from the shelf and brought it to the student; it was so worm-eaten that
you could not put a needle-point on it between the holes. "What sort of
wood is this made of?" asked the student. "Wild apple-tree," replied
Stephen. "Take it and come with me," said the student, "to the top of
the rock." On the top of the rock there was a small hill; into this he
bade him plant the club. "Now, uncle Stephen, go down under the rock,
and there you will find a small spring trickling down the face of the
stone. Go on your knees to this spring and pray, and, creeping on your
knees, carry water in your mouth to this club, and continue to do so
till it buds; it will then bear apples, and when it does you will be
free from that bed."
Stephen the Murderer began to carry the water to the club, and the
student left him, and went home. He was at once made a priest on account
of his courage in going to hell; and after he had been a priest for
twenty-five years they made him pope, and this he was for many years.
In those days it was the rule--according to an old custom--for the pope
to make a tour of his country, and it so happened that this pope came to
his journey's end, on the very rock upon which the club had been
planted. He stopped there with his suite, in order to rest. Suddenly one
of the servants saw a low tree on the top of the rock, covered with
beautiful red apples. "Your holiness," said he to the pope, "I have seen
most beautiful red apples, and if you will permit me I will go and
gather some." "Go," said the pope, "and if they are so very beautiful
bring some to me." The servant approached the tree; as he drew near he
heard a voice that frightened him terribly saying, "No one is allowed to
pluck this fruit except him who planted the tree." Off rushed the
servant to the pope, who asked him if he had brought any apples.
"Your holiness, I did not even get any for myself," gasped the servant,
"because some one shouted to me so loudly that I nearly dropped; I saw
no one, but only heard a voice that said, 'No one is allowed to pluck
this fruit but the man who planted the tree.'"
The pope began to think, and all at once he remembered that he had
planted the tree when he was a lad. He ordered the horses to be taken
out of his carriage, and, with his servant and his coachman, he set off
to the red apple-tree. When they arrived, the pope cried out, "Stephen
the Murderer, where are you?" A dried-up skull rolled out, and said,
"Here I am, your holiness; all the limbs of my body dropped off whilst I
was carrying water, and are scattered all around; every nerve and muscle
lies strewn here; but, if the pope commands, they will all come
together." The pope did so, and the scattered members came together into
a heap.
The servant and the coachman were then ordered to open a large, deep
hole, and to put the bones into it, and then cover all up, which they
did. The pope then said mass, and gave the absolution, and at that
moment Stephen the Murderer was delivered from the dreadful bed in hell.
The pope then went back to his own country, where he still lives, if he
has not died since.
THE LAMB WITH THE GOLDEN FLEECE.
There was once a poor man who had a son, and as the son grew up his
father sent him out to look for work. The son travelled about looking
for a place, and at last met with a man who arranged to take him as a
shepherd. Next day his master gave him a flute, and sent him out with
the sheep to see whether he was fit for his work. The lad never lay down
all day, very unlike many lazy fellows. He drove his sheep from place to
place and played his flute all day long. There was among the sheep a
lamb with golden fleece, which, whenever he played his flute, began to
dance. The lad became very fond of this lamb, and made up his mind not
to ask any wages of his master, but only this little lamb. In the
evening he returned home; his master waited at the gate; and, when he
saw the sheep all there and all well-fed, he was very pleased, and
began to bargain with the lad, who said he wished for nothing but the
lamb with the golden fleece. The farmer was very fond of the lamb
himself, and it was with great unwillingness he promised it; but he gave
in afterwards when he saw what a good servant the lad made. The year
passed away; the lad received the lamb for his wages, and set off home
with it. As they journeyed night set in just as he reached a village, so
he went to a farmhouse to ask for a night's lodging. There was a
daughter in the house who when she saw the lamb with the golden fleece
determined to steal it. About midnight she arose, and lo! the moment she
touched the lamb she stuck hard-and-fast to its fleece, so that when the
lad got up he found her stuck to the lamb. He could not separate them,
and as he could not leave his lamb he took them both. As he passed the
third door from the house where he had spent the night he took out his
flute and began to play. Then the lamb began to dance, and on the wool
the girl. Round the corner a woman was putting bread into the oven;
looking up she saw the lamb dancing, and on its wool the girl. Seizing
the peel in order to frighten the girl, she rushed out and shouted, "Get
away home with you, don't make such a fool of yourself." As the girl
continued dancing the woman called out, "What, won't you obey?" and gave
her a blow on her back with the peel, which at once stuck to the girl,
and the woman to the peel, and the lamb carried them all off. As they
went they came to the church. Here the lad began to play again, the lamb
