He saddled the horse and rode off with all speed. He found the peasant who was sitting under a willow-tree, and was about to count the money in the purse. Have you seen the man who has fallen down from heaven, cried the youth to him. Yes, answered the peasant, he has set out on his way back there, and has gone up that hill, from whence it will be rather nearer, you could still catch him up, if you were to ride fast. Alas, said the youth, Ihave been doing tiring work all day, and the ride here has completely worn me out, you know the man, be so kind as to get on my horse, and go and persuade him to come here. Aha, thought the peasant, here is another who has not a brain in his head. Why should I not do you this favor, said he, and mounted the horse and rode off at a quick trot. The youth remained sitting there till night fell, but the peasant never came back. The man from heaven must certainly have been in a great hurry, and would not turn back, thought he, and the peasant has no doubt given him the horse to take to my father. He went home and told his mother what had happened, and that he had sent his father the horse so that he might not have to be always running about. You have done well, answered she, your legs are younger than his, and you can go on foot.
When the peasant got home, he put the horse in the stable beside the cow which he had as a pledge, and then went to his wife and said, trina, as your luck would have it, I have found two who are still sillier fools than you, this time you escape without a beating. I will store it up for another occasion. Then he lighted his pipe, sat down in his grandfather's chair, and said, it was a good stroke of business to get a sleek horse and a great purse full of money into the bargain, for two lean cows. If stupidity always brought in as much as that, I would be quite willing to hold it in honor. So thought the peasant, but you no doubt prefer simpletons.
There was once a little child whose mother gave her every afternoon a small bowl of milk and bread, and the child seated herself in the yard with it. But when she began to eat, a paddock came creeping out of a crevice in the wall, dipped its little head in the dish, and ate with her. The child took pleasure in this, and when she was sitting there with her little dish and the paddock did not come at once, she cried, paddock, paddock, come swiftly hither come, thou tiny thing, thou shalt have thy crumbs of bread, thou shalt refresh thyself with milk.
Then the paddock came in haste, and enjoyed its food. It even showed gratitude, for it brought the child all kinds of pretty things from its hidden treasures, bright stones, pearls, and golden playthings. The paddock, however, drank only the milk, and left the bread-crumbs alone. Then one day the child took its little spoon and struck the paddock gently on its head, and said, eat the bread-crumbs as well, little thing. The mother, who was standing in the kitchen, heard the child talking to someone, and when she saw that she was striking a paddock with her spoon, ran out with a log of wood, and killed the good little creature.
From that time forth, a change came over the child. As long as the paddock had eaten with her, she had grown tall and strong, but now she lost her pretty rosy cheeks and wasted away. It was not long before the funeral bird began to cry in the night, and the redbreast to collect little branches and leaves for a funeral wreath and soon afterwards the child lay on her bier.
II
An orphan child was sitting by the town walls spinning, when she saw a paddock coming out of a hole low down in the wall. Swiftly she spread out beside it one of the blue silk handkerchiefs for which paddocks have such a strong liking, and which are the only things they will creep on. As soon as the paddock saw it, it went back, then returned, bringing with it a small golden crown, laid it on the handkerchief, and then went away again. The girl took up the crown, which glittered and was of delicate golden filagree work. It was not long before the paddock came back for the second time, but when it did not see the crown any more, it crept up to the wall, and in its grief smote its little head against it as long as it had strength to do so, until at last it lay there dead. If the girl had but left the crown where it was, the paddock would certainly have brought still more of its treasures out of the hole.
III
The paddock cries, huhu, huhu. The child says, come out. The paddock comes out, whereupon the child inquires about her little sister, have you not seen little red-stockings. The paddock says, no, I have not. Have you. Huhu, huhu, huhu.
In a certain mill lived an old miller who had neither wife nor child, and three apprentices served under him. As they had been with him several years, he one day said to them, "I am old, and want to sit behind the stove. Go out, and whichsoever of you brings me the best horse home, to him will I give the mill, and in return for it he shall take care of me till my death."The third of the boys, however, was the dunce, who was looked on as foolish by the others, they begrudged the mill to him, and afterwards he would not even have it. Then all three went out together, and when they came to the village, the two said to stupid Hans, "You may just as well stay here, as long as you live you will never get a horse." Hans, however, went with them, and when it was night they came to a cave in which they lay down to sleep. The two smart ones waited until Hans had fallen asleep, then they got up, and went away leaving him where he was. And they thought they had done a very clever thing, but it was certain to turn out ill for them.
When the sun rose, and Hans woke up, he was lying in a deep cavern.