot, and so concealed her fine clothes. After she had done this, she resumed her journey, and went on and on until she came to a fine manor house, and she knocked at the door, and of the woman who came to the door she asked: “‘Do you need a maid?’ And the woman answered: “ ‘No, we do not.’ “And the youngest daughter said: “ ‘I have nowhere to go, I ask no wages and I am willing to do any kind of work.’ “ ‘Well,’ said the dame, ‘if you like to wash pots and scrape saucepans, you can stay.’ "And so she stayed and she washed the pots and scraped the saucepans, and did all the other dirty work around the manor house, and because she gave no name they called her ‘Cap o’ Rushes.’ “ ‘Well,’ said the dame, ‘if you like dance held in a near-by castle, and the servants of the manor house were

allowed to go and look at the grand people. Little Cap o’ Rushes said she was too tired, to go, so she stayed home by her fireside. But when all the others had gone, she offed with her cap o’ rushes, cleaned up, washed herself and went to the dance. And do you know, there was no one there as finely dressed as she, and who should be there at that dance but the master’s son, and what did he do but fall in love with her the minute he set eyes on her, and he refused to dance with any one else. “Before the dance was over, Cap o’ Rushes slipped off and away she went home, and when the other maids came back she was framing to be asleep with her cap o’ rushes on. The next morning they said to her: “Cap o’ Rushes, you did miss a sight!’ “ ‘And what was that?’ she asked. “ ‘Why,’ said they, ‘the beautifulest lady that you ever saty, dressed right gay and ga’ (which means ‘in the fashion’). The young master never took his eyes off her.’ “ ‘lndeed, I should have liked to have seen her,’ said Cap o’ Rushes. “ ‘Weil, there’ll be another dance tonight and perhaps she will be there,’ the maids replied. “But the evening came, and poor little Cap o’ Rushes was too tired to go with them. Howsumever, when they were all gone and she had rested, she offed with her cap o’ rushes, cleaned up, and away she went to the dance. The master’s son had reckoned on seeing her, and he would dance with no one else, and he never took his eyes off her. But before the dance was over away she slipped, and when the maids came home she framed to be asleep with her cap o’ rushes on. And the next day the maids said to her again: “ ‘Well, Cap o’ Rushes, you should have been there to see the fine lady. She was there again, gay and ga,” and the young master never took his eyes off her.’ “ ‘lndeed,’ said Cap o’ Rushes, ‘I should like to have seen her.’ “ ‘Well,’ replied the maids, ‘there is another dance this evening and you must come with us, for she is sure to be there.’

“The evening came, and little Cap o’ Rushes said she was too tired to go, and do what they would to get her to Join them, she stayed behind, but when they were gone, again she ofted with her cap o’ rushes, she cleaned herself, and away she went to the dance. The master’s son was rarely glad when he saw her, and he danced with none but her and never took his eyes off her, and he asked her to tell him her name, and she would not tell him. and he asked her where she came from, and she would not tell him, but he gave her a ring, and he told her that if he never saw her again he would die. Well, afore the dance was over she slipped away and home she went, and when the other maids returned she was framing to be asleep with her cap of rushes on. The next day they said: “ ‘There, Cap o’ Rushes, you did not come last night and now you won’t see this lady, for there are no more dances.’ “ ‘Well,’ said Cap o’ Rushes. M should rarely have liked to have seen her.’ The Master's Son Wins Her “The master’s son set about to try and find out where his lady-love had gone, but no matter where he went and whom he asked, he never heard anything about her, and for the love or her he pined, and he got worse and worse, until he had to take to his bed. And the cook was ordered to make some gruel for the young master ‘for he is dying for the love of the lady.’ “ ‘Let me make it,’ says Cap o’ Rushes, but at first the cook would not, but at last she said yes. “And Cap o’ Rushes made the gruel, and when she had made it, she slipped the ring into it on the sly before the cook took it upstairs. The young man drank the gruel, and he saw the ring at the bottom of the bowl, and he said: “ ‘Send for the cook,’ and up she came. “‘Who made this soup?’ he asked. “ ‘I did,’ said the cook, for she was scared. The young master looked at her and said, ‘No, you did not. Tell

me who did it, and you shall not be hurt.’ “ ‘Well, then,’ said the cook, ‘it was Cap o’ Rushes.’ “ ‘Send Cap o’ Rushes here,’ he ordered. And Cap o’ Rushes came. “ ‘Did you make my gruel?’ he asked. “ ‘Yes, I did,’ said she. “ ‘Well, if you did where did you get this ring?’ asked the young man. “And Cap o’ Rushes replied: “ ‘From him that gave it me.’ “ ‘And who are you, then?’ “ ‘I will show you,’ she replied, and she offed with her cap o’ rushes, and there she stood in her beautiful clothes. “Well, the master’s son he got well very soon, and in a little time they were to be married. It was to be a very grand wedding indeed, and every one, far and near, was invited, and among these Cap o’ Rushes’ father was asked, but she never told any one who she was. Before the wedding she went to the cook and said: “Cook, I want you to dress every dish without a mite of salt.’ And the cook replied, ‘That’ll be rarely nasty.’ And Cap o’ Rushes said, ‘That won’t signify.’ “ ‘Very well,’ said the cook. “And the wedding day came, and they were married, and after the ceremony all the company sat down to the feast, and when they began to eat the meat, it was found so tasteless that they could not eat it, and Cap o’ Rushes’ father tried first one dish and then another, and then he burst into tears. “ ‘Why, what is the matter?’ said the young master to him. “ ‘Oh,’ he replied, ‘once I had a daughter, and I asked her how much she loved me, and she said, ‘As much as fresh meat loves salt,’ and I was angry and I turned her from my door and drove her away, for I thought that she did not love me. And now I see she loved me best, but she might be dead for ought I know.’ “ ‘No, father, here she is,’ replied little Cap o’ Rushes, and she ran up to him, and put her arms around his neck and kissed him, and so they were happy ever after.”