began to dance, and on the lamb's fleece the girl, and on the girl's
back the peel, and at the end of the peel the woman. Just then the
priest was coming out from matins, and seeing what was going on began to
scold them, and bid them go home and not to be so foolish. As words were
of no avail, he hit the woman a sound whack on her back with his cane,
when to his surprise the cane stuck to the woman, and he to the end of
his cane. With this nice company the lad went on; and towards dark
reached the royal borough and took lodgings at the end of the town for
the night with an old woman. "What news is there?" said he. The old
woman told him they were in very great sorrow, for the king's daughter
was very ill, and that no physician could heal her, but that if she
could but be made to laugh she would be better at once; that no one had
as yet been able to make her smile; and moreover the king had issued
that very day a proclamation stating that whoever made her laugh should
have her for his wife, and share the royal power. The lad with the lamb
could scarcely wait till daylight, so anxious was he to try his fortune.
In the morning he presented himself to the king and stated his business
and was very graciously received. The daughter stood in the hall at the
front of the house; the lad then began to play the flute, the lamb to
dance, on the lamb's fleece the girl, on the girl's back the peel, at
the end of the peel the woman, on the woman's back the cane, and at the
end of the cane the priest. When the princess saw this sight she burst
out laughing, which made the lamb so glad that it shook everything off
its back, and the lamb, the girl, the woman, and the priest each danced
by themselves for joy.
The king married his daughter to the shepherd; the priest was made
court-chaplain; the woman court bakeress; and the girl lady-in-waiting
to the princess.
The wedding lasted from one Monday to the other Tuesday, and the whole
land was in great joy, and if the strings of the fiddle hadn't broken
they would have been dancing yet!
FISHER JOE.
There was once a poor man, who had nothing in the world but his wife and
an unhappy son Joe. His continual and his only care was how to keep
them: so he determined to go fishing, and thus to keep them from day to
day upon whatever the Lord brought to his net. Suddenly both the old
folks died and left the unhappy son by himself; he went behind the oven
and did not come out till both father and mother were buried; he sat
three days behind the oven, and then remembered that his father had kept
them by fishing; so he got up, took his net, and went fishing below the
weir: there he fished till the skin began to peel off the palms of his
hands, and never caught so much as one fish. At last he said, "I will
cast my net once more, and then I will never do so again." So he cast
his net for the last time and drew to shore a golden fish. While he was
going home he thought he would give it to the lord of the manor, so that
perhaps he might grant a day's wages for it. When he got home he took
down a plate from the rack, took the fish from his bag, and laid it upon
the plate; but the fish slipped off the plate and changed into a lovely
girl, who said, "I am thine, and you are mine, love." The moment after
she asked, "Joe, did your father leave you anything?" "We had
something," replied her husband; "but my father was poor and he sold
everything; but," continued he, "do you see that high mountain yonder?
it is not sold yet, for it is too steep and no one would have it." Then
said his wife, "Let's go for a walk and look over the mountain." So they
went all over it, length and breadth, from furrow to furrow. When they
came to a furrow in the middle his wife said, "Let us sit down on a
ridge, my love, and rest a little." They sat down, and Joe laid his head
on his wife's lap and fell asleep. She then slipped off her cloak, made
it into a pillow, drew herself away, and laid Joe upon the pillow
without waking him. She rose, went away, uncoiled a large whip and
cracked it. The crack was heard over seven times seven countries. In a
moment as many dragons as existed came forth. "What are your Majesty's
commands?" said they. "My commands are these," replied she: "you see
this place--build a palace here, finer than any that exists in the
world; and whatever is needed in it must be there: stables for eight
bullocks and the bullocks in them, with two men to tend them; stalls for
eight horses and the horses in them, and two grooms to tend them; six
stacks in the yard, and twelve threshers in the barn." She was greatly
delighted when she saw her order completed, and thanked God that He had
given her what He had promised. "I shall now go," said she, "and wake my
husband." When she came to him he was still asleep. "Get up, my love,"
said she, "look after the threshers, the grooms, the oxen, and see that
all do their work, and that all the work be done, and give your orders
to the labourers; and now, my love, let us go into the house and see
that all is right. You give your orders to the men-servants, and I will
give mine to the maids. We have now enough to live on;" and Joe thanked
God for His blessings. He then told his wife that he would invite the
lord of the manor to dine with him on Whit Sunday. "Don't leave me,"
replied his wife; "for if he catch sight of me you will lose me. I will
see that the table is laid and all is ready; but a maid shall wait on
you. I will retire into an inner room lest he should see me."
