Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, Jacob Grimm [ereader for textbooks txt] 📗
- Author: Jacob Grimm
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"We had better get up and go there, for these are uncomfortable quarters." The dog began to fancy a few bones, not quite bare, would do him good. And they all set off in the direction of the light, and it grew larger and brighter, until at last it led them to a robber's house, all lighted up. The ass, being the biggest, went up to the window, and looked in.
"Well, what do you see?" asked the dog.
"What do I see?" answered the ass; "here is a table set out with splendid eatables and drinkables, and robbers sitting at it and making themselves very comfortable."
"That would just suit us," said the cock.
"Yes, indeed, I wish we were there," said the ass. Then they consulted together how it should be managed so as to get the robbers out of the house, and at last they hit on a plan. The ass was to place his forefeet on the window-sill, the dog was to get on the ass's back, the cat on the top of the dog, and lastly the cock was to fly up and perch on the cat's head. When that was done, at a given signal they all began to perform their music. The ass brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock crowed; then they burst through into the room, breaking all the panes of glass. The robbers fled at the dreadful sound; they thought it was some goblin, and fled to the wood in the utmost terror. Then the four companions sat down to table, made free with the remains of the meal, and feasted as if they had been hungry for a month. And when they had finished they put out the lights, and each sought out a sleeping-place to suit his nature and habits. The ass laid himself down outside on the dunghill, the dog behind the door, the cat on the hearth by the warm ashes, and the cock settled himself in the cockloft, and as they were all tired with their long journey they soon fell fast asleep.
When midnight drew near, and the robbers from afar saw that no light was burning, and that everything appeared quiet, their captain said to them that he thought that they had run away without reason, telling one of them to go and reconnoitre. So one of them went, and found everything quite quiet; he went into the kitchen to strike a light, and taking the glowing fiery eyes of the cat for burning coals, he held a match to them in order to kindle it. But the cat, not seeing the joke, flew into his face, spitting and scratching. Then he cried out in terror, and ran to get out at the back door, but the dog, who was lying there, ran at him and bit his leg; and as he was rushing through the yard by the dunghill the ass struck out and gave him a great kick with his hindfoot; and the cock, who had been wakened with the noise, and felt quite brisk, cried out, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
Then the robber got back as well as he could to his captain, and said, "Oh dear! in that house there is a grewsome witch, and I felt her breath and her long nails in my face; and by the door there stands a man who stabbed me in the leg with a knife; and in the yard there lies a black spectre, who beat me with his wooden club; and above, upon the roof, there sits the justice, who cried, 'Bring that rogue here!' And so I ran away from the place as fast as I could."
From that time forward the robbers never ventured to that house, and the four Bremen town musicians found themselves so well off where they were, that there they stayed. And the person who last related this tale is still living, as you see.
One day, Hans's mother said,
"Where are you going, Hans?"
Hans answered,
"To Grethel's, mother."
"Manage well, Hans."
"All right! Good-bye, mother."
"Good-bye, Hans."
Then Hans came to Grethel's.
"Good morning, Grethel."
"Good morning, Hans. What have you brought me to-day?"
"I have brought nothing, but I want something."
So Grethel gave Hans a needle; and then he said,
"Good-bye, Grethel," and she said, "Good-bye, Hans."
Hans carried the needle away with him, and stuck it in a hay-cart that was going along, and he followed it home.
"Good evening, mother."
"Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?"
"To Grethel's, mother."
"What did you take her?"
"I took nothing, but I brought away something."
"What did Grethel give you?"
"A needle, mother."
"What did you do with it, Hans?"
"Stuck it in the hay-cart."
"That was very stupid of you, Hans. You should have stuck it in your sleeve."
"All right, mother! I'll do better next time."
When next time came, Hans's mother said,
"Where are you going, Hans?"
"To Grethel's, mother."
"Manage well, Hans."
"All right! Good-bye, mother."
"Good-bye, Hans."
Then Hans came to Grethel.
"Good morning, Grethel."
"Good morning, Hans. What have you brought me to-day?"
"I've brought nothing, but I want something."
So Grethel gave Hans a knife, and then he said, "Good-bye, Grethel," and she said, "Good-bye, Hans."
Hans took the knife away with him, and stuck it in his sleeve, and went home.
"Good evening, mother."
"Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?"
"To Grethel's."
"What did you take her?"
"I took nothing, but I brought away something."
"What did Grethel give you, Hans?"
"A knife, mother."
"What did you do with it, Hans?"
"Stuck it in my sleeve, mother."
"That was very stupid of you, Hans. You should have put it in your pocket."
"All right, mother! I'll do better next time."
When next time came, Hans's mother said,
"Where to, Hans?"
"To Grethel's, mother."
"Manage well, Hans."
"All right! Good-bye, mother."
"Good-bye, Hans."
So Hans came to Grethel's. "Good morning, Grethel."
"Good morning, Hans. What have you brought me to-day?"
"I've brought nothing, but I want to take away something."
So Grethel gave Hans a young goat; then he said,
"Good-bye, Grethel," and she said, "Good-bye, Hans."
