The Orphan Hand Mill

A poor, parentless girl was left alone like a lamb, and then came as a foster child to a bad economy where there was no one had another friend than the farm dog, who was sometimes given a crust of bread. The girl had to work for the landlady from morning to evening Hand mill grinding, and once the mill stood still because the hand was tired wanted to rest, the stick was there to hold the poor child to drive. That evening the orphan's hands were as stiff as that blocks. The bread of mercy that the orphans eat almost always has to come with them Paid in sweat and blood. God in heaven alone hears the sighs of the orphans and count the tears that roll from their cheeks! -- One One day when the weak girl turned the heavy mill again and was full of displeasure because the landlady had left her sober in the morning a limping, one-eyed beggar in ragged clothes came approach. But it wasn't a real beggar, but a famous one Magician from Finland who, in order not to be recognized, transforms himself into one had turned into a beggar. The beggar sat down on the threshold and looked looked at the child's hard work and took a piece of bread from his shoulder bag, put it in the child's mouth and said: "It's lunchtime still a long way, eat some bread to strengthen you." The orphan took the dry one One bite and it tasted better to her than white bread, and she also felt the same their strength increases again. The beggar then said: “You poor have to His hands were probably quite tired from the endless turning over of the heavy mill be?" The girl looked uncertainly at the old man, as if to investigate whether whether his question was meant seriously or mockingly. But since she found that... his face had a loving and serious expression, like that she replied, “Who cares for the hands of an orphan? The blood It always gets under my nails and the stick runs over my nails Back if I can't work as much as the landlady asks." The beggar was then told in detail what a life it was child lead. When the orphan had finished, the old man took something out of his sack an old cloth, gave it to her and said: "If you go to sleep tonight lay this cloth around your head and sigh from the depths of the Heartfelt: "Sweet dream, carry me where I find a hand mill, which grinds itself, so that I don't have to struggle anymore!" The Orphan put the cloth in her bosom and thanked the old man immediately removed. When the orphan went to sleep in the evening, it according to the beggar's instructions, tied the cloth around his head and pushed with sighs and tears expresses his wish, even though he himself doesn't had a lot of hope for it. Nevertheless, she fell asleep with a lighter heart, than usual. A wonderful dream took the girl far away and caused it to experience many strange things on its journey. Last came it was deep underground, and there might well be hell there, because everything looked horrible and strange. The courtyard gates were wide open and no one living creature stirred. As the girl walked on, she let herself in You can hear a noise as if a hand mill was grinding. The noise Following, the orphan walked forward with a timid step until he found a large box under the dust of a burdock. to which the sound of a mill reached his ears. The child was not strong enough to move the box, let alone close it bring. Then she saw a white horse at the manger in the stable and came up the good idea of ​​pulling the horse out of the stable with ropes to stretch it in front of the box and carry it along like that. Thought, done: the Orphan harnessed the horse, sat on the lid of the box, grabbed a long stick and galloped home.

When she woke up the next morning, the significant dream occurred to her again one, and he stood in front of her as vividly as if she were really one Traveled a long way on the lid. When she opened her eyes, she saw the box at her bed. She jumped up and took half Loof (bushel) of barley that was left over from the evening poured it in the opening she found in the lid of the box and behold the joyful thing Miracle: the stones immediately began to make noise. It didn't take long, the finished flour was in the sack. Now the orphan had one easy stance; The mill in the box ground everything that was offered to it, and The girl had no trouble other than the grain above Pour in and take out the flour at the bottom. The lid of the But she wasn't allowed to open the box; the beggar was very strict with her forbidden by adding: that would be your death!

The landlady soon found out that the box was with the orphan Grinding helped, so she decided to chase the girl out of the house but to keep the grinding box, which would not require any food. But first she wanted to get to know things better so that she could see where the Wundermüller actually is. The desire, that The woman was driven day and night to reveal the secret. At one Sunday morning she sent the orphan to church, saying she I wanted to stay there to look after the house. Such a friendly one The orphan had never heard of an offer; She moved in happily He put on a clean shirt and slightly better clothes and hurriedly set off Away. The landlady lurked behind the door until the girl came to her was out of sight, then she took half a loof from the burdock grain and poured it on the lid so that the box could grind it, but the box didn't do it. Only when a handful into the hole of the When the lid came, the stones got to work; but now it cost him I still have a lot of effort and work to get the heavy box lid off make. Finally it opened so wide that the old woman's head dared to put it in - but oh dear! a bright flame came out of it took out the box and burned the landlady as if it were a Hedekunkel; it All that was left of her was a handful of ashes.

Later, when the widower wanted to take another wife, he remembered that his foster child, the orphan, was fully grown, so he you don't need to go somewhere else. The wedding was celebrated quietly, and when the neighbors had left in the evening, the man went to bed with his young wife. Than these the others When we went to Klete tomorrow, the box with the hand mill had disappeared, without finding any traces of a thief. Although now wanted everywhere and inquiries were made from near and far as to whether the missing object was of any kind If anyone has ever seen it, it's up to today Nothing discovered that day. The wonderful hand mill box that once belonged to... Dream had brought out of the depths of the earth, must have been in the same way miraculously returned there.