Part 4
'Open the door, children. Your dear mother has come home, and has brought something for each of you out of the wood.'
The Kids cried, 'Show us your feet first, that we may be sure you are our mother.'
He put his paws on the window sill, and when they saw that they were white, they believed all he said, and opened the door.
Alas! It was the Wolf who walked in. They were terrified, and tried to hide themselves. One ran under the table, the second jumped into bed, the third into the oven, the fourth ran into the kitchen, the fifth got into the cupboard, the sixth into the wash-tub, and the seventh hid in the tall clock-case. But the Wolf found them all but one, and made short work of them. He swallowed one after the other, except the youngest one in the clock-case, whom he did not find. When he had satisfied his appetite, he took himself off, and lay down in a meadow outside, where he soon fell asleep.
Not long after the old Nanny-goat came back from the woods. Oh! what a terrible sight met her eyes! The house door was wide open, table, chairs, and benches were overturned, the washing bowl was smashed to atoms, the covers and pillows torn from the bed. She searched all over the house for her children, but nowhere were they to be found. She called them by name, one by one, but no one answered. At last, when she came to the youngest, a tiny voice cried:
'I am here, dear mother, hidden in the clock-case.'
She brought him out, and he told her that the Wolf had come and devoured all the others.
You may imagine how she wept over her children.
At last, in her grief, she went out, and the youngest Kid ran by her side. When they went into the meadow, there lay the Wolf under a tree, making the branches shake with his snores. They examined him from every side, and they could plainly see movements within his distended body.
'Ah, heavens!' thought the Goat, 'is it possible that my poor children whom he ate for his supper, should be still alive?'
She sent the Kid running to the house to fetch scissors, needles, and thread. Then she cut a hole in the monster's side, and, hardly had she begun, when a Kid popped out its head, and as soon as the hole was big enough, all six jumped out, one after the other, all alive, and without having suffered the least injury, for, in his greed, the monster had swallowed them whole. You may imagine the mother's joy. She hugged them, and skipped about like a tailor on his wedding day. At last she said:
'Go and fetch some big stones, children, and we will fill up the brute's body while he is asleep.'
Then the seven Kids brought a lot of stones, as fast as they could carry them, and stuffed the Wolf with them till he could hold no more. The old mother quickly sewed him up, without his having noticed anything, or even moved.
At last, when the Wolf had had his sleep out, he got up, and, as the stones made him feel very thirsty, he wanted to go to a spring to drink. But as soon as he moved the stones began to roll about and rattle inside him. Then he cried--
'What's the rumbling and tumbling That sets my stomach grumbling? I thought 'twas six Kids, flesh and bones, Now find it's nought but rolling stones.'
When he reached the spring, and stooped over the water to drink, the heavy stones dragged him down, and he was drowned miserably.
When the seven Kids saw what had happened, they came running up, and cried aloud--'The Wolf is dead, the Wolf is dead!' and they and their mother capered and danced round the spring in their joy.
The Queen Bee
Once upon a time two Princes started off in search of adventure, and, falling into a wild, free mode of life, did not come home again.
The third Brother, who was called the Blockhead, set out to look for the other two. But when at last he found them, they mocked him for thinking of making his way in the world with his simplicity, while they, who were so much cleverer, could not get on.
They all three went on together till they came to an ant-heap. The two elder Princes wanted to disturb it, to see how the little ants crept away, carrying their eggs.
But the Blockhead said: 'Leave the little creatures alone; I will not allow you to disturb them.'
Then they went on further till they came to a lake, in which a great many ducks were swimming about. The two wanted to catch and roast a pair.
But the Blockhead would not allow it, and said: 'Leave the creatures alone. You shall not kill them.'
At last they came to a bee's nest, containing such a quantity of honey that it flowed round the trunk of the tree.
The two Princes wanted to set fire to the tree, and suffocate the bees, so as to remove the honey.
But the Blockhead stopped them again, and said: 'Leave the creatures alone. I will not let you burn them.'
At last the three Brothers came to a castle, where the stables were full of stone horses, but not a soul was to be seen. They went through all the rooms till they came to a door quite at the end, fastened with three bolts. In the middle of the door was a lattice, through which one could see into the room.
