Page:Popular tales from the Norse (1912).djvu/564

 378 the nut with all his might and main. And so the nut flew to pieces with a bang that blew off half the roof of the smithy, and the whole house creaked and groaned as though it were ready to fall.

"Why! if I don't think the Deil must have been in that nut," said the smith.

"So he was; you're quite right," said the lad, as he went away laughing.

THE COCK AND HEN A-NUTTING.

on a time the cock and the hen went out into the hazel-wood to pick nuts; and so the hen got a nutshell in her throat, and lay on her back, flapping her wings.

Off went the cock to fetch water for her; so he came to the Spring and said,—

"Dear good friend Spring, give me a drop of water, that I may give it to Dame Partlet my mate, who lies at death's door in the hazel-wood."

But the Spring answered,—

"You'll get no water from me until I get leaves from you."

So the Cock ran to the Linden and said,—

"Dear good friend Linden, give me some of your leaves, the leaves I'll give to the Spring, and the Spring'll give me water to give to Dame Partlet my mate, who lies at death's door in the hazel-wood."

"You'll get no leaves from me," said the Linden,