Brother Jim and St. Peter’s journey continues.

So we went on and came to a town where we heard that the mayor’s daughter lay sick to death. “Now then,” I said to St. Peter, here’s a windfall for us! If we cure this one we’ll have it made!”

But Pete didn’t move fast enough for me.

“Come on, shake a leg, old friend,” I said. “We have to get there before it’s too late.”

But my man, Pete, just walked slower, and the more I drove and pushed him, the slower he walked, until in the end we heard that the mayor’s daughter had died.

“There!” I said, “All because of this sleepy way you walk.”

“Don’t worry,” answered St. Peter, “I can do better than make the sick well. I can bring the dead back to life.”

“Well, in that case!” I said. “That’s good enough for me. But it’s got to earn us a half a knapsack full of money at the very least!”

And so we came to city hall, where everyone was in deep mourning for the mayor’s daughter. St. Peter told the mayor he would bring his daughter back to life. At first, the mayor was skeptical of St. Peter’s claim. But with the desperation that fills the heart of every bereaved parent, the mayor finally agreed to let St. Pete have a go at it.

So we were taken to the dead girl and St. Peter said, “Bring me a kettle of water.” When they had brought it, “the Petester” asked everyone to leave and only I was allowed to stay with him.

Then the apostle cut the dead girl into pieces and threw the pieces into the water, lit a fire under the kettle, and boiled them. And when all the flesh had fallen off, he took out the beautiful white bones and laid them on a table and put them into their natural order. When that was done he came and stood before them and said three times, “In the name of the most Holy Trinity, you who are dead, arise.” At the third time the mayor’s daughter rose up alive, healthy, and beautiful.

Now the mayor was overjoyed and said, “Ask for your reward, and if it is half my city, I will give it to you.” But St. Peter said, “I don’t want anything.” Oh, you everlasting fool, I thought to myself. I poked St. Peter in the ribs and said, “Don’t be a blockhead, if you don’t want something, I can certainly do with it..”

St. Peter wouldn’t take anything, but the mayor saw how very much I wanted a reward and had the city treasurer fill my knapsack with fifty dollar bills.

 Monday: “Two for Me. None for You”

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The Adventures of Brother Jim based on the story “Brother Gaily” from The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm.