Dr. Know-All

A farmer had a son who knew nothing at all. When the boy was grown, his wife sent him to learn something, but he returned just as ignorant as before. His wife was angry and threatened to find another husband unless he learned something.

The farmer sent him away, and he came to a farm where the mistress said he could stay if he would watch her mare and foal, her cow and calf, and bring everything back safely. He agreed, but lost all three animals. When he confessed to the farmer, the farmer brought him home and gave him his daughter in marriage, saying he had never met such an honest man.

The young lord of the castle heard of this and hired him as a steward. The other stewards were jealous and plotted against him. When the lord lost a precious ring, they accused the new steward of stealing it.

That night, the steward was pacing in the yard, worried. A little dwarf appeared and offered to help. The next day, the lord gathered everyone and said whoever could guess what he was thinking would be the thief.

The steward's wife had told him to guess 'the thief who ate the roast'—meaning the roast they had eaten the night before. When the steward blurted this out, everyone stared. But then a servant came in with a cooked chicken. The steward, thinking of the roast, shouted, 'Here comes the thief!'

And indeed, the stolen ring was found inside the chicken. The steward's guess had been wrong, but his timing made him seem wise. The lord rewarded him, and the other stewards were dismissed. Dr. Know-All became famous for wisdom, though he knew no more than before.

His wife never learned the truth, and they lived happily, with the steward repeating his simple motto: 'The thief who ate the roast!'

Moral: Sometimes it is better to be lucky than wise.