{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_15659/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_15659","id":"gutenberg_15659","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15659","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's Instructional Books","Fairy tales","Readers","Reading (Elementary)"],"text":"Produced by Mark C. Orton, Melissa Er-Raqabi and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE\nBEACON SECOND READER\n\nBY\nJAMES H. FASSETT\n\nGINN AND COMPANY\nBOSTON - NEW YORK - CHICAGO - LONDON\nATLANTA - DALLAS - COLUMBUS - SAN FRANCISCO\n\n\nCOPYRIGHT, 1914, BY JAMES H. FASSETT\nALL RIGHTS RESERVED\n\nPRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA\n431.1\n\nThe Athenaeum Press\n\nGINN AND COMPANY - PROPRIETORS -\nBOSTON - U.S.A.\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n\nIn the \"Beacon Second Reader\" the author has chosen for his stories only\nthose of recognized literary merit; and while it has been necessary to\nrearrange and sometimes rewrite them for the purpose of simplification,\nyet he has endeavored to retain the spirit which has served to endear\nthese ancient tales to the children of all ages. The fairy story appeals\nparticularly to children who are in the second school year. It has been\nproved by our ablest psychologists that at about this period of\ndevelopment, children are especially susceptible to the stimulus of the\nold folklore. They are in fact passing through the stage which\ncorresponds to the dawn of the human race, when demons, dragons,\nfairies, and hobgoblins were as firmly believed in as rivers and\nmountains.\n\nAs a test of this theory the author asked hundreds of second-grade and\nthird-grade school children to recall the stories which they had read\nduring the preceding year, and to express their preferences. The choice\nof more than ninety per cent proved to be either folklore stories, pure\nand simple, or such tales as contained the folklore element. To be sure,\nchildren like other stories, but they respond at once with sparkling\neyes and animated voices when the fairy tale is suggested. How unwise,\ntherefore, it is to neglect this powerful stimulus which lies ready at\nour hands! Even a pupil who is naturally slow will wade painfully and\nlaboriously through a fairy story, while he would throw down in disgust\nan account of the sprouting of the bean or the mining of coal.\n\nIt can hardly be questioned, moreover, that the real culture which the\nchild derives from these literary classics is far greater than that\nwhich he would gain from the \"information\" stories so common in the\naverage second and third readers.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n                                                              PAGE\nTHE SHIP                            _Old English Rhyme_         13\nTHE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG KIDS   _William and Jacob Grimm_   14\nTHEY DIDN'T THINK                   _Phoebe Cary_               22\nTOM THUMB                           _English Fairy Tale_        24\nSUPPOSE                             _Alice Cary_                34\nCINDERELLA                          _English Fairy Tale_        36\nRAINDROPS                           _Ann Hawkshawe_             43\nTHE FOUR FRIENDS                    _William and Jacob Grimm_   44\nLITTLE BIRDIE                       _Alfred Tennyson_           54\nMOTHER FROST                        _William and Jacob Grimm_   55\nIF EVER I SEE                       _Lydia Maria Child_         65\nWHY THE BEAR'S TAIL IS SHORT        _German Folk Tale_          66\nRUMPELSTILTSKIN                     _William and Jacob Grimm_   70\nBED IN SUMMER                       _Robert Louis Stevenson_    81\nTHE GOLDEN TOUCH                    _Greek Myth_                82\nOVER IN THE MEADOW                  _Olive A. Wadsworth_        89\nTHE BELL OF ATRI                    _German Folk Tale_          92\nTHE BABY                            _Hugh Miller_               96\nBRUCE AND THE SPIDER                _Scottish Tradition_        97\nTHE WISE LITTLE PIG                 _Anonymous_                100\nAN INDIAN STORY                                                102\nA GOOD PLAY                         _Robert Louis Stevenson_   112\nDICK WHITTINGTON                    _English Folk Tale_        113\nTHE NEW MOON                        _Eliza Lee Follen_         124\nBRIAR ROSE                          _William and Jacob Grimm_  126\nALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL                _Mrs. C.F. Alexander_      135\nTHE BAKER BOYS AND THE BEES         _German Folk Tale_         136\nFALLING SNOW                        _Anonymous_                142\nLITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES              _Ascribed to Goldsmith_    143\nONE STEP AND THEN ANOTHER           _Anonymous_                157\nGOOD NIGHT AND GOOD MORNING         _Lord Houghton_            158\nDAVID AND GOLIATH                   _Adapted from the Bible_   160\nPHONETIC TABLES                                                167\n\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SHOEMAKER AND THE ELVES--I\n\nshoemaker  beautiful  to-morrow  leather\nalready  bought  sew  enough\n\n\nA shoemaker and his wife lived in a little house on the edge of a wood.\n\nThey were very, very poor, and each day they grew poorer and poorer.\n\nAt last there was nothing left in the house but leather for one pair of\nshoes.\n\n\"I will cut out this last pair of shoes,\" the shoemaker said to his\nwife.\n\n\"To-morrow I will sew them and peg them.\"\n\nSo he cut out the leather and left it on his bench.\n\nThe next morning he went into his shop to make the shoes.\n\nWhat did he see!\n\nA pair of shoes, all nicely made and ready to be sold.\n\nThe stitches were so fine and the shoes so well made that they were\nquickly sold.\n\nWith the money the poor shoemaker bought leather for two pairs of shoes.\n\nThen he said to his wife, \"I will cut out the leather for two pairs of\nshoes.\n\nTo-morrow I will sew them and peg them.\"\n\nSo he cut out the leather for the shoes and left it on his bench.\n\nThe next morning when he went into his shop to make the shoes, what did\nhe find!\n\n[Illustration]\n\nYes, there were two pairs of shoes already made.\n\nThe work was so well done that those shoes were also sold very quickly.\n\nWith the money the poor shoemaker bought enough leather for four pairs\nof shoes.\n\nThose he also cut out and left upon his bench.\n\nThe next morning he found four pairs of beautiful shoes, all well made.\n\nAnd so it went on and on. Instead of being a very poor shoemaker, he\nbecame a very rich shoemaker.\n\nHis shoes were so well made that even the queen herself wore them.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE SHOEMAKER AND THE ELVES--II\n\nAt last the shoemaker said to his wife, \"We must find out who makes the\nshoes.\"\n\nSo one bright moonlight night they hid behind a curtain, where they\ncould watch the bench and not be seen.\n\nJust on the stroke of midnight, two little elves jumped through the\nwindow.\n\nThey went skipping and dancing up to the bench.\n\nSitting cross-legged they took up the leather and began to work.\n\nHow their needles flew back and forth, back and forth!\n\nHow their little hammers beat rap-a-tap-tap, rap-a-tap-tap!\n\nAlmost before the shoemaker and his wife could think, the work was all\ndone.\n\nThe tiny elves ran about, skipping and dancing, skipping and dancing.\n\nThen, whisk! quick as a wink, they were gone.\n\nThe next morning the good shoemaker said to his wife, \"What can we do\nfor those dear little elves?\"\n\n\"I should like very much to make some clothes for them,\" said his wife.\n\"They were almost naked.\"\n\n\"If you will make their coats, I will make them some shoes,\" said the\nshoemaker. \"Their little feet were bare.\"\n\nWhen the clothes and shoes were ready, they were put upon the bench.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe shoemaker and his wife again hid behind the curtain.\n\nJust as before, when the clock struck twelve, in jumped the tiny elves.\n\nThey went skipping and dancing, skipping and dancing, to their work.\n\nThey saw the little coats, the tiny stockings, and the neat little\nshoes.\n\nThey clapped their hands for joy.\n\nThen, slipping on their clothes, they skipped, hand in hand, out of the\nwindow.\n\nThe shoemaker and his wife never saw the little elves again, but after\nthat night, good luck seemed always to be with them.\n\n_English Folk Tale_\n\n\n\n\n    THE SHIP\n\n    laden  move\n\n\n    I saw a ship a-sailing,\n      A-sailing on the sea;\n    And, oh, it was all laden\n      With pretty things for thee!\n\n    There were comfits in the cabin,\n      And apples in the hold;\n    The sails were made of silk,\n      And the masts were made of gold.\n\n    The four and twenty sailors\n      That stood between the decks\n    Were four and twenty white mice,\n      With chains about their necks.\n\n    The captain was a duck,\n      With a jacket on his back;\n    And when the ship began to move,\n      The captain said, \"Quack! quack!\"\n\n\n    _Old English Rhyme_\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG KIDS--I\n\nquietly  rough    piece  scissors\nlearned  thought  chalk  youngest\n\n\nThere was once an old goat who had seven little kids.\n\nShe loved them all as much as any mother ever loved her children.\n\nOne day the old goat wished to go into the woods to get food for her\nkids.\n\nBefore she started she called them all to her and said:\n\n\"Dear children, I am going into the woods.\n\nNow do not open the door while I am away.\n\nIf the old wolf should get into our hut, he would eat you all up, and\nnot a hair would be left.\n\nYou can easily tell him by his rough voice and his black feet.\"\n\n\"Dear mother,\" cried all the young kids, \"we will be very careful not to\nlet the old wolf in.\n\nYou need not think of us at all, for we shall be quite safe.\"\n\nSo the old goat went on her way into the dark woods.\n\nShe had not been gone long when there came a loud rap at the door, and a\nvoice cried:\n\n\"Open the door, my dear children. I have something here for each of\nyou.\"\n\nBut the young kids knew by the rough voice that this was the old wolf.\n\nSo one of them said, \"We shall not open the door. Our mother's voice is\nsoft and gentle. Your voice is rough. You are a wolf.\"\n\nThe old wolf ran away to a shop, where he ate a piece of white chalk to\nmake his voice soft.\n\nThen he went back to the goat's hut and rapped at the door.\n\nHe spoke in a soft voice and said, \"Open the door for me, my dear\nchildren. I am your mother.\"\n\nBut the oldest little goat thought of what his mother had said.\n\n\"If you are our mother, put your foot on the window sill, that we may\nsee it.\"\n\nWhen the wolf had done this, all the little goats cried out, \"No, you\nare not our mother. We shall not open the door. Our mother's feet, are\nwhite and yours are black. Go away; you are the wolf.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen the wolf went to the miller's, and said to him, \"Mr. Miller, put\nsome flour on my foot, for I have hurt it.\"\n\nThe miller was so afraid of the wolf that he did as he was told.\n\nThen the wicked wolf went to the goat's house again and said, \"Open the\ndoor, dear children, for I am your mother.\"\n\n\"Show us your foot,\" said the little kids.\n\nSo the wolf put his one white foot on the window sill.\n\nWhen the little kids saw that it was white, they thought this was really\ntheir mother, and they opened the door.\n\nIn jumped the ugly old wolf, and all the little kids ran to hide\nthemselves.\n\nThe first hid under the table, the second in the bed, the third in the\noven, the fourth in the kitchen, the fifth in the cupboard, the sixth\nunder the washtub, and the seventh, who was the smallest of all, in the\ntall clock.\n\nThe wolf quickly found and gobbled up all but the youngest, who was in\nthe clock.\n\nThen the wolf, who felt sleepy, went out and lay down on the green\ngrass.\n\nSoon he was fast asleep.\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG KIDS--II\n\nNot long after this the old goat came home from the woods.\n\nAh, what did she see! The house door was wide open; the tables and\nchairs were upset.\n\nThe washtub was broken in pieces, and the bed was tipped over.\n\n\"Where are my dear children?\" cried the poor goat.\n\nAt last she heard a little voice crying, \"Dear mother, here I am in the\ntall clock.\"\n\nThe old goat helped the little goat out.\n\nSoon she learned how the wolf had eaten her dear children.\n\nThen she went out of the hut, and there on the grass lay the wolf sound\nasleep.\n\nAs the goat looked at the wicked old wolf, she thought she saw something\njumping about inside him.\n\n\"Ah,\" she said, \"it may be that my poor children are still alive.\"\n\nSo she sent the little kid into the house for a pair of scissors and a\nneedle and some thread.\n\nShe quickly cut a hole in the side of the wicked old wolf.\n\nAt the first snip of the scissors, one of the kids stuck out his head.\n\nAs the old goat cut, more and more heads popped out.\n\nAt last all six of the kids jumped out upon the grass.\n\nThey went hopping and skipping about their mother.\n\nThen the old goat said to them, \"Go and bring me some large stones from\nthe brook.\"\n\nThe seven little kids ran off to the brook and soon came back with seven\nlarge stones.\n\nThey put these stones inside the wicked old wolf.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe old goat sewed up the wolf's side so gently and quietly that he did\nnot wake up nor move.\n\nWhen at last the wicked wolf did wake up, the great stones inside him\nmade him feel very heavy.\n\nHe was thirsty, too, so he walked down to the brook to drink.\n\nThe stones were so heavy that they tipped him over the edge of the bank\ninto the deep water, and he was drowned.\n\nWILLIAM AND JACOB GRIMM\n\n\n\n\n    THEY DIDN'T THINK\n\n    danger  folks  seized\n\n\n    Once a trap was baited\n      With a piece of cheese;\n    It tickled so a little mouse,\n      It almost made him sneeze.\n    An old rat said, \"There's danger,\n      Be careful where you go!\"\n    \"Nonsense!\" said the other,\n      \"I don't think you know!\"\n    So he walked in boldly--\n      Nobody in sight--\n    First he took a nibble,\n      Then he took a bite;\n    Close the trap together\n      Snapped as quick as wink,\n    Catching mousey fast there,\n      'Cause he didn't think.\n\n    Once there was a robin,\n      Lived outside the door,\n    Who wanted to go inside\n      And hop upon the floor.\n    \"No, no,\" said the mother,\n      \"You must stay with me;\n    Little birds are safest\n      Sitting in a tree.\"\n    \"I don't care,\" said Robin,\n      And gave his tail a fling,\n    \"I don't think the old folks\n      Know quite everything.\"\n    Down he flew, and kitty seized him\n      Before he'd time to blink;\n    \"Oh,\" he cried, \"I'm sorry,\n      But I didn't think.\"\n\n    PHOEBE CARY\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nTOM THUMB--I\n\nthumb  people  suit  reins  fought\nfrightened  brought  thistledown\n\n\nIn the days of King Arthur, there lived a wise man named Merlin.