Once upon a time there was an old widow who had one son, and she was
poorly and weak, her son had to go up into the safe to fetch meal for
cooking; but when he got outside the safe, and was just going down the
steps, there came the North Wind, puffing and blowing, caught up the
meal, and so away with it through the air. Then the lad went back into
the safe for more; but when he came out again on the steps, if the
North Wind didn’t come again and carry off the meal with a puff; and
more than that, he did so the third time. At this the lad got very
angry; and as he thought it hard that the North Wind should behave so,
he thought he’d just look him up and ask him to give up his meal.
So off he went, but the way was long, and he walked and walked; but at
last he came to the North Wind’s house.
“Good day!” said the lad, and “thank you for coming to see us
yesterday.”
“GOOD DAY!” answered the North Wind, for his voice was loud and gruff,
“AND THANKS FOR COMING TO SEE ME. WHAT DO YOU WANT?”
“Oh!” answered the lad, “I only wished to ask you to be so good as to
let me have back that meal you took from me on the safe steps, for we
haven’t much to live on; and if you’re to go on snapping up the morsel
we have there’ll be nothing for it but to starve.”
“I haven’t got your meal,” said the North Wind; “but if you are in such
need, I’ll give you a cloth which will get you everything you want, if
you only say, ‘Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good
dishes!’”
With this the lad was well content. But, as the way was so long he
couldn’t get home in one day, he stopped at an inn on the way; and when
they were going to sit down to supper, he laid the cloth on a table
which stood in the corner and said:
“Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good dishes.”
He had scarce said so before the cloth did as it was bid; and all who
stood by thought it a fine thing, but most of all the landlady. So,
when all were fast asleep, at dead of night, she took the lad’s cloth,
and put another in its stead, just like the one he had got from the
North Wind, but which couldn’t so much as serve up a bit of dry bread.
So when the lad awoke, he took his cloth and went off with it, and that
day he got home to his mother.
“Now,” said he, “I’ve been to the North Wind’s house, and a good fellow
he is, for he gave me this cloth, and when I only say to it, ‘Cloth,
spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good dishes,’ I get any sort
of food I please.”
“All very true, I dare say,” said his mother, “but seeing is believing,
and I shan’t believe it till I see it.”
So the lad made haste, drew out a table, laid the cloth on it, and
said— “Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good dishes.”