RUMPELSTILTZKIN

RUMPELSTILTZKIN

            There was once upon a time a poor miller who had a very beautiful daughter. Now, it happened one day that he had an audience with the king, and in order to appear a person of some importance he told him that he had a daughter who could spin straw  into gold. “Now that is a talent worth having,” said the king to the miller. “If your daughter is a clever as you say, bring her to my palace tomorrow.”

            When the girl came he led her into a room full of straw, gave her a spinning wheel and spindle, and said, “Now set to work and spin all night till early dawn, and if by that time you have not spun the straw into gold you shall die.”

            Then he closed the door behind him and left her alone inside.

            So the poor miller’s daughter sat down and did not know what in the world she was to do. She had not the least idea of how to miserable that she began to cry. Suddenly the door opened, and in stepped a tiny little man who said: “Good evening, Miss-Miller-maid. Why are you crying so bitterly?” “Oh”, answered the girl, “I have to spin straw into gold and I haven’t a notion how it is done.”

            What will you give me if I spin it for you?” asked the manikin. “My necklace,” replied the girl. The little man took the necklace, sat himself down at the wheel, and whir, whir, whir, the wheel went round three times, and the bobbin was full. Then he put on another, and whir, whir, whir the wheel went round three times, and the second too was full. And so it went on till the morning, when all the straw was spun away, and all the bobbins were full of gold.

            As soon as the sun rose the king came, and when he perceived the gold he was astonished and delighted, but he was only more greedy than ever for the precious metal. he had the miller’s daughter put into another room full of straw, much bigger than he first, and bade her, if she valued her life, spin it all into gold before the following morning.

            The girl did not know what to do and began to cry. Then the door opened as before, and the tiny little man appeared, and said: “What will you give me if I spin the straw into gold for you?” “The ring from my finger,” said the girl. The manikin took the ring, and whir! Round went the spinning wheel again, and when morning broke he had spun all the straw into glittering gold. The king was pleased beyond measure at the sight, but he was still not satisfied, and he had the miller’s daughter brought into a yet bigger room full of straw.

            “You must spin all this away in the night,” he said,”but if you succeed this time, you shall become my wife.” She’s only a miller’s daughter, he thought, but I could not find richer wife if I were to search the whole world over.

When the girl was alone the little man appeared for the third time, and said, “What will you give me if I spin the straw for you once again?” “I’ve nothing more to give,” answered the girl. “Then promise me when you are queen to give me your first child.”          Who knows what may happen before that, thought the miller’s daughter, and besides, she saw no other way out of it. So she promised the manikin what he demanded, and set to work once more and spun the straw into gold. When the king came in the morning and found everything as he had desired, he straightaway made her his wife, and the miller’s daughter became a queen.

            When a year had passed a beautiful son was born to her, and she thought no more of the little man, till all of a sudden one day, he stepped into her room, and said, “Now give me what you promised.” The queen was in a great state, and offered the little man all the riches in her kingdom if he would only leave her the child.

            But the manikin said, “No, a living creature is deared to me than all the treasures in the world.” Then the queen began to cry and sob so bitterly that the little man was sorry for her, and said: “I’ll give you three days to guess my name, and if you find it out in that time you may keep your child.’

            Then the queen pondered the whole night over all of the names she had ever heard and sent a message to scour the land and to pick up far and near any names he should come across. When the little man arrived on the following day she began with Kasper, Melchoir, Belshazaar, and all the other names she knew, but at each one the manikin called out,”That’s not my name”.  The next day, she sent to inquire the names of all the people in the neighborhood abd had a long list of the most uncommon and extraordinary for the little man.

            “Is your name, perhaps, Sheepshanks, Cruickshanks, Spindleshanks?” But he always replied, “That is not my name.”

            On the third day the messenger returned and announced: “I have not been able to find any new names; but as I came upon a high hill round the corner of the wood, where the foxes and hares bid each other good night, I saw a little house, and infront of the house burned a fire, and round the fire sprang the ugliest little man, hopping on one les and crying:

            “Tomorrow I brew, today I bake,

            And then the child away I’ll take.

