Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-06-26
The Hare and the Hedgehog on
BuXtehude Heath.

and admirable history is to be found in
'Firmench's Volkstimmen der Deu-
curious collection of exam
Piles of the patois of Germany. 1t has
been on its travels, in the original and
in translations, for many years, but is
not yet exhausted.
From the Low German OF Schroeder.
This story is tough one to tell,
youngsters, hut true it is for all that,
for my grandfather, from whom 1 have |
it, used always to say, when he told it:
"True must it be, my son, otherwise
one could not tell it so at ALL" And
this is the way the story ran:
Twas on pleasant Sunday morning
toward harvest time, just as the buck
wheat blossomed. The sun had gone
brightly up into the heaven; the morn
ing wind swept warm over the stub
hle; the larks sang in the air; the bees
hummed in the buckwheat; the good
folk went in Sunday gear to church.
and all creatures were happy, and the
hedgehog also. ~
The hedgehog stood before the door
with his arms folded, peeped out into
the morning air, and chirruped little
song to himself, just as good and just as
a hedgehog is wont TO sing on pleas
ant Sunday morning. And as he was
singing TO himself, in a CHEEKY little
voice, all at once it came into his head
that he might just as well, while his
wife was washing and dressing the
children, take little walk into the
| field to see how his turnips were stand
ing. Now the turnips were close to
his house, and he used to eat them with
his family, so that helooked upon them
as his own. NosoOner said than done.
The hedgehog shut the house door to
after him, and took his way TO the field.
He had not gone very far from the
house, and was about to turn, just by
the thorn bush which stands there be-
fore the field, near the turnip patch,
when he met the hare, who had gone
out on similar business, namely, to
look after his cabbages. When the
hedgehog caught sight of the hare, he
babe him a friendly "Good morning!'
But the hare, who in his own way was
a mighty fine gentleman, and held his
head very high, answered nothing to
the hedgehog's greeting, but said to
the hedgehog, putting on thereby a
most scornlul mien, "How happens it,
then, that thou art strolling about here
in the field SO early in the morniug?'
"Pm taking walk said the hedge
hog.
"Taking walk?" laughed the hare;
"methinks thou mightest use those
legs of thine for better things"
This answer vexed the hedgehog
hugely, for he could stand almost any
thing, but his legs he did not ike to
have spoken about because they were
crooked by nature.
"Thou thinkest, perhaps,'L SAID the
hedgehog to the hare, "thou could'st
do more with thine own legs!"
"That's what do think" said the
hare.
'That depends upon the trial,''
quoth the hedgehog. 81 bet that if we
run race together, Il beat thee hollow"
'That's quite laughable; thou, with
thy crooked legs" said the hare, "but
I've nothing against it if thou art SO
bent upon it. What's the bet?"
GA golden louis dor and q bottle OF
brandy!" said the hedgehog.
"Done," said the hare; "fall in, and
then it may come off at once"
''Nay, there's no such hurry said the
hedgehog; 81 am still quite hungry;
I'll go home and get bit Of breakfast
first; within half an hour I'll be here
again on the spot"
With this the hedgehog went his way
for the hare was also content.
On the way the hedgehog thought to
himself: .
''The hare trusts to his legs, but I'll
fetch him for all that; he's fine gen.
tleman, to be sure, hut still he's only a
stupid fellow, and pay he shallln
Now, when the hedgehog came to his
house, he said to his wife:
"Wite, dress thyself in my gear
quickly, thou must 60 with me 10 The
field" 't
Whats all this about?" said the wife
'I've net the hare golden louis dor
and bottle of brandy that / beat him
in race, and thou must be by"
80 my God, husband"' began the
hedgehog's wife to cry,,, art thou fool
ish? hast thou quite lost thine under.
standinge How canst thou wish to run
a race with the hare?" .t.
"Hold thy mouth wife," said the
hedgehog, "that's my business; don't
NEEDLE with mems affairs, March
dress thyseif in my clothes, and then
come along"
What could the hedgehog's wife do?
She had to follow whether or no. When
they were on the way together, the
hedgehog said to his wife; "Now listen
to what have to say. See'st thou, on
the long acre yonder will be run our
race. The hare runs in one furrow, and
l another, and we begin TO run from
up there. Now thou hast nothing else
to do than to take thy place here in
the furrow. and when the hare comes
up the other side thou must call out to
him, Pm here alreadyf" With this
they had reached the field; the hedge
hog showed his wife her place and went
up the furrow. When he got to the
| unnor ond tho hnro ,rnS nlraad1z tlaro