There they saw a little grey Man sitting at a table. They called to him once--twice--but he did not hear them. Finally, when they had called him the third time, he stood up and opened the door, and came out. He said not a word, but led them to a richly-spread table, and when they had eaten and drunk, he took them each to a bedroom.
The next morning the little grey Man came to the eldest Prince, beckoned, and led him to a stone tablet whereon were inscribed three tasks by means of which the castle should be freed from enchantment.
This was the first task: In the wood, under the moss, lay the Princesses' pearls, a thousand in number. These had all to be found, and if at sunset a single one were missing, the seeker was turned to stone.
The eldest went away, and searched all day, but when evening came, he had only found the first hundred, and it happened as the inscription foretold. He was turned to stone.
The next day the second Brother undertook the quest; but he fared no better than the first, for he only found two hundred pearls, and he too was turned to stone.
At last came the Blockhead's turn; he searched in the moss, but the pearls were hard to find, and he got on but slowly.
Then he sat down on a rock and cried, and as he was sitting there, the Ant-King, whose life he had saved, came up with five thousand ants, and it was not long before the little creatures had found all the pearls and laid them in a heap.
Now the second task was to get the key of the Princesses' room out of the lake.
When the Blockhead came to the lake, the ducks he had once saved, swam up, dived, and brought up the key from the depths.
But the third task was the hardest. The Prince had to find out which was the youngest and most charming of the Princesses while they were asleep.
They were exactly alike, and could not be distinguished in any way, except that before going to sleep each had eaten a different kind of sweet. The eldest a piece of sugar, the second a little syrup, and the third a spoonful of honey.
Then the Queen of the Bees, whom the Blockhead had saved from burning, came and tried the lips of all three. Finally, she settled on the mouth of the one who had eaten the honey, and so the Prince recognised the right one.
Then the charm was broken and everything in the castle was set free, and those who had been turned to stone took human form again.
And the Blockhead married the youngest and sweetest Princess, and became King after her father's death, while his two Brothers married the other sisters.
The Elves and the Shoemaker
There was once a Shoemaker who, through no fault of his own, had become so poor that at last he had only leather enough left for one pair of shoes. At evening he cut out the shoes which he intended to begin upon the next morning, and since he had a good conscience, he lay down quietly, said his prayers, and fell asleep.
In the morning when he had said his prayers, and was preparing to sit down to work, he found the pair of shoes standing finished on his table. He was amazed, and could not understand it in the least.
He took the shoes in his hand to examine them more closely. They were so neatly sewn that not a stitch was out of place, and were as good as the work of a master-hand.
Soon after a purchaser came in, and as he was much pleased with the shoes, he paid more than the ordinary price for them, so that the Shoemaker was able to buy leather for two pairs of shoes with the money.
He cut them out in the evening, and next day, with fresh courage, was about to go to work; but he had no need to, for when he got up, the shoes were finished, and buyers were not lacking. These gave him so much money that he was able to buy leather for four pairs of shoes.
Early next morning he found the four pairs finished, and so it went on; what he cut out at evening was finished in the morning, so that he was soon again in comfortable circumstances, and became a well-to-do man.
Now it happened one evening, not long before Christmas, when he had cut out some shoes as usual, that he said to his Wife: 'How would it be if we were to sit up to-night to see who it is that lends us such a helping hand?'
The Wife agreed, lighted a candle, and they hid themselves in the corner of the room behind the clothes which were hanging there.
At midnight came two little naked men who sat down at the Shoemaker's table, took up the cut-out work, and began with their tiny fingers to stitch, sew, and hammer so neatly and quickly, that the Shoemaker could not believe his eyes. They did not stop till everything was quite finished, and stood complete on the table; then they ran swiftly away.
The next day the Wife said: 'The little men have made us rich, and we ought to show our gratitude. They were running about with nothing on, and must freeze with cold. Now I will make them little shirts, coats, waistcoats, and hose, and will even knit them a pair of stockings, and you shall make them each a pair of shoes.'
