Hudden and Dudden and Donald O'Neary
by Joseph Jacobs · from Collected Folk Tales
Adapted Version
Once upon a time, two greedy farmers lived. Their names were Hudden and Dudden. They had many animals and big farms. But they were not happy. Their neighbor was a poor man named Donald. Donald had one gentle cow named Daisy. Hudden and Dudden wanted Donald's little field. They were very jealous.
One day, they made a mean plan. They went to Daisy's shed. They scared Daisy away. Poor Daisy ran off into the night. Donald was sad when he found her gone.
But Donald was clever, very clever. He took Daisy's soft blanket to the market. He put shiny coins in the blanket. At the market, he showed everyone. He hit the blanket, a coin fell out! "Wow!" said a man at a stall. The man gave Donald coins for the blanket.
Later, Donald borrowed a scale from Hudden. He weighed his new coins at home. A coin stuck to the scale. When Donald returned it, Hudden saw the coin. Hudden ran to tell Dudden. "Look! Donald has shiny coins!" he said.
They went to see Donald. "Where did you get coins?" they asked. Donald smiled. "From Daisy's blanket," he said. "Blankets are worth lots of coins now!" Hudden and Dudden believed him.
Next day, they took blankets from their animals. They went to the market to sell them. "Blankets for sale!" they called. But people just laughed at them. "Those are not magic!" everyone said. Hudden and Dudden felt very silly.
They were angry at Donald. They caught Donald, put him in a sack. "We will take you away!" they said. They carried the sack to a snack shop. They left the sack outside for a treat.
Inside the sack, Donald had an idea. "I don't want the fun party!" he shouted. A passing Farmer heard him. "What party?" asked the Farmer. Donald told him about a big, fun party. "I can't go. You can go instead!" said Donald. The Farmer was excited. "Oh boy! I'd like that!" They switched places. The Farmer got in the sack.
Hudden and Dudden came back. They carried the sack to a small pond. They threw the sack into the water. SPLASH! The Farmer got very wet. He climbed out, looking confused.
Donald took the Farmer's sheep and goats home. Hudden and Dudden saw Donald with new animals. "Where did they come from?" they asked. "From the magic pond!" said Donald. "The pond gives you animals!" Hudden and Dudden wanted animals too.
They jumped into the pond to get some. But they just got stuck in the mud. They felt very silly and embarrassed. They had to help each other get out.
Donald lived happily with his new animals. Hudden and Dudden learned a lesson. Being greedy can get you in trouble. But being clever helps you out. They all learned to share and be kind.
Original Story
HUDDEN AND DUDDEN AND DONALD O'NEARY
here was once upon a time two farmers, and their names were Hudden and Dudden. They had poultry in their yards, sheep on the uplands, and scores of cattle in the meadow-land alongside the river. But for all that they weren't happy. For just between their two farms there lived a poor man by the name of Donald O'Neary. He had a hovel over his head and a strip of grass that was barely enough to keep his one cow, Daisy, from starving, and, though she did her best, it was but seldom that Donald got a drink of milk or a roll of butter from Daisy. You would think there was little here to make Hudden and Dudden jealous, but so it [55] is, the more one has the more one wants, and Donald's neighbours lay awake of nights scheming how they might get hold of his little strip of grass-land. Daisy, poor thing, they never thought of; she was just a bag of bones.
One day Hudden met Dudden, and they were soon grumbling as usual, and all to the tune of "If only we could get that vagabond Donald O'Neary out of the country."
"Let's kill Daisy," said Hudden at last; "if that doesn't make him clear out, nothing will."
No sooner said than agreed; and it wasn't dark before Hudden and Dudden crept up to the little shed where lay poor Daisy trying her best to chew the cud, though she hadn't had as much grass in the day as would cover your hand. And when Donald came to see if Daisy was all snug for the night, the poor beast had only time to lick his hand once before she died.
Well, Donald was a shrewd fellow, and down-hearted though he was, began to think if he could get any good out of Daisy's death. He thought and he thought, and the next day you could have seen him trudging off early to the fair, Daisy's hide over his shoulder, every penny he had jingling in his pockets. Just before he got to the fair, he made several slits in the hide, put a penny in each slit, walked into the best inn of the town as bold as if it belonged to him, and, hanging the hide up to a nail in the wall, sat down.
