"What a pretty whistle," said the housemaid; she would willingly give a hundred dollars for it, if he would sell it.
"Well, yes," said Ashiepattle, "it is something like a whistle;" but it was not to be bought for money, but if she beside the hundred dollars would give him a kiss for every dollar, she should have it.
Yes, that she would willingly; she would not mind giving him two for every dollar and thank him for it besides. So she got the whistle, but when she came back to the palace, the whistle was gone, for Ashiepattle had wished for it back again; and when the evening set in, he came home with his hares just like another flock of sheep. For all the king counted and pointed and reckoned, he could not find as much as a hair of them missing.
An image should appear at this position in the text. To use the entire page scan as a placeholder, edit this page and replace "{{missing image}}" with "{{raw image|Christmas Fireside Stories.djvu/187}}". Otherwise, if you are able to provide the image then please do so. For guidance, see Wikisource:Image guidelines and Help:Adding images. |  |
The third day when he was out with the hares, they sent the princess after him to try and get the whistle from him. She made herself as blithesome as a lark, and at last she offered him two hundred dollars if he would sell her the whistle, and tell her how she should manage to get it safe home with her.
"Well, yes, it is something like a whistle," said Ashiepattle; and it was not for sale, he said, but for all that he would do it for her sake, if she would give him a hundred dollars and a kiss for each dollar in the bargain. On those terms she could have the whistle, and if she wanted to keep it, she must look well after it; that was her business.
"That was a very high price for a hare-whistle," thought the
