Once upon a time there lived a poor peasant with his wife. They had three sons: Mate, Peter and Svend. One dry summer the family became very difficult.

"We have more eaters than pieces of bread," said the father. - You will have to go to work, sons.

Mother cried:

"Mate and Peter are grown-ups, they'll get the job done," she said. Look at him, how thin he is. Who will hire him?

"Let the cattle graze when they can't find another job," his father decided.

And Svend said,

- Don't worry, mom, I'll find a job. Let me go too. 

Finally, his mother agreed to let him go. The brothers began to gather on the road, and the eldest son said:

 - I'll just take my old father's jacket. He is sitting at home, and he does not need a jacket. 

"I'll take the pan," says the middle son. - Mother still has nothing to cook in it. I will sell it and I will have money until I find a job. 

He took a shiny copper pot from the shelf and pulled it over his head like a hat. 

"And Svend has nothing left," her mother sighed. 

She loved her youngest son the most. He was always friendly, gentle and helped his mother as much as he could. 

- And I, mother, in memory of the home will take a carnation, the one on which I hang my jacket, as I go to bed. 

Svend took the nails out of the wall, wrapped them in a rag, and hid them in his pocket. 

"That's stupid!" The brothers laughed. - I also invented to fool around with a rusty carnation. What are you going to do with him?

 - Who knows, maybe he will be useful to me! Svend replied. And he himself was so happy, as if he had taken with him not a carnation, but a bag of gold.

And finally the boys said goodbye to their father and mother and set off.

 The mother, weeping, looked after her sons, and Svend turned for a long time and waved her hat. 

The brothers stopped at a crossroads.

 "Peter and I will go together," said Mate, "and you, Svende, go wherever you want with your nail." 

- Well, then goodbye, dear brothers. Happy road to you. I hope to see you soon, 'said Svend, walking down a path to a village. 

He goes, he goes when he sees - something gene on the road moves. Svend was frightened. "Really a bear? How can I escape?" He thinks. And then the peasant fixes his cart. 

"Boy," he calls. - and go, but help. My axle wheel has fallen off, and I can't get to the smithy.

 - I have a nail, bend it and press the wheel to the axle. But then you will give it away, because this carnation is very dear to me - because it is from my home. 

The peasant laughed.

 - Well, you're funny, baby! I'll give you your dear carnation when we get to the smithy.

The peasant and Svend fitted the wheel, got into the cart, and hurried to the smithy.

 Svend was in the smithy for the first time, and he really liked it. 

- You have fun here: the bellows are buzzing, the hammer is forging. I would also like to become a blacksmith.

"Don't make me laugh, boy," says the blacksmith. - Where do you lift such a heavy hammer. This is not a toy. But if you want, inflate the bag while my son recovers. I will feed you to my heart's content and give you money for your work. 

And Svend stayed with the blacksmith. And the peasant gave him a carnation. He unfolded it and hid it in his pocket. 

The blacksmith saw that Svend was a clever boy and began to teach him his craft. It wasn't long before Svend knew how to make something himself.

But a month later the blacksmith's son recovered, and Svend had to leave the smithy. Koval paid him for his work, and Svend moved on. 

He walked to himself, sang a merry song and soon came across a hut that stood alone by the side of the road. 

On the doorstep of the hut, Svend saw a man with glasses. It was a tailor. Scissors hung from a long ribbon around his neck, and he held a jacket in his hand and cleaned it. Suddenly she fell out of his hand and fell on the dew-soaked grass.

 "You put on your jacket, Uncle," Svend advised. 

"Don't teach me, boy," growled the tailor. - I know what to do.

 But Svend was not offended by his language, but suggested:

 "I can help you, uncle."

 He immediately took the nails out of his pocket and hammered them into the doorpost. The tailor smiled, touched his jacket, and quickly cleaned it.

 He then called Svend to the house and told the woman to feed him milk and bread. Svend was hungry and ate fondly, and then politely thanked his mistress. She really liked it.

 "Take the boy with you," she asked her husband. 

"I'll be happy to stay with you," Svend said