Der var engang en mand og en kone, som hed Frits og Lise. En dag sagde Frits til sin kone: "Jeg går nu lidt ud i marken. Sørg for at have noget god mad til mig, når jeg kommer hjem." - "Gå du kun, lille Frits," svarede hun, "du skal nok blive tilfreds med mig." Da spisetiden nærmede sig, tog hun en pølse ned fra skorstenen, lagde den på en pande med smør og satte det over ilden. Pølsen sydede og brasede, og Lise stod og holdt på skaftet af panden, helt hensunken i sine egne tanker. Pludselig faldt det hende ind, at pølsen jo i grunden godt kunne stå og stege videre, mens hun gik ned i kælderen og tappede øl. Hun tog altså en kande og gik ned ad trappen, men lige da hun var begyndt at tappe, blev hun bange for, at hunden deroppe skulle snappe pølsen, og en, to, tre fløj hun op ad trappen. Men det var for sent. Spids havde allerede pølsen i munden og slæbte af sted med den. Lise var ikke sen, hun løb efter hunden, helt ud over marken, men den var hurtigere end hun og sprang af sted med pølsen i munden. "Borte er borte," tænkte Lise og vendte om, og da hun havde løbet sig træt, gik hun ganske langsomt hjem. Imidlertid løb øllet stadig ud af tønden, for Lise havde ikke drejet hanen om, og da kanden var fuld, løb det ud på gulvet, lige til tønden var helt tom. Lise så allerede på trappen, hvad der var sket. "Hvad skal jeg nu gøre, for at Frits ikke skal mærke det," tænkte hun. Da hun havde tænkt frem og tilbage i nogen tid kom hun til at huske på, at der oppe på loftet stod en sæk fint hvedemel, den ville hun tage ned og strø melet over øllet. "Ja, sådan er det," tænkte hun, "spar i tide, så skal ej nød du lide." Derpå gik hun op på loftet, bar sækken ned og kastede den lige over ølkanden, så den væltede, og alt Frits' øl flød ud over gulvet. "Det var ret," tænkte hun, "har du ædt fisken, kan du æde sennepen med." Derpå strøede hun melet over hele gulvet, og da hun var færdig var hun helt glad og stolt over så pænt og rent, der så ud.
There was once on a time a man who was called Frederick and a woman called Catherine, who had married each other and lived together as young married folks. One day Frederick said, "I will now go and plough, Catherine; when I come back, there must be some roast meat on the table for hunger, and a fresh draught for thirst." - "Just go, Frederick," answered Kate, "just go, I will have all ready for you." Therefore when dinner-time drew near she got a sausage out of the chimney, put it in the frying-pan, put some butter to it, and set it on the fire. The sausage began to fry and to hiss, Catherine stood beside it and held the handle of the pan, and had her own thoughts as she was doing it. Then it occurred to her, "While the sausage is getting done thou couldst go into the cellar and draw beer." So she set the frying-pan safely on the fire, took a can, and went down into the cellar to draw beer. The beer ran into the can and Kate watched it, and then she thought, "Oh, dear! The dog upstairs is not fastened up, it might get the sausage out of the pan. Well thought of." And in a trice she was up the cellar-steps again, but the Spitz had the sausage in its mouth already, and trailed it away on the ground. But Catherine, who was not idle, set out after it, and chased it a long way into the field; the dog, however, was swifter than Catherine and did not let the sausage journey easily, but skipped over the furrows with it. "What's gone is gone!" said Kate, and turned round, and as she had run till she was weary, she walked quietly and comfortably, and cooled herself. During this time the beer was still running out of the cask, for Kate had not turned the tap. And when the can was full and there was no other place for it, it ran into the cellar and did not stop until the whole cask was empty. As soon as Kate was on the steps she saw the mischance. "Good gracious!" she cried. "What shall I do now to stop Frederick knowing it!" She thought for a while, and at last she remembered that up in the garret was still standing a sack of the finest wheat flour from the last fair, and she would fetch that down and strew it over the beer. "Yes," said she, "he who saves a thing when he ought, has it afterwards when he needs it," and she climbed up to the garret and carried the sack below, and threw it straight down on the can of beer, which she knocked over, and Frederick's draught swam also in the cellar. "It is all right," said Kate, "where the one is the other ought to be also," and she strewed the meal over the whole cellar. When it was done she was heartily delighted with her work, and said, "How clean and wholesome it does look here!"
