Brides on Their Trial

Brides on Their Trial

Once upon a time there was a young shepherd who really wanted to get married. He lived close to three sisters who were all equally pretty. It was difficult for to him to make a choice among them, and he could not decide which one he preferred. Then he asked his mother for advice, and she said, “Invite all three, and put some cheese before them, and watch how they eat it.” So the young farmer did just that. The eldest sister came to his house and looked at the cheese on a plate on the table. “Please help yourself”, said the farmer. So the eldest sister picked up the cheese and quickly gobbled it all up, with the rind still on. “Oh, wow!” thought the farmer. “She is wild!” Later the middle sister came over, and she cut the rind off the cheese before she ate it, but she cut the rind so quickly and carelessly that she left a lot of good cheese behind and threw it away. “How wasteful!” thought the farmer. Finally, the youngest daughter came over and she cut the rind very carefully, leaving neither too much nor too little. The farmer told all this to his mother, who said “Take the youngest daughter for your wife.” This he did, and he lived happily with her ever after.