There was once a man who had three sons, but no fortune except the
house he lived in. Now, each of them wanted to have the house after
his death; but their father was just as fond of one as of the other,
and did not know how to treat them all fairly. He did not want to sell
the house, because it had belonged to his forefathers, or he might
have divided the money between them.
At last an idea came into his head, and he said to his sons: "Go out
into the world, and each learn a trade, and when you come home, the
one who makes best use of his handicraft shall have the house."
The sons were quite content with this plan, and the eldest decided
to be a farrier, the second a barber, and the third a fencing master.
They fixed a time when they would all meet at home again, and then
they set off.
It so happened that they each found a clever master with whom they
learned their business thoroughly. The farrier shod the King's horses,
and he thought, "I shall certainly be the one to have the house."
The barber shaved nobody but grand gentlemen, so he thought it would
fall to him.
The fencing master got many blows, but he set his teeth, and would not
let himself be put out, because he thought, "If I am afraid of a blow,
I shall never get the house."
Now, when the given time had passed, they all went home together to
their father; but they did not know how to get a good opportunity of
showing off their powers, and sat down to discuss the matter.
Suddenly a hare came running over the field.
"Ah!" cried the barber, "she comes just in the nick of time."
He took up his bowl and his soap, and got his lather by the time the
hare came quite close, then he soaped her and shaved her as she raced
along, without giving her a cut or missing a single hair. His father,
astonished, said: "If the others don't look out, the house will be
yours."
Before long a gentleman came along in his carriage at full gallop.
"Now, father, you shall see what I can do," said the farrier and he
ran after the carriage and tore the four shoes off the horse as he
galloped along, then, without stopping a second, shod him with new
ones.
"You are a fine fellow, indeed," said his father. "You know your
business as well as your brother. I don't know which I shall give the
house to at this rate."