But Hans was no such simpleton as Claus; no, not he. Oh no, he would
not take all that trouble for two poor pocketfuls of money. He would
have a bagful; no, he would have _two_ bagfuls. So he slung two meal
sacks over his shoulder, and off he started for the hill back of Herr
Axel's house.
When he came to the stone he knocked upon it, and it opened to him just
as it had done for Claus. Down he went into the pit, and there sat the
little old manikin, just as he had done from the very first.
"How do you find yourself, Hans?" said the little old manikin.
Oh, Hans found himself very well. Might he have some of the money that
stood around the room in the sacks?
Yes, that he might; only remember to take the best away with him.
Prut! teach a dog to eat sausages. Hans would see that he took the best,
trust him for that. So he filled the bags full of gold, and never
touched the silver--for, surely, gold is better than anything else in
the world, says Hans to himself. So, when he had filled his two bags
with gold, and had shaken the pieces well down, he flung the one over
one shoulder, and the other over the other, and then he had as much as
he could carry. As for the staff of witch-hazel, he let it lie where it
was, for he only had two hands and they were both full.
But Hans never got his two bags of gold away from the vault, for just as
he was leaving--bang! came the stone together, and caught him as though
he was a mouse in the door; and that was an end of him.
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