So Hans carried off the goat, and tied its legs together, and put it in his pocket, and by the time he got home it was suffocated.
"Good evening, mother."
"Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?"
"To Grethel's, mother."
"What did you take her, Hans?"
"I took nothing, but I brought away something."
"What did Grethel give you, Hans?"
"A goat, mother."
"What did you do with it, Hans?"
"Put it in my pocket, mother."
"That was very stupid of you, Hans. You should have tied a cord round its neck, and led it home."
"All right, mother! I'll do better next time."
Then when next time came,
"Where to, Hans?"
"To Grethel's, mother."
"Manage well, Hans."
"All right! Good-bye, mother."
"Good-bye, Hans."
Then Hans came to Grethel's.
"Good morning, Grethel."
"Good morning, Hans. What have you brought me to-day?"
"I've brought nothing, but I want to take away something."
So Grethel gave Hans a piece of bacon. Then he said, "Good-bye, Grethel."
She said, "Good-bye, Hans."
Hans took the bacon, and tied a string round it, and dragged it after him on his way home, and the dogs came and ate it up, so that when he got home he had the string in his hand, and nothing at the other end of it.
"Good evening, mother."
"Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?"
"To Grethel's, mother."
"What did you take her, Hans?"
"I took her nothing, but I brought away something."
"What did Grethel give you, Hans?"
"A piece of bacon, mother."
"What did you do with it, Hans?"
"I tied a piece of string to it, and led it home, but the dogs ate it, mother."
"That was very stupid of you, Hans. You ought to have carried it on your head."
"All right! I'll do better next time, mother."
When next time came,
"Where to, Hans?"
"To Grethel's, mother."
"Manage well, Hans."
"All right! Good-bye, mother."
"Good-bye, Hans."
Then Hans came to Grethel's.
"Good morning, Grethel."
"Good morning, Hans. What have you brought me?"
"I have brought nothing, but I want to take away something."
So Grethel gave Hans a calf.
"Good-bye, Grethel."
"Good-bye, Hans."
Hans took the calf, and set it on his head, and carried it home, and the calf scratched his face.
"Good evening, mother."
"Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?"
"To Grethel's, mother."
"What did you take her?"
"I took nothing, but I brought away something."
"What did Grethel give you, Hans?"
"A calf, mother."
"What did you do with the calf, Hans?"
"I carried it home on my head, but it scratched my face."
"That was very stupid of you, Hans. You ought to have led home the calf, and tied it to the manger."
"All right! I'll do better next time, mother."
When next time came,
"Where to, Hans?"
"To Grethel's, mother."
"Manage well, Hans."
"All right, mother! Good-bye."
"Good-bye, Hans."
Then Hans came to Grethel's.
"Good morning, Grethel."
"Good morning, Hans. What have you brought me to-day?"
"I have brought nothing, but I want to take away something."
Then Grethel said to Hans,
"You shall take away me."
Then Hans took Grethel, and tied a rope round her neck, and led her home, and fastened her up to the manger, and went to his mother.
"Good evening, mother."
"Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?"
"To Grethel's, mother."
"What did you take her, Hans?"
"Nothing, mother."
"What did Grethel give you, Hans?"
"Nothing but herself, mother."
"Where have you left Grethel, Hans?"
"I led her home with a rope, and tied her up to the manger to eat hay, mother."
"That was very stupid of you, Hans. You should have cast sheep's eyes at her."
"All right, mother! I'll do better next time."
Then Hans went into the stable, and taking all the eyes out of the sheep, he threw them in Grethel's face. Then Grethel was angry, and getting loose, she ran away and became the bride of another.
There was once a man who had a daughter who was called "Clever Else," and when she was grown up, her father said she must be married, and her mother said,
"Yes, if we could only find some one that she would consent to have."
At last one came from a distance, and his name was Hans, and when he proposed to her, he made it a condition that Clever Else should be very careful as well.
"Oh," said the father, "she does not want for brains."
"No, indeed," said the mother, "she can see the wind coming up the street and hear the flies cough."
"Well," said Hans, "if she does not turn out to be careful too, I will not have her."
Now when they were all seated at table, and had well eaten, the mother said,
"Else, go into the cellar and draw some beer."
Then Clever Else took down the jug from the hook in the wall, and as she was on her way to the cellar she rattled the lid up and down so as to pass away the time. When she got there, she took a stool and stood it in front of the cask, so that she need not stoop and make her back ache with needless trouble. Then she put the jug under the tap and turned it, and while the beer was running, in order that her eyes should not be idle, she glanced hither and thither, and finally caught sight of a pickaxe that the workmen had left sticking in the ceiling just above her head. Then Clever Else began to cry, for she thought,
"If I marry Hans, and we have a child, and it grows big, and we send it into the cellar to draw beer, that pickaxe might fall on his head and kill him."
So there she sat and cried with all her might, lamenting the anticipated misfortune. All the while they were waiting upstairs for something to drink, and they waited in vain. At last the mistress said to the maid,
"Go down to the cellar and see why Else does not come."
So
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