out
and amuse us, while other people seem so happy and merry with their
children!" "What you say is very true," said the wife, sighing, and
turning her wheel; "how happy should I be if I had but one child! and
if it were ever so small, nay, if it were no bigger than my thumb, I
should be very happy, and love it dearly." Now it came to pass that
this good woman's wish was fulfilled just as she desired; for, some
time afterwards, she had a little boy, who was quite healthy and
strong, but not much bigger than my thumb. So they said, "Well, we
cannot say we have not got what we wished for, and, little as he is,
we will love him dearly;" and they called him Thumbling.

They gave him plenty of food, yet he never grew bigger, but remained
just the same size as when he was born; still, his eyes were sharp and
sparkling and he soon showed himself to be a clever little fellow,
who always knew well what he was about. One day, as the woodman was
getting ready to go into the wood to cut fuel, he said, "I wish I had
some one to bring the cart after me, for I want to make haste." "Oh,
father!" cried Thumbling, "I will take care of that; the cart shall
be in the wood by the time you want it." Then the woodman laughed and
said, "How can that be? You cannot reach up to the horse's bridle."
"Never mind that, father," said Thumbling; "if my mother will only
harness the horse, I will get into his ear, and tell him which way to
go." "Well," said the father, "we will try for once."

When the time came, the mother harnessed the horse to the cart, and
put Thumbling into its ear; and as he sat there, the little man told
the beast how to go, crying out, "Go on," and "Stop," as he wanted;
so the horse went on just as if the woodman had driven it himself into
the wood. It happened that, as the horse was going a little too fast,
and Thumbling was calling out "Gently, gently!" two strangers came up.
"What an odd thing that is!" said one, "there is a cart going along,
and I heard a carter talking to the horse but can see no one." "That
is strange," said the other; "let us follow the cart and see where it
goes." So they went on into the wood, till at last they came to the
place where the woodman was. Then Thumbling, seeing his father, cried
out, "See, father, here I am, with the cart, all right and safe; now
take me down." So his father took hold of the horse with one hand, and
with the other took his son out of the ear; then he put him down upon
a