Section 1
Once, there was a man who had a daughter named Clever Elsie. As Clever Elsie grew up, her father said, "We should find her a husband." Her mother replied, "Yes, if only there was someone who would take her."At last, a man named Hans came from a faraway place to woo Clever Elsie. However, he made it a condition that Clever Elsie must be truly clever. "Oh," said the father, "she has plenty of common sense." The mother added, "Oh, she can see the wind coming up the street and hear the flies coughing.""If she's not truly clever, I won't marry her," said Hans. While they were having dinner and finished eating, Elsie's mother instructed her, "Go down to the cellar and bring some beer."Clever Elsie grabbed the pitcher from the wall and went to the cellar while tapping the lid to pass the time quickly. In the cellar, she brought a chair and positioned it in front of the barrel so that she didn't have to bend down and hurt herself. After positioning the chair, Clever Elsie put the can in front of her and opened the tap. While the beer was flowing, she kept herself busy by looking around and noticed a pick-axe on the wall directly above her, which the masons had left there by mistake. She had to peer closely in different directions before spotting it.
As soon as she saw the pick-axe, Clever Elsie started crying and said, "If I marry Hans, and we have a child, and when he grows up and comes down to the cellar to fetch beer, that pick-axe might fall on his head and kill him."Feeling distressed about the possible misfortune, Clever Elsie sat down and cried loudly with all her might. She screamed at the thought of the danger that lay ahead. However, the people upstairs were waiting for their drinks, but Clever Elsie didn't come out of the cellar. The woman became concerned and asked her servant to go down to the cellar and check on Clever Elsie. The maid went down and found her sitting in front of the barrel, screaming loudly. The maid asked, "Elsie, why are you crying?"Clever Elsie replied, "Don't you see why I am crying? If I marry Hans and we have a child, and when he grows up and comes down here to draw beer, the pick-axe might fall on his head and kill him." Upon hearing this, the maid exclaimed, "What a clever Elsie we have here!" She sat down beside her and also began to cry loudly over the supposed misfortune. As time passed, and the maid did not return, and the people upstairs grew thirsty for the beer, the man asked the boy,"Go down to the cellar and check on Clever Elsie and the maid." As the boy obeyed and descended to the cellar, he found both Clever Elsie and the maid weeping together. The boy asked Clever Elsie, "Why are you crying?" She replied, "Don't you see why I am crying? If I marry Hans and we have a child, and when he grows up and comes down here to draw beer, the pick-axe might fall on his head and kill him." Upon hearing this, the boy exclaimed, "What a clever Elsie we have here!" He sat down beside her and also began to cry loudly over the supposed misfortune. As the boy failed to return, those upstairs became impatient, and the man urged the woman to go down to the cellar and check on them. When she arrived, she found the trio still crying, and asked what was the matter. Clever Elsie explained her fear that if she had a child with Hans and that child grew up to draw beer from the cellar, the pick-axe might fall on his head and kill him. The woman echoed the boy's comment and exclaimed, "What a clever Elsie we have!" She then joined in the crying with the other two. The man waited for a short while, but as his thirst grew stronger and his wife did not return, he decided to go down to the cellar to see where Elsie was. When he arrived, he found all of them crying together and heard the reason for their distress. Elsie was worried that her future child might be killed by the pick-axe if it was drawing beer under it when it fell down. The man exclaimed, "What a clever Elsie!" and joined them in weeping. He was also concerned that such a tragedy might occur.
The groom remained upstairs by himself for a considerable amount of time.