"Some of your best whisky," says he to the land [56] lord. But the landlord didn't like his looks. "Is it fearing I won't pay you, you are?" says Donald; "why I have a hide here that gives me all the money I want." And with that he hit it a whack with his stick and out hopped a penny. The landlord opened his eyes, as you may fancy.
"What'll you take for that hide?"
"It's not for sale, my good man."
"Will you take a gold piece?"
"It's not for sale, I tell you. Hasn't it kept me and mine for years?" and with that Donald hit the hide another whack and out jumped a second penny.
Well, the long and the short of it was that Donald let the hide go, and, that very evening, who but he should walk up to Hudden's door?
"Good-evening, Hudden. Will you lend me your best pair of scales?"
Hudden stared and Hudden scratched his head, but he lent the scales.
When Donald was safe at home, he pulled out his pocketful of bright gold and began to weigh each piece in the scales. But Hudden had put a lump of butter at the bottom, and so the last piece of gold stuck fast to the scales when he took them back to Hudden.
If Hudden had stared before, he stared ten times more now, and no sooner was Donald's back turned, than he was off as hard as he could pelt to Dudden's.
"Good-evening, Dudden. That vagabond, bad luck to him——" [57]
"You mean Donald O'Neary?"
"And who else should I mean? He's back here weighing out sackfuls of gold."
"How do you know that?"
"Here are my scales that he borrowed, and here's a gold piece still sticking to them."
Off they went together, and they came to Donald's door. Donald had finished making the last pile of ten gold pieces. And he couldn't finish because a piece had stuck to the scales.
In they walked without an "If you please" or "By your leave."
"Well, I never!" that was all they could say.
"Good-evening, Hudden; good-evening Dudden. Ah! you thought you had played me a fine trick, but [58] you never did me a better turn in all your lives When I found poor Daisy dead, I thought to myself, 'Well, her hide may fetch something'; and it did. Hides are worth their weight in gold in the market just now."
Hudden nudged Dudden, and Dudden winked at Hudden.
"Good-evening, Donald O'Neary."
"Good-evening, kind friends."
The next day there wasn't a cow or a calf that belonged to Hudden or Dudden but her hide was going to the fair in Hudden's biggest cart drawn by Dudden's strongest pair of horses.
When they came to the fair, each one took a hide over his arm, and there they were walking through the fair, bawling out at the top of their voices: "Hides to sell! hides to sell!"
Out came the tanner:
"How much for your hides, my good men?"
"Their weight in gold."
"It's early in the day to come out of the tavern." That was all the tanner said, and back he went to his yard.
"Hides to sell! Fine fresh hides to sell!"
Out came the cobbler:
"How much for your hides, my men?"
"Their weight in gold."
"Is it making game of me you are! Take that for your pains," and the cobbler dealt Hudden a blow that made him stagger.
Up the people came running from one end of the [59] fair to the other. "What 's the matter? What's the matter?" cried they.
"Here are a couple of vagabonds selling hides at their weight in gold," said the cobbler.
"Hold 'em fast; hold 'em fast!" bawled the innkeeper, who was the last to come up, he was so fat. "I'll wager it's one of the rogues who tricked me out of thirty gold pieces yesterday for a wretched hide."
It was more kicks than halfpence that Hudden and Dudden got before they were well on their way home again, and they didn't run the slower because all the dogs of the town were at their heels.
Well, as you may fancy, if they loved Donald little before, they loved him less now.
"What's the matter, friends?" said he, as he saw them tearing along, their hats knocked in, and their coats torn off, and their faces black and blue. "Is it fighting you've been? or mayhap you met the police, ill luck to them?"
"We'll police you, you vagabond. It's mighty smart you thought yourself, deluding us with your lying tales."
"Who deluded you? Didn't you see the gold with your own two eyes?"
But it was no use talking. Pay for it he must, and should. There was a meal-sack handy, and into it Hudden and Dudden popped Donald O'Neary, tied him up tight, ran a pole through the knot, and off they started for the Brown Lake of the Bog, each with a pole-end on his shoulder, and Donald O'Neary between. [60]
But the Brown Lake was far, the road was dusty, Hudden and Dudden were sore and weary, and parched with thirst. There was an inn by the roadside.
"Let's go in," said Hudden; "I'm dead beat. It's heavy he is for the little he had to eat."
