Swedish
Fairy Tales and Fairies
TRANSLATOR'S
NOTExi"
LARS,
MY LAD!"1
THE
SAUSAGE27
THE
OLD WOMAN AND THE TRAMP33
WHAT
SHALL BABY'S NAME BE?42
ST.
PETER AND THE TWO WOMEN53
THE
OLD WOMAN AND THE FISH62
THE
VALIANT CHANTICLEER68
TWIGMUNTUS,
COWBELLIANTUS, PERCHNOSIUS78
THE
LAD AND THE FOX85
OLD
NICK AND THE GIRL87
THE
STONE STATUE96
THE
ARTFUL LAD102
"ALL
I POSSESS!"130
KATIE
GREY137
THE
COCK AND THE CRESTED HEN14
8OLD
NICK AND THE PEDLAR151
WHY
THE EXECUTIONER IS CALLED ASSESSOR161
THE
PARSON AND THE CLERK170
TRANSLATOR'S
NOTE
i]
The
interesting and characteristic collection of Swedish Folk and Fairy
Tales published by Baron Djurklou nearly twenty years ago, has, strange
to say, escaped the attention of folk-lorists outside the country of
their origin. They are written in the dialect of the Swedish peasantry,
to the study of which the author has devoted so much time and labour,
and they may therefore have presented difficulties in the way of
translation into other languages. In the present English version of a
selection from the tales the translator has tried to retain as far as
possible the humorous and colloquial style of the original. The
illustrations in the body of the book are by T. Kittelsen and E.
Werenskiold, two well-known Norwegian artists, and the frontispiece is
by Carl Larsson, the prince of Swedish illustrators.
H.
L. B.
"LARS,
MY LAD!"
[Pg 1]
There
was once a prince or a duke, or something of that sort, but at any rate
he belonged to a very grand family, and he would not stop at home. So
he travelled all over the world, and wherever he went he was well
liked, and was received in the best and gayest families, for he had no
end of money. He made friends and acquaintances, as you may imagine,
wherever he went, for he who has a well-filled trough is sure to fall
in with pigs who want to have their fill. But he went on spending his
money until he came to want, and at last his purse became so empty that
he had not even a farthing left. And now there was an end to all his
friends as well, for they behaved like the pigs; when the trough was
empty and he had no more to give them, they began to grunt and grin,
and then they ran away in all directions. There he stood alone with a
long face. Everybody had been so willing to help him to get rid of his
money, but nobody would help him in return; and so there was nothing
for it but to trudge home and beg for crusts on the way.[Pg 2]
So
late one evening he came to a great forest. He did not know where he
should find a shelter for the night, but he went on looking and
searching till he caught sight of an old tumble-down hut, which stood
in the middle of some bushes. It was not exactly good enough for such a
fine cavalier, but when you cannot get what you want you must take what
you can get. And, since there was no help for it, he went into the hut.
Not a living soul was to be seen; there was not even a stool to sit
upon, but alongside the wall stood a big chest. What could there be
inside that chest? If only there were some bits of mouldy bread in it!
How nice they would taste! For, you must know, he had not had a single
bit of food the whole day, and he was so hungry and his stomach so
empty that it groaned with pain. He lifted the lid. But inside the
chest there was another chest, and inside that chest there was another;
and so it went on, each one smaller than the other, until they became
quite tiny boxes. The more there were the harder he worked away, for
there must be something very fine inside, he thought, since it was so
well hidden.
At
last he came to a tiny, little box, and in this box lay a bit of
paper—and that was all he got for his trouble! It was very
annoying, of
course, but then he discovered there was something written on the
paper, and when he looked at it he was just able to spell it out,
although at first it looked somewhat difficult.[Pg 3]
"Lars,
my lad!"
As
he pronounced these words something answered right in his ear:
"What
are master's orders?"
He
looked round, but he saw nobody. This was very funny, he thought, and
so he read out the words once more:
"Lars,
my lad!"
And
the answer came as before:
"What
are master's orders?"
But
he did not see anybody this time either.
"If
there is anybody about who hears what I say, then be kind enough to
bring me something to eat," he said. And the next moment there stood a
table laid out with all the best things one could think of. He set to
work to eat and drink, and had a proper fill. He had never enjoyed
himself so much in all his life, he thought.
When
he had eaten all he could get down, he began to feel sleepy, and so he
took out the paper again:
"Lars,
my lad!"
"What
are master's orders?"
"Well,
you have given me food and drink, and now you must get me a bed to
sleep in as well. But I want a really fine bed," he said, for you must
know he was a little more bold now that his hunger was stayed. Well,
there it stood, a bed so fine and dainty that even the king himself
might covet it. Now this was all very well in its way; but when once you[Pg 4] are
well off you wish for still more, and he had no sooner got into bed
than he began to think that the room was altogether too wretched for
such a grand bed. So he took out the paper again:
"Lars,
my lad!"
"What
are master's orders?"
"Since
you are able to get me such food and such a bed here in the midst of
the wild forest, I suppose you can manage to get me a better room, for
you see I am accustomed to sleep in a palace, with golden mirrors and
draped walls and ornaments and comforts of all kinds," he said. Well,
he had no sooner spoken the words than he found himself lying in the
grandest chamber anybody had ever seen.
Now
he was comfortable, he thought, and felt quite satisfied as he turned
his face to the wall and closed his eyes.
But
that was not all the grandeur; for when he woke up in the morning and
looked round, he saw it was a big palace he had been sleeping in. One
room led into the other, and wherever he went the place was full of all
sorts of finery and luxuries, both on the walls and on the ceilings,
and they glittered so much when the sun shone on them, that he had to
shade his eyes with his hand, so strong was the glare of gold and
silver wherever he turned. He then happened to look out of the window.
Good gracious! How grand it was! There was something else than pine
forests and juniper bushes to look at, for there [Pg 5]was
the finest garden any one could wish for, with splendid trees and roses
of all kinds. But he could not see a single human being, or even a cat;
and that, you know, was rather lonely, for otherwise he had everything
so grand and had been set up as his own master again.
So
he took out the bit of paper:
"Lars,
my lad!"
"What
are master's orders?"
"Well
now you have given me food and bed and a palace to live in, and I
intend to remain here, for I like the place," he said, "yet I don't
like to live quite by myself. I must have both lads and lasses whom I
may order about to wait upon me," he said.
And
there they were. There came servants and stewards and scullery maids
and chambermaids of all sorts, and some came bowing and some
curtseying. So now the duke thought he was really satisfied.
But
now it happened that there was a large palace on the other side of the
forest, and there the king lived who owned the forest, and the great,
big fields around it. As he was walking up and down in his room he
happened to look out through the window and saw the new palace, where
the golden weathercocks were swinging to and fro on the roof in the
sunlight, which dazzled his eyes.
"This
is very strange," he thought; and so he called his courtiers. They came
rushing in, and began bowing and scraping.[Pg 6]
"Do
you see the palace over there?" said the king.
They
opened their eyes and began to stare.
Yes,
of course they saw it.
"Who
is it that has dared to build such a palace in my grounds?" said the
king.
They
bowed, and they scraped with their feet, but they did not know anything
about it.
The
king then called his generals and captains.
They
came, stood to attention and presented arms.
"Be
gone, soldiers and troopers," said the king, "and pull down the palace
over there, and hang him who has built it; and don't lose any time
about it!"
Well,
they set off in great haste to arm themselves, and away they went. The
drummers beat the skins of their drums, and the trumpeters blew their
trumpets, and the other musicians played and blew as best they could,
so that the duke heard them long before he could see them. But he had
heard that kind of noise before, and knew what it meant, so he took out
his scrap of paper:
"Lars,
my lad!"
"What
are master's orders?"
"There
are soldiers coming here," he said, "and now you must provide me with
soldiers and horses, that I may have double as many as those over in
the wood, and with sabres and pistols, and guns and cannons with all
that belongs to them; but be quick about it."
[Pg 7]
"DO
YOU SEE THE PALACE OVER THERE?" SAID THE KING.
[Pg 9]
And
no time was lost; for when the duke looked out, he saw an immense
number of soldiers, who were drawn up around the palace.
When
the king's men arrived, they came to a sudden halt and dared not
advance. But the duke was not afraid; he went straight up to the
colonel of the king's soldiers and asked him what he wanted.
The
colonel told him his errand.
"It's
of no use," said the duke. "You see how many men I have; and if the
king will listen to me, we shall become good friends, and I will help
him against his enemies, and in such a way that it will be heard of far
and wide," he said.
The
colonel was of the same opinion, and the duke then invited him and all
his soldiers inside the palace, and the men had more than one glass to
drink and plenty of everything to eat as well.
But
while they were eating and drinking they began talking; and the duke
then got to hear that the king had a daughter who was his only child,
and was so wonderfully fair and beautiful that no one had ever seen her
like before. And the more the king's soldiers ate and drank the more
they thought she would suit the duke for a wife.
And
they went on talking so long that the duke at last began to be of the
same opinion. "The worst of it," said the soldiers, "is that she is
just as proud as she is beautiful, and will never look at a man."[Pg 10]
But
the duke laughed at this. "If that's all," said the duke, "there's sure
to be a remedy for that complaint."
When
the soldiers had eaten and drunk as much as they could find room for,
they shouted "Hurrah!" so that it echoed among the hills, and then they
set out homewards. But, as you may imagine, they did not walk exactly
in parade order, for they were rather unsteady about the knees, and
many of them did not carry their guns in regulation manner. The duke
asked them to greet the king from him. He would call on him the
following day, he said.
When
the duke was alone again, he began to think of the princess, and to
wonder if she were as beautiful and fair as they had made her out to
be. He would like to make sure of it; and as so many strange things had
happened that day that it might not be impossible to find that out as
well, he thought.
"Lars,
my lad!"
"What
are master's orders?"
"Well,
now you must bring me the king's daughter as soon as she has gone to
sleep," he said; "but she must not be awakened either on the way here
or back. Do you hear that?" he said. And before long the princess was
lying on the bed. She slept so soundly and looked so wonderfully
beautiful, as she lay there. Yes, she was as sweet as sugar, I can tell
you.
The
duke walked round about her, but she was[Pg 11] just as
beautiful from whatever point of view he looked at her.
The
more he looked the more he liked her.
"Lars,
my lad!"
"What
are master's orders?"
"You
must now carry the princess home," he said, "for now I know how she
looks, and to-morrow I will ask for her hand," he said.
Next
morning the king looked out of the window. "I suppose I shall not be
troubled with the sight of that palace any more," he thought. But,
zounds! There it stood just as on the day before, and the sun shone so
brightly on the roof, and the weathercocks dazzled his eyes.
He
now became furious, and called all his men.
They
came quicker than usual.
The
courtiers bowed and scraped, and the soldiers stood to attention and
presented arms.
"Do
you see the palace there?" screamed the king.
They
stretched their necks, and stared and gaped.
Yes,
of course, that they did.
"Have
I not ordered you to pull down the palace and hang the builder?" he
said.
Yes,
they could not deny that; but then the colonel himself stepped forward
and reported what had happened and how many soldiers the duke had, and
how wonderfully grand the palace was.
And
next he told him what the duke had said,[Pg 12] and how
he had asked him to give his greetings to the king, and all that sort
of thing.
The
king felt quite confused, and had to put his crown on the table and
scratch his head. He could not understand all this, although he was a
king; for he could take his oath it had all been built in a single
night; and if the duke were not the evil one himself, he must in any
case have done it by magic.
While
he sat there pondering, the princess came into the room.
"Good
morning to you, father!" she said. "Just fancy, I had such a strange
and beautiful dream last night!" she said.
"What
did you dream then, my girl?" said the king.
"I
dreamt I was in the new palace over yonder, and that I saw a duke
there, so fine and handsome that I could never have imagined the like;
and now I want to get married, father," she said.
"Do
you want to get married? you, who never cared to look at a man! That's
very strange!" said the king.
"That
may be," said the princess; "but it's different now, and I want to get
married, and it's the duke I want," she said.
The
king was quite beside himself, so frightened did he become of the duke.
But
all of a sudden he heard a terrible noise of[Pg 13] drums
and trumpets and instruments of all kinds; and then came a message that
the duke had just arrived with a large company, all of whom were so
grandly dressed that gold and silver glistened in every fold. The king
put on his crown and his coronation robes, and then went out on the
steps to receive them. And the princess was not slow to follow him.
The
duke bowed most graciously, and the king of course did likewise, and
when they had talked a while about their affairs and their grandeur
they became the best of friends. A great banquet was then prepared, and
the duke was placed next to the princess at the table. What they talked
about is not easy to tell, but the duke spoke so well for himself that
the princess could not very well say "no" to anything he said, and then
he went up to the king and asked for her hand. The king could not
exactly say "no" either, for he could very well see that the duke was a
person with whom it were best to be on friendly terms; but give his
sanction there and then, he could not very well do that either. He
wanted to see the duke's palace first, and find out about the state of
affairs over there, as you may understand.
So
it was arranged that he should visit the duke and take the princess
with him to see his palace; and with this they parted company.
When
the duke returned home, Lars became busier than ever, for there was so
much to attend to. But he set to work and strove hard; and when the[Pg 14] king
and his daughter arrived everything was so magnificent and splendid
that no words can describe it. They went through all the rooms and
looked about, and they found everything as it should be, and even still
more splendid, thought the king, and so he was quite pleased.
The
wedding then took place, and that in grand style; and on the duke's
arrival home with his bride he too gave a great feast, and then there
was an end to the festivities.
Some
time passed by, and one evening the duke heard these words:
"Are
you satisfied now?"
It
was Lars, as you may guess, but the duke could not see him.
"Well,
I ought to be," said the duke. "You have provided me with everything I
have," he said.
"Yes,
but what have I got in return?" asked Lars.
"Nothing,"
said the duke; "but, bless me, what could I have given you, who are not
of flesh and blood, and whom I cannot see either?" he said. "But if
there is anything I can do for you, tell me what it is, and I shall do
it."
"Well,
I should like to ask you for that little scrap of paper which you found
in the chest," said Lars.
"Nothing
else?" said the duke. "If such a trifle[Pg 15] can
help you, I can easily do without it, for now I begin to know the words
by heart," he said.
Lars
thanked the duke, and asked him to put the paper on the chair in front
of the bed, when he retired to rest, and he would be sure to fetch it
during the night.
The
duke did as he was told; and so he and the princess lay down and went
to sleep.
But
early in the morning the duke awoke and felt so cold that his teeth
chattered, and when he had got his eyes quite open he found he was
quite naked and had not even as much as a thread on his back; and
instead of the grand bed and the beautiful bedroom, and the magnificent
palace, he lay on the big chest in the old tumble-down hut.
He
began to shout:
"Lars,
my lad!" But he got no answer. He shouted once more:
"Lars,
my lad!" But he got no answer this time either. So he shouted all he
could:
"Lars,
my lad!" But it was all in vain.
Now
he began to understand how matters stood. When Lars had got the scrap
of paper he was freed from service at the same time, and now he had
taken everything with him. But there was no help for it. There stood
the duke in the old hut quite naked; and as for the princess she was
not much better off, although she had her clothes on, for she[Pg 16] had got
them from her father, so Lars had no power over them.
The
duke had now to tell the princess everything, and ask her to leave him.
He would have to manage as best he could, he said. But she would not
hear of it. She well remembered what the parson had said when he
married them, and she would never, never leave him, she said.
In
the meantime the king in his palace had also awakened, and when he
looked out of the window he did not see any sign whatever of the other
palace, where his daughter and son-in-law lived. He became uneasy, as
you may imagine, and called his courtiers.
They
came in, and began to bow and scrape.
"Do
you see the palace over yonder behind the forest?" he asked.
They
stretched their necks and stared with all their might.
No,
they did not see it.
"Where
has it gone to, then?" asked the king.
Well,
really they did not know.
It
was not long before the king had set out with all his court through the
forest; and when he arrived at the place where the palace with the
beautiful gardens should have been, he could not see anything but
heather and juniper bushes and firs. But then he discovered the old
tumble-down hut, which stood there among the bushes. He entered[Pg 17] the
hut and—mercy on us!—what a sight met his eyes! There stood
his
son-in-law, quite naked, and his daughter, who had not very many
clothes on either, and who was crying and moaning.
"Dear,
dear! what does all this mean?" said the king; but he did not get any
answer, for the duke would rather have died than tell him.
The
king did his utmost to get him to speak; but in spite of all the king's
promises and threats the duke remained obstinate and would not utter a
word.
The
king then became angry—and no wonder, for now he could see that
this
grand duke was not what he pretended to be, and so he ordered the duke
to be hanged, and that without any loss of time. The princess begged
and prayed for mercy; but neither prayers nor tears were of any help
now; for an impostor he was, and as an impostor he should die, said the
king.
And
so it had to be. They erected a gallows, and placed the rope round the
duke's neck. But while they were getting the gallows ready, the
princess got hold of the hangman, and gave both him and his assistant
some money, that they should so manage the hanging of the duke that he
should not lose his life, and in the night they were to cut him down,
so that he and the princess might then flee the country. And that's how
the matter was arranged.
In
the meantime they had strung up the duke, and[Pg 18] the
king and his court and all the people went their way.
The
duke was now in great straits. He had, however, plenty of time to
reflect how foolish he had been in not saving some of the crumbs when
he was living in plenty, and how unpardonably stupid he had been in
letting Lars have the scrap of paper. This vexed him more than all. If
only he had it again, he thought, they should see he had been gaining
some sense in return for all he had lost. But it is of little use
snarling if you haven't got any teeth. "Ah, well, well!" he sighed, and
so he dangled his legs, which was really all he could do.
The
day passed slowly and tediously for him, and he was not at all
displeased when he saw the sun setting behind the forest. But just
before it disappeared he heard a fearful shouting, and when he looked
down the hill, he saw seven cart-loads of worn-out shoes, and on the
top of the hindmost cart he saw a little old man in grey clothes and
with a red pointed cap on his head. His face was like that of the worst
scarecrow, and the rest of him was not very handsome either.
