Start for Caerfili - Johanna Colgan - Alms-Giving - The Monstrous Female - The Evil Prayer - The Next Day - The Aifrionn - Unclean Spirits - Expectation - Wreaking Vengeance - A decent Alms.
I LEFT Merthyr about twelve o'clock for Caerfili. My course lay along the valley to the south-east. I passed a large village called Troed y Rhiw, or the foot of the slope, from its being at the foot of a lofty elevation, which stands on the left-hand side of the road, and was speeding onward fast, with the Taf at some distance on my right, when I saw a strange-looking woman advancing towards me. She seemed between forty and fifty, was bare-footed and bare-headed, with grizzled hair hanging in elf locks, and was dressed in rags and tatters. When about ten yards from me, she pitched forward, gave three or four grotesque tumbles, heels over head, then standing bolt upright, about a yard before me, raised her right arm, and shouted in a most discordant voice - "Give me an alms, for the glory of God!"I stood still, quite confounded. Presently, however, recovering myself, I said:- "Really, I don't think it would be for the glory of God to give you alms.""Ye don't! Then, Biadh an taifrionn - however, I'll give ye a chance yet. Am I to get my alms or not?""Before I give you alms I must know something about you. Who are you?""Who am I? Who should I be but Johanna Colgan, a bedivilled woman from the county of Limerick?""And how did you become bedevilled?"
"Because a woman something like myself said an evil prayer over me for not giving her an alms, which prayer I have at my tongue's end, and unless I get my alms will say over you. So for your own sake, honey, give me my alms, and let me go on my way.""Oh, I am not to be frightened by evil prayers! I shall give you nothing till I hear all about you.""If I tell ye all about me will ye give me an alms?""Well, I have no objection to give you something if you tell me your story.""Will ye give me a dacent alms?"
"Oh, you must leave the amount to my free will and pleasure. Ishall give you what I think fit."
"Well, so ye shall, honey; and I make no doubt ye will give me a dacent alms, for I like the look of ye, and knew ye to be an Irishman half a mile off. Only four years ago, instead of being a bedivilled woman, tumbling about the world, I was as quiet and respectable a widow as could be found in the county of Limerick. Ihad a nice little farm at an aisy rint, horses, cows, pigs, and servants, and, what was better than all, a couple of fine sons, who were a help and comfort to me. But my black day was not far off.
I was a mighty charitable woman, and always willing to give to the bacahs and other beggars that came about. Every morning, before Iopened my door, I got ready the alms which I intended to give away in the course of the day to those that should ask for them, and Imade so good a preparation that, though plenty of cripples and other unfortunates wandering through the world came to me every day, part of the alms was sure to remain upon my hands every night when I closed my door. The alms which I gave away consisted of meal; and I had always a number of small measures of meal standing ready on a board, one of which I used to empty into the poke of every bacah or other unfortunate who used to place himself at the side of my door and cry out 'Ave Maria!' or 'In the name of God!'