a. Moses Hendricks, Mandeville.
There was an old woman, a witch, but she was very wealthy. She lived
quite to herself. Plenty of stock—horses, cows, sheep, mules, each kind
kept by itself in a separate pasture. The old lady’s name was Grandy
Beard-o, but nobody knew that name. She wanted a person to sup with
her. She came across a little girl one day. Then took that girl home.
After she prepared her meal, she called the girl and asked her if she
knew her name. The girl said, “No, ma’am.” She said to the girl,
“Unless you tell me my name, I will not give you anything to eat.”
She started out the girl to go and fetch some water. The girl had to go
through all the pastures to get where the water was—mules to
themselves, cows to themselves, horses to themselves, sheep to
themselves. She went along crying, being hungry. So she got into
cow-pasture—that was first pasture. The cow said to her, “What’s the
matter with you, me baby?”
The girl said, “The old lady will not give me anything to eat except me
can tell her her name!” Cow was afraid to tell her.
From there she went into mule pasture, crying all the same. Mule said,
“What’s the matter, me baby?”
The girl said, “The old lady will not give me anything to eat, except
me can tell her her name!” Mule wouldn’t tell her.
She got into horse pasture, crying all the way. Horse said, “What’s the
matter, me baby?”
“Old lady in there won’t give me anything to eat except me can tell her
her name!” Horse wouldn’t tell her.
From there she went into bull pasture, still crying. Bull said, “What’s
the matter, me baby?”
“Old lady won’t give me anything to eat except me can tell her her
name!”
Bull says, “Cho! when you go home, tell her her name Grandy Beard-o.”
Bull was a mighty man; he didn’t care!
The girl was so glad, hastened home so as to get something to eat. Old
lady said, “You can tell me my name make me give you something to eat?”
The girl said, “Your name Grandy Beard-o, ma’am.”
Old lady got so indignant! She gave the girl a good feed and after that
she started to find who told the girl. Went into cow pasture.
“You cow, you cow, you cow,
Why you tell the girl
Me name Grandy Beard-o?”
Cow said,
“A ring ding ding, mamma, ring ding ding;
A ring ding ding, mamma, ring ding ding;
No me tell.”