PEASANT once went out with a pair of oxen to plough. As
soon as they were in the fields the horns of the two naimals
began to grow, and kept on growing all day, till by the time they
had returned home they had grown too large to get in at the
stable door. Luckily a butcher came by, to whom the oxen were
soon made over, and the bargain settled in thismanner. The peasant agreed
to carry to the butcher a quart of rape seed, and for every seed the butcher
promised to pay a dollar, which was a first-rate bargain, although payment for
the oxen was included in it.

The peasant went home, and very soon returned with the rape seed for
the butcher, but on the way he dropped one seed. The butcher counted the
seeds, and paid for them justly; but if the peasant had not lost that one seed
he would have had another dollar. : However, he set out to return home quite
satisfied, but on reaching the place where the seed had dropped what was
his surprise to find that it had taken root and grown into a tree, the top of
which reached to heaven!

Then thought the peasant, ‘I should like to have a peep at what they are
about up there, and see what the angels are doing, and here is a splendid
opportunity.” So heclimbed up the tree, and, peeping in, saw the angels at
work threshing oats, and stood watching them for some time.

Presently, as he stood there, he felt the tree on which he stood totter
under him. He looked through the branches, and saw that they were cutting
it down. “If I should fall from such a terrible height as this it would be ter-
rible,” he thought; and in his trouble he scarcely knew what to do.

There seemed, however, nothing better than take a piece of cord which lay
near the heaps of chaff, and let himself down by it. But before he did so he’