32 lines
2 KiB
Text
32 lines
2 KiB
Text
Herr Korbes
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There were once a cock and a hen who wanted to take a journey together.
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So the cock built a beautiful carriage, which had four red wheels, and
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harnessed four mice to it. The hen seated herself in it with the cock,
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and they drove away together. Not long afterwards they met a cat who
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said, “Where are you going?” The cock replied, “We are going to the
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house of Herr Korbes.” “Take me with you,” said the cat. The cock
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answered, “Most willingly, get up behind, lest you fall off in front.
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Take great care not to dirty my little red wheels. And you little
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wheels, roll on, and you little mice pipe out, as we go forth on our
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way to the house of Herr Korbes.”
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After this came a millstone, then an egg, then a duck, then a pin, and
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at last a needle, who all seated themselves in the carriage, and drove
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with them. When, however, they reached the house of Herr Korbes, Herr
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Korbes was not there. The mice drew the carriage into the barn, the hen
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flew with the cock upon a perch. The cat sat down by the hearth, the
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duck on the well-pole. The egg rolled itself into a towel, the pin
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stuck itself into the chair-cushion, the needle jumped on to the bed in
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the middle of the pillow, and the millstone laid itself over the door.
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Then Herr Korbes came home, went to the hearth, and was about to light
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the fire, when the cat threw a quantity of ashes in his face. He ran
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into the kitchen in a great hurry to wash it off, and the duck splashed
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some water in his face. He wanted to dry it with the towel, but the egg
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rolled up against him, broke, and glued up his eyes. He wanted to rest,
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and sat down in the chair, and then the pin pricked him. He fell in a
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passion, and threw himself on his bed, but as soon as he laid his head
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on the pillow, the needle pricked him, so that he screamed aloud, and
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was just going to run out into the wide world in his rage, but when he
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came to the house-door, the millstone leapt down and struck him dead.
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Herr Korbes must have been a very wicked man!
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