Ved middagstid kom Frits hjem. "Nå, hvad har du så til mig, lille kone?" spurgte han. "Ja, jeg ville jo have stegt dig en pølse, Fritsemand," svarede hun, "men medens jeg tappede øl, snappede hunden pølsen, og mens jeg så løb efter den, rendte alt øllet ud, og da jeg ville tørre op med hvedemel, kom jeg til at vælte kanden med dit øl, men du skal ikke være ked af det, kælderen er allerede tør igen." - "Lise, Lise," svarede Frits og rystede på hovedet, "det skulle du ikke have gjort. Først lader du hunden snappe pølsen og alt vores gode øl løbe ud, og så spilder du oven i købet det fine, dyre mel." - "Ja, ja, lille Frits," svarede konen, "det måtte du virkelig have sagt mig. Det kunne jeg da umuligt vide."
At mid-day home came Frederick: "Now, wife, what have you ready for me?" - "Ah, Freddy," she answered, "I was frying a sausage for you, but whilst I was drawing the beer to drink with it, the dog took it away out of the pan, and whilst I was running after the dog, all the beer ran out, and whilst I was drying up the beer with the flour, I knocked over the can as well, but be easy, the cellar is quite dry again." Said Frederick, "Kate, Kate, you should not have done that! to let the sausage be carried off and the beer run out of the cask, and throw out all our flour into the bargain!" - "Indeed, Frederick, I did not know that, you should have told me."
"Når jeg har sådan en kone, er det nok bedst, jeg passer bedre på en anden gang," tænkte Frits. Han havde samlet en ganske køn slump penge sammen i sølv, dem vekslede han nu i guld og sagde til Lise: "Kan du se alle de små guldspurve? Dem lægger jeg i en krukke og graver dem ned ude i stalden. Men jeg vil råde dig til at holde fingrene af fadet." - "Jeg skal såmænd ikke røre dem, lille Frits," svarede hun, og derpå gik han. Mens hun nu var alene hjemme, kom der to bissekræmmere, som ville sælge lerfade og krukker. "Jeg har ingen penge," svarede Lise, "men hvis I kan bruge guldspurve, så vil jeg nok have noget." - "Ja, hvorfor ikke, lad os se på dem," svarede de. "Gå så ud i stalden og grav under krybben," sagde Lise, "så finder I det nok, men jeg tør ikke gå med jer." Gavtyvene gik derud, og da de fandt guldet, stak de af og lod krukker og fade i stikken. Lise syntes, at det var synd ikke at bruge alle de nye ting, og da der var mere end nok i køkkenet, slog hun bunden ud på alle krukkerne og hængte dem til pynt på gærdestavene udenfor huset. Da Frits kom hjem og så det, spurgte han: "Hvad har du nu gjort, Lise?" - "Jeg har købt det altsammen for guldspurvene ude i stalden," svarede hun, "men jeg har ikke taget noget af krukken, jeg lod bissekræmmerne selv gå ud og grave det op." - "Herregud, Lise," sagde Frits, hvordan er det dog, du bærer dig ad? Det var jo ikke guldspurve, men det pure guld, alt hvad vi ejede." - "Ja, lille Frits," svarede hun, "men det måtte du virkelig have sagt mig, ellers kunne jeg da ikke vide det."