The Husband agreed, and at evening, when they had everything ready, they laid out the presents on the table, and hid themselves to see how the little men would behave.
At midnight they came skipping in, and were about to set to work; but, instead of the leather ready cut out, they found the charming little clothes.
At first they were surprised, then excessively delighted. With the greatest speed they put on and smoothed down the pretty clothes, singing:
'Now we're boys so fine and neat, Why cobble more for other's feet?'
Then they hopped and danced about, and leapt over chairs and tables and out at the door. Henceforward, they came back no more, but the Shoemaker fared well as long as he lived, and had good luck in all his undertakings.
The Wolf and the Man
A Fox was one day talking to a Wolf about the strength of man.
'No animals,' he said, 'could withstand man, and they were obliged to use cunning to hold their own against him.'
The Wolf answered, 'If ever I happened to see a man, I should attack him all the same.'
'Well, I can help you to that,' said the Fox. 'Come to me early to-morrow, and I will show you one!'
The Wolf was early astir, and the Fox took him out to a road in the forest, traversed daily by a Huntsman.
First came an old discharged soldier.
'Is that a Man?' asked the Wolf.
'No,' answered the Fox. 'He has been a Man.'
After that, a little boy appeared on his way to school.
'Is that a Man?'
'No; he is going to be a Man.'
At last the Huntsman made his appearance, his gun on his back, and his hunting-knife at his side. The Fox said to the Wolf,--
'Look! There comes a Man. You may attack him, but I will make off to my hole!'
The Wolf set on the Man, who said to himself when he saw him, 'What a pity my gun isn't loaded with ball,' and fired a charge of shot in the Wolf's face. The Wolf made a wry face, but he was not to be so easily frightened, and attacked him again. Then the Huntsman gave him the second charge. The Wolf swallowed the pain, and rushed at the Huntsman; but he drew his bright hunting-knife, and hit out right and left with it, so that, streaming with blood, the Wolf ran back to the Fox.
'Well, brother Wolf,' said the Fox, 'and how did you get on with the Man?'
'Alas!' said the Wolf. 'I never thought the strength of man would be what it is. First, he took a stick from his shoulder, and blew into it, and something flew into my face, which tickled frightfully. Then he blew into it again, and it flew into my eyes and nose like lightning and hail. Then he drew a shining rib out of his body, and struck at me with it till I was more dead than alive.'
'Now, you see,' said the Fox, 'what a braggart you are. You throw your hatchet so far that you can't get it back again.'
The Turnip
There were once two Brothers who both served as soldiers, and one was rich and the other was poor.
The poor one, wishing to better himself, discarded his uniform and worked like a Peasant. Then he dug and hoed his little field and sowed Turnips.
The seed came up, and one of the Turnips grew to such an enormous size, that it seemed as though it would never have finished; and it might have been called the Queen of Turnips, for its like had never been seen before, nor ever will be again.
At last it was so big that it filled a cart, and needed two oxen to draw it; and the Peasant could not imagine what would come of it, whether it would bring good luck or bad.
At last he said to himself: 'If I sell it what shall I gain? I might eat it, but the little Turnips would do as well for that. The best thing will be to take it to the King and offer it to him.'
So he loaded a cart, harnessed two oxen, and took it to the Court to present it to the King.
'What is that extraordinary object?' said the King. 'I have seen many marvels in my time, but never anything so remarkable as this. What seed did it spring from? Perhaps it belongs to you, especially if you are a child of good luck?'
'Oh no,' said the Peasant, 'lucky I certainly am not, for I am a poor Soldier, who, since he could keep himself no longer, has hung up his uniform on a nail, and tills the earth. Further, I have a Brother who is rich, and well known to you, my Lord King; but I, because I have nothing, am forgotten by all the world.'
Then the King pitied him and said: 'Your poverty shall be at an end, and you shall receive such rich presents from me that your wealth will equal that of your Brother.'
Thereupon he gave him plenty of gold, lands, fields, and flocks, and enriched him with precious stones, so that the other Brother's wealth could not be compared with his.
Now, when the rich Brother heard what his Brother with the single Turnip had acquired, he envied him, and pondered how he might gain a like treasure for himself.