He
drove straight up to the gallows, and when he arrived right under it he
stopped and looked up at the duke, and then burst out laughing, the
ugly old fellow!
"I
WONDER IF YOU CAN READ THIS?" SAID LARS, HOLDING
UP THE PAPER BEFORE THE DUKE'S EYES.
"How
stupid you were!" he said; "but what should the fool do with his
stupidity if he did not[Pg 21] make
use of it?" And then he laughed again. "Yes, there you are hanging now,
and here am I carting away all the shoes I have worn out for your
whims. I wonder if you can read what is written on this bit of paper,
and if you recognise it?" he said with an ugly laugh, holding up the
paper before the duke's eyes.
But
all who hang are not dead, and this time it was Lars who was befooled.
The
duke made a clutch, and snatched the paper from him.
"Lars,
my lad!"
"What
are master's orders?"
"Well,
you must cut me down from the gallows and put the palace and all the
rest in its place again, exactly as it was before, and when the night
has set in you must bring back the princess."
All
went merrily as in a dance, and before long everything was in its
place, just as it was when Lars took himself off.
When
the king awoke the next morning he looked out of the window, as was his
custom, and there stood the palace again, with the weathercocks
glittering so beautifully in the sunshine. He called his courtiers, and
they came and began to bow and scrape.
They
stretched their necks as far as they could, and stared and gaped.
"Do
you see the palace over there?" said the king.[Pg 22]
Yes,
of course they did.
The
king then sent for the princess, but she was not to be found. He then
went out to see if his son-in-law was still hanging on the gallows, but
neither son-in-law nor gallows was to be seen.
He
had to lift off his crown and scratch his head. But that did not
improve matters; he could not make head or tail of either one thing or
the other. He set off at once with all his court through the forest,
and when he came to the place where the palace should stand, there it
stood sure enough. The gardens and the roses were exactly as they used
to be, and the duke's people were to be seen everywhere among the
trees. His son-in-law and his daughter received him on the steps,
dressed in their finest clothes.
"Well,
I never saw the like of this," said the king to himself; he could
scarcely believe his own eyes, so wonderful did it all seem to him.
"God's
peace be with you, father, and welcome here!" said the duke.
The
king stood staring at him.
"Are
you my son-in-law?" he asked.
"Well,
I suppose I am," said the duke. "Who else should I be?"
"Did
I not order you to be hanged yesterday like any common thief?" said the
king.
"I
think you must have been bewitched on the way," said the duke, with a
laugh. "Do you think I am the man to let myself be hanged? Or is there[Pg 23] any
one here who dares to believe it?" he said, and looked so fiercely at
the courtiers that they felt as if they were being pierced through and
through.
They
bowed and scraped and cringed before him.
"Who
could believe such a thing? Was it at all likely?"
"Well,
if there is any one who dares to say the king could have wished me such
evil, let him speak out," said the duke, and fixed his eyes upon them
still more fiercely than before.
They
went on bowing and scraping and cringing.
How
could any one dare to say such a thing? No, they had more sense than
that, they should hope.
The
king did not know what to believe, for when he looked at the duke he
thought he never could have wished him such evil; but still he was not
quite convinced.
"Did
I not come here yesterday, and was not the whole palace gone, and was
there not an old hut in its place? And did not I go into that hut, and
did not you stand stark naked right before my eyes?" he asked.
"I
wonder the king can talk so," said the duke. "I think the trolls must
have bewitched your eyes in the forest and made you quite crazy; or
what do you think?" he said, and turned round to the courtiers.
They
bowed and bowed till their backs were bent[Pg 24] double,
and agreed with everything he said, there could be no mistake about
that. The king rubbed his eyes, and looked round about him.
"I
suppose it is as you say, then," he said to the duke, "and it is well I
have got back my proper sight and have come to my senses again. For it
would have been a sin and a shame if I had let you be hanged," he said;
and so he was happy again, and nobody thought any more about the matter.
"Once
bitten, twice shy," as the proverb says; and the duke now took upon
himself to manage and look after most of his affairs, so that it was
seldom Lars had to wear out his shoes. The king soon gave the duke half
the kingdom into the bargain; so he had now plenty to do, and people
said they would have to search a long time to find his equal in wise
and just ruling.
Then
one day Lars came to the duke, looking very little better than the
first time he had seen him; but he was, of course, more humble, and did
not dare to giggle and make grimaces.
"You
do not want my help any longer, now," he said; "for although I did wear
out my shoes at first, I am now unable to wear out a single pair, and
my feet will soon be covered all over with moss. So I thought I might
now get my leave of absence," he said.
The
duke quite agreed with him. "I have tried to spare you, and I almost
think I could do without[Pg 25] you,"
he said. "But the palace and all the rest I do not want to lose, for
such a clever builder as you I shall never get again; nor do I ever
want to adorn the gallows again, as you can well understand; so I
cannot give you back the paper on any account," he said.
LARS
ON THE TRAMP.
"Well,
as long as you have got it, I need not fear," said Lars; "but if
anybody else should get hold of it there will be nothing but running
and trudging about again, and that's what I want to avoid; for when one
has been tramping about for a thousand[Pg 26] years,
as I have done, one begins to get tired of it," he said.
But
they went on talking, and at last they agreed that the duke should put
the paper in the box, and then bury it seven ells under the ground,
under a stone fixed in the earth. They then thanked one another for the
time they had spent in each other's company, and so they parted.
The
duke carried out his part of the agreement, for he was not likely to
want to change it. He lived happy and contented with the princess, and
they had both sons and daughters. When the king died, he got the whole
of the kingdom, and you may guess he was none the worse off for that;
and there no doubt he still lives and reigns, if he is not dead.
But
as for that box with the scrap of paper in it, there are many who are
still running about looking for it.
THE
SAUSAGE
[Pg 27]
There
was once an old woman, who was all alone one evening in her cottage,
occupied with her household affairs. While she was waiting for her
husband, who was away at work over in the forest, and while she was
bustling about, a fine, grand lady came in, and so the woman began to
curtsey and curtsey, for she had never seen such a grand person before.
"I
should be so much obliged if you would lend me your brewing pan," said
the lady, "for my daughter is going to be married, and I expect guests
from all parts."
Oh,
dear, yes! That she might have, said the woman, although she could not
remember whether she had ever seen her before, and so she went to fetch
the pan.
The
lady took it and thanked the woman, saying that she would pay her well
for the loan of it, and so she went her way.
Two
days afterwards the lady came back with it, and this time she also
found the woman alone.[Pg 28]
"Many
thanks for the loan," said the lady, "and now in return you shall have
three wishes."
And
with this the lady left, and vanished so quickly that the old woman had
not even time to ask her name or where she lived. But that did not
matter, she thought, for now she had three wishes, and she began to
think what she should wish for. She expected her husband back soon, and
she thought it would be best to wait till he came home and could have a
say in the matter. But the least they could wish for must be a fine big
farm—the best in the parish, and a box full of money, and just
fancy
how happy and comfortable they would be then, for they had worked so
hard all their days! Ah, yes, then the neighbours would have something
to wonder at, for you may guess how they would stare at all the fine
things she would have.
But
since they were now so rich it was really a shame that there should be
nothing but some blue, sour milk and some hard crusts of bread in the
cupboard for her husband when he came home tired and weary, he who was
fond of hot food. She had just been to her neighbour's, and there she
had seen a fine big sausage, which they were going to have for supper.
"Ah,
deary me, I wish I had that sausage here!" sighed the old woman; and
the next moment a big sausage lay on the table right before her.
[Pg 29]
THE
HUSBAND PULLED AND TUGGED AWAY TILL HE HAD NEARLY
PULLED HIS WIFE'S HEAD OFF HER BODY.
[Pg 31]
She
was just going to put it in the pan when her husband came in.
"Father,
father!" cried the woman, "it's all over with our troubles and hard
work now. I lent my brewing pan to a fine lady, and when she brought it
back she promised we should have three wishes. And now you must help me
to wish for something really good, for you're so clever at hitting upon
the right thing—and it's all true, for just look at the sausage,
which
I got the moment I wished for it!"
"What
do you mean, you silly old woman?" shouted the husband, who became
angry. "Have you been wishing for such a paltry thing as a sausage,
when you might have had anything you liked in the world? I wish that
the sausage were sticking to your nose, since you haven't any better
sense."
All
at once the woman gave a cry, for sure enough there was the sausage
sticking to her nose; and she began tearing and pulling away at it, but
the more she pulled the firmer it seemed to stick. She was not able to
get it off.
"Oh,
dear! oh, dear!" sobbed the woman. "You don't seem to have any more
sense than I, since you can wish me such ill luck. I only wanted
something nice for you, and then——, oh, dear! oh, dear!"
and the old
woman went on crying and sobbing.[Pg 32]
The
husband tried, of course, to help his wife to get rid of the sausage;
but for all he pulled and tugged away at it he did not succeed, and he
was nearly pulling his wife's head off her body.
But
they had one wish left, and what were they now to wish?
Yes,
what were they to wish? They might, of course, wish for something very
fine and grand; but what could they do with all the finery in the
world, as long as the mistress of the house had a long sausage sticking
to the end of her nose? She would never be able to show herself
anywhere!
"You
wish for something," said the woman in the midst of her crying.
"No,
you wish," said the husband, who also began crying when he saw the
state his wife was in, and saw the terrible sausage hanging down her
face.
So
he thought he would make the best use he could of the last wish, and
said:
"I
wish my wife was rid of that sausage."
And
the next moment it was gone!
They
both became so glad that they jumped up and danced round the room in
great glee—for you must know that although a sausage may be ever
so
nice when you have it in your mouth, it is quite a different thing to
having one sticking to your nose all your life.
THE
OLD WOMAN AND
THE TRAMP
[Pg 33]
There
was once a tramp, who went plodding his way through a forest. The
distance between the houses was so great that he had little hope of
finding a shelter before the night set in. But all of a sudden he saw
some lights between the trees. He then discovered a cottage, where
there was a fire burning on the hearth. How nice it would be to roast
one's self before that fire, and to get a bite of something, he
thought; and so he dragged himself towards the cottage.
Just
then an old woman came towards him.
"Good
evening, and well met!" said the tramp.
"Good
evening," said the woman. "Where do you come from?"
"South
of the sun, and east of the moon," said the tramp; "and now I am on the
way home again, for I have been all over the world with the exception
of this parish," he said.
"You
must be a great traveller, then," said the woman. "What may be your
business here?"[Pg 34]
"Oh,
I want a shelter for the night," he said.
"I
thought as much," said the woman; "but you may as well get away from
here at once, for my husband is not at home, and my place is not an
inn," she said.
"My
good woman," said the tramp, "you must not be so cross and
hard-hearted, for we are both human beings, and should help one
another, it is written."
"Help
one another?" said the woman, "help? Did you ever hear such a thing?
Who'll help me, do you think? I haven't got a morsel in the house! No,
you'll have to look for quarters elsewhere," she said.
But
the tramp was like the rest of his kind; he did not consider himself
beaten at the first rebuff. Although the old woman grumbled and
complained as much as she could, he was just as persistent as ever, and
went on begging and praying like a starved dog, until at last she gave
in, and he got permission to lie on the floor for the night.
That
was very kind, he thought, and he thanked her for it.
"Better
on the floor without sleep, than suffer cold in the forest deep," he
said; for he was a merry fellow, this tramp, and was always ready with
a rhyme.
When
he came into the room he could see that the woman was not so badly off
as she had pretended;[Pg 35] but she
was a greedy and stingy woman of the worst sort, and was always
complaining and grumbling.
He
now made himself very agreeable, of course, and asked her in his most
insinuating manner for something to eat.
"Where
am I to get it from?" said the woman. "I haven't tasted a morsel myself
the whole day."
But
the tramp was a cunning fellow, he was.
"Poor
old granny, you must be starving," he said. "Well, well, I suppose I
shall have to ask you to have something with me, then."
"Have
something with you!" said the woman. "You don't look as if you could
ask any one to have anything! What have you got to offer one, I should
like to know?"
"He
who far and wide does roam sees many things not known at home; and he
who many things has seen has wits about him and senses keen," said the
tramp. "Better dead than lose one's head! Lend me a pot, grannie!"
The
old woman now became very inquisitive, as you may guess, and so she let
him have a pot.
He
filled it with water and put it on the fire, and then he blew with all
his might till the fire was burning fiercely all round it. Then he took
a four-inch nail from his pocket, turned it three times in his hand and
put it into the pot.
The
woman stared with all her might.
"What's
this going to be?" she asked.[Pg 36]
"Nail
broth," said the tramp, and began to stir the water with the porridge
stick.
"Nail
broth?" asked the woman.
"Yes,
nail broth," said the tramp.
The
old woman had seen and heard a good deal in her time, but that anybody
could have made broth with a nail, well, she had never heard the like
before.
"That's
something for poor people to know," she said, "and I should like to
learn how to make it."
"That
which is not worth having, will always go a-begging," said the tramp.
But
if she wanted to learn how to make it she had only to watch him, he
said, and went on stirring the broth.
The
old woman squatted on the ground, her hands clasping her knees, and her
eyes following his hand as he stirred the broth.
"This
generally makes good broth," he said; "but this time it will very
likely be rather thin, for I have been making broth the whole week with
the same nail. If one only had a handful of sifted oatmeal to put in,
that would make it all right," he said. "But what one has to go
without, it's no use thinking more about," and so he stirred the broth
again.
"Well,
I think I have a scrap of flour somewhere," said the old woman, and
went out to fetch some, and it was both good and fine.
[Pg 37]
"WHAT'S
THIS GOING TO BE?" ASKED THE WOMAN. "NAIL
BROTH," SAID THE TRAMP.
The
tramp began putting the flour into the broth, [Pg 39]and
went on stirring, while the woman sat staring now at him and then at
the pot until her eyes nearly burst their sockets.
"This
broth would be good enough for company," he said, putting in one
handful of flour after another. "If I had only a bit of salted beef and
a few potatoes to put in, it would be fit for gentlefolks, however
particular they might be," he said. "But what one has to go without,
it's no use thinking more about."
When
the old woman really began to think it over, she thought she had some
potatoes, and perhaps a bit of beef as well; and these she gave the
tramp, who went on stirring, while she sat and stared as hard as ever.
"This
will be grand enough for the best in the land," he said.
"Well,
I never!" said the woman; "and just fancy—all with a nail!"
He
was really a wonderful man, that tramp! He could do more than drink a
sup and turn the tankard up, he could.
"If
one had only a little barley and a drop of milk, we could ask the king
himself to have some of it," he said; "for this is what he has every
blessed evening—that I know, for I have been in service under the
king's cook," he said.
"Dear
me! Ask the king to have some! Well, I never!" exclaimed the woman,
slapping her knees.[Pg 40]
She
was quite awestruck at the tramp and his grand connections.
"But
what one has to go without, it's no use thinking more about," said the
tramp.
And
then she remembered she had a little barley; and as for milk, well, she
wasn't quite out of that, she said, for her best cow had just calved.
And then she went to fetch both the one and the other.
The
tramp went on stirring, and the woman sat staring, one moment at him
and the next at the pot.
Then
all at once the tramp took out the nail.
"Now
it's ready, and now we'll have a real good feast," he said. "But to
this kind of soup the king and the queen always take a dram or two, and
one sandwich at least. And then they always have a cloth on the table
when they eat," he said. "But what one has to go without, it's no use
thinking more about."
But
by this time the old woman herself had begun to feel quite grand and
fine, I can tell you; and if that was all that was wanted to make it
just as the king had it, she thought it would be nice to have it just
the same way for once, and play at being king and queen with the tramp.
She went straight to a cupboard and brought out the brandy bottle, dram
glasses, butter and cheese, smoked beef and veal, until at last the
table looked as if it were decked out for company.
Never
in her life had the old woman had such a[Pg 41] grand
feast, and never had she tasted such broth, and just fancy, made only
with a nail!
She
was in such a good and merry humour at having learnt such an economical
way of making broth that she did not know how to make enough of the
tramp who had taught her such a useful thing.
So
they ate and drank, and drank and ate, until they became both tired and
sleepy.
The
tramp was now going to lie down on the floor. But that would never do,
thought the old woman; no, that was impossible. "Such a grand person
must have a bed to lie in," she said.
He
did not need much pressing. "It's just like the sweet Christmas time,"
he said, "and a nicer woman I never came across. Ah, well! Happy are
they who meet with such good people," said he; and he lay down on the
bed and went asleep.
And
next morning when he woke the first thing he got was coffee and a dram.
When
he was going the old woman gave him a bright dollar piece.
"And
thanks, many thanks, for what you have taught me," she said. "Now I
shall live in comfort, since I have learnt how to make broth with a
nail."
"Well,
it isn't very difficult, if one only has something good to add to it,"
said the tramp as he went his way.
The
woman stood at the door staring after him.
"Such
people don't grow on every bush," she said.
WHAT
SHALL BABY'S NAME BE?
[Pg 42]
There
was once upon a time a worthy and well-to-do couple, who lived on the
fat of the land, and had their house full of everything that was good
and nice. But of children they had not many, for there was only one
daughter in the house, and her they called Peggy, although she was
christened Margaret, as you may guess.
Whatever
the cause might be, whether the girl was ugly or whether there was
anything else the matter with her, she grew up to be a big wench of
full five and twenty years, and yet there was no suitor who would look
at her.
"It's
very strange," thought the father to himself; for all the lads in the
parish knew, of course, that he had one of the finest farms, and many,
many hundreds of dollars in money as well, and that he could give his
daughter as a dowry both oxen and cows, goats and sheep, and that he
would let his son-in-law take over the whole of the farm and keep the
old folks till they died. He was never sparing with words on this[Pg 43] subject.
"Yes, they must be a silly, crack-brained lot when they don't avail
themselves of such an opportunity, and get hold of one's only
daughter," thought both the man and his wife. Peggy thought the same,
although she did not say as much; but the lads seemed to keep away just
as much as ever, for day after day passed, and year after year, but
still no suitor came.
