* A Distributed Proofreaders Canada eBook *

This eBook is made available at no cost and with very few
restrictions. These restrictions apply only if (1) you make
a change in the eBook (other than alteration for different
display devices), or (2) you are making commercial use of
the eBook. If either of these conditions applies, please
contact an FP administrator before proceeding.

This work is in the Canadian public domain, but may be under
copyright in some countries. If you live outside Canada, check your
country's copyright laws. IF THE BOOK IS UNDER COPYRIGHT
IN YOUR COUNTRY, DO NOT DOWNLOAD OR REDISTRIBUTE THIS FILE.


Title: Grimm's Fairy Tales: The Jew in the Bush
Date of first publication: 1930
Author: Jacob Grimm (1785-1863)
Author: Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859)
Illustrator: Noel Pocock (1880-1955)
Date first posted: November 4 2012
Date last updated: November 4 2012
Faded Page eBook #20121106

This eBook was produced by: David Edwards, Donna M. Ritchey
& the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net

(This file was produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive/American Libraries.)




The Jew in the Bush


A farmer had a faithful and diligent servant, who had worked hard for
him three years, without having been paid any wages. At last it came
into the man's head that he would not go on thus without pay any longer;
so he went to his master, and said, "I have worked hard for you a long
time, I will trust to you to give me what I deserve to have for my
trouble." The farmer was a sad miser, and knew that his man was very
simple-hearted; so he took out threepence, and gave him for every year's
service a penny. The poor fellow thought it was a great deal of money to
have, and said to himself, "Why should I work hard, and live here on bad
fare any longer? I can now travel into the wide world, and make myself
merry." With that he put his money into his purse, and set out, roaming
over hill and valley.

As he jogged along over the fields, singing and dancing, a little dwarf
met him, and asked him what made him so merry. "Why, what should make me
down-hearted?" said he; "I am sound in health and rich in purse, what
should I care for? I have saved up my three years' earnings, and have it
all safe in my pocket." "How much may it come to?" said the little man.
"Full threepence," replied the countryman. "I wish you would give them
to me," said the other; "I am very poor." Then the man pitied him, and
gave him all he had; and the little dwarf said in return, "As you have
such a kind honest heart, I will grant you three wishes--one for each
penny; so choose whatever you like." Then the countryman rejoiced at his
good luck, and said, "I like many things better than money: first, I
will have a bow that will bring down everything I shoot at; secondly, a
fiddle that will set every one dancing that hears me play upon it; and
thirdly, I should like that every one should grant what I ask." The
dwarf said he should have his three wishes; so he gave him the bow and
fiddle, and went his way.

Our honest friend journeyed on his way too; and if he was merry before,
he was now ten times more so. He had not gone far before he met an old
Jew: close by them stood a tree, and on the topmost twig sat a thrush
singing away most joyfully. "Oh, what a pretty bird!" said the Jew; "I
would give a great deal of money to have such a one." "If that's all,"
said the countryman, "I will soon bring it down." Then he took up his
bow, and down fell the thrush into the bushes at the foot of the tree.
The Jew crept into the bush to find it; but directly he had got into the
middle, his companion took up his fiddle and played away, and the Jew
began to dance and spring about, capering higher and higher in the air.
The thorn soon began to tear his clothes till they all hung in rags
about him, and he himself was all scratched and wounded, so that the
blood ran down. "Oh, for heaven's sake!" cried the Jew, "master! master!
pray let the fiddle alone. What have I done to deserve this?" "Thou hast
shaved many a poor soul close enough," said the other; "thou art only
meeting thy reward:" so he played up another tune. Then the Jew began to
beg and promise, and offered money for his liberty: but he did not come
up to the musician's price for some time, and he danced him along
brisker and brisker, and the Jew bid higher and higher, till at last he
offered a round hundred of florins that he had in his purse, and had
just gained by cheating some poor fellow. When the countryman saw so
much money, he said, "I will agree to your proposal." So he took the
purse, put up his fiddle, and travelled on very well pleased with his
bargain.

[Illustration: "Then the man pitied him, and gave him all he had."]

Meanwhile the Jew crept out of the bush half-naked and a piteous plight,
and began to ponder how he should take his revenge, and serve his late
companion some trick. At last he went to the judge, and complained that
a rascal had robbed him of his money, and beaten him into the bargain;
and that the fellow who did it carried a bow at his back and a fiddle
hung round his neck. Then the judge sent out his officers to bring up
the accused wherever they should find him; and he was soon caught and
brought up to be tried.

The Jew began to tell his tale, and said he had been robbed of his
money. "No, you gave it me for playing a tune to you," said the
countryman; but the judge told him that was not likely, and cut the
matter short by ordering him off to the gallows.

So away he was taken; but as he stood on the steps he said, "My Lord
Judge, grant me one last request." "Anything but thy life," replied the
other. "No," said he, "I do not ask my life; only let me play upon my
fiddle for the last time." The Jew cried out, "Oh, no! no! for heaven's
sake don't listen to him! don't listen to him!" But the judge said, "It
is only for this once, he will soon have done." The fact was, he could
not refuse the request, on account of the dwarf's third gift.

Then the Jew said, "Bind me fast, bind me fast, for pity's sake." But
the countryman seized his fiddle, and struck up a tune, and at the first
note judge, clerks, and jailer, were in motion; all began capering, and
no one could hold the Jew. At the second note the hangman let his
prisoner go, and danced also, and by the time he had played the first
bar of the tune, all were dancing together--judge, court, and Jew, and
all the people who had followed to look on. At first the thing was merry
and pleasant enough; but when it had gone on a while, and there seemed
to be no end of playing or dancing, they began to cry out and beg him to
leave off; but he stopt not a whit the more for their entreaties, till
the judge not only gave him his life, but promised to return him the
hundred florins.

Then he called to the Jew, and said, "Tell us now, you vagabond, where
you got that gold, or I shall play on for your amusement only." "I stole
it," said the Jew in the presence of all the people; "I acknowledge that
I stole it, and that you earned it fairly." Then the countryman stopt
his fiddle, and left the Jew to take his place at the gallows.


[The end of _Grimm's Fairy Tales; The Jew in the Bush_ by the Brothers
Grimm]