The Boy Who Went to the North Wind (Campfire Story)

Once upon a time, there was an old widow who had one son. And she was not very strong, so one day she sent the boy out to the storehouse to fetch some flour for supper.

He filled up the bowl and came out of the storehouse. And just as he was coming down the steps, along came the NORTH WIND, puffing and blowing. Whoooosh! And it caught up the flour and blew it away.

So the boy went back into the storehouse for more. And when he came out on the steps, along came the NORTH WIND again. Whoooosh! And away went the flour. And the third time he went back. And the third time, the NORTH WIND! Whoooosh!

Well, that made the boy very angry. 'It's not right,' he said, 'for the North Wind to behave like that.' And he decided he would go and find the North Wind, and ask for his flour back.

So off he went. And the way was long, and he walked, and he walked, and at last he came to the house of the NORTH WIND.

'Good day,' said the boy, 'and thank you for coming to see us yesterday.' 'Good day,' said the North Wind, in a voice that was very loud and very gruff. 'And thanks to you. What do you want?'

'Oh,' said the boy, 'I only want to ask you to be so kind as to give me back the flour you took from me on the storehouse steps. We don't have much to live on. And if you go on snapping up the little we have, there'll be nothing left but to starve.'

'I don't have your flour,' said the North Wind. 'But since you're in such need, I'll give you a CLOTH. It will give you everything you want. All you have to say is, Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good food!'

The boy was very pleased with that. But it was a long way home, and he couldn't get there in one day. So he stopped at an inn for the night. And when they were all sitting down for supper, he laid the cloth on a table in the corner and said, 'Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good food!' CLOTH! And the cloth was covered with all kinds of good food.

Everybody at the inn thought it was a fine thing. And most of all, the landlady. So in the middle of the night, when everyone was fast asleep, she crept in and took the boy's cloth. And she put another cloth in its place, one that looked just like it, but couldn't serve up so much as a crust of dry bread.

When the boy woke up, he took the cloth and went home to his mother. 'Now,' he said, 'I've been to the North Wind's house. He's a good fellow, because he gave me this cloth. All I have to say is, Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good food, and I get anything I want.'

'I'll believe it when I see it,' said his mother. So the boy laid the cloth on the table. 'Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good food!' And nothing happened. Not a crumb.

'Well,' said the boy, 'there's nothing for it but to go back to the NORTH WIND.' And off he went.

He walked, and he walked, and late in the afternoon he came to the North Wind's house. 'Good evening.' 'Good evening,' said the North Wind. 'What do you want?' 'I want my flour back. That cloth you gave me isn't worth a penny.'

'I don't have your flour,' said the North Wind. 'But here's a RAM. It makes golden coins. All you have to say is, Ram, ram, make money!'

So the boy thought that was a fine thing. But it was too far to get home that day, so he stopped at the same inn again. And before he asked for anything, he tried the ram, to see if it really worked. 'Ram, ram, make money!' RAM! And it worked. Golden coins came pouring out.

And when the landlady saw that, she thought it was a famous ram. So in the night, when the boy was fast asleep, she crept in and took it, and put another ram in its place. One that looked just the same, but couldn't make so much as a penny.

Next morning, off went the boy. And when he got home, he said to his mother, 'After all, the North Wind is a jolly fellow. Now he's given me a ram that can make money, if I just say, Ram, ram, make money!' 'I'll believe it when I see it,' said his mother. 'Ram, ram, make money!' And the ram just stood there and chewed.

So the boy went back again to the NORTH WIND, and he was very angry this time. 'That ram's worth nothing! And I want my flour back!'

'Well,' said the North Wind, 'I've nothing else to give you except that old STICK in the corner. But it's a stick of a very special kind. If you say, Stick, stick, lay on! it will lay on until you say, Stick, stick, now stop!'

So the boy took the stick. And since it was a long way home, he stopped at the inn again, same as before. But this time he had a pretty good idea what had happened to his cloth and his ram. So he lay down on the bench and pretended to be asleep, and he began to snore. Very loudly.

And sure enough, the landlady thought, 'That stick must be worth something too.' So she crept in with another stick that looked just like it, and she reached out to swap them. And just as she was about to grab it, the boy called out, 'Stick, stick, lay on!' STICK!

And the stick began to beat the landlady. Whack! Whack! She jumped over chairs and tables and benches, and the stick went right after her. STICK! 'Oh! Oh! Make it stop! Make it stop! Bid the stick be still, or it'll beat me to death! I'll give you back your cloth and your ram!'

And when the boy thought she'd had enough, he said, 'Stick, stick, now stop!' And it did. Then he took the cloth and put it in his pocket, and he took the ram by the horns, and the stick in his hand, and he went home with all three.

'Now, mother,' he said. 'Watch this.' 'Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good food!' CLOTH! 'Ram, ram, make money!' RAM! And they never wanted for anything again.

And the boy was well paid for the flour the NORTH WIND had blown away.