The Table, the Ass, and the Stick
Along while ago there lived a Tailor who had three sons, but only a single Goat, which, as it had to furnish milk for all, was obliged to have good fodder every day, and to be led into the meadow for it. This the sons had to do by turns; and one morning the eldest took the Goat into the churchyard, where grew the finest herbs, which he let it eat, and then it frisked about undisturbed till the evening, when it was time to return; and then he asked, “Goat, are you satisfied?” The Goat replied—
“I am satisfied, quiet;
No more can I bite.”
“Then come home,” said the youth, and catching hold of the rope, he led it to the stall and made it fast. “Now,” said the old Tailor, “has the Goat had its proper food?” “Yes,” replied his son, “it has eaten all it can.” The father, however, would see for himself; and so, going into the stall, he stroked the goat and asked it whether it was satisfied. The Goat replied—
“Whereof should I be satisfied!
I only jumped about the graves,
And found not a single leaf.”
“What do I hear!” exclaimed the Tailor, and ran up to his son and said, “Oh, you bad boy! you said the Goat was satisfied, and then brought it away hungry;” and, taking the yard-measure down from the wall, he hunted his son out of the house in a rage.
The following morning was the second son’s turn, and he picked out a place in the garden-hedge, where some very fine herbs grew, which the Goat ate up entirely. When, in the evening, the wanted to return, he asked the Goat first whether it were satisfied, and it replied as before—
“I am satisfied, quite;
No more can I bite.”
“Then come home,” said the youth, and drove it to its stall, and tied it fast. Soon after the old Tailor asked, “Has the Goat had its usual food?” “Oh, yes!” answered his son; “it ate up all the leaves.” But the Tailor would see for himself, and so he went into the stall, and asked the Goat whether it had had enough.
“Whereof should I be satisfied!
I only jumped about the hedge,
And found not a single leaf.”
replied the animal.
“The wicked scamp!” exclaimed the Tailor, “to let such a capital animal starve!” and, running in doors, he drove his son out of the house with his yard-measure.
It was now the third son’s turn, and he, willing to make a good beginning, sought some bushes full of beautifully tender leaves, of which he let the Goat plentifully partake; and at evening time, when he wished to go home, he asked the Goat the same question as the others had done, and received the same answer—
“I am satisfied, quite;
No more can I bite.”
So then he led it home, and tied it up in its stall; and presently the old man came and asked whether the Goat had had its regular food, and the youth replied, “Yes.” But he would go and see for himself, and then the wicked beast told him, as it had done before—
“Whereof should I be satisfied?
I only jumped about the bush,
And found not a single leaf.”
“Oh, the scoundrel!” exclaimed the Tailor, in a rage “he is just as careless and forgetful as the others; he shall no longer eat of my bread!” and, rushing into the house he dealt his youngest son such tremendous blows with the yard-measure that the boy ran quite away.
The old Tailor was now left alone with his Goat, and the following morning he went to the stall, and fondled the animal, saying, “Come, my dear little creature; I will lead you myself into the meadow;” and, taking the rope he brought it to some green lettuces, and let it feed to its heart’s content. When evening arrived he asked it, as his sons had done before whether it were satisfied, and it replied—
“I am satisfied, quite;
No more can I bite.”
So he led it home, and tied it up in its stall; but, before he left it, he turned round and asked once more, “Are you quite satisfied?” The malicious brute answered in the same manner as before—
“Whereof should I be satisfied
I only jumped about the green,
And found not a single leaf.”
As soon as the Tailor heard this he was thunderstruck, and perceived directly that he had driven away his three sons without cause. “Stop a bit, you ungrateful beast!” he exclaimed. “To drive you away will be too little; I will mark you so that you shall no more dare to show yourself among honourable tailors.” So saying, he sprang up with great speed, and, fetching a razor, shaved the Goat’s head as bare as the palm of his hand; and, because the yard-measure was too honourable for such service, he laid hold of a whip, and gave the animal such hearty cuts with it, that it ran off as fast as possible.
When the old man sat down again in his house he fell into great grief, and would have been only too happy to have had his three sons back; but no one knew whither they had wandered.
