Then the sack was opened by the loveliest maiden. She was all dressed in white except for the green wreath in her wet hair. Taking my hand, she asked, ‘Aren’t you Little Claus?’ When I nodded she said, ‘Here are some cattle for you and six miles up the road there is an even bigger herd waiting for you.’ Then I realized that to the water people the streams and rivers were as roads are to us. They use them to travel on. Far from their homes under the oceans, they follow the streams and the rivers until they finally become too shallow and come to an end. There are the most beautiful flowers growing down there and the finest, freshest grass; the fish swimming around above your head remind you of the birds flying in the air. The people are as nice as they can be; and the cattle fat and friendly.”

“Then tell me why you came up here on land again?” asked Big Claus. “I never would have left a place as wonderful as that.”

“Well,” said Little Claus, “that is just because I am smart. I told you that the water maiden said that another herd of cattle would be waiting for me six miles up the road. By ‘road,’ she meant the river; and I am eager to see my cattle. You know how the river twists and turns while the road up here on land is straight; so I thought that if I used the road instead of the river I would get there much faster and save myself at least two miles of walking.”

“Oh, you are a lucky man!” exclaimed Big Claus. “Do you think that if I were thrown into the river I would be given cattle too?”

“I don’t know why not,” replied Little Claus. “But I cannot carry you, as you did me, you’re too heavy. But if you’ll find a sack and climb into it yourself I’ll be glad to go to the bridge with you and push you into the water.”

“Thank you very much,” said Big Claus. “But if I don’t get a herd of cattle when I get down there I’ll beat you as you have never been beaten before.”

“Oh no! How can you think of being so mean!” whimpered Little Claus as they made their way to the river.

It was a hot day and when the cattle spied the water they started running toward it, for they were very thirsty. “See how eager they are to get to the river,” remarked Little Claus. “They are longing for their home under the water.”

“Never mind them!” shouted Big Claus. “Or I’ll give you a beating right here and now.” He grabbed a sack that was lying on one of the bulls’ backs and climbed up on the bridge. “Get a rock and put it in with me, I’m afraid that I might float.”

“Don’t worry about that,” said Little Claus. But he found a big stone anyway and rolled it into the sack next to Big Claus before he tied the opening as tightly as he could. Then he pushed the sack off the bridge.

Splash! Plop! Down went Big Claus into the river and straight to the bottom he went.

“I am afraid that he will have trouble finding his cattle,” said Little Claus, and drove his own herd home.

3

The Princess and the Pea

Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess, but she would have to be a real one. He traveled around the whole world looking for her; but every time he met a princess there was always something amiss. There were plenty of princesses but not one of them was quite to his taste. Something was always the matter: they just weren’t real princesses. So he returned home very sad and sorry, for he had set his heart on marrying a real princess.

One evening a storm broke over the kingdom. The lightning flashed, the thunder roared, and the rain came down in bucketfuls. In the midst of this horrible storm, someone knocked on the city gate; and the king himself went down to open it.

On the other side of the gate stood a princess. But goodness, how wet she was! Water ran down her hair and her clothes in streams. It flowed in through the heels of her shoes and out through the toes. But she said that she was a real princess.

“We’ll find that out quickly enough,” thought the old queen, but she didn’t say a word out loud.