snow White

Chapter 19 The Poor Miller's Boy and the Cat
In a certain mill lived an old miller who had neither wife nor child, and there apprentices served under him. As they had been with him several years, he one day said to them:“I am old, and want to sit behind the stove.Go out, and whichsoever of you brings me the best horse home, to him will I give the mill, and in return for it lie shall take care of me till my death.”The third of the boys, however, was the dunce, who was looked on as foolish by the others;they begrudged the mill to him;and afterwards he would not even have it.Then all three went out together, and when they came to the village, the two said to stupid Hans:“You may just as well stay here, as long as you live you will never get a horse.”Hans, however, went with them, and when it was night they came to a cave in which they lay down to sleep.The two smart ones waited until Hans had fallen asleep, then they went up, and went away leaving him where he was.And they thought they had done a very clever thing, but it was certain to turn out ill for them.When the sun rose, and Hans woke up, he was lying in a deep cavern.He looked around on every side and exclaimed:“Oh, heavens, where am I?”Then he got up and clambered out of the cave, went into the forest, and thought:“Here I am quite alone and deserted, how shall I obtain a horse now?”Whilst he was thus walking full of thought, he met a small tabby-cat which said quite kindly:“Hans, where are you going?”“Alas, you can not help me.”“I well know your desire,”said the cat.“You wish to have a beautiful horse.
(End of this chapter)