If Hudden was willing, so was Dudden. As for Donald, you may be sure his leave wasn't asked, but he was lumped down at the inn door for all the world as if he had been a sack of potatoes.
"Sit still, you vagabond," said Dudden; "if we don't mind waiting, you needn't."
Donald held his peace, but after a while he heard the glasses clink, and Hudden singing away at the top of his voice.
"I won't have her, I tell you; I won't have her!" said Donald. But nobody heeded what he said.
"I won't have her, I tell you; I won't have her!" said Donald; and this time he said it louder; but nobody heeded what he said.
"I won't have her, I tell you; I won't have her!" said Donald; and this time he said it as loud as he could.
"And who won't you have, may I be so bold as to ask?" said a farmer, who had just come up with a drove of cattle, and was turning in for a glass.
"It's the king's daughter. They are bothering the life out of me to marry her."
"You're the lucky fellow. I'd give something to be in your shoes."
"Do you see that now! Wouldn't it be a fine [61] thing for a farmer to be marrying a princess, all dressed in gold and jewels?"
"Jewels, do you say? Ah, now, couldn't you take me with you?"
"Well, you're an honest fellow, and as I don't care for the king's daughter, though she's as beautiful as the day, and is covered with jewels from top to toe, you shall have her. Just undo the cord and let me out; they tied me up tight, as they knew I'd run away from her."
Out crawled Donald; in crept the farmer.
"Now lie still, and don't mind the shaking; it's only rumbling over the palace steps you'll be. And maybe they'll abuse you for a vagabond, who won't have the king's daughter; but you needn't mind that. Ah! it's a deal I'm giving up for you, sure as it is that I don't care for the princess."
"Take my cattle in exchange," said the farmer; and you may guess it wasn't long before Donald was at their tails driving them homewards.
Out came Hudden and Dudden, and the one took one end of the pole, and the other the other.
"I'm thinking he's heavier," said Hudden.
"Ah, never mind," said Dudden; "it's only a step now to the Brown Lake."
"I'll have her now! I'll have her now!" bawled the farmer, from inside the sack.
"By my faith and you shall though," said Hudden, and he laid his stick across the sack.
"I'll have her! I'll have her!" bawled the farmer, louder than ever. [62]
"Well, here you are," said Dudden, for they were now come to the Brown Lake, and, unslinging the sack, they pitched it plump into the lake.
"You'll not be playing your tricks on us any longer," said Hudden.
"True for you," said Dudden. "Ah, Donald, my boy, it was an ill day when you borrowed my scales."
Off they went, with a light step and an easy heart, but when they were near home, whom should they see but Donald O'Neary, and all around him the cows were grazing, and the calves were kicking up their heels and butting their heads together.
"Is it you, Donald?" said Dudden. "Faith you've been quicker than we have."
"True for you, Dudden, and let me thank you kindly; the turn was good, if the will was ill. You'll have heard, like me, that the Brown Lake leads to the Land of Promise. I always put it down as lies, but it is just as true as my word. Look at the cattle."
Hudden stared, and Dudden gaped; but they couldn't get over the cattle: fine fat cattle they were too.
"It's only the worst I could bring up with me," said Donald O'Neary; "the others were so fat, there was no driving them. Faith, too, it's little wonder they didn't care to leave, with grass as far as you could see, and as sweet and juicy as fresh butter."
"Ah, now, Donald, we haven't always been friends," said Dudden, "but, as I was just saying, you were ever a decent lad, and you'll show us the way, won't you?" [63]
"I don't see that I'm called upon to do that; there is a power more cattle down there. Why shouldn't I have them all to myself?"
"Faith, they may well say, the richer you get, the harder the heart. You always were a neighbourly lad, Donald. You wouldn't wish to keep the luck all to yourself?"
"True for you, Hudden, though 'tis a bad example you set me. But I'll not be thinking of old times. There is plenty for all there, so come along with me."
Off they trudged, with a light heart and an eager step. When they came to the Brown Lake the sky was full of little white clouds, and, if the sky was full, the lake was as full.
"Ah! now, look, there they are," cried Donald, as he pointed to the clouds in the lake.
"Where? where?" cried Hudden, and "Don't be greedy!" cried Dudden, as he jumped his hardest to be up first with the fat cattle. But if he jumped first, Hudden wasn't long behind.
They never came back. Maybe they got too fat, like the cattle. As for Donald O'Neary, he had cattle and sheep all his days to his heart's content.
