And the boys begged her, ‘Do let us have a bit too, for it was we looked after the hen; do let us have a bit too, if it’s ever so little.’
She gave the eldest the head, and the middle one the heart, and to the youngest she gave the claws. And they went off to school.
And they came from the wedding, and sat down to table; and he said to the cook, ‘Give us to eat.’
And she served up the hen to them. And he asked for the head and the heart, and he asked for the claws. There were none!
And he asked the cook, ‘Where is the head?’
She said, ‘The boys ate it.’
And he, that merchant, said, ‘I don’t want any of this hen. Give me the head and the heart and the claws; I will eat only them.’
The cook said, ‘The boys ate them.’
And he said, ‘Wife, make them bitter coffee to make them vomit.’
And they came home from school, and the youngest boy said, ‘Don’t drink this coffee, it will kill you.’[18]