The man thought, "If my wife is like this, I must look after things more." Now he had got together a good number of thalers which he changed into gold, and said to Catherine, "Look, these are counters for playing games; I will put them in a pot and bury them in the stable under the cow's manger, but mind you keep away from them, or it will be the worse for you." Said she, "Oh, no, Frederick, I certainly will not go." And when Frederick was gone some pedlars came into the village who had cheap earthen-bowls and pots, and asked the young woman if there was nothing she wanted to bargain with them for? "Oh, dear people," said Catherine, "I have no money and can buy nothing, but if you have any use for yellow counters I will buy of you." - "Yellow counters, why not? But just let us see them." - "Then go into the stable and dig under the cow's manger, and you will find the yellow counters. I am not allowed to go there." The rogues went thither, dug and found pure gold. Then they laid hold of it, ran away, and left their pots and bowls behind in the house. Catherine though she must use her new things, and as she had no lack in the kitchen already without these, she knocked the bottom out of every pot, and set them all as ornaments on the paling which went round about the house. When Frederick came and saw the new decorations, he said, "Catherine, what have you been about?" - "I have bought them, Frederick, for the counters which were under the cow's manger. I did not go there myself, the pedlars had to dig them out for themselves." - "Ah, wife," said Frederick, "what have you done? Those were not counters, but pure gold, and all our wealth; you should not have done that." - "Indeed, Frederick," said she, "I did not know that, you should have forewarned me."
Lise stod nu og tænkte sig lidt om, så sagde hun: "Hør, Frits, vi skal nok få vores guld igen. Lad os løbe efter tyvene." - "Ja, kom så," svarede Frits, "men lad os tage noget smør og ost med, så vi har noget at leve af på vejen." De begav sig nu af sted, og da Frits var raskest til bens, sakkede Lise agterud. "Det er en ren fordel," tænkte hun, "når vi så skal hjem er det mig, som har forspring." De kom nu til et bjerg, hvor der på begge sider af vejen var dybe hjulspor. "Nej, se bare, hvor de har revet og flået i den stakkels jord," tænkte Lise, "den bliver såmænd aldrig i sine levedage hel igen." Hun bukkede sig ned for at stryge smørret på hjulsporene, så hjulene kunne gå lettere, og derved faldt der en ost ud af hendes lomme og trillede ned ad bjerget. "Den vej går jeg ikke en gang til," tænkte hun, "det er bedst, en af de andre render ned efter den," og derpå tog hun en anden ost og kastede den ned ad bjerget. Men de kom ikke igen, og hun kastede da en tredie ost derned. "Måske holder de ikke så meget af at gå alene," tænke hun, og da heller ingen af de tre viste sig igen, rullede hun den fjerde ned til dem. "Det er noget løjerligt noget," tænkte hun, "men det kan jo være, at den sidste er faret vild." Til sidst blev hun gal i hovedet og kastede både den femte og den sjette derned, og så havde hun ikke flere. En tid lang blev hun stående og ventede, men da der stadig ikke kom nogen, tænkte hun: "I er gode at sende af sted efter døden, for I bliver så rart længe borte, men tror I, jeg gider stå og vente på jer. Nu går jeg, så kan I komme bagefter, I har yngre ben end jeg." Hun gik videre, og nogen tid efter nåede hun Frits, som stod og ventede på hende, fordi han gerne ville have noget at spise. "Lad mig nu få noget af det, du har med," sagde han, og hun rakte ham et stykke tørt brød. "Hvor er smørret og osten?" spurgte han. "Smørret har jeg såmænd smurt i hjulsporene, lille Frits," svarede hun, "men ostene kommer nok snart. Jeg tabte den ene, og så sendte jeg de andre af sted for at hente den." - "Det skulle du ikke have gjort, Lise," sagde han, "det er dog for galt at smøre smørret på landevejen og rulle ostene ned ad bjerget." - "Ja, det kunne jeg da virkelig ikke vide, Frits," svarede hun, "det måtte du da have sagt mig."
