Silly Jura

Once there were two brothers. They were lazy fellows, and thieves

into the bargain. They were expected to give a feast. They said to

one another: "We haven't got anything. Wherever shall we find food

for the feast?"

So the first said: "I'll go to our neighbour's. He has some fine

apples, and I'll pluck some of them."

The second said: "I'll go to the shepherd's. He has some fine

rams. I'll steal a ram from him."

These two brothers hated the third, and so they abused him: "Silly

Jura! You won't get anything yourself, but you'll be ready enough to

eat what we get."

So Jura said: "I'll go to the burgomaster's and get some nuts."

In the evening they went their ways. When he had finished plucking

the nuts, Jura went into the charnel-house at the back of the church

and began to crack the nuts there. The watchmen heard the cracking

in the charnel-house, and they thought the place was haunted. As

there was no priest in the village (he lived in the next village),

they went to the burgomaster and asked him to go with them to the

charnel-house, saying that the place was haunted.

The burgomaster said: "I am so ill that I can't stand on my feet;

no doctor can help me."

But the watchmen insisted, and so the burgomaster told his servant to

take him on his back and carry him to the place. The servant carried

him along, and the watchmen called at the churchwarden's to ask for

some holy water.

When they came near to the charnel-house, Jura thought it was his

brother bringing the ram, so he called out: "Are you bringing him?"

The servant was frightened, and let the burgomaster fall and ran

away. The burgomaster was terrified too. He jumped up and ran after

the servant. He cleared a wooden fence with one leap in his flight,

and it wasn't long till he reached home. His family wondered to see

him cured so quickly without the help of a doctor.

Next day the burgomaster proclaimed that he would give a pound to the

man who had stolen his nuts the day before, if he would only come to

see him. So Jura went to him, and the burgomaster said: "I ought to

punish you for stealing, but since you have cured my illness which

nobody was able to cure, I'll give you the pound I promised, but

you mustn't steal any more." So Jura promised not to steal any more,

and went home.

The brothers grew very fond of him now that he had money. They borrowed

the money from him and bought themselves new clothes, and said: "We'll

go to see the world and to get wives for ourselves. As for you, Silly

Jura, you must stay at home; you'd never get a good wife for yourself."

So off they went. But Jura went too. He went to the forest and he

was utterly dazzled. He had often heard that there was an enchanted

castle in that forest. When he came to the place where the ruins of the

castle were, night overtook him, and so he could see nothing except

what looked like a light in a cellar. So he went into the cellar to

make his night's lodging there. There was nobody in the cellar but a

cat. The cat greeted him: "Welcome, dear Jura! How did you come here?"

Jura was frightened when he heard the cat speak, and was going to

run away. But the cat told him not to go; there was no need to be

frightened. He must come back, and no harm would be done to him. If

he wanted to eat, he could go into the storeroom and take what he

wanted. She would take him for her servant.

So he stayed there a year and had a good time. He never saw a cook,

but he always found meals ready prepared in the storeroom. He had

nothing to do but get firewood, and at the end of the year he was told

to make a great pile of it. Then the cat said: "You must light the

pile to-day, and throw me into the fire. You must not help me out,

however I entreat you, but you must let me be consumed."

Jura answered: "I can't do that. I have had a good time with you. Why

should I repay you in such an evil way?"

The cat said: "If you don't do as I have said, you will be very

unhappy. If you do it, you will be happy."

So Jura kindled the pile, and, when it was well alight, he picked up

the cat and threw her into the fire. She wanted to escape from the

fire, but he wouldn't let her go. At last he was so weary that he was

forced to lie down, and soon he fell asleep. When he awoke, he opened

his eyes, and behold! there was no ruin; he heard delightful music

and saw a beautiful palace with crowds of servants. He was wondering

at all this, when a splendidly dressed lady came up to him and asked

him if he did not know her.

Jura said: "How should I know your ladyship? I never saw you before

in my life."

The lady said: "I am that cat. Witches had put me under enchantment

in the shape of a cat. Now we will go after your brothers who hated

you so much and see how they are getting on."

She ordered her people to dress him in fine clothes, a fine carriage

was prepared, and they drove off. As they were approaching the village,

the lady said to her bridegroom: "Put your old clothes on." Then she

called an old, ragged beggarwoman and sent him with her. She herself

remained outside of the village.

When the brothers saw Jura coming with the ragged beggarwoman, they

shouted: "He is bringing home an old ragged bride, and he's in rags

too." The other brothers were married too, and they were pretty badly

off, so they turned him out and wouldn't have him at home.

So Jura went out of the village; he changed his clothes and drove back

with the lady to his brothers' cottage. When the carriage stopped

before the cottage, the brothers said: "What a fine carriage! Who

is that noble lord and the beautiful lady who have come to our

cottage?" They did not recognize their brother.

So she said: "Look here. You were always hard on your brother, always

sneering at him, and now you are badly off enough, while he is getting

on splendidly. If you mend your ways, you will get on too."

Afterwards she gave them some money and went away with Jura.