MemGPT/example_short_stories · Datasets at Hugging Face

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so backward in every respect that he knew nothing and learnt nothing.
'Just think, said he, 'when I asked him how he was going to earn
his bread, he actually wanted to learn to shudder.' 'If that be all,
replied the sexton, 'he can learn that with me. Send him to me, and
I will soon polish him.' The father was glad to do it, for he thought
'it will train the boy a little.' The sexton therefore took him into
his house, and he had to ring the church bell. After a day or two,
the sexton awoke him at midnight, and bade him arise and go up into
the church tower and ring the bell. 'You shall soon learn what
shuddering is, thought he, and secretly went there before him, and
when the boy was at the top of the tower and turned round, and was
just going to take hold of the bell rope, he saw a white figure
standing on the stairs opposite the sounding hole. 'Who is there.'
Cried he, but the figure made no reply, and did not move or stir.
'Give an answer, cried the boy, 'or take yourself off, you have no
business here at night.'

The sexton, however, remained standing motionless that the boy might
think he was a ghost. The boy cried a second time 'what do you want
here. - Speak if you are an honest fellow, or I will throw you down
the steps.' The sexton thought 'he can't mean to be as bad as his
words, uttered no sound and stood as if he were made of stone. Then
the boy called to him for the third time, and as that was also to no
purpose, he ran against him and pushed the ghost down the stairs, so
that it fell down ten steps and remained lying there in a corner.
Thereupon he rang the bell, went home, and without saying a word went
to bed, and fell asleep. The sexton's wife waited a long time for
her husband, but he did not come back. At length she became uneasy,
and wakened the boy, and asked 'do you not know where my husband is.
He climbed up the tower before you did.' 'No, I don't know, replied
the boy, 'but someone was standing by the sounding hole on the other
side of the steps, and as he would neither give an answer nor go
away, I took him for a scoundrel, and threw him downstairs. Just go
there and you will see if it was he. I should be sorry if it were.'
The woman ran away and found her husband, who was lying moaning in
the corner, and had broken his leg.

She carried him down, and then with loud screams she hastened to the
boy's father. 'Your boy, cried she, 'has been the cause of a great
misfortune. He has thrown my husband down the steps so that he broke
his leg. Take the good-for-nothing fellow out of our house.' The
father was terrified, and ran thither and scolded the boy. 'What
wicked tricks are these.' Said he, 'the devil must have put them
into your head.' 'Father, he replied, 'do listen to me. I am quite
innocent. He was standing there by night like one intent on doing
evil. I did not know who it was, and I entreated him three times
either to speak or to go away.' 'Ah, said the father, 'I have
nothing but unhappiness with you. Go out of my sight. I will see
you no more.'

'Yes, father, right willingly, wait only until it is day. Then will
I go forth and learn how to shudder, and then I shall, at any rate,
understand one art which will support me.' 'Learn what you will,
spoke the father, 'it is all the same to me. Here are fifty talers
for you. Take these and go into the wide world, and tell no one from
whence you come, and who is your father, for I have reason to be
ashamed of you.' 'Yes, father, it shall be as you will. If you
desire nothing more than that, I can easily keep it in mind.'

When day dawned, therefore, the boy put his fifty talers into his
pocket, and went forth on the great highway, and continually said to
himself 'if I could but shudder. If I could but shudder.' Then a man
approached who heard this conversation which the youth was holding
with himself, and when they had walked a little farther to where they
could see the gallows, the man said to him 'look, there is the tree
where seven men have married the ropemaker's daughter, and are now
learning how to fly. Sit down beneath it, and wait till night comes,
and you will soon learn how to shudder.' 'If that is all that is
wanted, answered the youth, 'it is easily done, but if I learn how
to shudder as fast as that, you shall have my fifty talers. Just
come back to me early in the morning.' Then the youth went to the
gallows, sat down beneath it, and waited till evening came. And as he
was cold, he lighted himself a fire, but at midnight the wind blew so
sharply that in spite of his fire, he could not get warm. And as the
wind knocked the hanged men against each other, and they moved
backwards and forwards, he thought to himself 'if you shiver below by
the fire, how those up above must freeze and suffer.' And as he felt
pity for them, he raised the ladder, and climbed up, unbound one of
them after the other, and brought down all seven. Then he stoked the
fire, blew it, and set them all round it to warm themselves. But
they sat there and did not stir, and the fire caught their clothes.
So he said 'take care, or I will hang you up again.' The dead men,
however, did not hear, but were quite silent, and let their rags go
on burning. At this he grew angry, and said 'if you will not take
care, I cannot help you, I will not be burnt with you, and he hung
them up again each in his turn. Then he sat down by his fire and fell
asleep, and the next morning the man came to him and wanted to have
the fifty talers, and said 'well, do you know how to shudder.' 'No,
answered he, 'how should I know. Those fellows up there did not
open their mouths, and were so stupid that they let the few old rags
which they had on their bodies get burnt.' Then the man saw that he
would not get the fifty talers that day, and went away saying 'such a
youth has never come my way before.' The youth likewise went his way,
and once more began to mutter to himself 'ah, if I could but shudder.
Ah, if I could but shudder.' A waggoner who was striding behind him
heard this and asked 'who are you.' 'I don't know, answered the
youth. Then the waggoner asked 'from whence do you come.' 'I know
not.' 'Who is your father.' 'That I may not tell you.' 'What is it
that you are always muttering between your teeth.' 'Ah, replied the
youth, 'I do so wish I could shudder, but no one can teach me how.'

so backward in every respect that he knew nothing and learnt nothing.

