Atondido Stories
"Why, husband," said she, "our gray mare must be the swift-
est thing in the world. You know yourself nothing ever passes us
on the road. As for the sweetest, did you ever taste honey any
sweeter than ours? And I'm sure there's nothing richer than our
chest of golden ducats that we've been laying by these forty
years."
The farmer was delighted.
"You're right, wife, you're right! That heifer remains ours!"
The shepherd when he got home was downcast and sad. He
had a daughter, a clever girl named Manka, who met him at the
door of his cottage and asked:
"What is it, father? What did the burgomaster say?"
The shepherd sighed.
"I'm afraid I've lost the heifer. The burgomaster set us a rid-
dle and I know I shall never guess it."
"Perhaps I can help you," Manka said. "What is it?"
So the shepherd gave her the riddle and the next day as he
was setting out for the burgomaster's, Manka told him what an-
swers to make.
When he reached the burgomaster's house, the farmer was
already there rubbing his hands and beaming with self-
importance.
The burgomaster again propounded the riddle and then
asked the farmer his answers.
The farmer cleared his throat and with a pompous air began:
"The swiftest thing in the world? Why, my dear sir, that's my
gray mare, of course, for no other horse ever passes us on the
road. The sweetest? Honey from my beehives, to be sure. The
richest? What can be richer than my chest of golden ducats!"
And the farmer squared his shoulders and smiled trium-
phantly.
374