The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage

by The Brothers Grimm

　　Once on a time a mouse, a bird, and a sausage became companions, kepthouse together, lived well and happily with each other, and wonderfullyincreased their possessions. The bird's work was to fly every day intothe forest and bring back wood. The mouse had to carry water, light thefire, and lay the table, but the sausage had to cook.

　　He who is too well off is always longing for something new. One day,therefore, the bird met with another bird, on the way, to whom it relatedits excellent circumstances and boasted of them. The other bird, however,called it a poor simpleton for his hard work, but said that the two athome had good times. For when the mouse had made her fire and carried herwater, she went into her little room to rest until they called her to laythe table. The sausage stayed by the pot, saw that the food was cookingwell, and, when it was nearly time for dinner, it rolled itself onceor twice through the broth or vegetables and then they were buttered,salted, and ready. When the bird came home and laid his burden down,they sat down to dinner, and after they had had their meal, they slepttheir fill till next morning, and that was a splendid life.

　　Next day the bird, prompted by the other bird, would go no more into thewood, saying that he had been servant long enough, and had been made afool of by them, and that they must change about for once, and try toarrange it in another way. And, though the mouse and the sausage alsobegged most earnestly, the bird would have his way, and said it must betried. They cast lots about it, and the lot fell on the sausage who wasto carry wood, the mouse became cook, and the bird was to fetch water.

　　What happened? The little sausage went out towards the wood, the littlebird lighted the fire, the mouse stayed by the pot and waited alone untillittle sausage came home and brought wood for next day. But the littlesausage stayed so long on the road that they both feared something wasamiss, and the bird flew out a little way in the air to meet it. Notfar off, however, it met a dog on the road who had fallen on the poorsausage as lawful booty, and had seized and swallowed it. The birdcharged the dog with an act of barefaced robbery, but it was in vainto speak, for the dog said he had found forged letters on the sausage,on which account its life was forfeited to him.

　　The bird sadly took up the wood, flew home, and related what he hadseen and heard. They were much troubled, but agreed to do their bestand remain together. The bird therefore laid the cloth, and the mousemade ready the food, and wanted to dress it, and to get into the potas the sausage used to do, and roll and creep amongst the vegetablesto mix them; but before she got into the midst of them she was stopped,and lost her skin and hair and life in the attempt.

　　When the bird came to carry up the dinner, no cook was there. In itsdistress the bird threw the wood here and there, called and searched,but no cook was to be found! Owing to his carelessness the wood caughtfire, so that a conflagration ensued, the bird hastened to fetch water,and then the bucket dropped from his claws into the well, and he felldown with it, and could not recover himself, but had to drown there.