Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/170

154 When at last this tremendous bridge was finished, the merchant sent one of his clerks, Theodore by name, and told him to go on to the bridge and listen to what people said and thought about it.

Theodore obeyed, and hid himself on the bridge, presently he saw three holy men coming along; he listened, and heard one say,—

"This is indeed a wonderful thing, this bridge; the good merchant is always thinking how he can please everybody; but we, alas! never think how we can best please him; we really ought to reward him in some way."

"How can we, brother?" said another; "he is the richest man in the kingdom, he does not want anything."

"Yes, brother," said the third, "he does want something; he wants a child."

"True!" said the first, "that is his greatest wish, how stupid of me not to think of that before! We shall reward him with a child, and a lucky child."

Theodore went home and told his master what he had heard. And that very year a beautiful boy was sent.

But Theodore, the clerk, jealous of his master's luck, began thinking what he had best do to revenge himself on the good merchant. He waited until night, then he took a dove, killed it, and sprinkling the blood on the child's bed and on the hands of its mother, took the child, and paid an old woman to take care of it.

When morning dawned the merchant missed the