But Hans never got his two bags of gold away from the vault, for just as
he was leaving--bang! came the stone together, and caught him as though
he was a mouse in the door; and that was an end of him. That happened
because he left the witch-hazel behind.

That was the way in which Claus came to lose his magic staff; but that
did not matter much, for he had enough to live on and to spare. So he
married the daughter of the Herr Baron (for he might marry whom he
chose, now that he was rich), and after that he lived as happy as a fly
on the warm chimney.

Now, _this_ is so--it is better to take a little away at a
time and carry your staff with you, than to
take all at once and leave it behind.




[Illustration: Venturesome Boldness. This illustrated poem depicts the
tailor with a wooden sword standing before the knight on horseback.]

VENTURESOME BOLDNESS

A tailor came a-walking by,
The fire of courage in his eye.
"Where are you going Sir?" Said I.

"I slew a mouse
In our house
Where other tailors live," said he,