When he reached his home his mother greeted him with the question : ` Well , what have you brought back ? ' ' I have brought this cat , Waska , ' answered Martin . ` And what besides ? ' ' I had no money over to buy anything else with , ' replied Martin . ` You useless ne'er - do-weel ! ' exclaimed his mother in a great passion . ` Leave the house at once , and go and beg your bread among strangers ; ' and as Martin did not dare to contradict her , he called Schurka and Waska and started off with them to the nearest village in search of work . On the way he met a rich peasant , who asked him where he was going . ' I want to get work as a day labourer , ' he answered . ` Come along with me , then . But I must tell you I engage my labourers without wages . If you serve me faithfully for a year , I promise you it shall be for your advantage . ' So Martin consented , and for a year he worked diligently , and served his master faithfully , not sparing himself in any way . When the day of reckoning had come the peasant led him into a barn , and pointing to two full sacks , said : ` Take whichever of these you choose . ' Martin examined the contents of the sacks , and seeing that one was full of silver and the other of sand , he said to himself : ` There must be some trick about this ; I had better take the sand . ' And throwing the sack over his shoulders he started out into the world , in search of fresh work . On and on he walked , and at last he reached a great gloomy wood . In the middle of the wood he came upon a meadow , where a fire was burning , and in the midst of the fire , surrounded by flames , was a lovely damsel , more beautiful than anything that Martin had ever seen , and when she saw him she called to him : ` Martin , if you would win happiness , save my life . Extinguish the flames with the sand that you earned in payment of your faithful service . ' ` Truly , ' thought Martin to himself , ` it would be more sensible to save a fellow-being 's life with this sand than to drag it about on one 's back , seeing what a weight it is . '
And forthwith he lowered the sack from his shoulders and emptied its contents on the flames , and instantly the fire was extinguished ; but XXXXX the same moment lo !
In On among at besides by for over upon without