[64]
Story DNA
Moral
Greed and envy can lead to one's own downfall, while cleverness can overcome adversity.
Plot Summary
Envious farmers Hudden and Dudden kill their poor neighbor Donald O'Neary's only cow. Donald, a clever trickster, uses the cow's hide to feign wealth, leading the greedy farmers to kill their own cattle in hopes of similar riches, only to be humiliated. Seeking revenge, Hudden and Dudden attempt to drown Donald, but he tricks a passing farmer into taking his place in the sack. Donald then returns with the farmer's cattle, convincing Hudden and Dudden that the lake leads to a 'Land of Promise,' causing them to jump in and drown themselves, leaving Donald to live prosperously.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Joseph Jacobs collected and retold this tale, which is part of a broader European folk tradition of trickster figures outsmarting greedy antagonists.
Plot Beats (15)
- Hudden and Dudden, two rich farmers, are envious of their poor neighbor, Donald O'Neary, who owns only one cow, Daisy.
- Hudden and Dudden conspire and kill Daisy to force Donald out.
- Donald, though sad, takes Daisy's hide to the fair, placing pennies in slits to make it appear magical.
- At an inn, Donald demonstrates the 'money-making' hide, selling it to the innkeeper for a large sum of gold.
- Donald borrows Hudden's scales, leaving a gold piece stuck, which alerts Hudden and Dudden to his newfound wealth.
- Donald tells Hudden and Dudden that hides are currently worth their weight in gold, implying Daisy's hide was valuable.
- Hudden and Dudden, driven by greed, kill all their own cattle and attempt to sell the hides at the fair, resulting in them being beaten and ridiculed.
- Enraged, Hudden and Dudden capture Donald, put him in a sack, and carry him towards the Brown Lake to drown him.
- Stopping at an inn for a drink, they leave Donald in the sack outside.
- Donald loudly pretends to refuse to marry the king's daughter, attracting the attention of a passing farmer.
- Donald convinces the farmer to take his place in the sack to marry the princess, exchanging places with him.
- Hudden and Dudden return, unaware of the switch, and throw the sack (containing the farmer) into the Brown Lake.
- Donald returns home with the farmer's cattle, claiming they came from the 'Land of Promise' via the lake.
- Hudden and Dudden, seeing Donald's new wealth and believing his story, eagerly jump into the Brown Lake themselves to get more cattle.
- Hudden and Dudden are never seen again, and Donald lives prosperously with his new herd.
Characters
Donald O'Neary ★ protagonist
Poor, but shrewd and resourceful.
Attire: Simple, worn peasant clothes; carries a stick.
Shrewd, clever, resilient, opportunistic.
Image Prompt & Upload
A young man in his late teens with a determined expression, standing confidently with shoulders back. He has short, tousled auburn hair and bright green eyes. He wears a simple forest-green tunic over dark brown trousers, sturdy leather boots, and a worn leather belt. A small leather satchel is slung over his shoulder. His posture is ready for adventure, one hand resting on his hip. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Hudden ⚔ antagonist
A farmer, implied to be well-off but greedy.
Attire: Farmer's attire, likely sturdy and practical.
Greedy, jealous, cruel, easily tricked.
Image Prompt & Upload
A tall, gaunt man with a sharp, angular face and pale skin. His eyes are narrow and cold, glinting with cunning. He has slicked-back dark hair and a thin, sinister smile. He wears a high-collared, dark velvet tunic with silver embroidery over black trousers and polished boots. His posture is rigid and imposing, one hand resting on the pommel of a slender, dark staff. The setting is a dimly lit stone chamber with heavy tapestries. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Dudden ⚔ antagonist
A farmer, implied to be well-off but greedy.
Attire: Farmer's attire, likely sturdy and practical.
Greedy, jealous, cruel, easily tricked.
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged man with a gaunt face, sharp cheekbones, and cold, calculating eyes. His hair is dark and slicked back severely, and he has a neatly trimmed pointed beard. He wears a long, high-collared black coat with subtle silver embroidery over a dark waistcoat and trousers. He stands tall with a condescending smirk, one hand resting on the silver head of a black cane, the other on his hip. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Daisy ○ minor
A 'bag of bones', very thin and underfed.
Loyal (licks Donald's hand before dying), long-suffering.
