Chapter 158 185. Giovannuza the Fox

Once upon a time there was a poor man who had an only son who was stupid and ignorant.When the father was dying, he called his son named Giuseppe and said to him: "My son, I am going to die soon, and I have nothing left for you except this little house and the pear tree next to it. " His father died, and Giuseppe lived in a small house on his belly; he made a living by selling pears from the tree.But the pear season was over, and it seemed that he was doomed to starve, for he would not support himself by any other means.However, while the pear season is over, the pears are not.Pluck all the fruit, and new ones will grow, even in severe winter, because the pear tree is magical, and bears pears all year round, so that young people can live on it.

One morning, Giuseppe went to harvest the ripe pears as usual, but found that someone had already picked them. "Now what shall I do?" thought he, "If someone steals my pears, I'm finished. I'll stay and watch tonight." At night, he stayed under the tree, with his shotgun; but after a while , he fell asleep, and when he awoke, all the ripe fruit had been picked.The next night, he stayed on guard again, but fell asleep again at a critical moment, and this time the pear was also stolen.On the third night, besides the shotgun, he also brought a flute, and sat under the pear tree to play.Then he silenced the flute, and Giovannusa the Fox, the pear thief, thinking that Giuseppe was asleep, jumped out and climbed up the pear tree.

Giuseppe aimed his gun at her, and the fox said, "Don't shoot, Giuseppe: if you give me a basket of pears, I'll make you lucky." "Oh, Giovannuza, if I give you a basket of pears, what shall I eat?" "Don't worry, do as I tell you," replied the Fox, "and watch, you will be lucky." So the young man gave the fox a basket of the most beautiful pears, and Giovannusa the fox took the pears to the king. "Your Majesty, my master asked me to send this basket of pears, please accept it." She said to the king. "Pears in season!" cried the King, "I have never tasted them! Who is your master?"

"Count Peartree," replied Giovannuza. "But how can we get the pears in this season?" asked the king. "Oh, he has all he wants," replied the Fox, "and he is the richest man alive." "Is it richer than me?" asked the king. "Yes, richer than you, Your Majesty." The king was a little worried, "What can I exchange with him?" he asked. "Don't trouble yourself, my lord," said Giovannuza, "don't even think about it, he's so rich that it would be disgraceful to give him any present." "Very well, then," said the King, with great embarrassment, "thank the Earl of Peartree for his pears."

Seeing the fox return, Giuseppe cried: "But Giovannusa, you have brought nothing in exchange for my pears, and I am dying of hunger here!" "Don't worry," said the fox, and let me do it.I told you, you'd be lucky. " A few days later, Giovannuza said again: "Give me another basket of pears." "Oh man, what am I going to eat if you take all my pears?" "Don't worry, let me do it." She brought the pears to the king, and said: "Your Majesty, because you have honored to accept the first basket of pears, my master, Count Pear Tree, let me give you another basket."

"How is it possible?" the king exclaimed, "The pears just picked are in this season!" "That's nothing," said the Fox. "The earl who owns these pears doesn't think much of it. He has much more precious things." "How can I repay him?" "Well," said Giovannuza, "he sent me to ask you to give him something." "What? If the Earl of Peartree is so rich, I don't know what would be worthy of him." "Your daughter," said the fox. The king was dumbfounded. "But I," he replied, "I cannot accept such an honor, because he is much richer than I am."

"Your Majesty, since he is not worried, what are you worried about? Earl Pear Tree just wants to marry your daughter. He doesn't care if the dowry is large or small. No amount of wealth is insignificant compared to his." "Okay, then invite him to dinner." So Giovannusa the Fox went to Giuseppe and said to him: "I told the King that you are the Count of Pear Tree, and that you want to marry his daughter." "My man, what have you done! The king will cut off my head if he sees me!" "Let me do it, don't worry." said the fox.She went to a tailor, and said to him, "My master, the Earl of Peartree, wants the most beautiful dress in your shop; we will give you the money next time, in cash."

The tailor gave her a dress worn by the great lord, and the fox went to a horse dealer: "Can you sell your most beautiful horse to my master, the Earl of Peartree? We don't pay when we buy things, but on the first day." Pay in two days." Giuseppe puts on the clothes of a great lord, rides on a magnificent horse, and goes to the palace, while the fox runs before his horse. "Sister Giovannusa, what do I answer when the king speaks to me?" Just say 'Good morning' and 'Your Majesty' and I'll do the rest." They arrived at the palace.The king went up to meet Earl Pear Tree and greeted him very respectfully. "Your Majesty," said Giuseppe.

The king brought him to the table, where the king's beautiful daughter was already seated. "Good morning," said Earl Peartree. They sit down and start talking.But Earl Peartree was as silent as a fish. "Miss Giovannuza," whispered the king to the fox, "has your master been stung on his tongue?" "You know, my lord," replied the fox, "that a man cannot rest for a day when he has so much land and riches to worry about." So the king was careful not to disturb Earl Peartree's thinking during the whole visit. The next day Giovannusa said to Giuseppe: "Give me another basket of pears and I will send them to the king."

