The Little Glass Man, and Other StoriesHauff, Wilhelm
Science
The Little Glass Man, and Other Stories
Hauff, Wilhelm
Children's stories
'A fig for your sense and prudence,' cried Peter; 'I am as shrewd a
fellow as any one, and will prove it to you, Little Glass Man,' seizing
him rudely by the collar as he spoke these words, and crying, 'Have I
now got you, Schatzhauser? Now I will tell you my third wish, which you
shall grant me. I'll have instantly, on the spot, two hundred thousand
hard thalers and a house. Woe is me!' he cried, suddenly shaking his
hand, for the little man of the wood had changed himself into red-hot
glass, and burned in his hand like bright fire. Nothing more was to be
seen of him.
For several days his swollen hand reminded him of his ingratitude and
folly. Soon, however, he silenced his conscience, saying: 'Should they
sell my glass, manufactory and all, still fat Hezekiel is certain to
me; and as long as he has money on a Sunday, I cannot want.'
'Very true, Peter! But, if he has none?' And so it happened one day,
and it proved a singular example in arithmetic. For he came one Sunday
in his chaise to the inn, and at once all the people popped their
heads out of the windows, one saying, 'There comes gambling Peter;'
a second saying, 'Yes, there is the emperor of the dancing-room, the
wealthy glass manufacturer;' while a third shook his head, saying, 'It
is all very well with his wealth, but people talk a great deal about
his debts, and somebody in town has said that the bailiff will not wait
much longer before he distrains upon him.'
At this moment the wealthy Peter saluted the guests at the windows in a
haughty and grave manner, descended from his chaise, and cried: 'Good
evening, mine Host of the Sun. Is fat Hezekiel here?'
To this question a deep voice answered from within: 'Only come in,
Peter; your place is kept for you; we are all here at the cards
already.'
Peter entering the parlour, immediately put his hand into his pocket,
and perceived, by its being quite full, that Hezekiel must be
plentifully supplied. He sat down at the table among the others and
played, losing and winning alternately; thus they kept playing till
night, when all sober people went home. After having continued for
some time by candle-light, two of the gamblers said: 'Now it is enough,
and we must go home to our wives and children.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account