Page:Grimm Goblins (1876).djvu/91



NE day a waggish musician, who played delightfully on the fiddle, went rambling in a forest in a merry mood. Then he said to himself, "Time goes rather heavily on, I must find a companion." So he took up his fiddle, and fiddled away till the wood resounded with his music.

Presently up came a wolf "Dear me! there's a wolf coming to see me," said the musician. But the wolf came up to him, and said, "How very prettily you play? I wish you would teach me." "That is easily done," said the musician, "if you will only do what I bid you." "Yes," replied the wolf, "I shall be a very apt scholar." So they went on a little way together, and came at last to an old oak tree that was hollow within, and had a large crack in the middle of the trunk. "Look there," said the musician, "if you wish to learn to fiddle, put your forefeet into that crack." The wolf did as he was bid: but the musician picked up a large stone and wedged both his fore feet fast into the crack, so as to make him a prisoner. "Now be so good as to wait there till I come back," said he, and jogged on.

After a while, he said again to himself, "Time goes very heavily, I must find another companion." So he took his fiddle and fiddled away again in the wood. Presently up came a fox that was wandering close by, "Ah! there is a fox," said he. The fox came up and said, "You delightful musician, how prettily you play! I must and will learn to play as you do." "That you may soon do,"