The Toad Man

Here is the story of the Toad Man. There was once a man who was left a widower with three daughters. One day, one of his daughters said to him:
"If you wanted to go get me a pitcher of water from the fountain, father?" There isn't a drop in the house, and I need me for our stew.
"That's good, my daughter," replied the old man.

Toad Man

And he took a jug and went to the fountain. As he was bending over the water, filling his jug, a toad jumped in his face and stuck to it so that all his efforts to pull it out were in vain.
- You won't be able to tear me from here, said the toad, until you have promised to give me one of your daughters in marriage!
He left his pitcher by the fountain, and ran home.
- O God! what happened to you, father? cried his daughters, seeing what state he was in.
- Alas! my poor children, this animal jumped in my face, when I was drawing water from the fountain, and he now says that he will not go away, unless one of you agrees to take him for a husband.
- Good Lord ! what are you saying, my father? replied his eldest daughter; take a toad for a husband! It is horrible to see!
And she turned away her head, and went out of the house. The second did like her.
- Well ! my poor father, then said the youngest, I consent to take him for my husband, for my heart could not suffer to see you remain in this state!
Immediately the toad fell to the ground. The wedding was fixed for the next day.
When the bride entered the church, accompanied by her toad, the rector (the priest) was astonished, and he said that he would never marry a Christian to a toad. However, he ended up uniting them, when the father of the bride had told him everything, and promised a lot of money.
So the toad took his wife to his castle - for he had a beautiful castle. When it was time to go to bed, he led her to her room, and there he left his toad skin and showed himself in the guise of a young and handsome prince! While the sun was on the horizon he was a toad, and at night he was a prince.
The two sisters of the young bride sometimes came to visit her, and they were astonished to find her so gay; she sang and laughed continuously.
"There is something down there," they said to each other; you have to watch her, to see.
One night, they came, very slowly, to look through the keyhole, and they were astonished to see a young and handsome prince, instead of a toad!
- Take! take! the handsome prince!… If I had known!… they said then.
They heard the prince say these words to his wife:
- Tomorrow I have to go on a trip, and I will leave my toad skin at home. Please be careful that he does not harm him, because I still have a year and a day to stay in this form.
- It's good ! said the two sisters, who were listening at the door.
The next morning the prince left, as he had announced, and his two sisters-in-law came to visit his wife.
- God, the beautiful things you have! How happy you must be with your toad! they said to him.
- Yes, surely, my dear sisters, I am happy with him.
- Where did he go ?
- He went on a trip.
- If you want, little sister, I will comb your hair, which is so beautiful!
- I don't mind, my good sister.
She fell asleep, while her hair was being combed, with a golden comb, and her sisters then took her keys from her pocket, removed the toad skin from the cupboard in which it was locked, and threw it away. fire.
The young woman, when she woke up, was surprised to find herself alone. Her husband arrived a moment later, flushed with anger.
- Ah! unhappy woman! he cried; you did, to my misfortune and for yours too, what I had forbidden you: you burned my toad skin! Now I'm leaving, and you won't see me again.
The poor woman began to cry and said:
- I will follow you, wherever you can go.
- No, don't follow me; stay here.
And he left, running. And she also runs after him.
- Stay there, I tell you.
- I will not stay, I will follow you!
And he was still running. But no matter how much he ran, she was on his heels. He then threw a golden ball behind him. His wife picked it up, put it in her pocket, and continued to run.
- Go back home ! go back home ! he shouted again.
- I will never go back without you!
He threw a second golden ball. She picked it up, like the first, and put it in her pocket. Then, a third ball. But, seeing her still on her heels, he got angry, and punched her in the face. Blood gushed out immediately, and his shirt received three drops, which made three stains.
So the poor woman stayed behind, and soon she lost sight of the fugitive; but, she shouted to him:
- May these three bloodstains never disappear, before I arrive to erase them!
She continued, in spite of everything, her pursuit. She entered a large wood. Shortly after, following a path, under the trees, she saw two huge lions, sitting on their backs, one on each side of the path. She was frightened by it,
- Alas! she said to herself, I will lose my life here, because I will surely be devoured by these two lions! But, it doesn't matter! In the care of God!
And she continued on her way. When she arrived near the lions, she was astonished to see them lie down at her feet and lick her hands. So she began to stroke them, running her hand over their heads and backs. Then she continued on her way.
