How the farmer learned to sleep well

Once there was a farmer,and all his sons had grown and went a-viking and traveled far away. He needed some help with all the work on the farm so he decided to hire a farm hand. he sent out word that he was hiring a hand and soon a young man came to his farm. the farmer asked "have you ever done farm work before?"

"no " answered the young man" but I always sleep soundly at night"

This answer intrigued the farmer, Perhaps this young man is such a hard worker, he is exhausted every evening, the farmer thought to himself. He hired the young man on the spot. he then showed him around the farm and all the duties he was to do.

The young farm hand was always diligent about his duties and always got his share of the work done, but the farmer didn't see anything unusually vigorous about the way the lad worked that would make him sleep especially well.

then one night there was a great storm with lightning and wind and rain!!!...

the farmer, in a great panic rushed to the young farm hands bed and tried to awaken him...WAKE UP! WAKE UP we must check the haystacks are tied down so the wind doesn't blow them away!!! we must go down to the stream to make sure the fish traps are secured so the rain doesn't wash them away !!! we must check the barn door is latched tight so the lightning doesn't scare the horses and and they bolt away!!!!

But the youth would not wake up for anything. so the farmer ran around in the wind and driving rain. He found the haystacks neatly tied down ...as the young farmhand did every evening before supper....he found the fish traps secured tightly to the bank...as the young lad did every time he harvested the fish from them... he found the barn door tightly latched...as the farmer himself had instructed the lad to always do after he was done feeding the horses.

In the morning when the young farm hand awoke, he explained to the farmer" I always sleep well,because I am always diligent and careful about my job. So I don't have to get up and run around in the rain in the middle of the night."

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Siegfried's Viking Tales

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