NO. III.
There was once an old woman, who left her daughter at home to get dinner ready, while she was at church. On coming back she found nothing touched, and her daughter crying by the fire-place. "Why, what now?" exclaimed the old woman. "Why, do you know," replied her daughter, "as I was going to cook the dinner a brick fell down the chimney, and you know it might have killed me." This the old woman could not deny, and joined her daughter in her lamentations.
So in a little while the good man came in, and finding both weeping, cried out, "What's the matter here? What, all in tears?" "Why," said the old wife, "do you know, as Sally was going to get the dinner ready a brick fell down the chimney, and you know it might have killed her." This her husband was forced to confess, and lifted up his voice with them.
Shortly after, Sally's sweetheart came in, and seeing the hubbub and confusion, began, "What's up here? All weeping?" "Why, you know," said the father, "as Sally was going to cook the dinner a brick fell down the chimney, and you know it might have killed her." "Well!" said the young man; "of all the fools I've seen, you three are the greatest; and when I find three as great, why, then I'll come back and marry your daughter."
So away he went and went till he came to where an old woman was busy, for she was going to bake. But she bitterly bewailed her ill-luck; for, instead of taking the bread to the oven, she had got a rope fastened to the oven, and was trying with all her might to drag it to the bread, but it wouldn't budge an inch for all her pains. "Oh, you fool," cried the young man; "you should take the bread to the oven, and not try to drag the oven to the bread." "Oh, I didn't think of that," said she; "la! so I should." "Well, indeed, and that's fool number one," said the young man; and he went on his way.
So he went and went, longer than I can tell, till he came to where an old woman should feed her cow with grass that grew on her cottage-roof; but, instead of throwing down the grass to the cow, she was trying to drag the cow to the roof, but she could not, for all her pains. "Why, you fool," said the young man, "cut the grass, and throw it to the cow, to be sure." "Ay, I didn't think of that," said she. "That's fool number two, sure enough; but it will be long before I meet such another."
But again he went and went, till at last he saw a man who was trying to put his breeches on; but instead of holding them in his hand, he had propped them up with sticks, and was trying in vain to take a running jump into them. "Put in your legs, stupid!" said he. "That I didn't think of," said the man. "Here, indeed, is fool number three," said the young man. So he turned him homewards; came back to his sweetheart's cottage, and married Sally, the old woman's daughter.
For a Norwegian parallel story, see Norske Folkeeventyr samlede ved Asbjörnsen og Jörgen Moe, I., Christiania, 1843, No. 10. pp. 61-67., "Somme Kjærringer er slige."
GEORGE STEPHENS.