Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/357

This page needs to be proofread.

Miscellanea.

337

out one of his teeth. Next day the other king saluted him as before, and he came back looking as dismal as could be, and his second daughter asked him, " Why, whatever is the matter ? " " Oh, nothing," said he, " But you must tell me," said she ; " I know you have something on your mind." " It is that other king," he said, " who, when I came to the cafe, said, ' Good morrow. Sir King, who hath sows and no boars.' " " Is that all ? " said she; " I thought you were thinking of finding me a husband," and she hit him on the face and knocked out another tooth.

Next day the other king again saluted him in the same way, and he came home looking the picture of sadness, and his youngest daughter asked him, "What makes you so sad?" " Nothing at all," said he, " I am not a bit sad." " But I know," said she, "you are thinking of something." "No," said he, "and if I were, I would not tell you. I've had two teeth knocked out through telling your sisters, and I don't want to lose another." When she promised not to hurt him, he at length told her what it was, and she said, " Next time you go to the cafe, and the king says this to you, answer him back and say, ' Good morrow. Sir King, who hath boars and no sows, and my youngest daughter will rub three bushels of salt into your youngest son's forehead without his noticing it.' "

When, next day, the other king received this reply, it was his turn to be melancholy, and his eldest son asked him what was the matter. At first the father pretended it was nothing, but at length he answered, " Why, what do you think ? To-day, when I wished that other king good morrow, and said he had only sows and no boars, he answered me back and said, ' Good morrow. Sir King, who hath boars and no sows, and my youngest daughter will rub three bushels of salt into your youngest son's forehead without his noticing it.' " "Oh," said the son, " that's all, is it? I thought you were thinking about getting me a wife," and he hit his father in the face and knocked out one of his teeth.

Next day the king received the same answer from the other king, and when his second son questioned him as to his long face he told him the reason. " That's all, is it?" said the second son; "I thought at least you were thinking about getting me a new suit of clothes," and he knocked out another of his father's teeth.

On the third day the king had the same answer to his saluta-

VOL. XI. Z