There was once upon a time a man who was called Frederick and a
woman called Catherine, who had married each other and lived
together as young married folks. One day Frederick said, I will now
go and plough, Catherine, when I come back, there must be some roast
meat on the table for hunger, and a fresh draught for thirst. Just
go, Frederick, answered Kate, just go, I will have all ready for
you. So when dinner-time drew near she got a sausage out of the
chimney, put it in the frying-pan, put some butter to it, and set it
on the fire. The sausage began to fry and to hiss, Catherine stood
beside it and held the handle of the pan, and had her own thoughts
as she was doing it. Then it occurred to her, while the sausage is
getting done you could go into the cellar and draw beer.
So she set
the frying-pan safely on the fire, took a can, and went down into
the cellar to draw beer. The beer ran into the can and Kate watched
it, and then she thought, oh, dear. The dog upstairs is not fastened
up, it might get the sausage out of the pan. Lucky I thought of it.
And in a trice she was up the cellar-steps again, but the spitz had
the sausage in its mouth already, and trailed it away on the ground.
But Catherine, who was not idle, set out after it, and chased it a
long way into the field, the dog, however, was swifter than
Catherine and did not let the sausage go, but skipped over the
furrows with it.
What's gone is gone, said Kate, and turned round,
and as she had run till she was weary, she walked quietly and
comfortably, and cooled herself. During this time the beer was still
running out of the cask, for Kate had not turned the tap. And when
the can was full and there was no other place for it, it ran into
the cellar and did not stop until the whole cask was empty. As soon
as Kate was on the steps she saw the accident. Good gracious, she
cried. What shall I do now to stop Frederick finding out. She
thought for a while, and at last she remembered that up in the
garret was still standing a sack of the finest wheat flour from the
last fair, and she would fetch that down and strew it over the beer.
Yes, said she, he who saves a thing when he ought, has it afterwards
when he needs it, and she climbed up to the garret and carried the
sack below, and threw it straight down on the can of beer, which she
knocked over, and Frederick's draught swam also in the cellar. It is
all right, said Kate, where the one is the other ought to be also,
and she strewed the meal over the whole cellar. When it was done she
was heartily delighted with her work, and said, how clean and
wholesome it does look here. At mid-day home came Frederick, now,
wife, what have you ready for me. Ah, Freddy, she answered, I was
frying a sausage for you, but whilst I was drawing the beer to drink
with it, the dog took it away out of the pan, and whilst I was
running after the dog, all the beer ran out, and whilst I was drying
up the beer with the flour, I knocked over the can as well, but be
easy, the cellar is quite dry again. Said Frederick, Kate, Kate, you
should not have done that, to let the sausage be carried off and the
beer run out of the cask, and throw out all our flour into the
bargain.
Well, Frederick, I did not know that, you should have told
me. The man thought, if this is the kind of wife I have, I had
better take more care of things. Now he had saved up a good number
of talers which he changed into gold, and said to Catherine, look,
these are yellow counters for playing games, I will put them in a
pot and bury them in the stable under the cow's manger, but mind you
keep away from them, or it will be the worse for you. Said she, oh,
no, Frederick, I certainly will not go near them. And when Frederick
was gone some peddlers came into the village who had cheap earthen
bowls and pots, and asked the young woman if there was nothing she
wanted to bargain with them for. Oh, dear people, said Catherine, I
have no money and can buy nothing, but if you have any use for
yellow counters I will buy of you. Yellow counters, why not. But
just let us see them. |