Household Tales by Jacob Grimm (classic books for 12 year olds .txt) 📕

The miller saw the peasant lying on the straw, and asked, “What is that fellow doing there?”

“Ah,” said the wife, “the poor knave came in the storm and rain, and begged for shelter, so I gave him a bit of bread and cheese, and showed him where the straw was.”

The man said, “I have no objection, but be quick and get me something to eat.”

The woman said, “But I have nothing but bread and cheese.”

“I am contented with anything,” replied the husband, “so far as I am concerned, bread and cheese will do,” and looked at the peasant and said, “Come and eat some more with me.” The peasant did not require to be invited twice, but got up and ate. After this the miller saw the skin in which the raven was, lying on the ground, and asked, “What hast thou there?”

The peasant answered, “I have a soothsayer inside it.”

“Can he foretell anything to me?” said the miller.

“Why not?” answered the peasant, “but he only says four things, and the fifth he keeps to himself.”

The miller was curious, and said, “Let him foretell something for once.” Then the peasant pinched the raven’s head, so that he croaked and made a noise like krr, krr. The miller said, “What did he say?”

The peasant answered, “In the first place, he says that there is some wine hidden under the pillow.”

“Bless me!” cried the miller, and went there and found the wine. “Now go on,” said he.

The peasant made the raven croak again, and said, “In the second place, he says that there is some roast meat in the tiled stove.”

“Upon my word!” cried the miller, and went thither, and found the roast meat.

The peasant made the raven prophesy still more, and said, “Thirdly, he says that there is some salad on the bed.”

“That would be a fine thing!” cried the miller, and went there and found the salad.

At last the peasant pinched the raven once more till he croaked, and said, “Fourthly, he says that there are some cakes under the bed.”

“That would be a fine thing!” cried the miller, and looked there, and found the cakes.

And now the two sat down to the table together, but the miller’s wife was frightened to death, and went to bed and took all the keys with her. The miller would have liked much to know the fifth, but the little peasant said, “First, we will quickly eat the four things, for the fifth is something bad.” So they ate, and after that they bargained how much the miller was to give for the fifth prophesy, until they agreed on three hundred thalers. Then the peasant once more pinched the raven’s head till he croaked loudly.

The miller asked, “What did he say?”

The peasant replied, “He says that the Devil is hiding outside there in the cupboard in the entrance.”

The miller said, “The Devil must go out,” and opened the house-door; then the woman was forced to give up the keys, and the peasant unlocked the cupboard.

The parson ran out as fast as he could, and the miller said, “It was true; I saw the black rascal with my own eyes.” The peasant, however, made off next morning by daybreak with the three hundred thalers.

At home the small peasant gradually launched out; he built a beautiful house, and the peasants said, “The small peasant has certainly been to the place where golden snow falls, and people carry the gold home in shovels.” Then the small peasant was brought before the Mayor, and bidden to say from whence his wealth came.

He answered, “I sold my cow’s skin in the town, for three hundred thalers.” When the peasants heard that, they too wished to enjoy this great profit, and ran home, killed all their cows, and stripped off their skins in order to sell them in the town to the greatest advantage.

The Mayor, however, said, “But my servant must go first.”

When she came to the merchant in the town, he did not give her more than two thalers for a skin, and when the others came, he did not give them so much, and said, “What can I do with all these skins?”

Then the peasants were vexed that the small peasant should have thus overreached them, wanted to take vengeance on him, and accused him of this treachery before the Mayor. The innocent little peasant was unanimously sentenced to death, and was to be rolled into the water, in a barrel pierced full of holes. He was led forth, and a priest was brought who was to say a mass for his soul. The others were all obliged to retire to a distance, and when the peasant looked at the priest, he recognized the man who had been with the miller’s wife. He said to him, “I set you free from the cupboard, set me free from the barrel.”

At this same moment up came, with a flock of sheep, the very shepherd who as the peasant knew had long been wishing to be Mayor, so he cried with all his might, “No, I will not do it; if the whole world insists on it, I will not do it!”

The shepherd hearing that, came up to him, and asked, “What art thou about? What is it that thou wilt not do?”

The peasant said, “They want to make me Mayor, if I will but put myself in the barrel, but I will not do it.”

The shepherd said, “If nothing more than that is needful in order to be Mayor, I would get into the barrel at once.”

The peasant said, “If thou wilt get in, thou wilt be Mayor.” The shepherd was willing, and got in, and the peasant shut the top down on him; then he took the shepherd’s flock for himself, and drove it away. The parson went to the crowd, and declared that the mass had been said. Then they came and rolled the barrel