But Hans was also tired of service now. Of all the gold and
silver he brought with him he let the squire keep one half, and
he was glad enough, both for the money and at getting rid of
Hans. The other half he took home to his father the smith in
Furreby. To him also he said, 'Farewell;' he was now tired of
living on shore among mortal men, and preferred to go home again
to his mother. Since that time no one has ever seen Hans, the
Mermaid's son.





Peter Bull
From the Danish.



There once lived in Denmark a peasant and his wife who owned a
very good farm, but had no children. They often lamented to each
other that they had no one of their own to inherit all the wealth
that they possessed. They continued to prosper, and became rich
people, but there was no heir to it all.

One year it happened that they owned a pretty little bull-calf,
which they called Peter. It was the prettiest little creature
they had ever seen--so beautiful and so wise that it understood
everything that was said to it, and so gentle and so full of play
that both the man and his wife came to be as fond of it as if it
had been their own child.