The Master Maid

Once there was a lad named Leif. Now, Leif was a likeable fellow, and handsome to boot. But he never wanted to listen to anyone, and he always had to do things his own way.

"My son, it's good to make up your own mind," his father told him. "But it's also good to know when others know more than you."

Now, Leif didn't want to hear that either, so he said, "Father, I'm going out into the world, where I can do things just as I like."

His father begged Leif not to go, but the more he pleaded, the more Leif was set on it.

Finally his father said, "Your stubbornness is bound to land you in trouble. But at least take this piece of advice: Whatever you do, don't go to work for the troll."

So where do you think Leif went? Right to the house of the troll!

Leif knocked on the door, and the troll himself answered it. He was huge, and a good deal uglier than anyone you'd care to meet.

"Pardon me, sir," said Leif. "I'm looking for work."

"Are you, now?" said the troll, feeling the boy's arm. "I could use a fellow like you."

The troll led him into the stable and said, "I'm taking my goats to pasture. Since it's your first day, I won't ask much of you. Just shovel out all this dung."

"Well, that's kind of you, sir," said Leif. "You're surely easy to please!"

"But just one thing," said the troll. "Don't go looking through the rooms of the house, or you won't live to tell about it."

When the troll had gone, Leif said to himself, "Not look through the house? Why, that's just what I want to do!"

So Leif went through all the rooms till he came to the kitchen. And there stirring a big iron pot was the loveliest maiden he had ever seen.

"Good Lord!" cried the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"I've just got a job with the troll," said Leif.

"Then heaven help you get out of it!" said the girl. "Weren't you warned about working here?"

"I was," said Leif, "but I'm glad I came anyway, else I never would have met you!"

Well, the girl liked that answer, so they sat down to chat. They talked and talked and talked some more, and before the day was done, he held her hand in his.

Then the girl asked, "What did the troll tell you to do today?"

"Something easy," said Leif. "I've only to clear the dung from the stable."

"Easy to say!" said the girl. "But if you use the pitchfork the ordinary way, ten forkfuls will fly in for every one you throw out! Now, here's what you must do. Turn the pitchfork around and shovel with the handle. Then the dung will fly out by itself."

Leif went out to the stable and took up the pitchfork. But he said to himself, "That can't be true, what she told me," and he shoveled the ordinary way. Within moments, he was up to his neck in dung.

"I guess her way wouldn't hurt to try," he said. So he turned the pitchfork around and shoveled with the handle. In no time at all, the dung was all out, and the stable looked like he had scrubbed it.

As Leif started back to the house, the troll came up with the goats.

"Is the stable clean?" asked the troll.

"Tight and tidy!" said Leif, and he showed it to him.

"You never figured this out for yourself!" the troll said. "Have you been talking to my Master Maid?"