but the youth preferred to go to the mother in the corner , and try to win her daughter . his mother did not think this such a bad idea , for now the youth was handsomely dressed , and made a good showing . so she brushed him , and furbished him up as well as she could . he himself took a pair of new shoes , and polished them till they shone like a mirror , and when he had done so , off he went . everything happened as before . when he stepped out , the sun was shining bright and warm . it had rained during the night , and the road was soft and muddy , and every puddle was full of water . the youth took the shortest way to the mother in the corner , and sang and danced and danced and sang , as he always did . he followed another road , not the one he had taken before ; but as he was hopping and skipping along , he suddenly came to the log across the swamp , and from the log he had to jump over a puddle to a clump of grass , unless he wanted to dirty his shoes . and then he went kerflop . and he sank down and could not stop , until he reached a horrible , dark , ugly hole . at first he could see nothing ; but after he had stood there a while , he discovered a rat with a bunch of keys at the end of her tail , which she was wiggling and waggling in front of him .
the log across the swamp .
what did the youth come to as he was hopping and skipping along ?
what did the youth come to as he was hopping and skipping along ?