un out by the back
door; but he stumbled over the greyhound, which bit him in the leg.
Yelling with pain he ran across the courtyard only to receive a kick
from the donkey's hind leg as he passed him. In the meantime the cock
had been roused from his slumbers, and feeling very cheerful he called
out, from the shelf where he was perched, 'Kikeriki!'

Then the robber hastened back to his captain and said: 'Sir, there is a
dreadful witch in the house, who spat at me and scratched my face with
her long fingers; and before the door there stands a man with a long
knife, who cut my leg severely. In the courtyard outside lies a black
monster, who fell upon me with a huge wooden club; and that is not all,
for, sitting on the roof, is a judge, who called out: "Bring the rascal
to me." So I fled for dear life.'

After this the robbers dared not venture into the house again, and they
abandoned it for ever. But the four street musicians were so delighted
with their lodgings that they determined to take up their abode in the
robbers' house, and, for all I know to the contrary, they may be living
there to this day.

[From the German, Kletke.]

The Twin Brothers

Once there was a fisherman who had plenty of money but no children.
One day an old woman came to his wife and said: 'What use is all your
prosperity to you when you have no children?'

'It is God's will,' answered the fisherman's wife.

'Nay, my child, it is not God's will, but the fault of your husband;
for if he would but catch the little gold-fish you would surely have
children. To-night, when he comes home, tell him he must go back and
catch the little fish. He must then cut it in six pieces--one of these
you must eat, and your husband the second, and soon after you will have
two children. The third piece you must give to the dog, and she will
have two puppies. The fourth piece give to the mare, and she will have
two foals. The fifth piece bury on the right of the house door, and the
sixth on the left, and two cypress trees will spring up there.'

When the fisherman came home at evening his wife told him all that
the old woman had advised, and he promised to bring home the little
gold-fish. Next morning, therefore, he went very early to the water, and
caught the little fish. Then they did as the old woman had ordered, and
in due time the fisherman's wife had two sons, so like each other that
no one could tell the difference. The dog had two puppies exactly