ey poured the soup out of the kettle into the dish the body of little
Pepper-Corn floated on top.

Then the old man and the old woman began to mourn and cry: "Dear
Pepper-Corn is dead, dear Pepper-Corn is dead."

When the dove heard it she tore out her feathers, and cried: "Dear
Pepper-Corn is dead. The old man and the old woman are mourning."

When the apple-tree saw that the dove tore out her feathers it asked her
why she did so, and when it learned the reason it shook off all its
apples.

In like manner, the well near by poured out all its water, the queen's
maid broke her pitcher, the queen broke her arm, and the king threw his
crown on the ground so that it broke into a thousand pieces; and when
his people asked him what the matter was, he answered: "Dear Pepper-Corn
is dead, the old man and the old woman mourn, the dove has torn out her
feathers, the apple-tree has shaken off all its apples, the well has
poured out all its water, the maid has broken her pitcher, the queen has
broken her arm, and I, the king, have lost my crown; dear Pepper-Corn is
dead."

* * * * *

See also Benfey, _Pant._ I. p. 191. There is also a version in Morosi,
_op. cit._, given by Imbriani in _Pomiglianesi_, p. 268; and mention is
made of one from the Abruzzi in Finamore, _Trad. pop. abruzzesi_, p.
244.

[16] In addition to the versions mentioned in the text, Imbriani
(_Pomiglianesi_, pp. 250, 252) gives two versions from Lecco.

The following version is found in Morosi, p. 73.

XC. THE ANT AND THE MOUSE.

There was once an ant who, while sweeping her house one day, found three
_quattrini_, and began to say: "What shall I buy? What shall I buy?
Shall I buy meat? No, because meat has bones, and I should choke. Shall
I buy fish? No, for fish has bones, and I should be scratched." After
she had mentioned many other things, she concluded to buy a red ribbon.
She put it on, and sat in the window. An ox passed by and said: "How
pretty you are! do you want me for your husband?" She said: "Sing, so
that I may hear your voice." The ox with great pride raised his voice.
After the ant had heard it, she said: "No, no, you frighten me."

A dog passed by, and the same happened to him as to the ox. After many
animals had passed, a little mouse went by and said: "How pretty you
are! do you want me for your husband?" She said: "Let me hear you sing."
The mouse sang, and went, _pi, pi, pi!_ His voice pleased th