There was once a man called Frederick: he had a wife whose namewas Catherine, and they had not long been married. One day Fredericksaid. «Kate! I am going to work in the fields; when I come back Ishall be hungry so let me have something nice cooked, and a gooddraught of ale.» «Very well,» said she, «it shall all be ready.’When dinner-time drew nigh, Catherine took a nice steak, which was allthe meat she had, and put it on the fire to fry. The steak soon began tolook brown, and to crackle in the pan; and Catherine stood by with afork and turned it: then she said to herself, «The steak is almostready, I may as well go to the cellar for the ale.» So she left thepan on the fire and took a large jug and went into the cellar andtapped the ale cask. The beer ran into the jug and Catherine stoodlooking on. At last it popped into her head, «The dog is not shutup—he may be running away with the steak; that’s well thought of.’So up she ran from the cellar; and sure enough the rascally cur hadgot the steak in his mouth, and was making off with it.
Away ran Catherine, and away ran the dog across the field: but heran faster than she, and stuck close to the steak. «It’s all gone, and“what can’t be cured must be endured”,» said Catherine. So she turnedround; and as she had run a good way and was tired, she walked homeleisurely to cool herself.
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