with a fishnet? Did she walk to the burgomaster’s? No, she didn’t walk for she went with one leg thrown over a goat. Then did she ride? Of course she didn’t ride for wasn’t she walking on one foot?
When she reached the burgomaster’s house she called out:
“Here I am, Mr. Burgomaster, and I’ve come neither by day nor by night, neither riding nor walking, neither dressed nor undressed.”
The young burgomaster was so delighted with Manka’s cleverness and so pleased with her comely looks that he proposed to her at once and in a short time married her.
“But understand, my dear Manka,” he said, “you are not to use that cleverness of yours at my expense. I won’t have you interfering in any of my cases. In fact if ever you give advice to any one who comes to me for judgment, I’ll turn you out of my house at once and send you home to your father.”
All went well for a time. Manka busied herself in her house-keeping and was careful not to interfere in any of the burgomaster’s cases.
Then one day two farmers came to the burgomaster to have a dispute settled. One of the farmers owned a mare which had foaled in the marketplace. The
