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19 - Folk Tales Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright Mabie · Folk Tales Every Child Should Know

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  Speaker 1: Chapter eighteen of Folk Tales Every Child Should Know. This
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  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
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  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Recording by Jennifer Dore. Folk Tales Every
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  Speaker 1: Child Should Know, edited by Hamilton Write Maybe Chapter eighteen
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  Speaker 1: Hans who made the Princess Laugh? From the Norwegian tale
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  Speaker 1: of Peter Christian as Bjornsen. Once upon a time there
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  Speaker 1: was a king who had a daughter, and she was
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  Speaker 1: so lovely that the reports of her beauty went far
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  Speaker 1: and wide. But she was so melancholy that she never laughed.
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  Speaker 1: And besides, she was so grand and proud that she
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  Speaker 1: said no to all who came to woo her. She
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  Speaker 1: would not have any of them, were they ever so fine,
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  Speaker 1: whether they were princes or noblemen. The king was tired
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  Speaker 1: of this whim of hers long ago, and thought she
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  Speaker 1: ought to get me like other people. There was nothing
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  Speaker 1: she need wait, for she was old enough, and she
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  Speaker 1: would not be any richer either, for she was to
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  Speaker 1: have half the kingdom, which she inherited after her mother.
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  Speaker 1: So he made known every Sunday after the service from
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  Speaker 1: the steps outside the church that he that could make
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  Speaker 1: his daughter laugh should have both her and half the kingdom.
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  Speaker 1: But if there were any one who tried and could
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  Speaker 1: not make her laugh, he would have three red stripes
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  Speaker 1: cut out of his back and salt rubbed into them.
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  Speaker 1: And sad to relate, there were many sore backs in
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  Speaker 1: that kingdom. Lovers from south and from north, from east
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  Speaker 1: and from west came to try their luck. They thought
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  Speaker 1: it was an easy thing to make a princess laugh.
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  Speaker 1: They were a queer lot altogether. But for all their cleverness,
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  Speaker 1: and for all the tricks and pranks they played, the
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  Speaker 1: princess was just as serious and immovable as ever. But
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  Speaker 1: close to the palace lived a man who had three sons,
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  Speaker 1: and they had also heard that the king had made
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  Speaker 1: known that he who could make the princess laugh should
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  Speaker 1: have her and half the kingdom. The eldest of the
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  Speaker 1: brothers wanted to try first, and away he went, And
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  Speaker 1: when he came to the palace he told the King
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  Speaker 1: he wouldn't mind trying to make the princess laugh. Yes, yes,
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  Speaker 1: that's all very well, said the king. But I'm afraid
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  Speaker 1: it's of very little use, my man. There have been
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  Speaker 1: many here to try their luck. But my daughter is
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  Speaker 1: just as sad, and I'm afraid it is no good trying.
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  Speaker 1: I do not like to see any more suffer on
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  Speaker 1: that account. But the lad thought he would try anyhow.
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  Speaker 1: It couldn't be such a difficult thing to make a
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  Speaker 1: princess laugh at him, for had not everybody, both grand
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  Speaker 1: and simple, laughed so many a time at him when
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  Speaker 1: he served as soldier and went through his drill under
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  Speaker 1: Sergeant Nills. So he went out on the terrace outside
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  Speaker 1: the princess's windows and began drilling, just as if Sergeant
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  Speaker 1: Nils himself were there, but all in vain. The princess
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  Speaker 1: sat just as serious and immovable as before, And so
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  Speaker 1: they took him and cut three broad red stripes out
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  Speaker 1: of his back and sent him home. He had no
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  Speaker 1: sooner arrived home than his second brother wanted to set
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  Speaker 1: out and try his luck. He was a schoolmaster and
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  Speaker 1: a funny figure he was. Altogether. He had one leg
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  Speaker 1: shorter than the other, and limped terribly when he walked.
