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THE ELDERBUSH
Once upon a time there was a little boy who had taken cold. He had goneout and got his feet wet; though nobody could imagine how it had happened, forit was quite dry weather. So his mother undressed him, put him to bed, andhad the tea pot brought in, to make him a good cup of Elderflower tea.Just at that moment the merry old man came in who lived up a top of the houseall alone; for he had neither wife nor children but he liked children verymuch, and knew so many fairy tales, that it was quite delightful.
"Now drink your tea," said the boys mother; "then, perhaps, you may hear afairy tale."
"If I had but something new to tell," said the old man. "But how did the childget his feet wet?"
"That is the very thing that nobody can make out," said his mother.
"Am I to hear a fairy tale?" asked the little boy.
"Yes, if you can tell me exactly for I must know that first how deep thegutter is in the little street opposite, that you pass through in going toschool."
"Just up to the middle of my boot," said the child; "but then I must go intothe deep hole."
"Ah, ah! Thats where the wet feet came from," said the old man. "I ought nowto tell you a story; but I dont know any more."
"You can make one in a moment," said the little boy. "My mother says that allyou look at can be turned into a fairy tale: and that you can find a story ineverything."
"Yes, but such tales and stories are good for nothing. The right sort come ofthemselves; they tap at my forehead and say, Here we are."
"Wont there be a tap soon?" asked the little boy. And his mother laughed, putsome Elder flowers in the tea pot, and poured boiling water upon them.
"Do tell me something! Pray do!"
"Yes, if a fairy tale would come of its own accord; but they are proud andhaughty, and come only when they choose. Stop!" said he, all on a sudden. "Ihave it! Pay attention! There is one in the tea pot!"
And the little boy looked at the tea pot. The cover rose more and more; andthe Elder flowers came forth so fresh and white, and shot up long branches.Out of the spout even did they spread themselves on all sides, and grew largerand larger; it was a splendid Elderbush, a whole tree; and it reached into thevery bed, and pushed the curtains aside. How it bloomed! And what an odour! Inthe middle of the bush sat a friendly looking old woman in a most strangedress. It was quite green, like the leaves of the elder, and was trimmed withlarge white Elder flowers; so that at first one could not tell whether it wasa stuff, or a natural green and real flowers.
"Whats that womans name?" asked the little boy.
"The Greeks and Romans," said the old man, "called her a Dryad; but that we donot understand. The people who live in the New Booths* have a much better namefor her; they call her old Granny and she it is to whom you are to payattention. Now listen, and look at the beautiful Elderbush.
* A row of buildings for seamen in Copenhagen.
"Just such another large blooming Elder Tree stands near the New Booths. Itgrew there in the corner of a little miserable court yard; and under it sat,of an afternoon, in the most splendid sunshine, two old people; an old, oldseaman, and his old, old wife. They had great grand children, and were soon tocelebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage; but they could notexactly recollect the date: and old Granny sat in the tree, and looked aspleased as now. I know the date, said she; but those below did not hear her,for they were talking about old times.
"Yes, cant you remember when we were very little, said the old seaman, andran and played about? It was the very same court yard where we now are, and westuck slips in the ground, and made a garden.
"I remember it well, said the old woman; I remember it quite well. Wewatered the slips, and one of them was an Elderbush. It took root, put forthgreen shoots, and grew up to be the large tree under which we old folks arenow sitting.
"To be sure, said he. And there in the corner stood a waterpail, where Iused to swim my boats.
"True; but first we went to school to learn somewhat, said she; and then wewere confirmed. We both cried; but in the afternoon we went up the RoundTower, and looked down on Copenhagen, and far, far away over the water; thenwe went to Friedericksberg, where the King and the Queen were sailing about intheir splendid barges.
"But I had a different sort of sailing to that, later; and that, too, formany a year; a long way off, on great voyages.
"Yes, many a time have I wept for your sake, said she. I thought youwere dead and gone, and lying down in the deep waters. Many a night have I gotup to see if the wind had not changed: and changed it had, sure enough; butyou never came. I remember so well one day, when the rain was pouring down intorrents, the scavengers were before the house where I was in service, and Ihad come up with the dust, and remained standing at the door it was dreadfulweather when just as I was there, the postman came and gave me a letter. Itwas from you! What a tour that letter had made! I opened it instantly andread: I laughed and wept. I was so happy. In it I read that you were in warmlands where the coffee tree grows. What a blessed land that must be! Yourelated so much, and I saw it all the while the rain was pouring down, and Istanding there with the dust box. At the same moment came someone who embracedme.
"Yes; but you gave him a good box on his ear that made it tingle!
"But I did not know it was you. You arrived as soon as your letter, and youwere so handsome that you still are and had a long yellow silk handkerchiefround your neck, and a bran new hat on; oh, you were so dashing! Good heavens!What weather it was, and what a state the street was in!
"And then we married, said he. Dont you remember? And then we had ourfirst little boy, and then Mary, and Nicholas, and Peter, and Christian.
"Yes, and how they all grew up to be honest people, and were beloved byeverybody.
"And their children also have children, said the old sailor; yes, thoseare our grand children, full of strength and vigor. It was, methinks aboutthis season that we had our wedding.
"Yes, this very day is the fiftieth anniversary of the marriage, said oldGranny, sticking her head between the two old people; who thought it was theirneighbor who nodded to them. They looked at each other and held one another bythe hand. Soon after came their children, and their grand children; for theyknew well enough that it was the day of the fiftieth anniversary, and had comewith their gratulations that very morning; but the old people had forgottenit, although they were able to remember all that had happened many years ago.And the Elderbush sent forth a strong odour in the sun, that was just about toset, and shone right in the old peoples faces. They both looked sorosy cheeked; and the youngest of the grandchildren danced around them, andcalled out quite delighted, that there was to be something very splendid thatevening they were all to have hot potatoes. And old Nanny nodded in the bush,and shouted hurrah! with the rest."
"But that is no fairy tale," said the little boy, who was listening to thestory.
"The thing is, you must understand it," said the narrator; "let us ask oldNanny."
"That was no fairy tale, tis true," said old Nanny; "but now its coming. Themost wonderful fairy tales grow out of that which is reality; were that notthe case, you know, my magnificent Elderbush could not have grown out o
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