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Did you ever hear how a brownie came to the village of Blednock,and was frightened away again?
Well, it was one summer evening, just when the milking was done and before the children were put to bed. The good people of Blednock were sitting on the door-steps talking to their neighbours, and the children were playing in the door-yards.
All at once they heard a queer, humming noise. Nearer and nearer it sounded, and everyone turned and looked.
It was no wonder that they stared, for coming up the road was the strangest little creature that anyone had ever seen.
He looked like a wee, wee man; and yet such a strange man!His bright red hair was long, and he had a long red beard. His knees knocked together when he walked, and his arms were so long that his hands almost touched the ground. A strange sight he was!
He was singing something over and over. As he came nearer,they could make out the words:
“Oh, my name is Aiken-Drum,And to do your work I’ve come.A bite to eat, a bed on hay,
You may give; but nothing pay.”
Oh, but I can tell you the people were frightened! The little ones screamed, and the larger girls dropped the pails of milk they were carrying home. The big boys, who should have known better, hooted at the little man.
“Did you ever see such eyes?” cried one, “Look at his long beard!” said another.
But still the little man went slowly up the street. singing:
“Oh, my name is Aiken-Drum,And to do your work I’ve come.A bite to eat, a bed on hay,
You may give; but nothing pay.”
Granny Duncan was the oldest and kindest woman in the village. Oh, she was very old! She knew all the tales of the olden time.
“I think this is just a harmless brownie,” she said, “Long ago I heard of brownies from my father’s father. We will take Baby Meg to see him. If she smiles upon him, he is just a brownie. For babies always love brownies and know them when they see them.”
So Baby Meg was brought, and she laughed and put out her tiny hands to the strange little man.
“He is just a good, kind brownie!” cried Granny Duncan,“Many a long day’s work will he do for people who treat him well.”
Then everybody grew very brave, and crowded around him.When they were close to him they saw that his hairy face was kind, and that his big eyes had a merry twinkle in them.
“Can you not speak?” asked an old man, “Tell us where you came from.”
“I cannot tell you where I came from,” said the wee man,“My country has no name, and it is not at all like this land of yours. For there, we all learn to serve, while here, everyone wishes to be served. We love to work. It sometimes happens that there is no work for us at home. Then one of us may come to your land, to see if you have need of him.”
“Do you really like to work?” asked idle Tom.
“I love to serve,” said the brownie, “He serves himself best,who serves others most. If I am needed, I will stay in this place a while. I do not want clothes, or a bed, or wages. All I ask for is a corner of the barn to sleep in, and a bowl of broth at bedtime.
“If no one troubles me, I will be ready to help anyone who needs me. I’ll bring in the sheep from the hill. I’ll gather the harvest by moonlight. I’ll bake your bread on a busy day. I’ll sing the babies to sleep in their cradles. The babies always love me.”
No one knew what to say. A little man who would do everything for nothing! It could not be true! There must be something wrong about it! Men began to whisper to each other.“Perhaps it would be better to have nothing to do with him.”they said.
Then Granny Duncan spoke up again. “He’s just a harmless brownie, I tell you,” she said, “Have you not all complained about your hard work? Here is a good workman all ready to help you. Will you turn him away just because he looks so queer?”
“But he will frighten our friends,” said the young people,“They will not come to the village if we let him stay. Then it will be lonely here.”
“Handsome is, as handsome does,” said Granny Duncan, “I have heard that a brownie can stack a whole ten-acre field of wheat in a single night.”
“A ten-acre field in a single night! Just think of that!” said all the men. So the miller told the brownie that he might sleep in his barn, and Granny Duncan promised him a bowl of broth at bedtime.
Then all said good-night and went home, looking over their shoulders to see if the strange little man was following them.You may be very sure that no one lingered behind, that night.
All the people of the village were a little afraid at first, but in a week everyone was praising the brownie. For Aiken-Drum was the most wonderful worker that ever was seen, and the strange thing was that he did nearly all of his work at night.
If there was a tired baby to sing to sleep, or a house to be made tidy, or a churnful of cream that would not turn to butter,or bread that would not rise, Aiken-Drum always knew about it. He would come at just the right time.
He gathered the sheep together on stormy nights. He carried home the heavy bundle for a tired man. He stacked the grain safely.
Many a time some poor mother would be up all night with a sick child. She would sit down in front of the fire and fall fast asleep.
When she awoke she would find that Aiken-Drum had made her a visit. The floor would be scrubbed, the dishes washed, the fire made, and the kettle put on to boil. But the little man would have slipped quietly away, for he never waited to be thanked.
And the village was not lonely, oh, no! People came from everywhere to see if they could catch a glimpse of the strange little visitor.
But they never saw him. One could go to the miller’s barn twenty times a day; and twenty times a day one would find nothing but a little heap of hay. The bowl that held his food was always empty in the morning, but no one ever saw the brownie eating the broth.
Little children were the only ones who ever saw him; and oh, how he loved them! Just before bedtime, they would gather around him in some quiet corner by the old mill.
Then the villagers would hear wonderful, low, sweet music.It was Aiken-Drum, singing the songs of his own land to the happy children.
And he might be there yet, gathering the harvest and helping tired people with their work; but someone forgot what the little man had said, over and over again, in his strange song:
“A bite to eat, a bed on hay,
You may give; but nothing pay.”
You see, a brownie loves to give; he will not work for pay.But someone forgot this.
“I must make something for Aiken-Drum,” said a poor woman whom he had helped, “He never will stay to let me thank him. Winter is coming on, and he will be cold in his old worn suit. I will make him a warm coat.”
So she cut and sewed and pressed and made a little coat for the brownie. She told no one what she was doing; but one night she put the last stitch in the pretty little garment. Then she went softly to the miller’s barn and laid it down beside the bowl of broth.
Never again did Aiken-Drum work for the people of Blednock. The strange little man was obliged to go away, for a true brownie cannot stay where he is paid.
But sometimes the children hear his voice down by the old mill. It is always soft and low and sweet. He is singing the songs of his own land, just as he used to do when the little ones were gathered around him.
Then the good people in the village remember his kind deeds and his strange saying, “He serves himself best, who serves others most.”
(Elizabeth W. Grierson )
brownie : a legendary elf who performs good deeds at night
wee : very small
harmless : not hurting anyone
glimpse : a quick look
A) Answer the following questions.
1) Why were people afraid of the brownie?
2) What was Granny Duncan’s advice?
3) What were some of the good deeds that Aiken-Drum did?
4) Why couldn’t Aiken-Drum stay in the village?
5) How do you think the people in the village felt after Aiken-Drum left?
B) Summarizing—Find the main parts of the story and tell what happened.
In the beginning of the story: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the middle: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At the end of the story: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
C) Predicting—This is a skill where you tell what you think is going to happen next in the story. What do you think the people of Blednock would do if a brownie came to their town again?