So
one summer evening, as the man sat looking down the road and longing
that a suitor might come, it happened that one of the best and smartest
lads from one of the farms in the parish came strolling up the hill.
"Mother,
mother!" cried the man. "I think he's coming at last! Come and have a
look!"
His
wife came running into the room and began staring out through the
window.
"Well,
what did I say?" she exclaimed. "If it isn't Peter South-farm! Sure
enough it's he!"
She
rushed out of the room again and began to bustle about and tidy her
chamber, and called Peggy.
"Look
out, wench! Now he's coming!"
"Whom
do you mean, mother?"
"Why,
your sweetheart, of course."
"Eh,
you don't say so, mother!" cried Peggy, and became so pleased that she
was quite beside herself.
And
now they set to work to tidy and smarten themselves, and prepare
something for the stranger[Pg 44] who was
coming up the road, for such a rare guest one could not expect every
day.
In
the meantime the suitor—for they had guessed quite rightly, a
suitor it
was—had entered the room, and greeted the man with a "good
evening."
"Good
evening," replied the man, and asked him to sit down. "One needs some
rest, when one has walked up a steep hill like this," he said.
But
the lad needed some pressing, it seemed.
He
did not know if he would be welcome, he said; and so it was best that
he should remain at the door till he had told his errand.
The
man felt his heart leaping in his breast.
For
many years he had longed for some one to come on such an errand, for he
knew well what the lad was after.
"What
errand might that be?" he asked.
"Well,
it's rather an important matter," said the suitor.
The
man called his wife, and she came in and greeted the lad.
"Excuse
me—but may I ask," said the lad, "if there is a nice young girl
here
called Margaret?"
Yes,
indeed there was—their only child, a big grown-up wench! And so
clever
with her hands—she could sew and stitch, spin and weave, both
plain and
striped and patterned—and she wasn't above taking off her gold
ring and
giving a hand at heavy work, if it was wanted. And then she was their[Pg 45] only
daughter, and was going to have the whole of the farm, the oxen and
cows, the goats and sheep, the silver and gold, the clothes, the money
and woven stuffs of all kinds as her dowry.
Both
the man and his wife went on jabbering and chattering at the same time,
and got so excited that it was with the greatest difficulty that the
suitor was allowed to explain his errand.
She
was just the girl he was looking out for, he said, and as he had no
spokesman with him he would have to speak for himself, and tell them
how he was off at home, and hear if they, who were her parents, would
be satisfied with a son-in-law like him, he said.
"Well,
that is quite possible," said the man. He himself was now so old and
worn out and broken down with rheumatics that he wanted some one to
take over the farm, so he could not very well refuse a good offer, he
said. But one could not talk over such matters at the door; the lad
must come inside, and partake of what his wife could offer.
"But
this much I may say, at any rate," said the man, trying to put on a
grand air, "that many have already spoken to me on the subject; but it
is you, do you see, just you, that I have been waiting for," he said;
"and you may reckon yourself lucky that you have not come too late.
And, mother, you see, she agrees with everything I say—or, what
do you
think, mother?"
She
had so much to attend to and look after, she[Pg 46] said,
but she was of the same mind as her husband. "And Peggy," said the man,
"she is a good and obedient child. She does everything we tell her."
Peggy
stood outside the door and kept it ajar, while she peeped through the
opening, and would have said "yes" there and then, if it had only been
proper. But she could not show herself too willing, either.
The
man and the suitor now began to help themselves to the refreshments,
and to talk about their farms and about the harvest, and about the
number of cattle each of them could feed during the winter on their
farms, and such things, while the wife was busy smartening up Peggy,
whose head was so full of courtship and marriage that she was quite
unfit to do anything for herself. But when she was dressed she looked
very smart and shone like the sun, and then, as you may guess, she was
to go in and see her suitor.
But
she could not go in empty handed, and so her mother hit upon the
idea—for women are always so artful—that Peggy should go
down to the
cellar for beer, and then come in to her suitor with the large silver
cup in her hand.
While
she was on her way down to the cellar she began thinking that when she
was married it might easily happen that she, like others, would have a
child; and then she went on thinking and pondering what she should call
her first baby, for a name it must have, of course; but what should it
be? Yes, what ought she to call it?
[Pg 47]
ON
HER WAY DOWN TO THE CELLAR SHE BEGAN THINKING WHAT
SHE SHOULD CALL HER FIRST BABY.
[Pg 49]But
she could not make up her mind about it, although she thought and
pondered all she could, till at last she quite forgot both the cellar
and the beer, the suitor and the rest of the world. It was really not
an easy matter either, for she could not know whether it would be a boy
or a girl; but whatever it might be, the baby must have a name, and a
really fine name, too, you must know.
But
what should it be?
Yes,
what should baby's name be?
While
she stood there meditating her father and the suitor sat in the room
partaking of the refreshments before them—smoked ham and cheese
and
other good things which the wife had in her cupboard.
One
oatmeal cake after the other disappeared while they were waiting for
the beer and the girl, and they began to think that the wolves must
have got hold of her, since she did not come back.
"She
is so shy and childish, that girl of mine," said the wife, "and I
shouldn't wonder if she is afraid to come in. I shall have to fetch
her, I suppose!"
And
she hurried out to look for Peggy, whom she found standing outside the
cellar-door, pondering and thinking.
"You
are like Noah's raven, you are! How can a big wench like you stand
there like that? I do believe you have lost your senses! Why don't you
go in to your suitor?" said her mother. "What is it you are thinking
about?"[Pg 50]
"Oh,
my dear mother," said Peggy, "I am just thinking what my first baby
should be called. Can you tell me, mother?"
"Bless
me, girl, if I can," said the woman; "but a name it must have, the
little angel—and a fine name it must be. But what shall it be?
Let me
see."
And
she too began thinking and remained standing there.
As
neither his daughter nor his wife came back the man became uneasy.
"This
is really too bad," he said, "that Peggy should make herself so
precious. She is not generally so contrary, and I am sure that she'll
say 'yes' just as willingly as we do," he said. "I suppose I must go
myself and fetch her."
And
so he limped out of the room as quickly as he could.
When
he saw his wife and daughter standing outside the cellar-door he burst
into a furious rage and shouted:
"I
think you must have gone out of your minds, standing there like a pair
of sundials, while you have got a suitor in the house! Just come in,
will you?"
"Yes,
yes," said the wife; "but I must tell you, we have been trying to
settle a very ticklish business."
"Well,
then, what might that be?" said the man.
"Why,—what
shall Peggy's first baby be called?"[Pg 51]
"Oh,
is that it?" said the man, looking as tender and pleased as if he had
the youngster on his arm. "So, that's it, is it?—Well, the baby
must
have a really fine name,—the little angel! But what shall we call
it?—Yes, what shall we call it?"
He
began to scratch his head and to think and ponder. He did not know
either whether it would be a boy or a girl,—but no matter which
it was,
the baby must have a name, and what should it be called?—yes,
what
should they call it?
He
couldn't make up his mind either, and so he remained standing there as
well.
In
the meantime the suitor had been sitting all by himself in the parlour,
and was getting tired of waiting. So, as neither the maiden nor the old
folks came back, he thought they must be doing it purposely, and had
made up their minds to make a fool of him; whereupon he became furious,
and took his hat and went.
When
he came out into the farmyard he saw them all three standing outside
the cellar-door.
The
man caught sight of him first. "I must tell you, my lad," he said, "we
have been standing here thinking over a very important
matter,—and that
is, what shall Peggy's first baby be called?"
"Good
gracious!" said the suitor, "that'll surely bear thinking over, and you
may have to think it over for a long time," he said, "for the baby will
not be called after me! That's as certain as the sun rose[Pg 52] this
morning." And with that he lifted his hat and went down the hill.
The
old man began to shout after him, but it was of no use. He went down
the road and never came back again.
What
happened afterwards I have not heard a word about; but if a suitor ever
did call again, they would, no doubt, take care not to lose their heads
over such useless speculations,—for we all know that there is a
time
for everything, and that we should strike while the iron is hot.
ST.
PETER AND THE
TWO WOMEN
[Pg 53]
In
the days when St. Peter walked about on earth he came late one evening
to a large farm, and asked for shelter for the night. The master was
not at home, but his wife was sitting all alone; and although she was
very rich and had an abundance of everything one could wish, she was
niggardly beyond all belief. She could not give him shelter—was
it
likely she could?—and what should she give him to eat, and where
should
she put him? No, he would have to try somewhere else, she said; and, as
there was no help for it, so he did.
When
he had gone a little way he came to a small cottage, where there lived
a poor widow, who struggled and toiled at spinning and weaving in order
to scrape together a little food for herself and her children. St.
Peter went into the parlour and told her his errand. The woman said,
what was only too true, that she had little either of money or of food,
but the little she had she would willingly share with him, since he had
to go from house to house and beg for scraps of food—for she did
not
know it[Pg 54] was St.
Peter, nor did he say anything about it himself either.
So
he got permission to stop there for the night, and he was quite welcome
to what she could give him to eat. Early next morning he thanked her
for her kindness and got ready to go.
"I
have no money to pay you with," he said; "but what I can give I will
give you. The first thing you do to-day you shall be doing all the
day," he said.
The
woman could not understand what he meant by this; but as soon as he was
gone she took her yard-measure, for she had finished a piece of weaving
and was going to take it off the loom in the evening, as she wanted to
know how long it was.
She
began to measure and to count, and she got to seventy, eighty, ninety
and one hundred; but it was the most remarkable piece of cloth she had
ever seen, for the more she measured the longer it became. The whole
room became full of it, so that she had to go into the passage, but
still there was no end to the piece.
[Pg 55]
"TWELVE
AND TWENTY, THIRTEEN AND TWENTY, NINETEEN AND TWENTY," SAID
THE WIDOW. SHE HAD LOST COUNT, BUT STILL SHE KEPT ON MEASURING.
The
passage, too, became filled, so she had to go out on the grass. She
measured and measured, but still the cloth grew longer, much longer
than she could measure. She would not give in, but kept unceasingly at
it the whole day. Towards evening the rich farmer's wife came past the
cottage, and when she saw what the widow was doing she[Pg 57] stopped
all at once and wondered greatly at what she saw, for such a piece of
weaving no human being had surely ever seen.
"What
in all the world are you doing?" she asked.
"Twenty-three,
twenty-four, twenty-five! Measuring a piece of weaving," said the
widow. She was far on in the thirteenth hundred.
"Where
in all the world have you got such a long piece from?" asked the woman.
"Twelve
and twenty, thirteen and twenty, nineteen and twenty," said the
widow—she had lost count, but still she kept on measuring. "Yes,
you
may well ask that," she said, and went on measuring. "A man came here
last night and got a night's lodging, and when he left here this
morning he said that the first thing I began with I should be doing the
whole day; and now I have been measuring this cloth, which seems never
to come to an end."
"Oh
dear! oh dear! How stupid I was! How terribly stupid I was to let him
go!" said the farmer's wife; "for he came to our place also, you must
know. But, my dear, if he should ever come this way again and look in
upon you you might send him to me, since you have been so lucky," she
said.
Yes,
that she would be glad to do, said the widow. She wished other people
might be just as fortunate as she herself had been, although she had
nothing to thank the farmer's wife for.
Of
course, the widow could not use all the cloth[Pg 58] herself,
so she went to some of her neighbours to hire some oxen to cart it to
town; and, just fancy, the cloth filled three cart-loads! Such a
quantity of cloth had never been seen in one day in the market place;
but she got rid of every yard for all that, and returned home with so
much money that she had no longer any need to trouble about clothes and
food.
But
the rich farmer's wife went home and began to bustle about and get
things ready, so that she should be able to treat the stranger in good
style if he should come back to her; but she knew no more than the
widow that the stranger was St. Peter.
She
went about in great expectation, and dared scarcely go out of the room,
so afraid was she that he should come in her absence and that she
should miss him. She had bought a very fine piece of cloth and placed
it on the loom, and the measure was lying on the top of it, so she was
fully prepared for him; but day after day passed and week after week,
and she grew angry and impatient because he was such a silly fellow not
to have the sense to find his way there.
Late
one evening there was a knock at the door.
The
woman went out into the passage and pulled back the bolt. It was St.
Peter, who asked for shelter for the night. Yes, that he should have,
sure enough; and the woman curtseyed and behaved in a way that was
quite ridiculous.
She
then put the best she had on the table, so that he should be quite
satisfied. In the morning[Pg 59] he
thanked her for her kindness and the good food, and prepared to go.
"YOU
MIGHT AS WELL GIVE ME A PROMISE," SAID THE WOMAN,
AND CURTSEYED.
"Just
one word, my good man," said the woman; "when you got shelter at my
neighbour's some time ago you gave her a promise, and you might as well
give me one," she said, and curtseyed and made herself most agreeable
and pleasant.[Pg 60]
"What
promise might that be?" asked St. Peter.
"Well,
you said that whatever she began with she should be doing all the day,"
said the woman.
"Would
you also like that?" said St. Peter.
"Should
I like it? Why, my good man, of course, I should," said the woman. "I
have the measure in my hand and the cloth handy."
"Well,
I suppose I must do the same for you as for her then," said St. Peter;
"so the first thing you do when I am gone you shall be doing the whole
day. But, whatever you do, think it well over first," he said.
The
woman curtseyed and thanked him, and was very happy and contented.
"Now
I shall measure so much cloth that I shall have more than the poor body
over yonder," she thought; and turned round and went back into the room.
Suddenly
she remembered she ought to have drawn some water from the pump for her
kettle, so that she could go on measuring the cloth without being
disturbed. So she went to the pump and began to draw the water; but as
this was the first thing she did after St. Peter was gone, there was no
help for it—she must go on pumping water the whole day. The water
came
rushing out of the pump and ran all over the yard. It rose higher and
higher as the hours crept by, and the woman began to shout and cry for
help; but no one came to her[Pg 61] assistance,
and probably no one could have helped her either. When the sun was
about to set the water had reached up to her chin. She was now quite
exhausted, and all of a sudden she sank back into the water and was
drowned. The yard measure and the cloth floated about on the water, and
they may be floating there still for all I know.
THE
OLD WOMAN AND
THE FISH
[Pg 62]
There
was once upon a time an old woman who lived in a miserable cottage on
the brow of a hill overlooking the town. Her husband had been dead for
many years, and her children were in service round about the parish, so
she felt rather lonely and dreary in her cottage, and otherwise she was
not particularly well off either.
But
when it has been ordained that one shall live, one cannot think of
one's funeral; and so one has to take the world as it is, and still be
satisfied; and that was about all the old woman could console herself
with. But that the road up which she had to carry the pails from the
well should be so heavy; and that the axe should have such a blunt and
rusty edge, so that it was only with the greatest difficulty that she
could cut the little firewood she had; and that the stuff she was
weaving was not sufficient;—all this grieved her greatly, and
caused
her to complain from time to time.
So
one day, when she had pulled the bucket up[Pg 63] from
the well, she happened to find a small pike in the bucket, which did
not at all displease her.
"Such
fish does not come into my pot every day," she said; but now she could
have a really grand dish, she thought. But the fish which she had got
this time was no fool; it had the gift of speech, that it had.
"Let
me go!" said the fish.
The
old woman began to stare, you may be sure. Such a fish she had never
before seen in this world.
"Are
you so much better than other fish, then?" she said, "and too good to
be eaten?"
"Wise
is he who does not eat all he gets hold of," said the fish; "only let
me go and you shall not remain without reward for your trouble."
"I
like a fish in the bucket better than all those frisking about free and
frolicsome in the lakes," said the old woman. "And what one can catch
with one hand, one can also carry to one's mouth," she said.
"That
may be," said the fish; "but if you do as I tell you, you shall have
three wishes."
"Wish
in one fist, and spit in the other, and you'll soon see which you will
get filled first," said the woman. "Promises are well enough, but
keeping them is better, and I sha'n't believe much in you till I have
got you in the pot," she said.
"You
should mind that tongue of yours," said[Pg 64] the
fish, "and listen to my words. Wish for three things, and then you'll
see what will happen," he said.
Well,
the old woman knew well enough what she wanted to wish, and there might
not be so much danger in trying how far the fish would keep his word,
she thought.
She
then began thinking of the heavy hill up from the well.
"I
would wish that the pails could go of themselves to the well and home
again," she said.
"So
they shall," said the fish.
Then
she thought of the axe, and how blunt it was.
"I
would wish that whatever I strike shall break right off," she said.
"So
it shall," said the fish.
And
then she remembered that the stuff she was weaving was not long enough.
"I
would wish that whatever I pull shall become long," she said.
"That
it shall," said the fish. "And now, let me down into the well again."
Yes,
that she would, and all at once the pails began to shamble up the hill.
"Dear
me, did you ever see anything like it?" The old woman became so glad
and pleased that she slapped herself across the knees.
[Pg 65]
ALL
AT ONCE THE PAILS BEGAN TO SHAMBLE UP THE HILL.
Crack,
crack it sounded; and then both her legs [Pg 67]fell
off, and she was left sitting on the top of the lid over the well.
Now
came a change. She began to cry and wail, and the tears started from
her eyes, whereupon she began blowing her nose in her apron, and as she
tugged at her nose it grew so long, so long that it was terrible to see.
That
is what she got for her wishes! Well, there she sat, and there she no
doubt still sits on the lid of the well. And if you want to know what
it is to have a long nose, you had better go there and ask her, for she
can tell you all about it, she can.
THE
VALIANT CHANTICLEER
[Pg 68]
There
was once upon a time a married couple who had no children, and they did
not know what to do to get a child. The husband did not seem to mind so
much, but the wife could not rest till she had a child. She must have
one, whatever happened; and she went to doctors and wise men, and
consulted all who knew a little more than other people, but to no
avail. There was no one who could give her any advice.
