Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second SeriesBottrell, William
General
Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second Series
Bottrell, William
Cornwall (England : County) -- Social life and customs; Legends -- England -- Cornwall (County)
"It was about three o'clock when, An' Pee having filled with
brandy a bottle, which she always carried in her pocket, left the
cove and started for Penzance. Coming out of the dark dwelling
she was surprised to find how well she could see, and the good
liquor put such life into her heels that she tripped along the lanes[156]
without feeling the ground under her feet. Yet, it was almost
candlelighting when she got to town. After purchasing what
she wanted for the house she went down among the standings on
a three-cornered plot, where the market-house is now, to
buy a pair of shoes for herself. Whilst she was trying their size
with a piece of stick the length of her foot, to her great surprise
she saw Tom Trayer going from standing to standing as brisk
as a bee, picking off everything that suited his fancy. Yet,
nobody but herself appeared to see him taking rolls of leather,
knives, forks, pewter-plates, wooden spoons, thread and yarn, and
many other things, which he stuffed into his pockets and the
knapsack he carried on his back. An' Pee, vexed to see his tricks
on the tradespeople, went up to him and said, 'Tom! arn't thee
ashamed to be here in the dark carrying on such a game?' 'Ah,
es that you Aunt Pee,' Tom replied, 'now tell me which eye can
'e see me upon?' 'Why with both, I should think,' said she.
But when she winked the eye that had been anointed, and found
she only saw him on that, she said, 'I can see thee, and thy
thievery, plain enow on my right eye, but the other es rather
cloudy by night.' When she said this, Tom held up his finger
and, pointing towards her anointed eye, said,—
"'Cursed old spy,
Thou shalt no more peep nor pry,
With thy anointed eye.'
"Then he blew on it and, laughing in her face, said, 'Take
that for poking your nose where you arn't wanted, and meddling
with other people's business. You shall neither see me, nor
anyone else, any more with that game eye.' The old woman felt
as if a needle had pierced it. She fell to the ground, and rolled
about under the standings. Such was her agony she couldn't
keep on her legs.
"She called on the market people to seize Tom Trayer, telling
them he had put out her eye by witchcraft, and that he was
going about in the dark, stealing goods from their standings and
stalls. But no one, except herself, had seen him. Some said that
An' Pee was drunk or dreaming, and they led her to Alverton-lane,
tied her basket on her arm, wished her good night, and a
pleasant journey home to Pendeen, and a merry feasten tide.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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