As, however, the mother would not stop crying, it
came one night, in the little white shroud in which it had been laid in
its coffin, and with its wreath of flowers round its head, and stood on
the bed at her feet, and said, “Oh, mother, do stop crying, or I shall
never fall asleep in my coffin, for my shroud will not dry because of
all thy tears, which fall upon it.” The mother was afraid when she
heard that, and wept no more. The next night the child came again, and
held a little light in its hand, and said, “Look, mother, my shroud is
nearly dry, and I can rest in my grave.” Then the mother gave her
sorrow into God’s keeping, and bore it quietly and patiently, and the
child came no more, but slept in its little bed beneath the earth. 110 The Jew Among Thorns

There was once a rich man, who had a servant who served him diligently
and honestly: He was every morning the first out of bed, and the last
to go to rest at night; and, whenever there was a difficult job to be
done, which nobody cared to undertake, he was always the first to set
himself to it. Moreover, he never complained, but was contented with
everything, and always merry. When a year was ended, his master gave him no wages, for he said to
himself, “That is the cleverest way; for I shall save something, and he
will not go away, but stay quietly in my service.” The servant said
nothing, but did his work the second year as he had done it the first;
and when at the end of this, likewise, he received no wages, he made
himself happy, and still stayed on. When the third year also was past, the master considered, put his hand
in his pocket, but pulled nothing out. Then at last the servant said,
“Master, for three years I have served you honestly, be so good as to
give me what I ought to have, for I wish to leave, and look about me a
little more in the world.”

“Yes, my good fellow,” answered the old miser; “you have served me
industriously, and, therefore, you shall be cheerfully rewarded;” And
he put his hand into his pocket, but counted out only three farthings,
saying, “There, you have a farthing for each year; that is large and
liberal pay, such as you would have received from few masters.”

The honest servant, who understood little about money, put his fortune
into his pocket, and thought, “Ah! now that I have my purse full, why
need I trouble and plague myself any longer with hard work!” So on he
went, up hill and down dale; and sang and jumped to his heart’s
content. Now it came to pass that as he was going by a thicket a little
man stepped out, and called to him, “Whither away, merry brother? I see
you do not carry many cares.” “Why should I be sad?” answered the
servant; “I have enough; three years’ wages are jingling in my pocket.”
“How much is your treasure?” the dwarf asked him. “How much? Three
farthings sterling, all told.” “Look here,” said the dwarf, “I am a
poor needy man, give me your three farthings; I can work no longer, but
you are young, and can easily earn your bread.”

And as the servant had a good heart, and felt pity for the old man, he
gave him the three farthings, saying, “Take them in the name of Heaven,
I shall not be any the worse for it.”

Then the little man said, “As I see you have a good heart I grant you
three wishes, one for each farthing, they shall all be fulfilled.”

“Aha?” said the servant, “you are one of those who can work wonders! Well, then, if it is to be so, I wish, first, for a gun, which shall
hit everything that I aim at; secondly, for a fiddle, which when I play
on it, shall compel all who hear it to dance; thirdly, that if I ask a
favor of any one he shall not be able to refuse it.”

“All that shall you have,” said the dwarf; and put his hand into the
bush, and only think, there lay a fiddle and gun, all ready, just as if
they had been ordered. These he gave to the servant, and then said to
him, “Whatever you may ask at any time, no man in the world shall be
able to deny you.”

“Heart alive! What can one desire more?” said the servant to himself,
and went merrily onwards. Soon afterwards he met a Jew with a long
goat’s-beard, who was standing listening to the song of a bird which
was sitting up at the top of a tree. “Good heavens,” he was exclaiming,
“that such a small creature should have such a fearfully loud voice! If
it were but mine! If only someone would sprinkle some salt upon its
tail!”

“If that is all,” said the servant, “the bird shall soon be down here;”
And taking aim he pulled the trigger, and down fell the bird into the
thorn-bushes. “Go, you rogue,” he said to the Jew, “and fetch the bird
out for yourself!”

“Oh!” said the Jew, “leave out the rogue, my master, and I will do it
at once. I will get the bird out for myself, as you really have hit
it.” Then he lay down on the ground, and began to crawl into the
thicket. When he was fast among the thorns, the good servant’s humor so tempted
him that he took up his fiddle and began to play. In a moment the Jew’s
legs began to move, and to jump into the air, and the more the servant
fiddled the better went the dance. But the thorns tore his shabby coat
from him, combed his beard, and pricked and plucked him all over the
body. “Oh dear,” cried the Jew, “what do I want with your fiddling? Leave the fiddle alone, master; I do not want to dance.”

But the servant did not listen to him, and thought, “You have fleeced
people often enough, now the thorn-bushes shall do the same to you;”
and he began to play over again, so that the Jew had to jump higher
than ever, and scraps of his coat were left hanging on the thorns. “Oh,
woe’s me! cried the Jew; I will give the gentleman whatsoever he asks
if only he leaves off fiddling a purse full of gold.” “If you are so
liberal,” said the servant, “I will stop my music; but this I must say
to your credit, that you dance to it so well that it is quite an art;”
and having taken the purse he went his way. The Jew stood still and watched the servant quietly until he was far
off and out of sight, and then he screamed out with all his might, “You
miserable musician, you beer-house fiddler! wait till I catch you
alone, I will hunt you till the soles of your shoes fall off! You
ragamuffin! just put five farthings in your mouth, and then you may be
worth three halfpence!” and went on abusing him as fast as he could
speak. As soon as he had refreshed himself a little in this way, and
got his breath again, he ran into the town to the justice. “My lord judge,” he said, “I have come to make a complaint; see how a
rascal has robbed and ill-treated me on the public highway!