The Three Farmers
FARMER BROOM, FARMER
LEAVES, AND FARMER IRON
NCE upon a time there were three peasants who lived in the same wood.
The first had a hut made of broom.
The second had a hut made of leaves.
The third had a hut made of iron.
That is why they were known as Farmer Broom, Farmer Leaves, and Farmer Iron.
One cold winter afternoon a wolf came stealthily into the clearing where the three farmers had built their huts. He hid himself behind a thick bush and hungrily watched the skaters as they glided over the polished surface of the ice. At twilight, just as Farmer Broom had returned home from the forest with a faggot of wood, the wolf knocked at his door, and cried, “Farmer Broom, Farmer Broom, open the door, my friend; my little hands are so cold, and my little feet are frozen.”
“I will not open the door,” Farmer Broom replied gruffly.