THE THOUGHTLESS WORD
Once upon a time an old man lived in a village with his wife, and they were very poor: they had only one son. And when he grew up, the mother said to her husband: "It is full time that we secured a wife for our son."
"Well, go and see if you can bargain for a wife."
The old woman went to her neighbour and asked him if her son could marry his daughter. But the neighbour said, "No!" And she went to the next peasant, who also declined the honour. And she searched the whole village, and not a single soul would hear a single word of it. When she came back she said: "Goodman, I fear our son is born under an unlucky star!"
"Why?"
"I went through the whole village, and there is nobody who will give me his daughter."
"That looks bad!" said the husband. "It will soon be summer, and we shall not have anybody to help us at the harvest. Woman, go into the next village, as you may find somebody there."
The old woman went to the next village, went from one end to the other, went through all the courtyards and houses of the peasants, but it was all in vain. Wherever she showed her nose, she was put off. And she came back home as she had left. "No one wants to be kin with such poor folk as us!"
"In that case it is no good running oneself off one's legs. Go and sit behind the oven."
But the son was indignant, and asked: "Father, bless me, and I will go and seek my own fate."
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