Storybook International (1981): Season 1, Episode 5 - Cap O'Rushes - full transcript

I'm the storyteller
And my stories must be told

I have many stories
Tales for both the young and old

I have many voices
To describe many places

Many names have I
And many faces

In Russia I am Ivan
In Sweden I am Jan

In Germany I'm Johan
In America I'm John

From my many travels
I have gathered these tales

To teach you good sense
When all else fails

Sometimes there are tears
Sometimes there is laughter

But always a Happily Ever After

Long ago and far away



there was once a man who
was rich beyond measure.

He had all that he desired.

But if anyone asked him what were
his three most treasured possessions,

he would answer
his three charming daughters.

His daughters possessed everything,
health, wealth and happiness.

They were all devoted to
their father who denied them nothing.

But as his daughters grew
up the rich man began to fear

that they might love him
less as the years went by.

One day the rich man
fell ill with a high fever.

His three daughters
nursed him day and night

and gave him the
very best of care.

Then one evening the rich
man woke from a feverish dream.

And in great distress
he rang for his daughters.

They came quickly
to see what he wanted.



The eldest daughter
offered her father a pillow,

but the rich man didn't want it.

The youngest daughter
offered him a drink,

but again the rich
man shook his head.

Then the middle daughter
offered to read to him,

but the rich man had
no wish to be read to.

So what did he want?

The rich man beckoned to his
youngest daughter.

He wanted to know how
much she loved him.

She replied that she loved
him as she loved life.

The rich man was very pleased.

Then he asked his eldest
daughter how much she loved him.

She smiled and told him that she loved
him better than all the world.

This also made the
rich man very happy.

Then he turned to his middle daughter
and asked how much she loved him.

But when she declared that she loved
him as fresh meat loves salt,

he was very angry.

And cried out that then
she didn't love him at all.

Was this all the reward
he got for years of loving care?

What a cruel and grateful girl.

So with that, he banished
his daughter from his house,

his life and his very thoughts.

His poor daughter left the
bedside in tears.

Her sisters tried to comfort
her as she went to the door

and in great distress
left her father's house

and walked through
the dark forest,

not knowing where she was going
or what she was going to do.

At last, she stopped to rest.

Too tired and unhappy to walk another
step, she sank down onto the ground.

And curling up, it wasn't
long before she fell asleep.

When she woke the next morning,

the sun was shining
and the birds were singing.

And because at heart she was a
sensible girl, she thought to herself,

"It will do me no good to cry.
I could never go home again."

"So today I will start a new life.
To live, I must find a job."

But first, she had to find
her way out of the forest.

She walked on until
she came to a great lake.

The water looked cool and inviting,
so she decided to rest there.

But when she got sight
of her reflection in the water,

she saw that her fine dress and long
hair made her look too rich a lady.

If she wanted a job,
she must find a disguise.

Then she saw some reeds
growing by the side of the lake.

With them,
she could weave herself a hat

which would hide
her long dark tresses.

Then no one would suspect that
she had once been

a wealthy young lady
who had lived in a fine house.

She pulled out, handful after
handful, of the thin green reeds

until she had
collected a large bunch.

But she still needed something
to hide her fine dress.

What could she use?

Then she saw lying in
the hollow of an old tree,

some sacks, that a woodman
must have left behind.

She shook them out.

There were three all together.

That would be plenty for
her to make a disguise with.

Now, although she had never ever
done a day's work in her life,

she had been taught
to weave and sew.

She soon set to work undoing the
sacks and worked away quite heavily.

Soon she had shaped an arm.

Having fashioned a needle from a
piece of wood, she continued to sew.

When she had
finished her sewing,

she began plating the reeds
together to make the hat.

She worked on,
and for a while she was so busy,

she forgot all
about her troubles.

At last, the hat was finished.
She tried it all.

It fitted perfectly,

and there was plenty of room
inside it for her to hide her hair.

When the hat was in place, she tried
the rest of her disguise on.

The sackcoat did
indeed hide her fine dress.

No longer did she look
like a rich young lady.

Now she looked like a
poor girl in need of work.

Away she hurried.

She had not walked far when
she came to a great house.

It was such a grand house she was sure
they would need many maids there.

So she walked bravely
up to the front door.

She did so hope
they would give her a job.

She nod, gently.

And the door was opened
by an elderly man servant.

"Yes", he said roughly.

"Excuse me, but I wonder if
your mistress has needed a maid?"

"I will do any work. I ask only
for a little food and shelter."

The man servant
answered shortly.

"If you can wash pans and scrub
floors then you can stay."

She was overjoyed.

So she stayed and worked
hard for her keep.

The floors had never
been so sparkly and clean.

And the pots and pans
had never shone so bright.

And because none of the
servants knew her name,

they called her Cap O' Rushes
after the hat she always wore.

One morning there was
great excitement in the kitchen.

A ball was to be held
at the house that evening

and all the servants were to
be allowed to go and watch.

But when the maid's asked
Cap O' Rushes if she was going,

she just took her head.

She was too tired
and would rather go to bed.

The maids chatted on thinking how "Cap
O' Rushes" would miss all the fun.

But Cap just smiled.

That night when all the other maids
had gone down to the ballroom,

Cap O' Rushes washed herself
and then taking off her sack and hat.

She tied it herself up.

And off she went to the ball.

The ball had already begun.

The air was filled with music.

Some of the guests danced
while others laughed and talked.

When Cap O' Rushes entered,

she looked so beautiful in her fine
dress and with her long dark hair

that no one recognized
her as the scallery maid,

who scrapped the floor so hard
and cleaned the pots and pans.

