"I
can do better than that," said the youth, and went to the other anvil. The
old man placed himself near and wanted to look on, and his white beard
hung down. Then the youth seized the axe, split the anvil with one blow,
and struck the old man's beard in with it. "Now I have thee," said the
youth. "Now it is thou who will have to die." Then he seized an iron
bar and beat the old man till he moaned and entreated him to stop, and
he would give him great riches. The youth drew out the axe and let him
go. The old man led him back into the castle, and in a cellar showed
him three chests full of gold. "Of these," said he, "one part is for
the poor, the other for the king, the third is thine." In the meantime
it struck twelve, and the spirit disappeared; the youth, therefore, was
left in darkness. "I shall still be able to find my way out," said he,
and felt about, found the way into the room, and slept there by his
fire. Next morning the King came and said "Now thou must have learnt
what shuddering is?" "No," he answered; "what can it be? My dead cousin
was here, and a bearded man came and showed me a great deal of money down
below, but no one told me what it was to shudder.
Pages:
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51