So
one evening an old woman came and asked for shelter for the night,
which she got. But when women get together they always find something
to talk about, and before long the wife had told the old woman all
about herself and her affairs, and what a pity it was that she had no
children.
"Is
it no worse than that?" said the woman. "There's a way out of that!
Look," she said, "here is an egg for you, and when you put it in your
bosom and keep it nice and warm, you will soon have a little one, and a
wonderful child it will be; such a child you have never seen," she said.[Pg 69]
The
wife thought this was strange, but there are so many strange things in
this world that it was hardly worth while to wonder much about it. She
took the egg and thanked the woman for her good advice, and said she
would do as she was bid, and with this they parted.
She
put the egg in her bosom and tended it well and carefully, and kept it
as warm as she possibly could, and after a time a little cockerel flew
out of it. The wife was not very pleased at this, you can understand,
for she had not expected it would end in this way.
But
as she had hatched him herself, she supposed he must be her child after
all, such as he was. She looked after him and gathered food together
for him, and cackled to him, and made herself as much like a hen as she
could. And so he grew up and got both feathers and comb, and became so
big, so big, that his equal had never been seen before.
When
he was full-feathered he had to go out and find what he could, and he
began to kick and scratch about in the dust heap, so that the rubbish
was thrown up in the air so high that no one could see what became of
it. But he wanted to try if he could do more than that, and so he
strutted out into the corn-field, where the master of the house was
toiling away and ploughing with the one ox he possessed. But he got on
very slowly, so the cock thought he ought to help him. So he was yoked
to[Pg 70] the
plough; and then things took a different turn, for now they went at
such a speed that the master had to run as fast as he could, and in a
little while the cock had ploughed the whole field. He now thought he
was a full-grown fellow, and that he could get married; but not to a
little farm-yard hen, that would never do for him. No, he must look
higher, and so he flapped his wings and crowed.
"The
king's daughter shall be mine!" and he wanted to set out for the king's
palace.
But
he must have a suitable conveyance for the bride, he thought, even if
he had to drag it himself; and as there was nothing else to be found,
he took the big soup-ladle. The wife cried and cackled after him, but
out into the world he must go, and away he went.
All
at once he met a fox.
"Where
are you going?" asked the fox.
"To
the king's palace," crowed the cock.
"May
I come with you?" said the fox.
"Sit
up behind," cried the cock; and the fox took a seat in the ladle, and
away they went.
Then
he met a wolf.
"Where
are you going?" asked the wolf.
"To
the king's palace," crowed the cock.
"May
I come with you?" said the wolf.
"Sit
up behind," cried the cock; and then the wolf seated himself in the
ladle, and away they went.[Pg 71]
Then
the cock met a bear.
"Where
are you going?" asked the bear.
"To
the king's palace," crowed the cock.
"May
I come with you?" said the bear.
"Sit
up behind," cried the cock; and then the bear took a seat in the ladle,
and away they went.
All
at once they came to a lake.
"Where
are you going?" asked the lake.
"To
the king's palace," crowed the cock.
"May
I come with you?" said the lake.
"Sit
up behind," cried the cock; and then the lake began to heave, so that
the one billow after the other washed up into the ladle, and soon the
whole lake was in it. The cock's companions got a little wet about the
feet, but there was no help for that. The cock set off with them, and
so they came to the king's palace. The cock now flew up on the roof of
the palace and crowed:
"The
king's daughter shall be mine!"
The
king heard this.
"That's
a strange cock!" he thought. And then he gave orders that his men
should catch him, and all of them began to run after the cock and call
him. But when they got so near to him that they could almost catch him,
he flew up on the roof again, and then he crowed:
"The
king's daughter shall be mine!"
It
was all in vain, they could not catch him.
"I
suppose you must have her, then," said the[Pg 72] king,
with a laugh; and then the cock allowed himself to be caught at once.
But
as soon as the king had got him he was sorry for what he had promised,
for a king's word is a king's word; but a better son-in-law he might
surely have got—he who had such a fair and beautiful daughter,
and his
only daughter into the bargain. But how should he get rid of him?
"If
I let him into the goose-pen, the geese are sure to finish him off," he
thought; and so he let the cock in among the geese. They began to pinch
and peck at him with their beaks and to pluck his feathers out, but
just then he crowed for the fox:
"Cock-a-doodle-do!
Foxie, come and help!"
And
the fox came sneaking along, and he was not slow in getting in among
the geese, and there he ravaged about in such a way that they were all
dead in less than no time.
The
cock then flew up on the roof, and crowed:
"The
king's daughter shall be mine!"
"Such
a dreadful cock I have never set eyes on!" thought the king. "Now he
has killed all my geese! How shall I get rid of him? What if I let him
in among my cattle? They'll be sure to finish him," he thought, and so
he let him into the cow-shed. The king had a large herd of cattle, and
they seized the cock with their horns and tossed him about between them
like a ball.[Pg 73]
But
the cock flew up on top of the bull and crowed for the wolf:
"Cock-a-doodle-do!
Wolfie, come and help!"
The
wolf was not long in coming, and he had such a feast that there wasn't
a single beast left alive.
The
cock flew up on the roof again, and then he crowed:
"The
king's daughter shall be mine!"
"Has
any one seen the like of that cock?" said the king. "Now he has
finished all my geese and all my cattle. How shall I get rid of him?
What if I let him in among the horses? They'll be sure to finish him,"
he thought; and so he let the cock into the stable.
The
king had a lot of horses, and they began to rear and kick with all
their might, so that the cock was knocked about from one to the other
like a wheel rolling down the street, and he soon got tired of that
kind of knocking about. So he crowed for the bear.
"Cock-a-doodle-do!
Bruin, come and help!"
And
the bear was not long in coming, and he began to strike and tear, till
there was not one of the king's horses left.
The
cock then flew up on the roof again, and crowed:
"The
king's daughter shall be mine!"
"That's
the worst cock I ever came across," said the king. "First he kills all
my geese and all my cattle, and now he has finished my horses as well.[Pg 74] I
shall be quite ruined. But now I'll put him on the spit and roast him
and eat him myself, and it'll be a wonder if I don't get rid of him
then." That was what must be done; and so they took the cock and put
him on the spit, and the kitchenmaids made such a big fire, that it
fizzled all round him. But the cock crowed for the lake.
"Cock-a-doodle-do!
Lakey, come and help!"
And
the lake came rolling in and put out the fire. But it was only just in
the nick of time,—for the cock was half roasted. But as they
could not
get him done any better, he would have to do as he was; and so they
carried him up on a silver dish and placed him on the table. The king
was so angry that he swallowed him in one gulp.
"Now
I suppose I'm rid of him," he thought.
But
had anybody heard the like?
As
soon as the cock got into the king's stomach he began to revive again
and to crow:
"The
king's daughter shall be mine!" And he tumbled about so terribly down
there that the king could not keep him down, and so had to vomit him.
But no sooner had the cock recovered than he began to flap his wings,
and he flew up and perched on the top of the king's crown, and there he
crowed:
"The
king's daughter shall be mine!"
The
king was in despair; he did not know what to do, and flung his crown
away.
[Pg 75]
THE
COCK TRIED TO COMFORT THE PRINCESS AS BEST HE
COULD, AND SWEPT THE TABLE WITH HIS WINGS.
"Well,
you had better take her then, you bird of [Pg 77]ill-omen,
and half the kingdom as well; only leave me in peace!" he cried.
The
cock was now to have the princess. She cried and wept bitterly, for you
can easily understand she did not want such a bridegroom. She was not a
hen, and did not want to become one.
But
all her crying and her wailings were of no avail, she would have to
marry the cock and be satisfied with him. He tried to comfort her as
best he could, and swept the table with his wings, and breasted and
plumed himself in a cock's very best manner; but she went on crying and
weeping, and as he was not able to console her, he at last asked her to
wring his neck. No, that she would not do, for life may be dear, even
to a cock, she thought. But he begged and prayed so hard that at last
she did it, and the next moment a prince stood before her, and he was
so fine and handsome as to beggar all description; and yet he was the
cock! There was soon an end to the crying and wailing, and things took
another turn, for both the princess and the king were so happy that no
one can believe how happy they were.
To
the wedding came people from all parts of the country, and the man and
his wife were there as well. The fox and the wolf and the bear waited
at the table, and the lake washed up the dishes, and altogether it was
the grandest wedding I have ever been to in all my days.
TWIGMUNTUS,
COWBELLIANTUS, PERCHNOSIUS
[Pg 78]
Once
upon a time there was a king who was so very learned that no parson in
the whole world could surpass him; in fact, he was so learned that
ordinary folks could hardly understand what he said, nor could he
understand them either. But in order to have some one to talk with he
procured seven wise professors, who were not quite so learned as
himself, but who were just able to interpret his learned sayings, so
that people could apprehend them, and who could twist and turn about
the talk of ordinary folk so that it became sufficiently learned and
complicated for the king to understand it.
The
king had no son, but he had a daughter, and in order that she should be
happily married, and the country governed according to the fundamental
principles of his learning, he issued an edict that he who was so
learned as to put the king and his professors to silence should have
his daughter and half the kingdom there and then. But any one who
attempted the task and did not succeed, should[Pg 79] lose
his head for having dared to exchange words with the king.
That
was no joke; but the princess was so fair and beautiful that it was no
joke to gaze at her either. And the king did not keep her caged up, for
any one who wished could see her.
There
came princes and counts and barons and parsons and doctors, and learned
persons from all quarters of the world; and no sooner did they see the
princess than they one and all wanted to try their luck. But, however
learned they were, their learning never proved sufficient, and every
one of them lost his head.
Over
in a corner of the kingdom there lived a farmer, who had a son. This
lad was not stupid; he was quick of apprehension and sharp witted, and
he was not afraid of any thing.
When
the king's edict came to this out-of-the-way place, and the parson had
read it from the pulpit, the lad wanted to try his luck. "He who
nothing risks, nothing wins," thought the lad; and so he went to the
parson and told him that if he would give him lessons in the evenings,
he would work for the parson in the daytime, but he wanted to become so
learned that he could try a bout with the king and his professors.
"Whoever
means to compete with them must be able to do something more than munch
bread," said the parson.[Pg 80]
"That
may be," said the lad; "but I'll try my luck."
The
parson thought, of course, that he was mad; but when he could get such
a clever hand to work for him only for his keep, he thought he could
not very well say no; and so the lad got what he wanted.
He
worked for the parson in the daytime, and the parson read with him in
the evening; and in this way they went on for some time, but at last
the lad grew tired of his books.
"I
am not going to sit here and read and grind away, and lose what few
wits I have," he said; "and it won't be of much help either, for if you
are lucky things will come right of themselves, and if you are not
lucky you'll never make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."
And
with this he pitched the books on the shelf and went his way.
All
at once he came to a large forest, where the trees and the bushes were
so thick that it was with difficulty he could get along. While he was
thus pushing his way through, he began wondering what he should say
when he came to the king's palace, and how best he could make use of
the learning he had picked up from the parson. All of a sudden the twig
of a tree struck him across his mouth, so that his teeth rattled.
"That
is Twigmuntus," he said.
A
little while after he came to a meadow, where a[Pg 81] cow was
standing bellowing so furiously that it almost deafened him.
"That
is Cowbelliantus," he said.
He
then came to a river; but as there was neither bridge nor planks across
it, he had to put his clothes on his head and swim across.
While
he was swimming a perch came and bit him on the nose.
"That
is Perchnosius," he said.
At
last he came to the king's palace, where things did not look at all
pleasant, for there were men's heads stuck on long stakes round about,
and they grinned so horribly that they were enough to frighten any one
out of his wits. But the lad was not easily frightened.
"God's
peace!" he said, and raised his cap. "There you stick and grin at me;
but who knows if I may not be keeping you company before the day is
over, and be grinning with you at others? But if I happen to be alive,
you shall not stick there any longer gaping at people," he said.
So
he went up to the palace and knocked at the gate.
The
guard came out and asked what he wanted.
"I
have come to try my luck with the princess," said the lad.
"You?"
said the guard, "well, you're a likely one, you are! Have you lost your
senses? There have been princes and counts and barons and parsons[Pg 82] and
doctors and learned persons here, and all of them have had to pay with
their heads for that pleasure; and yet you think you'll succeed!" he
said.
"I
should say it is no concern of yours," said the lad; "just open the
gate, and you'll see one who's not afraid of anything."
But
the guard would not let him in.
"Do
as I tell you," said the lad, "or there'll be a fine to-do!"
But
the guard would not.
The
lad then seized him by the collar and flung him against the wall, so
that it creaked; and then he walked straight in to the king, who sat in
his parlour with all his seven professors about him. Their faces were
long and thin, and they looked like puny sickly persons about to die.
They were sitting with their heads on one side meditating and staring
at the floor.
Then
one of them, who looked up, asked the lad in ordinary language: "Who
are you?"
"A
suitor," said the lad.
"Do
you want to try for the princess's hand?"
"Well,
that's about it!" said the lad.
"Have
you lost your wits? There have been princes and counts and barons and
parsons and doctors and learned persons here, and all of them have gone
headless away; so you had better turn about and get away while your
head is on your shoulders," he said.
"Don't
trouble yourself on that account, but[Pg 83] rather
think of the head on your own shoulders," said the lad. "You look after
yours, and I'll take care of mine! So just begin, and let me hear how
much wit you have got, for I don't think you look so very clever," he
said.
The
first professor then began a long harangue of gibberish; and when he
had finished the second went on; and then the third; and in this way
they continued till at length it was the turn of the seventh. The lad
did not understand a single word of it all, but he didn't lose courage
for all that. He only nodded his approval to all of it.
When
the last had finished his harangue he asked:
"Can
you reply to that?"
"That's
easy enough," said the lad. "Why, when I was in my cradle and in my
go-cart I could twist my mouth about and prate and jabber like you," he
said. "But since you are so terribly learned, I'll put a question to
you, and that shall not be a long one:
"Twigmuntus,
Cowbelliantus, Perchnosius? Can you give me an answer to that?"
And
now you should have seen how they stretched their necks and strained
their ears. They put on their spectacles and began to look into their
books and turn over the leaves.
But
while they were searching and meditating, the lad put his hands in his
trouser pockets, and looked so frank and fearless that they could not
help admiring him, and wondering that one who was so young[Pg 84] could
be so learned and yet look just like other people.
"Well,
how are you getting on?" said the lad. "Cannot all your learning help
you to open your mouths, so that I can have an answer to my question?"
he said.
Then
they began to ponder and meditate, and then they glanced at the
ceiling, and then they stared at the walls, and then they fixed their
eyes upon the floor. But they could not give him any answer, nor could
the king himself, although he was much more learned than all the others
together. They had to give it up, and the lad got the princess and half
the kingdom. This he ruled in his own way, and if it did not fare
better, it did not fare worse for him than for the king with all his
fundamental principles.
THE
LAD AND THE FOX
[Pg 85]
There
was once upon a time a little lad, who was on his way to church, and
when he came to a clearing in the forest he caught sight of a fox, who
was lying on the top of a big stone fast asleep, so that the fox did
not know the lad had seen him.
"If
I kill that fox," said the lad, taking a heavy stone in his fist, "and
sell the skin, I shall get money for it, and with that money I shall
buy some rye, and that rye I shall sow in father's cornfield at home.
When the people who are on their way to church pass by my field of rye
they'll say: 'Oh, what splendid rye that lad has got!' Then I shall say
to[Pg 86] them:
'I say, keep away from my rye!' But they won't heed me. Then I shall
shout to them: 'I say, keep away from my rye!' But still they won't
take any notice of me. Then I shall scream with all my might: 'Keep
away from my rye!' and then they'll listen to me."
But
the lad screamed so loudly that the fox woke up and made off at once
for the forest, so that the lad did not even get as much as a handful
of his hair.
No;
it's best always to take what you can reach, for of undone deeds you
should never screech, as the saying goes.
OLD
NICK AND THE GIRL
[Pg 87]
There
was once a girl who was so mad about dancing that she nearly went out
of her mind whenever she heard a fiddle strike up.
She
was a very clever dancer, and a smarter girl to whirl round in a dance
or kick her heels was not easily to be found, although she only had
shoes made of birch-bark, and knitted leggings on her feet. She swept
past at such a rate that the air whistled round her like a humming top.
She might have whirled round still more quickly and lightly, of course,
if she had had leather shoes. But how was she to get them, when she had
no money to pay for them? For she was very poor, this girl, and could
ill afford them.
So
one day, when the fair was being held at Amberg Heath, whom should she
meet but Old Nick! He was going to see the fun of the fair, as you may
guess, for all sorts of tramps and vagabonds and watch-dealers and
rogues go there; and where such gentry are to be found, others of the
same feather are sure to flock together.[Pg 88]
"What
are you thinking about?" asked Old Nick, who knew well enough how
matters stood.
"I
am wondering how I shall be able to get a pair of leather shoes to
dance in," said the girl; "for I haven't any money to pay for them,"
she said.
"Is
that all? We'll soon get over that," said Old Nick, and produced a pair
of leather shoes, which he showed her. "Do you like these?" he asked.
The
girl stood staring at the shoes. She could never have believed that
there were such fine, splendid shoes, for they were not common ones
sewn with pitched thread, but real German shoes with welted soles, and
looked as French as one could wish.
"Is
there a spring in them as well?" she asked.
"Yes,
that you may be sure of," said Old Nick. "Do you want them?"
Yes,
that she did; there could be no doubt about that, and so they began
bargaining and higgling about the payment, till at last they came to
terms. She was to have the shoes for a whole year for nothing, if only
she would dance in his interest, and afterwards she should belong to
him.
She
did not exactly make a good bargain, but Old Nick is not a person one
can bargain with. But there was to be such a spring in them that no
human being would be able to swing round quicker in a dance or kick
higher than she did; and if they[Pg 89] did not
satisfy her, he would take them back for nothing, and she should be
free.
With
this they parted.
