The Fairy in the Web

I heard this story from Duncan Williamson, a National Treasure of Scotland. He grew up in a very large family, and when he was thirteen there was simply no more room in the house, so he left. He made his living as a tinker, repairing pots and collecting stories. At the end of his life he knew 3,000 some tales in his head--he never wrote them down, though others did. Jokes and stories were one and the same to him.