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One winter's night many years ago, an old man, named Pedro, and his wife, Joanna, sat by their cozy fire, talking to one another, in a little old village in Spain. Now Pedro was comfortably well off in the goods of this world, but instead of giving thanks to God for the benefits they enjoyed, he and his wife spent all their time in wishing for the good things possessed by their neighbors.
"Bah!" cried Pedro. "This wretched little hut of ours is only fit to house a donkey! Would that we owned the fine house and farm of our neighbor, Diego!"
"Aye! Diego's house and farm are well enough and better than ours by far," answered Joanna. "Still I could wish to have such a mansion as the grandees possess—such a one as that of Don Juan de la Rosa."
"Then there's that old donkey of ours," went on Pedro sullenly. "Good for nothing—nothing at all. He cannot carry so much as an empty sack. How I should like to have for my own Diego's strong Andalusian mule!"
"O aye! Diego's mule is better than our donkey," said Joanna. "Yet, for me, I should like a fine white horse with trappings of scarlet and gold, like the one that bears Donna Isabella. It is strange how some people have only to wish for a thing in order to get it. I have never been in such luck. Would that we had only to speak to have our wishes come true!"
Scarcely were the words out of Joanna's mouth when lo! on the hearth before the old couple appeared a beautiful little lady. She was not more than eighteen inches high and her garments, that drifted lightly back and forth, were white and filmy and full of opal tints as though made of smoke, while a veil of the same airy stuff floated down from a crown of glowing sparks on her head. In her hand she bore a little golden wand, on the end of which was a single spark that glowed like a ruby.
"I am the Fairy Fortunata," said she from the midst of the rosy flames. "I have heard your complaints and am come to give you what you desire. Three wishes you shall have,—one for you, Joanna,—one for you, Pedro,—and the third you shall agree upon between you and I will grant it in person when I return at this time tomorrow."
So saying, the Fairy Fortunata sprang through the flames and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Ah! but the old couple were delighted. Three wishes! Three wishes to come true! They began to think at once of what they most desired in all the world. Wishes came swarming to them as thick as bees to a hive. The old man would be content with such prosperity as his neighbor, the farmer Diego, enjoyed, but the old woman—ah! her desires flew high—a palace with domes and spires and cupolas, and floors tiled with sapphire, and walls and ceilings done with arabesques of crimson, blue and gold; colonnaded courtyards with fountains playing in the centre, and gardens and servants and what not besides! Well, so many were the desires that came crowding to the old couple, that they could not agree off-hand on just which three to wish for. So they determined to put off their decision until the next day and began talking of different things altogether. In a little while their conversation began to drift, as usual, to their wealthier neighbors whom they were forever envying.
"I dropped in at Diego's house this morning," said Pedro, "and they were making black puddings there in the kitchen. Um! but they smelled good—those puddings! Diego can buy the best of raisins and everything else. He does not have to put up with such poor stuff as we have to eat!"
"True! True!" said Joanna. "I wish I had one of Diego's puddings here this minute to roast on the ashes for supper!"
The words were not out of Joanna's mouth when there appeared on the ashes before her the most delicious black pudding that could possibly be imagined! The woman's eyes nearly started out of her head! But Pedro jumped up in a rage.
"You greedy creature!" he cried. "Through your gluttony you have used up one of our precious wishes! Good heavens, to wish for nothing more than a poor little pudding! It makes me wild! You're more stupid than a goose, and I wish the pudding were stuck fast to your nose!"
At that—whisk! there flew the black pudding and hung from the very place he had indicated. Then was the old man struck with horror, for shake her head as she might, Joanna could no more shake off the pudding than she could shake off her nose!
"See what you have done, evil tongue!" she wailed. "If I employed my wish badly, at least it injured no one but myself, but you—you—see how you have made use of your wish!"
Thereupon, the dog and cat, having sniffed the savory pudding, came leaping up and began springing and pawing, in hopes to get one little lick of that luscious morsel that was now become Dame Joanna's nose!
"Down! Down!" shrieked Joanna, as she wildly defended the part attacked. "I shall agree to nothing else for our third wish than that this miserable pudding be taken off my nose!"
"Wife, for heaven's sake!" cried Pedro, "don't ask that! What of the new farm I wanted?"
"I will never agree to wish for it!"
"But listen to reason! Think of the palace you desired, with domes and spires and cupolas, and floors tiled with sapphire, and walls and ceilings in arabesques of crimson, blue and gold!"
"It does not matter!"
"O my dear! let us wish at least for a fortune, and then you shall have a golden case set with all the jewels you please, to cover the pudding on your nose!"
"I will not hear of it!"
"Then, alas and alack, we shall be left just as we were before!"
"That is all I desire! I see now we were well enough off as we were!"
And for all that the man could say, nothing could alter his wife's determination. So at last they agreed, and when on the following night the Fairy rose from the flames and bade them tell her their third wish, they made answer:
"We wish only to be as we were before."
So that was the wish she granted.