76 lines
4.9 KiB
Plaintext
76 lines
4.9 KiB
Plaintext
THE MAGIC TINDERBOX
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Once upon a time . . . a brave soldier returned from the wars. In spite of
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his courage, his pockets were empty and hls only possession was his sword. As
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he walked through a forest, he met a witch, who said to him: "I say, good
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soldier, would you like to earn a bag of money?"
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"Money? I'd do anything for money . . ."
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"Good!" went on the witch. "It won't be difficult, you'll see! All you have
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to do is go down that hollow tree till you reach a cave. There, you'll find
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three doorways. When you open the first door, you'll see a big dog with eyes
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like saucers, guarding a large chest of copper coins. Behind the second door
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lies a treasure of silver coins, guarded by a dog with eyes the size of mill
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stones. When you open the third door, you'll come upon another dog, with eyes
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the size of a castle tower, beside a treasure of gold. Now, if you lay this
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old apron of mine before these dogs, they'll crouch on it and do you no harm.
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You'll be able to carry away all the coins you want. What do think of that?"
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However, the soldier suspiciously asked: "What do you want in return?"
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"Just bring me back an old tinderbox my grandfather left down there, long
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ago!"
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So the young soldier tied a rope round his waist and, not forgetting his
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trusty sword, he lowered himself into the hollow tree. To his great surprise,
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he found the three doorways and the three dogs, just as the witch had said.
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Soon he was back, his pockets bulging with coins, but before he handed the
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tinderbox to the old witch, he asked her: "What do you want it for?"
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The witch hurled herself at the soldier, screaming: "Give it to me! Give it
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to me at once, or else . . .", as she tried to scratch him. When the witch
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attacked him, the soldier exclaimed: "Aha! So this is the thanks I get! Now
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I'll show you!"
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He undid the rope from around his waist and tied up the old woman. Then
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away he went, whistling cheerfully.
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When he reached the town, he said to himself: "Now I can feast as much as I
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like - at last!"
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After years of scrimping on a miserable pay, with his sudden wealth, the
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soldier felt like a prince. He bought a new pair of boots and he went to the
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best tailor in the town. Some days later, he was clad in a fine new uniform
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and people turned in the street to admire him. Lavish with his money, the
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soldier was surrounded by folk quick to tell him how to spend his coins, and
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it all went on a round of dances, fine carriages, theatres and, most of all,
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on drinking sprees. Of course, his money soon ran out and when this happened,
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his "friends" vanished. When the innkeeper discovered that the soldier could
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no longer pay his board, he rudely put him out. So the poor soldier ended up
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in a garret and every day he had to draw in his belt a little more. All the
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fun was over.
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One evening, he realized he had never used the old witch's tinderbox. So he
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rubbed it, and as it sparked, the dog with the eyes like saucers suddenly
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appeared.
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"Tell me your wish, sir," it said.
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". . . bring me heaps of money!" gasped the soldier in amazement. A second
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later, the dog was back with a bag of coins. Every time he rubbed the
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tinderbox, the dog brought him more money. Then when he rubbed it quickly
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twice in succession, the dog with eyes like mill stones stood before him,
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carrying silver coins. And when the soldier rubbed the tinderbox three times
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in a row, the third dog came carrying gold. Rich all over again, the soldier
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chose the best hotel in the town and went back to leading the life of a fine
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gentleman.
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The soldier was told that the King would not allow anyone to meet his
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beatufil daughter, for he believed in a saying that the Princess's destiny was
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to marry a slmple soldler. That evening, the soldier rubbed the tinderbox.
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"Bring me the Princess," was his new order. Immediately the dog returned
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with the beautiful Princess, fast asleep. The soldier kissed her. Next
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morning, the girl told her parents that she had had a dream. But the Queen,
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suspiciously ordered one of the ladies-in-waiting to guard her daughter day
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and night. The dog was seen when it came next evening and the alarm raised.
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The king's guards followed the dog and the soldier was arrested at dawn.
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The King's revenge was terrible: the soldier was to be hanged!
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In a dark prison, the soldier calmly awaited his fate. When the day of
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execution came, a mob crushed round the scaffold.
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The soldier asked if he could smoke his pipe, and placed it between his
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lips, as he rubbed the tinderbox over and over again. In a flash, the three
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dogs appeared with gaping jaws and bloodshot eyes. At the soldier's sharp
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command, they leapt on the guards and the crowd cheered in delight.
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Awestruck at this magic feat, the King bowed his head and whispered to the
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Queen. "The saying is true!" he said. A little while after, the young soldier
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married the Princess and the tinderbox was rubbed and rubbed, but this time to
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invite the three dogs to the splendid wedding. I
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