Once upon a time there was an old woman who felt she would very much like to have a piece of liver, so she gave a girl two or three pence, and bade her buy the liver in the market-place, wash it clean in the pond, and then bring it home. So the girl went to the market-place, bought the liver, and took it to the pond to wash it; and while she was washing it a stork popped down, snatched the liver out of her hand, and flew away with it. Then the girl cried: "Stork, stork! give me back my liver, that I may take it to my mammy, lest my mammy beat me!"—"If thou wilt fetch me a barley-ear instead of it, I'll give thee back thy liver," said the stork. So the girl went to the straw-stalk, and said: "Straw-stalk, straw-stalk! give me a barley-ear, that I may give the barley-ear to the stork, that the stork may give me back my liver, that I may give the liver to my mammy."—"If thou wilt pray Allah for
