But the sparrow sat outside in front of the window, and cried,
“Waggoner, it shall cost thee thy life.” Then the waggoner snatched the
axe and threw it at the sparrow, but it only broke the window, and did
not hit the bird. The sparrow now hopped in, placed itself on the stove
and cried, “Waggoner, it shall cost thee thy life.” The latter, quite
mad and blind with rage, smote the stove in twain, and as the sparrow
flew from one place to another so it fared with all his household
furniture, looking-glass, benches, table, and at last the walls of his
house, and yet he could not hit the bird. At length, however, he caught
it with his hand. Then his wife said, “Shall I kill it?” “No,” cried
he, “that would be too merciful. It shall die much more cruelly,” and
he took it and swallowed it whole. The sparrow, however, began to
flutter about in his body, and fluttered up again into the man’s mouth;
then it stretched out its head, and cried, “Waggoner, it shall still
cost thee thy life.” The driver gave the axe to his wife, and said,
“Wife, kill the bird in my mouth for me.” The woman struck, but missed
her blow, and hit the waggoner right on his head, so that he fell dead. But the sparrow flew up and away. 59 Frederick and Catherine

There was once on a time a man who was called Frederick and a woman
called Catherine, who had married each other and lived together as
young married folks. One day Frederick said, “I will now go and plough,
Catherine; when I come back, there must be some roast meat on the table
for hunger, and a fresh draught for thirst.” “Just go, Frederick,”
answered Kate, “just go, I will have all ready for you.” Therefore when
dinner-time drew near she got a sausage out of the chimney, put it in
the frying-pan, put some butter to it, and set it on the fire. The
sausage began to fry and to hiss, Catherine stood beside it and held
the handle of the pan, and had her own thoughts as she was doing it. Then it occurred to her, “While the sausage is getting done thou
couldst go into the cellar and draw beer.” So she set the frying-pan
safely on the fire, took a can, and went down into the cellar to draw
beer. The beer ran into the can and Kate watched it, and then she
thought, “Oh, dear! The dog upstairs is not fastened up, it might get
the sausage out of the pan. Well thought of.” And in a trice she was up
the cellar-steps again, but the Spitz had the sausage in its mouth
already, and trailed it away on the ground. But Catherine, who was not
idle, set out after it, and chased it a long way into the field; the
dog, however, was swifter than Catherine and did not let the sausage
journey easily, but skipped over the furrows with it. “What’s gone is
gone!” said Kate, and turned round, and as she had run till she was
weary, she walked quietly and comfortably, and cooled herself. During
this time the beer was still running out of the cask, for Kate had not
turned the tap. And when the can was full and there was no other place
for it, it ran into the cellar and did not stop until the whole cask
was empty. As soon as Kate was on the steps she saw the mischance. “Good gracious!” she cried. “What shall I do now to stop Frederick
knowing it!” She thought for a while, and at last she remembered that
up in the garret was still standing a sack of the finest wheat flour
from the last fair, and she would fetch that down and strew it over the
beer. “Yes,” said she, “he who saves a thing when he ought, has it
afterwards when he needs it,” and she climbed up to the garret and
carried the sack below, and threw it straight down on the can of beer,
which she knocked over, and Frederick’s draught swam also in the
cellar. “It is all right,” said Kate, “where the one is the other ought
to be also,” and she strewed the meal over the whole cellar. When it
was done she was heartily delighted with her work, and said, “How clean
and wholesome it does look here!” At mid-day home came Frederick: “Now,
wife, what have you ready for me?” “Ah, Freddy,” she answered, “I was
frying a sausage for you, but whilst I was drawing the beer to drink
with it, the dog took it away out of the pan, and whilst I was running
after the dog, all the beer ran out, and whilst I was drying up the
beer with the flour, I knocked over the can as well, but be easy, the
cellar is quite dry again.” Said Frederick, “Kate, Kate, you should not
have done that! to let the sausage be carried off and the beer run out
of the cask, and throw out all our flour into the bargain!” “Indeed,
Frederick, I did not know that, you should have told me.” The man
thought, “If my wife is like this, I must look after things more.” Now
he had got together a good number of thalers which he changed into
gold, and said to Catherine, “Look, these are counters for playing
games; I will put them in a pot and bury them in the stable under the
cow’s manger, but mind you keep away from them, or it will be the worse
for you.” Said she, “Oh, no, Frederick, I certainly will not go.” And
when Frederick was gone some pedlars came into the village who had
cheap earthen-bowls and pots, and asked the young woman if there was
nothing she wanted to bargain with them for? “Oh, dear people,” said
Catherine, “I have no money and can buy nothing, but if you have any
use for yellow counters I will buy of you.” “Yellow counters, why not? But just let us see them.” “Then go into the stable and dig under the
cow’s manger, and you will find the yellow counters. I am not allowed
to go there.” The rogues went thither, dug and found pure gold. Then
they laid hold of it, ran away, and left their pots and bowls behind in
the house. Catherine thought she must use her new things, and as she
had no lack in the kitchen already without these, she knocked the
bottom out of every pot, and set them all as ornaments on the paling
which went round about the house. When Frederick came and saw the new
decorations, he said, “Catherine, what have you been about?” “I have
bought them, Frederick, for the counters which were under the cow’s
manger. I did not go there myself, the pedlars had to dig them out for
themselves.” “Ah, wife,” said Frederick, “what have you done? Those
were not counters, but pure gold, and all our wealth; you should not
have done that.” “Indeed, Frederick,” said she, “I did not know that,
you should have forewarned me.”

Catherine stood for a while and bethought to herself; then she said,
“Listen, Frederick, we will soon get the gold back again, we will run
after the thieves.” “Come, then,” said Frederick, “we will try it; but
take with you some butter and cheese that we may have something to eat
on the way.” “Yes, Frederick, I will take them.” They set out, and as
Frederick was the better walker, Catherine followed him. “It is to my
advantage,” thought she, “when we turn back I shall be a little way in
advance.” Then she came to a hill where there were deep ruts on both
sides of the road.