But he wanted to show himself much cleverer, so he took gold and horses and presented them to the King, feeling certain that he would give him a far handsomer gift; for if his Brother got so much for a Turnip, what would not he get for his beautiful things.
The King took the present, saying that he could give him in return nothing rarer or better than the huge Turnip.
So the rich Brother had to put his Brother's Turnip into a cart, and have it taken home.
Then he did not know on whom to expend his wrath and bitterness, till evil thoughts came to him, and he determined to kill his Brother.
He hired Murderers, who were to place themselves in ambush, and then he went to his Brother, and said: 'Dear Brother, I know of a secret treasure which we will carry off and divide.'
The other agreed, and went without suspicion. But when they got out, the Murderers sprang upon him, bound him, and prepared to hang him on a tree.
While they were about it, they heard in the distance the clatter of hoofs and the sound of singing, which frightened them so much that they stuck their Prisoner into a sack, head foremost, slung it up on a branch, and took to flight.
But the Man up in the sack worked a hole in it, and stuck his head through.
Now the traveller turned out to be nothing more than a Student, a young fellow who was riding through the wood, singing cheerily.
When the Man up in the sack saw some one down below, he called out: 'Good-day. You come in the nick of time.'
The Student looked all round, but could not make out where the voice came from.
At last he said: 'Who calls?'
A voice from above answered: 'Raise your eyes, I am sitting up here in the Sack of Wisdom, and in a short time I have learnt so much that the wisdom of the schools is as air compared to mine. Soon I shall be quite perfect, and shall come down and be the wisest of all mankind. I understand the stars and signs of the heavens, the blowing of the winds, the sand of the sea, the healing of sickness, the power of herbs, birds, and stones. If you were once inside, you would feel what wonders flow from the Sack of Knowledge.'
When the Student heard this he was astonished, and said: 'Blessed be the hour when I met you, if only I too might get into the sack for a little.'
The other answered, as though unwillingly: 'I will let you in for a little while for payment and kind words, but you must wait an hour, as there is something rather difficult which I must learn first.'
But when the Student had waited a little, he grew impatient and entreated permission to get in, so great was his thirst for knowledge. Then the Man in the sack pretended to give in, and said: 'In order that I may get out of the sack you must let it down, then you can get in.'
So the Student let it down, undid the sack and released the Prisoner, and said: 'Now pull me up as fast as possible'; and he tried to get into the sack and stand upright in it.
'Stop,' said the other. 'That won't do.' And he packed him in head first, tied it up, and slung up the Disciple of Wisdom, dangling him in the air, and said: 'How are you, my dear fellow? You will soon feel wisdom coming upon you, and will have a most interesting experience. Sit still till you are wiser.'
Thereupon he mounted the Student's horse, and rode off, but sent some one in an hour to let him down again.
Clever Hans
'Where are you going, Hans?' asked his Mother.
'To see Grettel,' answered Hans.
'Behave well, Hans!'
'All right, Mother. Good-bye.'
'Good-bye, Hans.'
Hans comes to Grettel.
'Good morning, Grettel.'
'Good morning, Hans. What have you brought me?'
'I've not brought you anything. I want a present.'
Grettel gives him a needle. Hans takes the needle, and sticks it in a load of hay, and walks home behind the cart.
'Good evening, Mother.'
'Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?'
'I've been to Grettel's.'
'What did you give her?'
'I gave her nothing. But she made me a present.'
'What did she give you?'
'She gave me a needle.'
'What did you do with it?'
'Stuck it in the hay-cart.'
'That was stupid, Hans. You should have stuck it in your sleeve.'
'Never mind, Mother; I'll do better next time.'
'Where are you going, Hans?'
'To see Grettel, Mother.'
'Behave well.'
'All right, Mother. Good-bye.'
'Good-bye, Hans.'
Hans comes to Grettel.
'Good morning, Grettel.'
'Good morning, Hans. What have you brought me?'
'I've brought nothing. But I want something.'
Grettel gives him a knife.
'Good-bye, Grettel.'
'Good-bye, Hans.'
Hans takes the knife, and sticks it in his sleeve, and goes home.
