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254 GRIMM"S FAIRY TALES.
And early in the morning when Fred and Kate came down
from the tree they got all their gold again and carried it home.
And when they reached their house again Fred said,
- Now, Kate, you must fall to and be very industrious and
work hard."
“ All right, Fred, I will go into the field and cut corn,”
said she.
And when she came into the field she said to herself,
“Shall I eat before I cut, or shall I sleep before I cut?
well, I will eat first." And so she ate, and after that she felt
sleepy, but she began to cut and went on half asleep cutting
her own clothes, skirts, gown, and all, and when she at last
woke up and found herself in rags, she said to herself,
“Ts this really I or not? oh dear, it is not I!”
After a while night came on, and Kate ran into the village
and knocked at her husband’s door calling out, " Fred !”
“What is it?” said he.
“T want to know if Kate is at home,” said she.
“Oh yes,” he answered, "she is lying here fast asleep.”
So she said to herself, “ All right then, I am certainly at
home,” and she ran on farther.
Soon she came upon some thieves who were looking about
for something to steal, and she went up to them and offered
to help them, and the thieves thought she knew of a good
place and opportunity, and were glad of her offer. But Kate
walked in front of the houses calling out,
“Good people, what have you for us to steal?”
So the thieves thought to themselves, “ This will never do,”
and wished themselves quit of her. At last they said to her,
“Just at the end of the village there are some turnips in
the parson’s field ; go and fetch us some.”
So Kate went into the field and began to pull some up,
but very lazily, and never raised herself. Presently came by
a man who saw her, and thought she was some evil thing
grubbing for the turnips. So he ran quickly into the village
and said to the parson,
‘‘O parson, some evil creature is grubbing in your turnip¬
field! ”
“Oh dear!” answered the parson, “I have a lame foot, I
cannot go to drive it away.”