78 lines
5 KiB
Text
78 lines
5 KiB
Text
Gambling Hansel
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Once upon a time there was a man who did nothing but gamble, and for
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that reason people never called him anything but Gambling Hansel, and
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as he never ceased to gamble, he played away his house and all that he
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had. Now the very day before his creditors were to take his house from
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him, came the Lord and St. Peter, and asked him to give them shelter
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for the night. Then Gambling Hansel said, "For my part, you may stay
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the night, but I cannot give you a bed or anything to eat." So the Lord
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said he was just to take them in, and they themselves would buy
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something to eat, to which Gambling Hansel made no objection. Thereupon
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St. Peter gave him three groschen, and said he was to go to the baker's
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and fetch some bread. So Gambling Hansel went, but when he reached the
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house where the other gambling vagabonds were gathered together, they,
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although they had won all that he had, greeted him clamorously, and
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said, "Hansel, do come in." "Oh," said he, "do you want to win the
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three groschen too?" On this they would not let him go. So he went in,
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and played away the three groschen also. Meanwhile St. Peter and the
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Lord were waiting, and as he was so long in coming, they set out to
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meet him. When Gambling Hansel came, however, he pretended that the
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money had fallen into the gutter, and kept raking about in it all the
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while to find it, but our Lord already knew that he had lost it in
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play. St. Peter again gave him three groschen, and now he did not allow
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himself to be led away once more, but fetched them the loaf. Our Lord
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then inquired if he had no wine, and he said, "Alack, sir, the casks
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are all empty!" But the Lord said he was to go down into the cellar,
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for the best wine was still there. For a long time he would not believe
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this, but at length he said, "Well, I will go down, but I know that
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there is none there." When he turned the tap, however, lo and behold,
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the best of wine ran out! So he took it to them, and the two passed the
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night there. Early next day our Lord told Gambling Hansel that he might
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beg three favours. The Lord expected that he would ask to go to Heaven;
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but Gambling Hansel asked for a pack of cards with which he could win
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everything, for dice with which he would win everything, and for a tree
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whereon every kind of fruit would grow, and from which no one who had
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climbed up, could descend until he bade him do so. The Lord gave him
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all that he had asked, and departed with St. Peter.
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And now Gambling Hansel at once set about gambling in real earnest, and
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before long he had gained half the world. Upon this St. Peter said to
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the Lord, "Lord, this thing must not go on, he will win, and thou lose,
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the whole world. We must send Death to him." When Death appeared,
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Gambling Hansel had just seated himself at the gaming-table, and Death
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said, "Hansel, come out a while." But Gambling Hansel said, "Just wait
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a little until the game is done, and in the meantime get up into that
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tree out there, and gather a little fruit that we may have something to
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munch on our way." Thereupon Death climbed up, but when he wanted to
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come down again, he could not, and Gambling Hansel left him up there
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for seven years, during which time no one died.
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So St. Peter said to the Lord, "Lord, this thing must not go on. People
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no longer die; we must go ourselves." And they went themselves, and the
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Lord commanded Hansel to let Death come down. So Hansel went at once to
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Death and said to him, "Come down," and Death took him directly and put
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an end to him. They went away together and came to the next world, and
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then Gambling Hansel made straight for the door of Heaven, and knocked
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at it. "Who is there?" "Gambling Hansel." "Ah, we will have nothing to
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do with him! Begone!" So he went to the door of Purgatory, and knocked
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once more. "Who is there?" "Gambling Hansel." "Ah, there is quite
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enough weeping and wailing here without him. We do not want to gamble,
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just go away again." Then he went to the door of Hell, and there they
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let him in. There was, however, no one at home but old Lucifer and the
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crooked devils who had just been doing their evil work in the world.
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And no sooner was Hansel there than he sat down to gamble again.
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Lucifer, however, had nothing to lose, but his mis-shapen devils, and
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Gambling Hansel won them from him, as with his cards he could not fail
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to do. And now he was off again with his crooked devils, and they went
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to Hohenfuert and pulled up a hop-pole, and with it went to Heaven and
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began to thrust the pole against it, and Heaven began to crack. So
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again St. Peter said, "Lord, this thing cannot go on, we must let him
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in, or he will throw us down from Heaven." And they let him in. But
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Gambling Hansel instantly began to play again, and there was such a
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noise and confusion that there was no hearing what they themselves were
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saying. Therefore St. Peter once more said, "Lord, this cannot go on,
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we must throw him down, or he will make all Heaven rebellious." So they
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went to him at once, and threw him down, and his soul broke into
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fragments, and went into the gambling vagabonds who are living this
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very day.
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