'Just think, said he, 'when I asked him how he was going to earn

his bread, he actually wanted to learn to shudder.' 'If that be all,

replied the sexton, 'he can learn that with me. Send him to me, and

I will soon polish him.' The father was glad to do it, for he thought

'it will train the boy a little.' The sexton therefore took him into

his house, and he had to ring the church bell. After a day or two,

the sexton awoke him at midnight, and bade him arise and go up into

the church tower and ring the bell. 'You shall soon learn what

shuddering is, thought he, and secretly went there before him, and

when the boy was at the top of the tower and turned round, and was

just going to take hold of the bell rope, he saw a white figure

standing on the stairs opposite the sounding hole. 'Who is there.'

Cried he, but the figure made no reply, and did not move or stir.

'Give an answer, cried the boy, 'or take yourself off, you have no

business here at night.'

The sexton, however, remained standing motionless that the boy might

think he was a ghost. The boy cried a second time 'what do you want

here. - Speak if you are an honest fellow, or I will throw you down

the steps.' The sexton thought 'he can't mean to be as bad as his

words, uttered no sound and stood as if he were made of stone. Then

the boy called to him for the third time, and as that was also to no

purpose, he ran against him and pushed the ghost down the stairs, so

that it fell down ten steps and remained lying there in a corner.

Thereupon he rang the bell, went home, and without saying a word went

to bed, and fell asleep. The sexton's wife waited a long time for

her husband, but he did not come back. At length she became uneasy,

and wakened the boy, and asked 'do you not know where my husband is.

He climbed up the tower before you did.' 'No, I don't know, replied

the boy, 'but someone was standing by the sounding hole on the other

side of the steps, and as he would neither give an answer nor go

away, I took him for a scoundrel, and threw him downstairs. Just go

there and you will see if it was he. I should be sorry if it were.'

The woman ran away and found her husband, who was lying moaning in

the corner, and had broken his leg.

She carried him down, and then with loud screams she hastened to the

boy's father. 'Your boy, cried she, 'has been the cause of a great

misfortune. He has thrown my husband down the steps so that he broke

his leg. Take the good-for-nothing fellow out of our house.' The

father was terrified, and ran thither and scolded the boy. 'What

wicked tricks are these.' Said he, 'the devil must have put them

into your head.' 'Father, he replied, 'do listen to me. I am quite

innocent. He was standing there by night like one intent on doing

evil. I did not know who it was, and I entreated him three times

either to speak or to go away.' 'Ah, said the father, 'I have

nothing but unhappiness with you. Go out of my sight. I will see

you no more.'

'Yes, father, right willingly, wait only until it is day. Then will

I go forth and learn how to shudder, and then I shall, at any rate,

understand one art which will support me.' 'Learn what you will,

spoke the father, 'it is all the same to me. Here are fifty talers

for you. Take these and go into the wide world, and tell no one from

whence you come, and who is your father, for I have reason to be

ashamed of you.' 'Yes, father, it shall be as you will. If you

desire nothing more than that, I can easily keep it in mind.'

When day dawned, therefore, the boy put his fifty talers into his

pocket, and went forth on the great highway, and continually said to

himself 'if I could but shudder. If I could but shudder.' Then a man

approached who heard this conversation which the youth was holding

with himself, and when they had walked a little farther to where they

could see the gallows, the man said to him 'look, there is the tree

where seven men have married the ropemaker's daughter, and are now

learning how to fly. Sit down beneath it, and wait till night comes,

and you will soon learn how to shudder.' 'If that is all that is

wanted, answered the youth, 'it is easily done, but if I learn how

to shudder as fast as that, you shall have my fifty talers. Just

come back to me early in the morning.' Then the youth went to the

gallows, sat down beneath it, and waited till evening came. And as he

was cold, he lighted himself a fire, but at midnight the wind blew so

sharply that in spite of his fire, he could not get warm. And as the

wind knocked the hanged men against each other, and they moved

backwards and forwards, he thought to himself 'if you shiver below by

the fire, how those up above must freeze and suffer.' And as he felt

pity for them, he raised the ladder, and climbed up, unbound one of

them after the other, and brought down all seven. Then he stoked the

fire, blew it, and set them all round it to warm themselves. But

they sat there and did not stir, and the fire caught their clothes.

So he said 'take care, or I will hang you up again.' The dead men,

however, did not hear, but were quite silent, and let their rags go

on burning. At this he grew angry, and said 'if you will not take

care, I cannot help you, I will not be burnt with you, and he hung

them up again each in his turn. Then he sat down by his fire and fell

asleep, and the next morning the man came to him and wanted to have

the fifty talers, and said 'well, do you know how to shudder.' 'No,

answered he, 'how should I know. Those fellows up there did not

open their mouths, and were so stupid that they let the few old rags

which they had on their bodies get burnt.' Then the man saw that he

would not get the fifty talers that day, and went away saying 'such a

youth has never come my way before.' The youth likewise went his way,

and once more began to mutter to himself 'ah, if I could but shudder.

Ah, if I could but shudder.' A waggoner who was striding behind him

heard this and asked 'who are you.' 'I don't know, answered the

youth. Then the waggoner asked 'from whence do you come.' 'I know

not.' 'Who is your father.' 'That I may not tell you.' 'What is it

that you are always muttering between your teeth.' 'Ah, replied the

youth, 'I do so wish I could shudder, but no one can teach me how.'