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 mother?" asked the boy, for he was so simple that he thought the fountain must belong to her.

"That you may, and take a draught of the cool water, too," she answered, wondrously softened by his civil manners.

"And what may it be with which you are so laden, my pretty boy?" she asked. "It should be a precious burden to be worth carrying so far as you appear to have come. What have you in your krattle?"

"Precious indeed they are, I believe you," said the boy, "at least so you would think from the store my father sets by them. They are truly golden pears, and he says there are no finer grown in the whole kingdom. I am taking them to the Kaiser, who is fond of the fruit."

"Only ripe pears and yet so heavy," returned the old wife; "one would say it is something heavier than pears. But you'll see when you come to your journey's end."

The boy assured her they were nothing but pears; and as one of his father's commands had been not to lose time by the way, he bade the old dame a courteous farewell and continued on his way.

When the servants saw another peasant boy from Bürs come to the palace with the story that he had pears for the king, they said, "No, no! we've had enough of that! You may turn around and go back." But the poor boy was so disappointed that