The peat-fire flame : folk-tales and traditions of the Highlands & Islands

THE PEAT-FIRE FLAME
meal-girnel and, lifting a red peat out of the fire, dropped it
in the water stoup under the table. He then resumed his
position upon the meal-girnel, and went on with his sewing.
A little later the woman returned for another kindling,
saying that the first kindling had failed to light her fire.
Again the tailor slipped down from the meal-girnel when
she had gone, and put another live peat in the water stoup.
A third time she came for a kindling on the pretext that
the second kindling had proved as useless as the first ; and a
third time the tailor, when she had departed, put a live peat
in the stoup, and then continued with his sewing as though
he had never left the meal-girnel.
Sorely distressed was the mother of the family when,
toward evening, she discovered that she had been churning
all day long, and not an ounce of butter in the churn.
" Och, och ! " she said, " I have been at the churning since
early day ; and the arms of me are weary. And there's not
yet a cat's-lick of butter in the churn. I'll never hear the
end of this when the men come in from the peats."
" A woman came three times for a kindling," interposed
the tailor; "and she knowing you were at the churning.
When she went, I put three live cinders in the stoup under
the table. Put your hand into the stoup, and you will find
the butter."
Thrice the woman placed her hand in the stoup under the
table ; and thrice she drew out a great lump of butter " as
fresh and fair and fragrant as the beauteous buttercups in
their prime."
The Evil Eye in Glen Lyon.
The strange manner in which the boulder, toward which
Black Ewen Cameron of Locheil pointed his sword, was
rent in twain as by magic, recalls the following well
authenticated tale of the Evil Eye.
A farmer's wife in Strathtay, who came originally from
Glen Lyon, had a cousin, Jean, who at one time was dairymaid
on one of the estates in the latter glen. Now, the laird
of this place had the very sinister reputation of casting the
Evil Eye not onlv on the things he coveted, but also on his
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