\n\nHe knew all the fairies and where they lived.\n\nEven the fairy queen was a friend of his.\n\nOnce, while he was traveling, night overtook him in a deep forest.\n\nHe rapped at the door of a small cottage and asked for some food.\n\nMerlin looked so hungry and poor that the farmer and his wife took pity\non him.\n\nThey not only gave him a bowl of milk with some brown bread, but they\nsaid he might stay through the night.\n\nMerlin saw that, in spite of their pleasant cottage, both the farmer and\nhis wife were very sad.\n\n\"Why are you sad?\" asked Merlin.\n\n\"You seem to have a good farm, a pleasant cottage, and many things to\nmake you happy.\"\n\n\"Ah!\" said the woman, \"we are unhappy because we have no child.\n\nI should be the happiest woman in the world if I had a son.\n\nWhy, even if he were no bigger than my husband's thumb, we should love\nhim dearly.\"\n\n\"That would be indeed a very strange kind of child,\" said Merlin, \"but\nI hope you may have your wish.\"\n\nNow Merlin was on his way to call on the queen of the fairies.\n\nWhen he came to her castle the next day, he told the fairy queen the\nwish of the farmer's wife.\n\nThe queen of the fairies said, \"The good woman shall have her wish. I\nwill give her a son no larger than her husband's thumb.\"\n\n\nTOM THUMB--II\n\nSoon after this the good farmer's wife had a son. He was, indeed, just\nthe size of his father's thumb.\n\nPeople came from far and wide to see the tiny boy.\n\nOne day the fairy queen and some other fairies came to see him.\n\nThe queen kissed the little boy and named him Tom Thumb.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nEach of the other fairies made Tom a gift.\n\nHe had a shirt made of silk from a spider's web, a coat of thistledown,\na hat made from the leaf of an oak, tiny shoes made from a mouse's skin,\nand many other gifts besides.\n\nTom never grew any larger than a man's thumb, but he could do many\nclever tricks.\n\nOne day his mother was mixing a pudding.\n\nTom leaned over the edge of the bowl to see how it was made.\n\nHe slipped, and in he went, head first.\n\nHis mother did not see him fall, and kept stirring and stirring the\npudding.\n\nTom could not see nor hear, but he kicked and kicked inside the pudding.\n\nThe pudding moved and tossed about.\n\nHis mother was afraid.\n\nShe did not know what to think.\n\n\"There must be witches in it,\" she said.\n\nShe went to the window to throw the pudding out.\n\nJust then a poor beggar was passing by the house.\n\n\"Here is a pudding you may have, if you like,\" said Tom's mother.\n\nThe beggar thanked her and put it into his basket.\n\nHe had not gone very far, when Tom got his head out of the pudding and\nshouted in a shrill voice:\n\n\"Take me out! take me out!\"\n\nThe poor beggar was so frightened that he dropped his basket, pudding\nand all, and ran off as fast as he could.\n\nTom crawled out of the pudding, climbed out of the basket, and ran home.\n\nHis mother washed him and put him to bed.\n\n\nTOM THUMB--III\n\nNot long after this Tom's mother took him with her when she went to milk\nthe cow.\n\nThat he might not get lost, she tied him to a wisp of hay.\n\nWhen Tom's mother was not looking, the cow took the wisp of hay into her\nmouth.\n\nShe began to chew and chew.\n\nTom began to jump about and shout.\n\nHe frightened the cow so that she opened her great mouth and out Tom\njumped.\n\nThen Tom's mother took him in her apron and ran with him to the house,\nbut he was not hurt in the least.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOne day Tom was in the field helping his father.\n\n\"Let me drive the horse home,\" said Tom \"You drive the horse!\" said his\nfather.\n\n\"How could you hold the reins?\"\n\n\"I could stand in the horse's ear and tell him which way to go,\" said\nTom.\n\nSo his father put him in the horse's ear, and he drove safely home.\n\n\"Mother! mother!\" cried Tom.\n\nBut when Tom's mother came out, she could see no one.\n\nShe began to be afraid.\n\n\"Where are you, Tom?\" she cried.\n\n\"Here I am in the horse's ear. Please take me down,\" said Tom.\n\nHis mother lifted him gently down, kissed him, and gave him a blackberry\nfor his supper.\n\nTom's father made him a whip out of a straw.\n\nTom tried to drive the cows, but he fell into a deep ditch.\n\nThere a great bird saw him and thought he was a mouse.\n\nThe bird seized Tom in her claws and carried him toward her nest.\n\nAs they were passing over the sea, Tom got away and fell into the water,\nwhere a great fish swallowed him at one mouthful.\n\nSoon after this the fish was caught, and it was such a big one that it\nwas sent at once to King Arthur.\n\nWhen the cook cut open the fish, out jumped Tom Thumb. Tom was brought\nbefore the king, and his story was told.\n\n\nTOM THUMB--IV\n\nThe king grew very fond of Tom and his wise sayings. He took Tom with\nhim wherever he went.\n\nIf it began to rain, Tom would creep into the king's pocket and sleep\nuntil the rain was over.\n\nThe king had a new suit made for Tom, and gave him a needle for a sword.\n\nA mouse was trained for Tom to ride.\n\nThe king and queen never tired of seeing him ride his queer little horse\nand bravely wave his sword.\n\nOne day, as they were going hunting, a cat jumped out and caught Tom's\nmouse.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nTom drew his sword and tried to drive the cat away.\n\nThe king ran to help poor Tom, but the little mouse was dead, and Tom\nwas scratched and bitten.\n\nTom was put to bed, but he did not die.\n\nNo indeed! he was soon well again, and fought many brave battles and did\nmany brave deeds to please the king.\n\n_English Fairy Tale_\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    SUPPOSE\n\n    wouldn't  pouring  earnest  lady\n\n\n    Suppose, my little lady,\n      Your doll should break her head,\n    Could you make it whole by crying\n      Till your eyes and nose are red?\n    And wouldn't it be better far\n      To treat it as a joke,\n    And say you're glad 'twas Dolly's,\n      And not your head that broke?\n\n    Suppose you're dressed for walking,\n      And the rain comes pouring down,\n    Will it clear off any sooner\n      Because you scold and frown?\n    And wouldn't it be nicer\n      For you to smile than pout,\n    And so make sunshine in the house\n      When there is none without?\n\n    Suppose your task, my little man,\n      Is very hard to get,\n    Will it make it any easier\n      For you to sit and fret?\n    And wouldn't it be wiser\n      Than waiting like a dunce,\n    To go to work in earnest,\n      And learn the thing at once?\n\n    ALICE CARY\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nCINDERELLA--I\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a maiden named Cinderella.\n\nHer mother was dead, and she had to work very, very hard in the kitchen.\n\nShe had two older sisters, but they were cross to little Cinderella.\n\nThey made her stay among the pots and the kettles and do all the hard\nwork about the house.\n\nSometimes, to keep warm, she crept in among the cinders.\n\nThat is why she was called Cinderella.\n\nOne day the sisters came dancing into the house. \"We have been invited\nto the king's ball,\" they cried.\n\nAt length the day of the great ball came, and the two sisters rode away\nin their fine silk dresses.\n\nPoor Cinderella, who had to stay behind, looked at her old ragged\nclothes, and burst into tears.\n\n\"Alas,\" she cried, \"why should I always have to stay in the kitchen\nwhile my sisters dress in silks and satins?\"\n\nHardly had she spoken when there stood before her a dear little old lady\nwith a golden wand in her hand.\n\n\"My child,\" she cried, \"I am your fairy godmother, and you shall go to\nthe ball, too.\n\nFirst go into the garden, Cinderella, and bring to me the largest\npumpkin you can find.\"\n\nWhen Cinderella had done this, the fairy waved her golden wand over the\nyellow pumpkin.\n\nIn a flash, it was not a pumpkin at all, but a beautiful yellow coach.\n\n\"Now bring me four white mice, two large ones and two small ones.\"\n\nIn a moment Cinderella brought a trap full of mice into the room.\n\nThe fairy waved her golden wand, and the two largest mice were turned\ninto two snow-white horses.\n\nTwo small mice became two men, one a coachman, the other a footman.\n\n\"But how am I to go in these clothes?\" said Cinderella.\n\n\"Ah, let me see,\" said the fairy, and she slowly waved her wand over the\nmaiden's head.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOh, what a change!\n\nThe rags tumbled to the floor.\n\nAnd, what do you think! in their place was a beautiful pink silk dress.\n\nThe ugly shoes fell off.\n\nAnd, lo! a tiny pair of glass slippers were on Cinderella's little feet.\n\n\"Now listen to what I say,\" said the fairy godmother. \"You must not stay\nafter the clock strikes twelve.\n\nAt that time your coach will again be a pumpkin, the men will be mice,\nand you will have on your old ragged dress.\"\n\nCinderella said she would not forget.\n\nThen she jumped into the coach, and away she drove to the king's ball.\n\n\nCINDERELLA--II\n\nThe king's son was charmed with Cinderella.\n\nShe was so very beautiful that he would dance with her and with no one\nelse.\n\nCinderella had such a good time that she forgot about the clock.\n\nIt began to strike twelve--one, two, three.\n\nCinderella ran from the room.\n\nDown the steps of the palace she flew.\n\nShe ran so fast that she lost one of her little glass slippers.\n\nThe clock finished striking.\n\nLo! the coach turned into a pumpkin.\n\nThe horses and men turned into mice.\n\nPoor Cinderella had to walk home in her ragged clothes.\n\nThe next morning the prince found Cinderella's little glass slipper on\nthe stairs.\n\n\"There is only one maiden in all the world who can wear so tiny a\nslipper,\" said the prince. \"I will marry her and no other.\"\n\nThe prince hunted far and wide for a maiden who could put it on. Many\ntried, but none could do it.\n\nAt last he came to the house where Cinderella lived. The two older\nsisters tried and tried to put the slipper on their large feet.\n\nWhile the prince was waiting, Cinderella came into the room.\n\n\"Let me try it,\" she said.\n\n\"You!\" cried the older sisters. \"You could never put it on.\"\n\n\"Let her try it,\" said the prince.\n\nAt once the little glass slipper was fitted to the tiny foot.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen Cinderella stood up; her ragged clothes turned into a beautiful\nsilk dress, and there were two little slippers on her two little feet.\n\nThen the prince knew that Cinderella was the one he had danced with at\nthe ball, and taking her hand, he led her out to his coach.\n\nSoon they were married and lived happily ever after.\n\n_English Fairy Tale_\n\n\n\n\n    RAINDROPS\n\n    Oh, where do you come from,\n      You little drops of rain,\n    Pitter-patter, pitter-patter,\n      Down the windowpane?\n\n    Tell me, little raindrops,\n      Is that the way you play?\n    Pitter-patter, pitter-patter,\n      All the rainy day?\n\n    I sit here at the window;\n      I've nothing else to do;\n    Oh, I wish that I could play,\n      This rainy day, with you!\n\n    The little raindrops cannot speak,\n      But \"pitter-patter-pat\"\n    Means, \"We can play on this side,\n      Why can't you play on that?\"\n\n    ANN HAWKSHAWE\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nTHE FOUR FRIENDS--I\n\ncomb  music  giants  chief\n\n\nOnce upon a time a man had a donkey.\n\nHis donkey had worked for him many years.\n\nAt last the donkey grew so old that he was no longer of any use for\nwork, and his master wished to get rid of him.\n\nThe donkey, fearing he might be killed, ran away.\n\nHe took the road to Bremen, where he had often heard the street band\nplaying.\n\nHe liked music, so he thought he might join the band.\n\nHe had not gone far when he came upon an old dog.\n\nThe dog was panting, as if he had been running a long way.\n\n\"Why are you panting, my friend?\" asked the donkey.\n\n\"Ah,\" said the dog, \"I am too old for the hunt. My master wished to have\nme killed. So I ran away. But how I am to find bread and meat, I do not\nknow.\"\n\n\"Well,\" said the donkey, \"come with me. I am going to play in the band\nat Bremen. I think you and I can easily earn a living by music. I can\nplay the lute, and you can play the kettledrum.\"\n\nThe dog was quite willing, and so they be walked on.\n\nThey had not gone far when they saw a cat sitting in a yard.\n\nHe looked as sad as three days of rainy weather.\n\n\"What's the matter with you, old Tom?\" asked the donkey.\n\n\"You would be sad, too,\" said the cat, \"if you were in my place; for now\nthat I am getting old and cannot catch mice, they wish to drown me. I\nhave run away, but how I am going to live, I do not know.\"\n\n\"Come with us to Bremen,\" said the donkey. \"We are going to play in the\nband.\n\nI know you love music, as you sing so well at night. You too can join\nthe band.\"\n\n\"That is just what I should like to do,\" said the cat.\n\nSo the donkey, the dog, and the cat all walked on together.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAfter a time the three came to a farmyard.\n\nThere on the gate sat a cock, crying \"Cock-a-doodle-doo\" with all his\nmight.\n\n\"Why are you making so much noise?\" asked the donkey.\n\n\"Ah,\" said the cock, \"I find I must have my head cut off so that I may\nserve as a dinner for Monday. I'm crowing as hard as I can while my head\nis still on.\"\n\n\"Come with us, old Red Comb,\" said the donkey. \"We are going to Bremen\nto join the band. You have a fine voice. You can join, too.\"\n\n\"Ah,\" said the cock, \"that is just what I should like to do.\"\n\nAnd they all went on their way to Bremen.\n\n\nTHE FOUR FRIENDS--II\n\nAt evening the four friends came to a wood, where they stopped for the\nnight.\n\nThe donkey and the dog lay down under a large tree.\n\nThe cat climbed up on one of the branches.\n\nThe cock flew to the very top of the tree, where he felt quite safe.\n\nFrom his perch on the top of the tree the cock saw a light.\n\nCalling to his friends, he said, \"We are not far from a house. I can see\na light.\"\n\n\"Let us go on,\" said the donkey, \"for it may be just the house for us.\"\n\nAs they drew near, the light grew larger and brighter.\n\nAt last they could see that it came from the window of a robber's house.\n\nThe donkey, who was the tallest, went up and looked in.\n\n\"What do you see, old Long Ears?\" asked the cock.\n\n\"What do I see?\" answered the donkey. \"Why, a table spread with plenty\nto eat and drink, and the robbers having their supper.\"\n\n\"We should be there, too, if we had our rights,\" said the cock.\n\n\"Ah, yes,\" said the donkey; \"if we could only get inside.\"\n\nThen the four friends talked over what they had better do in order to\ndrive the robbers out of the house.\n\nAt last they hit upon a plan.\n\nThe donkey stood upon his hind legs and placed his front feet on the\nwindow sill.