Farther on, she saw a hare sitting on her behind, on the edge of the path, and when she passed him, the hare said to her:
- Get on my back, and I'll lead you out of the woods.
She sat down on the hare's back, and in no time he had her out of the woods.
- Now, said the hare, before leaving, you are near the castle where the one you are looking for is located.
- Thank you, good beast of God, said the young woman.
Indeed, she soon found herself in a large avenue of old oaks, and not far from there, she saw washerwomen washing clothes on a pond.
She approached them and heard one of them saying:
- Ah! that-, here's a shirt that must be bewitched! For two years I have tried, with each mist, to remove three spots of blood that are on it, and, no matter how much I do, I can't get over it!
The traveler, hearing these words, approached the washerwoman, who spoke thus, and said to her:
- Give me this shirt for a moment, please; I think I will succeed in removing the three bloodstains.
They gave her the shirt, she spat on the three blood stains, dipped it in water, rubbed a little and immediately the three stains disappeared.
- A thousand thanks, said the washerwoman; our master is about to get married, and he will be happy to see the three bloodstains gone, for it is his best shirt.
- I would very much like to find some occupation in your master's house.
- The sheep-keeper has left, these last days, and she has not yet been replaced; come with me and I will recommend you.
She was received as a sheep keeper. Every day, she led her herd in a large wood, which surrounded the castle, and often she saw her husband who came to walk there with the young princess who was to be his wife. Her heart beat faster when she saw him; but, she dared not speak.
She always had her three golden balls, and often, to get rid of boredom, she amused herself by playing boules. One day, the young princess noticed her golden balls, and she said to her following:
- Look! see! the beautiful golden balls this girl has! Go ask him to sell me one.
The next one went to find the shepherdess and said to her:
- The beautiful golden balls that you have there, shepherdess! Would you like to sell one to the princess, my mistress?
- I will not sell my balls; I have no other hobby, in my solitude.
- Bah ! you are unreasonable; see how bad your clothes are; sell one of your balls to my mistress and she will pay you well, and you can dress neatly.
- I'm not asking for gold or silver.
- What do you want?
- Sleep one night with your master!
- How? 'Or' What ! bad girl, do you dare to speak like that?
- I will not give up one of my golden balls for anything else in the world.
The next returned to her mistress.
- Well ! what did the shepherdess answer?
- What did she say? I dare not tell you.
- Tell me, quickly.
- She said, the bad girl, that she would give up one of her balls only to sleep one night with your husband.
- See! But, whatever, I must have one of his balls, whatever the cost; I'll put a narcotic in my husband's wine during supper, and he won't know. Go tell him I accept the condition, and bring me a gold ball.
On getting up from the table in the evening, the lord was seized with such an imperious need to sleep that he had to go to bed immediately. Shortly after, the shepherdess was brought into her room. But no matter how much she called him the tenderest names, kissed him, shaken him strongly, nothing could wake him.
- Alas! cried the poor woman then, weeping, will I have lost all my trouble? After having suffered so much! However, I had married you, when you were a toad, and no one wanted you! And for two long years, in the heat, in the most cruel cold, in the rain, the snow, in the middle of the storm, I looked for you everywhere, without losing courage; and now, that I have found you, you don't listen to me, you sleep like a rock! Ah! am I unhappy enough!
And she was crying and sobbing; but unfortunately! he didn't hear her.
The next morning, she went again into the wood, with her sheep, sad and thoughtful. In the afternoon, the princess came, as on the previous day, to take a walk with her maid. The shepherdess, seeing her coming, began to play with the two golden balls which remained to her. The princess wished to have a second ball, to make the pair, and she said again to her attendant:
- Wings buy me a second gold ball from the shepherdess.
The next one obeyed, and to shorten the deal, the deal was made at the same price as the day before: to spend a second night with the master of the castle, in his room.
The master, to whom the princess poured another narcotic in her wine, during supper, went, as on the previous day, to bed, on leaving the table, and slept like a rock. Some time later, the shepherdess was again shown into her room, and she began to cry and cry again. A valet, passing by the door, heard a noise and stopped to listen. He was astonished at all he heard, and the next morning he went to his master and said to him:
- My master, there are things happening in this castle which you do not know and which it is important for you to know.
- What ? Speak, quickly.
