Long ago there were two hunchbacks. One was kind but the other was mean and spiteful. The two hunchbacks cold not work in the village because everybody made fun of them; therefore they went into the hills to cut wood. That is, the kind one cut all the wood since the mean and spiteful one was very lazy and was always telling his companion;
"Ay!, how sick I am today. It is better if you go and cut the wood this week." His partner, being kind-hearted, would go into the mountains and do all the work week after week.

One day, when the mean one had stayed at home as usual, the good woodcutter worked very hard and was very tired. Since his house was far away, he decided to camp near a small spring. About midnight, the woodcutter heard someone singing. At first he thought that somebody had camped near by but when he had listened to what was being sung, he realized that the voices he heard were not human.

Very cautiously he arose and silently walked to the place where the singing came from. Imagine his surprise when he saw a group of fairies singing and dancing around a blazing fire.

Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday three,
Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday three.

That was all the fairies sang, they repeated the same line over and over again. It seemed that it was the only song they knew. The woodcutter then decided that he would talk to them. Naturally, as soon as he heard them singing again, he went near the fire and the fairies saw him at once.

"What do you want, oh mortal?" asked the fairies. "Why do you come to bother us?"

"Because I can help you. Listen tome and you will see that your song will sound better this way." Then he sang:

Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday three,
Thursday and Friday and Saturday six.

Oh! The fairies were filled with joy. They noticed then that the good woodcutter was a hunchback. They told him to kneel down and with a magic wand touched his hump. Immediately it disappeared, leaving him strong and strong.

Suddenly the earth began to tremble; the rocks began to share, all with a terrifying sound.

"It is the ogres who come!. Quickly!" the fairies told the woodcutter. "Climb that tree; otherwise the ogres will kill you." And the fairies disappeared.

Quick as the wink of an eye, the woodcutter climbed the tree and hid in it foliage. No sooner had the woodcutter settled himself than three ugly and huge ogres sat themselves at the base of the tree and began to chat.

"Well, amigos, what evil deeds have you performed during the year?" Thus they asked each other.

"Well," said one of the ogres, "I have blinded the entire village. And so blind are they, that not even the sun can they see."

They all laughed and poked each other in the ribs.

The second ogre then said:

"Ha! you think that was work? I have condemned the people of my kingdom to silence. And so dumb are they that even the children a

re unable to cry."

The ogres laughed louder than before.

"Well, senores," said the third, "I haven't been idle either. I have made my people so deaf that they cannot even hear the cries of the souls in purgatory."

And the ogres laughed more loudly than ever, rolling on the ground with merriment. They were so evil that all human miseries caused them joy. The poor woodcutter, hearing them speak thus, trembled with horror.

"However," said the ogre who had spoken first, "if you have done as I have, then everything proceeds well. Those poor unfortunates whom I have blinded don't know how easily they can be cured. Nevertheless, don't think I am going to cure, much less give them the remedy."

"Good," said the second ogre. "You are going to tell us, no? I also have a remedy to cure the deafness of my people and I am sure that our friend here has also a remedy for the dumbness of his people."

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