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe dog then stood on the donkey's back\n\nThe cat climbed upon the dog, while the cock perched upon the cat's\nhead.\n\nThe donkey gave a signal, and they began all at the same time, to make\ntheir loudest music.\n\nThe donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock crowed,\nall with such force that the windowpane shook and was almost broken.\n\nThe robbers had never heard such a noise.\n\nThey thought it must come from witches, or giants, or goblins, and they\nall ran as fast as they could to the wood behind the house.\n\nThen our four friends rushed in and ate what the robbers had left upon\nthe table.\n\nIt did not take long, for they acted as if they had been hungry for a\nmonth.\n\nWhen the four had eaten, they put out the light, and each went to sleep\nin the spot which he liked the best.\n\nThe donkey lay down in the yard.\n\nThe dog lay behind the door.\n\nThe cat curled himself in front of the fire, while the cock flew up on a\nhigh beam.\n\nThey soon fell fast asleep.\n\n\nTHE FOUR FRIENDS--III\n\nWhen all was still and the light was out, the robber chief sent one of\nhis bravest men back to the house.\n\nThe man found the house quiet, so he went into the kitchen to strike a\nlight.\n\nSeeing the great fiery eyes of the cat, he thought they were live coals\nand held a match to them.\n\nPuss was so angry that he flew up and scratched the man's face. This\ngave the robber a great fright, and he ran for the door.\n\nAs he went by, the dog sprang up and bit him in the leg.\n\nIn the yard the robber ran into the donkey, who gave him a great kick.\n\nThe cock on the beam was waked by the! noise, and cried,\n\"Cock-a-doodle-doo!\"\n\nThe man ran as fast as his legs could carry him back to the robber\nchief.\n\n\"Ah!\" he cried. \"In that house is a wicked witch, who flew at me and\nscratched my face with her long nails.\n\nBy the door stood a man with a knife, who cut me in the leg.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOut in the yard lay a great black giant, who struck me a blow with his\nwooden club.\n\nUpon the roof sat the judge, who cried, 'What did he do? What did he\ndo?'\n\nWhen I heard this I ran off as fast as I could.\"\n\nThe robbers never went near the house again.\n\nThe four friends liked the place so well that they would not leave it,\nand so far as I know, they are there to this day.\n\nWILLIAM AND JACOB GRIMM\n\n\n\n\n    LITTLE BIRDIE\n\n    What does little birdie say,\n    In her nest at peep of day?\n    Let me fly, says little birdie,\n    Mother, let me fly away.\n    Birdie, rest a little longer,\n    Till the little wings are stronger.\n    So she rests a little longer,\n    Then she flies away.\n\n    What does little baby say,\n    In her bed at peep of day?\n    Baby says, like little birdie,\n    Let me rise and fly away.\n    Baby, sleep a little longer,\n    Till the little limbs are stronger.\n    If she sleeps a little longer,\n    Baby too shall fly away.\n\n    ALFRED TENNYSON\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nMOTHER FROST--I\n\nbroad  daughters  through  heart\n\n\nAt the edge of a wood there was a great, clear, bubbling spring of cold\nwater.\n\nNear this spring lived a widow and her two daughters.\n\nOne of them was very beautiful and a great help about the house, while\nthe other was ugly and idle.\n\nThe mother loved only the ugly one, for she was her own child.\n\nShe cared so little for the other daughter that she made her do all the\nhard work.\n\nEvery day the poor girl would sit beside the spring and spin and spin,\nuntil her fingers bled.\n\nOne day, while she was washing the blood from her hands, the spindle\nfell into the spring and sank to the bottom.\n\nWith tears in her eyes, she ran and told her stepmother what she had\ndone.\n\nThe stepmother was angry and said, \"You let the spindle fall into the\nspring. Now you must go and get it out.\"\n\nThe maiden went back to the spring to look for the spindle.\n\nShe leaned so far over the edge that her hand slipped, and down, down,\nshe sank to the very bottom.\n\nAll at once she found that she was in a beautiful field where many wild\nflowers grew.\n\nAs she walked across the field, she came to a baker's oven full of new\nbread.\n\nThe loaves cried to her, \"Oh, pull us out! pull us out, or we shall\nburn!\"\n\n\"Indeed I will!\" cried the maiden.\n\nStepping up, she pulled all the sweet brown loaves out of the oven.\n\nAs she walked along, she came to a tree full of apples.\n\nThe tree cried, \"Shake me! shake me! my apples are all quite ripe!\"\n\n\"Indeed I will!\" cried the maiden.\n\nSo she shook the tree again and again, until there was not an apple left\non its branches.\n\nThen she picked up the apples, one by one, and piled them in a great\nheap.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen she had picked up all the apples, she walked on.\n\nAt last she came to a small house.\n\nIn the doorway sat an old woman who had such large teeth that the girl\nfelt afraid of her and turned to run away.\n\nThen the old woman cried, \"What do you fear, my child? Come in and live\nhere with me. If you will do the work about the house, I will be very\nkind to you. Only take care to make my bed well.\n\nYou must shake it and pound it so that the feathers will fly about. Then\nthe children down on the earth will say that snowflakes are falling, for\nI am Mother Frost.\"\n\nThe old woman spoke so kindly that she won the maiden's heart.\n\n\"I will gladly work for you,\" she said.\n\nThe girl did her work well, and each day she shook up the bed until the\nfeathers flew about like snowflakes.\n\nShe was very happy with Mother Frost, who never spoke an angry word.\n\nAfter the girl had stayed a long time with the kind old woman, she began\nto feel homesick.\n\nShe could not help it, though her life with Mother Frost had been so\nhappy.\n\nAt length she said, \"Dear Mother Frost, you have been very kind to me,\nbut I should like to go home to my friends.\"\n\n\"I am pleased to hear you say that you wish to go home,\" said Mother\nFrost. \"You have worked for me so well that I will show you the way\nmyself.\"\n\nShe took the maiden by the hand and led her to a broad gateway.\n\nThe gate was open, and as she went through a shower of gold fell over\nthe maiden.\n\nIt clung to her clothes, so that she was dressed in gold from her head\nto her feet.\n\n\"That is your pay for having worked so hard,\" said the old woman. \"And\nhere is your spindle that fell into the spring.\"\n\nThen the gate was closed, and the maiden found herself once more in the\nworld.\n\nShe was not far from her own home, and as she came into the farmyard, a\ncock on the roof cried loudly:\n\n\"Cock-a-doodle-doo!\n\nOur golden lady has come home, too.\"\n\n\nMOTHER FROST--II\n\nWhen the stepmother saw the girl with her golden dress, she was kind to\nher. Then the maiden told how the gold had fallen upon her.\n\nThe mother could hardly wait to have her own child try her luck in the\nsame way.\n\nThis time she made the idle daughter go to the spring and spin.\n\nThe lazy girl did not spin fast enough to make her fingers bleed.\n\nSo she pricked her finger with a thorn until a few drops of blood\nstained the spindle.\n\nAt once she let it drop into the water, and sprang in after it herself.\n\nThe ugly girl found herself in a beautiful field, just as her sister\nhad.\n\nShe walked along the same path until she came to the baker's oven.\n\nShe heard the loaves cry, \"Pull us out! pull us out, or we shall burn!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nBut the lazy girl said to the brown loaves, \"I will not. I do not want\nto soil my hands in your dirty oven.\"\n\nThen she walked on until she came to the apple tree.\n\n\"Shake me! shake me!\" it cried, \"for my apples are quite ripe.\"\n\n\"I will not,\" said the girl, \"for some of your apples might fall on my\nhead.\"\n\nAs she spoke, she walked lazily on.\n\nAt last the girl stood before the door of Mother Frost's house.\n\nShe had no fear of Mother Frost's great teeth, but walked right up to\nthe old woman and offered to be her servant.\n\nFor a whole day the girl was very busy, and did everything that she was\ntold to do.\n\nOn the second day she began to be lazy, and on the third day she was\nstill worse.\n\nShe would not get up in the morning.\n\nThe bed was never made, or shaken, so the feathers could fly about.\n\nAt last Mother Frost grew tired of her and told her that she must go\naway.\n\nThis was what the lazy girl wanted, for she felt sure that now she would\nhave the golden shower.\n\nMother Frost led her to the great gate, but she passed under it, a\nkettle full of black pitch was upset over her.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"That is what you get for your work,\" said the old woman, as she shut\nthe gate.\n\nThe idle girl walked home, covered with pitch.\n\nWhen she went into the farmyard the cock on the roof cried out:\n\n\"Cock-a-doodle-doo!\n\nOur sticky lady has come home, too.\"\n\nThe pitch stuck so fast to the girl that, as long as she lived, it never\ncame off.\n\nWILLIAM AND JACOB GRIMM\n\n\n\n\n    IF EVER I SEE\n\n        If ever I see,\n        On bush or tree,\n    Young birds in their pretty nest;\n        I must not, in play,\n        Steal the birds away,\n    To grieve their mother's breast.\n\n        My mother, I know,\n        Would sorrow so,\n    Should I be stolen away;\n        So I'll speak to the birds\n        In my softest words,\n    Nor hurt them in my play.\n\n        And when they can fly\n        In the bright blue sky,\n    They'll warble a song to me;\n        And then if I'm sad\n        It will make me glad\n    To think they are happy and free.\n\n    LYDIA MARIA CHILD\n\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWHY THE BEAR'S TAIL IS SHORT\n\n\nDid you ever go to a circus where there was a bear in a cage?\n\nDid you notice how short his tail was?\n\nI will tell you how the bear's tail came to be short.\n\nOne very cold day in winter, a fox saw some men taking home a load of\nfish.\n\nThe fox jumped upon the wagon while the men were not looking.\n\nHe threw off some of the best fish until he had enough for his dinner.\n\nThen Mr. Fox jumped from the wagon and began to eat the fish.\n\nWhile he was eating the fish, Mr. Bear came along.\n\n\"Good morning,\" said Mr. Bear, \"you have had good luck fishing to-day.\nThose are very fine fish. How did you catch them?\"\n\n\"They are fine fish,\" said Mr. Fox.\n\n\"If you will go fishing with me to-night, I will show you how to catch\neven better fish than these.\"\n\n\"I will go with you gladly,\" said the bear. \"I will bring my hook and\nline too.\"\n\n\"You don't need a hook and line,\" said the fox.\n\n\"I always catch fish with my tail. You have a much longer tail than I,\nand can fish so much the better.\"\n\nAt sunset the bear met the fox.\n\nThey went across the frozen river until they came to a small hole in\nthe ice.\n\n\"Now, Mr. Bear,\" said the fox, \"sit down here on the ice and put your\ntail through the hole. You must keep still for a long while. That is the\nbest way to catch fish.\n\nWait until a great many fish take hold of your tail. Then pull with all\nyour might.\"\n\nThe bear sat very still for a long time.\n\nAt last he began to feel cold and he moved a little.\n\n\"Ow!\" he cried, for his tail had begun freeze in the ice.\n\n\"Is it not time to pull out the fish?\" said the bear.\n\n\"No, no,\" cried the fox.\n\n\"Wait until more fish have taken hold of your tail. You are very strong.\nYou can wait a little longer.\"\n\nSo the poor bear waited until it was almost morning.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nJust then some dogs began to bark on the bank of the river.\n\nThe bear was so afraid that he jumped up quickly and pulled with all his\nmight, but his tail was frozen fast in the ice.\n\nHe pulled and pulled until at length the tail was broken short off.\n\nMr. Fox ran away laughing and laughing at the trick he had played upon\nMr. Bear.\n\nBears' tails have been short ever since.\n\n_German Folk Tale_\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nRUMPELSTILTSKIN--I\n\nglistened  guess  mourn  chamber\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a miller who had a beautiful daughter.\n\nNow the miller had to visit the king's castle and, while there, he\nhappened to meet the king face to face.\n\nThe king stopped and spoke to the miller. The miller, wishing the king\nto think that he was very rich, told him that he had a daughter who\ncould spin straw into gold.\n\n\"Ah,\" said the king, \"that is indeed a wonderful gift. To-morrow you\nmust bring your daughter to my castle, that she may spin some gold for\nme.\"\n\nThen the miller was afraid and wished he had not spoken, but he had to\ndo as the king ordered.\n\nThe next day he brought his daughter to the castle.\n\nNow it happened that the king loved gold above all things. So taking the\npoor girl by the hand, he led her into one of the great rooms of the\ncastle.\n\nThere, in the middle of the room, stood a spinning wheel, and near it\nwas a great heap of straw.\n\nThe king turned to the miller's daughter, and said:\n\n\"There is your spinning wheel, and here is the straw. If you do not spin\nall of it into gold by morning, your head shall be cut off.\"\n\nThen the king left the room and locked the door behind him.\n\nThe poor girl could only sit and weep, for she had not the least idea\nhow to spin straw into gold.\n\nWhile she was crying, the door flew open and a little old man stepped\ninto the room.\n\nHe had bandy legs, a long red nose, and wore a tall, peaked cap. Bowing\nlow to the maiden he said:\n\n\"Good evening, my dear young lady. Why are you crying?\"\n\n\"Alas,\" said the girl, \"the king has ordered me to spin all this straw\ninto gold, and I do not know how.\"\n\nThen the little man said, \"What will you give me if I will spin it for\nyou?\"\n\n\"This string of gold beads from my neck,\" said the girl.\n\nThe little man took the beads, and, sitting down, began to spin.\n\nWhir! whir! went the wheel; round and round it whirled.\n\nLo, as the maiden looked, she saw the coarse straw turn into beautiful\ngolden threads.\n\nThe little man kept so busily at work that soon all the straw was gone,\nand in its place lay a heap of the finest gold.\n\nThe next morning the king unlocked the door. How his eyes sparkled at\nthe sight of the gold!\n\nThese riches made the king even more greedy than before.\n\nHe led the maiden to a still larger chamber, which was full of straw.\n\nTurning to the trembling girl, he said, \"There is your spinning wheel,\nand here is the straw. If you do not spin all of it into gold by\nmorning, your head shall be cut off.\"\n\nThe maiden's eyes filled with tears at the sight of that huge heap of\nstraw. Sitting down, she began to cry.\n\nAll at once the door opened and in jumped the little old man. He took\noff his pointed cap and said to the miller's daughter, \"What will you\ngive me if I help you again, and spin this straw into gold?\"\n\n\"This ring from my finger,\" said the maiden.\n\nThe little man took the ring, and seating himself before the spinning\nwheel, began to spin.\n\nWhir! whir! went the wheel. Faster and faster it whirled.