- A poor woman! appearing very unhappy and very distressed, arrived at the castle a few days ago, and out of pity, she was kept to replace the shepherdess, who had just left. One day the princess, walking in the woods with her maid, saw her playing boules with golden balls. She immediately wanted these balls, and sent her attendant to buy them from the shepherdess, at whatever cost. The shepherdess asked neither nijDr nor money, but to spend a night with you in your bedroom, for each of her balls. She has already given two scoops, and she spent two nights with you, in your bedroom, without your knowing anything. It is a pity to hear her sobs and complaints. I would have enough to believe that she has a lost mind, for she says very strange things, like, for example, that she was your wife, when you were a toad, and that she walked, for two whole years, looking for you ...
- Is it possible that all this is true!
- Yes, my master, all that is true; and if you do not know anything about it yet, it is because, during the evening meal, the princess pours you a narcotic in your wine, so that when you get up from the table, you must go to bed, and you sleep soundly, until the next day.
- Hello ! I must be on my guard, and soon you'll see something new here.
The poor shepherdess was frowned upon and hated by the servants of the castle, who knew that she spent her nights in the master's bedroom, and the cook only gave her barley bread, as to the dogs.
The next morning, she went to the woods again, with her sheep, and the princess bought her her third gold ball, at the same price as the other two, to spend a third night with the master, in his bedroom.
When it was time for the evening meal, the master stood on his guard this time. While chatting with his neighbor, he saw the princess pouring more narcotic into his glass. He did not pretend to notice it, but, instead of drinking the wine, he threw it under the table, unnoticed by the princess.
As he got up from the table, he pretended to be taken asleep, like other evenings, and went to his room. The shepherdess also came shortly after. This time he was not asleep, and as soon as he saw her he threw himself into her arms, and they wept with joy and happiness at finding each other.
"Go back to your room now, my poor wife," he said to her after a while, "and tomorrow you'll see something new here."
The next day, there was a big meal at the castle, to fix the day of the Tuesday.
There was once a man who was left a widower with three daughters. One day, one of his daughters said to him:
"If you wanted to go get me a pitcher of water from the fountain, father?" There isn't a drop in the house, and I need me for our stew.
"That's good, my daughter," replied the old man.
And he took a jug and went to the fountain. As he was bending over the water, filling his jug, a toad jumped in his face and stuck to it so that all his efforts to pull it out were in vain.
- You won't be able to tear me from here, said the toad, until you have promised to give me one of your daughters in marriage!
He left his pitcher by the fountain, and ran home.
- O God! what happened to you, father? cried his daughters, seeing what state he was in.
- Alas! my poor children, this animal jumped in my face, when I was drawing water from the fountain, and he now says that he will not go away, unless one of you agrees to take him for a husband.
- Good Lord ! what are you saying, my father? replied his eldest daughter; take a toad for a husband! It is horrible to see!
And she turned away her head, and went out of the house. The second did like her.
- Well ! my poor father, then said the youngest, I consent to take him for my husband, for my heart could not suffer to see you remain in this state!
Immediately the toad fell to the ground. The wedding was fixed for the next day.
When the bride entered the church, accompanied by her toad, the rector (the priest) was astonished, and he said that he would never marry a Christian to a toad. However, he ended up uniting them, when the father of the bride had told him everything, and promised a lot of money.
So the toad took his wife to his castle - for he had a beautiful castle. When it was time to go to bed, he led her to her room, and there he left his toad skin and showed himself in the guise of a young and handsome prince! While the sun was on the horizon he was a toad, and at night he was a prince.
The two sisters of the young bride sometimes came to visit her, and they were astonished to find her so gay; she sang and laughed continuously.
"There is something down there," they said to each other; you have to watch her, to see.
One night, they came, very slowly, to look through the keyhole, and they were astonished to see a young and handsome prince, instead of a toad!
- Take! take! the handsome prince!… If I had known!… they said then.
They heard the prince say these words to his wife:
- Tomorrow I have to go on a trip, and I will leave my toad skin at home. Please be careful that he does not harm him, because I still have a year and a day to stay in this form.
- It's good ! said the two sisters, who were listening at the door.
The next morning the prince left, as he had announced, and his two sisters-in-law came to visit his wife.
- God, the beautiful things you have! How happy you must be with your toad! they said to him.
- Yes, surely, my dear sisters, I am happy with him.
- Where did he go ?
- He went on a trip.
- If you want, little sister, I will comb your hair, which is so beautiful!
- I don't mind, my good sister.
