第2章

They both worked hard,but Fritzl always thought that he worked harder.Evenings when he came home from the field,he sat down,mopped his face with his big red handkerchief,and said:"Hu!How hot it was in the sun today,and how hard I did work.Little do you know,Liesi,what a man's work is like,little do you know!Your work now,'tis nothing at all."

"'Tis none too easy,"said Liesi.

"None too easy!"cried Fritzl."All you do is to putter and potter around the house a bit--surely there's nothing hard about such things."

"Nay,if you think so,"said Liesi,"we'll take it turn and turn about tomorrow.I will do your work,you can do mine.I will go out in the fields and cut the hay,you can stay here at home and putter and potter around.You wish to try it--yes?"

Fritzl thought he would like that well enough--to lie on the grass and keep an eye on his Kinndli-girl,to sit in the cool shade and churn,to fry a bit of sausage and cook a little soup.Ho!That would be easy!Yes,yes,he'd try it.

Well,Liesi lost no time the next morning.There she was at peep of day,striding out across the fields with a jug of water in her hand and the scythe over her shoulder.