Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm | Page 2

But the maiden would not.
Again, a third time back came the rabbit, and ate away at the cabbages,
until the woman said to her daughter,
"Go into the garden, and drive away the rabbit."
"Shoo! shoo!" said the maiden; "don't eat up all our cabbages, little
rabbit!"
"Come, maiden," said the rabbit, "sit on my tail and go with me to my
rabbit-hutch."
And then the girl seated herself on the rabbit's tail, and the rabbit took
her to his hutch.
"Now," said he, "set to work and cook some bran and cabbage; I am
going to bid the wedding guests." And soon they were all collected.

Would you like to know who they were? Well, I can only tell you what
was told to me; all the hares came, and the crow who was to be the
parson to marry them, and the fox for the clerk, and the altar was under
the rainbow. But the maiden was sad, because she was so lonely.
"Get up! get up!" said the rabbit, "the wedding folk are all merry."
But the bride wept and said nothing, and the rabbit went away, but very
soon came back again.
"Get up! get up!" said he, "the wedding folk are waiting." But the bride
said nothing, and the rabbit went away. Then she made a figure of
straw, and dressed it in her own clothes, and gave it a red mouth, and
set it to watch the kettle of bran, and then she went home to her mother.
Back again came the rabbit, saying, "Get up! get up!" and he went up
and hit the straw figure on the head, so that it tumbled down.
And the rabbit thought that he had killed his bride, and he went away
and was very sad.

SIX SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE
THERE was once a man who was a Jack-of-all-trades; he had served in
the war, and had been brave and bold, but at the end of it he was sent
about his business, with three farthings and his discharge.
"I am not going to stand this," said he; "wait till I find the right man to
help me, and the king shall give me all the treasures of his kingdom
before he has done with me."
Then, full of wrath, he went into the forest, and he saw one standing
there by six trees which he had rooted up as if they had been stalks of
corn. And he said to him,
"Will you be my man, and come along with me?"
"All right," answered he; "I must just take this bit of wood home to my

father and mother." And taking one of the trees, he bound it round the
other five, and putting the faggot on his shoulder, he carried it off; then
soon coming back, he went along with his leader, who said,
"Two such as we can stand against the whole world."
And when they had gone on a little while, they came to a huntsman
who was kneeling on one knee and taking careful aim with his rifle.
"Huntsman," said the leader, "what are you aiming at?"
"Two miles from here," answered he, "there sits a fly on the bough of
an oak-tree, I mean to put a bullet into its left eye."
"Oh, come along with me," said the leader; "three of us together can
stand against the world."
The huntsman was quite willing to go with him, and so they went on
till they came to seven windmills, whose sails were going round briskly,
and yet there was no wind blowing from any quarter, and not a leaf
stirred.
"Well," said the leader, "I cannot think what ails the windmills, turning
without wind;" and he went on with his followers about two miles
farther, and then they came to a man sitting up in a tree, holding one
nostril and blowing with the other.
"Now then," said the leader, "what are you doing up there?"
"Two miles from here," answered he, "there are seven windmills; I am
blowing, and they are going round."
"Oh, go with me," cried the leader, "four of us together can stand
against the world."
So the blower got down and went with them, and after a time they
came to a man standing on one leg, and the other had been taken off
and was lying near him.

"You seem to have got a handy way of resting yourself," said the leader
to the man.
"I am a runner," answered he, "and in order to keep myself from going
too fast I have taken off a leg, for when I run with both, I go faster than
a bird can fly."
"Oh, go with me," cried the leader, "five of us together may well stand
against