They placed the jug on a board which was fixed to the wall of their bed-room, and as they were afraid that it might be stolen, or that the mice might find it, trina brought in a stout hazel-stick and put it beside her bed, so that without unnecessary motion she might reach it with her hand, and drive away the uninvited guests.
Lazy harry did not like to leave his bed before noon. He who rises early, said he, wastes his substance. One morning when he was still lying amongst the feathers in broad daylight, resting after his long sleep, he said to his wife, women are fond of sweet things, and you are always tasting the honey in private. It will be better for us to exchange it for a goose with a young gosling, before you eat up the whole of it. But, answered trina, not before we have a child to take care of them.
Am I to worry myself with the little geese, and spend all my strength on them to no purpose. Do you think, said harry, that the youngster will look after geese. Now-a-days children no longer obey, they do according to their own fancy, because they consider themselves cleverer than their parents, just like that lad who was sent to seek the cow and chased three blackbirds.
Oh, replied trina, this one shall fare badly if he does not do what I say. I will take a stick and belabor his skin with more blows than I can count. Look, harry, cried she in her zeal, and seized the stick with which she used to drive the mice away, look, this is the way I will fall on him. She reached her arm out to strike, but unhappily hit the honey-pitcher above the bed.
The pitcher struck against the wall and fell down in shards, and the fine honey streamed out on the ground. There lie the goose and the young gosling, said harry, and want no looking after. But it is lucky that the pitcher did not fall on my head. We have all reason to be satisfied with our lot. And then as he saw that there was still some honey in one of the shards he stretched out his hand for it, and said quite gaily, the remains, my wife, we will still eat with relish, and we will rest a little after the fright we have had. What does it matter if we do get up a little later.
The day is always long enough. Yes, answered trina, we shall always get to the end of it at the proper time. You know, the snail was once asked to a wedding and set out to go, but arrived at the christening. In front of the house it fell over the fence, and said, speed does no good.
There was once upon a time a king, but where he reigned and what he was called, I do not know. He had no son, but an only daughter who had always been ill, and no doctor had been able to cure her.
Then it was foretold to the king that his daughter would find her health by eating an apple. So he ordered it to be proclaimed throughout the whole of his kingdom, that whosoever brought his daughter an apple with which she could find her health, should have her to wife, and be king. This became known to a peasant who had three sons, and he said to the eldest, go out into the garden and take a basketful of those beautiful apples with the red cheeks and carry them to the court, perhaps the king's daughter will be able to find her health with them, and then you will marry her and be king. The lad did so, and set out. When he had gone a short way he met a hoary little man who asked him what he had there in the basket, to which replied uele for so was he named, frogs, legs. At this the little man said, well, so shall it be, and remain, and went away. At length uele arrived at the palace, and made it known that he had brought apples which would cure the king's daughter if she ate them. This delighted the king hugely, and he caused uele to be brought before him, but, alas. When he opened the basket, instead of having apples in it he had frogs, legs which were still kicking about. On this the king grew angry, and had him driven out of the house. When he got home he told his father how it had fared with him. Then the father sent the next son, who was called same, but all went with him just as it had gone with uele. He also met the hoary little man, who asked what he had there in the basket. Same said, hogs, bristles, and the hoary man said, well, so shall it be, and remain.
When same got to the king's palace and said he brought apples with which the king's daughter might find her health, they did not want to let him go in, and said that one fellow had already been there, and had treated them as if they were fools. Same, however, maintained that he certainly had the apples, and that they ought to let him go in. At length they believed him, and led him to the king. But when he uncovered the basket, he had but hogs, bristles.
This enraged the king most terribly, so he caused same to be whipped out of the house. When he got home he related all that had befallen him, whereupon the youngest boy, whose name was Hans, but who was always called stupid Hans, came and asked his father if he might go with some apples. Oh, said the father, you would be just the right fellow for such a thing. If the clever one can't manage it, what can you do. The boy, however, insisted and said, indeed, father, I wish to go. Just get away, you stupid fellow, you must wait till you are wiser, said the father to that, and turned his back. Hans, however, pulled at the back of his smock and said, indeed, father, I wish to go. Well, then, so far as I am concerned you may go, but you will soon come home again, replied the old man in a spiteful voice. The boy was tremendously delighted and jumped for joy. Well, act like a fool. You grow more stupid every day, said the father again. But Hans was not discouraged, and did not let it spoil his pleasure, but as it was then night, he thought he might as well wait until the morrow, for he could not get to court that day. All night long he could not sleep in his bed, and if he did doze for a moment, he dreamt of beautiful maidens, of palaces, of gold, and of silver, and all kinds of things of that sort. Early in the morning, he went forth on his way, and directly afterwards the little shabby-looking man in his icy clothes, came to him and asked what he was carrying in the basket.