Catherine stood for a while and bethought to herself; then she said, "Listen, Frederick, we will soon get the gold back again, we will run after the thieves." - "Come, then," said Frederick, "we will try it; but take with you some butter and cheese that we may have something to eat on the way." - "Yes, Frederick, I will take them." They set out, and as Frederick was the better walker, Catherine followed him. "It is to my advantage," thought she, "when we turn back I shall be a little way in advance." Then she came to a hill where there were deep ruts on both sides of the road. "There one can see," said Catherine, "how they have torn and skinned and galled the poor earth, it will never be whole again as long as it lives," and in her heart's compassion she took her butter and smeared the ruts right and left, that they might not be so hurt by the wheels, and as she was thus bending down in her charity, one of the cheeses rolled out of her pocket down the hill. Said Catherine, "I have made my way once up here, I will not go down again; another may run and fetch it back." So she took another cheese and rolled it down. But the cheeses did not come back, so she let a third run down, thinking. "Perhaps they are waiting for company, and do not like to walk alone." As all three stayed away she said, "I do not know what that can mean, but it may perhaps be that the third has not found the way, and has gone wrong, I will just send the fourth to call it." But the fourth did no better than the third. Then Catherine was angry, and threw down the fifth and sixth as well, and these were her last. She remained standing for some time watching for their coming, but when they still did not come, she said, "Oh, you are good folks to send in search of death, you stay a fine long time away! Do you think I will wait any longer for you? I shall go my way, you may run after me; you have younger legs than I." Catherine went on and found Frederick, who was standing waiting for her because he wanted something to eat. "Now just let us have what you have brought with you," said he. She gave him the dry bread. "Where have you the butter and the cheeses?" asked the man. "Ah, Freddy," said Catherine, "I smeared the cart-ruts with the butter and the cheeses will come soon; one ran away from me, so I sent the others after to call it." Said Frederick, "You should not have done that, Catherine, to smear the butter on the road, and let the cheeses run down the hill!" - "Really, Frederick, you should have told me."
De spiste nu deres tørre brød. "Du har vel låset ordentligt inden du gik hjemmefra, Lise?" spurgte Frits. "Nej, det skulle du virkelig have sagt mig, lille Frits." - "Så er det bedst, du går hjem og gør det. Tag også noget mad med, så venter jeg på dig her." Lise begav sig på hjemvejen, mens hun tænkte: "Ost og brød smager ham vist ikke rigtig. Det er bedre jeg tager nogle tørrede æbler og noget eddike med." Da hun kom hjem låsede hun den øverste halvdør og tog den nederste på skulderen, fordi hun tænkte, at når døren var i sikkerhed måtte huset vel være godt forvaret. Hun gav sig god tid. "Så kan han jo hvile sig så meget desto længere," tænkte hun. Langt om længe nåede hun ham. "Der kan du se, hvad for en klog kone, du har," sagde hun, "nu kan du selv passe på huset." - "Herregud, hvad er det dog for en kone, jeg har," råbte han, "går hun ikke hen og tager døren af huset, så alle og enhver kan rende derind. Nu er det for sent at gå hjem igen, men du skal sandelig få lov til at slæbe den dør selv." - "Det skal jeg nok, lille Frits," svarede hun, "men æblerne og krukken med eddike er alt for tunge. Jeg hænger det på døren, så kan den bære det."
Then they ate the dry bread together, and Frederick said, "Catherine, did you make the house safe when you came away?" - "No, Frederick, you should have told me to do it before." - "Then go home again, and make the house safe before we go any farther, and bring with you something else to eat. I will wait here for you." Catherine went back and thought, "Frederick wants something more to eat, he does not like butter and cheese, so I will take with me a handkerchief full of dried pears and a pitcher of vinegar for him to drink." Then she bolted the upper half of the door fast, but unhinged the lower door, and took it on her back, believing that when she had placed the door in security the house must be well taken care of. Catherine took her time on the way, and thought, "Frederick will rest himself so much the longer." When she had once reached him she said, "Here is the house-door for you, Frederick, and now you can take care of the house yourself." - "Oh, heavens," said he, "what a wise wife I have! She takes the under-door off the hinges that everything may run in, and bolts the upper one. It is now too late to go back home again, but since you have brought the door here, you shall just carry it farther." - "I will carry the door, Frederick, but the dried pears and the vinegar-jug will be too heavy for me, I will hang them on the door, it may carry them."
