103 lines
6.8 KiB
Text
103 lines
6.8 KiB
Text
Clever Elsie
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There was once a man who had a daughter who was called Clever Elsie.
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And when she had grown up her father said, “We will get her married.”
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“Yes,” said the mother; “if only any one would come who would have
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her.” At length a man came from a distance and wooed her, who was
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called Hans; but he stipulated that Clever Elsie should be really wise.
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“Oh,” said the father, “she’s sharp enough;” and the mother said, “Oh,
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she can see the wind coming up the street, and hear the flies
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coughing.” “Well,” said Hans, “if she is not really wise, I won’t have
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her.” When they were sitting at dinner and had eaten, the mother said,
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“Elsie, go into the cellar and fetch some beer.” Then Clever Elsie took
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the pitcher from the wall, went into the cellar, and tapped the lid
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briskly as she went, so that the time might not appear long. When she
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was below she fetched herself a chair, and set it before the barrel so
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that she had no need to stoop, and did not hurt her back or do herself
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any unexpected injury. Then she placed the can before her, and turned
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the tap, and while the beer was running she would not let her eyes be
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idle, but looked up at the wall, and after much peering here and there,
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saw a pick-axe exactly above her, which the masons had accidentally
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left there.
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Then Clever Elsie began to weep, and said, “If I get Hans, and we have
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a child, and he grows big, and we send him into the cellar here to draw
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beer, then the pick-axe will fall on his head and kill him.” Then she
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sat and wept and screamed with all the strength of her body, over the
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misfortune which lay before her. Those upstairs waited for the drink,
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but Clever Elsie still did not come. Then the woman said to the
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servant, “Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is.” The
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maid went and found her sitting in front of the barrel, screaming
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loudly. “Elsie, why weepest thou?” asked the maid. “Ah,” she answered,
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“have I not reason to weep? If I get Hans, and we have a child, and he
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grows big, and has to draw beer here, the pick-axe will perhaps fall on
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his head, and kill him.” Then said the maid, “What a clever Elsie we
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have!” and sat down beside her and began loudly to weep over the
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misfortune. After a while, as the maid did not come back, those
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upstairs were thirsty for the beer, the man said to the boy, “Just go
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down into the cellar and see where Elsie and the girl are.” The boy
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went down, and there sat Clever Elsie and the girl both weeping
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together. Then he asked, “Why are ye weeping?” “Ah,” said Elsie, “have
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I not reason to weep? If I get Hans, and we have a child, and he grows
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big, and has to draw beer here, the pick-axe will fall on his head and
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kill him.” Then said the boy, “What a clever Elsie we have!” and sat
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down by her, and likewise began to howl loudly. Upstairs they waited
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for the boy, but as he still did not return, the man said to the woman,
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“Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is!” The woman went
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down, and found all three in the midst of their lamentations, and
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inquired what was the cause; then Elsie told her also that her future
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child was to be killed by the pick-axe, when it grew big and had to
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draw beer, and the pick-axe fell down. Then said the mother likewise,
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“What a clever Elsie we have!” and sat down and wept with them. The man
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upstairs waited a short time, but as his wife did not come back and his
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thirst grew ever greater, he said, “I must go into the cellar myself
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and see where Elsie is.” But when he got into the cellar, and they were
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all sitting together crying, and he heard the reason, and that Elsie’s
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child was the cause, and that Elsie might perhaps bring one into the
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world some day, and that it might be killed by the pick-axe, if it
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should happen to be sitting beneath it, drawing beer just at the very
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time when it fell down, he cried, “Oh, what a clever Elsie!” and sat
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down, and likewise wept with them. The bridegroom stayed upstairs alone
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for a long time; then as no one would come back he thought, “They must
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be waiting for me below; I too must go there and see what they are
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about.” When he got down, five of them were sitting screaming and
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lamenting quite piteously, each out-doing the other. “What misfortune
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has happened then?” he asked. “Ah, dear Hans,” said Elsie, “if we marry
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each other and have a child, and he is big, and we perhaps send him
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here to draw something to drink, then the pick-axe which has been left
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up there might dash his brains out if it were to fall down, so have we
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not reason to weep?” “Come,” said Hans, “more understanding than that
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is not needed for my household, as thou art such a clever Elsie, I will
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have thee,” and he seized her hand, took her upstairs with him, and
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married her.
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After Hans had had her some time, he said, “Wife, I am going out to
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work and earn some money for us; go into the field and cut the corn
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that we may have some bread.” “Yes, dear Hans, I will do that.” After
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Hans had gone away, she cooked herself some good broth and took it into
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the field with her. When she came to the field she said to herself,
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“What shall I do; shall I shear first, or shall I eat first? Oh, I will
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eat first.” Then she emptied her basin of broth, and when she was fully
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satisfied, she once more said, “What shall I do? Shall I shear first,
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or shall I sleep first? I will sleep first.” Then she lay down among
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the corn and fell asleep. Hans had been at home for a long time, but
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Elsie did not come; then said he, “What a clever Elsie I have; she is
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so industrious that she does not even come home to eat.” As, however,
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she still stayed away, and it was evening, Hans went out to see what
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she had cut, but nothing was cut, and she was lying among the corn
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asleep. Then Hans hastened home and brought a fowler’s net with little
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bells and hung it round about her, and she still went on sleeping. Then
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he ran home, shut the house-door, and sat down in his chair and worked.
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At length, when it was quite dark, Clever Elsie awoke and when she got
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up there was a jingling all round about her, and the bells rang at each
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step which she took. Then she was alarmed, and became uncertain whether
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she really was Clever Elsie or not, and said, “Is it I, or is it not
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I?” But she knew not what answer to make to this, and stood for a time
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in doubt; at length she thought, “I will go home and ask if it be I, or
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if it be not I, they will be sure to know.” She ran to the door of her
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own house, but it was shut; then she knocked at the window and cried,
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“Hans, is Elsie within?” “Yes,” answered Hans, “she is within.”
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Hereupon she was terrified, and said, “Ah, heavens! Then it is not I,”
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and went to another door; but when the people heard the jingling of the
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bells they would not open it, and she could get in nowhere. Then she
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ran out of the village, and no one has seen her since.
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