"How can you ask me?" answered Hans. "I shall be the luckiest fellow on earth. If I have money as often as I feel in my pocket, what else shall I have to care about?" And he handed over the goose, and took the grindstone in receipt.
"Now," said the grinder, lifting up an ordinary heavy field-stone, which lay beside him. "There you have a capital stone, which will be just the thing to hammer your old nails straight upon. Take it and lift it up carefully."
Hans raised the stone and marched on with a joyful heart, his eyes shining with pleasure.
"I must have been born lucky," he cried out. "All that I desire comes to me, as to a Sunday-child."
Meanwhile, having been on his legs since daybreak, he began to feel tired; besides which, he was tormented by hunger, for he had eaten up all his provision in his joy over the exchange of the cow.
At length he could only proceed with great trouble and must needs stop every minute; the stones, too, crushed him terribly. Then he could not conceal the thought: "How nice it would be now to have nothing to carry!"
Like a snail he crept up to a well, wishing to rest himself and enjoy a refreshing drink.
In order not to spoil the stones in setting them down, he laid them carefully on the ground one beside the other, and bent himself down to drink, but by an accident he gave them a little push, and both stones went splashing down.
Hans, when he saw them sinking in the depths of the well, jumped up with joy, kneeled down and thanked G.o.d, with tears in his eyes, that He had shown him this grace and, without troubling him to think what to do with them, had relieved him of the heavy stones which would have been such a hindrance to him.
"There is no man under the sun," he cried out, "so lucky as I."
With a bright heart and free from all care, he sprang upon his way, until he was home at his mother"s.
MASTER OF ALL MASTERS
A girl once went to the fair to hire herself for a servant. At last a funny-looking old gentleman engaged her, and took her home to his house. When she got there, he told her that he had something to teach her, for that in his house he had his own names for things.
He said to her: "What will you call me?"
"Master or mister, or whatever you please, sir," says she.
He said: "You must call me "Master of all Masters." And what would you call this?" pointing to his bed.
"Bed or couch, or whatever you please, sir."
"No, that"s my "barnacle." And what do you call these?" said he, pointing to his pantaloons.
"Breeches or trousers, or whatever you please, sir."
"You must call them "squibs and crackers," And what would you call her?" pointing to the cat.
"Cat or kit, or whatever you please, sir."
"You must call her "white-faced simminy." And this, now," showing the fire, "what would you call this?"
"Fire or flame, or whatever you please, sir."
"You must call it "hot c.o.c.kalorum." And what, this?" he went on, pointing to the water.
"Water or wet, or whatever you please, sir."
"No, "pondalorum" is its name. And what do you call all this?" asked he, as he pointed to the house.
"House or cottage, or whatever you please, sir."
"You must call it "high topper mountain.""
That very night the servant woke her master up in a fright and said: "Master of all Masters, get out of your barnacle and put on your squibs and crackers. For white-faced simminy has got a spark of hot c.o.c.kalorum on its tail, and unless you get some pondalorum, high topper mountain will be all on hot c.o.c.kalorum."... That"s all.
BELLING THE CAT
Once upon a time the mice sat in council and talked of how they might outwit their enemy, the Cat. But good advice was scarce, and in vain the president called upon all the most experienced mice present to find a way.
At last a very young mouse held up two fingers and asked to be allowed to speak, and as soon as he could get permission he said:
"I"ve been thinking for a long time why the Cat is such a dangerous enemy. Now, it"s not so much because of her quickness, though people make so much fuss about that. If we could only _notice_ her in time, I"ve no doubt we"re nimble enough to jump into our holes before she could do us any harm. It"s in her velvet paws, there"s where she hides her cruel claws till she gets us in her clutches--that"s where her power lies. With those paws she can tread so lightly that we can"t hear her coming. And so, while _we_ are still dancing heedlessly about the place, she creeps close up, and before we know where we are she pounces down on us and has us in her clutches. Well, then, it"s my opinion we ought to hang a bell round her neck to warn us of her coming while there"s yet time."
Every one applauded this proposal, and the council decided that it should be carried out.
Now the question to be settled was, who should undertake to fasten the bell round the Cat"s neck?
The president declared that no one could be better fitted for the task than he who had given such excellent advice.
But at that the young mouse became quite confused and stammered an excuse. He was too young for the deed, he said. He didn"t know the Cat well enough. His grandfather, who knew her better, would be more suited to the job.
But the grandfather declared that just because he knew the Cat very well he would take good care not to attempt such a task.
And the long and the short of it was that no other mouse would undertake the duty; and so this clever proposal was never carried out, and the Cat remained mistress of the situation.
LITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD
In a great wide forest, full of beautiful trees, and green glades, and th.o.r.n.y thickets, there lived a long time ago a wood-cutter and his wife, who had only one child, a little girl. She was so pretty, and so good, that the sun seemed to shine more brightly when its light fell upon her rosy little face, and the birds would seem to sing more sweetly when she was pa.s.sing by.