She fell asleep, while her hair was being combed, with a golden comb, and her sisters then took her keys from her pocket, removed the toad skin from the cupboard in which it was locked, and threw it away. fire.
The young woman, when she woke up, was surprised to find herself alone. Her husband arrived a moment later, flushed with anger.
- Ah! unhappy woman! he cried; you did, to my misfortune and for yours too, what I had forbidden you: you burned my toad skin! Now I'm leaving, and you won't see me again.
The poor woman began to cry and said:
- I will follow you, wherever you can go.
- No, don't follow me; stay here.
And he left, running. And she also runs after him.
- Stay there, I tell you.
- I will not stay, I will follow you!
And he was still running. But no matter how much he ran, she was on his heels. He then threw a golden ball behind him. His wife picked it up, put it in her pocket, and continued to run.
- Go back home ! go back home ! he shouted again.
- I will never go back without you!
He threw a second golden ball. She picked it up, like the first, and put it in her pocket. Then, a third ball. But, seeing her still on her heels, he got angry, and punched her in the face. Blood gushed out immediately, and his shirt received three drops, which made three stains.
So the poor woman stayed behind, and soon she lost sight of the fugitive; but, she shouted to him:
- May these three bloodstains never disappear, before I arrive to erase them!
She continued, in spite of everything, her pursuit. She entered a large wood. Shortly after, following a path, under the trees, she saw two huge lions, sitting on their backs, one on each side of the path. She was frightened by it,
- Alas! she said to herself, I will lose my life here, because I will surely be devoured by these two lions! But, it doesn't matter! In the care of God!
And she continued on her way. When she arrived near the lions, she was astonished to see them lie down at her feet and lick her hands. So she began to stroke them, running her hand over their heads and backs. Then she continued on her way.
Farther on, she saw a hare sitting on her behind, on the edge of the path, and when she passed him, the hare said to her:
- Get on my back, and I'll lead you out of the woods.
She sat down on the hare's back, and in no time he had her out of the woods.
- Now, said the hare, before leaving, you are near the castle where the one you are looking for is located.
- Thank you, good beast of God, said the young woman.
Indeed, she soon found herself in a large avenue of old oaks, and not far from there, she saw washerwomen washing clothes on a pond.
She approached them and heard one of them saying:
- Ah! this, here is a shirt that must be bewitched! For two years I have tried, with each mist, to remove three spots of blood that are on it, and, no matter how much I do, I can't get over it!
The traveler, hearing these words, approached the washerwoman, who spoke thus, and said to her:
- Give me this shirt for a moment, please; I think I will succeed in removing the three bloodstains.
They gave her the shirt, she spat on the three blood stains, dipped it in water, rubbed a little and immediately the three stains disappeared.
- A thousand thanks, said the washerwoman; our master is about to get married, and he will be happy to see the three bloodstains gone, for it is his best shirt.
- I would very much like to find some occupation in your master's house.
- The sheep-keeper has left, these last days, and she has not yet been replaced; come with me and I will recommend you.
She was received as a sheep keeper. Every day, she led her herd in a large wood, which surrounded the castle, and often she saw her husband who came to walk there with the young princess who was to be his wife. Her heart beat faster when she saw him; but, she dared not speak.
She always had her three golden balls, and often, to get rid of boredom, she amused herself by playing boules. One day, the young princess noticed her golden balls, and she said to her following:
- Look! see! the beautiful golden balls this girl has! Go ask him to sell me one.
The next one went to find the shepherdess and said to her:
- The beautiful golden balls that you have there, shepherdess! Would you like to sell one to the princess, my mistress?
- I will not sell my balls; I have no other hobby, in my solitude.
- Bah ! you are unreasonable; see how bad your clothes are; sell one of your balls to my mistress and she will pay you well, and you can dress neatly.
- I'm not asking for gold or silver.
- What do you want?
- Sleep one night with your master!
- How? 'Or' What ! bad girl, do you dare to speak like that?
- I will not give up one of my golden balls for anything else in the world.
The next returned to her mistress.
- Well ! what did the shepherdess answer?
- What did she say? I dare not tell you.
- Tell me, quickly.
- She said, the bad girl, that she would give up one of her balls only to sleep one night with your husband.
- See! But, whatever, I must have one of his balls, whatever the cost; I'll put a narcotic in my husband's wine during supper, and he won't know. Go tell him I accept the condition, and bring me a gold ball.