And
now the girl seemed to wake up thoroughly. She thought of nothing else
but going to dances, wherever they might be, night after night. Well,
she danced and danced, and before she knew it the year came to an end,
and Old Nick came and asked for his due.
"They
were a rubbishy pair of shoes you gave me," said the girl; "there was
no spring at all in them," she said.
"Wasn't
there any spring in the shoes? That's very strange," said Old Nick.
"No,
there wasn't!" said the girl. "Why, my bark shoes are far better, and I
can get on much faster in them than in these wretched things."
"You
twist about as if you were dancing," said Old Nick; "but now I think
you will have to dance away with me after all."
"Well,
if you don't believe my words, I suppose you'll believe your eyes," she
said. "Put on these grand shoes of yours, and try them yourself," she
said, "and I'll put on my bark shoes, and then we'll have a race, so
that you can see what they are good for," she said.
Well,
that was reasonable enough, he thought, and, no doubt, he felt there
was very little danger in trying it. So they agreed to race to the end
of[Pg 90] Lake
Fryken and back, one on each side of the lake, which, as you know, is a
very long one indeed. If she came in first she was to be free, but if
she came in last she was to belong to him.
But
the girl had to run home first of all, for she had a roll of cloth for
the parson, which she must deliver before she tried her speed with Old
Nick. Very well, that she might, for he went in fear of the parson; but
the race should take place on the third day afterwards.
Now,
as bad luck would have it for Old Nick, it so happened that the girl
had a sister, who was so like her that it was impossible to know one
from the other, for they were twins, the two girls.
But
the sister was not mad about dancing, so Old Nick had not got scent of
her. The girl now asked her sister to place herself at Frykstad, the
south end of the lake, and she herself took up her position at
Fryksend, the north end of it.
She
had the bark shoes on, and Old Nick the leather ones; and so they set
off, each on their side of the lake. The girl did not run very far, for
she knew well enough how little running she need do; but Old Nick set
off at full speed, much faster than one can ride on the railway.
But
when he came to Frykstad he found the girl already there; and when he
came back to Fryksend there she was too.
"Well,
you see now?" said the girl.[Pg 91]
OLD
NICK SET OFF AT A TERRIBLE SPEED; IT WAS JUST LIKE
A REGULAR NORTH-WESTER RUSHING PAST.
[Pg 93]
"Of
course I see," said Old Nick, but he was not the man to give in at
once. "One time is no time, that you know," he said.
"Well,
let's have another try," said the girl.
Yes,
that he would, for the soles of his shoes were almost worn out, and
then he knew what state the bark shoes would be in.
They
set off for the second time, and Old Nick ran so fast that the air
whistled round the corners of the houses in Sanne and Emtervik
parishes; but when he came to Frykstad, the girl was already there, and
when he got back to Fryksend, she was there before him this time also.
"Can
you see now who comes in first?" she said.
"Yes,
of course I can," said Old Nick, and began to dry the perspiration off
his face, thinking all the time what a wonderful runner that girl must
be. "But you know," he said, "twice is hardly half a time! It's the
third time that counts."
"Let's
have another try, then," said the girl.
Yes,
that he would, for Old Nick is very sly, you know, for when the leather
shoes were so torn to pieces that his feet were bleeding, he knew well
enough what state the bark shoes would be in.
And
so they set off again. Old Nick went at a terrible speed; it was just
like a regular north-wester rushing past, for now he was furious. He
rushed onwards, so that the roofs were swept away and the fences
creaked and groaned all the way through[Pg 94] Sonne
and Emtervik parishes. But when he got to Frykstad the girl was there,
and when he got back to Fryksend then she was there too.
OLD
NICK HAD NOW TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIMSELF BEATEN.
His
feet were now in such a plight that the flesh hung in pieces from them,
and he was so out of breath, and groaned so hard, that the sound echoed
in the mountains. The girl almost pitied the old creature, disgusting
as he was.
"Do
you see, now," she said, "that there's a better spring in my bark shoes
than in your leather ones?[Pg 95] There's
nothing left of yours, while mine will hold out for another run, if you
would like to try," she said.
No,
Old Nick had now to acknowledge himself beaten, and so she was free.
"I've
never seen the like of such a woman," he said; "but if you go on
dancing and jumping about like that all your days we are sure to meet
once more," he said.
"Oh,
no!" said the girl. And since then she has never danced again, for it
is not every time that you can succeed in getting away from Old Nick.
THE
STONE STATUE
[Pg 96]
There
were once two men who were walking across a churchyard—and there
was
nothing remarkable about that; but when one of them lifted his cap, as
one should do in such a place, and said: "God's peace to all who rest
here!" then the other said: "They lie as they have made their bed, and
they get what they deserve!" It was very wicked to talk in that way;
and no sooner had he spoken these words than he was changed into a
stone statue, and thus he stood for many, many years. The one parson
after the other came and prayed and chanted over him, but no one was
able to exorcise the soul out of the petrified body.
It
so happened that a new parson came to the parish, and he was much more
learned than all the others. He was a model parson in every respect;
but he was somewhat hasty, and his wife was not one to be trifled with
either. When he saw the stone statue and heard why it stood there, he
wanted also to try to get its soul to rest in peace. He had the statue
carried into his study, so that he could pray [Pg 97]over
it every day, both in the morning and in the evening and at all hours
of the day, which he did. But the first time he read the evening
prayers and came to the words: "God banish everything that is evil from
this house!" he heard something like a titter over in the corner where
the statue stood, but he could not make out from whom it proceeded.
Next evening when he came to these words the same thing happened, but
he became none the wiser this time either.
The
third evening he again heard the same tittering; but this time he kept
a better watch, and then he discovered it was the statue over in the
corner that had tittered.
"Can
you laugh?" said the parson. "If so, I suppose you can tell me what you
are laughing at?"
Yes,
that the statue could.
"You
see, reverend father," said the statue, "you are wonderfully learned in
all sorts of divine teachings, and you live, no doubt, according to
what you teach; but you quarrel a little too much with your wife, and
therefore all the house swarms with little imps during the day. When
you read the evening prayers and come to the words: 'God banish every
thing that is evil from this house!' they have to take themselves off;
and there is one among them, a little fellow who limps and who tosses
his body about in such a funny way when he trudges along, that one
cannot help laughing at him. But although[Pg 98] they
take to flight when you read the prayers, it is not long before they
are back again; and as soon as you and your wife begin to quarrel this
limping little rascal comes hobbling in, and then all the other little
devils come prowling after him, one after the other."
Those
words made the parson's heart ache, for when stones begin to talk it is
well to listen.
And
this he did. He became more forbearing to his wife, and as she herself
was not particularly fond of these crawling little things, whom she
could not see, but who swarmed around her, she also tried, as well as
she could, to control her temper. And as both of them were now more
friendly to one another and more inclined to give way to each other,
they began little by little to agree and to get on well together. And
after a while the statue was not heard to say anything either; and some
little time afterwards the parson asked it if it now saw any signs of
the little hobbling imp and his companions.
"Well,
I have seen him holding the door ajar and peeping in, but he has not
ventured across the threshold," said the statue; "but now I think he
has become tired of it, for he has not been here for many days, and now
I only see God's angels around you."
The
parson rejoiced at hearing these words, and thanked God for having put
an end to all their dissensions.[Pg 99]
WHEN
HE READ THE EVENING PRAYERS HE HEARD SOMETHING
LIKE A TITTER OVER IN THE CORNER.
[Pg 101]
"But
how is it with yourself now?" he asked the statue.
"Well,
I shall also find peace now," said the statue; "for now I have done a
good deed, and I am only waiting for the last prayer."
And
it was not long before it came. The parson read the best prayer he
knew, and when he had finished the statue became flesh and blood again,
but he drew his last breath at the same moment. The parson put him in a
coffin and gave him a respectable burial, and in this way they both
benefited.
THE
ARTFUL LAD
[Pg 102]
There
were once two farmers whose farms lay side by side in the same parish.
Their land was of the same size and equally taxed, so that by rights
both the farmers ought to have been equally well off. But they were
not; for the one was rich, and the other was only just able to keep
body and soul together. You may think this was strange, since the one
was just as industrious as the other; but it was not so very strange
after all, for the rich farmer had a servant lad to help him—and
a very
clever lad he was, while the other had to do all the work himself, and
did not even get any help from his wife, for she suffered so much from
internal complaints, she said, that she was unable to do any work in
the fields. Nor did she do much indoor work, at which she had to sit
quiet; but spin and wind yarn, and run about from one room to the
other, that she could do. And as for her complaint, it could not be as
bad as she pretended, for she did not look either ill or ailing. No, on
the contrary she was stout and trim, and red in the face like a peony;[Pg 103] and
although she was short and stout, she was broad both across her
shoulders and hips, so that no one could find anything amiss with her.
But she was one of those who will steal away from work and idle her
time away; and that was about all that ailed her. And she had the habit
of hiding away all that her husband brought home with him in his
ox-cart, and so you may guess things could not last very long. The
farmer was greatly to be pitied, although no one thought of pitying
him; for if only he had given his wife a beating now and then it would
have been all the better for him. But this he neglected to do, and so
he had to suffer for it; there was no help for it.
So
one Sunday morning, when his wife was out gallivanting about, as was
her custom early and late, the farmer was sitting alone in his parlour,
and a strange lad happened to come in.
"Good
evening, master!" said the lad.
"Good
evening!" said the farmer.
"Do
you want a servant lad, master?"
"A
servant lad? God help me," said the farmer, "how can I afford that? I
can scarcely manage to keep and feed myself, worse luck!"
"Is
that so?" said the lad. "But that's just the reason why you want some
one to help you."
"You
talk as if you hadn't any sense," said the farmer. "If two mouths can
empty a dish, does one get any the more when a hungry body stands by
staring at[Pg 104] one?
And if the stuff for one's breeches is not enough for two legs, is it
likely to be sufficient for four?"
"Of
course," said the lad, "if only you use your wits; for if you use them,
you need not be without either bread or breeches, that's certain, and
that you may depend upon. And I'll take care to manage things, and to
stretch the stuff for the breeches, so that it will be sufficient both
for you and for me—that's to say, if the missis does not wear the
breeches," he said.
"You
have a bold tongue, my lad," said the farmer; "but it's one thing to
boast and brag, and another to work and drag; and braggarts are
generally the greatest sluggards,—have you heard that?"
"Yes,
I have. I have heard that and a good deal more," said the lad. "But
that's neither here nor there. I like this place, and here I'll remain,
and as for wages we are sure to agree about them. I don't want to take
anything from you till I've earned it."
"How
you do talk!" said the farmer. "You talk and you talk till my ears
tingle, but that's an easy matter, and big words often lead to a big
fall; but if you can manage to get along on scanty fare, there will not
be much risk about it," he said.
"Well,
you take the risk, master, and you'll not regret it," said the lad.
"For I am the lad who's not afraid of anything."[Pg 105]
The
farmer began to scratch his head. He liked the lad, for you must know
he was a big, strong fellow, and if he were only half as strong as he
looked, he would still be one of the strongest in the parish. But it
would require more than water-gruel to feed such a fellow properly.
What should he feed him on? And his wife was not at home either. What
would she say when she found she had such a big eater in the house?
What should they give him to eat?
"Well,"
said the boy, who began to be impatient, "what's your answer?"
"Well,
that's just what I am thinking about," said the farmer.
"But
that's of little good to me," said the lad. "Listen to me! Don't sit
pondering and pondering, or it'll fare with you as with the parson who
walked up and down the vestry pondering upon his first sermon till all
the people had left the church. No, that won't do! Quick thoughts
belong to a quick head, so don't make yourself more stupid than you
are! Here's my hand!" he said.
Well,
the farmer had to hold out his hand too, which the lad squeezed so hard
that the farmer yelled; and that was the whole contract. But what was
done was done; and the wife might think what she liked, for the lad
went to his work at once, he did.
All
at once the wife came rushing in.[Pg 106]
"Good
evening! Glad to see you back!" said the farmer.
"Good
evening, husband!" said the wife. "How have you been amusing yourself
while I have been out?" she said, in an insinuating voice and with a
mild look in her eyes.
"Well,
I've taken a servant lad!" said the farmer.
"Servant
lad?" said the wife. "Have you gone clean out of your senses? Taken a
servant lad, you say?"
"Yes,
just so!" said the farmer.
"Bless
me!" said the woman, clasping her hands in surprise. "Has any one ever
heard the like? What are we going to pay him and feed him with, I
should like to know?"
"His
wages will be my affair, and the feeding yours," said the farmer.
"I
pity him, poor fellow," said the wife.
"You
needn't pity me at all," said the lad, "for I'm the sort of lad that
isn't afraid. How do you do, mother? We shall be the best of friends
and get on well together," he said.
The
wife had to shake hands with him; and when she looked a little closer
at him, she saw he was a fine fellow, who had his wits about him. 'That
fellow is not to be trifled with,' she thought, but she did not say a
word. And the lad did not speak a word either. He only stared at her,
as she sat by[Pg 107] the
hearth, looking as fat and round in the face as a pancake; and then he
looked at the farmer and saw how thin and gaunt and sallow he was.
"What a fiend of a woman! She must eat something better than
water-gruel," thought the lad.
On
the following Monday the farmer and the lad set out early in the
morning to the forest to cut trees for hurdles. When they got there,
the lad remembered that he had forgotten his axe. So he had to run home
again. He went into the parlour and found that his mistress was out,
but there was a cloth on the table, and he could see she had not put it
there to be bleached by the sun, for there was bread and butter and
cheese and even brandy on the table. Had any one ever seen such a
woman? That was quite another sort of breakfast to the water-gruel and
bread-crumbs she gave her husband.
"There's
something wrong in this house," he thought, "but take your time and
you'll see." And so he crept into the settle-bed, and shut down the lid
over him, and then he cut a little peep-hole in the side of the bed.
All
at once the woman came hurrying in, bringing her neighbour with her.
She asked him to sit down and make himself at home, which he lost no
time in doing.
"I
heard you were going to the forest to-day, and so I thought you would
like a tit-bit and a dram," she said, and made herself as caressing and
pleasant[Pg 108] as
a westerly breeze on a midsummer night. Her guest needed no persuasion,
and it wasn't necessary to ask him twice. He ate and drank and helped
himself to one dram after another. The woman was not backward either.
She drank a glass with him, and chattered away and made herself as
pleasant as she could. In the meantime the lad lay inside the
settle-bed, chewing a bit of straw and peeping through the hole and
listening all the while.
When
the neighbour had finished his breakfast, he had eaten so much that he
had to loosen the strap of his leathern apron, and then he got ready to
go.
"Just
wait a bit," said the woman. "Where will you be working to-day?"
"I
shall be in the forest close to where your people are cutting," he said.
"Will
you be alone?" she asked.
Yes,
that he would, he said, for his lad had gone to the mill.
"If
you will mark the trees and drop branches in the path, I'll come and
bring you some dinner," she said.
"Thank
you," said the neighbour as he went out; and so the woman went into the
kitchen.
Then
the lad jumped out of the settle-bed and made his way back to the
forest.
Well,
the neighbour did as the woman had told him, but as he went through the
forest and lopped off branches, the lad, who was following behind,[Pg 109] picked
them up and marked the path leading to the place where his master was
working.
He
thought he had managed things very well.
In
the meantime his master had been hewing away till the splinters flew,
and swore because the lad did not come back.
"How
stupid I was! What did I want with a lazy-bones like that," he thought.
"He can boast and brag, but he is not so smart on his legs as with his
tongue, that I can see; and if he goes on like this the first day, what
will the end be?"
Just
then the lad came back. He had lost his way in the forest, he said, and
he had had to turn his jacket three times [1] before
he got on the right path.
"With
the lazy ox the Huldre drives best," the farmer said; "and I should
like to know whether you belong to her people or mine," he said, and
was very angry.
"Bide
your time, and you'll see," said the lad, and set to work with a will.
He
cut away till the forest thundered and rang with his blows, so that in
a short time he had felled more trees than the farmer.
"Will
that do?" he said.
"It
will," said the farmer.
[Pg 110]
The
lad then put down the axe and began to look round.
"What
are you staring after?" said the farmer.
"I
can see by the sun that it's dinner-time," said the lad; "and I am
looking for my mistress, for I think it's about time that she ought to
be here with our dinner."
"Is
that what you are staring after?" said the farmer. "If so, you'll be
staring till your eyes start out of your head, for mother said she
hadn't got anything for us; so we shall have to cut and hew as long as
we are able, and even when we get home I don't think we shall be able
to scrape much together."
"Bless
me!" said the lad, "we mustn't think it'll be as bad as that! Oh no,
the mistress will be coming, you'll see, and you may depend she'll give
us a good meal."
"Well,
believe it if you like," said the farmer. "But if you can manage with
that sort of food till this evening you'll not be difficult to keep,"
he said.
And
with this he tightened the leather apron round his waist and began to
fell trees again.
"Look
there, master!" said the lad.
The
farmer did stare, you may guess, for he saw his wife stealing along
between the bushes with a big bag of food on her arm.
She
did not take her eyes off the ground, as she[Pg 111] was
looking for the branches, and she didn't know where she was till she
was close up to her husband.
"Well,
mother!" said the farmer.
His
wife gave a start.
"Good
gracious, is that you?" she said.
"Of
course it's me," said the farmer, and laughed. "Surely you ought to
know that when you come here with the dinner. But sit down, and let me
see what you have been able to scrape together for us."
He
then took the bag and began to see what she had brought.
There
was butter and cheese and there was pease pudding. "Ey, hey!" said the
farmer, smacking his lips. And there was sweet cheese and cheese cakes,
too.
"I
can hardly believe my eyes! Why, this'll be quite a grand feast,
mother!" said he. He then found a little bottle. What could there be in
that bottle? He took out the cork. It was brandy. He became so pleased
that he gave his wife a dig in the ribs, so that she went sprawling
along the ground.
"I
say, mother," he cried, "where have you got all these good things from?
You haven't stolen them, I hope?"
