There were two crows which were mowing a meadow, and I saw two gnats building a bridge, and two doves tore a wolf to pieces, two children brought forth two kids, and two frogs threshed corn together. I saw two mice consecrating a bishop, and two cats scratching out a bear's tongue. Then a snail came running up and killed two furious lions. There stood a barber and shaved a woman's beard off, and two sucking-children bade their mother hold her tongue. There I saw two greyhounds which brought a mill out of the water, and a broken-down old horse was beside it, and said it was right. And four horses were standing in the yard threshing corn with all their might, and two goats were heating the stove, and a red cow shot the bread into the oven. Then a hen crowed, cock-a-doodle-doo. The story is all told, cock-a-doodle-doo.
I will tell you something. I saw two roasted fowls flying, they flew quickly and had their breasts turned to heaven and their backs to hell, and an anvil and a mill-stone swam across the rhine prettily, slowly, and gently, and a frog sat on the ice at whitsuntide and ate a ploughshare. Three fellows who wanted to catch a hare, went on crutches and stilts, one of them was deaf, the second blind, the third dumb, and the fourth could not stir a step. Do you want to know how it was done. First, the blind man saw the hare running across the field, the dumb one called to the lame one, and the lame one seized it by the neck.
There were certain men who wished to sail on dry land, and they set their sails in the wind, and sailed away over great fields. Then they sailed over a high mountain, and there they were miserably drowned. A crab was chasing a hare which was running away at full speed, and high up on the roof lay a cow which had climbed up there. In that country the flies are as big as the goats are here. Open the window that the lies may fly out.
Three women were transformed into flowers which grew in the field, but one of them was allowed to be in her own home at night. Then once when day was drawing near, and she was forced to go back to her companions in the field and become a flower again, she said to her husband, if you will come this afternoon and gather me, I shall be set free and henceforth stay with you. And he did so. Now the question is, how did her husband know her, for the flowers were exactly alike, and without any difference.
Answer - as she was at her home during the night and not in the field, no dew fell on her as it did on the others, and by this her husband knew her.
How fortunate is the master, and how well all goes in his house, when he has a wise servant who listens to his orders and does not obey them, but prefers following his own wisdom. Aclever Hans of this kind was once sent out by his master to seek a lost cow. He stayed away a long time, and the master thought, faithful Hans does not spare any pains over his work. But when he did not come back at all, the master was afraid lest some misfortune had befallen him, and set out himself to look for him. He had to search a long time, but at last he caught sight of the boy running up and down a large field. Now, dear Hans, said the master when he had got up to him, have you found the cow which I sent you to seek. No, master, he answered, I have not found the cow, but then I have not looked for it. Then what have you looked for, Hans. Three blackbirds, answered the boy. And where are they, asked the master. I see one of them, I hear the other, and Iam running after the third, answered the wise boy.
Take example by this, do not trouble yourselves about your masters or their orders, but rather do what comes into your head and pleases you, and then you will act just as wisely as clever Hans.
Once upon a time a poor pious peasant died, and arrived before the gate of heaven. At the same time a very rich, rich lord came there who also wanted to get into heaven. Then saint peter came with the key, and opened the door, and let the great man in, but apparently did not see the peasant, and shut the door again. And now the peasant outside heard how the great man was received in heaven with all kinds of rejoicing, and how they were making music, and singing within. At length all became quiet again, and saint peter came and opened the gate of heaven, and let the peasant in. The peasant, however, expected that they would make music and sing when he went in also, but all remained quite quiet. He was received with great affection, it is true, and the angels came to meet him, but no one sang. Then the peasant asked saint peter how it was that they did not sing for him as they had done when the rich man went in, and said that it seemed to him that there in heaven things were done with just as much partiality as on earth. Then said saint peter, by no means, you are just as dear to us as anyone else, and will enjoy every heavenly delight that the rich man enjoys, but poor fellows like you come to heaven every day, but a rich man like this does not come more than once in a hundred years.
Lean lisa was of a very different way of thinking from lazy harry and fat trina, who never let anything disturb their peace. She slaved away from morning till evening, and burdened her husband, long laurence, with so much work that he had heavier weights to carry than an ass with three sacks.
But it was all to no purpose, for they had nothing and came to nothing.
One night as she lay in bed, and could hardly move one limb for weariness, she still did not allow her thoughts to go to sleep.
