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now

Hans now drove his cow quietly before him, and thought on the lucky bargain he had made. "With a bit of bread," he said to himself, "and this I can always have-I can have butter and cheese to eat with it whenever I like; and when I am thirsty, I have only to milk my cow, and drink her milk. What could I wish for more?" Coming to an inn, he made a stop, ate up all his day's repast at once, with great glee, and parted with his last penny for a glass of beer. He then set out with his cow for his mother's village. As the day advanced, the heat became more oppressive, and he found himself on a heath, that would take him an hour to cross, while his thirst increased to such a pitch, that his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. "I have a remedy for this," thought Hans to himself: is the time to milk-my cow, and quench my thirst." So saying he fastened her to the stump of a tree, and holding his leathern cap, instead of a pail, began to milk her, but not a drop would come for all his pains. While he was going about it in his clumsy way, the impatient beast gave him a blow on the head with one of her hind feet, that laid him flat on the earth, where he lay for some time quite insensible. Luckily, a butcher soon passed that way, driving a hand-barrow, with a pig in it. "What has happened to you?" he called out, helping Hans on his feet. Hans immediately told him what had happened, and the butcher gave him a flask of good stuff, and bade him drink and refresh himself. "The cow," he said, "will never give you any milk, for she is an old beast, fit only for the slaughter-house." "Indeed!" cried Hans, scratching his head, "who would have thought it? It is all very well to have an animal in the house to kill for fresh meat, but, for my part, I have no great liking for cow-beef;

it's not juicy enough for me. If I had a young pig now— that has a different sort of relish; and then the sausages!" "Well, Hans," said the butcher, "to please you, I'll make an exchange, and let you have the pig for the cow." God bless you for your kindness!" said Hans, giving him the cow, and lifting off the pig from the hand-barrow, he took hold of the string that was tied to its leg.

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As Hans now jogged along, he began to think how everything happened just as he wished; and if at times a misfortune befel him, yet it was soon got over. By and by a man came up with him, carrying a fine white goose under his arm. After inquiring the time of day, Hans began telling what a lucky fellow he was, and what nice bargains he had made. The man said that he was going with the goose to a christeningfeast; "feel how heavy she is," he said, laying hold of her by the wings; "she has been well crammed for the last eight weeks. Whoever is lucky enough to have a hand in the eating, will have a good fat morsel on his dish." 'Ay," said Hans, lifting her up, "she is of a good weight; but my pig does not look as if he were starved either." In the meanwhile, the man kept looking round about him on all sides, quite cautiously, and said: “Hearken, my good fellow; I fear something's the matter with your pig. In the village which I have just passed through, the squire has had a pig stolen from his sty, and I was afraid that this was it which you are driving along. It will be a bad business, should you be found with it; the least they'll do will be to give you a good ducking in the nearest pond." Our worthy Hans was terribly frightened. "Alas!" he said, "do help me out of the scrape; you know hereabouts better than I do : take my pig, and give

me the goose." "I ought to have something into the bargain, replied the other; however, as you are in trouble, I will not be too hard upon you." So saying, he took the string in his hand, and drove the pig off in haste by a cross-road, while Hans trudged merrily on homewards, with his goose under his arm. "After all," he said within himself, "I have the best of the bargain; first, there is the capital roast-goose, then fat enough to keep me in goose grease for three months; and last of all, the beautiful white feathers, with which I shall stuff my pillow, and then there will be no need to rock me to sleep. How delighted my mother will be!" As he came to the last village, he saw a scissors-grinder with his wheel, singing, as he scraped away—

"My wheel it is smooth and my scissors are bright,

And come fair or come foul, my heart it is light."

Hans stood looking at him for some time, and at last said, "You must be well off, you are so merry at your work." "Ay,” replied the grinder, "mine is, indeed, a golden occupation. A good grinder is a man that always finds money in his pockets whenever he chooses to put his hands into them; but where have you bought that beautiful goose?”—“I did not buy it, but changed a pig for it.”—“ And the pig ?”—“I gave a cow for it."- "And the cow ?"-"I gave a horse for her."-" And the horse?"-"For him I gave a lump of gold, as big as my head."-"And the gold?"-"Oh! for that I worked hard to my master these seven years." "You have done well for yourself hitherto," replied the scissorsgrinder; "now if you could only hear the money chink in your pocket whenever you please, your fortune would be made." -"But how can I manage that?" replied Hans. "You

You have only to get a

Here is one, a

must turn scissors-grinder, like me. grind-stone, all the rest follows of course. little the worse for wear; and for that I only ask your goose! shall it be a bargain?"-"How can you ask me such a question," said Hans; "I should be the happiest fellow upon earth, if my pockets were always full of gold, and need care for nothing more-there, take the goose."-" Now," said the grinder, lifting up a heavy, common-looking stone, that lay beside him, "here you have another capital stone besides the other, and if you can but manage it properly, you may make an old nail cut upon it. Take it up carefully."

Hans took up the stone, and travelled on with a light heart; his eyes sparkled with joy, and he said to himself, "I must have been born in a lucky hour, for every thing that I wish for comes to me, as if I were a favourite of fortune." In the mean time, as he had been travelling all day, he began to be tired, and hungry too, for he had spent his last farthing in his joy at getting the cow. At last he could scarcely get on any farther, and was obliged to stop every moment, for the stone was quite an oppressive burden to him, and the thought occurred to him how well it would be had he no longer to carry it. Creeping along like a snail, he came to a spring of water, where he stopped to rest and refresh himself with a draught of the pure element.

That the stones might not trouble him, he laid them down beside him on the margin of the brook; and, turning round, was going to drink, but, ere he was aware, he pushed the stones a little, and they both fell plump into the water. Hans, when he saw them sink down, sprang up for very joy; knelt down and thanked God, with tears in his eyes, that he had

shown him such favour, and freed him in such a happy way from all the hindrances to his happiness. "What a happy man I am," he exclaimed, "there is not such another under the sun." With a light heart, and free from every burden, he sprang forward until he reached his mother's home.

THE WONDERFUL MUSICIANS; OR, THE WAITS OF BREMEN.

A MAN had once an ass that had served him faithfully for many years, but whose strength was now failing, so that he was daily becoming more and more unfit for work. His master, therefore, had some thoughts of dispatching him; but the ass, who saw that some mischief was brewing, took himself off, and set out on the road to Bremen,-there, thought he to himself, I may happen to be chosen town-musician. When he had got on a little way he saw a greyhound lying by the way-side, panting as if he had been run out of breath. "What makes you pant so?" said the ass.-"Alas!" replied the dog, "because I am grown old, and am getting every day weaker, and can no more go out with the other hounds, my master was going to kill me; so I made free to run off; but how is it possible for me now to gain a living?"—" Hearken !" replied the ass, "I am going to Bremen, to be town-musician; come along with me and turn musician too." dog gave his consent, and so they journeyed on together. It was not long before they saw a cat sitting by the road side, with a face looking anything but well pleased. "Well, what's happened to make you look so cross?" said the ass to her.

The