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  Speaker 1: One moment he was no bigger than a boy, But
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  Speaker 1: the next moment, when he raised himself up on his
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  Speaker 1: long leg, he was as big and tall as a giant,
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  Speaker 1: and besides he was great at preaching. When he came
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  Speaker 1: to the palace and said that he wanted to make
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  Speaker 1: the princess laugh, the King thought it was not so
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  Speaker 1: unlikely that he might. But I pity you if you
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  Speaker 1: don't succeed, said the king, for we cut the stripes
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  Speaker 1: broader and broader for every one that tries. So the
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  Speaker 1: schoolmaster went out on the terrace and took his place
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  Speaker 1: outside the princess's window, where he began preaching and chanting,
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  Speaker 1: imitating seven of the parsons, and reading and singing just
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  Speaker 1: like seven of the clerks whom they had had in
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  Speaker 1: the parish. The King laughed at the schoolmaster till he
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  Speaker 1: was obliged to hold on to the door post. And
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  Speaker 1: the princess was just on the point of smiling, but
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  Speaker 1: suddenly she was as sad and immovable as ever. And
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  Speaker 1: so it fared no better with Paul the schoolmaster than
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  Speaker 1: with Peter the soldier, for Peter and Paul were their names,
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  Speaker 1: you must know. So they took Paul and cut three
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  Speaker 1: red stripes out of his back, put salt into them,
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  Speaker 1: and sent him home again. Well, the youngest brother thought
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  Speaker 1: he would have a try next. His name was Hans,
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  Speaker 1: but the brothers laughed and made fun of him and
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  Speaker 1: showed him their sore backs. Besides, the father would not
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  Speaker 1: give him leave to go, for he said it was
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  Speaker 1: no use his trying, who had so little sense. All
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  Speaker 1: he could do was to sit in a corner on
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  Speaker 1: the hearth like a cat, rooting about in the ashes
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  Speaker 1: and cutting chips. But Hans would not give in. He
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  Speaker 1: begged and prayed so long till they got tired of
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  Speaker 1: his whimpering, and so he got leave to go to
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  Speaker 1: the king's palace and try his luck. When he arrived
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  Speaker 1: at the palace, he did not say he had come
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  Speaker 1: to try to make the princess laugh, but asked if
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  Speaker 1: he could get a situation there. No, they had no
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  Speaker 1: situation for him. But Hans was not so easily put off.
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  Speaker 1: They might want one to carry wood and water for
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  Speaker 1: the kitchen maid in such a big place as that.
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  Speaker 1: He said yes. The King thought so too, and to
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  Speaker 1: get rid of the lad he gave him leave to
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  Speaker 1: remain there and carry wood and water for the kitchen maid.
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  Speaker 1: One day, when he was going to fetch water from
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  Speaker 1: the brook, he saw a big fish in the water
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  Speaker 1: just under an old root of a fir tree, which
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  Speaker 1: the current had carried all the soil away from. He
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  Speaker 1: put his bucket quietly under the fish and caught it.
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  Speaker 1: As he was going home to the palace, he met
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  Speaker 1: an old woman leading a golden goose. Good day, grandmother, said, Hans,
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  Speaker 1: that's a fine bird you have got there, and such
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  Speaker 1: splendid feathers too. He shines a long way off. If
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  Speaker 1: one had such feathers, one needn't be chopping firewood. The
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  Speaker 1: woman thought just as much of the fish which Hans
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  Speaker 1: had in the bucket, and said, if Hans would give
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  Speaker 1: her the fish, he should have the golden goose. And
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  Speaker 1: this goose was such that if anyone touched it, he
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  Speaker 1: would be sticking fast to it. If he only said,
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  Speaker 1: if you'll come along, then hang on, Yes, Hans would
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  Speaker 1: willingly exchange on those terms. A bird is as good
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  Speaker 1: as a fish any day, he said to himself. If
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  Speaker 1: it is as you say, I might use it instead
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  Speaker 1: of a fish hook, he said to the woman, and
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  Speaker 1: felt greatly pleased with the possession of the goose. He
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  Speaker 1: had not gone far before he met another old woman.
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  Speaker 1: When she saw the splendid golden goose, she must go
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  Speaker 1: and stroke it. She made herself so friendly and spoke
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  Speaker 1: so nicely to Hans, and asked him to let her
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  Speaker 1: stroke that lovely golden goose of his. Oh yes, said Hans,
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  Speaker 1: but you mustn't pluck off any of its feathers. Just
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  Speaker 1: as she stroked the bird, Hans said, if you'll come along,
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  Speaker 1: then hang on. The woman pulled and tore, but she
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  Speaker 1: had to hang on, whether she would or no, And
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  Speaker 1: Hans walked on as if he only had the goose
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  Speaker 1: with him. When he had gone some distance, he met
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  Speaker 1: a man who had a spite against the woman for
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  Speaker 1: tricks she had played upon him. When he saw that
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  Speaker 1: she fought so hard to get free, and seemed to
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  Speaker 1: hang on so fast, he thought he might safely venture
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  Speaker 1: to pay her off for the grudge he owed her,
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  Speaker 1: and so he gave her a kick. If you'll come along,
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  Speaker 1: then hang on, said Hans. And the man had to
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  Speaker 1: hang on and limp along on one leg, whether he
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  Speaker 1: would or no. And when he tried to tear himself loose,
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  Speaker 1: he made it still worse for himself, for he was
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  Speaker 1: very nearly falling on his back whenever he struggled to
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  Speaker 1: get free. So on they went till they came in
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  Speaker 1: the neighborhood of the palace. There they met the king's smith.
