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By Root 2236 0

And because he dared not beat her, he would seize her by the hair and tear it out. The woman escaped from him, and sprang out into the yard, but he ran after her with his yard-measure and scissors, and chased her about, and threw the yard-measure and scissors at her, and whatever else came his way. When he hit her he laughed, and when he missed her, he stormed and swore. This went on so long that the neighbors came to the wife’s assistance. The tailor was again summoned before the magistrates, and reminded of his promise. “Dear gentlemen,” said he, “I have kept my word, I have not beaten her, but have shared joy and sorrow with her.” “How can that be,” said the judge, “as she continues to bring such heavy complaints against you?” “I have not beaten her, but just because she looked so strange I wanted to comb her hair with my hand; she, however, got away from me, and left me quite spitefully. Then I hurried after her, and in order to bring her back to her duty, I threw at her as a well-meant reminder whatever came readily to hand. I have shared joy and sorrow with her also, for whenever I hit her I was full of joy, and she of sorrow, and if I missed her, then she was joyful, and I sorry.” The judges were not satisfied with this answer, but gave him the reward he deserved.

The Willow-Wren

IN OLDEN times every sound still had its meaning and significance. When the smith’s hammer resounded, it cried: “Strike away! strike away.” When the carpenter’s plane grated, it said: “Here goes! here goes.” If the mill wheel began to clack, it said: “Help, Lord God! help, Lord God!” and if the miller was a cheat and set the mill a-going, it spoke high German, and first asked slowly: “Who is there? who is there?” and then answered quickly: “The miller! the miller!” and at last quite in a hurry: “He steals bravely! he steals bravely! three pecks in a bushel.”

At this time the birds also had their own language which everyone understood; now it only sounds like chirping, screeching, and whistling, and sometimes like music without words. It came into the birds’ mind, however, that they would no longer be without a ruler, and would choose one of themselves to be their King. One alone among them, the green plover, was opposed to this. He had lived free and would die free, and anxiously flying hither and thither, he cried: “Where shall I go? where shall I go?” He retired into a solitary and unfrequented marsh, and showed himself no more among his fellows.

The birds now wished to discuss the matter, and on a fine May morning they all gathered together from the woods and fields: eagles and chaffinches, owls and crows, larks and sparrows, how can I name them all? Even the cuckoo came, and the hoopoe, his clerk, who is so called because he is always heard a few days before him, and a very small bird which as yet had no name, mingled with the band. The hen, which by some accident had heard nothing of the whole matter, was astonished at the great assemblage. “What, what, what is going to be done?” she cackled; but the cock calmed his beloved hen, and said: “Only a lot of rich people,” and told her what they had on hand. It was decided that the one who could fly the highest should be King. A tree-frog which was sitting among the bushes, when he heard that, cried a warning: “No, no, no! no!” because he thought that many tears would be shed because of this; but the crow said: “Caw, caw,” and that all would pass off peaceably.

It was now determined that on this fine morning they should at once begin to ascend, so that hereafter no one should be able to say: “I could easily have flown much higher, but the evening came on, and I could do no more.” On a given signal, therefore, the whole troop rose up in the air. The dust ascended from the land, and there was tremendous fluttering and whirring and beating of wings, and it looked as if a black cloud was rising up. The little birds were soon left behind. They could go no farther, and fell back to the ground. The larger birds held out longer, but none could equal the eagle, who mounted so high that he