St. John's Day

There was once upon a time a young girl named Billie whose heavenly purpose was to remind those practicing christianity to be frugal. She was quite gifted at her role, showing up at festivals all over the land, and spreading the joy of saving money, and spending less.

On Saint John’s Day in Rome, she once happened upon the Pope, whom waved her into the city to enlighten the happenings. She walked right up to a miller who was poor, and spoke to him like the king himself, and asked him about the consequence of the St. John’s Festival on his milling practice. To Billie, he responded, “This festival is an art, my daughter, and to-morrow we may be poorer than today.” With this Billie jaunted on, as if it were her proof.

Next she happened upon a shopkeeper with a servant, whom was selling spindles and wheels to a small group. Towards his servant he said: “Now set your servant to work, and if by the early morning he has not spun this he shall die.” And he began spinning with great intensity. Young Billie entered the shopkeepers tent, and struck the servant so hard he fell from his work. Next, Billie had no notion of how to spin, but she grabbed the wheel set to work to spin gold from straw. The shopkeeper and the group watched her in amazement, and the shopkeeper asked, “What are you spinning, my daughter?” “Oh!” Answered the girl, “My necklace.” And with a whirr, three times round came bidding for Billie’s necklace.

The King was strolling around as he does during the St. John’s Day festival, and he was so astonished by the sight of Billie spinning, and the bidders shouting out large sums of money, that he had her taken off by the shirt, and he had one of his servants strew cheap necklaces all round the table, so all the festival-goers could have their wish.

Billie then wondered to another area of the festival, where a young couple was sitting eating some of the festival’s iced juice. She walked up to them, and she began to cry. The man looked at Billie, and said, “What would you like me to do?” “Marry this girl,” Answered Billie. And she handed him a ring that she had spun together moments ago. As he could never have had enough gold for a ring, he took Billie’s ring and said, “This, too, will be spun in one night, and you too shall be my wife.” And Billie said, “You are not likely to find any one richer in the whole world, than this man with my ring.” And the girl promised that she would marry the young man.

On the same day, young Billie baked fantastic bread and gave samples to all, put out a fire out that nearly burned a little man to death, collected, and asked the names of two hundred festival attendees, and remembered every one of them, and busted open a barrel of ale as young man took his first drink.

The next morning the King came out to find the festivities done according to his wish, and he was so pleased that he said it should be celebrated every year, and in a year’s time he invited young Billie to the festival again, and again the Pope let her in the city of Rome to enlighten the city in her spectacular way.