Near the city of Leeuwarden there lived a farmer, who didn't have two half pennies to his name. His farm had fallen into decay and would probably collapse in the next storm. The farmer was desperate. One evening he was standing in his farmyard as a gentleman strolled by.

"You look depressed," the gentleman said.

"I am depressed," the farmer replied, and he told him how awful the situation was and that he was desperately short of money.

"I've got a solution to your problem," the gentleman said. "I will give you a new farm. I am the devil. The farm will be built tonight. Tomorrow morning, before the rooster crows, it will be completed. However, I need to have your soul in return."

The farmer said, "Let it be so."

Thereupon a contract was signed on the condition that the devil should have finished the farm before the rooster would crow the next morning. If the devil did not succeed, the deal was off.

After the devil had left, the farmer started having second thoughts. What had he done? He would lose his soul! He started worrying, and his wife noticed.

At first, he didn't want to tell what was wrong, but in the end he told her. Fortunately, his wife was clever.

She said, "Leave everything to me."

As they went to bed, the sounds of building and hammering had already started.

After this had continued for quite a while, the farmer's wife said: "Go and have a look how far they are."

"The walls are up already," the farmer replied.

Some time later, the woman asked, "How far are they now?"

"They are beginning to thatch the roof," the farmer answered.

A little while later, she asked once more, "How far is it now?"

The farmer said, "They only need to place the owl-boards." [1]

"Good," she said, and she immediately began to crow at the top of her voice.

The rooster heard it and answered at once.

The new farm was finished with the exception of the owl-boards. The woman had outwitted the devil.

Then the devil came to the house, and he was really angry.

"Never ever," he said, "will it be possible to fix an owl-board on this farm."

Well, he was right there. No owl-board would remain in place. At least ... no wooden ones. In the end, however, they placed a stone one that didn't fall off. That's why the farm was named "the stone owl-boards."

[1] Frisian wooden ornaments on the roof top.