Page:The shoemaker's apron (1920).djvu/239

 “And that isn’t all!” the shoemaker said. “I’ve got something else in my bag.”

He pulled out the red rooster, put him on the table, and said:

“Crow, rooster, crow!”

The rooster crowed and a golden ducat dropped from his bill.

“Oh!” the children cried, and the youngest one begged: “Make him do it again! Make him do it again!”

So again the shoemaker said: “Crow, rooster, crow!” and again a golden ducat dropped from the rooster’s bill.

The children were so amused that the shoemaker kept the rooster crowing all night long until the room was overflowing with a great heap of shining ducats.

The next day the shoemaker said to his wife:

“We must measure our money and see how much we have. Send one of the children over to Godfather to borrow a bushel measure.”

So the youngest child ran over to the rich man’s house and said:

“Godfather, my father says will you please lend us a bushel measure to measure our money.”

“Measure your money!” the rich man growled.