Page:Danish fairy and folk tales.djvu/27

 Saucy Jesper was not frightened by the awful fate of his two brothers, but declared he would start on the same errand. "What are you thinking of!" said his parents. "How can you imagine that you will ever succeed when both of your brothers failed? And yet they are better men than you. They know songs and stories, and you know nothing but how to make such a fool of yourself that one can both laugh and cry over it."

"To laugh is sufficient," said Jesper. As no amount of reasoning would move him, and as he was determined to go, his mother gave him a piece of dry bread, and his father one penny, whereupon he left with no one's blessing.

When he had walked a while, and needed rest, he seated himself at the road-side and began eating his dry bread. While he was thus engaged, an old woman came along the road, drawing a small sledge after her. She stopped and begged for a bite of bread and a penny. Jesper at once gave her what remained of his bread, and his one penny.

"Whither are you going?" asked the woman.

"To the king's palace. I think I can make the princess laugh, and then I shall marry her," answered Jesper.

"How will you do it?" continued the woman.

Jesper said he did not know, but hoped he would get an idea.

"I think I can help you," said the woman, "since you helped me. You may have my