Wise Folks

One day a farmer took his hailstones out of the corner and said to his wife, 'Trine, I'm going overland now and won't be back for three days. If the cattle dealer comes to us in that time and wants to buy our three cows, you can get rid of them, but not for anything other than two hundred thalers, not for less, you hear.' 'Just go in God's name,' replied the wife, 'I will do it.' 'Yes, you!' said the man, 'you fell on your head once when you were a little child, and that hangs over you to this hour. But I tell you, if you do stupid things, I'll paint your back blue, and that without paint, just with the stick I have in my hand, and the paint shall last a whole year, you can count on that.' With that, the man went his way.
The next morning the cattle dealer came, and the woman did not have to say much to him. When he had seen the cows and heard the price, he said, "I'll gladly give it, that's how much they are worth among brothers. I want to take the animals right away'. He unchained them and drove them out of the stable. As he was about to go out to the courtyard gate, the woman grabbed him by the sleeve and said, 'You must first give me the two hundred thalers, otherwise I cannot let you go. That's right,' the man replied, 'I just forgot to put on my money belt. But don't worry, you shall have security until I pay. I'll take two cows with me and leave you the third, so you'll have a good deposit.'

This made sense to the woman, she let the man leave with his cows and thought 'how happy Hans will be when he sees that I have done it so cleverly'. The farmer came home the third day, as he had said, and immediately asked if the cows had been sold. Of course, dear Hans,' the woman answered, 'and as you said, for two hundred thalers. They are hardly worth that much, but the man took them without argument.' 'Where is the money?' asked the farmer. 'I don't have the money,' answered the woman, 'he had just forgotten his money-cat, but will soon bring it; he has left me a good pledge.' 'What pledge?' asked the man. 'One of the three cows, he won't get it until he has paid the others. I did it wisely, I kept back the smallest one, which eats the least.' The man became angry, raised his stick high in the air and wanted to give her the promised coat of paint with it. Suddenly he lowered it and said 'you are the dumbest goose wiggling around on God's earth, but you last me. I will go to the country road and wait for three days, if I find someone who is even more stupid than you are. If I am successful, you shall be free, but if I do not find him, you shall receive your well-deserved wages without deduction'.

He went out into the big street, sat down on a stone and waited for things to come. Then he saw a cart approaching, and a woman was standing in the middle of it, instead of sitting on the bundle of straw that was lying there, or walking beside the oxen and guiding them. The man thought, 'That's the kind of woman you're looking for,' and jumped up and ran back and forth in front of the cart like someone who is not quite clever. What do you want," said the woman to him, "I don't know you, where do you come from?" "I have fallen from heaven," answered the man, "and I don't know how to get there again; can't you drive me up?" "No," said the woman, "I don't know the way. But if you come from heaven, you can tell me how my husband is, who has been there for three years: You have certainly seen him?' 'I have seen him all right, but all men cannot be well. He tends the sheep, and the dear cattle give him a lot of trouble; they jump up the mountains and get lost in the wilderness, and there he has to run after them and round them up again. He is also torn and his clothes will soon fall off his body. There are no tailors there, St. Peter doesn't let anyone in, as you know from the fairy tale.' Who would have thought it!' cried the woman, 'you know what? I will get his Sunday skirt, which is still hanging in the closet at home, and he can wear it there with honor. You will be so good as to take it with you.' 'That won't do,' replied the peasant, 'you can't take clothes to heaven, they will be taken from you at the gate. 'Listen to me,' said the woman, 'I sold my beautiful wheat yesterday and got a handsome sum for it, I will send it to him. If you put the bag in your pocket, no one will notice.' 'It can't be helped,' replied the peasant, 'so I will do you the favor.' 'Just sit there,' she said, 'I will go home and get the bag; I will be back soon. I won't sit on the bundle of straw, but stand on the wagon, so it's easier for the cattle.' She drove her oxen, and the farmer thought, 'she has a tendency to foolishness; if she really brings the money, my wife will be lucky, because she won't get a beating'. It was not long before she came running, brought the money and put it in his pocket herself. Before she left, she thanked him a thousand times for his kindness.

When the woman returned home, she found her son who had returned from the field. She told him what unexpected things she had learned and then added, "I am quite happy that I have found the opportunity to send something to my poor husband, who would have imagined that he would be lacking something in heaven? The son was in the greatest amazement, "Mother," he said, "such a one from heaven does not come every day, I want to go out right away and see that I still find the man: he must tell me how things are there and how the work is going. He saddled the horse and rode off in all haste. He found the farmer sitting under a willow tree and wanted to count the money that was in the bag. Didn't you see the man who came from heaven?' 'Yes,' answered the farmer, 'he has gone back and gone up the mountain from where he is closer. You can still catch him if you ride sharply.' 'Ah,' said the boy, 'I've been washing off all day, and the ride here has made me fully tired: You know the man, be so good as to sit on my horse and persuade him to come here.' 'Aha,' said the farmer, 'that is also one who has no roof in his lamp.' Why should I not do you the favor?" he said, mounted and rode away at the strongest trot. The boy remained seated until night fell, but the farmer did not return. Surely," he thought, "the man from heaven was in a great hurry and did not want to turn back, and the farmer gave him the horse to bring to my father. He went home and told his mother what had happened: he had sent the horse to his father so that he would not always have to walk around. You have done well,' she replied, 'you still have young legs and can walk.

When the farmer had come home, he put the horse in the stable next to the pawned cow, then went to his wife and said 'Trine, that was your luck, I have found two even more simple-minded fools than you: this time you will get away without a beating, I will save them for another occasion'. Then he lit his pipe, sat down in his grandfather's chair and spoke 'that was a good deal, for two lean cows a smooth horse and a big bag of money to boot.' If stupidity always brought in so much, I would gladly cherish it.' So the farmer thought, but you certainly prefer the simple-minded ones.