Wonder-Box Tales | Page 3

you soft little thing," answered the woodman, "didn't you see
that bunch of green ash-keys in his cap; and don't you know that
nobody would dare to wear them but the Ouphe of the Wood? I saw
him cutting those very keys for himself as I passed to the sawmill this
morning, and I knew him again directly, though he has disguised
himself as an old man."

"Bless us!" exclaimed the little wife; "is the Wood Ouphe in our
cottage? How frightened I am! I wish I hadn't put the candle out."
The husband laughed more and more.
"Will," said his wife, in a solemn voice, "I wonder how you dare laugh,
and that powerful creature under the very bed where you lie!"
"And she to be so pitiful over him," said the woodman, laughing till the
floor shook under him, "and to talk and boast of our house, and insist
on helping him to more potatoes, when he has a palace of his own, and
heaps of riches! Oh, dear! oh, dear!"
"Don't laugh, Will," said the wife, "and I'll make you the most beautiful
firmity[2] you ever tasted to-morrow. Don't let him hear you laughing."
[Footnote 2: Firmity: generally written frumenty; wheat boiled in milk
with sugar and fruit.]
"Why, he comes for no harm," said the woodman. "I've never cut down
any trees that he had not marked, and I've always laid his toll of the
wood, neatly cut up, beside his foot-path, so I am not afraid. Besides,
don't you know that he always pays where he lodges, and very
handsomely, too?"
"Pays, does he?" said the wife. "Well, but he is an awful creature to
have so near one. I would much rather he had really been an old soldier.
I hope he is not looking after my baby; he shall not have him, let him
offer ever so much."
The more the wife talked, the more the husband laughed at her fears,
till at length he fell asleep, whilst she lay awake, thinking and thinking,
till by degrees she forgot her fears, and began to wonder what they
might expect by way of reward. Hours appeared to pass away during
these thoughts. At length, to her great surprise, while it was still quite
dark, her husband called to her from below:
"Come down, Kitty; only come down to see what the Ouphe has left

us."
As quickly as possible Kitty started up and dressed herself, and ran
down the ladder, and then she saw her husband kneeling on the floor
over the knapsack, which the Ouphe had left behind him. Kitty rushed
to the spot, and saw the knapsack bursting open with gold coins, which
were rolling out over the brick floor. Here was good fortune! She began
to pick them up, and count them into her apron. The more she gathered,
the faster they rolled, till she left off counting, out of breath with joy
and surprise.
"What shall we do with all this money?" said the delighted woodman.
They consulted for some time. At last they decided to bury it in the
garden, all but twenty pieces, which they would spend directly.
Accordingly they dug a hole and carefully hid the rest of the money,
and then the woodman went to the town, and soon returned laden with
the things they had agreed upon as desirable possessions; namely, a leg
of mutton, two bottles of wine, a necklace for Kitty, some tea and sugar,
a grand velvet waistcoat, a silver watch, a large clock, a red silk cloak,
and a hat and feather for the baby, a quilted petticoat, a great many
muffins and crumpets, a rattle, and two new pairs of shoes.
How enchanted they both were! Kitty cooked the nice things, and they
dressed themselves in the finery, and sat down to a very good dinner.
But, alas! the woodman drank so much of the wine that he soon got
quite tipsy, and began to dance and sing. Kitty was very much shocked;
but when he proposed to dig up some more of the gold, and go to
market for some more wine and some more blue velvet waistcoats, she
remonstrated very strongly. Such was the change that had come over
this loving couple, that they presently began to quarrel, and from words
the woodman soon got to blows, and, after beating his little wife, lay
down on the floor and fell fast asleep, while she sat crying in a corner.
The next day they both felt very miserable, and the woodman had such
a terrible headache that he could neither eat nor work; but the day after,
being pretty well again, he dug up some more gold and went to town,
where he bought such quantities of fine clothes and furniture