And when the young master caught sight
of Cap O' Rushes across the room,

he thought she was the most
beautiful creature he had ever seen

and fell in love with
her immediately.

Cap O' Rushes looked radiant,
but she so loved to dance.

And she did find the
young man quite enchanted.

And the young master was quite
bewitched

and would dance with no other.

The maids wondered who the
beautiful young lady was

and, so did the young master.

But Cap O' Rushes would
tell him nothing about herself,

not even her name.

Knowing that she was leave
the ball before the others,

Cap O' Rushes waited until the
young master was called away.

And then she slipped
quickly out.

The young master was first upset to
see that the beautiful lady had gone.

And he knew nowhere
finding her again.

Cap O' Rushes was safely in bed when
the other maids returned from the ball.

And though her heart was
beating so hard she was sure

that they would hear,
she pretended to be asleep.

In the kitchen the next morning,

the maids were chattering
in great excitement.

Cap O' Rushes listened as they talked
about the beautiful young lady

who had danced with the
young master all evening.

No one, not even the master knew
who she was or where she came from.

There was to be another ball next week.
Perhaps she would return then.

Cap O' Rushes said
nothing but smiled.

The evening of the
ball came round again.

Cap O' Rushes waited
until all the maids had gone.

Then she took off her disguise
and made her way to the ball.

No sooner had Cap
O' Rushes appeared

than the young master
presented himself.

Again the couple danced
together all evening.

Cap O' Rushes looked so radiant

that the young man could
not take his eyes off her.

He tried to discover
who Cap O' Rushes was

but she would tell him
nothing about herself.

All the other guests also wondered
who the mysterious young lady was.

Cap O' Rushes and the
young master danced on.

Cap O' Rushes so wished she could
tell the young master her secret

but she knew she mustn't.

The maids watched and giggled.

They'd certainly have something to
tell Cap O' Rushes in the morning.

At last Cap O' Rushes and the
young master stopped dancing.

Suddenly he took
off his ring and said,

"take this as a
token of my love."

"Please, I must see you again."

And just as he was hoping
she might tell him her name,

someone called to him
and Cap O' Rushes slipped away.

The young master
was very unhappy

when he discovered the beautiful
lady had disappeared again.

Where or where
would he ever find her?

That night when Cap O'
Rushes was safely in bed,

she gazed lovingly at the ring.

Where she too had fallen in
love with the young master.

But she could do nothing.

The young master searched
everywhere for the young lady

but no one had seen her.

In his despair the young
man took to his bed

and each day grew
weaker and weaker.

There was great
sorrow in the house.

When Cap O' Rushes heard
of the young master's illness,

she came quickly to the cook
and asked if she might help.

"Make some soup for the master",
said the cook.

Cap O' Rushes
happy to do something,

prepared some vegetable
soup for the young master.

Somehow she had to
get a message to him,

for she could not bear to think
of him dying of a broken heart.

Easily she worked away
and soon the soup was cooking.

Now she knew what she must do.

When no one was looking, she quickly
took out the master's ring.

Knowing there was no other
way to get a message to him,

Cap O' Rushes dropped
the ring into the soup.

And then took out the tray.

She gave the tray to the cook

who was to take it up to
the young master's room.

Soon, every bell in
the house was ringing,

and work came down that the
young master wanted to know

who had made the soup.

The cook sent Cap O' Rushes
up to the master's room.

The young master was sitting
pale and listless in a chair

when Cap O' Rushes entered.

"Come closer,"
ordered the young master.

"Did you prepare the soup?"
He asked.

"Yes," said Cap O' Rushes.

"Then where did
you get this ring?"

Cap O' Rushes said very softly,

"The person I love
gave it to me."

And with a gentle smile,
she slowly took off her hat.

The young master
couldn't believe it.

For before his very eyes,

the little scallery made was turning
into the beautiful young lady.

All the time he had been
searching for her,

she had been
under his very own roof.

At last,
he had found his true love.

And never again would
he let her out of his sight.

It made no difference to him

if she were a scallery maid,
or a Princess.

They would never
be parted again.

When the wedding was announced,

Cap O' Rushes came
into the kitchen and said,

"Please, cook all the
meat dishes without salt."

Cock was shocked.
"It'll taste awful," she said.

For everyone knew
that meat needed salt.

But she did as Cap O' Rushes said.

The wedding went as planned and the
young couple looked radiant.

Now all the rich and important
people of the district

had been invited to the wedding.

The young master had also invited
the rich man and his two daughters,

little knowing that he was
Cap O' Rushes' father.

The rich man did not know
who the mysterious bride was

until he arrived at the wedding.

Cap O' Rushes' sisters were
delighted to see her again.

The rich man said nothing
in front of the other guests,

but he had not
forgiven his daughter.

He was still very angry,

but out of politeness
he stayed on for the feast.

Poor Cap O' Rushes did so want
to be reunited with her father.

Just then, the young master
rose and proposed a toast.

When suddenly,
sobing was heard.

It was the rich man.

All the guests stared.
"What's the matter", one asked?

Cried the rich man,
"I once had a daughter"

"who I loved and when I asked
how much she loved me,"

"she said 'as fresh meat loves salt.'"

"I cast her out, but now
I understand what she meant."

Cap O' Rushes tried
to comfort her father

and seeing him so unhappy,
she too began to cry.

"Do you forgive me?" he sobbed.

Cap O' Rushes nodded and the
young master now understood

the reason
for his wife's secrecy.

So Cap O' Rushes was at last
reunited with her family.

All the offending meat dishes
were removed from the table

and delicious new
ones brought in.

The wedding feast
ended joyfully for all

and the happiest person
was Cap O' Rushes,

for she had at last proved
her love for her father

and also found
her own true love.

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