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  Speaker 1: He was on his way to the smithy and had
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  Speaker 1: a large pair of tongs in his hand. This smith
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  Speaker 1: was a merry fellow and was always full of mad
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  Speaker 1: pranks and tricks. And when he saw this procession coming,
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  Speaker 1: jumping and limping along, he began laughing till he was
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  Speaker 1: bent in too. But suddenly he said, this must be
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  Speaker 1: a new flock of geese for the princess. But who
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  Speaker 1: can tell which is goose and which is gander? I
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  Speaker 1: suppose it must be the gander toddling on in front. Goosey, Goosey,
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  Speaker 1: he called, and pretended to be strewing corn out of
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  Speaker 1: his hands, as when feeding geese. But they did not stop.
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  Speaker 1: The woman and the man only looked in great rage
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  Speaker 1: at the smith for making game of them. So said
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  Speaker 1: the smith, it would be great fun to see if
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  Speaker 1: I could stop the whole flock, many as they are.
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  Speaker 1: He was a strong man and seized the old man
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  Speaker 1: with his tongs from behind and his trousers. And the
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  Speaker 1: man shouted and struggled hard, But Hans said, if you'll
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  Speaker 1: come along, then hang on and so the smith had
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  Speaker 1: to hang on too. He bent his back and stuck
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  Speaker 1: his heels in the ground when they went up a hill,
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  Speaker 1: and tried to get away, but it was of no use.
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  Speaker 1: He stuck on to the other as if he had
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  Speaker 1: been screwed fast in the great vice in the smithy,
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  Speaker 1: And whether he liked it or not, he had to
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  Speaker 1: dance along with the others. When they came near the palace,
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  Speaker 1: the farm dog ran against them and barked at them
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  Speaker 1: as if they were a gang of tramps. And when
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  Speaker 1: the princess came to look out of her window to
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  Speaker 1: see what was the matter, and saw this procession, she
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  Speaker 1: burst out laughing. But Hans was not satisfied with that.
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  Speaker 1: Just wait a bit and she will laugh still louder,
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  Speaker 1: very soon, he said, and made a tour round the
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  Speaker 1: palace with his followers. When they came past the kitchen,
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  Speaker 1: the door was open and the cook was just boiling porridge.
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  Speaker 1: But when she saw Hans and his train after him,
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  Speaker 1: she rushed out of the door with the porridge stick
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  Speaker 1: in one hand and a big ladleful of boiling porridge
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  Speaker 1: in the other, and she laughed till her side shook.
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  Speaker 1: But when she saw the smith there as well. She
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  Speaker 1: thought she would have burst with laughter when she had
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  Speaker 1: had a regular good laugh. She looked at the golden
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  Speaker 1: goose again and thought it was so lovely that she
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  Speaker 1: must stroke it. Hans, Hans, she cried and ran after
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  Speaker 1: him with the ladle in her hand. Just let me
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  Speaker 1: stroke that lovely bird of yours, rather let her stroke me,
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  Speaker 1: said the smith. Very well, said Hans. But when the
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  Speaker 1: cook heard this, she got very angry. What is it
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  Speaker 1: you say? She cried, and gave the smith a smack
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  Speaker 1: with the ladle. If you'll come along, then hang on,
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  Speaker 1: said Hans. And so she stuck fast to the others too,
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  Speaker 1: and for all her scolding and all her tearing and pulling,
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  Speaker 1: she had to limp along with them. And when they
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  Speaker 1: came past the princess's window again, she was still there
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  Speaker 1: waiting for them. But when she saw that they had
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  Speaker 1: got hold of the cook too with the ladle and
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  Speaker 1: porge stick, she laughed till the king had to hold
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  Speaker 1: her up. So Hans got the princess and half the kingdom,
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  Speaker 1: and they had a wedding which was heard of far
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  Speaker 1: and wide. End of Chapter eighteen. Hans, who made the
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  Speaker 1: princess laugh,