Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/59



soon came to like one another very much, for they were both good people. But Johannes found that the stranger was much wiser than he. He had been nearly all over the world, and could tell him about every possible thing in existence.

The sun stood high in the heavens when they sat down under a big tree to eat their breakfast. Just then an old woman came along the road. She was very old and walked quite bent, leaning upon a crutch, and carrying on her back a bundle of firewood, which she had gathered in the forest. Her apron was fastened up, and Johannes saw three big rods, made of ferns and willow-twigs, projecting from it. Just when she was quite close to them, her foot slipped; she fell and gave a loud scream, for she had broken her leg — the poor old woman.

Johannes proposed at once that they should carry her home to where she lived, but the stranger opened his bag, took out a jar and said he had a salve in it which could at once make her leg sound and well, so that she could walk home herself, just as if she never had broken it. But in return he wanted her to make him a present of the three rods she had in her apron.

"That's being well paid!" said the old woman, nodding her head quite strangely; she did not like very much to part with her rods; but on the other hand it was not very pleasant to lie there with a broken leg, so she gave him the rods, and as soon as he had rubbed the salve on her leg the old crone got on her legs and was able to walk even better than before. That was a proof of what the salve could do; but then it was not to be got at a chemist's either.

"What are you going to do with those rods?" asked Johannes of his traveling companion.

"They'll make three fine nosegays," said he, "just the sort I like, for I am a funny fellow, you know!"

And so they walked on for some distance.

"How the clouds are gathering!" said Johannes, pointing straight before them; "what awful, heavy clouds!"