merve/folk-mythology-tales · Datasets at Hugging Face

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But it was no use, neither words nor blows would get the secret out of
the boy; and when her arm was quite tired and she had to leave off, the
child, sore and aching, ran into the garden and knelt weeping beside his
little sword. It was working round and round in its hole all by itself,
and if anyone except the boy had tried to catch hold of it, he would
have been badly cut. But the moment he stretched out his hand it stopped
and slid quietly into the scabbard.

For a long time the child sat sobbing, and the noise was heard by the
king as he was driving by. 'Go and see who it is that is crying so,'
said he to one of his servants, and the man went. In a few minutes he
returned saying: 'Your Majesty, it is a little boy who is kneeling there
sobbing because his mother has beaten him.'

'Bring him to me at once,' commanded the monarch, 'and tell him that it
is the king who sends for him, and that he has never cried in all his
life and cannot bear anyone else to do so.' On receiving this message
the boy dried his tears and went with the servant to the royal carriage.
'Will you be my son?' asked the king.

'Yes, if my mother will let me,' answered the boy. And the king bade the
servant go back to the mother and say that if she would give her boy to
him, he should live in the palace and marry his prettiest daughter as
soon as he was a man.

The widow's anger now turned into joy, and she came running to the
splendid coach and kissed the king's hand. 'I hope you will be more
obedient to his Majesty than you were to me,' she said; and the boy
shrank away half-frightened. But when she had gone back to her cottage,
he asked the king if he might fetch something that he had left in the
garden, and when he was given permission, he pulled up his little sword,
which he slid into the scabbard.

Then he climbed into the coach and was driven away.

After they had gone some distance the king said: 'Why were you crying so
bitterly in the garden just now?'

'Because my mother had been beating me,' replied the boy.

'And what did she do that for?' asked the king again.

'Because I would not tell her my dream.'

'And why wouldn't you tell it to her?'

'Because I will never tell it to anyone till it comes true,' answered
the boy.

'And won't you tell it to me either?' asked the king in surprise.

'No, not even to you, your Majesty,' replied he.

'Oh, I am sure you will when we get home,' said the king smiling, and he
talked to him about other things till they came to the palace.

'I have brought you such a nice present,' he said to his daughters, and
as the boy was very pretty they were delighted to have him and gave him
all their best toys.

'You must not spoil him,' observed the king one day, when he had been
watching them playing together. He has a secret which he won't tell to
anyone.'

'He will tell me,' answered the eldest princess; but the boy only shook
his head.

'He will tell me,' said the second girl.

'Not I,' replied the boy.

'He will tell me,' cried the youngest, who was the prettiest too.

'I will tell nobody till it comes true,' said the boy, as he had said
before; 'and I will beat anybody who asks me.'

The king was very sorry when he heard this, for he loved the boy dearly;
but he thought it would never do to keep anyone near him who would not
do as he was bid. So he commanded his servants to take him away and not
to let him enter the palace again until he had come to his right senses.

The sword clanked loudly as the boy was led away, but the child said
nothing, though he was very unhappy at being treated so badly when he
had done nothing. However, the servants were very kind to him, and their
children brought him fruit and all sorts of nice things, and he soon
grew merry again, and lived amongst them for many years till his
seventeenth birthday.

Meanwhile the two eldest princesses had become women, and had married
two powerful kings who ruled over great countries across the sea.
The youngest one was old enough to be married too, but she was very
particular, and turned up her nose at all the young princes who had
sought her hand.

One day she was sitting in the palace feeling rather dull and lonely,
and suddenly she began to wonder what the servants were doing, and
whether it was not more amusing down in their quarters. The king was at
his council and the queen was ill in bed, so there was no one to stop
the princess, and she hastily ran across the gardens to the houses where

But it was no use, neither words nor blows would get the secret out of

the boy; and when her arm was quite tired and she had to leave off, the

child, sore and aching, ran into the garden and knelt weeping beside his

little sword. It was working round and round in its hole all by itself,

and if anyone except the boy had tried to catch hold of it, he would

have been badly cut. But the moment he stretched out his hand it stopped

and slid quietly into the scabbard.

For a long time the child sat sobbing, and the noise was heard by the

king as he was driving by. 'Go and see who it is that is crying so,'

said he to one of his servants, and the man went. In a few minutes he

returned saying: 'Your Majesty, it is a little boy who is kneeling there

sobbing because his mother has beaten him.'

'Bring him to me at once,' commanded the monarch, 'and tell him that it

is the king who sends for him, and that he has never cried in all his

life and cannot bear anyone else to do so.' On receiving this message

the boy dried his tears and went with the servant to the royal carriage.

'Will you be my son?' asked the king.

'Yes, if my mother will let me,' answered the boy. And the king bade the

servant go back to the mother and say that if she would give her boy to

him, he should live in the palace and marry his prettiest daughter as

soon as he was a man.

The widow's anger now turned into joy, and she came running to the

splendid coach and kissed the king's hand. 'I hope you will be more

obedient to his Majesty than you were to me,' she said; and the boy

shrank away half-frightened. But when she had gone back to her cottage,

he asked the king if he might fetch something that he had left in the

garden, and when he was given permission, he pulled up his little sword,

which he slid into the scabbard.

Then he climbed into the coach and was driven away.

After they had gone some distance the king said: 'Why were you crying so

bitterly in the garden just now?'

'Because my mother had been beating me,' replied the boy.

'And what did she do that for?' asked the king again.

'Because I would not tell her my dream.'

'And why wouldn't you tell it to her?'

'Because I will never tell it to anyone till it comes true,' answered

the boy.

'And won't you tell it to me either?' asked the king in surprise.

'No, not even to you, your Majesty,' replied he.

'Oh, I am sure you will when we get home,' said the king smiling, and he

talked to him about other things till they came to the palace.

'I have brought you such a nice present,' he said to his daughters, and

as the boy was very pretty they were delighted to have him and gave him

all their best toys.

'You must not spoil him,' observed the king one day, when he had been

watching them playing together. He has a secret which he won't tell to

anyone.'

'He will tell me,' answered the eldest princess; but the boy only shook

his head.

'He will tell me,' said the second girl.

'Not I,' replied the boy.

'He will tell me,' cried the youngest, who was the prettiest too.

'I will tell nobody till it comes true,' said the boy, as he had said

before; 'and I will beat anybody who asks me.'

The king was very sorry when he heard this, for he loved the boy dearly;

but he thought it would never do to keep anyone near him who would not

do as he was bid. So he commanded his servants to take him away and not

to let him enter the palace again until he had come to his right senses.

The sword clanked loudly as the boy was led away, but the child said

nothing, though he was very unhappy at being treated so badly when he

had done nothing. However, the servants were very kind to him, and their

children brought him fruit and all sorts of nice things, and he soon

grew merry again, and lived amongst them for many years till his

seventeenth birthday.

Meanwhile the two eldest princesses had become women, and had married

two powerful kings who ruled over great countries across the sea.

The youngest one was old enough to be married too, but she was very

particular, and turned up her nose at all the young princes who had

sought her hand.

One day she was sitting in the palace feeling rather dull and lonely,

and suddenly she began to wonder what the servants were doing, and

whether it was not more amusing down in their quarters. The king was at

his council and the queen was ill in bed, so there was no one to stop

the princess, and she hastily ran across the gardens to the houses where