\n\nIn the morning the straw had all been turned into finest gold.\n\nWhen the king opened the door, how his eyes glistened at the sight of\nthe gold! Still, it only made him greedy for more, so taking the poor\ngirl by the hand, he led her to a much larger chamber.\n\nThis was so full of straw that there was hardly room for her to sit at\nthe spinning wheel.\n\nTurning to the maiden, the king said:\n\n\"There is your spinning wheel, and here is the straw. If you do not spin\nall of it into gold by morning, your head shall be cut off. But if you\ndo spin the gold, I will marry you and make you my queen.\"\n\n\"For,\" thought the king, \"though she is only a miller's daughter, yet\nshe can make me the richest king in the world.\"\n\nHardly had the door closed behind the king, when the little old man came\nhopping and skipping into the room.\n\nTaking off his pointed cap, he said to the girl, \"What will you give me\nif I will again spin this straw for you?\"\n\n\"Ah!\" said the maiden, \"I have nothing more to give.\"\n\n\"Then you must make me a promise,\" said the little man. \"You must\npromise to give me your first child, after you have become queen.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe poor girl saw no other way to save her life, so she gave her promise\nto the little man.\n\nThen he sat down and began to spin.\n\nWhir! whir! went the wheel. Faster and faster he spun.\n\nSoon the great roomful of straw was all turned into gold.\n\nWhen the king opened the door the next morning, he saw the maiden\nsitting beside a large heap of shining gold.\n\nThe king kept his promise, and made the poor miller's daughter his\nqueen.\n\n\nRUMPELSTILTSKIN--II\n\nAbout a year later the queen had a lovely child, but she forgot all\nabout her promise.\n\nOne day the little old man came hopping into the queen's room and said,\n\"Now give me what you have promised.\"\n\nThe queen was filled with terror, and offered the little man all the\nriches of the kingdom if he would leave her the child.\n\n\"No, I do not care for riches; you must keep your promise.\"\n\nThen the queen began to mourn and to weep, until the little man had pity\nfor her.\n\n\"I will give you three days,\" he said, \"and if, in that time, you can\nguess my name, you shall keep the child.\"\n\nThe queen lay awake that night, thinking of all the names she had ever\nheard. In the morning men were sent to every part of the kingdom to find\nstrange names.\n\nThe next day the little man came again. The queen began to call off to\nhim all the names that she had found--Caspar, Melchior, and many, many\nothers.\n\nAt each one the little man shook his head, and said, \"No, that is not my\nname.\"\n\nThen the queen had her men go from house to house through the town. They\ntook down the name of every man, woman, and child.\n\nWhen the little man came again, the queen had a long list of names to\ngive him.\n\n\"Is your name Cowribs, or Sheepshanks, or Bandy legs?\" she said to him\nat last.\n\nHe answered to each one, \"No, that is not my name.\"\n\nOn the third day the queen's men began to come back from all parts of\nthe kingdom. They had been far and wide to find new names.\n\nOne of these men said, \"I could not find any new names, but going by\nsome deep woods, I heard a fox wish good-night to a rabbit.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSoon I came upon a little house, in front of which a fire was burning.\nAround this fire danced a little man. He wore a pointed cap, and had a\nlong nose and bandy legs. As he went hopping and jumping about, first on\none leg and then on the other, he sang:\n\n    My baking and brewing I will do to-day,\n    The queen's son to-morrow I will take away,\n    No wise man can show the queen where to begin,\n    For my name, to be sure, is Rumpelstiltskin.\"\n\nThe queen clapped her hands for joy. She knew that at last she had found\nthe name.\n\nShe sent the servant away with a bag of gold, and waited for the queer\nlittle man to come to her. At sunset the little fellow came hopping and\nskipping up to the queen.\n\n\"Now, O queen,\" he said, \"this is your last chance. Tell me my name.\"\n\nThe queen asked, \"Is your name Conrad?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Henry?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Then your name is Rumpelstiltskin.\"\n\n\"The fairies have told you!\" shouted the little man dancing about.\n\nHe became so angry that, in his rage, he stamped his right foot into the\nground.\n\nThis made him more angry still, and taking hold of his left foot with\nboth hands, he pulled so hard that he tore himself quite in two.\n\n\nWILLIAM AND JACOB GRIMM\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    BED IN SUMMER\n\n    In winter I get up at night\n    And dress by yellow candle-light.\n    In summer, quite the other way,\n    I have to go to bed by day.\n\n    I have to go to bed and see\n    The birds still hopping on the tree,\n    Or hear the grown-up people's feet\n    Still going past me in the street.\n\n    And does it not seem hard to you,\n    When all the sky is clear and blue,\n    And I should like so much to play,\n    To have to go to bed by day?\n\n    ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nTHE GOLDEN TOUCH--I\n\ntouch  slightest  creature  statue\n\n\nMany years ago there lived a king named Midas.\n\nKing Midas had one little daughter, whose name was Marigold.\n\nKing Midas was very, very rich. It was said that he had more gold than\nany other king in the world.\n\nOne room of his great castle was almost filled with yellow gold pieces.\n\nAt last the king grew so fond of his gold that he loved it better than\nanything else in all the world.\n\nHe even loved it better than his own little daughter, dear little\nrosy-cheeked Marigold. His one great wish seemed to be for more and more\ngold.\n\nOne day while he was in his gold room counting his money, a beautiful\nfairy boy stood before him.\n\nThe boy's face shone with a wonderful light, and he had wings on his cap\nand wings on his feet. In his hand he carried a strange-looking wand,\nand the wand also had wings.\n\n\"Midas, you are the richest man in the world,\" said the fairy. \"There is\nno king who has so much gold as you.\"\n\n\"That may be,\" said the king. \"As you see, I have this room full of\ngold, but I should like much more; for gold is the best and the most\nwonderful thing in the world.\"\n\n\"Are you sure?\" asked the fairy.\n\n\"I am very sure,\" answered the king.\n\n\"If I should grant you one wish,\" said the fairy, \"would you ask for\nmore gold?\"\n\n\"If I could have but one wish,\" said the king, \"I would ask that\neverything I touched should turn to beautiful yellow gold.\"\n\n\"Your wish shall be granted,\" said the fairy \"At sunrise to-morrow\nmorning your slightest touch will turn everything into gold. But warn\nyou that your gift will not make you happy.\"\n\n\"I will take the risk,\" said the king.\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN TOUCH--II\n\nThe next morning King Midas awoke very early. He was eager to see if the\nfairy's promise had come true.\n\nAs soon as the sun arose he tried the gift by touching the bed lightly\nwith his hand.\n\nThe bed turned to gold.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHe touched the chair and table.\n\nUpon the instant they were turned to solid gold.\n\nThe king was wild with joy.\n\nHe ran around the room, touching everything he could see. His magic gift\nturned all to shining, yellow gold.\n\nThe king soon felt hungry and went down to eat his breakfast. Now a\nstrange thing happened. When he raised a glass of clear cold water to\ndrink, it became solid gold.\n\nNot a drop of water could pass his lips.\n\nThe bread turned to gold under his fingers.\n\nThe meat was hard, and yellow, and shiny.\n\nNot a thing could he get to eat.\n\nAll was gold, gold, gold.\n\nHis little daughter came running in from the garden.\n\nOf all living creatures she was the dearest to him.\n\nHe touched her hair with his lips.\n\nAt once the little girl was changed to a golden statue.\n\nA great fear crept into the king's heart, sweeping all the joy out of\nhis life.\n\nIn his grief he called and called upon the fairy who had given him the\ngift of the golden touch.\n\n\"O fairy,\" he begged, \"take away this horrible golden gift! Take all my\nlands. Take all my gold. Take everything, only give me back my little\ndaughter.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nIn a moment the beautiful fairy was standing before him.\n\n\"Do you still think that gold is the greatest thing in the world?\" asked\nthe fairy.\n\n\"No! no!\" cried the king. \"I hate the very sight of the yellow stuff.\"\n\n\"Are you sure that you no longer wish the golden touch?\" asked the\nfairy.\n\n\"I have learned my lesson,\" said the king. \"I no longer think gold the\ngreatest thing in the world.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" said the fairy, \"take this pitcher to the spring in the\ngarden and fill it with water. Then sprinkle those things which you have\ntouched and turned to gold.\"\n\nThe king took the pitcher and rushed to the spring. Running back, he\nfirst sprinkled the head of his dear little girl. Instantly she became\nhis own darling Marigold again, and gave him a kiss.\n\nThe king sprinkled the golden food, and to his great joy it turned back\nto real bread and real butter.\n\nThen he and his little daughter sat down to breakfast. How good the cold\nwater tasted. How eagerly the hungry king ate the bread and butter, the\nmeat, and all the good food.\n\nThe king hated his golden touch so much that he sprinkled even the\nchairs and the tables and everything else that the fairy's gift had\nturned to gold.\n\n_Greek Myth_\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    OVER IN THE MEADOW\n\n    Over in the meadow,\n      In the sand, in the sun,\n    Lived an old mother toad\n      And her little toadie one.\n    \"Wink!\" said the mother;\n      \"I wink,\" said the one;\n    So she winked and she blinked\n      In the sand, in the sun.\n\n    Over in the meadow,\n      Where the stream runs blue,\n    Lived an old mother fish\n      And her little fishes two.\n    \"Swim!\" said the mother;\n      \"We swim,\" said the two;\n    So they swam and they leaped\n      Where the stream runs blue.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    Over in the meadow,\n      In a hole in a tree,\n    Lived a mother bluebird\n      And her little birdies three.\n    \"Sing!\" said the mother;\n      \"We sing,\" said the three;\n    So they sang and were glad\n      In the hole in the tree.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    Over in the meadow,\n      In a snug beehive,\n    Lived a mother honeybee\n      And her little honeys five.\n    \"Buzz!\" said the mother;\n      \"We buzz,\" said the five;\n    So they buzzed and they hummed\n      In the snug beehive.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    Over in the meadow,\n      Where the clear pools shine,\n    Lived a green mother frog,\n      And her little froggies nine.\n    \"Croak!\" said the mother;\n      \"We croak,\" said the nine;\n    So they croaked and they splashed\n      Where the clear pools shine.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    Over in the meadow,\n      In a sly little den,\n    Lived a gray mother spider\n      And her little spiders ten.\n    \"Spin!\" said the mother;\n      \"We spin,\" said the ten;\n    So they spun lace webs\n      In their sly little den.\n\n    OLIVE A. WADSWORTH\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nTHE BELL OF ATRI\n\nmiser  justice  whose\n\n\nOnce upon a time a good and wise king ruled in the city of Atri.\n\nHe wished all his people to be happy.\n\nIn order that justice might be done to every one, he ordered a great\nbell to be hung in a tower.\n\nTied to the bell was a strong rope, so long that it reached nearly to\nthe ground.\n\n\"I have placed the bell in the center of my city,\" said the king, \"so\nthat it will be near all the people. The rope I have made long, so that\neven a little child can reach it.\"\n\nThen the king gave out this order:\n\n\"If there be any one among my people who feels that he has not been\njustly treated, let him ring this bell.\n\nThen, whether he be old or young, rich or poor, his story shall be\nheard.\"\n\nThe bell of justice had hung in its place for many years.\n\nMany times it had been rung by the poor and needy, and justice had been\ndone.\n\nAt length the old rope became worn with use and age.\n\nWhen it was taken down, another rope, long enough and strong enough,\ncould not be found. So the king had to send away for one.\n\n\"What if some one should need help while the rope is down?\" cried the\npeople. \"We must find something to take its place.\"\n\nSo one of the men cut a long grapevine and fastened it to the great\nbell.\n\nIt was in the springtime, and green shoots and leaves hung from the\ngrapevine rope.\n\nNear Atri, there lived a rich old soldier.\n\nThis soldier owned a horse that had been with him through many battles.\n\nThe horse had grown old and lame, and was no longer able to work.\n\nSo his cruel master turned him out into the streets to get his living as\nbest he could.\n\n\"If you cannot find enough to eat, then you may die,\" said the miser;\n\"you are of no use to me.\"\n\nThe old horse went limping along; he grew thinner and thinner.\n\nAt length he limped up to the tower where the bell of justice hung.\n\nHis dim eyes saw the green shoots and the fresh leaves of the\ngrapevine.\n\nThinking they were good to eat, he gave a pull at the vine.\n\n\"Ding-dong! ding-dong!\" said the great bell. The people came running\nfrom all sides.\n\n\"Who is calling for justice?\" they cried.\n\nThere stood the old horse, chewing on the grapevine.\n\n\"Ding-dong! ding-dong!\" rang the great bell.\n\n\"Whose horse is this?\" asked the judges, as they came running up.\n\nThen the story of the old horse was told.\n\nThe judges sent for his cruel master.\n\nThey ordered that he should build a warm barn, and that the faithful\nhorse should have the best of hay and grain as long as he lived.\n\nThe people shouted for joy at this act of justice, but the miser hung\nhis head in shame and led the old horse away.\n\n_German Folk Tale_\n\n\n\n\n    THE BABY\n\n    No shoes to hide her tiny toes,\n      No stockings on her feet;\n    Her little ankles white as snow,\n      Or early blossoms sweet.\n\n    Her simple dress of sprinkled pink;\n      Her tiny, dimpled chin;\n    Her rosebud lips and bonny mouth\n      With not one tooth between.\n\n    Her eyes so like her mother's own,\n      Two gentle, liquid things;\n    Her face is like an angel's face--\n      We're glad she has no wings.\n\n\n    HUGH MILLER\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nBRUCE AND THE SPIDER\n\nRobert Bruce, King of Scotland, was hiding in a hut in the forest. His\nenemies were seeking him far and wide.\n\nSix times he had met them in battle, and six times he had failed. Hope\nand courage were gone.\n\nBruce had given up all as lost. He was about to run away from Scotland,\nand to leave the country in the hands of his enemies.