Image Prompt & Upload
A young girl around eight years old with a bright, curious expression and rosy cheeks. She has wavy, sun-bleached blonde hair tied in two messy pigtails with green ribbons. She wears a simple, light-yellow dress with a pattern of small white daisies, a pair of scuffed brown ankle boots, and a straw sunhat hanging down her back. She is in a playful skipping pose, mid-stride, holding a small woven basket overflowing with freshly picked wildflowers. She is in a sun-dappled, grassy meadow. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Farmer ◆ supporting
A farmer who owns a drove of cattle.
Attire: Farmer's attire.
Gullible, eager for wealth and status.
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged man with a kind, weathered face and gentle smile. He has short, salt-and-pepper hair and stubble. He wears a simple, faded brown tunic over a linen shirt, patched trousers, and sturdy leather boots. A wide-brimmed straw hat rests on his head. He stands in a relaxed, friendly pose, holding a wooden pitchfork in one hand, the other resting on his hip. His posture is slightly stooped from years of labor. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Donald O'Neary's Hovel and Strip of Grass
A small, poor dwelling with a barely sufficient strip of grass, just enough to keep one cow from starving, nestled between the larger farms of Hudden and Dudden.
Mood: meager, vulnerable, target of jealousy
Daisy is killed by Hudden and Dudden.
Image Prompt & Upload
At dusk, a small, weathered hovel of gray stone and a sagging thatched roof sits on a thin strip of pale, struggling grass. The meager plot is bordered by a low, crumbling stone wall. Beyond it, the prosperous, rolling fields of neighboring farms glow in the last amber sunlight, their sturdy barns and lush pastures contrasting sharply with the humble dwelling. The sky is a gradient of dusky purple and soft orange, with a few early stars appearing. The air feels still and quiet, emphasizing the isolation of the tiny property. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Best Inn of the Town (at the Fair)
A bustling inn, likely well-appointed, where Donald boldly enters and hangs Daisy's hide on a nail in the wall.
Mood: lively, bustling, initially skeptical but quickly amazed
Donald tricks the landlord into buying Daisy's hide for gold, pretending it magically produces money.
Image Prompt & Upload
Evening at a bustling fairground inn, warm golden light spilling from its open door and large windows. The two-story timber-framed building features a sturdy oak sign depicting a golden crown, swaying gently. Inside, visible through the windows, a great stone fireplace glows, illuminating walls of rich, dark wood adorned with colorful tapestries and a prominent empty nail. The lively courtyard is strung with paper lanterns and festive banners, their colors deep red and gold. Cobblestone ground reflects the lantern light. Surrounding the inn are merchant stalls draped in fabrics, with distant silhouettes of fair tents and a twilight sky of deep blue and purple. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Roadside Inn
An inn located by a dusty road, offering respite for weary travelers. Donald is left outside, lumped down at the door like a sack of potatoes.
Mood: weary, temporary relief, deceptive
Donald, tied in a sack, tricks a passing farmer into taking his place by pretending to be forced to marry the king's daughter.
Image Prompt & Upload
Evening at a dusty roadside inn, golden hour light casting long shadows. A rustic timber-framed building with a thatched roof and warm, glowing windows sits beside a well-worn dirt path. A gnarled old tree stands nearby, its leaves dusty. Tall, dry grass lines the road. The atmosphere is quiet and inviting, with a sense of weary travel. Colors are warm amber, dusty brown, and soft gold. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Brown Lake of the Bog
A dark, murky lake in a bog, the intended destination for Donald's demise. Later, it reflects the sky full of little white clouds.
Mood: ominous, deceptive, ultimately ironic
Hudden and Dudden throw the farmer (mistaking him for Donald) into the lake. Later, they jump into the lake themselves, believing it leads to a land of riches.
Image Prompt & Upload
A dark, murky brown lake sits at the center of a vast, eerie bog in late afternoon light. The still water perfectly mirrors a sky filled with scattered, fluffy white clouds. Twisted, leafless trees draped in grey moss frame the scene, their reflections wavering slightly on the lake's surface. The boggy shore is a mix of deep green moss, dark peat, and stagnant, shallow pools. The atmosphere is heavy, quiet, and melancholic, with a cool, diffused light casting long shadows. Colors are muted earth tones of brown, deep green, and grey, sharply contrasted by the bright white clouds in the sky and their watery reflections. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
