"Bad luck to you! Are you fast at this time? You knew I was coming and
got fast? Come, loosen yourself and open the door!" He said again: "I
cannot come and open, for I am fast." Finally the friend became angry,
kicked in the door, went into the kitchen, and saw all those souls stuck
fast and laughed heartily. "Just wait, for I will loosen you now." So he
gave a great pull, the cat's tail was loosened, the cat fell into the
dog's mouth, the dog into his mistress' mouth, the mistress into her
husband's, her husband into his friend's, and his friend into the mouth
of the blockheads who are listening to me.[17]

* * * * *

The following nonsense story from Venice (Bernoni, Punt. I. p. 18) will
give a good idea of a class that is not very well represented in Italy.
It is called:

LXXXIV. THE THREE BROTHERS.

Once upon a time there were three brothers: two had no clothes and one
no shirt. The weather was very bad and they make up their minds to go
shooting. So they took down three guns,--two were broken and one had no
barrel,--and walked and walked until they came at last to a meadow,
where they saw a hare. They began to fire at it, but could not catch it.
"What shall we do?" said one of them. They remembered that near by a
godmother of theirs lived; so they went and knocked at her door and
asked her to lend them a pot to cook the hare they had not caught. The
godmother was not at home, but nevertheless she answered: "My children,
go in the kitchen and there you will find three pots, two broken and one
with no bottom; take whichever you wish." "Thanks, Godmother!" They went
into the kitchen and chose the one without a bottom and put the hare in
it to cook. While the hare was cooking, one said: "Let us ask our
godmother whether she has anything in her garden." So they asked her and
she said: "Yes, yes, my children, I have three walnut-trees; two are
dead and one has never borne any nuts; knock off as many as you wish."
One went and shook the tree that had never borne nuts, and a little nut
fell on his hat and broke his heel. Thereupon they picked up the nuts
and went to get the hare, which meanwhile was cooked, and said: "What
shall we do with so much stuff?" So they went to a village where there
were many ill, and they put up a notice in the street that whoever
wished might, at such and such a place, get broth given him in charity.
Every one went to get some, and they took it in the salad