So he went to the miller and asked him to be godfather, to which the latter agreed and gave the baby a gold piece.  “Every little bit helps,” the schoolteacher thought.  “What he doesn’t give now, he’ll give later.”  But little did he realize that the miller had a reputation as the stingiest man in town.

The schoolteacher waited until a day turned into a week and a week turned into two.  But when the child’s godfather hadn’t sent a thing and the cupboards were bare, our schoolteacher set out to see the miller.

“Good morning, my friend! What do you bring?” the miller began.

“My arms are empty, dear miller, but I was hoping to leave with them full.”

“If I can help in any way, please just let me know.”

“If you could mill me a bushel of wheat and then a bushel of rye, I couldn’t ask for more.”

“Consider it done,” said the miller, and that night his man brought them the flour.

For a while the family lived well.  But eventually there was no more flour for the bread, and so our schoolteacher again visited the miller.  This time the miller wasn’t so quick with the flour, but finally he relented.   The flour didn’t last any longer than before.

When it was gone, the schoolteacher was none too eager to ask the miller again, but in spite of his wife’s advice, he went anyway.  When he saw him, the miller was downright unfriendly: “You know I usually don’t let anyone buy on credit, but seeing I’m your child’s godfather, I made an exception.  If you want any more, you’ll first have to pay what you already owe.  I have bills to pay, too, you know.”

The schoolteacher could hardly believe his ears and begged the miller to change his mind.  The miller muttered something under his breath, turned his back, and entered the mill, only to return a moment later with the following offer: “I’ll let you have the wheat, and not only two bushels but a whole wagonful.  And I’ll mill it and deliver it and all for free, and I’ll even forget about the money you owe.  You have to promise me just one thing:  that you’ll guard my body for three nights when I die.”