~A.~ 1. Um was handelte es sich in dem Streit zwischen den beiden Bauern? 2. Wie und wann entstand der Streit? 3. Warum nahm nicht jeder Bauer einen Advokaten an? 4. Wer nahm sonst noch teil an dem Streit? 5. Warum wird die Fichte ein »Bretterbaum« genannt? 6. Was ist ein Friedenstifter? Und wie würden Sie einen Menschen nennen, der den Frieden stört? 7. Zu welchem Jahrhundert gehört das Jahr 1845? Und wie nennt man das vorhergehende Jahrhundert und das folgende? Aber zu welchem Jahrhundert gehört das Jahr 1900? 8. An welche andere Geschichte in diesem Buch erinnert Sie das Binden der Erntegarben? 9. Wie ging der Wunsch des Dorfschmieds in Erfüllung, und wer teilte endlich die Grenzfichte? ~B. 1. The Teacher: Mr. R. will begin to tell us the story of (~von~) the boundary‿spruce. If he makes mistakes (~Fehler~), correct (~korrigieren~) him, please. 2. Mr. R. begins: About the middle of the eighteenth century... 3. Miss W.: Wrong (~Falsch~)! Of the nineteenth century! 4. Mr. R.: But we are told (it is told to‿us) that the lightning (~Blitz~) struck (into) the giant‿spruce in‿the year 1845. 5. The Teacher: Quite right (~recht~), but that was in‿the nineteenth century, was it not? 6. _a_. Mr. R.: Well, I’ll begin over again (~wieder von vorn~). _b._ About the middle of the nineteenth century two big farmers had a long, long quarrel over (~um~) a magnificent spruce tree which stood on the boundary of their lands. _c._ Each said that it belonged to him alone, and each had already paid his lawyer as (so)‿much as the entire tree was worth... 7. _a._ Mr. B.: Wrong! For that (~dazu~) they were too sensible. _b._ But the two farmers, their wives, their children, their hired men, and their maidservants finally lived in deadly enmity with‿one‿another, and even their dogs growled at‿each‿other. 8. The Teacher: Mr. B., you may go on (~fortfahren~). 9. _a._ Mr. B.: Several (~mehrere~) good men had tried to make (~stiften~) peace between the two farmers, but these were too obstinate, and the village‿blacksmith had said one day he wished (~wünschen~) that (the) lightning would strike (into) the spruce, and that’s just what happened (and just that happened) in‿the summer [of] 1845. _b._ Both farmers with their help were in the adjoining fields. _c._ Both were casting longing looks up to the spruce, (the) one from the right, the other from the left. 10. The Teacher: Miss W., you may tell what happened then. 11. Miss W.: Then black thunderclouds came on over the mountains, from the southwest (~Südwest~)... 12. Mr. R.: Wrong! From the northwest, it says (~heißen~) in the story. 13. The Teacher: You are (have) right, Mr. R. Go on. 14. _a._ Mr. R.: And as the people were‿about‿to (~wollen~) leave the fields and go home, there came from (~aus~) a cloud that was as yellow as sulphur (~Schwefel~) a sudden flash‿of‿lightning and split the giant‿tree from‿the top (~bis~) to‿the root in‿two (~entzwei~), so‿that (the) one half fell upon the field