Atondido Stories
At last he began to grow homesick for the world and one day
he asked the Devil how much longer he had still to serve.
"Tomorrow," the Devil told him, "your seven years are up."
The next day while Peter was piling fresh logs under the caul-
drons, the Devil came to him and said:
"Today, Peter, you are free. You have served me faithfully
and well and I am going to reward you handsomely. Money
would be too heavy for you to carry, so I am going to give you
this bag which is a magic bag. Whenever you open it and say:
'Bag, I need some ducats,' the bag will always have just as many
as you need. Good luck go with you, Peter. However, I don't be-
lieve you'll have a very good time at first for people will think
you're a devil. You know you do look pretty black for you have-
n't washed for seven years and you haven't cut your hair or
nails."
"That's true," said Peter. "I just remember I haven't washed
ever since I've been down here. I certainly must take a bath and
get my hair cut and my nails trimmed."
The Devil shook his head.
"No, Peter, one bath won't do it. Water won't wash off the
kind of black you get down here. I know what you must do but I
won't tell you just yet. Go up into the world as you are and, if
ever you need me, call me. If the people up there ask you who
you are, tell them you're the Devil's little brother-in-law. This is-
n't a joke. It's true as you'll find out some day."
Peter then took leave of all the little black apprentices and the
Devil, lifting him on his back, whisked him up to earth and
set him down in the forest on exactly the same spot where they
had met seven years before.
The Devil disappeared and Peter, stuffing the magic bag in
his pocket, walked to the nearest village.
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