Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 6 1888.djvu/263

 Rh looking, come quietly to me outside, and you will have obtained the vine."

He went into the garden, arrived at the first watch, the warders directed their eyes towards him; one would have thought they would have looked him to powder. But he went past them as past a stone, came to the second, third, and all the watches in succession, and arrived in the garden at the vine itself; the vine poured forth a bucket of wine every hour. He was too lazy to dig with the wooden shovel, but took the golden one; and as soon as he struck it into the ground the shovel rang, woke the watch, the watch assembled, seized him, and delivered him to their lord.

The lord asked the simpleton: "How did you dare to pass so many watches, and come into the garden to take my vine away?" The simpleton said: "It is not your vine, but my father's; and my father's left eye weeps, and will weep till I obtain him the vine, and I must do it; and, if you don't give me my father's vine, I shall come again, and the second time I shall take it away." The lord said: "I cannot give you the vine. But, if you procure me the golden apple-tree, which blooms, ripens, and bears golden fruit every twenty-four hours, I will give it you."

He went out to the fox, and the fox asked him: "Well, how is it?" He answered: "Nohow. I went past the watch, and began to dig up the vine with the wooden shovel, but it was too long a job, and I took the golden shovel. The shovel rang and woke the watch. The watch seized me and delivered me to their lord, and the lord promised to give me the vine if I procured him the golden apple-tree, which every twenty-four hours blooms, ripens, and bears golden fruit." The fox said: " But why did you not obey me? You see how nice it would have been to go to your father with the vine." He shook his head: "I see that I have done wrong but I will do so no more." The fox said: "Come, now! let us go to the golden apple-tree." The fox led him to a far handsomer garden than the first one, and told him that he must pass similarly through twelve similar watches. "And when you come in the garden," said she, "to where the golden apple-tree is, two very long poles stand there, one of gold and the other of wood. Don't take the golden one to beat a golden apple-tree, for the golden branch will emit a whistling