The eldest, however, had gone apprentice to a joiner,
g with whom he worked industriously and cheerfully; and when his time was out, his master presented him with a table, which had certainly a very ordinary appearance, and was made of common wood; but it had one excellent quality:—If its owner placed it before him, and said, “Table, cover thyself,” the good table was at once covered with a fine cloth, and plates, and knives and forks, and dishes of roast and baked meat took their places on it, and a great glass filled with red wine, which gladdened one’s heart. Our young fellow thought, “Herewith you have enough for your lifetime,” and went, full of glee, about the world, never troubling himself whether the inn were good or bad, or whether it contained any thing or nothing. Whenever he pleased he went to no inn at all, but in the field, or wood, or any meadow, in fact, just where he liked to take the table off his back, and set it before him, saying, “Table, cover thyself,” he had all he could desire to eat and drink.
At last it came into his head that he would return to his father, whose anger, he thought, would be abated by time, and with whom he might live very comfortably with his excellent table. It fell out that, on his journey home, he one evening arrived at an inn which was full of people, who bade him welcome, and invited him to come in and eat with them, or he would get nothing at all. But our Joiner replied, “No; I will not take a couple of bites with you; you must rather be my guests.” At this the others laughed, and thought he was making game of them; but he placed his wooden table in the middle of the room, and said, “Table, cover thyself;” and in the twinkling of an eye it was set out with meats as good as any that the host could have furnished, and the smell of which mounted very savoury into the noses of the guests. “Be welcome, good friends,” said the Joiner; and the guests, when they saw he was in earnest, waited not to be asked twice, but, quickly seating themselves, set to valiantly with their knives. What made them most wonder, however, was that when any dish became empty, another full one instantly took its place; and the landlord, who stood in a corner looking on, thought to himself, “You could make good use of such a cook as that in your trade;” but he said nothing. Meanwhile the Joiner and his companions sat making merry till late at night; but at last they went to bed, and the Joiner too, who placed his wishing-table against the wall before going to sleep. The landlord, however, could not get to sleep, for his thoughts troubled him, and, suddenly remembering that there stood in his lumber-room an old table which was useless, he went and fetched it, and put it in the place of the wishing-table. The next morning the Joiner counted out his lodging-money, and placed the table on his back, ignorant that it had been changed, and went his way. At noon-day he reached his father’s house, and was received with great joy.
“Now, my dear son,” said the old man, “what have you learned?”
“I have become a joiner, father.”
“A capital trade, too. But what have you brought home with you from your travels?”
“The best thing I have brought,” said the youth, “is this table.”
The father looked at it on every side, and said, “You have made a very bad hand of that; it is an old, worthless table.”
“But,” interrupted his son, “it is one which covers itself; and when I place it before me and say, ‘Table, cover thyself,’ it is instantly filled with the most savoury meats and wine, which will make your heart sing. Just invite your friends and acquaintances, and you shall soon see how they will be refreshed and revived.”
As soon, then, as the company was arrived, he placed his table in the middle of the room, and called out to it to cover itself. But the table did not stir, and remained as empty as any other table which does not understand what is spoken; and the poor Joiner at once perceived that the table was changed, and he was ashamed to appear thus like an impostor before the guests, who laughed at him and were obliged to go home without eating or drinking. So the father took up his mending again, and stitched away as fast as ever, and the son was obliged to go and work for a master carpenter.
