Many a time he thought he had found it, but then it seemed to him to be, after all, too little. Then it came into his mind, what an easy life his wife had, for she stayed at home in a cool room and enjoyed herself. This really did vex him, and before he was aware, he said, I just wish she was sitting there on this saddle, and could not get off it, instead of my having to drag it along on my back. And as the last word was spoken, the saddle disappeared from his back, and he saw that his second wish had been fulfilled. Then he really did feel hot. He began to run and wanted to be quite alone in his own room at home, to think of something really big for his last wish. But when he arrived there and opened the parlor-door, he saw his wife sitting in the middle of the room on the saddle, crying and complaining, and quite unable to get off it. So he said, do bear it, and I will wish for all the riches on earth for you, only stay where you are. She, however, called him a fool, and said, what good will all the riches on earth do me, if I am to sit on this saddle. You have wished me on it, so you must help me off. So whether he would or not, he was forced to let his third wish be that she should be quit of the saddle, and able to get off it, and immediately the wish was fulfilled. So he got nothing by it but vexation, trouble, abuse, and the loss of his horse. But the poor people lived contentedly, quietly, and piously until their happy death.
Once upon a time lived a peasant and his wife, and the parson of the village had a fancy for the wife, and had wished for a long while to spend a whole day happily with her. The peasant woman, too, was quite willing. One day, therefore, he said to the woman, listen, my dear friend, I have now thought of a way by which we can for once spend a whole day happily together.
I'll tell you what. On wednesday, you must take to your bed, and tell your husband you are ill, and as long as you complain and act being ill properly, and go on doing so until sunday when Ihave to preach, I will then say in my sermon that whosoever has at home a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father, a sick mother, a sick brother or whosoever else it may be, and makes a pilgrimage to the gockerli hill in italy, where you can get a peck of laurel-leaves for a kreuzer, the sick child, the sick husband, the sick wife, the sick father, or sick mother, the sick sister, or whosoever else it may be, will be restored to health immediately.
I will manage it, said the woman promptly. On the wednesday, therefore, the peasant woman took to her bed, and complained and lamented as agreed on, and her husband did everything for her that he could think of, but nothing did her any good, and when sunday came the woman said, I feel as ill as if I were going to die at once, but there is one thing I should like to do before my end - I should like to hear the parson's sermon that he is going to preach to-day. On that the peasant said, ah, my child, do not do it - you might make yourself worse if you were to get up. Look, I will hear the sermon, and will attend to it very carefully, and will tell you everything the parson says.
Well, said the woman, go, then, and pay great attention, and repeat to me all that you hear. So the peasant heard the sermon, and the parson said, if any one had at home a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father a sick mother, a sick sister, brother or any one else, and would make a pilgimage to the gockerli hill in italy, where a peck of laurel-leaves costs a kreuzer, the sick child, sick husband, sick wife, sick father, sick mother, sick sister, brother, or whosoever else it might be, would be restored to health instantly, and whosoever wished to undertake the journey was to go to him after the service was over, and he would give him the sack for the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer. Then no one was more rejoiced than the peasant, and after the service was over, he went at once to the parson, who gave him the bag for the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer.
After that he went home, and even at the house door he cried, hurrah. Dear wife, it is now almost the same thing as if you were well. The parson has preached to-day that whosoever had at home a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father, a sick mother, a sick sister, brother or whoever it might be, and would make a pilgrimage to the gockerli hill in italy, where a peck of laurel-leaves costs a kreuzer, the sick child, sick husband, sick wife, sick father, sick mother, sick sister, brother, or whosoever else it was, would be cured immediately, and now Ihave already got the bag and the kreuzer from the parson, and will at once begin my journey so that you may get well the faster, and thereupon he went away. He was hardly gone however before the woman got up, and the parson was there immediately.
But now we will leave these two for a while, and follow the peasant, who walked on quickly without stopping, in order to get the sooner to the gockerli hill, and on his way he met his gossip. His gossip was an egg-merchant, and was just coming from the market, where he had sold his eggs. May you be blessed, said the gossip, where are you off to so fast.
To all eternity, my friend, said the peasant, my wife is ill, and I have been to-day to hear the parson's sermon, and he preached that if any one had in his house a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father, a sick mother, a sick sister, brother or any one else, and made a pilgrimage to the gockerli hill in italy, where a peck of laurel-leaves costs a kreuzer, the sick child, the sick husband, the sick wife, the sick father, the sick mother, the sick sister, brother or whosoever else it was, would be cured immediately, and so I have got the bag for the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer from the parson, and now I am beginning my pilgrimage. But listen, gossip, said the egg-merchant to the peasant, are you, then, stupid enough to believe such a thing as that. Don't you know what it means. The parson wants to spend a whole day alone with your wife in peace, so he has given you this job to do to get you out of the way.
