eal as this pot will hold,' he commanded.

"The woman wondered what in the world her husband could be thinking
of. But she lost no time in guessing. She ordered her servants to
make a big fire, while she herself stirred and cooked the great
kettleful of oatmeal.

"In the meanwhile, her husband hurried down to the pier, and got his
swiftest boat ready for a trip down the river. Then he gathered the
best rowers in the town.

"'Come with me,' he said to two of them, when everything had been
made ready for a trip. They hastened home with him, as he commanded.

"'Is the oatmeal ready?' he cried, rushing breathless into the
kitchen,

"His wife had just finished her work. The men lifted the kettle from
the fire and ran with it to the waiting boat. It was placed in the
stern and the oarsmen sprang to their places.

"'Pull, men! Pull with all the strength you have, and we will go to
Strasburg in time to show those stupid people that, if it should be
necessary, we live near enough to them to give them a hot supper.'

"How the men worked! They rowed as they had never rowed before.

"They passed one village after another. Still they moved onward
without stopping, till they found themselves at the pier of Strasburg.

"The councillor jumped out of the boat, telling two of his men to
follow with the great pot of oatmeal. He led the way to the
council-house, where he burst in with his strange present.

"'I bring you a warm answer to your cold words,' he told the
surprised councillors. He spoke truly, for the pot was still
steaming. How amused they all were!

"'What a clever fellow he is,' they said among themselves. 'Surely
we will agree to make the bond with Zurich, if it holds many men like
him.'

"The bond was quickly signed and then, with laughter and good-will,
the councillors gathered around the kettle with spoons and ate every
bit of the oatmeal.

"'It is excellent,' they all cried. And indeed it was still hot
enough to burn the mouths of those who were not careful."

"Good! Good!" cried the children, and they laughed heartily, even
though it was a joke against their own people.

Their father and mother had also listened to the story and enjoyed it
as much as the children.

"Another story, please, dear Uncle Fritz," they begged.

But their father pointed to the clock. "Too late, too late, my
dears," he said. "If you sit up any longer, your mother will have to
call you more than once in the