Folk Tales from Western Newfoundland

Couvrette

One time there was a man and a woman who had seven sons. Their sons all left home to go to work. One day while they had been away for a long time, their mother got pregnant, and she told them, « If it's a girl you're going to find a rose on your window, and if it's a boy you'll find a match ! » That's what she told them before they left.

A long time had passed and one morning she gave birth to a little girl. The boys found a rose on their window, they were very glad to know they had had a sister. By and by the time passed and the baby had grown to a teenager and she used to see a lot of people passing by on Sundays. Once she asked her mother, « Mum ! Where are all these people going ? » « Well my dear, they're going to mass ! » answered the mother. « Oh ! » said the girl, « Can I go ? » « No ! you're not going ! » answered the mother. « I promise you, I'll go straight in the church and I'll come back right home ! » said the girl. Her mother agreed on it and the next Sunday the girl went to mass. On her way back, she passed by three old women who were sitting on a bench, and when they saw her, one of them said « That's the girl, who has seven brothers gone seven years ago ! I wish I had her brothers ! » she said to herself.

Anyway, the girl went back home and never told anything to her mother. A week passed and the next Sunday she saw the people pass again. «Mother ? » she asked, «Can I go to mass again today ? » « Well ! » said the mother, « if you're a good girl like last Sunday, yes you can go ! » The mother didn't know what had happened, but the girl wanted to know the truth about the three old women. So the next Sunday, she went again, she went straight in the church, and after mass when she was coming back home, she saw the three old ladies sitting on the same bench and when she passed by them one of the old ladies said. « Well that girl looks like the seven brothers that's gone seven years ago ! » Well the girl had heard that and when she came home she said to herself, « I got them and I'm going to find them! » and when she saw her mum, «I've got seven brothers ! » « Who told you that ? » asked the mother. « Well! on my way home I saw three old ladies sitting on a bench and they were saying I looked like the seven brothers that's gone seven years ago and mum ! » she said, « I got to find them ! » The girl was only in her teens and her mother found it bad to see her daughter go.

Anyway the next morning, she took a pack of lunch, she called her little dog, « Couvrette ! » and off she went. She travelled and travelled and travelled through the forest and by and by she saw a great big house. She looked above the door and there was a board on which was written « Seven Brothers That's Gone Seven Years Ago. » «Well! that's my brothers ! » she said to herself She walked in, they were all gone hunting until the evening. So she cleaned up all the house, she made the beds, she washed the dishes, she put on some meat and potatoes and cabbage for their dinner. When everything was ready, she dressed the table and went to the window. When she saw them coming, she put everything on the table and she took a plateful for her and her dog and she went to hide in the cellar. When they came they said, « My God! What is that! That's seven years right there that nothing as such has happened in our house ! There's something in here ! » And the oldest one, his name was Tom, said « Well! I'm going to stay in tomorrow morning and I'll see who is doing the work! » So the next morning, Tom stayed at home and the others went to work. Anyway he had a newspaper. He took it, went to lay down and fell asleep. When she heard him snoring, the girl got up, made the other beds, washed the dishes, swept the floor, and cooked the dinner again. When everything was ready, she raised the table, put everything on and when she saw then coming, she took a plateful for her and her dog and went hiding in the cellar. Anyway when they came into the house Tom had just woken up. His brothers asked him « Tom ? have you found out ? » « No ! » he said, «I fell asleep ! » He didn't see a thing and everything was done again. So Bill said, «I am going to stay tomorrow morning and believe me I won't fall asleep ! » So the next morning Tom and Jack went in the woods. The others were too young to be spoken of Bill stayed at home. He was going around a long time not to fall asleep. By and by, he took a newspaper and wen to lay down. After a while he fell asleep. When the girl heard him snoring, she got up, made the other beds, swept the floor, washed the dishes and put dinner on. When everything was ready, she raised the table, put everything on it and when she saw them coming, she took one plateful for her and her dog and went hiding in the cellar. When they came in Bill was just getting up. He didn't see anything. So Jack said, « Well, Up to now none of you has been able to find out, you're no good, tomorrow morning I'm going to stay in and I'll find out! I don't know what's wrong with you ! » So anyway the night passed and the next morning Bill and Tom went in the woods, and Jack stayed in. So he took a newspaper, went to lay down and soon he started to snore. So the girl got up, made the other beds, swept the floor and washed the dishes. But she didn't know that Jack was watching her. She put on dinner and raised the table. When everything was all set up, she went to the window and when she saw them coming she was just going to go in the cellar. But Jack stopped her, he was so glad to see his sister, « Now ! » he said, « Go and hide, I'm going to make them guess who I caught! » So she went in the cellar and when they came they asked him, « Have you found who it was ? » « Sure ! » he said, « I found out! » « Do you know then ? » « Well! » Jack said, « You guess ! » And they guessed everything but in vain. « That's our sister ! » Jack said and as she was coming out of the cellar he said, « and here she is ! » They almost killed her with gladness. « Well, we're going to have somebody in the house to cook for us when we're gone ! » Jack said. « Do you think you'll be frightened to stay alone ? » he asked. «No ! » she said, «I'm not frightened alone ! »

