The Salad

Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees, but I don't really need it.

Infliction is killing me!

Who cares? Big retailers and making record profits!

That's why we support the Durban Marshall Credit Card Bill!

See, banks and credit unions help small businesses make payroll.

This bill would cut the vital resources they need.

While increasing Megastore profits, they deserve it.

Don't they?

That's why we support the Durban Marshall Credit Card Bill!

See, banks and credit unions help small businesses make payroll.

This bill would cut the vital resources they need.

While increasing Megastore profits, they deserve it.

As the Mary Young Huntsman was once going briskly along through a word, there came up a little

old woman and said to him, good day, good day, you see Mary enough, but I am hungry and thirsty,

to pray give me something to eat. The Hunsman took pity on her and put his hand in his pocket and

gave her what he had. Then he wanted to go his way, but she took hold of him and said, listen,

my friend, what I am going to tell you. I will reward you for your kindness. Go your way,

and after a little time you will come to a tree where you will see nine birds sitting on the

cloak, shoot into the midst of them, and one will fall down dead. The cloak will fall too, take it,

it is a wishing cloak, and when you wear it you will find yourself at any place where you may wish

to be. Cut open the dead bird, take out its heart and keep it, and you will find a piece of gold

under your pillow every morning when you rise. It is the bird's heart that will bring you this good

luck. The Hunsman thanked her and thought to himself, if all this does happen, it will be a fine

thing for me. When he had gone a hundred steps or so, he heard a screaming and chirping in the

branches over him, and looked up and saw a flock of birds pulling a cloak with their bills and

screaming, fighting, and tugging at each other, as if each wished to have it to himself.

Well said the Hunsman, this is wonderful, this happens just as the old woman said,

then he shot into the midst of them so that their feathers flew all about.

Off went the flock chattering away, but one fell down dead and the cloak with it.

Then the Hunsman did as the old woman told him, cut open the bird, took out the heart,

and carried the cloak home with him. The next morning when he awoke, he lifted up his pillow,

and there lay the piece of gold glittering underneath. The same happened next day, and indeed

everything when he arose. He heaped up a great deal of gold, and at last thought to himself,

of what uses this gold to me whilst I am at home. I will go out into the world and look about me.

Then he took leave of his friends and hung his bag in bow about his neck and went his way.

It so happened that his road one day led through a thick wood at the end of which was a large

castle in a green meadow, and at one of the windows stood an old woman with a very beautiful young lady

by her side looking about them. Now the old woman was a witch, and said to the young lady,

there is a young man coming out of the wood who carries a wonderful price. We must get it away

from him, my dear child, for it is more fit for us than for him. He has a bird's heart that

brings a piece of gold under his pillow every morning. Meantime, the Hunsman came nearer and looked

at the lady, and said to himself, I have been travelling so long that I should like to go into

this castle and rest myself, for I have money enough to pay for anything I want. But the real

reason was that he wanted to see more of the beautiful lady. Then he went into the house and was

welcomed kindly, and it was not long before he was so much in love that he thought of nothing else

but looking at the lady's eyes and doing everything that she wished. Then the old woman said,

now is the time for getting the bird's heart, so the lady stole it away, and he never found any more

gold under his pillow, for it lay now under the young ladies, and the old woman took it away every

morning. But he was so much in love that he never missed his price. Well said the old witch,

we have got the bird's heart but not the wishing cloak yet, and that we must also get.

Let us leave him that said the young lady, he has already lost his wealth.

Then the witch was very angry and said, such a cloak is a very bare and wonderful thing,

and I must and will have it. So she did as the old woman told her and set herself at the window,

and looked about the country and seemed very sorrowful. Then Hunsman said, what makes you so sad?

Alas, dear sir, said she, yonder lies the granite rock, where all the costly diamonds grow,

and I want so much to go there that whenever I think of it I cannot help being sorrowful.

For who can reach it? Only the birds and the flies, man cannot.

If that's all your grief, said the Hunsman, I'll take you there with all my heart,

and he drew her under his cloak, and the moment he wished to be on the granite mountain,

they were both there. The diamonds glittered so on all sides that they were delighted with the

sights and picked up the finest. But the old witch made a deep sleep come upon him,

and he said to the young lady, let us sit down and rest ourselves a little.

I am so tired that I cannot stand any longer, so they sat down and he laid his head in her lap

and fell asleep, and whilst he was sleeping on she took the cloak from his shoulders,

hung it on her own, picked up the diamonds, and wished herself home again.

