THE BABY-FARMER. Old
Kaddy was a baby-farmer, and one day she went to the woods to gather
sticks for her fire, and whilst she was gathering the sticks she found
a piece of gold, and took it home; but she never told anyone she had
found the money, for she always pretended to be very poor. But
though she was so poor, she used to dress two of her children in fine
clothes; but the others, whom she did not like, she kept in the
filthiest rags. One day a man knocked at her door, and asked to see the children. He
sat down in her little room, and she went and brought the ragged little
boy and girl, saying she was very poor, and couldn't afford to dress
them better; for she had been careful to hide the well-dressed little
boy and girl in a cockloft. After
the stranger had gone she went to the cockloft to look for her
well-dressed favourites, but they had disappeared, and they were never
seen afterwards, for they were turned into fairies."
