Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-07-18
THE HARE AND THE HEDGEHOG.

Il
THE original of the following quaint
and admirable history is to be found in
"Firmench's Volkstimmen der Deut
schen," curious selection of examples
of the patois of Germany. 1t has been
on its travels, in original and in transla-
tions, for many years, but is not yet eX-
hausted.-B0St0n AdUerttSer!
[From the German of shroderl
This story is tough one to tell, young
sters, but 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 a pleasant Sunday morning
toward harvest time, just as the buck
wheat blossomed. The sun had gone
brightly up into the heaven; the morning
wind swept warm over the stubble; 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 bad
ant Sunday morning. And as he was
singing to himself, in a CHEEKY little voice,
all at once it came into his head 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 standing. Now the turnips were
close to his house, and he used to eat
them with his family, so that he looked
upon them as his own. No sooner 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 n-bush which stands there before
the field, near the turnip patch, when he
met the hare, who had gone out on sim
liar business, namely, to look after his
sight of the hare, he bade him friendly
"Good morningi' But the hare, who in
his own way was mighty fine gentle
man, and held his head very high, an
swered nothing to the hedgehog's greet
ing, but said to the hedgehog, putting on
thereby most scornful mien, "How hap
pens it, then, that thou art strolling about
here in the field so early in the morn
ing?"
"I'm taking a walk" said the hedge
hog.
taking walkG" laughed the hare;
"methinks thou mightest use those legs
of thine for better things"
This answer vexed the hedgehog huge
ly, for he could stand almost anything,
but his legs he did not like to have
spoken about because they were crooked
by nature.
'"Thou thinkest, perhaps" said the
hedgehog to the hare, "thou could'st do
more with thine own legsp
"That's what l do think" said the
hare.
"That depends upon the trial." quoth
the hedgehog. "I bet that if we run a
race together, 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 bottle of
brandyl' 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; g. 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 long legs, but
I'll fetch him for all that he's fine gen
tleman, to be sure, but still he's only a
stupid fellow, and pay lie shall !"
Now when the hedgehog came to his
house, he said to his wife, "Wife, dress
thyself in my gear, quickly; thou must go
with me to the field"
"What's all this about!" said the wife,
give bet the hare golden louis dor
and bottle of brandy that beat him in a
race, and thou must be by"
so, husband!" began the hedgehog's
wife to cry, "art thou foolish? hast thou
quite lost thine understandings How
canst thou wish to run a race with the
hareY"
"Hold thy mouth, wife, said the hedge
hog, "that's my business; don't meddle
with mems affairs. March dress thyself
in my clothes, and then come along"
What could the hedgehog's wife do?
She had to follow whether she would or
no. When they were on the way together,
the hedgehog said to his wife: "Now lis
ten to what have to say. Seest thou, on
the long acre yOnder will be run our race.
The hare runs in one furrow and another,
anu VIC DOBlh w llOHl up NOW
thou hast nothing else to do than to take
thy place here in the furrow, and when
the hare comes up on the other side thou
must call out to him, 'I'm here already"
With this they had reached the field; the
hedgehog showed his wife her place and
went up the furrow. When he got to the
upper end the hare was already there.
"Can we start?" said the hare.
eyes, indeedl" said the hedgehog
"To it, then!" and with that each
placed himself in his furrow, and the
hare uttered one, two, three and away
he went like a storm-wind down the
field. But the hedgehog ran about three
steps, and then ducked down in the turrow
and sat still.
When the hare, on the full bound, came
to the lower end of the field, the hedge
hogs wife called out to him, "I'm. here
alreadyp The hare started, and won
dered not a little; he thought no other.
wise than that 1t was the hedgehog him.
self that ran out to meet him, for, as
every one knows, the hedgehog's wife
looks just like her husband
But the hare thought; There's some,
thing wrong about all thisl Another
racel AT it againl And away he went
Tod l,af ta lo,, a, 4