\n\nFull of sorrow, he lay stretched on a pile of straw in the poor\nwoodchopper's hut. While he lay thinking, he noticed a spider spinning\nher web.\n\nThe spider was trying to spin a thread from one beam of the cottage to\nanother. It was a long way between the beams, and Bruce saw how hard a\nthing it was for her to do.\n\n\"She can never do it,\" thought the king.\n\nThe little spider tried it once and failed She tried it twice and\nfailed. The king counted each time. At length she had tried it six times\nand had failed each time.\n\n\"She is like me,\" thought the king. \"I have tried six battles and\nfailed. She has tried six times to reach the beam and failed.\"\n\nThen starting up from the straw, he cried, \"I will hang my fate upon\nthat little spider.\n\nIf she swings the seventh time and fails, then I will give up all for\nlost. If she swings the seventh time and wins, I will call my men\ntogether once more for a battle with the enemy.\"\n\nThe spider tried the seventh time, letting herself down upon her slender\nthread. She swung out bravely.\n\n\"Look! look!\" shouted the king. \"She has reached it. The thread hangs\nbetween the two beams. If the spider can do it, I can do it.\"\n\nBruce got up from the straw with new strength and sent his men from\nvillage to village, calling the people to arms.\n\nThe brave soldiers answered his call and came trooping in.\n\nAt length his army was ready to fight, and when the king led them in a\ngreat battle against the enemy, this time, like the spider, Bruce won.\n\n_Scottish Tradition_\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    THE WISE LITTLE PIG\n\n    Where are you going, you little pig?\n    \"I'm leaving my mother, I'm growing so big.\"\n                So big, young pig!\n                So young, so big!\n    What! leaving your mother, you foolish young pig?\n\n    Where are you going, you little pig?\n    \"I've got a new spade, and I'm going to dig.\"\n                To dig, little pig!\n                A little pig dig!\n    Well, I never saw a pig with a spade, that could dig!\n\n    Where are you going, you little pig?\n    \"I'm going to have a nice ride in a gig.\"\n                In a gig, little pig!\n                What! a pig in a gig!\n    Well, I never yet saw a pig ride in a gig!\n\n    Where are you going, you little pig?\n    \"I'm going to the barber's to buy me a wig.\"\n                A wig, little pig!\n                A pig in a wig!\n    Why, whoever before saw a pig in a wig?\n\n    Where are you going, you little pig?\n    \"I'm going to the ball to dance a fine jig.\"\n                A jig, little pig!\n                A pig dance a jig!\n    Well, I never before saw a pig dance a jig!\n\n    ANONYMOUS\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAN INDIAN STORY--I\n\nbelieve  tomahawks  signs  tongue\n\n\nMany years ago two boys lived on a farm in New England.\n\nIt was so long ago that there were few white people in this country.\n\nThe farms were scattered, and around them were great forests.\n\nThe houses were made of logs, with strong, heavy doors.\n\nFar away in the woods lived many Indians.\n\nSometimes the Indians would come down where the white people lived, and\nwould capture any white person whom they could find.\n\nThey even dared to attack, and often burned, the scattered log cabins.\n\nThe white prisoners would be taken to the Indian villages and would be\nheld there as captives.\n\nOne cold winter morning the two brothers, John and William, were going\nskating on the river.\n\nIn order to reach the river, they had to pass through some woods.\n\nJohn, the older brother, started first.\n\nHe threw his skates over his back and ran off whistling toward the\nriver.\n\nWilliam, the younger brother, had to stay behind to fill with wood the\nhuge box beside the fireplace.\n\nIndians had not been seen near the farm for many years, so John was not\nin the least afraid.\n\nAs he went through the woods toward the river two huge Indians, with\npainted faces, jumped from behind the trees where they had been hiding.\n\nBefore John could run he was caught, and his hands were tied behind his\nback.\n\nThen they heard William shout as he ran down the path after his brother.\n\nJohn knew that the Indians might kill him if he warned his brother.\n\nBut he was brave, and before they could stop him, he cried out,\n\"Indians! Indians!\"\n\nThe Indians were angry and struck at John with their tomahawks.\n\nBut he was not afraid; he faced the Indians bravely.\n\nWilliam heard the shout of warning, and ran like a deer back to the log\ncabin.\n\nThe heavy door was shut with a slam, and John's father, with his rifle,\nwaited for the Indian attack.\n\nBut the two Indians did not dare attack the log cabin.\n\nDragging John after them, they started up the river bank toward their\nIndian town, many, many miles away.\n\nAll day long they traveled, and at night they built a small fire.\n\nOver this fire they roasted a partridge which one of them had shot. John\nwas given his share of the bird and a handful of parched Indian corn.\n\nThe Indians looked at John's skates, which still hung over his shoulder.\n\nThey did not know what skates were. They thought they must be some of\nthe white man's magic.\n\nOn and on they traveled for many days, following an old Indian path.\n\nAll through the long march John still carried his skates.\n\nAt length they came to the Indian village.\n\n\nAN INDIAN STORY--II\n\nThe Indian houses were long huts covered with strips of birch bark.\n\nFour or five families lived in each of these houses.\n\nJohn was given to an Indian woman who had lost her own boy the year\nbefore.\n\nJohn's Indian mother was good to him, and treated him as if he were her\nown son.\n\nOne time the Indian boys thought they would test John's courage, so they\nformed in two lines, while each boy held a stout stick.\n\nThen they ordered John to run down between the two long lines.\n\nThey had their sticks all ready to beat him.\n\nThey thought John would be afraid and so would do as they told him.\n\nBut John was a strong lad, and jumping upon the first Indian boy, he\ntook his stick away from him.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nArmed with this stick, John struck right and left at the heads of the\nboys until they were all glad to run away.\n\nThe Indian men liked to see John's courage, and laughed long and loud\nwhen the Indian boys ran away.\n\nAfter this the boys were glad to have John play with them.\n\nWith their bows and arrows they shot at a mark.\n\nThey swam in the river and played games of tag, hide and seek, and ball.\n\nIn the spring the Indian women planted the yellow corn.\n\nWhen the corn was up, the squaws went into the fields to hoe out the\nweeds. For a hoe they used a flat piece of stone tied to a wooden\nhandle.\n\nAs John was a white boy the squaws tried to make him help hoe the corn.\n\nWhen John took the hoe, he hoed up the corn and left the weeds.\n\nThe angry squaws made signs to him that he must not do so.\n\nThen John threw the hoe far from him.\n\n\"Hoeing is fit for squaws, not for warriors,\" he shouted. He had learned\nthis from the Indian boys.\n\nThe old men were pleased. They thought John would make a fine warrior.\n\n\nAN INDIAN STORY--III\n\nJohn had lived with the Indians a year.\n\nHe had learned to speak their tongue, but they did not trust him.\n\nSome of them were always with him, for they were afraid he would run\naway.\n\nAll this time John had kept his skates carefully hidden.\n\nOne day the ice froze clear and smooth. John brought his skates down to\nthe river bank.\n\nMany of the Indians followed to see what he was going to do.\n\nThey crowded around him on the ice.\n\nJohn thought he would play a trick on them.\n\nHe strapped the skates upon the feet of an Indian boy.\n\nThe boy tried to stand up, but his feet slipped out from under him, and\ndown he bumped upon the ice.\n\nHow the Indians laughed!\n\nThey thought it was a great joke.\n\nEach of them in turn tried on the skates.\n\nHow they sprawled and fell upon the ice!\n\nWhat fun it was for the other Indians!\n\nWhen they were tired of the sport they held out the skates to John and\nasked him to put them on.\n\nJohn strapped on the skates with great care. He was a good skater, but\nhe made believe that he could not skate at all.\n\nHe fell down and bumped his head.\n\nHe tripped over his toes and made great fun for the Indians.\n\nThey did not see that each time he fell he was a little farther out on\nthe ice.\n\nAll at once John jumped up.\n\nAway he flew, skating for his life.\n\nDown the river he went, swift as a bird.\n\nThe Indians rushed after him, but he had too great a start.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Indians were swift runners, but John, on his skates, was swifter\nstill.\n\nHe knew that the river must flow toward the ocean, and that near the\nocean lived the white people.\n\nOn and on he skated.\n\nTwo days later he saw the smoke of a white man's cabin and knew that he\nwas safe.\n\nJohn soon found his father and mother.\n\nHow glad they were to see him!\n\n\n\n\n    A GOOD PLAY\n\n    We built a ship upon the stairs,\n    All made of the back-bedroom chairs,\n    And filled it full of sofa pillows,\n    To go a-sailing on the billows.\n\n    We took a saw and several nails,\n    And water in the nursery pails;\n    And Tom said, \"Let us also take\n    An apple and a slice of cake,\"--\n    Which was enough for Tom and me\n    To go a-sailing on, till tea.\n\n    We sailed along for days and days,\n    And had the very best of plays;\n    But Tom fell out and hurt his knee,\n    So there was no one left but me.\n\n    ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nDICK WHITTINGTON--I\n\n\nDick Whittington was a poor little boy who lived in the country.\n\nHis father and mother were both dead.\n\nPoor little Dick was always willing to work, but sometimes there was no\nwork for him to do, so he often had nothing to eat.\n\nNow Dick was a bright boy.\n\nHe kept both ears open to hear what was said around him.\n\nHe had heard many times about the great city of London.\n\nMen said that in this great city the people were rich.\n\nDick had even heard that the streets were paved with gold.\n\n\"How I should like to visit that great city,\" thought Dick, \"for I could\npick up gold from the streets!\"\n\nDick had earned a little money, so one day he set out to walk to London.\n\nHe walked and walked and walked, but London was a long way from his\nhome.\n\nAt last a man with a wagon came along. He was a kind man, and he gave\nDick a ride.\n\n\"Where are you going?\" asked Dick.\n\n\"I'm going to London,\" said the man.\n\n\"You are very good to give me a ride. I am going there, too,\" said Dick.\n\nIt was dark when they reached London.\n\nThat night Dick slept in a barn with the horses.\n\nThe next morning he looked for the golden stones in the streets.\n\nHe looked and looked, but he could find only dust and dirt.\n\nThere were many, many people in London, and Dick thought that he could\nsoon find something to do.\n\nHe wandered around the streets, seeking for work.\n\nHe asked many people, but no one wanted the poor little country boy.\n\nAs Dick had no money for food, he soon became very, very hungry.\n\nAt last he grew so weak that he fell down before the door of a great\nhouse.\n\nHere the cook found him and began to beat him with a stick.\n\n\"Run away, you lazy boy!\" she cried.\n\nPoor Dick tried to rise, but he was so faint from want of food that he\ncould not stand.\n\nJust then the owner of the house, Mr. Fitzwarren, came up. He took pity\non the poor boy and ordered the cook to give him some food.\n\nThen he turned to Dick and said:\n\n\"If you wish to work, you may help the cook in the kitchen. You will\nfind a bed in the attic.\"\n\nDick thanked Mr. Fitzwarren again and again for his kindness.\n\nThe cook was very cross to Dick and whipped him almost every day.\n\nHis bed in the attic was only a pile of old rags.\n\nHe soon found that there were many rats and mice in the attic.\n\nThey ran over his bed and made so much noise every night that he could\nnot sleep.\n\n\"I wish I had a cat,\" thought Dick, \"for she could eat up these rats and\nmice.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOne day Dick earned a penny by blacking a man's shoes.\n\n\"I will try to buy a cat with this penny,\" thought Dick.\n\nSo he started out and soon met a woman with a large cat.\n\n\"Will you sell me that cat?\" said Dick. \"I will give you this penny for\nher.\"\n\n\"You are a good boy,\" said the woman, \"and you may have the cat for a\npenny, for I know you will treat her kindly.\"\n\nThat night Dick's bed was free from rats, and Miss Puss had a good\nsupper.\n\nDick began to love his cat dearly.\n\n\nDICK WHITTINGTON--II\n\nNow Mr. Fitzwarren had many ships which sailed to distant lands.\n\nWhen a ship sailed Mr. Fitzwarren let every one in his house send\nsomething on it.\n\nThe things were sold, and when the ship came back, each person had the\nmoney for what he had sent.\n\nOne of the ships was ready to sail.\n\nEvery one in the house except Dick had sent something.\n\n\"What is Dick going to send in the ship?\" said Mr. Fitzwarren.\n\n\"Oh, that boy has nothing to send,\" said the cross cook.\n\n\"It is true,\" said poor Dick; \"I have nothing but my dear cat.\"\n\n\"Well, then you must send your cat,\" said Mr. Fitzwarren.\n\nHow lonely poor Dick was without Puss!\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe cook made fun of him for sending a cat on the ship.\n\nAt last Dick became so unhappy that he made up his mind to run away.\n\nHe started early in the morning, before any one in the house was up.\n\nHe had gone but a short way when he heard the sound of the six great\nbells of Bow.\n\nAs they rang, \"Ding-dong, ding-dong!\" they seemed to say:\n\n    Turn back, Whittington,\n    Lord Mayor of London.\n\n\"It is strange that the bells should speak to me,\" said Dick, \"but if I\nam to be Lord Mayor of London, I will gladly turn back.\"\n\nSo he ran back to the house of Mr. Fitzwarren.\n\n\"I hope they have not missed me,\" said Dick, as he gently opened the\ndoor and stole softly in.\n\n\nDICK WHITTINGTON--III\n\nDick's cat was taken across the ocean. The ship sailed and sailed, until\nat last it came to a distant country.\n\nNow the king and queen of this country were very rich. When the captain\nwas asked to show his goods before them he was very glad indeed to do\nso.\n\nThe king and queen first gave the captain a great feast.\n\nGold and silver dishes filled with food were brought in.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen these dishes were placed upon the table an army of rats came out.\n\nThere were white rats, and black rats, and brown rats, and big rats, and\nlittle rats.\n\nAt once they fell upon the food and ate it nearly all up.\n\n\"Why do you let the rats do this?\" asked the captain.\n\n\"Alas, we cannot help ourselves,\" said the king. \"I would give half my\nkingdom to be rid of them.\"\n\nThen the captain thought of Dick Whittington's cat.\n\n\"I have an animal which will rid you of them,\" said the captain.