long way off, and as it was growing dark, and he was
feeling tired, he stopped to rest at his cousin's house by the way.

The cousin had three daughters, who laid out a tempting supper, but the
man would eat nothing, and said to his cousin, 'Your supper is bad.'

'Oh, make the best of it,' said she, but the man only said: 'Clear
away!' and taking out his sack he cried, as the crane had taught him:

'Two out of the sack!'

And out came the two pretty boys, who quickly brought in the oak tables,
spread the silken covers, and laid out all sorts of delicious dishes and
refreshing drinks.

Never in their lives had the cousin and her daughters seen such a
supper, and they were delighted and astonished at it. But the cousin
quietly made up her mind to steal the sack, so she called to her
daughters: 'Go quickly and heat the bathroom: I am sure our dear guest
would like to have a bath before he goes to bed.'

When the man was safe in the bathroom she told her daughters to make a
sack exactly like his, as quickly as possible. Then she changed the two
sacks, and hid the man's sack away.

The man enjoyed his bath, slept soundly, and set off early next morning,
taking what he believed to be the sack the crane had given him.

All the way home he felt in such good spirits that he sang and whistled
as he walked through the wood, and never noticed how the birds were
twittering and laughing at him.

As soon as he saw his house he began to shout from a distance, 'Hallo!
old woman! Come out and meet me!'

His wife screamed back: 'You come here, and I'll give you a good
thrashing with the poker!'

The man walked into the house, hung his sack on a nail, and said, as the
crane had taught him:

'Two out of the sack!'

But not a soul came out of the sack.

Then he said again, exactly as the crane had taught him:

'Two out of the sack!'

His wife, hearing him chattering goodness knows what, took up her wet
broom and swept the ground all about him.

The man took flight and rushed oft into the field, and there he found
the crane marching proudly about, and to him he told his tale.

'Come back to my house,' said the crane, and so they went to the crane's
house, and as soon as they got there, what did the crane take down from
the wall? Why, he took down a sack, and he said:

'Two out of the sack!'

And instantly two pretty lads sprang out of the sack, brought in oak
tables, on which they laid silken covers, and spread all s