"And how many horns did he have?" This was the question that the farmer and his wife had been waiting for, and the farmer's wife whispered in her husband's ear: "Say four--there will be that much more for us." So the farmer answered: "Indeed, it was a very peculiar ox; it had four horns." "Then," said the stranger, "you shall have four wishes, two for each of you." Then they mounted into the carriage and were driven off to the church, the farmer driving very fast, for he was eager to get back home to his wife so that they might talk over what they were to wish for. So when he started back the horses were pretty well "blown," and could not go fast, and the farmer whipped them, and at last one of them stumbled and a trace broke. This was most provoking, and he could not wait to fix it right, but fastened it hastily, for he wanted to be at home again. Then the other horse stumbled, and the other trace broke, so both of them were down. At this the farmer was very angry. "The wicked elves take you! I wish--" But the words were not all out of his mouth before the horses had gone, leaving the harness dangling to the carriage. The farmer was indeed angry now, but there was nothing to be done about it, and he knew that he had but one wish left and he wanted to make that one very carefully, so he packed the harness on his back, left the wagon standing, and started home on foot. Now, at home the farmer's wife was very impatient for him to come, for she wanted to talk over with him what her two wishes should be, and at last she exclaimed: "Oh, I wish that he would hurry!" No sooner were the words spoken than the farmer shot through the air and into the house, angry at having been brought so speedily, and at his wife for having so foolishly wasted a wish. So immediately they began to quarrel about it, and the farmer said that it was all her fault for making him lie about the number of horns on the ox. "Plague take the woman!" he exclaimed, "I wish that two of the horns were growing out of her head this minute!" No sooner were the words spoken than the woman threw her hands to her head and cried aloud in pain, for two horns were growing rapidly, one on each side of her head, and soon they were pushing through her hair and shoving her cap aside. But the farmer clapped his hand to his mouth exclaiming: "Oh, that was my last wish. Do you now quickly wish for a million dollars!" "Much good a million dollars would do me!" said his wife, "with horns on my head like an ox!" "But you could buy bonnets of silk and of velvet and cover them up," pleaded her husband, who saw his last hope of riches disappearing, as, indeed, it did, for he had hardly stopped speaking when his wife exclaimed: "I wish that the horns were gone off of my head." And in a moment the horns were gone, and so was the last wish, and so was the hope for great riches, and so, also, were the two fine horses! KING GRISLY-BEARD RETOLD FROM THE BROTHERS GRIMM