\n\n\"Pray bring it in at once,\" said the queen.\n\nWhat fun Dick's cat had killing the rats and mice in the king's palace!\n\n\"We must buy that little animal,\" said the queen. \"I do not care how\nmuch she may cost.\"\n\nThe captain could hardly carry all the jewels and gold that the king\ngave him for the cat.\n\nThen the ship with Dick's money came back to London, and the captain\ntold the story to Mr. Fitzwarren.\n\n\"We must take these jewels and all this gold at once to Mr.\nWhittington,\" said the honest man. \"He is no longer a poor boy, for this\nhas made him rich.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThey found Dick in the kitchen blacking the stove.\n\n\"Come with me at once into the parlor,\" said Mr. Fitzwarren.\n\nThen the bags of gold and jewels were piled at Dick's feet.\n\n\"See what your cat has brought you,\" said Mr. Fitzwarren. \"You are now a\nrich man and may yet be Lord Mayor of London.\"\n\nAnd it is true that after Dick Whittington became a man, he was made\nLord Mayor of London.\n\n_English Folk Tale_\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    THE NEW MOON\n\n      Dear mother, how pretty\n      The moon looks to-night!\n    She was never so cunning before;\n      Her two little horns\n      Are so sharp and so bright,\n    I hope she'll not grow any more.\n\n      If I were up there,\n      With you and my friends,\n    I'd rock in it nicely, you'd see;\n      I'd sit in the middle\n      And hold by both ends.\n      Oh, what a bright cradle 'twould be!\n\n      I would call to the stars\n      To keep out of the way,\n    Lest we should rock over their toes;\n      And then I would rock\n      Till the dawn of the day,\n    And see where the pretty moon goes.\n\n      And there we would stay\n      In the beautiful skies,\n    And through the bright clouds we would roam;\n      We would see the sun set,\n      And see the sun rise,\n    And on the next rainbow come home.\n\n    ELIZA LEE FOLLEN\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nBRIAR ROSE--I\n\n\nA long time ago there lived a king and queen who were very, very sad\nbecause they had no children.\n\nOne day, when the queen was resting near a spring, a frog crept out of\nthe water and said to her:\n\n\"You shall have your wish. Within a year you shall have a little girl.\"\n\nWhat the frog said came true.\n\nThe queen had a little child who was so beautiful that the king gave a\nparty in her honor.\n\nHe wished to invite all the wise women in the land, for these wise women\ncould grant fairy gifts to his little child.\n\nThere were thirteen of them, but only twelve were invited, as the king\nhad only twelve golden plates.\n\nAfter the dinner was over, the wise women in turn arose from the table\nand named their fairy gifts to the little princess.\n\nThe first gave to her goodness; the second, beauty; the third, riches;\nand so on, up to the last.\n\nBefore the twelfth wise woman could speak, in walked the thirteenth.\n\nThis woman was in a great rage because she had not been invited.\n\nShe cried in a loud voice, \"When the princess is fifteen years old she\nshall prick her finger with a spindle and shall fall down dead.\"\n\nAt these words every one turned pale with fright.\n\nThe twelfth wise woman, who had not yet spoken, now came up and said:\n\n\"I could not stop this woman's evil words, I can only make them less\nharsh.\n\nThe king's child shall not die, but a deep sleep shall fall upon her, in\nwhich she shall stay one hundred years.\"\n\n\nBRIAR ROSE--II\n\nThe little princess was so beautiful, so kind; and so good that no one\nwho knew her could help loving her.\n\nAs she grew older the king and queen began to feel very unhappy, for\nthey could not help thinking of what was to happen to their dear little\ndaughter.\n\nThey ordered all the spindles in the kingdom to be burned.\n\nNow, as it happened, on the very day that the princess was fifteen years\nold the king and queen were away from home.\n\nThe princess was quite alone in the castle, and she rain about over the\npalace, looking in at rooms and halls, just as her fancy led her.\n\nAt last she came to an old tower at the top of a winding stair.\n\nShe saw a little door.\n\nIn the lock was a rusty key.\n\nWhen she turned it, the door flew open.\n\nThere, in a small room, sat an old woman with her spindle, spinning\nflax.\n\n\"Good Morning,\" said the princess. \"Do tell me what that funny thing is\nthat jumps about so.\"\n\nAnd then she held out her hand to take the spindle.\n\nIt came about just as the fairy had foretold.\n\nThe princess pricked her finger with the spindle.\n\nAt once she fell upon a bed which was near, and lay in a deep sleep as\nif dead.\n\nThis sleep came not only upon the princess, but spread over the whole\ncastle.\n\nThe king and queen, who had just come home, fell asleep, and all their\nlords and ladies with them.\n\nThe horses went to sleep in the stable; the dogs in the yard; the doves\non the roof; the flies on the wall; yes, even the fire that burned in\nthe fireplace grew still and slept.\n\nThe meat stopped roasting before the fire.\n\nThe cook in the kitchen was just going to box the ears of the kitchen\nboy, but her hand dropped and she sank to sleep.\n\nOutside the castle the wind was still, and upon the trees not a leaf\nstirred.\n\nIn a short time there sprung up around the castle a hedge of thorn\nbushes.\n\nYear by year the hedge grew higher and higher, until at last nothing of\nthe castle could be seen above it, not even the roof, nor the chimneys,\nnor the flag on the tower.\n\n\nBRIAR ROSE--III\n\nAs years went by the story of the sleeping beauty was told all over the\nkingdom.\n\nMany kings' sons came and tried to get through the hedge of thorns, but\nthis they could not do.\n\nThe sharp thorns seemed to have hands which held the young men fast.\n\nAfter many, many years a prince came from a far-off kingdom.\n\nHe heard the story of the castle and its sleeping beauty.\n\nHe knew what danger lay in the great hedge of thorn bushes.\n\nBut the young prince was brave, and he was not to be turned back.\n\n\"I am not afraid. I will go out and see this beautiful Briar Rose,\" he\nsaid.\n\nIt happened that the hundred years of the magic spell had just ended.\n\nThe day had come when the sleeping princess was to wake up again.\n\nAs the prince came to the hedge of thorn bushes, it was in full bloom\nand covered with beautiful red flowers. There, through the thorn bushes,\nlay a wide road.\n\nSoon the prince came to the gates of the castle.\n\nHe found the horses and dogs lying asleep on the ground.\n\nThe doves sat on the roof with their heads under their wings.\n\nHe went into the castle.\n\nEven the flies on the wall still slept.\n\nNear the throne lay the king and queen, while all around were the\nsleeping lords and ladies.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe whole castle was so still that he could hear his heart beat.\n\nThe prince went on from room to room until he came to the old tower.\n\nGoing up the winding stair he saw the little door.\n\nA rusty key was in the lock, and the door was half open.\n\nThere before him lay the sleeping princess.\n\nThe prince bent down and gave her a kiss.\n\nAs he did so the sleeping beauty opened her eyes. With her the whole\ncastle awoke.\n\nThe king waked up, and the queen, and all the lords and ladies.\n\nThe horses in the stable stood up and shook themselves.\n\nThe dogs jumped about and wagged their tails.\n\nThe doves on the roof lifted their heads and flew into the fields.\n\nThe flies on the wall began to buzz.\n\nThe fire in the kitchen began to burn.\n\nThe meat began to roast.\n\nThe cook boxed the ears of the kitchen boy, so that he ran off crying.\n\nThe hedge of thorn bushes around the castle dried up and blew away.\n\nThen the prince married the beautiful princess, and they lived happily\never after.\n\nWILLIAM AND JACOB GRIMM\n\n\n\n\n    ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL\n\n    All things bright and beautiful,\n      All creatures great and small,\n    All things wise and wonderful,\n      The Lord God made them all.\n\n    Each little flower that opens,\n      Each little bird that sings,\n    He made their glowing colors,\n      He made their tiny wings.\n\n    The cold wind in the winter,\n      The pleasant summer sun,\n    The ripe fruits in the garden,\n      He made them every one.\n\n    He gave us eyes to see them,\n      And lips that we might tell\n    How great is God Almighty,\n      Who hath made all things well.\n\n    MRS. C.F. ALEXANDER\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nTHE BAKER BOYS AND THE BEES--I\n\ntrouble  Andernach  guarded\n\n\nLong years ago many cities had great stone walls around them.\n\nThe walls were built to keep out enemies, for in those old days cities\noften went to war with one another.\n\nThe city of Andernach had around it one of these great walls.\n\nThere was only one gateway into the city, and this gateway was guarded\nby strong iron doors.\n\nJust behind the doors lived a gatekeeper, who did nothing but open and\nshut the gates.\n\nHe watched them well.\n\nNo one could come in who was not friendly to the city.\n\nThe gates were not opened very often. Some days they were not opened at\nall. So the gatekeeper had much spare time.\n\n\"I am very fond of honey,\" thought he. \"I think I will buy a few hives\nof bees. I can place the hives on the top of the wall. There nobody will\ntrouble them.\"\n\nSoon there were rows of beehives on the top of the wall over the gate.\n\nIt happened that, not far away, there was another walled city, named\nLintz.\n\nThe people of Lintz were the enemies of the people of Andernach.\n\nThey were always watching each other, and fought when they could get a\nchance.\n\nNow the people of Lintz planned to attack and capture the city of\nAndernach.\n\nThey called their wisest men together to see how the attack should be\nmade.\n\nMany plans were talked over.\n\nAt length an old man said, \"Men of Lintz, you know that the men of\nAndernach are lazy. They like to lie late in their beds. If we attack\nthe city at sunrise, we shall capture it before they can get their eyes\nopen.\"\n\nThis plan seemed wise to the people of Lintz, and in army was soon ready\nto march against the city of Andernach.\n\nOne dark night the army crept softly toward the walls of the sleeping\ncity.\n\n\nTHE BAKER BOYS AND THE BEES--II\n\nThe only people who rose early in Andernach were the bakers. They had to\nhave fresh bread ready for breakfast.\n\nAfter their work was done the bakers used to have a morning nap, but the\nbaker boys had to stay awake and watch the loaves of bread.\n\nTwo of these boys, named Hans and Fritz, were fast friends and were\nalways together.\n\nOne morning, just at sunrise, Hans said to Fritz, \"Let us creep upon the\nwall over the gatekeeper's house. I think we can find some honey. The\nold gatekeeper is asleep; he will not hear us.\"\n\nThe two boys crept softly up the stairs.\n\nThey soon reached the top of the wall.\n\n\"Did you hear that noise?\" whispered Fritz.\n\n\"Yes, it must be the old gatekeeper,\" said Hans, in a low voice.\n\n\"No, it seems to come from over the wall,\" said Fritz.\n\nThe two boys crawled to the edge of the wall and carefully looked over.\n\nThere stood the army of Lintz.\n\nA ladder was placed against the wall.\n\nThe soldiers would soon mount over the gate into the city.\n\nWhat was to be done?\n\nThere was no time to wake the people.\n\nWhat could two boys do against an army?\n\nIn an instant Fritz thought of the beehives.\n\nAh, the bees were awake if the people were not!\n\nEach boy seized a hive and bore it carefully to the edge of the wall.\n\nThen with a strong push down tumbled hives, honey, and bees upon the\nheads of the enemy.\n\nSuch buzzing, such stinging, such shouting as arose!\n\nThe boys ran down the stairs to the city hall.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe old bell ringer was aroused by the cries.\n\nSoon the wild clang of the bell awoke the people of Andernach.\n\nArmed men ran to the city gate, but the bees had done their work well.\nThere was no need for soldiers.\n\nThe army of Lintz was running away.\n\nOver the great gate the people of Andernach placed a statue of the two\nbaker boys whose quick wit had saved the city.\n\n_German Folk Tale_\n\n\n\n\n    FALLING SNOW\n\n    See the pretty snowflakes\n      Falling from the sky;\n    On the wall and housetops\n      Soft and thick they lie.\n\n    On the window ledges,\n      On the branches bare;\n    Now how fast they gather,\n      Filling all the air.\n\n    Look into the garden,\n      Where the grass was green;\n    Covered by the snowflakes,\n      Not a blade is seen.\n\n    Now the bare black bushes\n      All look soft and white,\n    Every twig is laden,--\n      What a pretty sight!\n\n    ANONYMOUS\n\n\n\n\nLITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES\n\n\nAll the world must know that Two Shoes was not her real name. No; her\nfather's name was Meanwell, and he was for many years a well-to-do\nfarmer.\n\nWhile Margery (for that was her real name) was yet a little girl her\nfather became very poor. He was so poor that at last he and Margery's\nmother and Margery and her little brother were all turned out of doors.\nThey did not have a roof to cover their heads.\n\nMargery's father felt so unhappy that at last he died, and only a few\ndays later Margery's mother died, too. Poor little Margery and her\nbrother were left alone in the wide world.\n\nTheir sorrow would have made you pity them, but it would have done your\nheart good to see how fond they were of each other. They always went\nabout hand in hand, and when you saw one you were sure to see the other.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nLook at them in the picture.\n\nThey were both very ragged, and though Tommy had two shoes, Margery had\nbut one. They had nothing, poor little things, to live upon but what\nkind people gave to them. Each night they lay on the hay in just such a\nbarn as you see here.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nLITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES--II\n\nMr. Smith was a very good man who lived in the town where little Margery\nand Tommy were born. Although he was a poor man, he took the children\nhome to live with him.\n\n\"They shall not want for food nor for a bed to sleep in while I live,\"\nhe said.\n\nMr. Smith had a friend who was a very wealthy man. When he heard the\nstory about Margery and Tommy, this man gave Mr. Smith some money to buy\nlittle Margery a new pair of shoes and Tommy a new suit of clothes. Can\nyou see Tommy in the picture wearing his new clothes?\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe gentleman who had given the money for Margery's new shoes and\nTommy's new clothes wished to take Tommy with him to London to make a\nsailor of him.\n\nWhen the time came for Tommy to go, both children began to cry. They\nkissed each other a hundred times. At last Tommy wiped away Margery's\ntears and said:\n\n\"Don't cry, little sister, for I will come home to you again and bring\nyou beautiful clothes and much money.