Meanwhile the second son had been living with a miller, and learning his trade, and as soon as his time was up, his master said to him, “Because you have served me so well, I present you with this ass, which has a wonderful gift, although it neither can draw a wagon nor carry a sack.” “For what, then, is it useful?” asked the youth. “It speaks gold,” replied the miller. “If you tie a pocket under his chin, and cry, ‘Bricklebrit,’ then the good beast will pour out gold coin like hail.” “That is a very fine thing,” thought the youth; and, thanking the master, he went off upon his journey. Now, whenever he needed money, he had only to say to his ass, “Bricklebrit,” and it rained down gold pieces, so that he had no other trouble than to pick them up again from the ground. Wherever he went the best only was good enough for him, and the dearer it was the better, for he had always a full purse. When he had looked about him for some time in the world, he thought he would go and visit his father, whose anger he supposed had abated, and moreover since he brought with him an ass of gold, he would no doubt receive him gladly. It so happened that he came to the very same inn where his brother’s table had been changed, and as he came up, leading his ass by the hand, the landlord would have taken it and tied it up, but our young master said to him, “You need not trouble yourself; I will lead my grey beast myself into the stable and tie him, for I must know where he stands.” The landlord wondered at this, and he thought that one who looked after his own beast would not spend much; but presently our friend, dipping into his pocket and taking out two pieces of gold, gave them to him, and bade him fetch the best he could. This made the landlord open his eyes, and he ran and fetched, in a great hurry, the best he could get. When he had finished his meal, the youth asked what further he was indebted, and the landlord, having no mind to spare him, said that a couple of gold pieces more was due. The youth felt in his pocket, but his money was just at an end; so he exclaimed, “Wait a bit, my landlord; I will go and fetch some gold,” and, taking the table-cloth with him, he went out. The landlord knew not what to think, but being covetous he slinked out after the youth, and, as he bolted the stable-door, the landlord peeped through a hole in the wall. The youth spread the cloth beneath the ass, and called out, “Brickle-brit,” and in a moment the beast began to speak out gold, as if rain were falling. “By the powers,” exclaimed the landlord, “ducats are soon coined so; that is not a bad sort of purse!” The youth now paid his bill and laid down to sleep, but in the middle of the night the landlord slipped into the stable, and led away the mint-master, and tied up a different ass in its place.
In the morning early, the youth drove away with his ass, thinking it was his own, and at noon-day he arrived at his father’s, who was very glad to see him return, and received him kindly. “What trade have you become?” asked the father. “A miller,” was the reply. “And what have you brought home with you from your wanderings?” “Nothing but an ass.” “Oh, there are plenty of that sort here now; it had far better been a goat,” said the old man. “Yes,” replied the son, “but this is no common animal, but one which, when I say ‘Bricklebrit,’ speaks gold right and left. Just call your friends here, and I will make them all rich in a twinkling.” “Well,” exclaimed the Tailor, “that would please me very well, and so I need not use my needle any more;” and running out he called together all his acquaintances. As soon as they were assembled, the young Miller bade them make a circle, and, spreading out a cloth, he brought the ass into the middle of the room. “Now, pay attention,” said he to them, and called out, “Bricklebrit;” but not a single gold piece fell, and it soon appeared that the ass did not understand, for it is not every one that can be so taught. The poor young man began to make a long face, when he saw that he had been deceived, and he was obliged to beg pardon of the guests, who were forced to return as poor as they came. So it happened that the old man had to take to his needle again, and the youth to bind himself with another master.
Meanwhile the third brother had gone to a turner
h to learn his trade; but he got on very slowly, as it was a very difficult art to acquire. And while he was there, his brothers sent him word how badly things had gone with them, and how the landlord had robbed them of their wishing-gifts on their return home. When the time came round that he had learnt every thing and wished to leave, his master presented him with a sack, saying, “In it there lies a stick.”
“I will take the sack readily, for it may do me good service,” replied the youth. “But what is the stick for it only makes the sack heavier to carry.”
“That I will tell you:—If any one does you an injury, you have only to say, ‘Stick, out of the sack!’ and instantly the stick will spring out, and dance about on the people’s backs in such style that they will not be able to stir a finger for a week afterwards; and, moreover, it will not leave off till you say, ‘Stick, get back into the sack.’ ”
The youth thanked him, and hung the sack over his shoulders; and when any one came too near, and wished to meddle with him, he said, “Stick, come out of the sack,” and immediately it sprang out, and began laying about it; and when he called it back, it disappeared so quickly that no one could tell where it came from.
One evening he arrived at the inn where his brothers had been basely robbed, and, laying his knapsack on the table, he began to talk of all the wonderful things he had seen in the world. “Yes,” said he, “one may find, indeed, a table which supplies itself, and a golden ass, and suchlike things—all very good in their place, and I do not despise them; but they shrink into nothing beside the treasure which I carry with me in this sack.”
