"Now I must beg you not to say that again," said Big Claus; "forif you do, I shall hit your horse on the head, so that he will dropdead on the spot, and there will be an end of him."
  "I promise you I will not say it any more," said the other; but assoon as people came by, nodding to him, and wishing him "Good day," hebecame so pleased, and thought how grand it looked to have five horsesploughing in his field, that he cried out again, "Gee-up, all myhorses!"
  "I'll gee-up your horses for you," said Big Claus; and seizing ahammer, he struck the one horse of Little Claus on the head, and hefell dead instantly.
  "Oh, now I have no horse at all, said Little Claus, weeping. Butafter a while he took off the dead horse's skin, and hung the hideto dry in the wind. Then he put the dry skin into a bag, and,placing it over his shoulder, went out into the next town to sellthe horse's skin. He had a very long way to go, and had to passthrough a dark, gloomy forest. Presently a storm arose, and he losthis way, and before he discovered the right path, evening came on, andit was still a long way to the town, and too far to return home beforenight. Near the road stood a large farmhouse. The shutters outside thewindows were closed, but lights shone through the crevices at the top."I might get permission to stay here for the night," thought LittleClaus; so he went up to the door and knocked. The farmer's wife openedthe door; but when she heard what he wanted, she told him to goaway, as her husband would not allow her to admit strangers. "Then Ishall be obliged to lie out here," said Little Claus to himself, asthe farmer's wife shut the door in his face. Near to the farmhousestood a large haystack, and between it and the house was a small shed,with a thatched roof. "I can lie up there," said Little Claus, as hesaw the roof; "it will make a famous bed, but I hope the stork willnot fly down and bite my legs;" for on it stood a living stork,whose nest was in the roof. So Little Claus climbed to the roof of theshed, and while he turned himself to get comfortable, he discoveredthat the wooden shutters, which were closed, did not reach to the topsof the windows of the farmhouse, so that he could see into a room,in which a large table was laid out with wine, roast meat, and asplendid fish. The farmer's wife and the sexton were sitting at thetable together; and she filled his glass, and helped him plenteouslyto fish, which appeared to be his favorite dish. "If I could onlyget some, too," thought Little Claus; and then, as he stretched hisneck towards the window he spied a large, beautiful pie,- indeedthey had a glorious feast before them.
  At this moment he heard some one riding down the road, towards thefarmhouse. It was the farmer returning home. He was a good man, butstill he had a very strange prejudice,- he could not bear the sight ofa sexton. If one appeared before him, he would put himself in aterrible rage. In consequence of this dislike, the sexton had goneto visit the farmer's wife during her husband's absence from home, andthe good woman had placed before him the best she had in the houseto eat. When she heard the farmer coming she was frightened, andbegged the sexton to hide himself in a large empty chest that stood inthe room. He did so, for he knew her husband could not endure thesight of a sexton. The woman then quickly put away the wine, and hidall the rest of the nice things in the oven; for if her husband hadseen them he would have asked what they were brought out for.
  "Oh, dear," sighed Little Claus from the top of the shed, as hesaw all the good things disappear.
  "Is any one up there?"