'Good evening, Mother.'
'Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?'
'Been to see Grettel.'
'What did you give her?'
'I gave her nothing. But she gave me something.'
'What did she give you?'
'She gave me a knife.'
'Where is the knife, Hans?'
'I stuck it in my sleeve.'
'That's a stupid place, Hans. You should have put it in your pocket.'
'Never mind, Mother; I'll do better next time.'
'Where are you going, Hans?'
'To see Grettel, Mother.'
'Behave well, then.'
'All right, Mother. Good-bye.'
'Good-bye, Hans.'
Hans comes to Grettel.
'Good morning, Grettel.'
'Good morning, Hans. Have you brought me anything nice?'
'I've brought nothing. What have you got for me?'
Grettel gives him a young kid.
'Good-bye, Grettel.'
'Good-bye, Hans.'
Hans takes the kid, ties its legs together, and puts it in his pocket.
When he got home, it was suffocated.
'Good evening, Mother.'
'Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?'
'Been to see Grettel, Mother.'
'What did you give her?'
'I gave her nothing. But I brought away something.'
'What did Grettel give you?'
'She gave me a young kid.'
'What did you do with the kid?'
'Put it in my pocket, Mother.'
'That was very stupid. You should have led it by a rope.'
'Never mind, Mother; I'll manage better next time.'
'Where are you going, Hans?'
'To see Grettel, Mother.'
'Manage well, then.'
'All right, Mother. Good-bye.'
'Good-bye, Hans.'
Hans comes to Grettel.
'Good morning, Grettel.'
'Good morning, Hans. What have you brought me?'
'I've brought you nothing. What have you got for me?'
Grettel gives him a piece of bacon.
'Good-bye, Grettel.'
'Good-bye, Hans.'
Hans takes the bacon, ties a rope round it, and drags it along behind him. The dogs come after him, and eat it up. When he got home he had the rope in his hand, but there was nothing at the end of it.
'Good evening, Mother.'
'Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?'
'To see Grettel, Mother.'
'What did you take her?'
'I took nothing. But I brought something away.'
'What did she give you?'
'She gave me a piece of bacon.'
'What did you do with the bacon, Hans?'
'I tied it to a rope, and dragged it home. But the dogs ate it.'
'That was a stupid business, Hans. You should have carried it on your head.'
'Never mind, Mother; I'll do better next time.'
'Where are you going, Hans?'
'To see Grettel, Mother.'
'Behave properly, then.'
'All right, Mother. Good-bye.'
'Good-bye, Hans.'
Hans comes to Grettel.
'Good morning, Grettel.'
'Good morning, Hans. What have you brought me?'
'I've brought nothing. What have you got for me?'
Grettel gives Hans a calf.
'Good-bye, Grettel.'
'Good-bye, Hans.'
Hans takes the calf, and puts it on his head. It kicks his face.
'Good evening, Mother.'
'Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?'
'Been to see Grettel, Mother.'
'What did you take her?'
'I took her nothing, Mother. She gave me something.'
'What did she give you, Hans?'
'She gave me a calf, Mother.'
'What did you do with the calf?'
'Put it on my head, Mother, and it kicked my face.'
'That was very stupid, Hans. You should have led it by a rope, and put it in the cow-stall.'
'Never mind, Mother; I'll do better next time.'
'Where are you going, Hans?'
'To see Grettel, Mother.'
'Mind how you behave, Hans.'
'All right, Mother. Good-bye.'
Hans goes to Grettel.
'Good morning, Grettel.'
'Good morning, Hans. What have you brought me?'
'I've brought you nothing. I want to take away something.'
'I'll go with you myself, Hans.'
Hans ties Grettel to a rope, and leads her home, where he puts her in a stall, and ties her up. Then he goes into the house to his Mother.
'Good evening, Mother.'
'Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?'
'To see Grettel, Mother.'
'What did you take her?'
'I took nothing.'
'What did Grettel give you?'
'She gave me nothing. She came with me.'
'Where did you leave Grettel?'
'Tied up in the stable with a rope.'
'That was stupid. You should have cast sheep's eyes at her.'
'Never mind; I'll do better next time.'