Then he saw a peasant’s waggon coming towards
him, and a woman was standing upright in the middle of it, instead of
sitting on the bundle of straw which was lying beside her, or walking
near the oxen and leading them. The man thought to himself, “That is
certainly one of the kind I am in search of,” and jumped up and ran
backwards and forwards in front of the waggon like one who is not very
wise. “What do you want, my friend?” said the woman to him; “I don’t
know you, where do you come from?” “I have fallen down from heaven,”
replied the man, “and don’t know how to get back again, couldn’t you
drive me up?” “No,” said the woman, “I don’t know the way, but if you
come from heaven you can surely tell me how my husband, who has been
there these three years is. You must have seen him?” “Oh, yes, I have
seen him, but all men can’t get on well. He keeps sheep, and the sheep
give him a great deal to do. They run up the mountains and lose their
way in the wilderness, and he has to run after them and drive them
together again. His clothes are all torn to pieces too, and will soon
fall off his body. There is no tailor there, for Saint Peter won’t let
any of them in, as you know by the story.” “Who would have thought it?”
cried the woman, “I tell you what, I will fetch his Sunday coat which
is still hanging at home in the cupboard, he can wear that and look
respectable. You will be so kind as to take it with you.” “That won’t
do very well,” answered the peasant; “people are not allowed to take
clothes into Heaven, they are taken away from one at the gate.” “Then
hark you,” said the woman, “I sold my fine wheat yesterday and got a
good lot of money for it, I will send that to him. If you hide the
purse in your pocket, no one will know that you have it.” “If you can’t
manage it any other way,” said the peasant, “I will do you that favor.”
“Just sit still where you are,” said she, “and I will drive home and
fetch the purse, I shall soon be back again. I do not sit down on the
bundle of straw, but stand up in the waggon, because it makes it
lighter for the cattle.” She drove her oxen away, and the peasant
thought, “That woman has a perfect talent for folly, if she really
brings the money, my wife may think herself fortunate, for she will get
no beating.” It was not long before she came in a great hurry with the
money, and with her own hands put it in his pocket. Before she went
away, she thanked him again a thousand times for his courtesy. When the woman got home again, she found her son who had come in from
the field. She told him what unlooked-for things had befallen her, and
then added, “I am truly delighted at having found an opportunity of
sending something to my poor husband. Who would ever have imagined that
he could be suffering for want of anything up in heaven?” The son was
full of astonishment. “Mother,” said he, “it is not every day that a
man comes from Heaven in this way, I will go out immediately, and see
if he is still to be found; he must tell me what it is like up there,
and how the work is done.” He saddled the horse and rode off with all
speed. He found the peasant who was sitting under a willow-tree, and
was just going to count the money in the purse. “Have you seen the man
who has fallen down from Heaven?” cried the youth to him. “Yes,”
answered the peasant, “he has set out on his way back there, and has
gone up that hill, from whence it will be rather nearer; you could
still catch him up, if you were to ride fast.” “Alas,” said the youth,
“I have been doing tiring work all day, and the ride here has
completely worn me out; you know the man, be so kind as to get on my
horse, and go and persuade him to come here.” “Aha!” thought the
peasant, “here is another who has no wick in his lamp!” “Why should I
not do you this favor?” said he, and mounted the horse and rode off in
a quick trot. The youth remained sitting there till night fell, but the
peasant never came back. “The man from Heaven must certainly have been
in a great hurry, and would not turn back,” thought he, “and the
peasant has no doubt given him the horse to take to my father.” He went
home and told his mother what had happened, and that he had sent his
father the horse so that he might not have to be always running about. “Thou hast done well,” answered she, “thy legs are younger than his,
and thou canst go on foot.”

When the peasant got home, he put the horse in the stable beside the
cow which he had as a pledge, and then went to his wife and said,
“Trina, as your luck would have it, I have found two who are still
sillier fools than you; this time you escape without a beating, I will
store it up for another occasion.” Then he lighted his pipe, sat down
in his grandfather’s chair, and said, “It was a good stroke of business
to get a sleek horse and a great purse full of money into the bargain,
for two lean cows. If stupidity always brought in as much as that, I
would be quite willing to hold it in honor.” So thought the peasant,
but you no doubt prefer the simple folks. 105 Stories about Snakes

First Story. There was once a little child whose mother gave her every afternoon a
small bowl of milk and bread, and the child seated herself in the yard
with it. When she began to eat however, a snake came creeping out of a
crevice in the wall, dipped its little head in the dish, and ate with
her. The child had pleasure in this, and when she was sitting there
with her little dish and the snake did not come at once, she cried,

“Snake, snake, come swiftly
Hither come, thou tiny thing,
Thou shalt have thy crumbs of bread,
Thou shalt refresh thyself with milk.”


Then the snake came in haste, and enjoyed its food. Moreover it showed
gratitude, for it brought the child all kinds of pretty things from its
hidden treasures, bright stones, pearls, and golden playthings. The
snake, however, only drank the milk, and left the bread-crumbs alone. Then one day the child took its little spoon and struck the snake
gently on its head with it, and said, “Eat the bread-crumbs as well,
little thing.” The mother, who was standing in the kitchen, heard the
child talking to someone, and when she saw that she was striking a
snake with her spoon, ran out with a log of wood, and killed the good
little creature. From that time forth, a change came over the child. As long as the
snake had eaten with her, she had grown tall and strong, but now she
lost her pretty rosy cheeks and wasted away. It was not long before the
funeral bird began to cry in the night, and the redbreast to collect
little branches and leaves for a funeral garland, and soon afterwards
the child lay on her bier. Second Story. An orphan child was sitting on the town walls spinning, when she saw a
snake coming out of a hole low down in the wall. Swiftly she spread out
beside this one of the blue silk handkerchiefs which snakes have such a
strong liking for, and which are the only things they will creep on.