Atondido Stories
attention, then she pursed her lips coyly and pretended to re-
fuse, but finally she accepted.
When they had finished drinking, he pulled a ducat from his
pocket, tossed it to the piper, and called out:
“Clear the floor, boys! This is for Katcha and me alone!”
The boys snickered and the girls giggled hiding behind each oth-
er and stuffing their aprons into their mouths so that Katcha
wouldn’t hear them laughing. But Katcha wasn’t noticing them
at all. Katcha was dancing with a fine young man! If the whole
world had been laughing at her, Katcha wouldn’t have cared.
The stranger danced with Katcha all afternoon and all evening.
Not once did he dance with any one else. He bought her marzi-
pan and sweet drinks and, when the hour came to go home, he
escorted her through the village.
“Ah,” sighed Katcha when they reached her cottage and it
was time to part, “I wish I could dance with you forever!”
“Very well,” said the stranger. “Come with me.”
“Where do you live?”
“Put your arm around my neck and I’ll tell you.”
Katcha put both arms about his neck and instantly the man
changed into a devil and flew straight down to hell.
At the gates of hell he stopped and knocked.
His comrades came and opened the gates and when they saw
that he was exhausted, they tried to take Katcha off his neck. But
Katcha held on tight and nothing they could do or say would
make her budge.
The devil finally had to appear before the Prince of Darkness
himself with Katcha still glued to his neck.
“What’s that thing you’ve got around your neck?” the Prince
asked.
244