When he awoke he found that his lady had tricked him, and left him alone on the wild rock,

he said alas, what wrongery there is in the world. And there he sat in great grief and fear,

not knowing what to do. Now this rock belonged to fierce giants who lived upon it,

and as he saw three of them striding about, he thought to himself, I can only save myself by

feigning to be asleep, so he laid himself down as if he were in a sound sleep. When the giants came

up to him, the first pushed him with his foot and said, what worm is this that lies here cold up?

Tried upon him and killed him, said the second. It's not worth the troubles at the third.

Let him live, ill go climbing higher up the mountain, and some cloud will come rolling and

carry him away. And they passed on, but the huntsmen had heard all they said, and as soon as they

were gone he climbed to the top of the mountain, and when he had sat there a short time,

a cloud came rolling around him, and caught him in a whirlwind, and bore him along for some time,

till it settled in a garden, and he fell quite gently to the ground amongst the greens and

cabbages. Then he looked around him and said, I wish I had something to eat, if not I shall be

worse off than before, for here I see neither apples nor pears, nor any kind of fruits, nothing but

vegetables. At last he thought to himself, I can eat salad, it will refresh and strengthen me,

so he picked out a fine salad and ate of it, but scarcely had he swallowed two bites that he

felt himself quite changed, and so with horror that he was turned into an ass. However,

he still felt very hungry, and the salad tasted very nice, so he eternally came to another kind

of salad, and scarcely had he tasted it, when he felt another change come over him, and soon

so that he was lucky enough to have found his whole shape again. Then he laid himself down and

slept off a little of his weirdness, and when he awoke the next morning he broke off a head

both of the good and the bad salad, and thought to himself, this will help me to my fortune again,

and enable me to pay off some folks for their treachery. So he went away to try and find the castle

of his friends, and after wandering about a few days he luckily found it. Then he stained his face

all over brown, so that even his mother would not have known him, and went into the castle and asked

for a lodging. I am so tired, said he, that I can go no farther. Contriments at the witch, who are

you, and what is your business? I am, said he, a messenger sent by the king to find the

finest salad that grows under the sun. I have been lucky enough to find it, and have brought it

with me, but the heat of the sun scorches so that it begins to wither, and I don't know that I can

carry it farther. When the witch and the young lady heard of his beautiful salad, they longed to

taste it and said, dear Contriments, let us just taste it. To be sure and said he, I have two heads of

it with me, and will give you one, so he opened his back and gave them the bad. Then the witch

herself took it into the kitchen to be dressed, and when it was ready she could not wait till it was

carried up. She took a few leaves immediately and put them in her mouth, and scarcely were they

swallowed, when she lost her own form and man brained down into the court in the former and

adds. Now the servant maid came into the kitchen, and seeing the salad ready was going to carry

up, but on the way she too felt a wish to taste it as the old woman had done, and add some leaves.

So she also was turned into an ass and ran after the other, letting the dish with the salad fall

on the ground. The messenger sat all this time with a beautiful young lady, and as nobody came

with the salad and she longed to taste it, she said, I don't know where the salad can be.

Then he thought something must have happened, and said, I will go into the kitchen and see,

and as he went he saw two asses in the court running about, and the salad laying on the ground.

All right, said he, those two have had their share. Then he took up the rest of the leaves,

laid them on the dish, and brought them to the young lady, saying, I bring you the dish myself

that you may not wait any longer. So she ate of it, and like the others ran off into the court,

bringing away. Then Hansmann washed his face and went into the court that they might know him.

Now you shall be paid for your rogrie, said he, and tied them all three to a robe,

and took them along with him till he came to a mill and knocked at the window.

What's the matter, said the minute. I have three tiresome beasts here, said the other.

If you will take them, give them food and room, and treat them as I tell you, I will pay you

whatever you ask. With all my heart, said the miller, but how shall I treat them?

Then Hansmann said, give the old one stripes three times a day, and he wants.

Give the next, who is the servant made, stripes once a day, and he three times,

and give the youngest, who is the beautiful lady, he three times a day, and no stripes,

for he could not find it in his heart to have her beaten. After this he went back to the castle,

where he found everything he wanted. Someday after, the miller came to him and told him that the

old ass was dead. The other two said he, are alive and eat, but are so sorrowful that they cannot

last long. Then the Hansmann pitted them and told the miller to drive them back to him,

and when they came he gave them some of the good salad to eat.

And the beautiful young lady fell upon her knees before him and said,

all dearest Hansmann, forgive me, all the ill have done you. My mother forced me to it.

It was against my will, for I always loved you very much.

Your wishing cloak hangs up in the closet, and as for the bird's heart I will give it you too.

But he said, keep it. It will be just the same thing for I mean to make you my wife.

So they were married, and lived together very happily till they died.

And of the salad by the brother's grin.