The Greedy Youngster. 104 he would never come there any more and create any disturbancei He also had to promise that he would build a bridge over thé sound, so that people could pass over it at all times of the year, and it should be ready when the ice was gone.
- They are very hard conditions," said the devil; but there was
no other way out of it— if the devil wanted to be set free, he would have to promise it. He bargained, however, that he should have the first soul that went across the bridge. That was to be the toll. Yes, he should have that, said the youngster. So the devil was let loose, and he started home. But the youngster lay down to sleep, and slept till far into the day. When the king came to see if he was cut and chopped into small pieces, he had to wade through all the money before he came to his bedside. There was money in heaps and in bags which reached far up the wall, and the youngster lay in bed asleep and snoring hard. " Lord help me and my daughter," said the king when he saw that the youngster was alive. Well, all was good and well done, that no one could deny; but there was no hurry talking of the wedding before the bridge was ready. One day the bridge stood ready, and the devil was there waiting for the toll which he had bargained for. The youngster wanted the king to go with him and try the bridge, but the king had no mmd to do it. So he mounted a horse himself, and put the fat dairy-maid in the palace on the pommel in front of him ; she looked almost like a big fir block, and so he rode over the bridge, which thundered under the horse's feet. " Where is the toll ? Where have you got the soul ? " cried the deviL " Why, inside this fir-block," said the youngster ; "if you want it you will have to spit in your hands and take it." " No, manythanks! ifshedoes not come to me, I am sure I sha'n't take her," said the deviL " You got me once into a pinch, and Fil take care you don't get me into another," and with that he