"Oh,
they are some trifles I have been saving up," she said, "and I thought
they would just do to-day, since it is the first dinner we give our new
lad," she said; but most likely she wished both the lad and[Pg 112] her
husband as far away as possible, and a little bit farther, as you may
guess, for it was their neighbour she was looking for, and he, poor
fellow, would not even be able to get a sniff of the good things.
But
she was a cunning woman, and that kind of woman always finds a way out
of difficulties.
"I
say, husband," she said, "our neighbour is in the forest too to-day,
and we have never offered him any hospitality. Won't you ask him to
come here and have something?"
The
farmer was not particularly anxious to get any help, for there was not
overmuch of food in the bag, and he and the lad could easily manage
what there was, he thought; but he was not mean, nor did he want to go
against his wife either.
"Run
and ask our neighbour, then," he said to the lad; and off went the lad,
but first he took a large piece of cheese with him. He would eat that
on the way, he said, for the water-gruel and bread-crumbs which he had
had for breakfast had disappeared long ago, so he was very hungry, he
said. But he broke the cheese in pieces instead, and dropped them on
the path as he went along.
And
so he came to where the neighbour was.
"I
say, mister!" said the lad. "You'll have to be on the look out, for my
master has discovered that my mistress asks you to our house when he is
away, so now there'll be a fine kettle of fish."
And
then he ran back to his master.[Pg 113]
"Master!"
he cried. "For God's sake, master, make haste and take the axe with
you. Our neighbour has felled a big tree, which has fallen right across
him."
"Dear,
dear! What a misfortune!" cried the farmer; and set off running with
the axe in his hand.
When
the neighbour caught sight of him running towards him in this way he
remembered what the lad had said, and took to his heels as fast as he
could. The farmer stared after him in surprise; at the same time he was
glad to see he was unhurt. "Wait a bit!" he cried. "Wait a bit, do you
hear? I have got something nice for you over here."
Something
nice? No, thank you; he was much obliged, but he thought it was best to
keep away, for that kind of treat he could do without. He took to
running still faster; he never said a word—he only ran.
"I
should say he has gone mad," said the farmer; "for as a rule he does
not want much pressing. But to run the flesh off your bones to get
people to eat up your food when you're hungry, why, only a fool would
do that," he said, and so he went back.
But
then he saw the pieces of cheese which the lad had dropped along the
path.
"What
a careless boy!" he thought; and began to pick up the pieces as he went
along.
In
the meanwhile the lad was sitting beside his[Pg 114] mistress,
eating and drinking and gorging himself from the bag.
"What's
father picking up over there?" said the woman.
"Pebbles,"
said the lad.
"Pebbles?"
said the woman. "What is he going to do with them?"
"How
should I know?" said the lad. "But you had better take care, mistress,
for my master knows how you carry on with our neighbour when he is
away. He knows it was for our neighbour, and not for him, that you
brought this dinner; and now there'll be a nice kettle of fish."
The
woman, as you may guess, turned red and became quite frightened.
"Heaven
help me! heaven help me!" she muttered; and then she set off homewards.
The
farmer shouted after her; but she would not hear him—she only ran
as
fast as she could.
"I
think she is gone mad as well," he said; "or what is it she is running
after?"
"Indeed,
I don't know," said the lad; "unless the house is on fire."
"You
don't say so!" shouted the farmer; and he took to his heels as well.
But
his wife was more nimble on her legs, and she got home first. She ran
into the kitchen and hid herself in the baker's oven. The farmer rushed
to the well and filled a bucket with water, and ran into the kitchen.
But he could see no fire anywhere.
[Pg 115]
"MY
DEAR, KIND HUSBAND! DON'T BE ANGRY WITH ME!"
SHOUTED THE WOMAN.
[Pg 117]
"I
wonder if it's in the baker's oven!" he said; and opened the door and
threw the whole bucket of water into it. The wife began to shout and
cry: "My dear, kind husband! Don't be angry with me! I will never ask
our neighbour here any more when you are out, and I'll never take him
any food either."
"Ah
ha!" said the farmer. "Is that how matters stand? It's no wonder then
that you have nothing but water-gruel for me! Did ever one hear the
like? But I'll not stand it any longer; no, I'll not stand it!"
And
he dragged his wife out of the oven and began to beat her as hard as he
could.
The
wife cried and screamed, but all of no avail; the more she screamed the
more he belaboured her, for now he was fairly started.
Just
then the lad came in.
"I
think you had better take a rest now, master," he said; "for I suppose
you have been thanking mistress for the grand feast."
"You
think so?" said the farmer. "No—o! She must have more!" And so he
wanted to begin again.
"No,
stop!" said the lad; "it's enough now."
"Is
it?" said the farmer. "I suppose it'll have to do then. But I haven't
let him have anything yet."[Pg 118]
"You
mustn't either," said the lad.
"Mustn't
I? Yes, indeed I will; and in such a way that I'll break every bone of
that rascal's back."
"No,
indeed you mustn't," said the lad. "I'll manage him."
"Will
you?" said the farmer; and he did not at all object to this, for he had
seen sufficient to know that the lad was able to manage it better than
he, and that it was no joke when any one got into his clutches.
"Well,
you had better do it, then!" he said.
So
the lad went to the neighbour.
"Good
evening!" he said.
"Good
evening! How are things going?" said the neighbour.
"Very
badly," said the lad; "for I must tell you that master is sharpening
his axe, and is so furious with you that if you don't take care of
yourself you'll never know what will happen. He has sworn he'll cut
those shanks of yours to bits because you carry on with his wife when
he is away."
"Oh
dear, oh dear! What a scrape I have got into! What can a wretched man
like me do?"
"Well,
you must listen to what I say," said the lad; "you see, they have
scarcely any corn left at our place and if you will give me two barrels
of rye, half a barrel of peas, and a quartern of wheat, I shall be able
to keep him quiet."
"Are
you mad? So much for so little?"[Pg 119]
"How
do I know if it's too much or too little?" said the lad; "but I'll ask
your wife about it, and then we shall soon know."
"No,
stop!" said the farmer. "My wife, you see, has such a hasty temper. But
one barrel of rye I might be able to manage, if only she doesn't get to
hear of it."
"Two
barrels," said the lad.
"One
barrel," said the farmer.
"Two,"
said the lad, "or else——"
"No,
no! stop! You shall have them then."
But
the lad was not yet satisfied. He wrangled and bargained so long that
he got the quartern of wheat, but of the peas he could only get half of
what he wanted, for else they would run out of pease-meal altogether.
The other quartern he would owe him. The lad was satisfied with this;
and he was to come at midnight to fetch the corn, so that the
neighbour's wife should not know anything about it; and with this they
parted.
When
the lad came back the farmer asked him: "Well, have you given him what
he deserved?"
"Yes,
you may be sure of that," said the lad. "He has now got enough to make
his back smart for some time to come, and more he may get whenever I
have a chance. But this you must keep to yourself, and you mustn't let
either him or any of his notice anything. You understand that? And not
a word to mistress either."[Pg 120]
Yes,
that the farmer promised.
"I
say, master," said the lad, "I think you have now taught mistress to be
obedient and to look after the crumbs better; but she has scarcely a
morsel in the house, so I will be off to the mill, so that she can get
her barrels and bins filled."
"To
the mill?" said the farmer. "What are you going to grind? We have
scarcely anything else but siftings in the bins."
"Oh,
I'll see to that," said the lad. "Go to bed, and don't trouble about
it."
"That's
a wonderful lad!" thought the farmer. And then he did as the lad had
told him; but the lad went into the cart-house and greased the wheels
of the cart and got ready to start. In the middle of the night he
called at the neighbour's for the corn, and then he drove to the mill.
But
we know what womenfolk are. Even if they never go farther than from the
hearth to the kitchen shelf they know what's going on in other people's
houses for all that. And if they don't know they begin to wonder, and
don't rest till they have found out. The neighbour's wife knew well
enough how things were at the other farm, and when she heard they had
taken on a servant lad, she wondered what they were going to give him
to eat, and when she was told they had a cartload of corn at the mill,
she began to wonder still more. Yes, she wondered and wondered, and
could not rest till she had found[Pg 121] out
where they had got the corn from. She had her mother living with
her—an
old crone between eighty and ninety, or thereabout. But, old as she
was, she was just as inquisitive as her daughter. And they kept on
wondering so long till at last they hit upon a plan; and then the woman
went to her neighbour.
"Good
morning!" she said.
"Good
morning!" said the farmer.
"We
are all going to a party," she said, "and will you kindly let me leave
a chest with you, while we are away? For I am rather anxious about the
chest, I must tell you, as all the best we have is in it."
But
the best was really her mother, who was hidden in the chest, and was to
listen to what the people talked about. But nothing was said about
this, of course.
"Oh,
there won't be any difficulty about that," said the farmer; and so the
woman and her servant girl carried in the chest, and then they set out
for the party.
Soon
afterwards the lad came back from the mill. And now his mistress had
all kinds of flour, and she began to make both bread and pancakes.
All
at once the lad saw the chest.
"What
chest is that?" said he.
"Oh,
it belongs to our neighbour," said the farmer. "They have gone to a
party and have left[Pg 122] it with
us; for there is something very precious in it," he said.
"Ah,
indeed!" said the lad. "I wonder what that can be? But I suppose we can
have a look at it," he said; and so he took his axe and forced open the
lid.
He
then saw the old woman inside the chest.
"Hullo!
Here's something precious indeed!" he said. "Just come and look!"
The
farmer and his wife looked into the chest, and to their horror saw the
old woman lying there as if she were dead.
"I
think she is dead," said the farmer.
"And
so do I," said the lad; "but we may as well try and see if there is
life in her, or what can be the matter." And so he struck the side of
the chest with his axe, to see if she would wake up and come to her
senses.
But
the old woman did not move a limb; she lay as stiff as a log.
Then
he struck the chest again, but still she did not stir.
"Dead
she is," said the lad; "but she must have come here alive, at any rate,
for she has pancake and ham with her."
He
took a piece of the pancake and put it in her mouth, whereupon he
closed the lid again, so that no one could see it had been opened.
Later
on the neighbour's wife came to fetch the[Pg 123] chest,
which she took away with her. Now she would get to know a lot of news,
she thought, and she was quite looking forward to it.
But
there was little occasion for joy, as you may imagine, when she opened
the chest and found that her mother was dead, and had a piece of the
pancake in her mouth.
"Oh
dear! oh dear! She has been suffocated!" she cried. "Oh dear! how
stupid I was not to give her as much as a drop of beer with her! Oh!
what a misfortune!" and she cried and wailed till it was terrible to
hear.
But
what was done could not be undone, and since she could not cry life
into the old mother, they would have to think of the funeral. And a
grand funeral it should be; that was only fair and reasonable, in
return for all her mother had suffered.
And
this was done; the clerk chanted over the corpse till the walls
creaked, and the parson preached about her life and good deeds till
every nook in the church resounded with his words. The festivities were
on the same scale; all the parish was there, with the exception of the
lad, for they thought they had nothing to thank him for.
But
the lad thought otherwise; and as he could not join in the eating and
drinking, he thought he would find something else to do. He went to the
churchyard about midnight and dug up the old woman, carried her in his
arms and put her in the[Pg 124] cellar
among the beer barrels. The beer he carried across in pails to his
master's cellar and poured it into his barrels, but the taps he placed
in the old woman's hand, and then he went his way.
In
the morning the neighbour's wife had to go to the cellar for beer, for
the guests were thirsty, and wanted something to moisten their parched
throats with. But you may imagine how terrified she was when she saw
her mother sitting there.
"Oh
dear! oh dear! That's because I left mother in the chest without giving
her anything to drink," she said.
She
ran to her husband, and he hurried to the parson to come and make his
mother-in-law listen to reason. The parson told him to make his mind
easy, and if he would promise to pay for a new funeral, he would read
such prayers over the corpse that she would be sure to rest in her
grave, said the parson; and the clerk would chant so that it could be
heard all over the parish; and that would help a good bit too, added
the clerk.
The
new funeral took place on the following Sunday, and this time they did
not forget the old custom of sewing the stockings together on the
corpse and to put a thunderbolt in the coffin. Yes, they even put a
whole bottle of beer beside her; and now they thought she could surely
have nothing to look for in her son-in-law's house. And if the feasting
wasn't greater, it wasn't at any rate less than[Pg 125] at
the first funeral; for everything was so grand that the old woman ought
surely to rest satisfied, they thought. And so she might perhaps, if
only the lad had been asked to the feast. But they had not asked him
this time either, and so he went to the churchyard and dug her up again
and carried her back to the farm. He placed her in the pea-bin in the
barn, with a corn shovel in each hand. The peas he took away with him,
for there was scarcely more than the quartern which the farmer owed
him, and so he went away, leaving the door wide open.
In
the morning they saw the barn door was open, and the farmer went to see
what was the reason. But he nearly went out of his mind when he saw his
mother-in-law sitting in the pea-bin, and found what havoc she had made
there. "Did you ever see anything like it? This time she wanted to pay
us out for the pancake which choked her," he said. "It's quite
impossible to please that woman."
But
there she sat in any case; and since she would not take herself off,
there was no help for it but to go to the parson again. He wondered
greatly at the old woman, who would not take any notice of all they had
read and chanted over her. But if the man would pay him double fees, he
would read so many prayers over her that she must remain in her grave;
"there could be no question about that," said the parson. And the clerk
would have to get some assistance, and they would sing so that it would
be[Pg 126] heard
over seven parishes; "and that would be sure to help," said the clerk.
The third funeral then took place, and they had now taken every care
that the old woman should remain where she was. Yes, the parson read,
the clerk chanted, and all the relatives, both in and outside the
parish, were asked to the funeral feast.
But
when the devil is abroad, it's little use to bar and bolt, and the lad
was not asked this time either.
Close
upon midnight the farmer said to the parson: "I am afraid that my
mother-in-law is not satisfied this time either! Won't you let me drive
you to the church, so that you could read over her once more, and then
she would surely be at rest?" The parson would rather be excused, for
he was enjoying himself at the funeral feast; but the farmer begged and
prayed so hard that the parson promised to go, and so they drove off.
When they came to the churchyard, the lad had already been there and
dug up the old woman, but he had not got further than behind the
church, and there he sat in a corner with the body in his lap.
The
moon was shining, and the farmer had a foal, which was frolicking about
after the mare. While the parson was reading over the grave the lad got
hold of the foal, and then he took a stake and fixed it to the old
woman's back, so that she could keep upright, and then he placed her
across the foal.[Pg 127] When
the parson had finished he and the farmer set out on their way back.
"Now
I think your mother-in-law will rest where she is," said the parson;
but the same moment the old woman rushed past as swiftly as an arrow on
the foal's back. The parson stood aghast and did not know what to say,
and the farmer was quite at his wit's end; neither the parson nor the
clerk could manage her. All the guests were lost in wonder, and pitied
the farmer all they could, but they could not give him any advice.
At
last his neighbour said to him: "I think we'll have to send for my
servant lad. He may be able to manage the matter, for he is never at a
loss."
"Ah,
but what can he do? Is he better than the parson and the clerk?" they
all said. But the farmer was quite certain that his lad was not to be
despised, and since there was nothing else to be done they might as
well try what he could do. And so they sent for him, and he came.
"Can
you tell me how I shall make peace with my mother-in-law?" asked the
farmer.
"I
should think I can," said the lad. "That's not a difficult matter. Let
me have the old woman and I'll read so many prayers over her that
she'll keep quiet for good," he said. "But I must have a hundred
dollars for my trouble."
That
was a lot of money, but if she would only[Pg 128] leave
him in peace it might not be so unreasonable after all, thought the
farmer.
The
lad then took the old woman and carried her to the churchyard and
buried her; and as he did not dig her up again she remained where she
ought to be.
And
the people of the parish now began to say the lad was a far better hand
at reading over the dead than the parson himself.
He
got the hundred dollars; and he well deserved them, thought the farmer;
for if it had not been for the lad his mother-in-law would have worried
him into his grave, he declared. But he was anything but pleased about
all the money he had had to pay the parson, for his chest was now
cleaned out altogether.
From
that time there was a change in the parish. The farmer who had been
rich only just managed to keep things going, but the poor farmer got on
well and prospered in everything, so that he was worth several hundred
dollars more at the end of the year. This he had to thank the lad for;
it was only the truth, and he should honestly reward him, he said.
But
the lad was a wonderful fellow. He had a head of his own, and he would
not have any payment for all the help he had given the farmer.
"A
hundred dollars is sufficient payment for a[Pg 129] servant
lad," he said; "and I have got that from our neighbour, so you do not
owe me anything."
"It's
seldom you come across such a lad," said the farmer, who did not want
to let him go.
"I
think you must stop here another year," he said.
But
the lad thanked him for his good offer; he could not stop any longer,
he said.
"Why?"
asked the farmer.
"Well,
the parson has engaged me to help him," he said.
How
he fared afterwards I have not heard; but if that lad has not become a
parson, or a dean, or a bishop, then no one else has.
"ALL
I POSSESS!"
[Pg 130]
There
was once a farmer who was so stingy and close fisted that he could
scarcely find it in his heart to eat anything; and as for giving
anything away to anybody, that was quite out of the question. He also
wanted to accustom his wife to do without eating, but it fared with her
as with the pedlar's mare; she died from an over-dose of that doctrine,
and so he had to find another wife in her stead.
And
although he was what he was, there were plenty of girls who made
themselves agreeable to him and were willing to begin where his wife
had left off. For you must know he was rich, the ugly fellow, and it
was his money they were after, although they knew they would have to
suffer a little in return.
But
he was not satisfied with any of them, for if they ate ever so little,
they were sure to want something to eat. Those who were stout and
comely would be too expensive to keep, and those who were thin and
slender were sure to have a big[Pg 131] appetite;
so he was not able to find any one to his liking, although he had been
all over the parish looking for one.
But
the lad on the farm came to his assistance. He had heard of a girl in
one of the neighbouring parishes, who was not even able to eat as much
as a whole pea at one meal, but made it do for two.
