The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-11-01
The Ragdnmfins.


The little cock said to the little hen,
cit is time for the nuts to be ripe. Let
us go to the mountain and eat as many
as we want before the squirrels have
time to take them all away"
eyes" answered the little hen, "let
us go; we will have good time, and get
Just as many nuts as we like"
Then they went together to the noun
tain, and, as it was very pleasant day,
they stayed until evening. Now I do
Nv whether they had eaten too
many nuts, or whether they had sud
denly become proud, bnt at any rate
they declared that they would not walk
home, and the little hen said that the
little cock must make a wagon out OF
nut-shells. When this was done, the
little hen seated herself in it and told
the little cock that he must draw the
wagon.
"That [ will never do" said the little
cock. 81 would rather go home on foot
than to wear a harness. No, I did mol
promise to that; I VIII be the goodman
and sit on the box, but to draw the
wagon myself I'll never do that.
While they were quarreling, duck
came along and said, "You thievish
people, who told you that you might
come to my nut-hill. Wait and you
shall pay for this !" and then he few at
the little cock. But the cock was not
slow to resent this, and attacked the
duck SO bravely with his spur that he
begged for mercy, and even agreed to
be harnessed TO the wagon. The little
cock seated himself on the box and was
coachman. The duck went at pretty
good pace. but the coachman was con-
tinually crying, "HuIry up, Duck
Hurry up, Duck p
They had not gone very far before
they met two foot-pusseugers, pin and
needle. These poor people cried,
"Stop stop!'' and said it was so dark
that they did not dare to take another
step, and it was SO dusty that they could
not sit down to rest. The little cock
said that since they were thin people,
and would not take up much room, they
might both get in, only they must prom
Use him and his hen not to tread upon
their feet. Late IN the evening they came
to an inn They did not wish to go any
further that night, for the duck was not
good at travelling on land, and tumbled
about from one side to the other; and so
they stopped, and told the landlord that
they wished to stay all night. At first
he made the objection that his house was
full, for he thought they were surely nc
people of rank, but they proceeded to
give him the egg which the hen had laid
on the way, and st last he was prevailed
upon to keep them all night.
Early in the morning, as it began to
grow light, the little cock awoke and
called the little hen. Then they took
the egg, picked it open, ate it, and threw
the shells down on the hearth. Then
they took the needle, which was still
asleep, and stuck it in the chair cushion
of the landlord, and put the pin in his
towel; and then they few away over the
fields, nobody knows where, and the
duck swan off down the brook,
A few hours later the landlord arose
from his feather-bed, washed himself
and rubbed his face with the towel. and
so the pin scratched his face, and made
deep red mark from one ear to the
other. Then he went into the kitchen
and began to light his pipe, but as he
came to the hearth the egg shells flew
up into his eyes.
Then he sat down III his great chair:
but he jumped up again and cried
"Oh Y Now he was angry enough, and
began to suspect the guests who had
come SO late the night before, and as he
went to look for them he found that they
were gone. Then he determined never
again to let ragamuffins come into his
house, who destroyed much, paid fol
nothing, and played jokes upon him fol
thanks Translated from the Gern1eg
Of Grimm.