When three days had passed, the countryman thought, “To-night my money
will be in my pocket,” and was quite delighted. But no one would come
and pay it. “There is no trusting any one now,” said he; and at last he
lost patience, and went into the town to the butcher and demanded his
money. The butcher thought it was a joke, but the peasant said,
“Jesting apart, I will have my money! Did not the great dog bring you
the whole of the slaughtered cow three days ago?” Then the butcher grew
angry, snatched a broomstick and drove him out. “Wait a while,” said
the peasant, “there is still some justice in the world!” and went to
the royal palace and begged for an audience. He was led before the
King, who sat there with his daughter, and asked him what injury he had
suffered. “Alas!” said he, “the frogs and the dogs have taken from me
what is mine, and the butcher has paid me for it with the stick,” and
he related at full length all that had happened. Thereupon the King’s
daughter began to laugh heartily, and the King said to him, “I cannot
give you justice in this, but you shall have my daughter to wife for
it,—in her whole life she has never yet laughed as she has just done at
thee, and I have promised her to him who could make her laugh. Thou
mayst thank God for thy good fortune!”
“Oh,” answered the peasant, “I will not have her, I have a wife
already, and she is one too many for me; when I go home, it is just as
bad as if I had a wife standing in every corner.” Then the King grew
angry, and said, “Thou art a boor.” “Ah, Lord King,” replied the
peasant, “what can you expect from an ox, but beef?” “Stop,” answered
the King, “thou shalt have another reward. Be off now, but come back in
three days, and then thou shalt have five hundred counted out in full.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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