Page:Legends of Rubezahl, and Other Tales (1845).djvu/188

 heavy as pure gold, ran off with it to her neighbour, the Jewess, who, after a close scrutiny, pronounced it to be really and truly pure gold, and gave her two double dollars for it, down on the nail. The loss of the goat and kids was forgotten in a moment; never in her life before had the poor woman been possessed of so much money all at once. Off she ran to the baker’s, and bought a quantity of rolls and cracknels; then to the butcher’s, and bought a leg of mutton for Stephen’s supper, when he should come home in the evening, weary and hungry. After these and some other purchases she hastened home, full of delight at the treat she was about to give her children, who, when they saw her enter the cottage, all three scrambled round her, little expecting, however, so satisfactory a supplement to their meagre breakfast. Oh! how they danced and shouted when she showed them the nice rolls and the cracknels, and with what a true mother’s joy did she distribute them among the hungry little ones. Her next care was to remove the dead animals out of sight, so as to keep the knowledge of this sad misfortune as long as possible from her ill-tempered husband. Imagine her astonishment, when, on looking casually into the manger, she saw there a whole heap of gold leaves. Had the good woman been acquainted with the Popular Tales of the Greeks, she might, without inspiration, have divined that her cattle had died of