The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-10-24
A SERBIAN FoLK-LovE TALE.
"SATAN's JUGGLINGs AND GoD's MIGHT

snow ne cut himself a little and the drops
OF blood fell on the snow. When he saw
how pretty the red blood looked on the
white snow, he thor ght, "Oh, # could
only marry girl as white as snow, and
as rosy red as this blood ~ Whilst he was
thus thinking, he met an old woman and
asked her IT there were such maidens any.
where to be found. The old woman told
him that on the mountain he saw before
him he would find house without doors,
and the only entrance and outlet Of this
house was single window. And she
added. 'In that house, my son, there is
living such a girl as you desire, but of
the many young men who have gone to
ask her to be their wife none have re-
turned"
THAT may be rs you say, but will go
nevertheless ~ answered the prince
"Only tell me the way to that house ~
The old woman hearing this resolve, was
sorry for the young man, and taking a
piece of bread from her pouch, she gave it
to him saying, "Take this bread and keep
it safe as the apple of your eye" The
prince took it and continued his Journey.
Very soon afterwards he met another old
woman, and she asked him where he was
going. He told her he was going to de
mand the girl who lived in the doorless
house on the mountain. Then the old
woman tried to dissuade him, telling him
just the same things as the former one
had done. But he said, "Thst may be
quite true, nevertheless will go even if
never return" "Then said the old wo-
man givingHhim littlelnut, keep this
nut always by you; it may help you some
time or other"
The prince took the nut, and went on
his way, till he came to an old woman SIT
ting by the roadside, who asked him,
Where are you going?" Then he told
her he was going to demand the girl who
lived in the house on the mountain before
him. Then the old woman wept, and
prayed him to give up all thoughts of the
girl, and she gave him the same warnings
as the other old women had done. But
the prince was resolved to go on. So the
old woman gave him walnut, saying,
Take this walnut, and keep it carefully
until you want it,"
He wondered at these presents, and
asked her TO tell him why the first old
woman had given him piece of bread,
the second a nut, and she herself now a
walnut. The old woman answered, ''The |
bread is to throw to the beasts before the |
house, that they may not eat you; and |
when you find yourself in the greatest
danger ask counsel, first from the nut and
then from the walnut" se
Then the kings son continued his wan
dering till he came at last to thick for
est, and in the midst of the forest he saw
the house. When he came near it he was
attacked by multitude of wild beasts of
all kinds, and following the advice of the
old woman, he threw the bit of bread to-
wards them. Then the beasts came and |
smelt at the bread one after the other,and !
after doing so each drew his tail between
his legs and lay down quietly.
But the house has no door, and but one
Wlndow,which was very high up from tue
ground, so high that he could not reach
1t. Suddenly he saw woman letting
down her golden hair, 80 he rushed and
caught hold of it and she drew him up
thereby into the house. Then he saw
that the woman was she for whose sake
he had come to this house. The Prince
and the girl were equally pleased to see
each other, and she said, THANK God |
that my mother happened to be away
She has gone into the forest to gather the
plants by the aid Of which she transforms
all the young men to beasts who venture
here to ask me to be their wrfe. Those
are the beasts who would have killed you
II God had not helped you. But let US
h7 away from this place. So they fled
through the forest as quickly as they
could. Happening to look back, howev-
er, they saw the girls mother was pursu-
ing them, and they became frightened.
Tho Old woman was already very near
them before the prince remembered his
nut. He took it out Of his pocket and |
asked, "For Gods sake tell me what we
must do now ?" The nut replied, "Open
me " The prince opened 1t, and from
the little nut flowed ont large river,
which stopped the way, so tina. for time
the girls mother could not pass. Howev-
er she touched the waters with her staff, |
and they Immediately divided and left |
her Dry path, so that she could run on
quickly after the prince and the girl
When the prince saw that she would |
soon come up with them, he took out the
walnut and asked, TELL me what we
must do now?" And the walnut replied,
"Break mel" The kings son broke the
walnut, and a great fire famed out from
it. But the girls mother spat on the fire, !
and it extinguiShed itself in a moment.
Then the kings son saw that these were
nothing but the jugglings of the devil
so he turned eastward, made the sign Of
the cross, and called on the mighty God
to help him. Then it suddenly thunder
ed and lightened, and from heaven flash
ed thunderbolt which struck the mother
of the girl, and she fell dead upon the
ground.
Thus at length the kings son arrived
fplU al bOY,a oOH vul,au b,a RI no