Odds And Ends

Once upon a time there was a pretty girl who was lazy and careless. When she had to spin, she got so annoyed that if there was a tiny knot in the flax, she pulled out a whole pile and threw it on the floor beside her.

Now she had a servant who was hardworking. The servant gathered up all the bits of flax that were thrown away, cleaned them, spun them finely, and had a beautiful dress made from them for herself.

A young man had asked to marry the lazy girl, and the wedding was to take place. On the evening before the wedding, the hardworking girl danced happily around in her pretty dress. The bride saw her and said, “Oh, how that girl jumps about, dressed in my odds and ends.” The bridegroom heard this and asked the bride what she meant.

She told him that the girl was wearing a dress made of the flax she had thrown away. When the bridegroom heard that, and saw how lazy she was and how hardworking the other girl was, he left her and went to the hardworking girl and chose her as his wife.