II.

Jonek was the chief groomsman at the wedding of Sophy with Linnet. He was dressed in richer clothes than any one else present, and he gave plenty of money to the musicians. From that day he took the lead in the public-houses; often treated the whole village, and every holiday time paid the musicians like a gentleman. Sometimes he would play on the willow pipe, and all who heard it would dance joyfully the whole night through.

But Jonek was not satisfied with being rich. He wished to know what would happen to him in the future. He took the fern-flower from his pocket, and said to it,

66 Tell me, show me, oh flower!

What will become of thy Jonek?"

And he heard a voice from underground, saying in reply,

"Thou wilt be hanged:

Thy legs, cold and stiff, will shake in the wind."

"Confound it!" cried Jonek angrily, "I shall not be hanged, for I have done nothing to deserve it." And he laughed at the idea; but at night, though half tipsy, he could not sleep for fear.

Jonek enjoyed himself, however, for a long time before he began to think seriously of the future. His pockets were now empty: the attempt to obtain the fern-flower a second time by the same person was impossible; and he had no more money. This troubled him very much. The Easter holidays were approaching, and all the young men in the village asked Jonek to engage the musicians early; while Jonek had not even a penny left to pay them with. Unable to sleep, he pondered on his troubles, and he then recollected that with the help of the fern-flower he could discover hidden treasures, as he had done before when he had found gold under the ruins of an old castle. He therefore rubbed the fern-flower again, and in a vision saw a gentleman in his garden, and in that garden he also saw a brass box full of treasure, buried six feet under an apple tree. Jonek got up, ran quickly to the garden, and began to dig. He had already dug out the heavy box, and was about to push it over the wall, when the owner awoke, and hearing the thief, rushed out of the house and stopped him. But Jonek, greedy of gold, and fearing discovery, struck him with the spade on the head, and killed him on the spot.

At the cries of their dying master, the servants came running out of the house, seized the murderer, and delivered him up to justice.

Six months afterwards Jonek was hanged in the market-place of a neighbouring town. Such was the reward for his greed of gold, and his desire to know the future.

The wind blew hard, the voice of the enchanted pipe was no longer heard, yet the stiff, cold legs of Jonek swung and shook in the wind as if he were about to dance.

THE MAIDEN WHO WAS SWIFTER

THAN THE HORSE.

(FROM THE SERVIAN.)

THERE was once a maiden who had neither father nor mother, for the Vilas had formed her out of snow, brought at midsummer, on St. Elias's day, from a bottomless cleft in the rock. The wind had fanned her into life, the dew had nourished her, the forest had clothed her with its leaves, and the meadows adorned her with their flowers. She was whiter than the snow, rosier than the rose, brighter than the sun, and more beautiful than any maiden who had ever been upon the earth, or ever will be again.

This virgin let it be known throughout the wide world that on a certain day, in a certain place, a race would be run; and that whatever youth, riding on horseback, should overtake her, would win her. This news spread in a few days throughout the whole world,

and thousands of suitors came together, all mounted on such splendid steeds that you would not know how to say which one was handsomer or better than the other. Even the son of the czar came to the race. The suitors drew themselves up in a line, all on horseback, side by side, but the virgin took her place on foot in the middle of them. Then she spoke,

66

There, at the winning-post, I have set up a golden apple. If any one among you can reach it before me and take it, I will be his; but should I be first at the goal and take the apple, know ye that all who run against me will sink dead on the earth. Think well, therefore, what ye do."

But the riders were as if enchanted; each one hoped. to win the maiden, and they said one to the other,

"It is clear at the outset that this maiden, on foot, will never be able to outrun any of us, but that that one among us whom God and good fortune shall bless, will bear her home."

Then, as the maiden clapped her hands together, they all sprang forward on the course. By the time they had run half the distance the maiden had already outstripped them by a long way, for she had unfolded small wings from below her shoulders. Then the riders shouted to each other, and spurred and whipped their horses until they overtook her.