It's interesting to note that this legend goes back to 1600's in China. The Field Museum in Chicago has an exposition of Chinese clothing in which the characters of the John Riley story are depicted. The man returns from the wars to test the fidelity of his intended.

One of my fave versions is Pete Seeger's on the 10" LP Darlin' Corey which needs to be released as a CD by Folksays/Smithsonian.

Frank