THE MAGIC RING Once upon a time there lived an old couple who had one son called Martin . Now when the old man 's time had come , he stretched himself out on his bed and died . Though all his life long he had toiled and moiled , he only left his widow and son two hundred florins . The old woman determined to put by the money for a rainy day ; but alas ! the rainy day was close at hand , for their meal was all consumed , and who is prepared to face starvation with two hundred florins at their disposal ? So the old woman counted out a hundred of her florins , and giving them to Martin , told him to go into the town and lay in a store of meal for a year . So Martin started off for the town . When he reached the meat-market he found the whole place in turmoil , and a great noise of angry voices and barking of dogs . Mixing in the crowd , he noticed a stag-hound which the butchers had caught and tied to a post , and which was being flogged in a merciless manner . Overcome with pity , Martin spoke to the butchers , saying : ` Friends , why are you beating the poor dog so cruelly ? ' ` We have every right to beat him , ' they replied ; ` he has just devoured a newly-killed pig . ' ` Leave off beating him , ' said Martin , ` and sell him to me instead . ' ` If you choose to buy him , ' answered the butchers derisively ; ` but for such a treasure we wo n't take a penny less than a hundred florins . ' ' A hundred ! ' exclaimed Martin . ` Well , so be it , if you will not take less ; ' and , taking the money out of his pocket , he handed it over in exchange for the dog , whose name was Schurka . When Martin got home , his mother met him with the question : ` Well , what have you bought ? ' ` Schurka , the dog , ' replied Martin , pointing to his new possession . Whereupon his mother became very angry , and abused him roundly . He ought to be ashamed of himself , when there was scarcely a handful of meal in the house , to have spent the money on a useless brute like that .
On the following day she sent him back to the XXXXX , saying , ` Here , take our last hundred florins , and buy provisions with them .
day life man money penny pig pity pocket town treasure