THE PATIENT LITTLE BOY
The door of the grandmother's room opened very slowly, and the little
boy peeped in.
"Grandmother, I did hold the yarn, and I am very patient now. Do you
think you could tell me another story?"
"It is such a good thing to be patient," said the grandmother,
"and so hard to learn, that I am sure you deserve a reward. So come
in and shut the door tight, and I will tell you about
"THE COCK AND THE HEN"
Once upon a time there was a man who had lived many years in peace and
quietness with his wife. At last, however, they fell into a violent
quarrel and decided to separate at bed and board and to divide their
goods between them.
Short hair is soon brushed, and the division was soon made, for their
whole possessions consisted of a Cock and a Hen. And the wife said,
"I'll take the Hen for my share, and you may have the Cock."
By and by the husband fell ill, and he went to beg his wife to give
him just one little egg, for he was very hungry. But she answered
him scornfully:
"Hum, hum, where is your Cock? Let him lay you a little egg; if he
won't do it, kill him!"
At this the man returned home quite crestfallen, and said to his Cock,
"Come, my fine fellow, this can't go on any longer! You do nothing
but eat and drink, and never bring me so much as a bright penny. Go
out into the world and seek your fortune!"
In deep dejection the Cock sighed, "Ah, where shall I find anything?"
However, he sallied forth sturdily, and in the forest he met
Isegrim. The Wolf said to him, "Whither away, my fine fellow?"
"Oh, I'm going out into the world to seek my fortune!"
"May I go with you?"
"Not another word; be my comrade."
So the two travelled up and down the world until Isegrim was too
tired to go another step, and the Cock said to him:
"Well, dear uncle, can't you walk farther than this?"
"Alas, no!" said the Wolf.
"Then slip yourself into me."
In a trice Isegrim was in the body of the Cock, who went on, quite
at his ease.
Shortly after he met Reinecke, and said to him, "Whither away, Master?"
"Whither away? Into the world to seek my fortune."
"Then join my company," said the Cock.
So they went up and down the world until Reinecke was quite exhausted
and could go no farther.
"What, Master!" said the Cock, "do you give out so soon? Well, just
slip yourself into me and I'll carry you."
Master Reinecke slipped quickly into the Cock, who bravely went on
his way.
After a time he came to a little Brook. "Little Brook, whither away?"
"Oh, through the world!"
"Come with me, then, and be my comrade."
So they went forward until the little Brook, for very weariness,
could go no farther.
"Does your strength give out so soon, my little Brook?" asked the Cock.
"Alas, yes!" replied the little Brook.
"Then slip into me; I'll carry you," and in a moment the Brook had
slipped into the Cock.
In the course of time the Cock met a swarm of Bees. "Whither away?" he
asked.
"Oh, into the wide world to seek a shelter!"
"Then come along; be my comrades."
They had not gone far before the swarm of Bees grew tired and could
go no farther, and the Cock invited them to crawl into his body.
So the Cock, carrying the swarm of Bees, the Brook, the Fox, and the
Wolf in his body, arrived at a great city. In this city reigned a
King and his wife, the Queen. The Cock flew straight to the roof of
the royal palace and spent the night there. At early dawn he began
to crow lustily:
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!
One kick for the King, for the Queen two!
This enraged the King terribly, and he commanded his chamberlain to
catch this impudent crower and chain him in the royal stables, that
he might be trampled to death by the horses' hoofs. The chamberlain
caught the Cock, threw him into the stable, and shut the door well.
Then the Cock told the Wolf to slip out, and during the night Isegrim
strangled all the horses and ate up a whole colt. Then he broke a
hole through the wall, by which he and the Cock escaped. The Cock
perched himself again upon the roof and began his song of yesterday:
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo.
One kick for the King, for the Queen two!
In a moment the King sprang out of bed, called his chamberlain, and
ordered him to send and see what had happened in the stable, that
the Cock was out of doors and crowing. The chamberlain hastened to
the stable, saw the strangled horses, and brought the news to the King.
At this the King flew into a still greater rage, and gave command to
catch the Cock and throw him among the geese. The chamberlain seized
the Cock and locked him in the goose-pen, where there were several
hundred geese. Then the Cock said to the Fox, "Come forth, Master,
and finish up with all these geese!"
Reinecke was soon at work, and by daybreak every goose was
strangled. Then the Fox groped a hole through the pen, and he and
the Cock slipped comfortably out. The Cock flew again to the roof
and sang as on the former day:
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!
One kick for the King, for the Queen two!
The King was more enraged than ever, and sent to see what had happened
to the geese. The servant found them all dead, and brought the news
to the King. Then the King commanded that the great bake-oven should
be heated and the Cock thrown into it. The servant caught the Cock
and threw him into the very middle of the hot oven. Then the Cock sang:
Little Brook, flow quickly out;
Put the oven fire out!
And the little Brook flowed out into the oven and extinguished the
whole fire.
The next morning the people came to see if the Cock was dead, when,
lo! he was already perched upon the roof, singing:
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!
One kick for the King, for the Queen two!
Now the King was beside himself with rage. He rushed out to catch the
Cock himself, and not knowing, in his excitement, what to do with him,
he thrust him under his night-clothes. Then the Cock told the swarm
of Bees to come out and sting the King. "Buzz, buzz!" out they came,
and stung the King till he was all one wound.
At this the King commanded his servants to lock up the Cock in his
treasure-chamber, that he might miserably starve to death. The servants
seized the Cock and carried him to the treasure-chamber, but they
were so frightened that they ran away as fast as their heels could
carry them, forgetting to fasten the door. There were great heaps
of shining, brand-new ducats in the treasure-chamber, and the Cock
made the best of the opportunity by swallowing a number of them and
hiding one under each of his feathers. Then he flew away to his old
master's house. He perched upon a tree in the yard and began to crow:
O, little father, little father!
Spread some plates abroad for me,
I'll give ducats bright to thee!
The old man, overjoyed, spread out three plates under the tree. Then
the Cock shook himself, and a shower of golden ducats fell and lay
upon the plates in three great heaps. The old man was perfectly happy
to have so much money, and from this time forward he let the Cock
want for nothing.
His former wife soon heard that he had become enormously rich, and
she came to see him.
"Ah, come," said she to him, "give me a few ducats!"
"Not if I know it! Why would not you give me one little egg, eh? Go
back and tell your old Hen to bring you ducats."
The old woman ran back to her home and commanded her Hen, "Go out
into the world and seek your fortune, and bring me home some ducats."
The Hen went sadly forth, betook herself to the refuse heap and began
to scratch in the litter. After long scratching she found a copper
heller and a needle. She picked them up, and also stuck a little stone
under each of her feathers. Then she flew back to the court-yard and
began to cackle:
O, little mother, little mother!
Spread some plates abroad for me,
I'll give ducats bright to thee!
Filled with joy, the old woman hastened to spread out four plates
under the tree. Then the Hen shook herself, and let fall on one plate
the worn heller, but only little stones on all the others.
"Is that all?" exclaimed the old woman angrily.
"No, here is something more," clucked the Hen, and she slung the
needle into the old woman's eye.
Upon this the old woman beat the Hen soundly, and went back to
her husband's house, begged his pardon and made it all up with
him. Whenever he wanted an egg she gave him one, and he always gave
her a ducat in exchange.
Little boy, if you are good you shall get an egg for nothing!
"I am good, grandmother," said the little boy. "Will you give me
an egg?"
The grandmother laughed. "That is only the way the story ends," she
said. "But it is dinner-time, and if your mother will let you take
dinner with me I will give you an egg. Run away and ask her."