Chapter 48
The Little Elder-Tree MotherTHERE was once a little boy who had caught cold; he had
gone out and got wet feet. Nobody had the least idea how it had
happened; the weather was quite dry. His mother undressed him, put
him to bed, and ordered the teapot to be brought in, that she might
make him a good cup of tea from the elder-tree blossoms, which is
so warming. At the same time, the kind-hearted old man who lived by
himself in the upper storey of the house came in; he led a lonely
life, for he had no wife and children; but he loved the children of
others very much, and he could tell so many fairy tales and
stories, that it was a pleasure to hear him.
"Now, drink your tea," said the mother; "perhaps you will
hear a story."
"Yes, if I only knew a fresh one," said the old
