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Tale Summary

Once upon a time a King’s daughter proclaimed that she would marry whichever man who best chose his words, and two brothers resolved to win her hand. They were very intelligent, with one who had memorized the whole Latin dictionary as well as three year’s issues of the local paper, and the second knew everything about laws of corporations and states. Their father gave them a black one and a white one for each, respectively, and they set off for the castle. Just then, their younger brother, who was called Blockhead-Hans because he was very stupid, appeared and heard where they were going and decided he also would like to try his hand. Because his father would not give him a horse, he rode his goat up to his brothers and showed them a dead crow which he found on the way, saying that he would give it to the princess. A little ways on, he found an old wooden shoe without the top and was even more excited to give it to the King’s daughter. Even further on, he found a pile of mud and had the same jubilation and filled his pockets with it. When they arrived at the castle, huge numbers of suitors were being organized into tightly packed rows, six in each, and numbered according to their time of arrival. The princess welcomed man after man who did not please her, and the brothers saw all who she turned away. When the brother who knew the dictionary had his turn, he realized that he had quite forgotten it all. In her room, which was very hot, there were mirrors everywhere and in every window there were reporters and an editor who wrote down what he said to publish in the papers. He mentioned the heat, and she answered that she was grilling chickens that day, but he could think of no response and was taken away. The next brother had the same experience and was also rejected. Then it was Blockhead-Hans’s turn, and he rode in on his goat, exclaiming that it was very hot. When she said she was roasting chickens, he asked if he could roast his crow along with them. She gladly consented, but asked if he had something to cook it in. He proudly presented his old shoe, but she asked him where he would find soup. He poured some of the mud into the shoe, and the princess was delighted and proclaimed that she would marry him, but warned him that the reporters were writing down everything that was being said. Blockhead-Hans turned to the editor and flung mud from his pockets right into his face and he was soon married to the princess.

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