Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 7, 1896.djvu/179

Rh Then the lad took the snake's bones and hurled them in the garden near his house. In the night, up shot a tall cypress tree, to the amazement of every one. That evening he sat under the tree with his bride, and three cups of coffee were brought for the two. This happened again and again, and at last the wife grew jealous. "There must be some woman hidden here," thought she, "my husband's lover; and she it is drinks the third cup of coffee." So at the last she could bear it no longer, and taxed her husband with unfaithfulness. He protested, and for a long time held out; but at last things became so bad between them that he told her the whole story; how the cypress grew from the bones of his brother, the snake, and how the tree used to come down when they were gone, and drink the coffee; and told her the riddle. But it so happened that while he told her, his serving-man was close by, and heard it all.

Now many people used to come and try to guess his riddle; they would stake their all upon it, make their three guesses, and fail, so that in time he grew very rich in this way. When the servant overheard the secret, he came and asked for his wages, saying that he wished to leave his service. The master took him to a coffer full of gold and jewels, bidding him take what he wanted. So the man took all he wanted, and went off. After a time back he came, disguised as a merchant, and when he saw the three cups of coffee he asked what it all meant. "Tell me my riddle first," quoth the master, "and then I'll tell you. What's this tree?" "Apple-tree." "No," says he. "Pear-tree then." "No," said he again. Pretending to think, the man at last replied: "It is a Snake-cypress!" No sooner had the word been spoken, than down fell the tree, snapt off as clean as if it had been cut through by the axe.

The man was distressed and angry. How could he have guessed it? There was only one way, his wife must have