The
farmer was glad to hear of this; she was the girl he would like to
have, and although she was somewhat deaf, so that she never heard more
than half of what people said to her, he lost no time in proposing to
the girl. Her father and mother said yes at once, seeing that the
suitor was so rich, and it did not take him long to persuade the girl
herself. A husband she must have some time or other, and so they
clinched the matter, and the farmer entered into wedlock for the second
time.
But
after a time he began to wonder how his wife really managed to keep
alive, for he noticed that she never took a morsel of food, or even
drank so much as a drop of water, and this he thought was altogether
too little. But she seemed to thrive very well for all that, and he
even thought she was getting a little stouter.
"I
wonder if she's deceiving me?" he thought.
So
one day, when he was driving home from his work in the fields, he
happened to meet his wife, who was coming from the cowshed with the
milk.[Pg 132]
"I
wonder if she doesn't take a sip of the milk when she is straining it,"
he thought, and so he asked the lad to help him up on the roof and pull
the damper aside, for he wanted to look down the chimney and see what
his wife was doing. And this he did. He climbed up on the roof and put
his head down the chimney, peering and prying all he could.
The
lad then went in to his mistress.
"Master
is now looking down the chimney," he said.
"Down
the chimney?" said the wife. "Well, then you must put some faggots on
the hearth and make a fire."
"I
daren't," said the lad.
"If
you daren't, I dare," said the woman, and so she made a fire and blew
into it.
The
farmer began shouting, for the smoke was nearly suffocating him.
"Bless
me, is that you, husband?" said his wife.
"Yes,
of course it is," said the farmer.
"What
are you hanging there for?" she said.
"Oh,
I was longing so much for you, wifey, that I went the shortest way," he
said, and then he fell down on the hearth, and burned himself a good
deal.
Some
days passed and his wife neither ate nor drank, but if she did not grow
stouter she did not become thinner.[Pg 133]
"I
wonder if she doesn't eat some of the bacon when she goes to the
storehouse," he thought; and so he stole into the storehouse and ripped
up one end of a large feather bed which was lying there. He crept into
it and asked the lad to sew the ticking together again.
The
lad did as he was bid, and then he went in to his mistress.
"Master
is now lying inside the feather bed in the storehouse," he said.
"Inside
the feather bed in the storehouse?" said the wife. "You must go and
beat it well, so that neither dust nor moths get into it," she said,
and so she took down a couple of stout hazel sticks and gave them to
the lad.
"I
daren't," said the lad.
"If
you daren't, I dare," said the wife, and she went to the storehouse and
began to beat the feather bed with all her might, so that the feathers
flew about, and the farmer began shouting, for the blows hit him right
across his face.
"Bless
me, is that you, husband?" said the woman.
"Yes,
of course it is," said the farmer.
"What
are you lying there for?" said his wife.
"I
thought I would lie on something better than straw for once," said the
husband. They then ripped open the feather bed, and when he came out
the blood was still streaming down his face.[Pg 134]
Some
days then passed and the wife neither ate nor drank, but her husband
thought she was growing still stouter and more cheerful than ever.
"The
devil knows what's at the bottom of all this," he thought. "I wonder if
she drinks the beer when she goes into the cellar?"
And
so he went down into the cellar and knocked the bottom out of an empty
beer-barrel, and then he crept into the barrel, and asked the lad to
put the bottom in again. The lad did as he was bid, and then he went in
to his mistress.
"Master
is now lying in the beer-barrel in the cellar," said the lad.
"In
the beer-barrel in the cellar?" said the wife. "You must fill it with
boiling juniper lye, for it's getting sour and leaky," she said.
"I
daren't," said the lad.
"If
you daren't, I dare," said the wife, and so she began boiling juniper
lye, and then she poured it into the barrel. The farmer began to shout,
but she poured a whole kettleful into the barrel, and yet another after
that.
The
man went on shouting louder and louder.
"Bless
me, is that you, husband?" said the wife.
"Yes,
of course it is," yelled the farmer.
"What
are you lying there for?" said his wife.
But
the farmer was not able to give any answer. He only moaned and groaned,
for he was terribly scalded, and when they got him out of the barrel he[Pg 135] was
more dead than alive, and they had to carry him to his bed.
He
now wished to see the parson, and while the lad went to fetch him the
wife began to prepare some tasty dishes and to make cheese cakes and
other nice things for the parson, so that he should not go away with an
empty stomach.
But
when the farmer saw how lavish she was in preparing all the dishes he
shouted still louder than when he was scalded:
"All
I possess! All I possess!" he cried, for he now believed they were
going to eat up everything he had, and he knew that both the parson and
the clerk were people who could make themselves at home and make a
clean sweep of the table.
When
the parson arrived the farmer was still shouting:
"All
I possess! All I possess!"
"What
is it your husband is saying?" said the parson.
"Oh,
my husband is so terribly good and kind," said the wife. "He means that
I shall have all he possesses," she said.
"His
words must then be considered and looked upon as an intimation of his
last will and testament," said the parson.
"Just
so!" said the wife.
"All
I possess! All I possess!" cried the farmer, and then he died.[Pg 136]
His
wife then had him buried, and afterwards she went to the proper
authorities about her husband's affairs. And as both the parson and the
clerk could give evidence that the farmer's last words were that she
should have all he possessed she got it all. And when a year was gone
she married the lad on the farm, but whether after that time she was
just as hard of hearing I have never heard.
KATIE
GREY. [2]
[Pg 137]
There
were once upon a time a man and a woman who agreed so well together
that a harsh word had never passed between them since the beginning of
their married life; for whatever the husband did the wife thought right
and proper, and everything that she did the husband thought the best
that could be done. They had not much to manage with, so they had to be
very careful, even with the crumbs; but no matter how black things
looked, they were always happy and contented.
But
envy seems to find her way into every corner, be it ever so humble, and
if there is no one else who begrudges people living in peace Old Nick
always tries to get his foot inside. So he lay in wait outside their
house, [Pg 138]wondering
how he should be able to sow ever so little dissension there.
He
tried in one way and he tried in another and he tried in every way; but
although he was always hovering about the house they kept so well
together that he could not find a single chink through which he could
slip in, however small he made himself.
But
what Old Nick himself cannot accomplish wicked women may manage. In the
same neighbourhood there lived one called Katie Grey, who was one of
the right sort. To her he went, and asked if she could set the old
couple against each other.
That
wouldn't be very difficult, she thought; and if only he would give her
a new jacket and a petticoat with red and green and blue stripes she
would be sure to manage it so that Old Nick himself should not be able
to do it better. Well, Old Nick agreed to that, and so they parted.
Early
next morning, as soon as the husband had set out for the forest, Katie
Grey rushed off to see the wife.
"Good
morning, and well met!" she said, making herself as pleasant as
possible.
"Good
morning!" said the wife.
"You
have a very good husband, you have, haven't you?" said Katie Grey.
"Yes,
the Lord be praised!" said the wife. "When the first snow falls this
autumn it will be six and thirty years since we were married, and never[Pg 139] during
all these years has a single harsh word fallen from his lips."
Katie
Grey quite agreed with her, as you may guess. "Yes, he is no doubt one
of the best men one can meet in a day's walk," she said. "But I know
people who have got on just as well as you two, and yet trouble came in
the end."
"Poor
people!" said the wife. "But just as soon will the mouse lie down with
the cat, as such things will be heard about us," she said.
Well,
that might be. Katie Grey was not one to believe all that people said,
but "better wise beforehand than hasty afterwards," and "those who
remedies know, can well kill illness, I trow;" and as she knew of a
remedy against such a misfortune, she thought she ought to mention it,
for when they had lived together like a pair of turtle doves for six
and thirty years it would be both "sin and shame" if they were now to
begin to bicker and quarrel.
The
wife could not say anything to that.
"Well,
you see," said Katie Grey, for now she thought she had got the better
of the wife, "if you take a razor and draw it three times along a strop
against the sun, and then cut off six hairs from your husband's beard
just under his chin one night when he is asleep, and afterwards burn
them, he will never be angry with you."
The
wife said she did not think she would ever be[Pg 140] in need
of that remedy, but she thanked her for her good advice all the same.
Katie
Grey then set out for the forest, where the husband was making
osier-bands.
"Good
morning, and well met!" she said.
"Good
morning to you!" said the man.
"What
a very kind and good wife you have got!" she said.
"That's
true enough," said the man. "There isn't a better woman on this side of
the sun, nor has there ever been one either."
"That
may be," said Katie Grey, "but so was Eve also before the Evil One got
the better of her."
"Yes,
that's true; but my wife, you see, is not one of that sort, for she
never puts her foot where such wickedness is going on," he said.
"Don't
be so sure about that, for the Evil One can creep through the eye of a
needle," she said, "so that no one is secure against him. Not that I
want to make any mischief between people,—no one can say that
about
me,—but those who will run into danger had better be well looked
after.
'All is not gold that glitters,' and 'outside mild, inside wild,' often
go together," she said.
"You
talk according to the sense you have," said the man, who began to feel
angry. "My wife is no more likely to wish me evil than the sun to shine
in the middle of the night—that I may tell you," he said.
[Pg 141]
"NO,
KEEP AWAY FROM ME!" CRIED OLD NICK, AND KEPT HER
BACK WITH HIS POLE.
[Pg 143]
"Thinking
and believing do no harm to anybody," she said. "But I think you will
do a wise thing in not closing your eyes to-night when your wife comes
and draws a razor across your throat. But not a word about this to any
one, do you hear?" she said, and off she went.
One
gets to hear a good deal before one has done with this world—but
did
one ever hear the like of this? Could it be possible? The man felt as
strange in his head as if he had rolled down the church steeple; but
whatever it was that ailed him, there he stood pondering and brooding.
Pshaw!
She was after all only a wicked woman, who wanted to set them against
each other. Yes, that was it; and he was very sorry he had not given
her a good thrashing for her trouble.
But
although he worked away and toiled his best with his osiers, he could
not get out of his head what Katie Grey had put into it; and when he
came home in the evening he was so depressed and silent that his wife
had never seen him in such a state before, so strange was he.
"Goodness
knows, what can be the matter with my husband?" she thought; and then
she suddenly recollected what Katie Grey had told her.
"I
may as well take three hairs from his beard," she thought, "for when
you have had a happy home for six and thirty years, it isn't likely
you'll let it slip through your fingers all at once." But she did not[Pg 144] dare to
speak to her husband,—she only asked him to lend her his razor.
He
let her have it, but he sighed and thought to himself: "I wonder if she
would do me any harm? I wonder if she really could? Oh, no! that's
quite impossible."
But
he put his axe close to his bed, and then they both lay down to rest.
Later
on in the night she asked:
"Are
you asleep, husband?"
This
startled the man, but he did not say a word, and the wife stole out of
bed and lighted a candle.
The
man's heart began to beat violently.
The
wife then took the razor and drew it three times along the leather belt
of her husband's apron, and went towards the bed.
The
blood rushed to the man's head, so that he almost lost his senses, but
he lay as quiet as a stone, and only moved his hand towards the axe.
The
wife then came close to the bed to cut the three hairs from his beard.
But
as she leaned forward the man suddenly jumped up and seized his axe,
with which he struck his wife, who fell down dead on the floor.
He
felt he had done a very wicked deed, but he had not thought that things
would come to this pass.
He
became much distressed—for what was he going to do?
[Pg 145]
JUST
THEN TWO WHITE PIGEONS CAME FLYING OUT OF THE
COTTAGE...THEY WERE THE MAN AND HIS WIFE.
[Pg 147]
It
was perhaps best he followed his wife, and so he took a knife and cut
his throat.
Just
then he heard some one laughing outside the window, and he looked in
that direction. There he saw Katie Grey, and then he died.
Katie
Grey was now quite proud that she had been able to do more than the
Evil One himself.
Old
Nick was not far off either. He came with a petticoat and a jacket
hanging on a long, long pole, which he held out towards her.
"Come
nearer, so that I may shake hands with you and thank you," she said.
"No,
keep away from me!" he cried, and kept her back with his pole, which he
poked at her.
"You
call me the Wicked One and the Evil One and such things, but I am not
as wicked as you are, at any rate. Look here," he said, "take what
belongs to you, so that I can have done with you." And with this he
threw the pole and the clothes at her, and took to his heels as fast as
ever he could, so afraid was he of her.
Katie
Grey stood wondering and staring after him. Just then two white pigeons
came flying out of the cottage, and flew right up into the clouds
above. They were the man and his wife; for though Old Nick had wished
them evil, the Lord would take care of them. But what would become of
Katie Grey, seeing that the Evil One himself did not dare to go near
her, it is not easy to say.
THE
COCK AND THE
CRESTED HEN
[Pg 148]
There
was once a cock who had a whole farm-yard of hens to look after and
manage; and among them was a tiny little crested hen. She thought she
was altogether too grand to be in company with the other hens, for they
looked so old and shabby; she wanted to go out and strut about all by
herself, so that people could see how fine she was, and admire her
pretty crest and beautiful plumage.
So
one day when all the hens were strutting about on the dust-heap and
showing themselves off and picking and clucking, as they were wont to
do, this desire seized her, and she began to cry:
"Cluck,
cluck, cluck, cluck, over the fence! cluck, cluck, cluck, over the
fence!" and wanted to get away.
The
cock stretched his neck and shook his comb and feathers, and cried:
"Go
not there!" And all the old hens cackled:
"Go—go—go—go
not there!"
But
she set off for all that; and was not a little proud when she got away,
and could go about pluming and showing herself off quite by herself.
[Pg 149]
"CLUCK!
CLUCK!" SHE CRIED, AND WANTED TO GET AWAY.
Just
then a hawk began to fly round in a circle above her, and all of a
sudden he swooped down upon her. The cock, as he stood on top of the
dust-heap stretching his neck and peering first with[Pg 150] one eye
and then with the other, had long noticed him, and cried with all his
might:
"Come,
come, come and help! Come, come, come and help!" till the people came
running to see what was the matter. They frightened the hawk so that he
let go the hen, and had to be satisfied with her tuft and her finest
feathers, which he had plucked from her. And then, you may be sure, she
lost no time in running home; she stretched her neck, and tripped
along, crying:
"See,
see, see, see how I look! See, see, see, see how I look!"
The
cock came up to her in his dignified way, drooped one of his wings, and
said:
"Didn't
I tell you?"
From
that time the hen did not consider herself too good to be in the
company of the old hens on the dust-heap.
OLD
NICK AND THE PEDLAR
[Pg 151]
There
was once a pedlar who travelled all over the world with his bag on his
back, and a yard measure in his hand. But he did not get on as well as
other pedlars, for while they got rid of two or three bagfuls, he was
not able to get one bag emptied.
So
one evening, as he dragged himself wearily along the roadside, he
happened to meet Old Nick, who was lying in wait; for since people had
become so Christian, Old Nick had to content himself with pedlars, and
such like.
"How
is business?" asked Old Nick.
"Oh,
times are very bad," said the pedlar. "Wherever I put my head in
through the door, I find some of my mates have been before me, and the
womenfolk will buy no more, and the men look angry," he said.
"Well,
there's a remedy for that," said Old Nick. "If you will come to an
arrangement with me you'll find that things will be different," he said.
Yes,
the pedlar had no objection to that, for Old Nick would be sure to have
him in the end at any[Pg 152] rate;
and so they made a bargain that the pedlar should sell all he bought,
but if the bags ever became quite empty he should belong to Old Nick
there and then.
That
was a good bargain, thought the pedlar, for he would take care to
manage it so that his bags never became quite empty; and then he set
off home and got a horse and cart and goods of all kinds on credit.
Then he drove from farm to farm and from one fair to another, and
before long he had to go into town again for more goods. But however
briskly business went, he always managed to have something left in his
bags.
But
Old Nick is not one to let anything slip through his fingers if he has
once got hold of it, and so he followed close upon his heels, although
the pedlar could not see him.
So
one day he came to Hinnersmess fair, where there were crowds of people,
and business was so brisk that it was as much as he could do to get out
his stuff and measure what they wanted. For no doubt Old Nick had
managed it so that his goods attracted the people's attention most.
There
were other pedlars at the fair, of course; but neither words nor tricks
were of any avail, for, in spite of all their gesticulations and
persuasive ways, they sold little or nothing, as most of the people
went to Old Nick's pedlar.
[Pg 153]
BUSINESS
WAS SO BRISK, THAT IT WAS AS MUCH AS HE COULD
DO TO GET OUT HIS STUFF AND MEASURE WHAT THEY WANTED.
[Pg 155]
In
order to get some share of the business they had to sell their goods to
him, and no sooner were they on his stall than they were sold there and
then.
But
a pedlar is also a human being, if not exactly one of the best sort;
and although he was doing a brisk business he was obliged to leave his
stall for a short time, and so he asked one of his mates to attend to
his customers in his absence.
While
he was away, a man came and asked how much the whole lot would cost,
for he wanted to buy it all, and the horse and cart and the bags as
well.
"Six
hundred crowns," said the pedlar, for you see he thought he might be
beaten down. But the man did not even try to bargain by as much as a
penny; he put the money at once on the stall.
"And
now it's all mine, you understand," he said; and then he laughed. "Tell
your mate I shall come to-night to fetch the goods, and then we shall
have a drink together on the strength of the bargain," he said; and
then he laughed once more, and to such an extent that it sounded like
thunder, and the next moment he was gone. It was easy to guess who the
person was, for the whole market-place smelt of sulphur.
When
the pedlar came back, he asked: "Have you sold anything?"
"Yes,
of course I have," said his mate. "I have done a grand business, too! I
have sold the whole lot, and the horse and cart, and the bags as well,
for four hundred crowns; and here they are," he said,[Pg 156] and
gave them to him. But the other two hundred crowns he put in his own
pocket, for he wasn't a pedlar for nothing, you see.
"The
Lord have pity on me then, poor wretch that I am!" moaned the pedlar.
"Now I am completely undone."
