The Junior Classics, Volume 1: Fairy and wonder tales
General
The Junior Classics, Volume 1: Fairy and wonder tales
Children's literature
So the Wolf got a rope. Up came the Fox and down went the wo1f, when
the former observed, with a laugh, “My dear sir, you may remain there
till doomsday, or till the owner of the well throws up your carcass,”
and left the place.
ASHIEPATTLE AND HIS GOODLY CREW
By P. C. Asbjörnsen
Once upon a time there was a king, and this king had heard about a ship
which went just as fast by land as by water; and as he wished to have
one like it, he promised his daughter and half the kingdom to anyone
who could build one for him. And this was given out at every church all
over the country. There were many who tried, as you can imagine; for
they thought it would be a nice thing to have half the kingdom, and the
princess wouldn’t be a bad thing into the bargain. But they all fared
badly.
Now there were three brothers, who lived far away on the borders of a
forest; the eldest was called Peter, the second Paul, and the youngest
Espen Ashiepattle, because he always sat in the hearth, raking and
digging in the ashes.
It so happened that Ashiepattle was at church on the Sunday when the
proclamation about the ship, which the king wanted, was read. When he
came home amid told his family, Peter, the eldest, asked his mother to
get some food ready for him, for now he was going away to try if he
could build the ship and win the princess and half the kingdom. When
the bag was ready lie set out. On the way he met an old man who was
very crooked and decrepit.
“Where are you going?” said the man.
“I’m going into the forest to make a trough for my father. He doesn’t
like to eat at table in our company,” said Peter.
“Trough it shall he!” said the man. “What have you got in that bag of
yours?” he added.
“Stones,” said Peter.
“Stones it shall be,” said the man. Peter then went into the forest and
began to cut and chop away at the trees and work away as hard as he
could, but in spite of all his cutting and chopping he could only turn
out troughs. Toward dinner time he wanted something to eat and opened
his bag. But there was not a crumb of food in it. As he had nothing to
live upon, and as he did not turn out anything but troughs, he became
tired of the work, took his ax and bag on his shoulder, and went home
to his mother.
Paul then wanted to set out to try his luck at building the ship and
winning the princess and half the kingdom. He asked his mother for
provisions, and when the bag was ready he threw it over his shoulder
and went on his way to the forest. On the road he met the old man, who
was very crooked and decrepit.
“Where are you going?” said the man.
“Oh, I am going into the forest to make a trough for our sucking pig,”
said Paul.
“Pig trough it shall be,” said the man. “What have you got in that bag
of yours?” added the man.
“Stones,” said Paul.
“Stones it shall be,” said the man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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