Of course, any one who has habits of this kind must eventually become a
general favorite, and this was the case with Old Riddler.
One day, he made up a splendid riddle, and, after he had told it to all
the gnomes, he hurried up to propound it to some human person.
He was in such haste that he actually forgot his hat, although it was
late in the fall, and he wore his cloak. He had not gone far through
the fields before he met a young goose-girl, named Lois. She was a poor
girl, and was barefooted; and as Old Riddler saw her in her scanty
dress, standing on the cold ground, watching her geese, he thought to
himself: "Now I do hope that girl has wit enough to understand my
riddle, for I feel that I would like to get interested in her."
So, approaching Lois, he made a bow and politely asked her: "Can you
tell me, my good little girl, why a ship full of sailors, at the bottom
of the sea, is like the price of beef?"
The goose-girl began to scratch her head, through the old handkerchief
she wore instead of a bonnet, and tried to think of the answer.
"Because it's 'low,'" said she, after a minute or two.
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