"Do what you want, man," said the young man, "but we'll all be hanged, you'll see." "Don't worry," cried the Fox, "I told you you would be lucky." In this way he picked a basket of pears, and the fox brought it to the king, saying: "My master, Count Pear Tree, asked me to bring you this basket of pears, and wants to know your answer to his request." "Tell Earl Peartree that the wedding may take place when he pleases," answered the king.The fox happily brings the news to Giuseppe. "But, Miss Giovannusa, where shall I take this bride? Not to this hut!"

"Let me do it. What are you worried about? Haven't I done my best?" asked the fox. So a grand wedding was held, and the earl of pear tree married the king's beautiful daughter. A few days later Giovannuza the Fox said: "My master wants to take the bride back to his palace." "Well," said the king, "I want to go with them, so that I may see all the riches of the Earl of Peartree." They all mounted their horses, and the King took with him a troop of knights.As they were galloping down the plain, Giovannusa said, "I will make preparations first," and ran forward.She came across a flock of thousands of sheep and asked the shepherd, "Whose sheep are these?" "They belong to Papa Dragon," they answered. "Speak softly," whispered the fox, "do you see that marching army of knights? The King has declared war on Father Dragon. If you say it belongs to Father Dragon, they will kill you." "Then what should we say?" "Ha! Try saying: It belongs to the Earl of Pear Tree." As the king approached the sheep, he asked, "Who do these beautiful sheep belong to?" "To the Earl of Peartree!" cried the shepherds. "Oh, he should be very rich!" exclaimed the king, very satisfied. Going a little further, the fox encountered a herd of thousands of pigs.She asked the pig-herder, "Whose pigs belong to them?" "Belongs to Papa Long." "Just lightly, lightly, and see how many soldiers on horseback are coming this way. If you say it belongs to Papa Long, they will kill you. If you say it belongs to Earl Pear Tree." The king came up to the herders, and asked them whose pigs belonged, and the shepherds answered, "To the Earl of Peartree!" The king was very satisfied with having such a rich son-in-law. Similarly, when he met a huge herd of horses, he asked, "Who do these horses belong to?" The shepherds replied, "The Earl of Pear Tree." Earl." The king was therefore more and more satisfied with the marriage he had chosen for his daughter. Finally, Giovannusa came to Papa Long's palace, where he lived only with his wife, Madam Long.She hurried in, and cried, "Oh, poor souls, you know how dangerous you are!" "What happened?" Papa Long asked, terrified. "See that cloud of smoke approaching? This is a group of cavalry led by the king. They are here to kill you." "Sister Fox, help us!" the two of them cried. "Know what I want to say to you?" said Giovannuza, "hide yourself in the furnace; and I will tell you when they are gone." Father and Mother Dragon obeyed her: they climbed into the stove, and begged her, saying: "My dear Giovannusa, cover the mouth of the stove with a branch so that they don't see us." This is exactly what the fox wanted to do, so she blocked the whole furnace mouth with sticks.Then the fox came to the door and waited.When the king came, she curtseyed and said, "Your Majesty, please dismount. This is the palace of Earl Pear Tree." The king and the newlyweds dismounted and went up the stairs. The magnificence in front of them stunned the king. He thought to himself: Even my palace can only be half of it.And that poor Giuseppe was also stunned there. The king asked him, "Why can't I see the servant?" The fox answered wittily, "They were all dismissed, because the master would not decide anything without hearing the bride's opinion. Now she can order as she wishes." After everyone had visited, the king returned to his palace, while Earl Pear Tree and the king's daughter stayed in Papa Long's palace. At this time, Father Long and Aunt Long were still locked in the stove.At night, the fox approached the stove and asked softly, "Papa Long, Mama Long, are you in there?" "Yes." They replied softly. "Then you will stay inside forever," said the fox.She lit the branches, set a fire, and burned Papa Long and Mama Long to death. "Now you are rich and happy," said Giovannuza to Count Peartree and his wife, "you promise me one thing: that when I die you will put me in a beautiful coffin and hold Bury me with great ceremony." "Oh, Miss Giovannuza, why talk to death?" said the King's daughter, who had taken a liking to the fox. After some time Giovannuza wanted to test them out.She pretended to be dead.When the King's daughter saw her lying there stretched out, she cried, "Oh, Giovannuza is dead, our poor friend! We must hasten to make her a beautiful coffin." "Make a coffin for a fox?" said the Earl of Peartree. "Let's throw her out of the window!" and grab her by the tail. As soon as the fox felt his tail caught, he jumped up and cried out, "Oh starving man, oh traitor, oh ungrateful man, you forget everything, you forget that I have earned all your wealth !You would be begging without me. Ingratitude! Traitor!" "Fox, please forgive me, I beg you, buddy," Earl Pear Tree begged her at a loss, "I didn't want to hurt you at all, the words just came out of my mouth like this, I didn't mean anything..." "From now on you will never see me again..." said the fox, and walked towards the door. "Forgive me, Giovannuza, I beg you, stay with us..." But the Fox ran into the road, turned a corner, and disappeared, never to be seen again. (Province of Catania)