Der var engang en pige, som var smuk, men meget doven. Når hun skulle spinde var hun så utålmodig, at hun rev en hel klump hør ned på gulvet, hvis der var en lille knude. Hun havde en tjenestepige, som var flink og flittig, og hun samlede alt det hør, der lå på gulvet, rensede det og spandt det og fik vævet en nydelig kjole af det. Den dovne pige var imidlertid blevet forlovet med en ung mand. Aftenen før brylluppet dansede den flittige pige lystigt omkring i sin smukke kjole, og bruden sagde da:
"Nej, se, hun springer nok så væver
omkring i mine gamle skæver."
omkring i mine gamle skæver."
Brudgommen spurgte da, hvad det skulle betyde, og hun fortalte da, at pigen havde en kjole på, som var lavet af det hør, hun havde kastet bort. Da brudgommen hørte det, gik det op for ham, hvor doven hans brud var, og han lod da hende stå og gik hen og spurgte den flittige pige, om hun ville være hans kone.
There was once on a time a maiden who was pretty, but idle and negligent. When she had to spin she was so out of temper that if there was a little knot in the flax, she at once pulled out a whole heap of it, and strewed it about on the ground beside her. Now she had a servant who was industrious, and gathered together the bits of flax which were thrown away, cleaned them, span them fine, and had a beautiful gown made out of them for herself. A young man had wooed the lazy girl, and the wedding was to take place. On the eve of the wedding, the industrious one was dancing merrily about in her pretty dress, and the bride said,-
"Ah, how that girl does jump about, dressed in my odds and ends."
"Ah, how that girl does jump about, dressed in my odds and ends."
The bridegroom heard that, and asked the bride what she meant by it? Then she told him that the girl was wearing a dress make of the flax which she had thrown away. When the bridegroom heard that, and saw how idle she was, and how industrious the poor girl was, he gave her up and went to the other, and chose her as his wife.