This is post #21 of my penance after I have been blacklisted by Hivewatchers for plagiarizing.
No need to upvote this post, as the payout has been declined.
But comments are welcome. I will continue to upvote all meaningful comments.
THE TURKEY SITTER
"King, I will marry him when he has my father’s consent. In the meantime, I still want to keep your turkeys."
Then the king and his son found themselves very embarrassed.
While all this was happening, the other king, driven out by his two daughters, still remained, with his valet, on his small farm. Twenty times a day he said:
“My two eldest daughters are carrion, and my sons-in-law are bad people. If I had my last child, she would keep me company, making me shirts and patching my clothes. Valet, why did you kill her? Why did you bring me her tongue?"
“Master, it was you who ordered it to me."
“So, valet, I was wrong to order it from you. You were wrong to obey me."
"Excuse me, master. I was not wrong, because I did not obey you. Your last daughter is not dead. I placed her in the castle of another king, as a turkey sitter. What you took for her tongue was my dog's tongue."
“So much the better, valet. We will leave immediately to look for the poor thing and bring her back here."
They both left immediately, and seven days later they arrived at the other king's castle.
“Hello, King."
"Hello, my friends. What’s in it for your service?"
"King, I was king myself, and I had a castle as beautiful as yours. My two eldest daughters kicked me out, and my youngest is at your house, tending turkeys. You have to give it back to me."
"My friend, I cannot. My son fell in love with your daughter, to the point that he lost his ability to eat and drink. I'm asking you to marry him for him."
"King, bring my daughter so that she can speak freely. I don't want to marry her by force."
Somebody went to get the turkey sitter.
“Hello father, and company."
"Hello, my daughter. Speak freely. Do you want to marry this young man?"
The young man was as white as flour and trembled like a cow's tail.
“My daughter, speak freely."
"Father, I will marry this young man preferentially to any other. But first I want him and his father to help you retake the castle from which my older sisters chased you."
Then the king and his son immediately assembled all the men of the country and armed them with sabers and guns. All these people set out during the night and made themselves masters of the castle of the two elder sisters, who expected nothing. These two carrions were hanged with their husbands, and their bodies were not taken to holy ground. They were abandoned in a field, and dogs, crows, and magpies gnawed them to the bone.
This is what was done. Then the king said to the father of the turkey sitter:
“My friend, take back your castle and become king again as in times past. Now we must think about the wedding of my son and your daughter."
The people of the country have never seen such a beautiful wedding. A hundred barrels of old wine were poured. I don't know how many calves and sheep were killed. For three days and three nights, a hundred women were busy, night and day, plucking turkeys, capons, and ducks. Whoever wanted to eat and drink. The valet, dressed all new and shining like a chalice, stood behind the bride's chair and let her lack nothing.
“Valet,” said his master, “this is the last time you wait at the table. I want to marry you today."
"Master, you are very honest."
"Valet, we have no shortage of pretty girls here. Choose the one you want."
The valet chooses a girl as pretty as the day, and wise as a picture.
“Master, here is my wife."
"Valet, I want to kiss her. Now, both of you sit down to eat with us and do not let yourselves lack anything. The priest will marry you tomorrow morning. I want to be your godfather. My daughter will be your godmother."
Source: La Gardeuse de dindons, from the French book Contes populaires de la Gascogne, tome 1, published in 1886.
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
Next Tale: The Two Twins
Hello, my name is Vincent Celier.
I am writing translations of folk tales that I found in public domain French books, so that people who do not understand French may enjoy them too.
All is well that ends well.
The two eldest daughters were punished.
The youngest daughter marries the other king's son.
And this time, the trusted valet was not forgotten
As I already said, our family house, the Abbey, was originally built in the XIIth century, more than 850 years ago. Since then, it has been extensively modified and upgraded, but some parts are really old.
For example, most of the exterior walls are original and they are more than one meter wide.
As it is now, the house has three levels: the ground floor, the first floor, and the second floor. For people from North America, in France the first floor is never the ground floor, but the one above it.
Here are some parts of the house that are old:
The chimney in the dining room. We rarely use it, as it does not give a lot of heat.
The staircase from the ground floor to the first floor is also quite old, especially the railing.
The wooden framework that supports the roof is probably not original, but it is certainly quite old, even if it is apparent that some parts have been replaced.
Because the roof is not insulated, the second floor is cold in winter and hot in summer.
Tomorrow morning, I will leave that Abbey and drive first to the farm of my brother Benoit. Then I will go by train to the house of my brother Antoine near Paris.
-- Vincent Celier