The Thief and His Master. Hans wished to put his son to learn a trade, so he went into the church and prayed to our Lord God to know which would be the most suitable for him. Then the clerk got behind the altar, and said, thieving, thieving. On this Hans goes back to his son, and tells him he is to learn thieving, and that the Lord God had said so. So he goes with his son to seek a man who is acquainted with thieving. They walk a long time and come into a great forest, where stands a little house with an old woman in it. Hans says, do you know of a man who is acquainted with thieving. You can learn that here quite well, says the woman, my son is a master of it. So he speaks with the son, and asks if he knows thieving really well. The master-thief says, I will teach him well. Come back when a year is over, and then if you recognize your son, I will take no payment at all for teaching him, but if you don't know him, you must give me two hundred talers. The father goes home again, and the son learns witchcraft and thieving, thoroughly. When the year is out, the father is full of anxiety to know how he shall recognize his son. As he is thus going about in his trouble, he meets a little dwarf, who says, man, what ails you, that you are always in such trouble. Oh, says Hans, a year ago I placed my son with a master-thief who told me I was to come back when the year was out, and that if I then did not know my son when I saw him, I was to pay two hundred talers, but if I did know him I was to pay nothing, and now I am afraid of not knowing him and can't tell where I am to get the money. Then the dwarf tells him to take a crust of bread with him, and to stand beneath the chimney. There on the cross-beam is a basket, out of which a little bird is peeping, and that is your son.	De Gaudeif un sien Meester Jan wull sien Sohn en Handwerk lehren loeten, do gonk Jan in de Kerke un beddet to ussen Herrgott, wat üm wull selig (zuträglich) wöre: do steit de Köster achter dat Altar und seg 'dat Gaudeifen, dat Gaudeifen (gaudieben).' Do geit Jan wier to sien Sohn' he möst dat Gaudeifen lehren, dae hedde em usse Herrgott segt. Geit he met sienen Sohn und sögt sik enen Mann, de dat Gaudeifen kann. Do goht se ene ganze Tied, kummt in so'n graut Wold, do steit so'n klein Hüsken mot so'ne olle Frau derin; seg Jan 'wiet ji nich enen Mann, de dat Gaudeifen kann?' 'Dat känn ji hier wull lehren,' seg de Frau 'mien Sohn is en Meester dervon.' Do kührt (spricht) he met den Sohn, of he dat Gaudeifen auk recht könne? De Gaudeifsmeester seg 'ick willt juen Sohn wull lehren, dann kummt övern Johr wier, wann ji dann juen Sohn noch kennt, dann wil ick gar kien Lehrgeld hebben, un kenne ji em nig, dann müge ji mi twe hunnert Dahler giewen.' De Vader geit wier noh Hues, un de Sohn lehret gut hexen und gaudeifen. Asse dat Johr um is, geit de Vader alle un grient, wu he dat anfangen will, dat he sienen Sohn kennt. Asse he der so geit un grient, do kümmt em so'n klein Männken in de Möte (entgegen), dat seg 'Mann, wat grien ji? ji sind je so bedröft.' 'O,' seg Jan, 'ick hebbe mienen Sohn vör en Johr bi en Gaudeifsmeester vermet, do sede de mig, ick söll övert Johr wier kummen, un wann ick dann mienen Sohn nich kennde, dann söll ick em twe hunnert Dahler giewen, und wann ick em kennde, dann höf ick nix to giewen; nu sin ick so bange, dat ick em nig kenne, un ick weet nig, wo ick dat Geld her kriegen sall.' Do seg dat Männken, he söll en Körsken Braut met niemen, un gohen unner den Kamin stohen: 'do up den Hahlbaum steit en Körfken, do kiekt en Vügelken uht, dat is jue Sohn.'