De gik nu ind i skoven og ledte efter tyvene, men fandt dem ikke, og da det blev mørkt, klatrede de op i et træ for at sove der om natten. Et øjeblik efter kom der et par af den slags fyre, som tager med, hvad der ikke vil følge med, og finder, hvad ingen har tabt. De satte sig lige under træet. Frits lod sig forsigtigt glide ned på den anden side og samlede nogle sten, som han ville slå tyvene ihjel med, men han kunne ikke ramme dem. "Nu er det nok snart morgen," råbte de, "blæsten ryster grankogler ned." Lise sad deroppe med døren på skulderen. Den var så tung, og da hun troede det var æblerne som var skyld deri, sagde hun til Frits: "Jeg bliver nødt til at kaste æblerne ned." - "Det må du ikke," svarede han, "så røber du os jo." - "Jamen, jeg kan ikke holde det ud længere," klynkede hun. "Nå så gør det da i pokkers skind og ben." Æblerne trillede nu ned mellem grenene og tyvene dernede sagde: "Fuglene taber nok noget." Døren blev imidlertid ved at være lige tung og Lise sagde lidt efter: "Jeg bliver nødt til at kaste eddiken ned." - "Det må du ikke," svarede han, "så røber du os jo." - "Jamen, jeg kan ikke holde det ud," sagde hun ynkeligt. "Nå, så gør det da for pokker." Da eddiken dryppede ned på tyvene sagde de: "Duggen falder nok allerede." - "Det skulle da vel ikke være døren, der er så tung," tænkte Lise, da det slet ikke hjalp. "Nu kaster jeg døren ned, Frits." - "Det må du virkelig ikke," svarede han, "du røber os jo." - "Jamen jeg kan slet ikke holde det ud," stønnede hun. "Ja så gør det da i djævelens navn." Det gav et ordentligt brag, da døren faldt ned, og tyvene for forfærdet op. "Det er fanden, der kommer efter os," råbte de og løb af sted af alle livsens kræfter og lod alle deres sager ligge. Da Frits og Lise klatrede ned af træet, fandt de alt deres guld og tog det med sig.
And now they went into the forest, and sought the rogues, but did not find them. At length as it grew dark they climbed into a tree and resolved to spend the night there. Scarcely, however, had they sat down at the top of it than the rascals came thither who carry away with them what does not want to go, and find things before they are lost. They sat down under the very tree in which Frederick and Catherine were sitting, lighted a fire, and were about to share their booty. Frederick got down on the other side and collected some stones together. Then he climbed up again with them, and wished to throw them at the thieves and kill them. The stones, however, did not hit them, and the knaves cried, "It will soon be morning, the wind is shaking down the fir-apples. Catherine still had the door on her back, and as it pressed so heavily on her, she thought it was the fault of the dried pears, and said, "Frederick, I must throw the pears down." - "No, Catherine, not now," he replied, "they might betray us." - "Oh, but, Frederick, I must! They weigh me down far too much." - "Do it, then, and be hanged!" Then the dried pears rolled down between the branches, and the rascals below said, "The leaves are falling." A short time afterwards, as the door was still heavy, Catherine said, "Ah, Frederick, I must pour out the vinegar." - "No, Catherine, you must not, it might betray us." - "Ah, but, Frederick, I must, it weighs me down far too much." - "Then do it and be hanged!" So she emptied out the vinegar, and it besprinkled the robbers. They said amongst themselves, "The dew is already falling." At length Catherine thought, "Can it really be the door which weighs me down so?" and said, "Frederick, I must throw the door down." - "No, not now, Catherine, it might discover us." - "Oh, but, Frederick, I must. It weighs me down far too much." - "Oh, no, Catherine, do hold it fast." - "Ah, Frederick, I am letting it fall!" - "Let it go, then, in the devil's name." Then it fell down with a violent clatter, and the rascals below cried, "The devil is coming down the tree!" and they ran away and left everything behind them. Early next morning, when the two came down they found all their gold again, and carried it home.
