mploy me for anything
but swine-herd; and even then luck was against me, for if anything went
wrong with a litter of pigs, I was always blamed for the mishap, and
sent about my business. Count Jharose gave me a job once; it was a
ridiculous task, but I was glad to get any kind of honest work. I had to
exercise the count's two tame bears--promenade with them through the
village. The bears' fore paws were tied about their necks, so that they
were obliged to walk on their hind feet, and I had to walk between them,
my hands resting on a fore leg of each animal, as if I were escorting
two young women. When we promenaded thus along the village street, the
people would laugh and shout: 'There go Count Jharose's three tame
bears.' At last I got out of the way of doing hard work, and got used to
being ridiculed by all the world. But I had not yet learned to steal.
The bears grew fat under my care. I was given every day two loaves of
bread to feed to them. One day I saw, in a wretched hut at the end of
the village, a poor woman and her daughter who were starving. From that
day the bears began to grow thin; for I stole one of the loaves of bread
and gave it to the poor women, who were glad enough to get it, I can
tell you! But the steward found out my theft, and I was dismissed from
the count's service. The poor women were turned out of their miserable
hut. The mother froze to death,--for it was winter then,--and the
daughter was left on my hands. We got a Franciscan monk, whom we met in
the forest, to marry us--which was a bad move for the girl, for no one
would employ her, because she was my wife. So the forest became our
home, hollow trees our shelter; and what a friend an old tree can
become! Well, to make a long story short, necessity very soon taught me
how to take what belonged to others. I got used to the vagrant life. I
could not sleep under a roof any more. I could n't live among men, and
pull off my hat to my betters. When the little lad came into the world,
I said to my wife: 'Do you quit the forest, and look for work in some
village. Don't let the little one grow up to become a thief.' She did as
I bade her; but the people who hired her always found out that she was
the wife of Satan Laczi, and then they would not keep her, and she would
have to come back to me in the forest. And that is where I shall end my
days--in the forest. I am not good for anything any more; I could n't
even plow a furrow any more. I shall end on