"Aye, but apple-trees and apples are poor company when a man is growing old," said the old man; "and I would give them all if I had even so much as a little dog to bark on my door-step."
"Bow-wow!" called the dog in the old woman's basket, and in less time than it takes to read this story he was barking on the old man's door-step, and the old woman was on her way home with a basket of apples on her arm.
She got there in plenty of time to make the dumpling for supper, and it was as sweet and brown a dumpling as heart could desire.
"If you try long enough and hard enough you can always have an apple dumpling for supper," said the old woman; and she ate the dumpling to the very last crumb; and enjoyed it, too.
THE KING'S SERVANT[4]
here was once upon a time a faithful servant whose name was Hans. He served the king his master so long and so well that one day the king said to him:
"Speak, Hans, and tell me what three things do you most desire that I may give them to you as a reward for your faithfulness."