The Tailor and the Bear (1)

The Tailor and the Bear (1)

  There once lived a princess who was sovery haughty that when a suitor came she would have nothing to do with him unless he could solve one of her riddles; and if he tried,and did not succeed, he was dismissed with mockery and contempt.

  She allowed it to be generally know, however, that the man who could find out her riddle should be her husband.

　Now, it happened that three tailors came to the town in which the Princess lived.

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The Tailor and the Bear (2)

The Tailor and the Bear (2)

  The two eldest, who had done so many fine stitches, and guessed all sorts of puzzling riddles, were sure of being able to guess what the Princess propounded ; it was not possible such clever people could fail.

  The third Tailor, however, was a useless little fellow, who knew scarcely anything of his trade ; yet he fancied he might be lucky as well as any of them, and wished to try.

  But the other two said to him : " Youhad better stay at home with your half-witted head ; you will never guess anything. "

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遅くなり申し訳ありません。明日からはきちんと出します。 

The Tailor and the Bear (3)

The Tailor and the Bear (3)

  The little Tailor, however, was not to be diverted from his purpose.

  He said he had set his heart upon it, and he would go as well as everybody else.

  So they all three informed the Princess that they were ready to receive the riddle if she would lay it before them.

  They said that the right people had arrived at last ー people who had fine understanding, and could thread a needle with anyone !

  The princess immediately sent for them, and propunded the riddle.
  " I have two different sorts of hair on my head, " she said ; " what colour are they ? "

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The Tailor and the bear (4)

The Tailor and the Bear (4) 

  " If you were old, I should have to say the colours were black and white, like the clothes call pepper and salt, " replied one.

  " You are wrong, " said the Princess, and she turned to the second.

  " The hairs are neither black nor white, " he replied, " but brown and red, like my father's holiday coat. "

  " Wrong again, " said the Princess, turning to the third ; " most certainly these are not the answers

  Then the little Tailor stepped boldly forward, and said, " The Princess has a silver and a golden hair on her head, and they, of course, are of different colours. "

   When the Princess heard this she turned pale, and almost fell down with fright.

  The little Tailor had guessed her riddle, and she had firmly believed that not a man upon earth could do so.

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The tailor and the Bear (5)

The Tailor and the Bear (5)

  When she at last recveed heself, she said ; " You have guessed my riddle, but I am not won yet ; you must do something more than this before I can be your wife. Down in the stable there lives a bear : you must spend the entire night with him, and if the morning you are still alive, I will be your wife.

  She thought as she said this that she should easily get rid of the little Tailor ; for the Bear had never yet allowed anyone to escape alive when once he had them in his power.

  The Tailor, however, did not allow himself to be frightened ; he went away, feeling quite contended, and saying : " Boldly ventured is half won. "

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明日5日から何か新連載を追加始める予定です。 

The Tailor and the Bear (6)

The Tailor and the Bear (6)

  When evening arrived, the little Tailor was taken down to the stable where the Bear lived.

  The Bear was quite ready to bid him welcome with a pat of his paw.

  " Gently, gently, friend ; I will soon make you quiet, " thought the Tailor.

  So he sat down, made himself quite comfortable, as if he had no care, pulld some nuts out of his pocket, cracked them, and ate the kernels quite at his ease. 

  Whn the Bear saw this, he bgan to wish for nuts also, and askd the Tailor to give him some.

  The Tailor put his hand in his pocket and brought out a handful of what appeard to b nuts, but were really pebbles.

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新連載、1日遅れます。申し訳ありません。

The Tailor and the Bear (7)

The Tailor and the Bear (7)

  The Bear stuck them in his muzzled, and rolled them about in his teeth, but he could not crack them try as he would.

  "What a stupid blockhead I certainly must bed " thought the Bears " not to be able to crack a nut."

  So he said to Tailor, " crack my nuts for me, will you ? "

  " Now, what a fellow you are, " said the Tailor," with such a great muzzle as yours, and yet not to be able to crack a nut.

  He took the pebble from the Bear and Quickly changing it for a nut, put it in his mouths and in a moment crack it went.

  " I really must try to do that myself," said the Bear.

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The Tailor and the Bear (8)

The Tailor and the Bear (8)

  So the little Tailor gave him again more pebbles, and the Bear worked hard, and bit with all his strength, but as you may be sure, without success ; the Tailor, meanwhile, keeping him in a good humour by pretending to crack the stones for him, but always very cleverly changing them for real nuts.

  Presently the little Tailor took a violin from under his coat, and began to play upon it.

  On this, the Bear, who understood music, could not help standing up and beginning to dance, and, after he had danced for a little while, he was so pleased with the music that he said to the Tailor :
  " Is it very difficult to lean to play upon that fiddle ? "

  " Oh, no ; quite easy, " said the Tailor.

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The Tailor and the Bear (9)

The Tailor and the Bear (9)

  " Look here, I lay my left hand on the strings, and with my right I draw the bow across them, making all sorts of sounds. "

  " I must learn to play it, " said the Bear, " for then I shall be able to dance whenever I like. What do you think about it ? Will you undertake to teach me ? "

  " With all my heart, " replied the Tailor, " if you have the ability for it. But first show me your paws ; the nail are tremendously long, and I must cut them a little before you begin to play. "

  In a corner of the stable stood a vic, which the Tailor brought out, and told the Bear to place his foot upon it.

  As soon as he did so, the Taior screwed it so tight that he could not move.

  Then he left the Bear grumbling, and said : " Wait a little while till I bring the scissors. "

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The Tailor and the Bear (10)

The Bear might grumble as much as he liked now, the Tailor did not care ; he felt safe,so he laid himself down in the corner on a bundle of straw and went fast asleep.

  During the night the Princess heard the growing, and she felt sure that the Bear was growing for joy over the little Tailor, of whom he was making a meal.

  So she rose in the morning quite contented ; but when she went to the stable and peeped in, she was astonished.

  There stood the Tailor, as safe and sound as a fish in the water.

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The Tailor and the Bear (11)

The Tailor and the Bear (11)

  She could not say a single word against him, for she had spoken openly about the arrangement., and the King even ordered a carriage  to take her to the church to be married to the Tailor.

  The Princess was not really unwilling, for she admired the young man's courage ; so they entered the King's carriage, and drove off to church together.

  Meanwhile, the other Tailors, who envied his good fortune, made one more effort to destroy it.

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The Tailor and the Bear (12)

The Tailor and the Bear (12)

  They went to the stable, set the Bear's feet free from the vice, and no sooner did he regain his liberty than he immediately set off in a rage to run after the carriage.

  The Princess heard him growling and snorting behind it, and in her terror she cried out, " Oh, the Bear is behind, and if he overtakes us we shall be lost. "

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The Tailor and the Bear (13)

The Tailor and the Bear (13)

  The Tailor was quite prepared and self-possessed ; he stood on his head, and , sticking his legs through the window, cried out, " Bear, do you see the vice ? If you don't go away now, you shall be screwed down and never again set free. "

  When the Bear heard this, he turned round and ran back with all his might.

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The Tailor and the Bear (14 完)

The Tailor and the Bear (14)

  Our young Tailor travelled with his bride to the church, where they were happily married, and on thier return the Princess took him by the hand and led him into the castle, where they continued to live in pease and were as happy as two skylarks.

  Whoever will not believe this story is true must pay  a forfeit of one hundred dollars.

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