One sad day her mother died and left her just one penny, apart from the old cabin and the garden in which it stood.  The young woman went to a seed dealer and asked him how much seed she could get for a penny.  “As many as one finger will lift,” he replied.

Though this was not very generous, she nonetheless dipped her finger into a basket full of seeds.  The seeds were tiny, and when she pulled out her finger several of them adhered to it.  These she wrapped carefully in her handkerchief and took home.  Once there, she planted each seed with great care, watering and weeding the bed regularly.  All the seeds germinated and became healthy plants, and while in the ground, the tubers swelled up beautifully.  (We do not learn whether they were turnips, parsnips, or even carrots.)  In any case, she was soon able to sell the produce at the vegetable market.  With the money she made, she bought many more seeds, which she cared for well.

Due to her hard work, her garden soon became full of vegetables of all kinds.  As soon as they were ripe, she rushed her fruits and vegetables to the market.  By doing so, she always offered only the very freshest produce on the stall she rented in the market square.  Because she had an attractive and honest face, people liked buying from her and did not haggle over the price.  Her business flourished, as did her garden.

One day a rich man walked into the market and had a look around.  He possessed as much wisdom as money.  He knew, for instance, that money does not buy honesty and that intelligence is not always found among highborn people.  So, when he saw the young woman selling her vegetables, he stopped at a distance and decided that perhaps she would be a good wife for him.  He inquired among the other vendors and they all assured him that she was honest and that her vegetables were always fresh and clean.  When evening came and the stalls were closed, the rich man came up to the poor woman and proposed marriage to her.  After some reflection, she said yes, and neither one ever regretted it.  She managed his many plantations, and all their enterprises prospered from their hard work.

The two orphans

In oldest times, when animals and people could speak to and understand each other, there lived a man and his wife who had been eating from one dish for years until the wife had twins.  One was a handsome boy, but, alas, his brother was a little calf.  Even so, they all loved each other very much.  Unfortunately, before the twins were full grown, both parents died.