Frederick and Catherine
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Catherine stays home alone and causes a series of disasters while preparing lunch
There was once on a time a man who was called Frederick and a woman called Catherine, who had married each other and lived together as young married folks.
One day Frederick said, "I will now go and plough, Catherine; when I come back, there must be some roast meat on the table for hunger, and a fresh draught for thirst."
"Just go, Frederick," answered Kate, "just go, I will have all ready for you."
When dinner-time drew near she got a sausage out of the chimney, put it in the frying-pan, put some butter to it, and set it on the fire.
While the sausage was getting done, Catherine thought she could go into the cellar and draw beer. So she set the frying-pan safely on the fire and went down to the cellar.
As the beer ran into the can, Catherine remembered the dog was not fastened up and might get the sausage. She rushed upstairs, but the Spitz had the sausage already and trailed it away.
Catherine chased the dog far into the field but gave up. Meanwhile, the beer kept running until the whole cask was empty.
Catherine remembered a sack of wheat flour in the garret, fetched it down, and strewed it over the beer, knocking over the can and spreading meal over the whole cellar.
Frederick came home and scolded her, but Catherine said, "Indeed, Frederick, I did not know that, you should have told me."
Frederick buries gold bars, Catherine trades them for pottery
Frederick changed his thalers into gold, buried them under the cow's manger, and told Catherine they were counters for playing games that she must not touch.
When Frederick was gone, pedlars came. Catherine traded the "yellow counters" for their earthen pots and bowls.
The rogues dug up the gold and ran away, leaving their pottery. Catherine knocked the bottom out of every pot and hung them on the paling as ornaments.
Frederick returned to find all their wealth gone and scolded her again. Catherine replied, "Indeed, Frederick, I did not know that, you should have forewarned me."
Catherine proposed they run after the thieves to get the gold back. Frederick agreed and told her to take butter and cheese for the journey.
On the chase, Catherine smears butter on ruts and rolls down all cheeses
On the road, Catherine saw deep ruts and in her compassion smeared butter on both sides so the wheels wouldn't hurt the earth.
While bending down, a cheese rolled out of her pocket down the hill. Unwilling to go down, she sent another to fetch it back.
When the third and fourth cheeses didn't return either, Catherine angrily threw down the fifth and sixth as well.
By the time she caught up with Frederick, the butter was gone and all cheeses had rolled down the hill, leaving only dry bread.
Frederick scolded her again, and Catherine replied, "Really, Frederick, you should have told me."
Frederick sent Catherine back to make the house safe. She bolted the upper door but unhinged the lower door and carried it on her back.
They spend the night in a tree with the door, scaring off thieves
She believed when the door was secure, the house must be safe. Frederick had no choice but to let her carry it farther.
They didn't find the thieves in the forest and climbed a tree to spend the night. The rogues sat under the same tree to share their booty.
Catherine's door pressed heavily, so she threw down dried pears first. The thieves thought leaves were falling.
Then she poured out vinegar, which the thieves thought was dew. Finally she let the door fall with a violent clatter.
The thieves cried "The devil is coming down the tree!" and ran away, leaving everything. They recovered their gold and went home.
Catherine cuts her clothes while harvesting, then scares the pastor helping thieves
Back home, Frederick told Catherine to go cut corn in the field. She decided to eat first, but eating made her sleepy.
Half in a dream, she began to cut and cut all her clothes to pieces—her apron, gown, and shift. She woke half-naked.
Catherine said to herself, "Is it I, or is it not I? Alas, it is not I." At night she ran home and knocked at Frederick's window asking if Catherine was in.
Frederick replied she must be in and asleep. Catherine said, "'Tis well, then I am certainly at home already," and ran away.
She found vagabonds going to steal and offered to help. They sent her to pull turnips from the pastor's field, but she cried out loudly announcing they were stealing.
A man saw her rooting in the turnips and thought it was the devil. He fetched the pastor, who fled in fright when Catherine stood up to her full height.
