In a certain town there once lived a couple who
had never had a child. They had been married for nearly five years, and were
very anxious for a son. The name of the wife was Clara; and of the man, Philip.
One cloudy night in December, while they were
talking by the window of their house, Clara said to her husband that she was
going to pray the novena [nine consecutive days of praying], so that heaven
would give them a child. "I would even let my son serve the devil, if he
would but give us a son!"
As her husband was willing that she should pray
the novena, Clara began the next day her fervent devotions to the Virgin Mary.
She went to church every afternoon for nine days. She carried a small prayer
book with her, and prayed until six o'clock every evening. At last she finished
her novenario, but no child was born to them, and the couple was disappointed.
A month had passed, when, to their great
happiness, Clara gave birth to a son. The child they nicknamed Idó. Idó was
greatly cherished by his parents, for he was their only child; but he did not
care much to stay at home. He early began to show a fondness for travelling
abroad, and was always to be found in the dense woods on the outskirts of the
town.
One afternoon, when the family was gathered
together around a small table, talking, a knock was heard at the door.
"Come in!" said Philip.
"No, I just want to talk with your
wife," answered a hoarse voice from without.
Clara, trembling, opened the door, and, to her
great surprise, she saw standing there a man who looked like a bear.
"A devil, a devil!" she exclaimed.
But the devil pacified her, and said, "Clara,
I have come here to get your son you promised me a long time ago. Now that the
day has come when your son can be of some service to me, will you deny your
promise?"
Clara could make no reply at first. She merely
called her son; and when he came, she said to the devil, "Here is my son.
Take him, since he is yours."
Idó, who was at this time about seventeen years
old, was not frightened by the devil.
"Come," said the devil, "and be my
follower!"
At first Idó refused. But he finally consented to
go, because of his mother's promise.
The devil now took Idó to his cave, far away
outside the town. He tried in many ways to tempt Idó, but was unable to do so,
because Idó was a youth of strong character. Finally the devil decided to
exchange clothes with him. Idó was obliged to put on the bear-like clothes of
the devil and to give him his own soldier suit.
Then the devil produced a large bag full of money,
and said to Idó, "Take this money and go traveling about the world for
seven years. If you live to the end of that time, and spend this money only in
doing good, I will set you free. If, however, you spend the money
extravagantly, you will have to go to hell with me." When had said these
words, he disappeared.
Idó now began his wanderings from town to town.
Whenever people saw him, they were afraid of him, and would refuse to give him
shelter; but Idó would give them money from his bag, and then they would gather
about him and be kind to him.
After many years he happened to come to a town
where he saw an old woman summoned before a court of justice. She was accused
of owing a sum of money, but was unable to pay her debt and the fine imposed on
her.
When Idó paid her fine for her and thus released
her from prison, the woman could hardly express her gratitude. As most of the
other people about were afraid of Idó and he had no place to sleep, this woman
decided to take him home with her.
Now, this old woman had three daughters. When she
reached home with the bear-like man, she called her eldest daughter, and said,
"Now, my daughter, here is a man who delivered me from prison. As I can do
nothing to reward him for his great kindness, I want you to take him for your
husband."
The daughter replied, "Mother, why have you
brought this ugly man here? No, I cannot marry him. I can find a better
husband."
On hearing this harsh reply, the mother could not
say a word. She called her second daughter, and explained her wishes to her;
but the younger daughter refused, just as her sister had refused, and she made
fun of the man.
The mother was very much disappointed, but she was
unable to persuade her daughters to marry her benefactor. Finally she
determined to try her youngest daughter. When the daughter heard her mother's
request, she said, "Mother, if to have me marry this man is the only way
by which you can repay him for his kindness, I'll gladly marry him."
The mother was very much pleased, but the two
older daughters were very angry with their sister. The mother told the man of
the decision of her youngest daughter, and a contract was signed between them.
But before they were married, the bear-like man asked permission from the girl
to be absent for one more year to finish his duty. She consented to his going,
and gave him half her ring as a memento.
At the end of the year, which was the last of his
seven years' wandering, the bear-like man went to the devil, and told him that
he had finished his duty.
The devil said, "You have beaten me. Now that
you have performed your seven years' wandering, and have spent the money
honestly, let us exchange clothes again!"
So the man received back his soldier-like suit,
which made him look like a knight, and the devil took back his bearskin.
Then the man returned to Clara's house. When his
arrival was announced to the family, the two older daughters dressed themselves
in their best, for they thought that he was a suitor come to see them. But when
the man showed the ring and asked for the hand of Clara's youngest daughter,
the two nearly died with vexation, while the youngest daughter was very happy.