Joe ordered the carriage and six, seated himself in it, the coachman sat
on the box, and away they went to the lord's house; they arrived at the
gate, Joe got out, went through the gate, and saw three stonemasons at
work in the yard; he greeted them and they returned the greeting. "Just
look," remarked one of them, "what Joe has become and how miserable he
used to be!" He entered the castle, and went into the lord's room. "Good
day, my lord." "God bless you, Joe, what news?" "I have come to ask your
lordship to dine with me on Whit Sunday, and we shall be very pleased to
see you." "I will come, Joe;" they then said good-bye and parted. After
Joe had gone the lord came into the courtyard, and the three masons
asked him "What did Joe want?" "He has invited me to dine with him," was
the reply, "and I am going." "Of course; you must go," said one of
them, "that you may see what sort of a house he keeps."
The lord set out in his carriage and four, with the coachman in front,
and arrived at the palace. Joe ran out to meet him, they saluted each
other, and entered arm in arm. They dined, and all went well till the
lord asked, "Well, Joe, and where is your wife?" "She is busy," said
Joe. "But I should like to see her," explained the baron. "She is rather
shy when in men's society," said Joe. They enjoyed themselves, lighted
their pipes and went for a walk over the palace. Then said the baron to
his servant, "Order the carriage at once;" it arrived, and Joe and he
said "Farewell." As the baron went through the gate he looked back and
saw Joe's wife standing at one of the windows, and at once fell so
deeply in love with her that he became dangerously ill; when he arrived
at home the footmen were obliged to carry him from his carriage and lay
him in his bed.
At daybreak the three masons arrived and began to work. They waited for
their master. As he did not appear, "I will go and see what's the matter
with him," said one of them, "for he always came out at 8 a.m." So the
mason went in and saluted the baron, but got no reply. "You are ill, my
lord," said he. "I am," said the baron, "for Joe has such a pretty wife,
and if I can't get her I shall die." The mason went out and the three
consulted together as to what was best to be done. One of them proposed
a task for Joe, _i.e._ that a large stone column which stood before one
of the windows should be pulled down, the plot planted with vines, the
grapes to ripen over night, and the next morning a goblet of wine should
be made from their juice and be placed on the master's table; if this
was not done Joe was to lose his wife. So one of them went in to the
baron and told him of their plan, remarking that Joe could not do that,
and so he would lose his wife. A groom was sent on horseback for Joe,
who came at once, and asked what his lordship desired. The baron then
told him the task he had to propose and the penalty. Poor Joe was so
downcast that he left without even saying "good-bye," threw himself into
his carriage, and went home. "Well, my love," asked his wife, "what does
he want?" "Want," replied her husband, "he ordered me to pull down the
stone column in front of his window. Since my father was not a
working-man, how could I do any work? Nor is that all. I am to plant the
place with vines, the grapes have to ripen, and I am to make a goblet of
wine, to be placed on his table at daybreak; and if I fail I am to lose
you."
"Your smallest trouble ought to be greater than that," said his wife.
"Eat and drink, go to bed and have a good rest, and all will be well."
When night came she went out into the farmyard, uncoiled her whip, gave
a crack, which was heard over seven times seven countries, and
immediately all the dragons appeared. "What are your Majesty's
commands?" She then told them what her husband required, and in the
morning Joe had the goblet of wine, which he took on horseback lest he
should be late; he opened the baron's window, and, as nobody was there,
he placed the goblet on the table, closed the window, and returned home.
