Belief about Feet Water

transcribed at

Belief about Feet Water  [duchas:4732539]

There was once a poor family and the mother being sick, the father had to remain up all night to attend to her. The children were young, and they all went to bed, and left the kitchen very untidy.
At midnight, a knock came to the door. The father opened it, and three foxy women came in. They asked him for a drink of water. He said the children forgot to bring it in.

Belief about Feet Water  [duchas:4732540]

He went to the well with the pail, and as he filled the water a voice spoke from beyond the well (He recognized the voice as that of his father's who was dead some years.) The voice said, "go home at once and say 'The foxy women's mountain was one fire; Then when the women run out, put the feet-water out-side the door, take a piece out of the cake, brush the ashes well off the hearth, leave no clothes on the chairs, clean the floor and go to bed."
The poor man did so in a hurry. The women ran out, screaming that their children were burned in the mountain; and when he got them out, he did everything he was told, bolted the door, and went to bed, clothes and all.

Belief about Feet Water  [duchas:4732541]

In ten minutes they landed, and again knocked at the door, when they got no answer, they called to the feet-water to let them in. "I can't" said the feet water, "as I am as far out as yourself," They called to the cake, "no," said the cake, "for someone broke me," They called to the chairs, "no," said the chairs, "I'm quite empty," and so on, they kept asking but everything was done right.
Then the cock crew, and the women disappeared, but ever after, that family did everything right before they went to bed and the fairies kept out.