The second son had gone to a miller and had apprenticed himself to him.
When his years were over, the master said, “As thou hast conducted
thyself so well, I give thee an ass of a peculiar kind, which neither
draws a cart nor carries a sack.” “To what use is he put, then?” asked
the young apprentice. “He lets gold drop from his mouth,” answered the
miller. “If thou settest him on a cloth and sayest ‘Bricklebrit,’ the
good animal will drop gold pieces for thee.” “That is a fine thing,”
said the apprentice, and thanked the master, and went out into the
world. When he had need of gold, he had only to say “Bricklebrit” to
his ass, and it rained gold pieces, and he had nothing to do but pick
them off the ground. Wheresoever he went, the best of everything was
good enough for him, and the dearer the better, for he had always a
full purse. When he had looked about the world for some time, he
thought, “Thou must seek out thy father; if thou goest to him with the
gold-ass he will forget his anger, and receive thee well.” It came to
pass that he came to the same public-house in which his brother’s table
had been exchanged. He led his ass by the bridle, and the host was
about to take the animal from him and tie him up, but the young
apprentice said, “Don’t trouble yourself, I will take my grey horse
into the stable, and tie him up myself too, for I must know where he
stands.” This struck the host as odd, and he thought that a man who was
forced to look after his ass himself, could not have much to spend; but
when the stranger put his hand in his pocket and brought out two gold
pieces, and said he was to provide something good for him, the host
opened his eyes wide, and ran and sought out the best he could muster.
After dinner the guest asked what he owed. The host did not see why he
should not double the reckoning, and said the apprentice must give two
more gold pieces. He felt in his pocket, but his gold was just at an
end. “Wait an instant, sir host,” said he, “I will go and fetch some
money;” but he took the table-cloth with him. The host could not
imagine what this could mean, and being curious, stole after him, and
as the guest bolted the stable-door, he peeped through a hole left by a
knot in the wood. The stranger spread out the cloth under the animal
and cried, “Bricklebrit,” and immediately the beast began to let gold
pieces fall, so that it fairly rained down money on the ground. “Eh, my
word,” said the host, “ducats are quickly coined there! A purse like
that is not amiss.” The guest paid his score, and went to bed, but in
the night the host stole down into the stable, led away the master of
the mint, and tied up another ass in his place. Early next morning the
apprentice travelled away with his ass, and thought that he had his
gold-ass. At mid-day he reached his father, who rejoiced to see him
again, and gladly took him in. “What hast thou made of thyself, my
son?” asked the old man. “A miller,” dear father, he answered. “What
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