The landlord pricked up his ears, saying, “What on earth can it be?” but he thought to himself, “The sack is certainly full of precious stones, and I must manage to get hold of them; for all good things come in threes.”
As soon as it was bedtime our youth stretched himself upon a bench, and laid his sack down for a pillow; and, when he appeared to be in a deep sleep, the landlord crept softly to him, and began to pull very gently and cautiously at the sack, to see if he could manage to draw it away, and put another in its place. The young Turner, however, had been waiting for him to do this, and, just as the man gave a good pull, he exclaimed, “Stick, out of the sack with you!” Immediately out it jumped, and thumped about on the landlord’s back and ribs with a good will.
The landlord began to cry for mercy, but the louder he cried, the more forcibly did the stick beat time on his back, until at last he fell exhausted to the ground.
Then the Turner said, “If you do not give up the table which feeds itself, and the golden ass, that dance shall commence again.”
“No, no!” cried the landlord, in a weak voice; “I will give them up with pleasure, but just let your horrible hobgoblin get back into his sack.”
“I will give you pardon, if you do right; but, take care what you are about,” replied the Turner; and he let him rest, and bade the stick return.
On the following morning the Turner, accordingly, went away with the table and the ass, on his road home to his father, who, as soon as he saw him, felt very glad, and asked what he had learned in foreign parts.
“Dear father,” replied he, “I have become a turner.”
“A difficult business that; but what have you brought back with you from your travels?”
“A precious stick,” replied the son; “a stick in this sack.”
“What!” exclaimed the old man, “a stick! Well, that is worth the trouble! Why, you can cut one from every tree!”
“But not such a stick as this; for if I say, ‘Stick, out of the sack,’ it instantly jumps out, and executes such a dance upon the back of any one who would injure me, that at last he is beaten to the ground, crying for mercy. Do you see, with this stick I have got back again the wonderful table and the golden ass of which the thievish landlord robbed my brothers? Now, let them both be summoned home, and invite all your acquaintances, and I will not only give them plenty to eat and drink, but pocketfuls of money.”
The old Tailor would scarcely believe him; but, nevertheless, he called in his friends. Then the young Turner placed a table-cloth in the middle of the room, and led on the ass, saying to his brother, “Now, speak to him.”
The Miller called out “Bricklebrit!” and in a moment the gold pieces dropped down on the floor in a pelting shower; and so it continued until they had all so much that they could carry no more. (I fancy my readers would have been very happy to have been there too!!)
After this the table was fetched in, and the Joiner said, “Table, cover thyself;” and it was at once filled with the choicest dishes. Then they began such a meal as the Tailor had never had before in his house; and the whole company remained till late at night merry and jovial.
The next day the Tailor forsook needle and thread, and put them all away, with his measures and goose, in a cupboard, and for ever after lived happily and contentedly with his three sons.
But now I must tell you what became of the Goat, whose fault it was that the three brothers were driven away. It was so ashamed of its bald head that it ran into a Fox’s hole and hid itself. When the Fox came home he saw a pair of great eyes looking at him in the darkness, which so frightened him that he ran back, and presently met a Bear, who, perceiving how terrified Reynard appeared, said to him, “What is the matter, Brother Fox, that you make such a face?”
“Ah!” he replied, “in my hole sits a horrible beast, who glared at me with most fiery eyes.”
“Oh! we will soon drive it out,” said the Bear; and, going up to the hole, he peeped in himself; but, as soon as he saw the fiery eyes, he also turned tail, and would have nothing to do with the terrible beast, and so took to flight. On his way a Bee met him, and soon saw he could not feel much through his thick coat; and so she said, “You are making a very rueful face, Mr. Bear; pray, where have you left your merry one?”
“Why,” answered Bruin, “a great horrible beast has laid himself down in Reynard’s house, and glares there with such fearful eyes, we cannot drive him out.”
“Well, Mr. Bear,” said the Bee, “I am sorry for you; I am a poor creature whom you never notice, but yet I believe I can help you.”
So saying, she flew into the Fox’s hole, and, settling on the clean-shaved head of the Goat, stung it so dreadfully that the poor animal sprang up and ran madly off; and nobody knows to this hour where it ran to.