So anyway the next morning they went in the woods again, and she stayed in. When she had done all her work in the house, she was having dinner with her dog and the old witch came again! « Good day, my dear! » « Good day, grandmother ! » said the girl, « Come in and sit down ! » And thus they chatted all day long until dinner time. Then the old woman said, « Well, I am going now, I guess they are coming ! » And she took off. When the boys came back, they had a good supper, they ate all that was in the pot. After supper Jack asked, « Anybody came here today ? » « Well! » she said, « Yes ! the same old woman, a nice little woman, I had a big chat with her today, the day passed so quickly ! » she said. « That's nice ! » he said. The next day they went in the woods again and the girl stayed in. At the same time as the day before, the same old witch came again. They had dinner together and after dinner the woman asked, « Can I look in your hair ? » « Oh me ! said the girl, «I got no lice ! » « Oh, let me look in your head ! » asked the witch, and she found three lice, and you know what she did ! She turned the three brothers into three sheep. Anyway she went home.

By and by three sheep were coming, growling and mowling. They were starving to death. « My gosh! » said the girl «I've got nothing for you to eat, I haven't got enough ! » So she took the three sheep and went to look for a place where they could eat. And soon she found a nice Held full of hay. She put down the fence and let her sheep in. By and by a young prince passed by and he said, « You know you cannot put your sheep in here ! » « Well! » she said, « my sheep are my brothers and I would like to have some hay for them, they're starving to death ! » « 0. K. then! » and she went back with the prince to his castle. And soon they got married. But before they got married she made him promise never to kill none of her sheep.

By and by, one day she had a little boy and while her husband was in the woods she went to get buckets of water. So she went to the well and there she met the old witch with her daughter. The witch's daughter looked much like the girl but she was dark. The witch and her daughter dipped the girl in the well, but they couldn't drown her, she hung on a chain. And the witch's daughter took the place of the girl and went back to the prince's castle. A long time after that, she asked the prince, « I want you to kill a sheep ! » « Oh ? » he said, « you made me promise not to ! You said they would die old age ! » « Yes ! » she said, « but I like my mutton ! » she said. So he killed one and the dog buried all the bones behind the porch. So she made him kill the three sheep like that and the dog buried all the bones. By and by a long time had come to pass and one day the boy heard racket coming, a racket of chains. It was her, she called the dog, « Couvrette, Couvrette ! » « Yes ! » said the dog, «I'm here to your service; what do you want mistress ?» «What about my three brothers ? » she asked, « Well they're all killed and I got all their bones buried behind the porch ! » said the dog. « Well! » she said, « Tell the prince that if he wants to have me again he's got to have an axe that cuts butter, iron and wood ! » and she went back to the well.

But the little boy had heard that and he said to himself « That's funny, there's something in that I've got to tell to the prince ! » So the next morning, they went in the woods, the two of them. « Prince! » said the boy, « That's two nights that something came to your door and that looks like a woman and she called her little dog, « Couvrette, Couvrette ! » and the dog dashed into her and said, « I'm here to your service ; what do you want mistress ? » and she told him that if you want to get her again you've got to have an axe that cut butter, iron and wood ! » The prince said to himself, «That's my wife! » He never noticed the witch's daughter. Now he said to the boy, « Tonight we're going downtown ! » And they went to town and they got axes that cut butter, iron and wood, and the same night he got two guards each side of the door and he told them, « When you'll hear - cut butter, iron and wood - well! cut! » Anyway, everybody was ready before twelve o'clock, there was a guard on each side of the door with each an axe. Suddenly they heard she was coming, they were all frightened and she said, « Couvrette, Couvrette ! » and the little dog said, « Yes, I'm to your service; what do you want mistress ? » « Where are my brothers ? » she asked, « Well, they are killed and eaten and I've got all the bones buried behind the porch ! » « Well! » she said, « Tell the prince that if he wants to see me again he's got to have an axe that cuts butter, iron an wood ! » Crack! they cut and there she was disenchanted, she was free. The prince went upstairs in the room and he tied the old witch and her daughter together and burnt them all. So if they're not dead, they're living yet.

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