Hans goes thither, and throws a crust of black bread in front of the basket with the bird in it, and the little bird comes out, and looks up. Hello, my son, are you here, says the father, and the son is delighted to see his father, but the master-thief says, the devil must have prompted you, or how could you have known your son. Father, let us go, said the youth.	Do geit Jan hen un schmit en Körsken Schwatbraut vör den Korf, do kümmt dat Vügelken daruht un blickt der up. 'Holla, mien Sohn, bist du hier?' seg de Vader. Do freude sick de Sohn, dat he sienen Vader sog; awerst de Lehrmeester seg 'dat het ju de Düvel in giewen, wu könn ji sus juen Sohn kennen?' 'Vader, loet us gohn,' sede de Junge.
Then the father and son set out homeward. On the way a carriage comes driving by. Hereupon the son says to his father, I will change myself into a large greyhound, and then you can earn a great deal of money by me. Then the gentleman calls from the carriage, my man, will you sell your dog. Yes, says the father. How much do you want for it. Thirty talers. Well, man, that is a great deal, but as it is such a very fine dog I will have it. The gentleman takes it into his carriage, but when they have driven a little farther the dog springs out of the carriage through the window, and goes back to his father, and is no longer a greyhound.	Do will de Vader met sienen Sohn nach Hues hengohn, unnerweges kümmt der ne Kutske anföhren, do segd de Sohn to sienen Vader 'ick will mie in enen grauten Windhund maken, dann künn ji viel Geld met mie verdienen.' Do röpt de Heer uht de Kutske 'Mann, will ji den Hund verkaupen?' 'Jau,' sede de Vader. 'Wu viel Geld will ji den vör hebben?' 'Dertig Dahler.' 'Je, Mann, dat is je viel, men wegen dat et so,n eislicke rohren Ruen (gewaltig schöne Rüde) is, so will ick en behollen.' De Heer nimmt en in siene Kutske, asse de en lück (wenig) wegföhrt is, da sprinkt de Hund uht den Wagen dör de Glase, und do was he kien Windhund mehr und was wier bie sienen Vader.
They go home together. Next day there is a fair in the neighboring town, so the youth says to his father, I will now change myself into a beautiful horse, and you can sell me, but when you have sold me, you must take off my bridle, or I cannot become a man again. Then the father goes with the horse to the fair, and the master-thief comes and buys the horse for a hundred talers, but the father forgets, and does not take off the bridle. So the man goes home with the horse, and puts it in the stable. When the maid crosses the threshold, the horse says, take off my bridle, take off my bridle. Then the maid stands still, and says, what, can you speak. So she goes and takes the bridle off, and the horse becomes a sparrow, and flies out at the door, and the master-thief becomes a sparrow also, and flies after him. Then they come together and cast lots again, and the master loses. So the master changes himself into a cock, and the youth becomes a fox, and bites the master's head off, and he died and has remained dead to this day.	Do goht sie tosamen noh Hues. Den annern Dag is in dat neigste Dorb Markt, do seg de Junge to sienen Vader 'ick will mie nu in en schön Perd maken, dann verkaupet mie; averst wann ji mie verkaupet, do möt ji mi den Taum uttrecken, süs kann ick kien Mensk wier weren.' Do treckt de Vader met dat Perd noh't Markt, do kümmt de Gaudeifsmeester un köft dat Perd för hunnert Dahler, un de Vader verget un treckt em den Taum nig uht. Do treckt de Mann met das Perd noh Hues, un doet et in en Stall. Asse de Magd öwer de Dehle geit, do segt dat Perd 'tüh mie den Taum uht, tüh mie den Taum uht.' Do steiht de Magd un lustert 'je, kannst du kühren?' Geit hen un tüht em den Taum uht, do werd dat Perd en Lüning (Sperling), un flügt öwer de Döre, un de Hexenmeester auk en Lüning und flügt em noh. Do kümmt se bie ene (zusammen), un bietet sick, averst de Meester verspielt un mäk sick in't Water un is en Fisk. Do werd de Junge auk en Fisk, un se bietet sick wier, dat de Meester verspielen mot. Do mäk sick de Meester in en Hohn, un de Junge werd en Voß und bitt den Meester den Kopp af; do is he storwen un liegt daut bes up düssen Dag.