He exchanged his wishing-stone for the sword, and went away. After waiting a short time, he said, ‘Out, stick!’ and pointed to the former owner of the sword. The stick approached and beat the man mercilessly. Then the good-for-nothing took the wishing-stone and went away.
He went on again until he met a man with a piece of felt, who said: ‘Brother, give me something to eat.’ The good-for-nothing man took out his wishing-stone, wished, and immediately a delicious repast appeared. When he had eaten all he wanted, the man said: ‘Come, I will give thee my felt in exchange for this stone.’ ‘What is the use of thy felt?’ inquired the good-for-nothing. ‘If a man’s head is cut off, one only has to take a piece of this felt and apply it; his head will stick on again, and he will live.’ The good-for-nothing gave him the stone, took the felt, and went away. When he had gone a little way, he said, ‘Out, stick!’ and the stick beat the man till he was like a wrinkled quince. The good-for-nothing took his stone and travelled on.
At last he came to his home. He placed the stick behind the door, greeted his wife and spoke thus: ‘Wife, see what I have brought,’ and he showed her the sword, felt, and wishing-stone. His wife looked on him with contempt, opened her mouth, and cast all the dirt in the world on his head. The good-for-nothing bore it till he could bear it no longer, so he called, ‘Out, stick!’ The stick beat her wofully. Then he made his little children sit down, took out his wishing-stone, wished the table to be laid, and the rarest delicacies were placed on the cloth. They enjoyed their dinner, while the beaten wife silently looked down and sulked. She bore it for a time, but at last she could bear it no longer, and came and embraced her husband’s knees. Her husband forgave her, and they caressed one another lovingly.
After some time, this wishing-stone made him quite rich, so that all their dishes were made of gold. Once the wife said to her husband: ‘Thou must invite the king and give him a great banquet.’ Her husband said: ‘Dost thou not know, the king is an envious man; when he sees these things, he will take them from us, and put us in prison.’ His wife pleaded and whined until her husband consented.
They invited the king, and made ready a magnificent banquet. When the feast was finished, the king demanded the wishing-stone. The good-for-nothing said he could not spare it. The king was enraged, and sent his whole army to take it away by force. ‘This will not do at all,’ said the good-for-nothing to himself; ‘since they are going to try and force me, I shall show my strength.’ While he spoke, he pointed the sword at the army, and the stick at the king. The heads of all the army were cut off, and the stick beat the envious king.
The king begged and prayed for mercy: ‘Only bring my soldiers back to life again, and I swear I will leave thee in peace.’ Then the good-for-nothing arose, took the felt and laid a piece on the neck of each soldier, and the army was restored to life. The king no longer dared to show his enmity, the good-for-nothing’s wife obeyed him in everything, and they lived happily ever afterwards.
IV
The Frog’s Skin
There were once three brothers who wished to marry. They said: ‘Let us each shoot an arrow, and each shall take his wife from the place where the arrow falls.’ They shot their arrows; those of the two elder brothers fell on noblemen’s houses, while the youngest brother’s arrow fell in a lake. The two elder brothers led home their noble wives, and the youngest went to the shore of the lake. He saw a frog creep out of the lake and sit down upon a stone. He took it up and carried it back to the house. All the brothers came home with what fate had given them; the elder brothers with the noble maidens, and the youngest with a frog.