\"\n\nThat night Margery went to bed weeping for her dear little brother. It\nwas the first time they had ever been parted.\n\nThe next morning the shoemaker came in with Margery's new shoes. She put\nthem on in great glee and ran out to Mrs. Smith crying, \"Two shoes, two\nshoes. See goody two shoes!\" This she did to all the people she met, so\nthat soon she was known far and wide as Goody Two Shoes.\n\n\nLITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES--III\n\nDear little Margery saw how good and wise Mr. Smith was. She thought it\nwas because he read so many books.\n\nSoon Margery wished, above all things, to learn to read. She would\nborrow books from the school children and sit down and read and read.\nVery soon she could read better than any of her playmates.\n\nMargery took such delight in her books that she wished everybody else\ncould read, too, so she formed this plan of teaching very little\nchildren how to read.\n\nFirst, she made letters out of bits of wood with her knife. She worked\nand worked until there were ten sets of the small letters:\n\n    a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z\n\nand six sets of the large letters:\n\n    A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z\n\nShe then made the little tots spell words with her wooden letters. Take\nthe word \"plum-pudding\" (and who can think of a better one!); the first\nlittle child picked up the letter p, the next l, the next u, the next m,\nand so on, until the whole word was spelled.\n\nIf a child took up a wrong letter, he was to pay a fine or play no more.\n\nEach morning, with her basket full of wooden letters, Margery went\naround from house to house. The little children learned to read very\nfast.\n\nCan you see Margery with her basket of letters in this picture?\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe first house she came to was Farmer Wilson's. See, here it is.\n\nMargery stopped and ran up to the door. Tap, tap, tap.\n\n\"Who is there?\"\n\n\"Only little Goody Two Shoes,\" said Margery, \"come to teach Billy.\"\n\n\"Is that you, little Goody?\" said Mrs. Wilson. \"I am glad to see you.\"\n\nThen out came the little boy.\n\n\"How do, Doody Two Shoes,\" said he, not being able to speak plainly.\n\nMargery took little Billy by the hand and led him to a quiet spot under\na tree. Then she threw the letters on the ground all mixed up together\nlike this:\n\n    z a y w b m p j f x c o q g e k v n i d h r i t u s\n\nBilly picked them up, calling each one by its right name, and put them\nall in just their right places. They now looked like this:\n\n    a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z\n\nDo you think you could have done as well as little Billy?\n\nThe next place Margery came to was Farmer Simpson's, and here it is.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"Bowwow, wow,\" said the dog at the door.\n\n\"Be still, sir,\" said Mrs. Simpson. \"Why do you bark at little Two\nShoes? Come, Alice, here is Goody Two Shoes ready to teach you.\"\n\nThen out came the little one.\n\n\"Well, Alice,\" said Two Shoes, \"have you learned your lesson?\"\n\n\"Yes, indeed, I have,\" said the little one, and taking the letters, she\nformed them in this way:\n\n    ba be bi bo bu da de di do du\n    fa fe fi fo fu ha he hi ho hu\n\nAs she formed them she gave their exact sounds.\n\nThe next place Margery came to was Gaffer Cook's house. Here a number of\npoor children all came around her at once. These children had been to\nher school longer than the first little tots, and could read words and\nlines.\n\nThis is what Margery gave them to read:\n\n\"He that will thrive must rise by five.\"\n\n\"Truth can be blamed, but cannot be shamed.\"\n\n\"A friend in your need is a friend indeed.\"\n\n\"A wise head makes a close mouth.\"\n\n\"A lie stands upon one leg, but truth upon two.\"\n\n\"A good boy will make a good man.\"\n\n\"Honor your parents and the world will honor you.\"\n\n\"Love your friends and your friends will love you.\"\n\nDid you ever read lines like these in your school reader?\n\n\nLITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES--IV\n\nAt last Margery grew up and was given a real school to teach and a real\nschoolroom to teach in. She still used her little wooden letters, and\nmade the children fetch each one to spell the words.\n\nOne day, as Margery was going home from school, she saw some bad boys\nwho had caught a young crow. She went over to them and gave them a penny\nfor the poor little bird, and took him home.\n\nMargery called the crow Ralph, and under her care he grew into a very\nfine bird indeed. She even taught him to speak and to pick out a few of\nthe letters.\n\nSome time after this a poor lamb had lost his mother, and the farmer was\nabout to kill him. Margery bought him and took him home with her to play\nwith the children. This lamb she called Will, and a pretty fellow he\nwas. Do look at him. See him run and play with the children.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe lamb was trained to carry home the books and the slates of the\nchildren who behaved well at school. See what a fine, strong fellow he\nis, and how he trudges along.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nMargery also had a present of a little dog. His name was Jumper. Look at\nhim sitting up and begging in the picture.\n\nDid you ever see a dog with such bright eyes? He almost seems able to\ntalk.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nJumper, Jumper, Jumper! He was always playing and jumping about, and\nJumper was a good name for him. His place was just outside the door. See\nhow he sits, the saucy fellow!\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nLITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES--V\n\nOne day Jumper came whining into the schoolroom. He took hold of\nMargery's dress and pulled and pulled.\n\n\"What do you wish, dear Jumper?\" asked Margery.\n\nBut the dog only whined and pulled her toward the door. At last Margery\nwent outdoors to see what was the matter.\n\nThen Jumper left her and ran back into the schoolroom. He took hold of\nthe dress of one of the little girls and tugged and tugged. At length\nshe too followed Jumper to the door.\n\nBy this time all the children were on their feet and quickly followed\nthe teacher out of the schoolroom.\n\nThey were none too soon. The last little girl had hardly passed the door\nwhen, with a great crash, the roof fell in.\n\nAll the children were safe, but what had become of Margery's dear books\nand letters and other things?\n\nMargery did not lose her school. A rich man who lived near ordered the\nschoolhouse to be rebuilt at his own expense.\n\nAnother gentleman, Sir Charles Jones, having heard of Margery's good\nsense, offered her a home if she would teach his daughter. In fact he\nfinally fell in love with Margery, and they were married in the great\nchurch. And what do you think! On her wedding day, while the bells were\nringing, Margery's brother Tommy came home. He had become the captain of\na great ship. He had sailed to many lands, and he brought her all kinds\nof presents. Do you think she deserved to be very happy?\n\nShe did not forget the children, you may be sure. A house in the village\nwas fitted up as a school, and all the boys and girls were taught to\nread and write.\n\n_Ascribed to_ GOLDSMITH\n\n\n\n\n    ONE STEP AND THEN ANOTHER\n\n\n    One step and then another,\n      And the longest walk is ended;\n    One stitch and then another,\n      And the largest rent is mended.\n\n    One brick upon another,\n      And the highest wall is made;\n    One flake upon another,\n      And the deepest snow is laid.\n\n    ANONYMOUS\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD MORNING\n\n    curious  neighed  curtsied\n\n\n    A fair little girl sat under a tree,\n    Sewing as long as her eyes could see;\n    Then smoothed her work and folded it right,\n    And said, \"Dear work, good night, good night!\"\n\n    Such a number of rooks came over her head,\n    Crying \"Caw, caw!\" on their way to bed.\n    She said, as she watched their curious flight,\n    \"Little black things, good night, good night!\"\n\n    The horses neighed, and the oxen lowed,\n    The sheep's \"bleat, bleat!\" came over the road;\n    All seeming to say, with a quiet delight,\n    \"Good little girl, good night, good night!\"\n\n    She did not say to the sun, \"Good night!\"\n    Though she saw him there like a ball of light,\n    For she knew he had God's time to keep\n    All over the world, and never could sleep.\n\n    The tall pink foxglove bowed his head;\n    The violets curtsied and went to bed;\n    And good little Lucy tied up her hair,\n    And said, on her knees, her favorite prayer.\n\n    And while on her pillow she softly lay,\n    She knew nothing more till again it was day;\n    And all things said to the beautiful sun,\n    \"Good morning, good morning! our work is begun.\"\n\n    LORD HOUGHTON\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nDAVID AND GOLIATH--I\n\nPhilistines  guarding  Goliath\n\n\nLong, long ago there lived, in the country of Israel a boy named David.\n\nHe was a shepherd boy, and all day long he watched the quiet sheep as\nthey ate sweet grass on the hillside.\n\nAlthough David was only a boy, he was tall and strong and brave.\n\nWhen he knew he was in the right, he feared nothing.\n\nDavid's quiet life did not last long.\n\nThere was a great war between the people of Israel and men called the\nPhilistines.\n\nAll the strong men in David's town went to join the army of Israel.\n\nDavid could not go, as he had to tend the sheep, but his three older\nbrothers went to the war.\n\nFor a long time David's father heard nothing from his three oldest boys.\n\nAt length he called David to him and said, \"Take to your brothers a bag\nof this corn and these ten loaves of bread. Find out how your brothers\nare, and bring word to me.\"\n\nThe next morning David rose very early, and taking the bag of corn and\nthe loaves of bread, he went to the camp where his brothers were.\n\nThe camp of Israel was on the side of a high mountain.\n\nAcross the valley from this mountain and on the side of another mountain\nwas the camp of the Philistines.\n\nAfter David had come to the camp and had found his brothers, shouts of\nanger and fear came from the soldiers.\n\nDavid looked across the valley to the camp of the Philistines.\n\nThere he saw a huge soldier dressed in shining armor.\n\nThis giant soldier carried a great spear and shield.\n\n\"Who is that man?\" asked David.\n\n\"Do you not know? That is Goliath,\" said the soldiers. \"Every day he\ncomes out and dares any man on our side to meet him in battle.\"\n\n\"Does no one of our soldiers dare to meet him?\" asked David.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"We have no man so strong as he in our whole army,\" said the soldiers.\n\nThe giant from the opposite hillside shouted with a loud voice, and\nagain dared the army of Israel to choose a man to meet him.\n\nDavid was a brave boy; he was stirred to anger at the sight of this\ngreat giant.\n\n\"Is not God on the side of our people?\" he asked. \"I will fight with\nthis man, even though he kill me.\"\n\n\nDAVID AND GOLIATH--II\n\nThe king of Israel heard of these brave words and sent for David to come\nbefore him.\n\nWhen he saw that David was only a boy, he said, \"You are not able to go\nagainst this Philistine. You are only a boy, while he has fought in many\nbattles.\"\n\nThen David said to the king, \"Once, when I was guarding my father's\nsheep, I killed a lion and a bear without help from any one but the\nLord. He will help me fight this man.\"\n\nThen the king said, \"Go, and the Lord be with you.\"\n\nThe king fitted David with heavy armor and gave to him his own sword,\nbut David said, \"I am not used to this heavy armor; it will only hinder\nme.\"\n\nSo he threw it off.\n\nThen David went to a brook near by and chose five smooth stones.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nArmed with these five stones and his sling; he went bravely out to meet\nthe giant.\n\nWhen the giant saw that David was only a boy, he was angry and cried\nout:\n\n\"Do you dare fight with me? I will kill you, and will give your flesh to\nthe birds and the beasts.\"\n\nDavid looked at him without fear and said, \"You come against me with a\nsword and with a spear and with a shield, but I come to you in the name\nof the Lord. This day will he give you into my hand. I will kill you\nand take your head from you, and I will give the bodies of the\nPhilistines to the birds and the beasts.\"\n\nWhen they came near to each other, David fitted one of the five stones\nto his sling.\n\nHe whirled the sling swiftly about his head. The stone flew straight to\nits mark. It struck the Philistine full in the forehead. The huge giant\ntook one step and, with a groan, fell to the earth.\n\nThen David, standing upon the giant, took his sword and cut off the head\nof his enemy.\n\nWhen the Philistines saw that their giant was dead, they were filled\nwith fear.\n\nThey left their camp and tried to run away, but the army of Israel\nfollowed them and won a great victory.\n\nFor this brave deed David was made a captain and was held in honor by\nthe king.\n\n_Adapted from the Bible_\n\n\n\n\nPHONETIC TABLES\n\n\nThe following tables are planned to supplement those already developed\nin the \"Beacon Primer\" and in the \"Beacon First Reader.\"\n\nThe earlier tables are introduced in order that the teacher may have\nthem for rapid review work with her slower pupils, and also for those\npupils entering the class without any previous phonetic training.\n\nThe strictly new matter, which includes the last ten pages, should\nreceive special emphasis and care in its development and drill.\n\n\nREVIEW OF THE VOWELS _a_, _e_, _i_, _o_, and _u_\n\nfix   jut  fob   jig  lag\nrid   tug  kin   van  yet\nfog   cab  bog   pod  vex\nwed   box  mix   wax  cud\n\nYes   Jug  Kid   Sit  Six\nPug   Jim  Yell  Red  Fox\nKeg   Dug  Win   Ned  Will\nPuff  Hug  Bess  Rub  Vim\n\n\nIn the following words a blend of two consonants follows the vowel.\n\nfelt  tilt  elm   elk   self\nkilt  sick  rich  loft  link\nsilk  lank  test  gilt  dish\nlock  limp  tuft  hilt  nick\ngust  bulk  pelt  lint  dust\nland  gush  wilt  belt  sack\npick  hack  lent  sent  mist\nsink  bunt  lash  lend  rush\nsash  hush  rust  luck  such\nking  dusk  ring  fond  hulk\ndent  sunk  lack  kick  sank\ndesk  bank  hint  welt  wing\nback  wink  sulk  bent  went\nlamp  must  rock  pack  hand\nwind  lump  wick  duck  bunk\npunt  mock  husk  band  much\nbump  mush  bend  jump  mend\nhump  pump  bond  musk  damp\n\n\nIn the following words a blend of two consonants precedes the vowel.\nThe vowel must be sounded with the preceding consonants.\n\nfled   flog   flag   clip   cliff\ngrit   slip   grin   frog   grip\nslat   trot   trill  stiff  slop\nspot   blot   prig   sled   still\nsniff  drip   slap   slab   scan\nscud   twit   step   spin   brag\nspan   crab   stag   glen   drag\nslum   stab   crag   trim   skill\nskim   slim   glad   crop   drop\nsnuff  skin   skip   scab   snob\nskull  snip   bled   stun   twin\ndress  grab   drill  skiff  from\nswell  drug   twig   grim   snap\nscum   bran   stub   snag   stem\nplum   sped   spill  prop   slam\ndrum   gruff  snug   tress  snub\nsmell  spell  brim   bless  spun\n\n\nThe correct pronunciation of _wh_ is important. In reality the _h_ is\nsounded before the _w_, and in the oldest English it was so written.