THE LITTLE FARMER AND KNOWITALL.

 

One evening KnowItAll was walking (he was on holiday on the Isle of Man) when he came across a little farmhouse. Just as he passed the little farm he saw that this little farmer (what else should live in a little farm but a little farmer?) was putting a small dish of cream on a low wall near the hedge that runs around the little courtyard.
Inquisitive as KnowItAll was he asked the little farmer what he was doing. The little farmer answered that he put a dish of cream on the wall every evening as an offer to God. Every morning he took the empty dish away and knew that God had accepted his offer. "Little farmer, little farmer," KnowItAll laughed. "Surely you don't believe that God takes the cream? More likely some wild animal takes it in the night. I will proof this to you to-night, together we will hide in the shed and catch the culprit in the act."
That night the little farmer and KnowItAll hid in the old shed and looked through holes in the door at the dish on the wall. After a short wait they heard a rustling sound in the hedge. A few seconds later a little ginger catface peeked out and a little while after that a little ginger and white Manx cat jumped on the wall. In a few minutes Manxy finished the dish of cream and, very contented, jumped off the wall and disappeared into the hedge.
Pleased as Punch KnowItAll stepped out of the shed with the, now sad, little farmer behind him. "There you have it, my good little farmer," KnowItAll said. You have been wasting that precious cream on a Manx all this time. Proud as a peacock KnowItAll went home. A few days later KnowItAll was at home, asleep in bed, when God appeared to him. "KnowItAll, KnowItAll, what have you done," God said. "But God, think of all the cream and money the little farmer will save now, isn't that great?" KnowItAll answered. At this God said, "Listen to me, Know-It-All, and learn. That little farmer did me a good deed every evening by putting that small dish of cream on that wall. Now, to be honest, I have personally never been very fond of cream BUT it gave me great joy to pass the kind favor on and thus help that little ginger and white Manx out a bit!"

 

Adaptation of an old Dutch tale, retold by Kai Verlaan

 

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