Page:The disobedient kids and other Czecho-Slovak fairy tales.pdf/45



The man felt sure that God would listen and went to his work in a contented frame of mind. One day the man went off to the fields to plow. While he was away, a little son was born, no larger than a thumb. His mother called him, "little thumb". Hardly had he been born, before he was all over the house, hopping, skipping and running. He was full at joy and singing all the time.

What was the mother's surprise when the little fellow said that noon. "Mother, give me father's dinner, so that I can take it to him in the field".

The mother made the sign of the cross. She was superstitious and did not know what to make of the boy. She had never in all her life ever heard of a boy like him. Really she was afraid to give him the basket, heavy with the father's dinner, for he was such a tiny mite. He insisted and insisted. Amused at his funny antics, as he gave her no peace, she packed the dinner in the basket and gave it to the boy.

Wonder of wonders! he took the basket on his head and ran with it to the fields. He could not be seen for the basket which covered him completely. It was such a funny sight to see this basket go along all by itself, as it were. The dust in the road was as high as his waist and almost smothered the little man, but do you think that he would give up? No sir! he trudged along, sneezing and puffng like a little engine. 1em