A bright young fellow, after working hard for his master for three whole years, finally got his pay. But guess what? All he received were three small, shiny pennies! "Well," he thought, not wanting to be glum, "at least I have something!"

As he skipped down the road, feeling a little light in his pockets but happy in his heart, he met a little old man with a cheerful smile. "Why so thoughtful, young man?" asked the old man.
The fellow showed him his three pennies. "I worked for three years, and this is all I got. But it's alright!"
The little old man was pleased with his good spirit. "Because you are honest and not greedy," he said, "I will grant you three wishes. One for each penny."

The young fellow's eyes lit up! "First," he said, "I wish for a special gun that will hit anything I aim at, without ever missing!"
"Granted!" said the little man.
"Second," he went on, "I wish for a fiddle that, when I play it, will make everyone and everything dance, whether they want to or not!"
"Granted!" chirped the little man.
"And for my third wish," said the fellow, thinking hard, "I wish that whatever I ask of anyone, they cannot refuse me!"
"A clever wish! Granted!" said the little man, and then he vanished with a wink.

The young fellow continued his journey, eager to try his new gifts. Soon, he saw a Jewish man standing under a tree, listening with delight to a little bird singing high up in the branches.
"My goodness!" exclaimed the young fellow. "What a beautiful song! I'll shoot that bird down for you so you can have a closer look!"
Before the Jewish man could say a word, BANG! The young fellow aimed his gun, and the bird fell from the tree right into the middle of a huge, prickly thorn bush.

The Jewish man was very upset. "Oh, you foolish boy!" he cried. "Why would you shoot that lovely bird? And now look, it's in that terrible thorn bush! I'll have to get it myself." He grumbled and carefully started to push his way into the sharp thorns.
As soon as the man was deep inside the bush, struggling with the prickles, the young fellow grinned. "Time for some music!" he thought, and he began to play his fiddle.

Instantly, the Jewish man began to dance! He hopped and skipped and twirled among the thorns, even though he didn't want to. "Ouch! Ow! Stop that music!" he yelled, as the thorns scratched his clothes and his skin. "My coat! My hat! Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
The young fellow just played faster, and the man danced harder, getting more and more tangled.
"Please, boy, stop playing!" begged the Jewish man. "I'll give you this heavy purse of gold if you just stop!"

The young fellow stopped his tune. "A purse of gold, you say? Well, that sounds like a fair trade for such a lively dance!" He took the purse, and the Jewish man, scratched and furious, scrambled out of the thorn bush.

The Jewish man didn't say another word to the boy. He marched straight to the nearest town and went to the judge. "Your Honor!" he declared. "I've been robbed! A wicked boy with a fiddle attacked me in the woods and stole my purse of gold!"

The young fellow was soon brought before the judge.
"Did you rob this man?" the judge asked sternly.
"Not at all, Your Honor!" said the young fellow. "He gave me the gold willingly. In fact," he added with a sly look, "it was *he* who was trying to take my things, and I just played a little tune to make him dance away!"

The judge looked from the respectable-looking Jewish man to the young fellow with his fiddle. He decided to believe the older man. "This boy is clearly lying!" the judge declared. "He must be punished for robbery. Take him to be hanged!"

So, the young fellow was led to the gallows. Just as they were about to put the rope around his neck, he said, "Your Honor, before I meet my end, may I have one last wish? Could I please play my fiddle one last time?"
The Jewish man shouted, "No, no! Don't let him play!"
But the judge, thinking it a harmless last request, said, "Very well, play your tune."

The young fellow put the fiddle to his chin and began to play a merry, irresistible jig.
Immediately, everyone started to dance! The judge leaped from his chair, his robes flying. The guards dropped their spears and jigged about. The hangman started doing a funny hop. The crowd in the square couldn't stop their feet from tapping and twirling. And the Jewish man, who had accused him, danced the wildest of all, bouncing and spinning like a top.
"Stop! Stop the music!" gasped the judge, hopping up and down. "My wig is falling off! Stop, boy, and I promise, you shall go free!"

The young fellow stopped playing. Everyone collapsed, panting and out of breath.
"I'll stop for good," said the young fellow, "but only if this man confesses the truth. Tell them, sir," he said, turning to the Jewish man, "did I rob you? And tell me, was that purse of gold honestly yours to begin with?"

The Jewish man, exhausted and terrified of more dancing, blurted out, "Alright, alright! You didn't rob me of it then! And... and the gold... I admit, I had taken it unfairly myself! It wasn't truly mine!"

"Aha!" cried the judge, very angry at being deceived. "So *you* are the dishonest one!"
And so, the Jewish man was punished for his thievery and for lying to the court. The young fellow got to keep the purse of gold, and he went on his way, whistling a merry tune, a little richer and a lot wiser.

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