So the old woman sat by the fire for a time, and when she was leaving gave the corporal a tablecloth.
Said he, "Thank you, marm, kindly, but we soldiers rarely use tablecloths when we are eating our vittles."
"Yes, but this gives you vittles to eat," said the old woman. "Whenever you put this over a table or on the ground and call out 'Be covered!' the finest dinner you could eat at once comes upon it."
"If that is so," said the corporal, "I'll take it and thank you kindly." And with that the old woman departed, and the corporal woke up his comrades and called out: "Tablecloth be covered!" And, sure enough, the finest dinner you could imagine appeared upon the cloth.
Next night the private marched up and down doing sentry-go, when the old woman appeared again and asked to sit by the fire.
"Surely," said the private, "you're as welcome as my own mother would be."
And after she had sat some time by the fire she got up and said:
"Thank you kindly, sir; I hope this will pay you for your trouble." And she gave him a whistle.
"And what's this for?" said the private. "I can't play on the whistle."
"But you can blow it," said she, "and whenever you blow it out will come a regiment of armed men that will do whatever you tell them."