An old soldier was once on his way home where he meant to spend his furlough , and he was tired and hungry. He came to a village and he rapped at the door of the first hut he saw.
"Let a traveller in for the night!", he called .
The door was opened by an old woman.
"Come in , soldier," she said.
"Have a bite of food for a hungry man, good dame?" the soldier asked.
Now , the old woman had plenty of everything, but she was stingy and pretended to be very poor." Ah , me , I`ve had nothing to to eat myself today, dear heart, there is nothing in the house," she wailed.
"Well , if you`ve nothing , you`ve nothing, " the soldier said. Then , noticing an axe without a handle under the bench: "If there`s nothing else , we could make porridge out of that axe." The old woman threw up her hands in astonishment .