At daybreak the baron turned in his bed. The bright light reflected by
the goblet met his eyes, and had such an effect on him that he fell back
in his bed, and got worse and worse.
The three masons arrived and wondered why their master did not appear.
Said the tallest to the middle one, "I taught him something yesterday;
now you must teach him something else." "Well," said the middle one, "my
idea is this, that Joe shall build a silver bridge in front of the gate
during the night, plant both ends with all kinds of trees, and that the
trees be filled with all kinds of birds singing and twittering in the
morning. I'll warrant he won't do that, and so he will lose his wife."
When the baron came out they communicated their plan; he at once sent
for Joe and told him what he required. Joe went away without even
saying good-bye, he was so sad. When he got home he told his wife what
the baron wanted this time. "Don't trouble yourself, my love," said his
wife, "eat and drink and get a good rest, all shall be well." At night
she cracked her whip and ordered the dragons to do all that was
required, and so at daybreak all was done. The birds made such a noise
that the whole of the village was awakened by them. One nightingale
loudly and clearly to the baron sang, "Whatever God has given to some
one else that you must not covet; be satisfied with what has been given
to you." The baron awoke and turned over, and, hearing the loud singing
of the birds, rose and looked out of the window. The glare of the silver
bridge opposite the gate blinded him, and he fell back in bed and got
worse and worse. When the three masons arrived they could not enter, for
the splendour of the silver bridge dazzled them, and they were obliged
to enter by another gate.
As they were working, the shortest said to the middle one, "Go and see
why his lordship does not come out; perhaps he is worse." He went in and
found the baron worse than ever. Then said the shortest, "I thought of
something, my lord, which he will never be able to do, and so you will
get his wife." "What is that, mason?" demanded the baron. "It is this,
my lord," said the mason, "that he shall ask God to dinner on Palm
Sunday, and that he can't do, and so he will lose his wife." "If you can
get Joe's wife for me you shall have all this property," said the baron.
"It's ours, then," said they, "for he can't do that." Joe was sent for,
and came at once to know what was required of him. "My orders are
these," replied the baron, "that you invite God to dinner on Palm Sunday
to my house; if you do not your wife is lost." Poor Joe went out without
saying good-bye, jumped into his carriage, and returned home dreadfully
miserable. When his wife asked him what was the matter he told her of
the baron's commands. "Go on," said his wife; "bring me that foal, the
yearling, the most wretched one of all, put upon it an old saddle and
silver harness on its head, and then get on its back." He did so, said
good-bye, and the wretched yearling darted off at once straight to
heaven. By the time it arrived there it had become quite a beautiful
horse. When Joe reached the gates of Paradise he tied his horse to a
stake, knocked at the door, which opened, and he went in and greeted the
Almighty. St. Peter received him, and asked him why he had come. "I've
come," said he, "to invite God to dinner at my lord's on Palm Sunday."
"Tell him from me," said the deity, "that I will come, and tell him that
he is to sow a plot with barley, and that it will ripen, and that I will
eat bread made of it at dinner. That a cow is to be taken to the bull
to-day, and that I will eat the flesh of the calf for my dinner."
With this Joe took leave, and the foal flew downward. As they went Joe
was like to fall head-foremost off, and called upon the deity. St. Peter
told him not to fear, it was all right; he would fall on his feet. When
Joe arrived at home the barley was waving in the breeze and the cow was
in calf. "Well, wife," said he, "I will go to the baron's and give him
the message." So he went, knocked at the door, and entered the room.
"Don't come a step further," cried the baron. "I don't intend to," said
Joe: "I've come to tell you I have executed your commands, and mind you
don't blame me for what will happen. The deity has sent you this
message: you are to sow a plot with barley, and of it make bread for His
dinner. A cow is to go to the bull, and of the calf's flesh He will
eat." The baron became thoughtful. "Don't worry yourself, my lord," said
Joe, "you have worried me enough, it is your turn now;" and so he said
"good-bye," and went off home: when he got there the barley-bread was
baking and the veal was roasting.
