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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION DATA Williams, Jay.

The reward worth having.

SUMMARY

:

Three soldiers of the king help a

man and

each gets to choose a bird

as a reward. [1.

II.

Fairytales]

I.

Mayer, Mercer.

Title.

PZ7.W666Re

76-56135

[E]

ISBN 0-590-07342-7 Published by Four

Winds Press

A Division of Scholastic Magazines, Inc., New York, N.Y. Text copyright

© 1977 by Jay Williams © 1977 by Mercer Mayer

Illustrations copyright

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Catalog Card 1

Number 76-56135

2 3 4 5 81 80 79 78 77

:

THE REWARD WORTH HAYING

T K

who had been soldiers of the king, and now they were marching home again. here were three friends

They had feathers

in their hats,

knapsacks on

their

backs, swords by their sides, but not a penny in their

One was a big burly man named Piet, the second was thin and sharp and he was named Dirk, and the third was curly-haired and merry and his name pockets.

was Felix. They followed the dusty road over ups and downs, and came at last to the center of a dark wood. The wind was blowing chill, and they stopped to rest beneath an oak tree, rubbing their hands and stamping their feet.

"It's

fast as

getting

late','

said Piet. "We'd better

push on as

we can, so that we can get to the town before

nightfall'.'

"What will we do when we get there?"

"We haven't any money." "Maybe we can find work" can

sell

said Dirk.

said Felix.

"And

if

not,

we

our swords for enough to buy shelter and a

bite of bread

and cheese'.'

They set off again, but they hadn't gone three steps before Felix stopped them.

"Listen','

he

said,

"1

hear

something'.'

Over the rush

of the

wind

in

the branches, they

heard a tiny voice piping. "It

sounds

"Let's "1

"If

like

someone calling for help','

said Felix.

go and see"

don't know," said Piet slowly, scratching his head.

we don't get on we'll have to spend the night out in

the cold"

But Felix had already started voice. After a

in

the direction of the

moment, the others followed him,

grumbling.

6

Not far away, they found a great

was flat, and in rock

itself.

there

One side of it

was a door made out of the

A little man no bigger than a rabbit was

hopping about like

it

rock.

in front of

it

and screeking

chalk scraping on a blackboard.

white beard, and the end of

it

in

a voice

He had a

was caught

in

long

the closed

stone door.

"Help me, will you?" he cried, when he saw the three.

"Why don't you just open the door?" said Piet. "Because

it's locked','

key is on the

man. "And the

The wind slammed it shut as was and my beard was blown into it as it 1

Do something!"

closed.

can

little

inside.

standing here,

Piet

yelled the

rapped the door with

do','

he

said.

his knuckles.

"The door's stone.

"Nothing

We can't break

we

it

down'.'

Dirk said, "What reward

will

you give us

if

we help

you?

"We don't need a reward to help somebody," said Felix. He turned to the little man. "Is there another way into your house? Because if there is, one of us can go

in

and open this

"There's another

door."

way in" said the little man,

too small for any of you'.'

8

"but

it's

we can't get the door off the beard, we can get the beard off the door." He "Well,

well','

turned to three. Piet

it off'.'

drew

end of the

"If

"You are the best swordsman of us

Piet.

Cut

neatly as

said Dirk.

sword and with one slash cut

his

man's beard close to the door, as

little

if it

off the

had been done with a

scissors.

The little man blinked. He looked cross-eyed down at the end of his beard. Then he jumped into the air and clicked

his heels together. In

another instant, he

had whisked out of sight behind the rock. "He's

gone','

said Dirk.

"I

knew we should have made

him give us a reward first'.' But as he spoke, the stone door swung open. The

man stood inside with a lantern. said he, "for it's cold standing on the "Come

little

in','

doorstep'.'

They hunched themselves over and in they went. They walked behind the little man down a hallway and

into a large

upright.

chamber where they could stand

A bright fire was burning in a stone fireplace,

and by its

light

they saw that the walls were

streaked with gold and

were carved out

of

silver.

all

The chairs and tables

whole diamonds, and on one of the

tables stood three birdcages.

10

"Now," said the

little

man, "you may each choose

your reward!'

They looked at the cages more closely.

In

one was a

made all of gold shining in the firelight. In the second was a bird made of iron, every feather and every claw, as delicately as a real bird. And in the third bird

was a small gray bird, and Piet "It

of

rubbed

his chin.

it

was alive.

"Which of us

doesn't matter," replied the

you

will

is

little

to choose first?"

man. "For each

choose what he most wants, and nothing

else'.'

"Good" said

Dirk.

must be worth a

"Then choose the golden

It

It

gaudy for me. choose the I

looks strong and

"Well, as for

bird.

fortune'.'

Piet said, "That's too iron bird.

I

me"

hard'.'

said Felix,

"I

prefer the real

bird'.'

He whistled softly to it, and it gave a low, sweet chirp. The three friends took up the three cages. The little man showed them to the door, and off they went again on their road.

