Crimson Fairy Book

Chapter 19 The Farmer and the Cat
There was once an old man and his wife who lived in a dirty, ramshackle farmhouse not far from the splendid palace where the King and Queen lived.The hut was very simple, and many people said it was too shabby for pigs to live in, but the old man was very rich, because he was a perfect miser and very lucky.He would often rather walk all day without eating than spend a single gold coin that he loved.

Soon due to prolonged hunger, he fell ill, and never having the strength to recover, he left his wife and only son a few days later and passed away.

On the second day after his death, his son dreamed that an unknown person appeared in front of him and said, "Listen, your father is dead, and your mother will soon die, and all their property will belong to you." .Half your father's property was obtained by dishonest means, you must give it back to the poor he oppressed, and throw the other half into the sea. However, when the money sinks in the water, you must be careful Watch, and if something floats up, even if it's just a piece of paper, grab it and keep it."

Then the man disappeared and the young man woke up.

The memory of this dream disturbed him greatly.He didn't want to lose the property his father had left him, and he'd never forgotten what it was like to be cold and hungry all his life, and now he wanted to be a little more comfortable and happy.He was, however, just and good-natured, and since his father's property had been obtained by dishonest means, he thought he should never enjoy it.Finally, he decided to do as the man in his dream told him to do.He found that those who were oppressed by his father were the poorest in the village, so he spent half of the money in relief, pocketed the other half, and threw it into the sea from a rock protruding into the sea, and the money disappeared from his sight immediately. disappear.Except for a small piece of paper floating on the water, no one knows where the money sank.Carefully he reached down and managed to pick up the paper, and opening it found six shillings wrapped in it.This is all his money in the world now.

The young man stood there pensively looking at the money. "Oh, I can't do much with that money," he said to himself.But six shillings is better than nothing.He rewrapped them and put them in his coat.

For the next few weeks, he worked in the family garden.He and his mother managed to live off the fruits and vegetables grown in the garden.Then my mother died suddenly.The poor man was very sad when he buried his mother in the grave, and with a heavy heart he went into the forest, not knowing where he was going.Soon he was hungry, and seeing a small hut in front of him, he knocked on the door and asked if the person inside could give him some milk to drink.The old woman who opened the door let him in and asked kindly if he would like to board the night, but they didn't charge him a penny.

Two women and three men were having dinner when he entered.They silently made room for him to sit next to each other.After supper he began to look about him, and was startled to see squatting by the fire an animal quite unlike any he had ever seen before.Its coat is gray and white, and it is not very big, but its eyes are big and bright. It seems to be singing in a strange way, unlike other animals in the forest. "What's the name of that strange little creature?" he asked."We call it a cat," they replied.

"I'd like to buy it—if it doesn't cost too much," said the young man, "and it will keep me company." They told him he could buy it if he would pay six shillings.The young man took out the precious paper packet, handed them the six shillings, and next morning he put the cat in his warm and cozy cloak, and said good-bye to them.

He and the cat wandered through the meadows and forests all day, and came to a house in the evening.The young man knocked on the door and asked the old man who opened it if he could rest there tonight, saying that he had no money to pay for the lodging. "I can let you stay overnight," replied the man, and led him into a room where two men and two women were sitting at dinner.One of the two women was the old man's wife and the other was his daughter.He put the cat on the mantel-piece, and all the people gathered round to look carefully at the strange animal, while the cat rubbed against them and sang to them with its paws.The two women were very happy, and gave her cat everything that could be eaten by her cat, and gave him a lot of other things.

After hearing the young man's story, and hearing that he had nothing in the world but the cat, the old man advised him to go to the palace, which was only a few miles away, and ask the king to do something for him.The king is kind to everyone and will undoubtedly become his friend.The young man was very grateful to the old man, said he was glad to accept his advice, and set out early next morning to the palace.

He sent a message to the king asking for an audience, and was told to go to the Great Hall, where he could see the king.

The king was eating with his ministers when the young man entered the Great Hall.The king beckoned him to step forward.The young man bowed deeply, then stared in amazement at the group of small black animals running around on the floor and even on the dining table.They are indeed very bold, and even dare to eat food from the king's plate.The king chased them away, but they tried to bite his hand, so that he couldn't eat at all.Ministers did not fare much better.

"What kind of animals are these?" the young man asked a lady sitting next to him.

"They're called mice," answered the king, who overheard the question. "We've been trying to get rid of them for years, but it's impossible. They even came to our bed."

Just then, people saw something flying through the air.The cat jumped on the table and jumped back and forth two or three times, and many mice died around it.Then a loud sound of footsteps was heard, and in a few minutes the rats in the hall were all gone.

For several minutes the king and his ministers looked at each other in astonishment. "What kind of animal is this spell-casting thing?" he asked.The young man told him that the animal was called a cat, and that he had bought it for six shillings.

The king replied: "Because of the good fortune you have brought me, and freed the palace from the plague of rats that has plagued me for many years, I will offer you two things. Either make me Prime Minister, or marry my daughter And inherit the throne. Tell me, which one do you choose?"

"I choose princesses and kingdoms," said the young man.

And so the story ends.

(End of this chapter)