r hymn books under their
arms, to hear the minister preach. They saw Little Klaus ploughing with
the five horses; but he was so happy that he kept on cracking his whip,
and calling out 'Gee-up, my five horses!'

'You mustn't say that,' said Big Klaus. 'Only one horse is yours.'

But as soon as someone else was going by Little Klaus forgot that he
must not say it, and called out 'Gee-up, my five horses!'

'Now you had better stop that,' said Big Klaus, 'for if you say it once
more I will give your horse such a crack on the head that it will drop
down dead on the spot!'

'I really won't say it again!' said Little Klaus. But as soon as more
people passed by, and nodded him good-morning, he became so happy in
thinking how well it looked to have five horses ploughing his field
that, cracking his whip, he called out 'Gee-up, my five horses!'

'I'll see to your horses!' said Big Klaus; and, seizing an iron bar, he
struck Little Klaus' one horse such a blow on the head that it fell down
and died on the spot.

'Alas! Now I have no horse!' said Little Klaus, beginning to cry. Then
he flayed the skin off his horse, dried it, and put it in a sack, which
he threw over his shoulder, and went into the town to sell it. He had a
long way to go, and had to pass through a great dark forest. A dreadful
storm came on, in which he lost his way, and before he could get on to
the right road night came on, and it was impossible to reach the town
that evening.

Right in front of him was a large farm-house. The window-shutters were
closed, but the light came through the chinks. 'I should very much like
to be allowed to spend the night there,' thought Little Klaus; and he
went and knocked at the door. The farmer's wife opened it, but when she
heard what he wanted she told him to go away; her husband was not at
home, and she took in no strangers.

'Well, I must lie down outside,' said Little Klaus; and the farmer's
wife shut the door in his face. Close by stood a large haystack,
and between it and the house a little out-house, covered with a flat
thatched roof.

'I can lie down there,' thought Little Klaus, looking at the roof; 'it
will make a splendid bed, if only the stork won't fly down and bite my
legs.' For a live stork was standing on the roof, where it had its nest.
So Little Klaus crept up into the out-house, where he lay down, and made
himself comfortable for the night. The wooden shutters over the windows
were not shut at the t