fellow he was.”  The youth heard this, got up, and said:  “It’s not come to that yet.”  Then the King was astonished, but very glad, and asked how it had fared with him.  “First-rate,” he answered; “and now I’ve survived the one night, I shall get through the other two also.”  The landlord, when he went to him, opened his eyes wide, and said:  “Well, I never thought to see you alive again.  Have you learned now what shuddering is ?” “No,” he replied, “it’s quite hopeless; if someone could only tell me how to!”

The second night he went up again to the old castle, sat down at the fire, and began his old refrain:  “If I could only shudder!” As midnight approached, a noise and din broke out, at first gentle, but gradually increasing; then all was quiet for a minute, and at length, with a loud scream, half of a man dropped down the chimney and fell before him.  “Hi, up there!” shouted he; “there’s another half wanted down here, that’s not enough”; then the din commenced once more, there was a shrieking and a yelling, and then the other half fell down.  “Wait a bit,” he said; “I’ll stir up the fire for you.”  When he had done this and again looked around, the two pieces had united, and a horrible-looking man sat on his seat.  “Come,” said the youth, “I didn’t bargain for that, the seat is mine.”  The man tried to shove him away, but the youth wouldn’t allow it for a moment, and, pushing him off by force, sat down in his place again.  Then more men dropped down, one after the other, who fetching nine skeleton legs and two skulls, put them up and played ninepins with them.  The youth thought he would like to play too, and said:  “Look here; do you mind my joining the game?” “No, not if you have money.”  “I’ve money enough,” he replied, “but your balls aren’t round enough.”  Then he took the skulls, placed them on his lathe, and turned them till they were round.  “Now they’ll roll along better,” said he, “and houp-la! now the fun begins.”  He played with them and lost some of his money, but when twelve struck everything vanished before his eyes.  He lay down and slept peacefully.  The next morning the King came, anxious for news.  “How have you got on this time?” he asked.  “I played ninepins,” he answered, “and lost a few pence.”  “Didn’t you shudder then?” “No such luck,” said he; “I made myself merry.  Oh! if I only knew what it was to shudder!”

On the third night he sat down again on his bench, and said, in the most desponding way:  “If I could only shudder!” When it got late, six big men came in carrying a coffin.  Then he cried:  “Ha! ha! that’s most likely my little cousin who only died a few days ago”; and beckoning with his finger he called out:  “Come, my small cousin, come.”  They placed the coffin on the ground, and he approached it and took off the cover.  In it lay a dead man.  He felt his face, and it was cold as ice.  “Wait,” he said “I’ll heat you up a bit,” went to the fire, warmed his hand, and laid it on the man’s face, but the dead remained cold.