Page:Round the Yule Log.djvu/239

 THE WIDOW'S SON. There was once a poor, very poor widow, who had an only son. She pulled through with the boy till he was confirmed ; but then she told him that she could not feed him any longer ; he would have to go out and earn his own bread. The lad wandered out into the world, and when he had walked a day or so he met a stranger. — '* Where are you going to ? " asked the man. — *' Tm going out into the world to try and get some work," said the lad. — "Will you come into my service.^" asked the man. — " Well, why not ! just as well with you as with anybody else," -answered the lad. — " You will find it a very good place," said the man ; "you are only going to keep me company and do nothing else besides." So the lad went with him home, and he got plenty of food and drink, and had little or nothing to do ; but on the other hand he never saw a living soul come near the man. So one day the man said to him : " I'm going away for eight days, and during that time you will be here all alone, but you must not go into any of these four rooms here. If you do I will take your life when I come back." — No, said the lad, he should not go into any of the rooms. But when the man had been away three or four days the lad could not help going into one of the rooms. He looked round, but saw nothing but a shelf over the door, on which lay a brier twig Well, this is surely something to forbid my seeing, thought the boy. When the eight days were gone the man returned. — '* You haven't been into any of the rooms, I suppose ? " said he. — '* No, not at