The Rattrap

The story in short:

The peddler

The story begins in a fairy tale style. Once upon a time there was a man who went around selling small rattraps made of scrap materials that he get from stores and big farms. He could not simply live by begging and selling rattraps so the circumstances had forced the peddler to indulge in petty crimes. His life was sad and monotonous. One day while plodding along the road a thought strikes his mind that world is nothing but a big rattrap.  It offered riches and joys, shelter and food, clothing and heat just as the rattrap providing cheese and pork to attract the mouse. And ones we step into it there is no way out. Since the world had never been kind to him, he was full of bitterness and hatred against it. He experienced unusual joy at everyone else’s discomfort, pain at being ensnared by the devilish ways of the world. It gave him cruel delight to see others caught in the snare and still others circling around the bait.

The Crofter

In one dark evening when he was trudging along the road he saw a small grey cottage by the roadside. He goes to the cottage and knocked at the door. An old man opened the door and welcomed him warmly. He was alone without wife and children and happy to see a guest. He offered him food and tobacco and also played cards with him. He was generous to the peddler. In their small talk after supper he informed that in his days of prosperity he was a crofter at Ramsjo Ironworks and had lands of his own. But now he was no longer do day labour. It was his extraordinary cow which provides milk for the creamery and he receives thirty kronor in payment. He also picked out ten kronor from the pouch that he hanged on a nail in the window frame and showed it to the peddler. Then he kept it back.

Next day the crofter woke up early to milk the cow. And the peddler went on his way. But half an hour later the peddler came back and went to the window where the pouch with ten kronor was kept. He smashed the window and got the money and moved away. Even though he enjoys his hospitality and warm welcome the peddler does not hesitate to steal the money from the crofter.

The peddler lost in the forest

After having stolen thirty kronors from the crofter, the peddler realized that he could not walk on the public highway and so he turned off the road into the woods. It was a big and confusing forest and the paths twisted back and forth, he walked without coming to the end of the wood and finally realized that he had been walking around in the same part of the forest. Recalling his thought about the world, and the rattrap he realized that he had let himself to be fooled by bait and had been caught. 

His gloom and despair was enhanced by the darkness. Finally he saw no way out and thought his last moment has come. He lay down on the ground. Then he heard a sound of regular thumping. And he could identify it as the sound of the strokes of a hammer coming from an iron mill nearby. He tried to walk towards the sound.

The Ramsjo Ironworks

Then he reached Ramsjo ironworks. He opened the gate of the works and went into the furnace. The master blacksmith and his apprentice were sitting there waiting for the pig-iron to be ready to put on the anvil. There was noise in the forge. So, they couldn’t notice that a man had opened the gate and entered the forge. It’s only when he stood by the furnace the blacksmith hardly took any notice of his presence. It was not unusual for a vagabond to come in for shelter and warmth. He asked permission to stay and the master smith nodded with an arrogant consent without honouring him. 

The ironmaster

The owner of the Works was very particular about the quality of the iron he produced. On one of his visits he comes into the forge while the peddler lay in front of the furnace. He looked intently at the peddler’s face. He felt sure that the peddler was one of his old regimental comrades, Captain von Stable who had fallen on evil days. He invited the peddler to go home with him for Christmas. But the peddler was alarmed. He thought it was risky for him to accept the offer. He firmly declined it. Then the ironmaster went home.

The ironmaster’s daughter Edla

Then the owner sent his daughter Edla to persuade the peddler to come home. She came in a carriage with a large fur coat. She could see that the peddler was unwilling to accept the invitation because he was afraid. Perhaps, she thought, he had stolen something or had escaped from jail. She spoke gently to him. She assured him that he would be free to leave when he pleased. They wanted his company only over Christmas Eve. The peddler felt confidence in her. He agreed to go with her. On the way he was sorry to have stolen the crofter’s money that had put him in a trap.

Ironmaster thinks he has made a mistake

The ironmaster was happy to have his old regimental comrade under his roof. He planned to feed him well and give him some respectable work. The servant cut the peddler’s hair, shaved him ad bathed him. The peddler appeared wearing one of the ironmaster’s fine suits. But when the ironmaster looked at him in daylight, he felt that he had made a mistake. The peddler was not captain von Stable. He thought that the man had deceived him. He even thought of handling him to the sheriff.

The peddler defends himself

The peddler said that he had not pretended to be what he was not. He had not been willing to go to the ironmaster’s house. Even then he was willing to put on his rags and leave. He also told the ironmaster that the world was a rattrap, and he himself might one day be tempted by a big bait and get caught in the trap. The ironmaster told him to leave at once.

Edla stops the peddler

Edla did not like her father’s asking the poor peddler to leave. She thought it was unfair to turn away the man whom they had invited. She wanted to have the joy of entertaining a homeless wanderer on Christmas Eve. She stopped the peddler and her father gave it.

Peddler given presents

Edla served food to the peddler. He was given Christmas presents which he thankfully received. Edla told him that her father’s suit that the peddler was wearing was also a Christmas present. She assured him that he would be welcomed again if he liked to spend the next Christmas Eve with them.

The peddler leaves

Next morning the ironmaster and his daughter went to church. There they learned that the peddler was a thief. He had robbed the crofter. The ironmaster was sure that the peddler must have made away with their silver. Edla was dejected. But when they reached home they learned that the peddler had left. But he had taken away nothing. On the other hand he had left a Christmas present for Edla.

The surprise

Edla opened the present. It was a tiny rattrap. Edla was happy to see that the peddler had left the crofter’s money behind. There was a letter also. It was addressed to Edla. He thanked her for her kindness. He wanted to repay her kindness. So he had left the crofter’s money and had requested her to return it to the crofter. He said he had been raised to captain. That was why he could come out of the rattrap in which he had been caught. He signed the letter Captain von Stable.