way of getting rid of
Katcha.

Presently he came to a pond and he thought to himself that he'd like
to throw her in. He wondered how he could do it. Perhaps he could
manage it by throwing in his greatcoat with her. The coat was so loose
that he thought he could slip out of it without Katcha's discovering
what he was doing. Very cautiously he slipped out one arm. Katcha
didn't move. He slipped out the other arm. Still Katcha didn't move.
He unlooped the first button. Katcha noticed nothing. He unlooped the
second button. Still Katcha noticed nothing. He unlooped the third
button and kerplunk! he had pitched coat and Katcha and all into the
middle of the pond!

When he got back to his sheep, the devil looked at him in amazement.

"Where's Katcha?" he gasped.

"Oh," the shepherd said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb, "I
decided to leave her up yonder in a pond."

"My dear friend," the devil cried, "I thank you! You have done me a
great favor. If it hadn't been for you I might be carrying Katcha till
doomsday. I'll never forget you and some time I'll reward you. As you
don't know who it is you've helped, I must tell you I'm a devil."

With these words the devil vanished.

For a moment the shepherd was dazed. Then he laughed and said to
himself: "Well, if they're all as stupid as he is, we ought to be able
for them!"

The country where the shepherd lived was ruled over by a dissolute
young duke who passed his days in riotous living and his nights in
carousing. He gave over the affairs of state to two governors who were
as bad as he. With extortionate taxes and unjust fines they robbed the
people until the whole land was crying out against them.

Now one day for amusement the duke summoned an astrologer to court and
ordered him to read in the planets the fate of himself and his two
governors. When the astrologer had cast a horoscope for each of the
three reprobates, he was greatly disturbed and tried to dissuade the
duke from questioning him further.

"Such danger," he said, "threatens your life and the lives of your two
governors that I fear to speak."

"Whatever it is," said the duke, "speak. But I warn you to speak the
truth, for if what you say does not come to pass you will forfeit your
life."

The astrologer bowed and said: "Hear then, oh Duke, what the planets
foretell: Before the second quarter of the moon, on such and such a
day, at such and such an hour, a devil will come and carry off the