hey were near home, the old man said:
"Now, my son, it is fitting for us to settle our accounts and divide
things!" "Know, good old man," said Fair Brow to him, "that all the
wealth that I have belongs half to you and half to me!" "Your wife, too,
belongs half to me!" He said: "Good old man, I will leave you three
quarters, and I will take one only, but leave me my wife. Do you want me
to divide her in two?" Then the old man said: "You must know that I am
the soul of him whom you had buried; and you have had all this good
fortune because you did that good action, and converted and baptized
your wife!" Then he gave him his blessing and disappeared. Fair Brow,
when he heard this, as you can imagine, came near dying of joy. When
they reached his city, they fired a salute, for Fair Brow had arrived
with his wife, the wealthiest gentleman in the world. He sent for his
father and told him all that had happened to him. He went to live with
them, and as he was old, he died soon, and all his riches went to Fair
Brow.[12]

* * * * *

We have already stated in the preface that it was not our design to
admit into this work (except for occasional reference) any stories that
were literary in their character. For this reason we have not drawn on
the treasures of Straparola or Basile, or even on the more popular
chap-books, of which there are in Italy, as elsewhere, a great
profusion. Of some of the stories contained in the last named class of
works there are purely popular versions. As an example of the class,
and for purposes of comparison, we give the story of Leombruno, or
Lionbruno, one of the oldest and most popular of its kind. The most
complete version is the one from the Basilicata, given by Comparetti,
No. 41, which is as follows:

XXXVI. LIONBRUNO.

There was once a mariner who had a wife and three or four children. He
followed the business of a fisherman, and he and his family lived on his
fishing. For three or four years there had been a dearth of fish, so
that he had not been able to catch even a sardine. Poor mariner! From
this misfortune he had been obliged to sell, little by little, all he
possessed, to live, and was reduced almost to beggary. One day he was
fishing, and as you can imagine, poor fellow! he did not haul in even a
shell. He cursed madonnas and saints. All at once a certain person (it
was the Enemy) rose in the midst of the sea before his bark. "What is
the matter, ma