Sandmans Rainy Day Stories | Page 5

well as a barrel of gold.
But no one would risk his life for that offer, for they thought perhaps the Princess would not regain her shape even after eating the pear, and who would wish to marry a cow, even if she were royal?
But one day a poor youth came to the palace and told the King and Queen that he would try to get a pear if they would give him the brindle cow before he ventured up the mountain of ice. "For if I fail," he said, "I wish to leave my poor mother something, and a cow is always useful."
The King offered money, but the youth would have nothing but the brindle cow, so they led away the cow to the peasant's barn, while the King and Queen watched her go with sad hearts.
On her back was a velvet blanket trimmed with gold, and the Queen tried to make the peasant take a soft bed for her to sleep on, but this he would not do. "No, she is a cow, and must sleep in the barn like other cows," he said.
The King and Queen had all this time been feeding the cow on dainty fruit and all sorts of good things, and the youth had heard that the pear she was to eat to save her would be bitter and bad to taste, and he wanted to get her used to eating anything that was given her.
The peasant youth began his climb up the mountain of ice, but each day for a month he only went one step ahead, for while he sometimes went far up, each time he would slip back.
And all this time the poor little cow was growing thinner and thinner, for she would not eat the food that was put before her.
One day when the peasant youth was about discouraged and thought he would have to give up trying for the pear, he felt the ice under him suddenly grow soft and his feet seemed to stick and not slip any more.
To his surprise, when he looked at his feet he saw a little fairy standing on each foot and touching them with her wand.
Up he went swiftly now, and soon was at a place on the mountain where he could touch the magic tree, and there the little fairies told him they were powerless to help him further.
"We can only tell you that if you can get from the three-headed troll the belt he wears you can get the pear, but we fairies cannot throw a spell over trolls," they told him.
When the fairies disappeared the peasant felt more discouraged than before, for there he was in danger of slipping, and before him was the dreadful tree.
But while he stood thinking the tree opened and out came the troll, leaving the tree wide open behind him.
He did not look up or down, to right or left, but walked down the mountain, and the youth, sitting flat upon the ice, slid into the open tree.
Down, down he went! And then suddenly he found himself in a big room, in one corner of which was a huge bed, in another a big stove, in another a big chair and table, and in the fourth corner stood a large sword so tall that the peasant could easily hide behind it.
Aiid lucky it was for him that it was big, for at that moment in came the three-headed troll and rolled all six of his eyes about the room.
"He, hi, ho, hun! I smell the flesh of a mortal son," he said. "You cannot escape me, so come out from wherever you are hiding!" The frightened youth was trembling so that the sword tipped over, and, there he stood before the three-headed troll, who jumped to catch him.
But though he had three heads, he had only two feet, and, tripping over the sword, he fell sprawling on the floor.
Now his three heads were so heavy that, once he was down, it was hard work to get up, and while he struggled his belt became unfastened and lay under him on the floor.
The peasant saw this and, knowing he was in danger anyway, thought he would risk a little more.
So he ran over to the troll and with both hands tugged at the belt, and as the troll rolled over out from under him it came.
Quickly as he could he put the belt about his waist, and, to his surprise, he felt so strong that the size of the sword on the floor seemed no longer to frighten him.
He picked it up and found that it was as light as a tin one, and then the troll, rolling over again, saw his belt around the peasant's waist and his sword in his hand, and he cried