On getting up from the table in the evening, the lord was seized with such an imperious need to sleep that he had to go to bed immediately. Shortly after, the shepherdess was brought into her room. But no matter how much she called him the tenderest names, kissed him, shaken him strongly, nothing could wake him.
- Alas! cried the poor woman then, weeping, will I have lost all my trouble? After having suffered so much! However, I had married you, when you were a toad, and no one wanted you! And for two long years, in the heat, in the most cruel cold, in the rain, the snow, in the middle of the storm, I looked for you everywhere, without losing courage; and now, that I have found you, you don't listen to me, you sleep like a rock! Ah! am I unhappy enough!
And she was crying and sobbing; but unfortunately! he didn't hear her.
The next morning, she went again into the wood, with her sheep, sad and thoughtful. In the afternoon, the princess came, as on the previous day, to take a walk with her maid. The shepherdess, seeing her coming, began to play with the two golden balls which remained to her. The princess wished to have a second ball, to make the pair, and she said again to her attendant:
- Wings buy me a second gold ball from the shepherdess.
The next one obeyed, and to shorten the deal, the deal was made at the same price as the day before: to spend a second night with the master of the castle, in his room.
The master, to whom the princess poured another narcotic in her wine, during supper, went, as on the previous day, to bed, on leaving the table, and slept like a rock. Some time later, the shepherdess was again shown into her room, and she began to cry and cry again. A valet, passing by the door, heard a noise and stopped to listen. He was astonished at all he heard, and the next morning he went to his master and said to him:
- My master, there are things happening in this castle which you do not know and which it is important for you to know.
- What ? Speak, quickly.
- A poor woman! appearing very unhappy and very distressed, arrived at the castle a few days ago, and out of pity, she was kept to replace the shepherdess, who had just left. One day the princess, walking in the woods with her maid, saw her playing boules with golden balls. She immediately wanted these balls, and sent her attendant to buy them from the shepherdess, at whatever cost. The shepherdess asked for neither gold nor silver, but to spend a night with you in your bedroom, for each of her balls. She has already given two scoops, and she spent two nights with you, in your bedroom, without your knowing anything. It is a pity to hear her sobs and complaints. I would have enough to believe that she has a lost mind, for she says very strange things, like, for example, that she was your wife, when you were a toad, and that she walked, for two whole years, looking for you ...
- Is it possible that all this is true!
- Yes, my master, all that is true; and if you do not know anything about it yet, it is because, during the evening meal, the princess pours you a narcotic in your wine, so that when you get up from the table, you must go to bed, and you sleep soundly, until the next day.
- Hello ! I must be on my guard, and soon you'll see something new here.
The poor shepherdess was frowned upon and hated by the servants of the castle, who knew that she spent her nights in the master's bedroom, and the cook only gave her barley bread, as to the dogs.
The next morning, she went to the woods again, with her sheep, and the princess bought her her third gold ball, at the same price as the other two, to spend a third night with the master, in his bedroom.
When it was time for the evening meal, the master stood on his guard this time. While chatting with his neighbor, he saw the princess pouring more narcotic into his glass. He did not pretend to notice it, but, instead of drinking the wine, he threw it under the table, unnoticed by the princess.
As he got up from the table, he pretended to be taken asleep, like other evenings, and went to his room. The shepherdess also came shortly after. This time he was not sleeping, and as soon as he saw her he threw himself into her arms, and they wept with joy and happiness at finding each other.
"Go back to your room now, my poor wife," he said to her after a while, "and tomorrow you'll see something new here."
The next day, there was a big meal at the castle, to fix the wedding day. There were kings, queens, princes, princesses and many other people of high standing there. Towards the end of the meal, the future son-in-law stood up and said:
- My father-in-law, I would like to have your opinion on the following case:
I had a pretty little box, with a pretty little gold key; I lost the key to my box, and had another made. But, soon after, I found my first key, so that I now have two instead of one. Which one do you think, father-in-law, that I should make use of?
- Respect always in old age, answered the future father-in-law.
Then the prince entered a cabinet next to it, and returned immediately, holding the shepherdess by the hand, dressed simply, but neatly, and he said, presenting her to the company:
- Well ! here is my first key, that is to say my first wife, whom I have found; she is my wife, I still love her, and I will never have any other than her!
And they returned then to their country, where they lived happily together, until the end of their days.
And here is the tale of the Toadman. How do you find him ?