The villagers were extremely grateful to Juan. He had rid them of a gang of notorious robbers. So the people made him their mayor. Juan gave a feast during which all the villagers could eat as much rice and meat as they wanted, but Juan never told anybody how he obtained the food.

Using his goat’s silver, Juan built a nice big house in which he lived comfortably. Whenever a gang of criminals was found to be operating in the district, Juan went personally to confront them, after which the guardia civil would be called in to round them up, finding them lying on the ground with bleeding heads.

“This came to the notice of the king, who appointed Juan provincial governor. After his appointment there was no more crime in the province. But, one bad day, an enemy army invaded the country.

The king announced that whoever could defeat the enemy would marry his daughter. On hearing this, Juan confronted their army. His stick did its work, and the enemies became prisoners of war in a single day.

So it was that Juan married the princess and built a palace worthy of her rank. And the beggars who called at his door could always get a bowl of rice.

Poor Maria, the Philippine Cinderella

Once upon a time there lived a man and his wife. They had a daughter named Maria. She was a girl of exceptional beauty. Alas! Misfortune befell the family. Maria’s mother died, leaving her young daughter inconsolable.

In time, Maria’s father remarried. His new wife had a daughter of her own, a very ugly daughter. Maria’s stepmother naturally always favored her own daughter. So Maria had to cook and clean all day, whereas her stepsister did no work in the house at all.

One day, after she had cleaned the fireplace on her stepmother’s orders, poor Maria was so dirty that her stepmother sent her to the river to wash. “And don’t forget to scrub your back, lazy girl!” she screamed as Maria left.