12

T

JL hey came to the gates of the town as night was falling. The streets were dark and they walked along wondering where to go. They came, at last, to the front of a fine inn. Lights shown through the windows and from inside came a good smell of roasting and baking.

"Maybe could give them my golden bird',' said Dirk. "But wish we had some money, instead'.' As he said the words, the golden bird opened its I

1

beak.

from

It

uttered a note like the chinking of coins, and

its

beak dropped three gold pieces which fell to

the bottom of the cage. "That's

what

1

call

a reward worth having!" said Dirk.

14

He took the money out of the cage and led the way into the inn.

The three friends ate and drank all they could hold. Then they asked for a room for the night. The landlord of the inn led them upstairs to a big room with three beds, and

all

the

way he was

looking out of the

corners of his eyes at the golden bird

were so tired they tumbled

into

in its

cage.

They

bed and were soon

fast asleep. In

the middle of the night, the landlord with two of

his servants tiptoed into the

bedroom. As quick as

winking, they threw ropes over the beds and three friends

when the

awoke they found themselves tied up as

tightly as three parcels.

16

"Now," said the landlord with a chuckle, this

golden

tried to rob "If

Piet.

1

bird.

I

will tell

I'd

will

soon

be thrown into settle you','

"Oh, wish had a couple of soldiers I

take

everyone that you three

me, and so you

could get loose,

"I will

I

prison'.'

growled here'.'

No sooner had he spoken the words than the iron bird

gave a harsh cry like the clang of an iron gate.

Out of thin air sprang two tall men dressed in red. They seized the landlord and his servants and threw them out of the door and down the stairs. They untied Piet

and then they vanished.

"That's

what

I

call

a reward worth having!" said Piet,

as he untied his friends.

17

Then, since they were soldiers, they pushed one of the beds against the door and went back to sleep again. In the

landlord

morning when they came downstairs, the

was nowhere to be seen.

With money from the golden bird, Dirk took a house.

He furnished it with handsome things and hired servants. He bought some new clothes, very fine ones for himself,

good ones for

Piet,

and

plain

ones

for

They all moved in and lived comfortably. Dirk had the best room where he kept the golden bird locked up in a cupboard. Piet had a good big room Felix.

where the iron house.

bird sat in

its

cage ready to guard the

And Felix had a small room in the attic where

he hung the cage with the small gray bird said Dirk, "since you do nothing,

20

in

it.

"For,"

you should have least'.'

s

word spread through the city that the that the daughter of the king was very ill. She was so "oon

after,

ill

doctors had given her up for king said that anyone

should

lost. In

desperation, the

who thought he could cure her

come to the palace and would be given his

chance. "Splendid!" said Dirk.

"Why shouldn't

He dressed himself in

his best,

I

try?"

mounted a fine

chestnut horse, and rode to the palace. After him, on a great black horse

by his foot

side.

went

Piet, in

armor and with a sword

And last of all went

Felix,

trudging on

and whistling.

They were shown princess's room.

into the palace

and taken to the

There she lay in an immense white

bed but she was paler than the sheets and pillows. Her eyes were closed, and her dark round her face

like a

in

was spread

cloud of sadness. Beside her sat

the king and queen, as worried as

poorest parents

hair

the land.

23

if

they were the

Dirk stepped forward proudly.

with the golden bird

in

coins dropped from

its

floor of the

it.

He held up the cage

At a word from him, gold

beak.

They clinked on the

cage and piled up, higher and higher. But

the princess neither stirred nor opened her eyes.

"That shall

is

a marvelous

thing','

said the king. "You

be the treasurer of my kingdom. But you have

not cured

my daughter, and she is more precious to

me than wealth'.' Then

Piet

stepped forward.

with the iron bird

it.

At a word from him,

it

gave

its

Out of thin air jumped the two tall men They drew shining swords and clashed them

clanging in red.

in

He held up the cage

cry.

They swung them in flashing circles in the Then they vanished. They might as well have done

together. air.

nothing, for the princess never moved. "I

have never seen such a

shall

sight','

said the king. "You

be the captain of my army. But you have not

cured

my daughter, and she is more precious to me

than power." Dirk and Piet

bowed and stood back, and the

queen wiped the tears from her eyes with her handkerchief.

26

lace

bed.

came forward and sat down on the edge of the He opened the cage and took out the small gray

bird.

It

Felix

eye.

perched on his finger and blinked a round black

He whistled to it, and it gave a low, sweet chirp.

The princess opened her eyes. "Life calls to

life','

said Felix.

28

He held out

his finger with the bird

princess smiled

faintly.

stroked the

and

its

head.

room as let in

lifted

if

It

it.

The

She reached out her hand, and

the bird hopped to her finger.

and trilled. She

upon

It

fluffed out its feathers

her other hand and gently

began to

sing,

and

its

singing

filled

someone had thrown open a window

the summer.

30

"She

is

well!" said the king.

"And

if

she will have

you, you shall be her husband'.'

The princess smiled again and, looking at merry face, she nodded.

Felix looked into her eyes,

which were as gray as the sea. 'That','

Felix's

said he, "is a reward worth having'.'

32

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