t of the
other people about were afraid of Ido and he had no place to sleep,
this woman decided to take him home with her.

Now, this old woman had three daughters. When she reached home with
the bear-like man, she called her eldest daughter, and said, "Now,
my daughter, here is a man who delivered me from prison. As I can do
nothing to reward him for his great kindness, I want you to take him
for your husband."

The daughter replied, "Mother, why have you brought this ugly man
here? No, I cannot marry him. I can find a better husband."

On hearing this harsh reply, the mother could not say a word. She
called her second daughter, and explained her wishes to her; but the
younger daughter refused, just as her sister had refused, and she
made fun of the man.

The mother was very much disappointed, but she was unable to persuade
her daughters to marry her benefactor. Finally she determined to try
her youngest daughter. When the daughter heard her mother's request,
she said, "Mother, if to have me marry this man is the only way by
which you can repay him for his kindness, I'll gladly marry him." The
mother was very much pleased, but the two older daughters were very
angry with their sister. The mother told the man of the decision of
her youngest daughter, and a contract was signed between them. But
before they were married, the bear-like man asked permission from the
girl to be absent for one more year to finish his duty. She consented
to his going, and gave him half her ring as a memento.

At the end of the year, which was the last of his seven years'
wandering, the bear-like man went to the Devil, and told him that he
had finished his duty. The Devil said, "You have beaten me. Now that
you have performed your seven years' wandering, and have spent the
money honestly, let us exchange clothes again!" So the man received
back his soldierlike suit, which made him look like a knight, and
the Devil took back his bear-skin.

Then the man returned to Clara's [72] house. When his arrival was
announced to the family, the two older daughters dressed themselves in
their best, for they thought that he was a suitor come to see them;
but when the man showed the ring and asked for the hand of Clara's
youngest daughter, the two nearly died with vexation, while the
youngest daughter was very happy.

Notes.

This story is a variant of Grimm, No. 101, "Bear-Skin," which it
follows fairly closely from the point where the hero make