Jasper heard the local stories at the smithy and at Aunt Indiana's with intense interest. To him they furnished a study of the character of the people. They were not like stories of beautiful spiritual meaning that he had been accustomed to hear at Marienthal, at Weimar, and on the Rhine. The tales of Richter, Haupt, Hoffman, and Baron Fouque could never have been created here. These new settlements called for the incident or joke that represented a practical fact, and not the soul-growth of imagination. The one question of education was, "Can you cipher to the rule of three?" and of religion, "Have you found the Lord?" The favorite tales were of Indians, bears, and ghosts, and the rough hardships that overcome life. Jasper heard these tales with a sympathetic heart. The true German story is a parable, a word with a soul. Jasper loved them, for the tales of a people are the heart of a people, and express the progress of culture and opinion. One day, as Jasper was cobbling at Aunt Olive's, he sought to teach her a lesson of contentment by a German household story. Johnnie Kongapod had come in, and the woman was complaining of her hard and restricted life. "Aunt Indiana," said Jasper, "do you have fairies here?" "Never have seen any. We don't spin air here in America." "We have fairies in Germany. All the children there pass through fairy-land. There once came a fairy to an old couple who were complaining, like you." "Like me? I'm the contentedest woman in these parts. 'Tis no harm to wish for what you haven't got." "There came a fairy to them, and said: "'You may have three wishes. Wish.' "The old couple thought: "'We must be very wise,' said the woman, 'and not make any mistake, since we can only wish three times. I wish I had a pudding.' "Immediately there came a pudding upon the table. The poor woman was greatly surprised. "'There, you see what you have done by your foolish wishing!' said the man. "'One of our opportunities has gone,' said the woman. 'We have but two chances left. We must be _wiser_.' "They sat and looked into the fire. The fairy had disappeared from the hearth, and there were only embers and ashes there. "The man grew angry that his wife had lost one of their opportunities. "'Nothin' but a pudding!' said he. 'I wish that that miserable pudding were hung to your nose!' "The pudding leaped from the table and hung at the end of the old woman's nose. "'There!' said she, 'now you see what you have done by your foolish wishing.' "The old man sighed. 'We have but one wish left. We must now be the wisest people in all the world.' "They watched the dying embers, and thought. As they did so, the pudding grew heavy at the end of the old woman's nose. At last she could endure it no longer. "'Oh!' she said, 'how I wish that pudding was off again!' "The pudding disappeared, and the fairy was gone." "'Tain't true," said Aunt Indiana.