n a rage when he hears how rich I have become through my one
horse; but I won't tell him just yet!'

So he sent a boy to Big Klaus to borrow a bushel measure from him.

'Now what can he want with it?' thought Big Klaus; and he smeared some
tar at the bottom, so that of whatever was measured a little should
remain in it. And this is just what happened; for when he got his
measure back, three new silver five-shilling pieces were sticking to
it.

'What does this mean?' said Big Klaus, and he ran off at once to
Little Klaus.

'Where did you get so much money from?'

'Oh, that was from my horse-skin. I sold it yesterday evening.'

'That's certainly a good price!' said Big Klaus; and running home in
great haste, he took an axe, knocked all his four horses on the head,
skinned them, and went into the town.

'Skins! skins! Who will buy skins?' he cried through the streets.

All the shoemakers and tanners came running to ask him what he wanted
for them. 'A bushel of money for each,' said Big Klaus.

'Are you mad?' they all exclaimed. 'Do you think we have money by the
bushel?'

'Skins! skins! Who will buy skins?' he cried again, and to all who
asked him what they cost, he answered, 'A bushel of money.'

'He is making game of us,' they said; and the shoemakers seized their
yard measures and the tanners their leathern aprons and they gave Big
Klaus a good beating. 'Skins! skins!' they cried mockingly; yes, we
will tan _your_ skin for you! Out of the town with him!' they shouted;
and Big Klaus had to hurry off as quickly as he could, if he wanted to
save his life.

'Aha!' said he when he came home, 'Little Klaus shall pay dearly for
this. I will kill him!'

[Illustration: The Shoemakers and Tanners Drive Big Klaus Out of the
Town]

Little Klaus' grandmother had just died. Though she had been very
unkind to him, he was very much distressed, and he took the dead woman
and laid her in his warm bed to try if he could not bring her back to
life. There she lay the whole night, while he sat in the corner and
slept on a chair, which he had often done before. And in the night as
he sat there the door opened, and Big Klaus came in with his axe. He
knew quite well where Little Klaus's bed stood, and going up to it he
struck the grandmother on the head just where he thought Little Klaus
would be. 'There!' said he. 'Now you won't get the best of me again!'
And he went home.

'What a very wicked man!' thought Little Klaus. 'H