Da de kom hjem, sagde Frits: "Nu må du også være flittig og bestille noget, Lise." - "Ja, det skal jeg nok, lille Frits," svarede hun, "nu går jeg ud på marken og mejer korn." Da hun var kommet derud, tænkte hun: "Skal jeg nu spise, før jeg mejer, eller skal jeg sove, før jeg mejer? Det er vist bedst, jeg spiser først." Da hun havde spist, blev hun søvnig, og da hun begyndte at meje, kom hun halvt i søvne til at skære alle sine klæder itu, forklæde, skørt og særk. Da hun vågnede, lå hun der halvnøgen og kunne slet ikke hitte ud af det. "Er det mig, eller er det ikke mig," sagde hun, "nej, nej, det kan ikke være mig." Imidlertid faldt natten på, og hun løb da hjem, bankede på ruden og råbte: "Halløj, Frits, jeg ville gerne vide, om Lise er hjemme." - "Hun ligger derinde og sover," svarede han. "Nå, så er jeg allerede kommet hjem," tænkte hun og løb videre.
When they were once more at home, Frederick said, "And now, Catherine, you, too, must be industrious and work." - "Yes, Frederick, I will soon do that, I will go into the field and cut corn." When Catherine got into the field, she said to herself, "Shall I eat before I cut, or shall I sleep before I cut? Oh, I will eat first." Then Catherine ate and eating made her sleepy, and she began to cut, and half in a dream cut all her clothes to pieces, her apron, her gown, and her shift. When Catherine awoke again after a long sleep she was standing there half-naked, and said to herself, "Is it I, or is it not I? Alas, it is not I." In the meantime night came, and Catherine ran into the village, knocked at her husband's window, and cried, "Frederick." - "What is the matter?" - "I should very much like to know if Catherine is in?" - "Yes, yes," replied Frederick, "she must be in and asleep." Said she, "'Tis well, then I am certainly at home already," and ran away.
Lidt efter mødte hun nogle fyre, som var ude for at se at finde noget at stjæle. "Skal jeg hjælpe jer?" spurgte hun, og da tyvene tænkte, at hun måtte være kendt der, sagde de ja. Lise gik nu hen og stillede sig op udenfor et hus og råbte: "Halløj, hvad har I. Vi vil gerne stjæle." - "Det går aldrig godt," tænkte tyvene, og ønskede bare, de var af med hende igen. "Kan du gå ud og hente os nogle af de roer, der står henne på præstens mark," spurgte en af dem. Lise gik derud og bukkede sig ned og begyndte at hale roerne op, men hun var så doven, at hun ikke gad rette ryggen. I det samme kom en mand gående forbi. Han blev stående og så på hende og troede, det var fanden selv, som rodede omkring i roerne. Han løb nu af alle kræfter hen til præstegården og råbte: "Hr. pastor, hr. pastor, djævelen roder omkring ude i jeres roer." - "Gud forbarme sig," sagde præsten, "og jeg halter så jeg kan ikke engang gå ud og mane ham bort." - "Så skal jeg tage eder på ryggen," sagde manden og travede af sted med ham. Da de kom ud på marken rejste Lise sig netop. "Det er djævelen, det er djævelen," råbte præsten, og så løb de begge to, og af lutter angst løb præsten meget hurtigere på sit halte ben end manden på sine to raske.
Outside Catherine found some vagabonds who were going to steal. Then she went to them and said, "I will help you to steal." The rascals thought that she knew the situation of the place, and were willing. Catherine went in front of the houses, and cried, "Good folks, have you anything? We want to steal." The thieves thought to themselves, "That's a fine way of doing things," and wished themselves once more rid of Catherine. Then they said to her, "Outside the village the pastor has some turnips in the field. Go there and pull up some turnips for us." Catherine went to the ground, and began to pull them up, but was so idle that she did not gather them together. Then a man came by, saw her, and stood still and thought that it was the devil who was thus rooting amongst the turnips. He ran away into the village to the pastor, and said, "Mr. Pastor, the devil is in your turnip-ground, rooting up turnips." - "Ah, heavens," answered the pastor, "I have a lame foot, I cannot go out and drive him away." Said the man, "Then I will carry you on my back," and he carried him out on his back. And when they came to the ground, Catherine arose and stood up her full height. "Ah, the devil!" cried the pastor, and both hurried away, and in his great fright the pastor could run better with his lame foot than the man who had carried him on his back could do with his sound one.