Maureen’s Harp
Maureen
was a hard-working lass who lived with her two sisters,
Meg and Peg, in a small Irish town.
Every day Maureen went to the meadow with their sheep, carrying the harp that was the only thing of value the girls possessed.
Her sisters lay about the house complaining about their poverty.
“You’re the only one who plays that harp well,” Meg and Peg told Maureen, “and we can’t wear melodies or eat music. If we sold the harp we could all have fine clothes and rich food.”
Maureen refused to allow it. To guard the harp, she took it with her each day. She would fill the meadow with music as the sheep grazed nearby.
One spring day, as lilting tunes drew the newly shorn sheep near, Maureen felt a tug on her skirt. To her surprise she saw a leprechaun standing by her knee.
“Maureen,” the leprechaun said, “your music has filtered into our halls beneath the hill. The king of the leprechauns himself invites you to play for our dancing this evening. Would you give us the grand pleasure of your company and talent?”
Maureen hesitated. It was a great honor to be asked to play for the leprechauns, but many who were invited below were never seen again. Still, she could not help but return the leprechaun’s smile.
“Gladly I’ll play,” she said, promising herself that she would take care.
That night Maureen crept from her bed, stealing out of the cottage while her sisters snored.
Such
Dancing and Music!
At the edge of the moonlit meadow, the leprechaun waited.
Grasping Maureen’s hand he began to run. Faster and
faster they sped toward the hill, and suddenly it opened
and they were inside.
Maureen was taken to a large chamber filled with the fairy folk, all in their dancing finest. The leprechaun king greeted her with a smile.
“Welcome,”
he said. “It’s a pleasure having a musician of
your talent among us.”
With no further ado, leprechaun fiddlers started a tune.
Maureen’s toes began to tap. She placed the harp against
her shoulder, and her fingers danced across the strings.
Never was there such dancing and music! Maureen played until her fingers were weary, then danced until she could play again. On and on it went until even the fairy folk could dance no more.
“’Tis a great talent you have,” declared the leprechaun king. “Why waste it with sheep and lazy sisters? Stay here where you are appreciated.”
The offer was tempting, but Maureen shook her head. “We each have our duties,” she replied, “and what would my sisters do without me?”
The king muttered, “They’d work, or they’d starve.” Then he held his peace as Maureen frowned. “Now, what price will you charge for your performance?” he asked. “Shall I cover you with gold for your time and trouble?”
Maureen smiled. “It was payment enough to have your listening ears,” she said.
The king nodded, but there was a gleam in his eye as he sent Maureen home.
Collecting
the Reward
The next morning her sisters rousted Maureen from bed. Seeing
circles under her eyes, they forced the story out of her,
but it only made them angry.
“You turned down gold?” asked Meg. “How could you do that to us?”
“Think of the dresses and jewelry we could have bought!” Peg said. “You always think only of yourself.”
“Today,” they both declared, “we will go to the meadow with the sheep.”
They snatched the harp from Maureen’s tired hands and went on their way, barely remembering to open the gate so the sheep could follow.
At the meadow they took turns strumming and singing. Birds scattered at the sound, and the sheep huddled in the far corners of the field.
It wasn’t long, however, before a leprechaun appeared.
“The king bids me to invite you below,” he said, giving them a peculiar smile.
“We’ll go,” replied Meg, “but he won’t get away as cheaply with us as he did with Maureen.”
Peg nodded in agreement.
The leprechaun said nothing, but led them just as he had led Maureen. Once below, the leprechaun king rose to greet them.
“So,” he murmured, “have you come to collect the reward your sister refused?”
“I thought we came to play the—” Peg began, but Meg elbowed her into silence.
“Of course we want Maureen’s reward,” Meg said. “Did you think you could get away without paying her?”
The king smiled. “Everyone shall receive exactly what she deserves. I offered to cover your sister with gold. Will you accept that reward for her?”
Both girls eagerly nodded.
“Done,” said the king, and his smile widened to such an extent that Meg and Peg wondered if they’d struck such a clever bargain after all.
In a moment their worst fears were realized, for they began to change.
“Maureen!” the sisters cried. “Maaaaaureen! Maaa . . . maaa . . . maaa!”
As the day wore on, Maureen began to worry. Hurrying to the meadow, she found the sheep grazing contentedly. The harp was nearby, but where were her sisters?
They were never found. Maureen could only assume they’d been invited below and had accepted an invitation to stay.
A
Gift from the King
Oddly, two new sheep soon appeared in the flock. They were
ill-mannered ewes, and no one in the village would claim
them.
“Perhaps
these sheep are a gift from the leprechaun king,” Maureen
thought.
She was certain of it the next spring at shearing time. All the other sheep gave fine white wool, but the new sheep’s wool was wiry and yellow.
“It’s gold!” the shearer declared, and indeed it was.
The golden wool made a fine gold cloth that found a ready market, and soon Maureen was a rich woman. Yet she still played the harp in the meadow each day. The sheep seemed to enjoy it, except for the two with the golden wool. Whenever Maureen played, they ran to the farthest corner of the meadow and covered their ears with their hooves.