            For little deems my royal dame

            That Rumpelstiltskin is my name!”

            Imagine the queen’s delight  at hearing the name, and when the lttle man stepped in shortly afterward and asked, “Now, my Lady Queen, what is my name?” she asked first:

            “Is your name Conrad?”

            “No”

            “Is your name Harry?’

            “No.”

            “Is your name, perhaps, Rumpelstiltskin?”

            “Some demons has told you that! Some demon has told you that!” screamed the little man, and in his rage he drove his right foot so far into the ground that it sank in up to his waist. Then in passion he seized the left foot with both hands and tore himself in two.

LAZY JACK: Summary

LAZY JACK: Summary

            Once upon a time there was a boy whose name was Jack, and he and his mother lived in a little house on a common.

            They were very poor, and the mother earned her living by spinning. Jack, however, was so lazy that he would do nothing but bask in the sun in the hot weather and sit by the corner of the hearth in the winter-time. Because of this, they called him “Lazy Jack”.

            His mother could not get him to do anything for her; so at last she told him that if he did not begin to work for his porridge he would have to go out into the world and earn his living as he could.

            This roused Jack, and he went out and hired himself for the next day to a neighboring farmer for a penny. But as he was on his way home, never having had any money before, he lost it in passing over a brook.

            When he reached home and his mother found out what had happened, she said:”You stupid boy, you should have put it in your pocket.”

            “I’ll do so another time,” replied Jack.

            Well, the next day Jack went out again and hired himself to a cow keeper, who gave him a jar of milk for his day’s work. Jack took the jar and put it into the large pocket of his jacket, spilling it all long before he reached home.

            ‘Dear me,” said his mother; “you should have carried it on you head.” “I’ll do so another time,: said Jack. So the following day Jack hired himself to a farmer, who agrees to give him a cream cheese for his services. In the evening Jack took the cream cheese and went home with it on his head.

            By the time he reached home, the cheese was all spoilt, part of it being lost and part dripping down over his face.

            “You stupid lad,” said his mother, “you should have carried it carefully in your hands.”

            “I’ll do so another time,” replied Jack. Now the next day Jack went out and hired himself to a baker, who would give him nothing for his work but a large tom-cat. Jack took the cat and began carrying it very carefully in his hands, but in a short time pussy scratched him so much that he was compelled to let it go.

            When he reached home, his mother said to him: “You silly fellow, you should have tied it with a string and dragged it along after you.”

            “I’ll do so another time,” said Jack. So on the following day Jack hired himself to a butcher who rewarded him by the handsome present of a shoulder of mutton.

            Jack took the mutton, tied it to a string, and trailed it along after him in the dirt, so that by the time  he reached home the meat was completely spoilt.

            By this time his mother was quite out of patience with him, for the next day was Sunday, and she was obliged to do with cabbage for her dinner.

            “You heedless boy,” said she to her son; “You should have carried it on your shoulder.”

            “I’ll do so another time,” replied Jack.

            Well, on Monday Jack went once more and hired himself to a cattle keeper, who gave him a donkey for his trouble. Now, though Jack was strong, he found it hard to hoist the donkey on his shoulders, but at last he did it, and began walking home slowly with his prize. It so happened that on his way home he passed a house where a rich man lived with his only daughter, a beautiful girl, but who had never laughed in her life, and so her father said that the man who could make her laugh could marry her.

            Now this young lady happened to be looking out of the window when Jack was passing by with the donkey on his shoulders. The poor beast with its legs sticking up in the air was kicking hard and heehawing with all its might.

            Well, the sight was so comical that she burst out into a great fit of laughter. Her father was overjoyed and kept his promise by marrying her to Jack,  who was then rich gentleman. They lived in a great house and Jack’s mother lived with them in great happiness for the rest of her days.