"Have
you gone out of your senses?" said his mate. "He was one of the right
sort, I can tell you. He did not even beat me down a stiver, and
to-night he is coming to have a drink with you on the strength of the
bargain."
"Oh
dear, oh dear!" cried the pedlar; and he wailed and moaned so terribly
that everybody pitied him, for they thought he had gone out of his mind.
Just
then a woman came by.
"What
is it you are crying and groaning about?" she asked. But the pedlar
went on moaning, for now he felt there was no help for him.
"Be
quiet!" said the woman; "don't go on like that, my man! It can never be
so bad but it can be bettered, I say; for I am Katie Grey, [3] and
I can always help people out of their trouble, even if it be Old Nick
himself you have fallen out with," she said. "Come, let me only hear
what's the matter, and we'll find a way out of it."
The
pedlar then told her all about his trouble.
"If
that was all," she said, "she would be able to help him, if he only did
what she told him; which he, of course, was willing to do, as long as
he could save his skin."
[Pg 157]
THE
PEDLAR OPENED THE BAG, AND WHO SHOULD PEEP OUT BUT
KATIE GREY!
[Pg 159]
When
the night had set in Old Nick lost no time in coming to fetch him.
"You
thought perhaps you could cheat me, but now you'll have to come with me
after all," he said.
"There's
no help for it, I suppose," said the pedlar; "but tell me, master, what
did we arrange? Was it the whole lot you bought?" he asked.
"Yes,
of course," said Old Nick; "I bought the whole lot, and horse and cart,
and the bags too, and you remember the contract, I suppose?"
"Well,
then, you bought what I have got here in this bag as well," said the
pedlar, pointing to a great big bag which stood in a corner.
"Yes,
it's all mine," said Old Nick. "But what sort of goods have you got in
that bag? It looks so strange!"
"It's
the best of all I have," said the pedlar, and opened the bag, and who
should peep out but Katie Grey!
But
then Old Nick opened his eyes and gave a start like a scared hare.
"Whew!"
he shouted. "I haven't bought that bag, for any one who knows that
fiendish creature would not have her as a gift."
"Yes,
but then you haven't bought all of it," said the pedlar, "for she is
mine as well, and she must go with the lot," he said.[Pg 160]
"No,
thank you!" said Old Nick. "I can easily do without a pedlar, for there
are more of them; but if I take Katie Grey into the bargain I shall
never have any peace. I know that terrible creature," he said.
With
that he released the pedlar from his bond, and flew up through the
chimney, carrying off the roof with him.
What
happened afterwards I have never been able to find out; but if Old Nick
could not get on with Katie Grey, the pedlar is not likely to have been
any the better by the exchange either.
WHY
THE EXECUTIONER IS CALLED ASSESSOR
[Pg 161]
Many,
many years ago—well, it's so very, very long ago that no one can
really
tell how long ago it was—a number of grandees entered into a
conspiracy
against the king. But in spite of their power and arrogance he
succeeded in laying them by the heels, and those who were not willing
to swear submission to him there and then were all to lose their heads,
which was only fair and just; for if one has not got more sense in
one's head than to engage in such foolish undertakings, one may as well
do without a head.
But
since they were all such grand folks, the king himself wanted to see
that everything was carried out properly; and so he set out for the
spot where the execution was to take place, which was some distance
away in the country. The executioner was, of course, going there as
well; but he was not then such a great personage as he is now, and did
not travel in such state, either at the public expense or at his own.
Oh no, he had to trudge and plod[Pg 162] along
on his own legs, were the distance ever so great.
So
it happened that he got into the middle of a big forest just as night
was setting in, and as there was no sign of any house where he could
get lodgings, he looked about for a place where he could lie down and
rest. But while he was walking about looking for one, he saw some smoke
rising out of the earth, and then he discovered in the ground a trap
door covered with turf. If the smoke had not been coming out through
the chinks he would never have noticed it.
While
he stood wondering where the smoke came from, the trap door was lifted
up, and the sooty and dishevelled head of a woman appeared in the
opening.
"Bless
the man!" said the woman, "have you lost your senses, standing there
staring like that? The robbers will be home directly, and if they see
you they'll pay you out for prying about here, and you'll never hear
the cuckoo again," she said, and then she disappeared into the ground
again.
The
executioner was not easily frightened, but, 'he who does take care,
will always safest fare;' and so he quietly slunk away.
But
as he trudged along he marked the trees with his axe; for 'when one
knows where the wolf lives, one need not go to the furrier for his
skin,' he thought.[Pg 163]
So
by dint of walking and running he came at last to his destination; and
what he had come there to do he did so satisfactorily that he was well
rewarded, and the king himself thanked him for his able assistance. But
since the king was so condescending as to speak to one whom other
people would not be seen with, the executioner thought he might as well
have his say also, and so he told the king what he had seen in the
forest. The king was greatly pleased to hear of this, for these robbers
had done so much mischief to him and other folks that he would like to
get hold of them.
"If
I could only get some people to come with me," said the executioner, "I
should be sure to catch them, for now I know where they are."
"Yes,
that was all very well," thought the king; but he wanted to do this
business in his own way, for he was strong and bold beyond all bounds.
He was so powerful, indeed, that no one ventured to wrestle with him,
for he could throw one and all to the ground in less than no time.
"What
do we want with people?" he said. "If you will only come with me and
show me the way, I think we two might venture a bout with them," he
said; "for you look no weakling either."
Well,
the executioner had no objection to that, for it wasn't every day he
was in such company, and so they settled how they should set about it.
The
king took off his crown and all his finery, and[Pg 164] then
they dressed themselves up like the worst of tramps, and blackened
their faces and tore their clothes into pieces, so that the rags hung
and dangled about them. The king put a sword inside his trousers, and
the executioner hid his axe under his jacket; and so they set out.
No
sooner had they got into the forest than they met the robbers, of whom
there were altogether twelve.
"Who
are you?" asked he who seemed to be their chief.
"We
are a couple of miserable wretches, who are obliged to beg our bread,"
said the executioner. "We haven't tasted a morsel the whole day, and
don't know what we are going to do for the night either," he said.
"There
isn't much to be got out of you, poor beggars!" said the robber; "but
that makes no difference. Since you have got into the forest you'll
have to die, and no mistake," he said.
"God
bless you for your pretty speech!" said the executioner, looking as
miserable as he possibly could. "How lucky we were to fall in with you,
for you know very well it's no pleasure to live when your stomach
groans for food, and when you cannot get a morsel to satisfy it with.
But since you are such a mighty lord, you might give us a good feed
first, for, after all, it's hard to die on an empty stomach."
[Pg 165]
"FOR,
AFTER ALL, IT'S HARD TO DIE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH,"
SAID THE EXECUTIONER.
[Pg 167]
This
greatly amused the robber, who laughed; and then the others began to
laugh, so that their laughter could be heard all over the forest.
"Have
you never had a good feed, poor wretches?" he asked. "Well, I'll be
extravagant for once in my life. So come along, and you shall have as
much as you can put into your carcases. But to tell the truth, nobody
who falls in with me, need trouble much about food for the rest of
their life," he said; and so he laughed, and then the other robbers
laughed till the forest trembled.
They
then set out for the robbers' cave, and there they lifted up the
trap-door, and slid down under the ground one after the other, and the
two tramps as well.
There
was a large room down there, and a long table in the middle, which
stood ready laid. The woman with the sooty face carried in the food on
silver dishes to the robbers, who sat side by side on the bench along
the wall. They feasted and drank burnt brandy out of large chalices,
and talked and bragged about all their valiant deeds, while they were
having their fill.
When
the robbers had had enough both of food and drink, the tramps were
allowed to sit down to the table, but on the opposite side to the
robbers.
The
woman put both beef and pork before them, and each of them got his cup
filled with brandy.[Pg 168] But
no sooner had she placed the food on the table than matters took quite
a different turn. They planted their feet firmly on the ground, and
pushed the table with such force against the robbers, that they were
fixed against the wall as if they were nailed to it. Then they threw
the brandy into the robbers' eyes, and the king drew forth his sword
and the executioner his axe, and before the robbers could rub the
brandy out of their eyes they were all killed.
This
was a big capture, and no mistake; and the king was greatly pleased
with it. All that was found in the robbers' cave he wanted to give to
the executioner; but "no thank you," he answered, "there was something
else he would like to have."
"Well,
what might that be?" asked the king.
"Well,
your majesty," he said, "if an executioner becomes ever so rich he's
always looked upon as a butcher; and the people spit after him just as
if he were a knacker or Old Nick himself, and he is hardly ever allowed
to mix with respectable people, however honest he may be. I would
therefore most humbly ask your majesty to ordain it so that an
executioner shall be respected like other people," he said.
"Yes,
that is fair and reasonable," said the king; "and so it shall be."
The
king accordingly issued an edict that no one must dare to spit after
the executioner, for his calling was just as respectable as any other;
and in[Pg 169] order
that no one should be ashamed to be in his company he was to have the
title of Assessor, and wear a three-cornered hat when he was in full
dress. Such was the edict, and so it is to this day.
But
as the executioner would not accept what the robbers had hoarded, the
king gave it to the woman who had served with them; and when she had
combed the hair away from her eyes and washed the soot off her face she
turned out to be quite a handsome woman. The executioner then thought
that as the king had been so generous to him he would not be behindhand
either, and so he made her the Lady Assessor; and thus after all he
became possessor of all that the robbers had hoarded up.
THE
PARSON AND THE CLERK
[Pg 170]
There
was once upon a time a parson who was such a miser that he even
begrudged the beggars a meal; and as for giving a poor fellow a shelter
for the night, he would not hear of it.
But
he was a great preacher; and when he had once begun he would shout and
thunder and strike the pulpit with his fists so that every corner in
the church rang with his words. And his parishioners had nothing to
complain about in this respect; but they did not like his meanness, and
they thought it was a shame they had to put up with such a parson.[Pg 171]
The
parson's wife suffered not a little in consequence; for she was a kind
and good woman, but she could do nothing with her husband.
Just
before Christmas, when the poor were most importunate, the parson used
to dress himself up like a tramp and sit in the kitchen in the
evenings; and when some poor fellow came and asked for shelter for the
night, the parson's wife had to say that they already had one to find
room for, and would then tell him to go to the clerk, who was their
nearest neighbour. The clerk, as you may guess, would have been just as
pleased if he had not been troubled with these guests; for he
thought—as was only too true—that it was more the parson's
duty than
his to feed and shelter the poor. But the clerk was a sly dog and full
of fun and mischief, as parish clerks generally are.
It
would be a strange thing, he thought, if there were not a remedy for
meanness as well as for other ailments; so one evening, shortly before
Christmas, he dressed himself like a tramp, and went to the parsonage
and asked for shelter for the night.
Yes,
that he should have had with pleasure, but they already had a stranger
in the house, said the parson's wife, pointing to the other tramp, who
was sitting by the hearth—for, of course, she never said a word
about
him being the parson. As matters stood she thought he had better go to
the clerk, for[Pg 172]they
were not likely to have any strangers over there.
"Haven't
they?" said the clerk. "Why, they have their place so full they have
scarcely any room for themselves; for I have just come from there," he
said, "and I don't think you would like me to sleep in the fields and
freeze to death, would you?"
Oh,
dear no, it wasn't likely; she could not be so unchristian; but as she
had no place to put him she could not very well do anything for him,
she said.
"I
think you can," said the clerk; "if you can shelter one you can shelter
two, and I don't suppose that this mate of mine is going to sleep in
the parson's bed, is he?" he asked, and slapped the parson so hard on
his back that he nearly tumbled on the hearth.
"We
must be content, and be thankful as well, whichever way the world
treats us," said the parson.
"What
you say is quite true," said the clerk; "and I'll be quite content, and
share the bed with you, if the lady of the house allows it, and she
will then shelter two men to-night instead of one. For there is no help
for it, as far as I can see," he said.
The
parson's wife resisted his importunities as long as she could, for she
thought the tramp would not be a pleasant bedfellow for her husband;
but the clerk[Pg 173] would
by no means listen to her, so she had to give in at last.
They
were to sleep in the servant lad's room in the brew-house, as he was
away at the mill—the parson in the settle-bed, and the clerk on
the
bench.
That
was her order; but the clerk was not satisfied with the arrangement,
and when he came into the room he threw himself into the settle-bed,
and the parson had to content himself with the bench.
Before
long the clerk stole out of the room, and when he came back he woke the
parson and said:
"I
have served out that miserly parson, I can tell you! I have made a hole
in the loft of his wood-shed, so that all the corn he had stored in the
room above is running down among his stacks of wood."
"Oh
dear! oh dear!" wailed the parson.
"What's
the matter with you?" said the clerk.
"I
feel so bad, so bad!" said the parson, and off he ran to the wood-shed.
"I
think I have given him something to do now, and why should I lie on
this wretched straw? I shall find better quarters in the house,"
thought the clerk; and so he went into the house and sat down in the
parlour by the fire. The[Pg 174] door
was open to the parson's bedroom, and in order that the wife should
think it was her husband who had come in he imitated the parson's voice.
"I
have been lying so uncomfortably," he said in a pitiful voice, "for
that scamp of a tramp made me lie on the bench, so I thought I would
come here and rest for a little while."
"Of
course, of course, my dear," said the wife. "But why should you be so
hard-hearted with people? It is a sin and a shame, that it
is,—and it
brings you no happiness either."
"Ah
well, that may be," said the clerk, all the time imitating the parson.
"I have been suffering so much to-night that I shall be better after
this."
"God
bless you for those words!" said the parson's wife.
In
a little while the clerk said: "I must go now to that tramp, so that he
does not find out where I am."
And
off he went, and only just managed to lie down in time before the
parson returned.
The
parson had in the meantime been hard at work in the wood-shed trying to
stop the hole in the loft, and had fallen head over heels many times
among the logs and firewood, before he succeeded in doing so; but by
that time nearly all the corn had found its way down into the wood-shed.[Pg 175] He
came back to the servant-lad's room puffing and groaning like a smith's
bellows, and lay down on the bench. As soon as the clerk saw that he
had settled down and got the blanket over his head, he stole out of the
room again.
When
he came back he woke the parson and said:
"I
have now served the parson a still better trick. When I came outside
and heard the wolves howling over the hills, I went into the cow-house
and let out all the cattle."
"Oh
dear! oh dear!" shouted the parson, and started as if he had been shot.
"What's
the matter with you?" said the clerk.
"I
feel so bad, so bad!" said the parson; and the next moment he was gone.
"I
think you'll have enough to do for a long while now," said the clerk;
and so he went back to the parlour.
"Are
you there again?" asked the parson's wife from the bedroom.
"Yes,
my dear," said the clerk, imitating the parson's voice. "I have sent
that tramp on a fool's errand; and I have been suffering so much on the
bench that I thought I would come here and rest again for a while."
"Yes,
my dear, that you must," said the wife; and the clerk settled down in
the chair by the fire.
In
a while the clerk said; "I must go back to[Pg 176] that
tramp again, so that he does not find out where I am;" and then he went
back to his bed.
In
the meanwhile the parson had been running about the fields and the
hills, and had fallen several times on his face, while he rushed about
calling and driving in the cattle. He had a terrible struggle to get
all the beasts back to the cow-house, for he had a large herd of cattle.
The
clerk had not been long in bed when the parson came rushing into the
room, puffing and groaning, so that one could not help pitying him; for
he seemed to have lost his breath altogether.
"You
were long away this time," said the clerk. "But in the meantime I have
served out that miserly parson once more."
"What's
that you say?" said the parson, who began to feel so ill at ease that
he could scarcely keep on his legs.
"Yes,"
said the clerk; but this time he did not speak the truth. "I have been
down in the cellar; and I have poured two buckets of ditch water in the
beer barrel in the far off corner, for I thought the parson ought to
have something to give his clerk at Christmas."
"Oh
dear! oh dear!" shouted the parson.
"What's
the matter with you?" asked the clerk.
"I
feel so bad, so bad!" said the parson.
"Yes,
I can imagine that," said the clerk; "and I pity you so much that now
you may lie in my bed.[Pg 177] It'll
soon be morning, and I must be getting away. I don't expect I shall get
any breakfast from this miserable parson, do you? Well, good-bye,
then," he said; and off he went.
"Phew!"
sighed the parson. He felt as if the whole parish had been lifted off
his back; and no sooner was the clerk gone than he dragged himself in
to his wife.
"Are
you there again, husband?" she said.
"A-gain?"
said the parson; it was with the greatest difficulty he was able to
speak, so exhausted was he.
"Yes;
you have been here twice before during the night," said his wife.
"Tw-ice?"
groaned the parson.
"Yes,
of course," said his wife.
"You
have been dreaming!" said the parson.
"Oh
dear, no; I don't dream when I don't sleep," said his wife. "But, my
dear good husband, don't play such pranks another time!"
"No-o!"
said the parson. "Better to give to the poor than to go through such
misery as I have done to-night," he said, forcing the words out; and
then he fell asleep.
All
at once he started up and shouted to his wife: "My dear!"
"Well,
my dear?" said his wife.
"The
beer barrel in the furthest corner you must send to the clerk," he said.[Pg 178]
"Bless
my soul, but that's too much," said his wife.
"It's
just—about right," moaned the parson; and then he fell asleep
again.
Next
morning the wife had the barrel of beer sent across to the clerk's
house. He was much pleased to receive it, and sent back his thanks for
it; for he knew the beer had not been tampered with. But the parson had
the greatest trouble to sort out the corn from the splinters and
rubbish in the wood-shed. But they kept on cleaning and shaking and
sorting so long that at last they saved all the corn, with the
exception of a few barrels.
But
the parson never forgot that terrible night. He was cured of his
meanness, and became quite a different person. He never refused any
poor people either food or lodgings; and when the farmers came to pay
their tithes in the autumn he gave them such a grand feast that his
parishioners said they could never have wished for a better parson.
It
was indeed worth a barrel of beer to have such a parish clerk!
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