The woman hurried away and found the sexton moaning with a broken leg. She carried him home, and the first thing in the morning hastened with loud cries to the lad’s father. “Your son has brought a great misfortune on us,” she said. “He has thrown my husband downstairs and broken his leg. Take the good-for-nothing wretch away out of our house.”
The father was horrified. He went back with her and gave the lad a good scolding. “What is the meaning of this inhuman prank?” he said. “The evil one must have put it into your head.”
“Father,” responded the lad, “I am quite innocent. He stood there in the dark like a man with some wicked purpose. I did not know who he was, and I warned him three times to speak or to go away.”
“Alas!” said his father, “you bring me nothing but disaster. Get out of my sight. I will have nothing more to do with you.”
“To travel elsewhere is just what I wish,” said the lad, “for I hope that will lead to my learning how to shiver and shake. I want at least to have that accomplishment to my credit.”
“Learn what you like,” said his father. “It’s all the same to me. Here are fifty silver pieces for you. Go out into the world, but tell no one whence you come, or who your father is, for you would only bring me to shame.”
“Just as you please, father,” said the lad. “If that is all you want I can easily fulfil your desire.”
So the lad put his fifty silver pieces into his pocket and betook himself to the highroad. As he tramped along he said over and over, “Oh that I could learn to shiver! Oh that I could learn to shake!”
A man overtook him and heard the words he was saying. They went on together till they came to a gallows whereon seven men were hanging. “Sit down here,” said the man, “and when night comes you will learn to shiver and shake.”
“If nothing more than that is needed,” said the lad, “I shall be well pleased; and I promise you, in case I learn to shiver so speedily, that you shall have the fifty silver pieces now in my pocket. Come back to me early tomorrow morning.”