"
"That wish is not so sorry," said the beggarman; and off he strode
between the hills, and Freddy saw him no more.
So the lad lay down to sleep, and the next day he came down from the
mountain with his fiddle and his gun. First he went to the storekeeper
and asked for clothes. Next at a farm he asked for a horse, and at a
second for a sleigh; and at another place he asked for a fur coat. No
one said him "Nay"--even the stingiest folk were all forced to give him
what he asked for. At last he went through the country as a fine
gentleman, and had his horse and his sleigh. When he had gone a bit he
met the sheriff whose servant he had been.
"Good day, master," said Little Freddy, as he pulled up and took off his
hat.
"Good day," said the sheriff, "but when was I ever your master?"
"Oh yes," said Little Freddy, "don't you remember how I served you three
years for three pence?"
"My goodness, now!" said the sheriff, "you have grown rich in a hurry,
and pray, how was it that you got to be such a fine gentleman?"
"Oh, that is a long story," said Little Freddy.
"And are you so full of fun that you carry a fiddle about with you?"
asked the sheriff.
"Yes, yes," said Freddy. "I have always had such a longing to get folk
to dance. But the funniest thing of all is this gun, for it brings down
almost anything that I aim at, however far it may be off.
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