The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-07-11
The Hare and the Hedgehog on
Buxtehude Health,
(From the Low German Of Schroeder. ]

This story is a tough one to tell,
youngsters, but true it is for all that /
for my grandfather, from whom I 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 p And
this is the way the story ran
Twas on pleasant Sunday morning
toward harvest time, just as the buck
brightly up into the heaven the morn
| ing 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 into the
air, and chirruped little song to
himself, just as good and just as bad
as o hedgehog is wont to sing on a
pleasant 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 washed and dressed the chill
| dren, take a 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 fami-
ly, 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 bush which stands there be-
fore the field, near the turnip- patch,
when he met the hare, who had gone
out on a similar business, namely, to
look after his cabbages. When the
hedgehog caught sight of the hare, he
bid 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 scornful mien, ''How happens it,
then, that thou art strolling about here
in the field so early in the morning?
"Im taking walk, said the hedge
hog.
"Taking walk ?" laughed the hare
"methinks thou mightest use those
legs of thine for better things"
The answer vexed the hedgehog
hugely, for he could stand almost any
thing, 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 legs p
"That's what I do think" said the
hare.
THAT depends upon the trial, u
quoth the hedgehog. CT bet that if
we run a race together, I beat thee hol-
low"
"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
brandy p 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, "I'm 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 a
fine gentleman to be sure, but still he
is only stupid fellow, and pay he
shall ?"
Now when the hedgehog came to his
house, he said to his wife, ''Wife,
dress myself in my gear, quickly
thou must go with me to the field"
"Whats all this about ?" said the
wife.
Give bet the hare a golden louis d
or and bottle of brandy that I beat
him race, and thou must be by.
go nv God, husband !" began the
hedgehog's wife to cry, cart thou fool
ish? hast thou quite lost thine under
standing? How canst thou wish to run
a race with the hare ?"
"Hold thy mouth, wife," said the
hedgehog, that's nay business don't
NEEDLE with mems affairs. March
dress myself 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 g Now listen to what I have to
say. See'st thou, on the long acre
yonder will be run our race. The hare
runs in one furrow and I in 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 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, indeed - said the hedgehog.
''To it, then I" and with that each
placed himself in his furrow, and the
hare counted one, two, three, and away
he went like storm wind down the
field But the hedgehog ran about
three steps, and then ducked down in
the furrow and sat still.
When the hare, on the full bound.
came to the lower end of the field, the
hedgehog's wife called out to him, I'm
here already !" The hare started, and
wondered not little; he thought moi
otherwise than that it was the hedge.
hog himself that run out to meet him
for, as every one knows, the hedgchog's
wife looks just like her husband.
But hare thought: There's some
thing wrong about all this Another
race At it again. And away he went
like storm-wind, so that his ears lay
fiat on his head. But the hedgehog's
wife stayed quietly in her place. Wher
the hare came to the upper end the
hedgehog called out to him, Tim here
already" But the hare, beside him.
self with rage, cried "Another race
At it again p
"I'm quite willing" answered the
hedgehog, "just as often as thou
likest.
So the hare ran three and seventy
times and the hedgehog held out to
the very end with him. Every time
the hare came either below or above,
the hedgehog or his wife said, "I'm
here already !''
But the four and SEVENTEEN time the
hare came no more to the end. In the
middle of the field he fell to the earth
and lay dead upon the spot.
So the hedgehog took the louis dor
and the bottle of brandy he had won,
1 = I