But the Lord said he was to go down into the cellar, for the best wine was still there. For a long time he would not believe this, but at length he said, well, I will go down, but I know that there is none there. When he turned the tap, however, lo and behold, the best of wine ran out. So he took it to them, and the two passed the night there. Early next day our Lord told gambling Hansel that he might beg three favors. The Lord expected that he would ask to go to heaven, but gambling Hansel asked for a pack of cards with which he could win everything, for dice with which he would win everything, and for a tree whereon every kind of fruit would grow, and from which no one who had climbed up, could descend until he bade him do so. The Lord gave him all that he had asked, and departed with St. Peter.
And now gambling Hansel at once set about gambling in real earnest, and before long he had gained half the world. Upon this St. Peter said to the Lord, Lord, this thing must not go on, at last he will win the whole world. We must send death to him.
And they sent death to him. When death appeared, gambling Hansel had just seated himself at the gaming-table, and death said, Hansel, come out a while. But gambling Hansel said, just wait a little until the game is done, and in the meantime get up into that tree out there, and gather a little fruit that we may have something to munch on our way. Thereupon death climbed up, but when he wanted to come down again, he could not, and gambling Hansel left him up there for seven years, during which time no one died.
So St. Peter said to the Lord, Lord, this thing must not go on.
People no longer die, we must go ourselves. And they went themselves, and the Lord commanded Hansel to let death come down.
So Hansel went at once to death and said to him, come down, and death took him directly and put an end to him. They went away together and came to the next world, and then gambling Hansel made straight for the door of heaven, and knocked at it.
Who is there. Gambling Hansel. Ah, we will have nothing to do with him. Begone. So he went to the door of purgatory, and knocked once more. Who is there. Gambling Hansel. Ah, there is quite enough weeping and wailing here without him. We do not want to gamble, just go away again. Then he went to the door of hell, and there they let him in. There was, however, no one at home but old lucifer and the crooked devils - the straight ones were just busy in the world. And no sooner was Hansel there than he sat down to gamble again. Lucifer, however, had nothing to lose, but his mis-shapen devils, and gambling Hansel won them from him, as with his cards he could not fail to do. And now he was off again with his crooked devils, and they went to hohenfurt and pulled up a hop-pole, and with it went to heaven and began to thrust the pole against it, and heaven began to crack. So again St. Peter said, Lord, this thing cannot go on, we must let him in, or he will overthrow the whole heaven. And they let him in.
But gambling Hansel instantly began to play again, and there was such a noise and confusion that there was no hearing what they themselves were saying. Therefore St. Peter once more said, Lord, this cannot go on, we must throw him down, or he will make all heaven rebellious. So they went to him at once, and threw him down, and his soul broke into fragments, and went into the gambling vagabonds who are living this very day.
The fox once came to a meadow in which sat a flock of fine fat geese, on which he smiled and said, I come in the nick of time, you are sitting together quite beautifully, so that I can eat you up one after the other. The geese cackled with terror, sprang up, and began to wail and beg piteously for their lives. But the fox would listen to nothing, and said, there is no mercy to be had. You must die. At length one of them took heart and said, if we poor geese are to yield up our lives, show us the only possible favor and allow us one more prayer, that we may not die in our sins, and then we will place ourselves in a row, so that you can always pick yourself out the fattest. Yes, said the fox, that is reasonable, and a pious request. Pray away, I will wait till you are done. Then the first began a good long prayer, for ever saying, ga, ga, and as she would make no end, the second did not wait until her turn came, but began also, ga, ga. The third and fourth followed her, and soon they were all cackling together.
When they have done praying, the story shall be continued further, but at present they are still praying unceasingly.
In olden times, when the Lord himself still used to walk about on this earth amongst men, it once happened that he was tired and overtaken by the darkness before he could reach an inn. Now there stood on the road before him two houses facing each other, the one large and beautiful, the other small and poor. The large one belonged to a rich man, and the small one to a poor man.
Then the Lord thought, I shall be no burden to the rich man.
I will stay the night with him. Then the rich man heard someone knocking at his door, he opened the window and asked the stranger what he wanted. The Lord answered, I only ask for a night's lodging.
Then the rich man looked at the traveler from head to foot, and as the Lord was wearing common clothes, and did not look like one who had much money in his pocket, he shook his head, and said, no, I cannot take you in, my rooms are full of herbs and seeds. And if I were to lodge everyone who knocked at my door, I might very soon go begging myself. Go somewhere else for a lodging, and with this he shut down the window and left the Lord standing there.
So the Lord turned his back on the rich man, and went across to the small house and knocked. He had hardly done so when the poor man opened the little door and bade the traveler come in. Pass the night with me, it is already dark, said he.
You cannot go any further to-night. This pleased the Lord, and he went in. The poor man's wife shook hands with him, and welcomed him, and said he was to make himself at home and put up with what they had got.
