"All very true, I dare say, " said his mother; "but seeing is believing, and I shan"t believe it till I see it. "So the lad made haste, drew out a table, laid the cloth on it, and said "Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good dishes ! " But never a bit of dry bread did the cloth serve up.
"Well, " said the lad, "there"s no help for it but to go to the North Wind again " and away he went. Late in the afternoon he came to where the North Wind lived.
"Good evening, " said the lad.
"Good evening, " said the North Wind.
"I want to be paid for that meal of ours which you took, " said the lad. "As for that cloth I got, it isn"t worth a penny. ""I have no meal, " said the North Wind; "but over there is a goat which makes gold coins as soon as you say to it, " Goat, goat, make money ! " "So the lad thought this a fine thing. But as it was too far to get home that day, he stopped for the night at the same inn where he had slept before.
Before he called for anything, he said, "Goat, goat, make money! " And there, in a minute, the goat made some gold coins.
When the landlord saw that, he thought it was a wonderful goat. So, when the lad had fallen asleep, he took another which couldn"t make money, and changed the two.
Next morning off went the lad. When he got home to his mother, he said, "After all, the North Wind is a jolly fellow; for now he has given me a goat which can make gold coins if I only say, "Goat, goat, make money!" ""All very true, I dare say, " said his mother. "But I shan"t believe that until I see the coins. ""Goat, goat! Make money! " said the lad; but the goat made no money.
So the lad went back again to the North Wind, and said the goat was worth nothing, and he must be paid for the meal.
"Well, " said the North Wind, " I"ve nothing else to give you but that old stick in the corner; but if you say "Stick, stick, lay on !" it lays on till you say " Stick, stick, now stop!" "So, as the way was long, the lad stayed this night, too, with the landlord. But, as he guessed what had happened to the cloth and the goat, he lay down at once on the bench and began to snore, as if he were asleep. Now the landlord, who saw that the stick must be worth something, hunted up one like it.
When he heard the lad snore, he was going to change the two. But, just as the landlord was about to take it, the lad called out " Stick, stick! lay on! "So the stick began to beat the landlord till he jumped over chairs, and tables, and benches, and yelled androared, "Oh my! Oh my! Bid the stick be still, else it will beat me to death, and you shall have back your cloth and your goat. "When the lad thought the landlord had had enough, he said "Stick, stick, now stop! " Then he took the cloth and put it into his pocket, and went home with his stick in his hand, leading the goat by a cord round its horns. And so he got paid for the meal he had lost.
About the Author.-This is an old Norse story from the far north of Europe. Many of these stories were first written down by Peter Christian Asbj?rnsen (1812-1885), a Norwegian scientist, explorer, and author. They were first translated into English by Sir George Dasent (1817-1896).
About the Story.-Find Norway on the map. Can you guess why many Norse stories are about the north wind and frost giants? What kind of a wind is the north wind in Norway? This is another story that would make a good play for your puppet theatre.
Lesson 6
STONE SOup
One cold, rainy night an old man was walking along a road. He was wet and hungry, for he had walked a long way. All at once he saw a house and, knocking at the door, he asked the cook for some food. But she told him she had none.
"May I come in and dry myself by the fire then? " asked the old man. "Oh yes, " said the cook, "but you must not get in my way. " So the old man came in and sat down. Soon he was dry and warm. But he was still very hungry.
Soon he said, "I am a good cook myself. I can make a lovely soup. It is called stone soup. " The cook wanted very much to know how to make such a cheap soup. So the old man said he would show her how it was done.
"Just fetch me a pot with some water in it, " he said. When she brought it, he put it on the fire. Then, taking a clean white stone from his pocket, he dropped it into the water.
When the water was hot the old man tasted it. "Thisis going to be fine soup, " he said; "but a little seasoning would add to the taste. I see an old piece of cabbage and some onions on the table. May I drop them in? "The cook, who was watching closely, nodded, and in went the vegetables. After a time the old man tasted the soup again. "This is good, " he said, "but it wants some stirring. I see a ham bone over there. May I use that? "Again the cook nodded, and the maker of soup began to stir his soup with the ham bone. He took care to use the end with a little meat still clinging to it. Soon he tasted the soup again. "This is the best soup I have ever made, " he said. "But I think it could do with a little thickening. Could I have a little flour?"The cook passed him some flour. He mixed it with water and put it into the pot. After a time he tasted the soup once more. "This, " he said, "is fit for the best in the land. A wee lump of butter and a drop of milk would make it fit for the King himself. "The cook went to get the butter and the milk. "And while you are getting those, " the old man said, "I will just drop in that chicken that I see hanging over there. It can"t do any harm."So he dropped in the chicken and the butter and the milk, and he stirred and stirred. Soon he poured out thesoup, some for the cook and some for himself. He fishedout the stone, dried it, and put it in his pocket.
"This soup tastes fine, " said the cook. "And to think that it was made from a stone! I am so glad that I have been able to learn how to make stone soup. "About the Story.-This is an old story that has been told for hundreds of years in Ireland. Write out a recipe, like those in Mother"s cookery book, telling how to make "stone soup" Begin this way : "Take a clean white stone and put it into..." This is another story with much conversation. Could you make up a play about the tramp and the cook?
Lesson 7
my SHADOW