At this moment the deity and St. Peter arrived from heaven and were on
their way to the baron's, who the moment he saw them called out to his
servant, "Lock the gate, and do not let them in." Then said the deity,
"Let us go back to the poor man's home, and have dinner there." When
they reached the foot of the mountain St. Peter was told to look back
and say what he saw, and lo! the whole of the baron's property was a
sheet of water. "Now," said the deity to St. Peter, "let us go on, for
the mountain is high, and difficult to ascend." When they arrived at
Joe's he rushed out with outspread arms, fell to the ground, and kissed
the sole of the deity's foot. He entered and sat down to dinner, so did
Joe and his wife and also St. Peter. Then said God to Joe, "Set a table
in this world for the poor and miserable, and you shall have one laid
for you in the world to come; and now good-bye: you shall live in joy,
and in each other's love."
They are living still if they have not died since. May they be your
guests to-morrow!
LUCK AND BLISS.
Luck and Bliss went out one day, and came to a town where they found a
poor man selling brooms, but nobody seemed to buy anything from him.
Bliss thereupon said, "Let us stop, and I will buy them all from the
poor fellow, so that he may make a good bargain." So they stopped, and
Bliss bought them all, and gave him six times the market value of them,
in order that the poor man might have a good start.
On another occasion they came to the same town and found the man still
selling brooms. Bliss bought them all, and gave him ten times their
market value. They came a third time to the town, and the man was still
selling brooms, whereupon Luck said, "Let me try now, for, see, you have
bought them all twice, and in vain, for the man is a poor broom-seller
still;" so Luck bought them, but she did not give a penny more than the
market price. They came to the town a fourth time and saw the man who
had sold brooms leading wheat into town in a wagon with iron hoops on
the wheels and drawn by four fine bullocks. When they saw this Luck said
to Bliss, "Do you see that man who used to sell brooms? You bought them
all twice for a very high price. I bought them but once, and that for
the market value, and the consequence of my having done so is that he no
longer sells brooms, as he used to do, but wheat, and it appears he must
have got on well with his farm too."
THE LAZY CAT.
A lad married a lazy rich girl, and he made a vow that he would never
beat her. The missis never did any work but went about from house to
house gossiping and making all kinds of mischief, but still her husband
never beat her. One morning as he was going out to his work he said to
the cat, "You cat, I command you to do everything that is needed in the
house. While I am away put everything in order, cook the dinner, and do
some spinning; if you don't, I'll give you such a thrashing as you won't
forget." The cat listened to his speech half asleep, blinking on the
hearth. The woman thought to herself, "My husband has gone mad." So she
said, "Why do you order the cat to do all these things, which she knows
nothing about?" "Whether she does or whether she doesn't it's all the
same to me, wife. I have no one else whom I can ask to do anything; and
if she does not do all that I have ordered her to do you will see that I
will give her such a thrashing as she will never forget." With this he
went out to work, and the wife began to talk to the cat and said, "You
had better get your work done, or he will beat you;" but the cat did not
work, and the wife went from house to house gossiping. When she came
home the cat was asleep on the hearth, and the fire had gone out; so she
said, "Make the fire up, cat, and get your work done, or you will get a
sound thrashing;" but the cat did no work. In the evening the master
came home and found that nothing was done and that his orders were not
carried out; so he took hold of the cat by its tail and fastened it to
his wife's back, and began to beat till his wife cried out, "Don't beat
that cat any more! Don't beat that cat any more! it is not her fault,
she cannot help it, she does not understand these things." "Will you
promise then that you will do it all in her stead?" inquired her
husband. "I will do it all and even more than you order," replied his
wife, "if you will only leave off beating that cat."
The woman then ran off home to complain to her mother of all these
things, and said, "I have promised that I will do all the work instead
of the cat, in order to prevent my husband beating her to death on my
back." And then her father spoke up and said, "If you have promised to
do it you must do it; if not, the cat will get a thrashing to-morrow."
And he sent her back to her husband.
Next time the master again ordered the cat what she had to do, and she
did nothing again. So she got another beating on the wife's back, who
ran home again to complain; but her father drove her back, and she ran
so fast that her foot did not touch the ground as she went.