\nThis table combines the features of the two previous tables.\n\nwit     chip    flock  crank    theft\nwhit    shut    trick  shock    sling\nwhet    shed    shelf  trunk    trust\nwhig    shop    swift  plank    sting\nwhip    shad    frock  swing    fresh\nwhiff   chub    strap  smith    twist\nwhen    shun    prick  string   track\nwhist   trash   brick  smack    crash\nwhim    chest   crust  stump    stock\nwhich   script  scrub  splash   scrap\nwhisk   spend   shred  struck   block\nship    cramp   grunt  scamp    frank\nchill   smash   print  shrink   throb\nchat    twitch  stack  thump    pluck\nsprang  spring  drink  thrush   shrub\nsham    switch  check  stretch  brush\nchess   snatch  thank  scratch  spank\n\n\nIn the following words the vowel is long because of the final _e_.\n\ntide    rote   rite    fade    core\ngore    lute   five    trade   glide\ntone    pole   live    plate   wore\ncope    lobe   tore    crave   drive\ntube    lane   hive    spore   pride\nwipe    bide   save    globe   stove\nslate   pore   rave    snipe   snore\nmere    flake  cove    stone   spine\nstore   stole  cave    flame   blade\nmute    wide   stale   grove   crime\nstake   hone   mete    grape   shave\nskate   mine   wake    smite   grime\nspike   more   wave    white   stride\nbrake   score  slope   drone   spade\nspoke   fume   strife  twine   shape\nsnake   wade   slime   strive  whale\nstrike  slave  mode    stripe  blame\nstroke  shine  smile   swore   scrape\nsmoke   shade  shore   shame   throne\n\n\nThe following words illustrate the effect of final _e_ in lengthening\nthe vowel otherwise short. Final _se_ usually has the sound of _ze_.\n\ncot    cote    slat   slate   glaze\nrob    robe    trip   tripe   nose\ncut    cute    slid   slide   doze\nnot    note    grip   gripe   fuse\ndot    dote    slop   slope   maze\ntub    tube    shin   shine   hose\ncon    cone    slim   slime   froze\ncub    cube    glad   glade   these\nnod    node    snip   snipe   gaze\nmet    mete    shot   shote   rise\nplat   plate   spin   spine   size\nflam   flame   plan   plane   wise\nshad   shade   strip  stripe  haze\nmop    mope    grim   grime   rose\nwhit   white   twin   twine   daze\nsham   shame   prim   prime   those\nscrap  scrape  plum   plume   close\n\n\nBefore _r_ the sounds of the vowels _a_, _e_, _i_, and _u_ are greatly\nmodified. These combinations occur so frequently that much drill is\nrequired. Final _e_ affects _ar_ as in _care_.\n\nstir   serf    mar    jar    fur\nslur   tart    cart   bur    furl\nstar   turf    first  curl   gird\njerk   lard    fern   bird   dart\nfirm   scar    card   char   spar\nhurl   lark    hurt   part   arch\nturn   blur    purr   pert   spur\nhard   barn    darn   carp   herd\ndark   burn    term   hark   yard\nstart  shirt   bark   yarn   harp\nsharp  clerk   skirt  chirp  park\nspark  shark   mark   spurt  third\nparch  smart   churn  perch  harm\ncharm  starch  march  mirth  smirch\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\ntare  scare  dare  pare   rare\nfare  snare  hare  ware   glare\nbare  spare  mare  stare  share\n\n\nIn the words of this table _ea_ and _ee_ have the long sound of _e_.\n\nfear    tear     lean     heap    fleet\nthee    east     ease     keep    beef\nnear    plea     heed     greet   year\nfreed   dean     team     weed    ream\ntease   deed     treat    wean    teach\nsheet   yeast    meet     spree   plead\nsheaf   mead     steep    sheer   eaves\ngreed   creak    creek    shear   spear\nbreed   agree    sneer    bleed   speed\nbeach   sheen    green    preen   cheap\nsweep   sheep    reach    street  freeze\ndream   tweed    fleece   cream   weave\nscreen  peach    gleam    wheat   streak\nbream   leaves   cleans   crease  teapot\nbeams   please   greedy   Easter  spleen\nbreeze  gleans   squeak   beaver  season\ngrease  sneeze   wheeze   sheath  stream\nreason  teacher  sheaves  scream  beacon\n\n\nIn the words of this table _ai_ and _ay_ have the long sound of _a_.\n\nrail   lain    hail    bail    flail\nslay   fray    nail    bait    frail\nvain   mail    gray    clay    paid\ndray   bray    main    wail    pray\nraise  saint   stray   snail   faint\nstaid  away    paint   faith   train\ngayly  spray   chain   plain   maid\nstain  strain  waist   braid   drain\ngrain  praise  strait  twain   claim\nsway   sprain  raisin  afraid  dainty\n\n\nIn the words of this table _oa_ and _oe_ have the long sound of _o_.\n\noats    soar    floe   roar   coat\ncoax    float   oak    goal   soap\nroam    hoed    load   loan   soak\nwhoa    loam    boat   goat   moat\ncloak   coarse  foam   roast  toast\ngroan   throat  shoal  croak  coast\nloaves  hoarse  moan   coach  board\n\n\nIn the words of this table _ie_ and final _y_ take the long sound of\n_i_.\n\nfie     hie    sly    cry    shy\nvie     sty    pry    why    lied\nfried   sky    tied   vied   tried\npried   ally   rely   defy   deny\nreply   spry   skies  flies  cried\nsupply  spied  plied  dried  comply\n\n\nIn the words of this table _ew_ and _ue_ are pronounced very nearly like\n_u_ long.\n\nhue     due     stew   hew      cue\npew     mew     view   ague     jewel\nrescue  sinew   argue  subdue   value\nmildew  pewter  renew  steward  ensue\n\n\nIn the words of this table _oi_ and _oy_ are pronounced alike.\n\ncoy     coil    join    loin    toil\nsoil    foist   boil    coin    cloy\npoint   broil   joist   hoist   joint\nenjoy   voice   royal   noise   spoil\nmoist   avoid   choice  annoy   doily\nemploy  oyster  anoint  poison  boiler\n\n\nIn the words of this table _au_ and _aw_ take the sound of _a_ in\n_all_.\n\njaw    claw    haul    Paul    flaw\nfaun   yawn    bawl    thaw    slaw\nfault  hawk    daub    Maud    fraud\nfawn   gauze   vault   brawl   cause\ndawn   drawl   pawn    lawful  crawl\nawful  pauper  straw   brawn   drawn\npause  awning  lawyer  spawn   caucus\n\n\nIn the words of this table _ou_ and _ow_ are pronounced alike.\n\ngout    rout   scow    pout    scour\ntown    trout  scout   down    shout\nprow    cloud  snout   tower   proud\nflour   south  scowl   pouch   mount\nstout   spout  aloud   power   bound\ncount   about  crowd   pound   crouch\ntowel   couch  sound   blouse  devout\nfound   growl  frown   grouse  wound\nclown   vowel  drown   sprout  shroud\nflower  round  shower  mound   ground\n\n\nIn the following list of words _oo_ is pronounced like _u_ in _rude_.\n\nboot   cool   tool   pool    roof\npoor   root   toot   loop    loon\nsoon   food   hoot   boor    rood\nnoon   coop   hoop   hoof    coon\nloom   loose  moor   boon    sloop\nproof  stoop  troop  stool   spool\nboost  noose  sooth  room    boom\ncroon  moon   mood   roost   shoot\nbroom  doom   goose  scoop   tooth\nbloom  brood  gloom  groom   swoop\nswoon  spoon  moose  choose  groove\n\n\nReview the sound of _qu_.\n\nquilt   quid    quill   equip    quit\nquell   quite   quiz    quire    quail\nqueer   quote   quest   quick    squire\nsquirt  queen   quince  quake    squint\nsquaw   quack   squirm  square   quaint\nsqueak  squeal  quench  squeeze  squirrel\n\n\nREVIEW\n\nsly      card      loft      due     ear\nstir     why       cliff     tied    cue\njaw      turn      curl      hilt    coil\nboil     tube      cloy      clay    nail\nlute     mail      rose      spar    crag\nslay     Paul      flaw      hoof    haul\nfirm     quill     gore      pray    sank\nboot     wore      stew      herd    heap\nstun     stem      fried     twin    tried\nscow     bless     smile     mew     term\ntrout    mere      glean     froze   glide\nstore    slave     sheaf     team    more\nquite    noise     mode      daub    boom\nshore    stoop     mend      score   gauze\nsheet    much      chain     stone   grime\ngrunt    hawk      moon      pawn    shark\npump     peach     quick     block   quack\nsnake    sound     pouch     queen   march\nsmash    cramp     stump     smoke   switch\nsky      glare     rely      room    tress\nskill    doily     gruff     plied   royal\ngayly    tooth     sloop     scrap   scare\nsnare    ensue     coast     spurt   pried\ncroak    perch     strife    twain   strait\ngrowl    flower    noose     stripe  gauze\nawful    power     parch     annoy   smart\nstrive   moose     stride    choice  blame\nchurn    loaves    afraid    starch  throat\nsinew    beaver    rescue    coarse  oyster\npraise   poison    teapot    lawful  sprain\nstruck   breezy    hoarse    anoint  squeal\nscreen   sprout    groove    choose  squint\nscrape   shower    grouse    twitch  blouse\nsupply   stretch   caucus    dainty  throne\npauper   shroud    season    reason  square\nauburn   teacher   subdue    sprawl  freezer\nawning   mildew    employ    smirch  pewter\nsqueeze  squirrel  preacher  squirm  comply\n\n\nIn the following list of words _c_ is soft before _e_ or _i_.\n\ncite    ace     ice     cell    cent\nvice    rice    lace    city    since\nnice    trice   dice    farce   fence\nslice   pace    mice    voice   lance\nprice   trace   grace   pence   mince\ntruce   mace    cease   hence   prince\nplace   brace   fleece  dance   thence\nspace   twice   peace   glance  chance\nsplice  spruce  choice  quince  whence\n\n\nIn the following list of words _g_ and _dg_ before _e_ and _i_ are\npronounced like _j_.\n\ngin     gist    gill    gem     gibe\ngerm    tinge   edge    urge    huge\nserge   judge   singe   ledge   large\nbarge   fudge   lodge   dodge   ridge\ncringe  lunge   budge   hedge   badge\nsledge  nudge   wedge   fringe  range\nbridge  merge   grudge  trudge  mange\nsmudge  charge  plunge  dredge  change\n\n\n_K_ and _ck_ are sounded exactly alike. Their use is not so confusing\nfrom the point of view of sounding as from spelling. The use of the _ck_\nafter a short vowel should be strongly emphasized by the teacher.\n\nnick   dike   flake  fleck   flick\ncake   sock   deck   meek    flock\npack   yoke   slick  shock   poke\ntrack  hack   dock   snake   neck\nstuck  clack  sleek  strike  crack\nfreak  pluck  truck  stroke  brake\ndrake  shake  black  struck  sneak\nspoke  tweak  broke  smack   shuck\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nbake  sake   like   beak  stoke\nback  sack   lick   beck  stock\ntake  slake  pike   Luke  smoke\ntack  slack  pick   luck  smock\nrake  stake  peak   duke  croak\nrack  stack  peck   duck  crock\nlake  dike   speak  coke  cloak\nlack  Dick   speck  cock  clock\n\n\n_Tch_ generally has the same sound as _ch_. _Ch_ usually follows vowels\nhaving the long sound, while _tch_ usually follows vowels having the\nshort sound.\n\neach    teach    peach   reach    speech\nbleach  screech  leech   breach   beech\ncoach   roach    poach   broach   preach\nfetch   stretch  itch    botch    notch\nblotch  catch    sketch  crutch   pitch\nlatch   batch    snatch  ditch    match\nhatch   patch    hutch   twitch   clutch\nswitch  witch    stitch  scratch  flitch\n\n\nThis table contains a further development of the two sounds of _th_.\n\nfifth    tenth   strength  thud    thill\nthing    thump   thick     thank   thatch\nthrob    throne  thrust    thrash  thrush\nthis     thus    these     those   that\nthem     than    then      the     thee\nthy      bathe   lathe     seethe  lithe\nblithe   withe   clothe    scathe  thine\nbreathe  soothe  smooth    thence  sheathe\n\n\nIn the following list of words _ie_ has the sound of long _e_.\n\nfield  niece  priest  piece   shield\ngrief  yield  siege   thief   relief\nbrief  chief  fiend   shriek  believe\n\n\nIn the following list of words _o_ has a sound midway between its sound\nin _for_ and in _fox_.\n\ncost  moss  song  broth  frost\nsoft  toss  long  cloth  strong\nlost  loss  tong  froth  loft\n\n\nIn the following list of words _a_ has the sound of short _o_.\n\nwas  wand  swap  what   swamp\nwad  wash  swan  want   wander\nwan  wasp  swab  watch  washer\n\n\nTwo vowels together are often sounded separately.\n\nfuel  poem  giant  quiet   duel\npoet  idea  gruel  truant  suet\ndiet  real  trial  pliant  dial\n\n\n_Tion_ and _sion_ are pronounced _shun_.\n\nnation  mention   vision  tension  session\nration  pension   notion  mission  station\noption  fraction  motion  passion  action\n\n\nREVIEW\n\nfuel    snail   cede    defy    bare\nfield   stare   skirt   thief   gruel\ntrial   mete    roost   away    ledge\nmere    deny    grace   quiet   fence\npaint   quail   dried   share   snore\nwhist   niece   spare   judge   braid\nyeast   poem    value   growl   crawl\nscowl   goose   giant   Maud    argue\ngroan   moist   yawn    swore   drawl\nmirth   coach   raisin  squirt  oyster\nannoy   boiler  strain  choice  swoon\nbroom   gaudy   priest  gleans  squaw\nsneeze  whisk   quake   rescue  truant\npoison  prince  renew   crouch  sprout\ndredge  crease  flower  motion  greedy\nchance  charm   bridge  mound   believe\nsupply  nation  notion  squeak  shower\nlawyer  plunge  square  employ  comply\nquench  awning  stream  mildew  sheaves\n\n\nThe following list contains words with the most common suffixes.\n\njacket    market    velvet    trumpet\nlocket    basket    ticket    thicket\nsecret    blanket   bracket   bucket\ngoblet    musket    rocket    gimlet\ncloset    carpet    racket    hornet\nmantle    camel     model     parcel\nravel     panel     saddle    travel\nslumber   chapel    canter    pickle\nlumber    cinder    printer   master\nwhisper   helper    sister    corner\nbarber    under     lobster   farmer\nscamper   winter    number    tumbler\nblunder   jester    pitcher   milker\nfarther   monster   marble    cycle\nuncle     thimble   jumble    grumble\nstumble   tingle    tickle    speckle\ncandle    nimble    tumble    ankle\ntwinkle   single    dangle    dimple\ncackle    buckle    magic     picnic\nhandle    bundle    frolic    mimic\nsimple    wrinkle   merit     arctic\nsolid     limit     habit     infant\nstupid    visit     spirit    distant\nrapid     profit    pulpit    merchant\ntimid     ashes     classes   servant\nkisses    dishes    dresses   brushes\nlosses    stitches  bunches   wishes\nglasses   matches   lunches   pinches\nfishes    branches  churches  goblin\nsweeten   cabin     driven    robin\nquicken   satin     harden    pumpkin\nseven     napkin    beacon    shorten\nbeckon    reckon    dragon    blacken\nsermon    wagon     lemon     prison\nseason    melon     lesson    mason\nfifty     angry     ugly      milky\nsixty     sadly     dainty    rusty\nhungry    pantry    empty     silky\nfinely    safely    lately    pages\nmerely    widely    purely    prices\nnicely    lonely    closely   wages\nraces     spices    ages      places\nfaces     cases     cages     stages\nlaces     blazes    closes    roses\naxes      gazes     noses     rises\nhateful   sizes     uses      prizes\nwasteful  helpful   rival     naval\nneedful   spiteful  final     vital\ncheerful  thankful  oval      opal\ngraceful  truthful  local     legal\nwakeful   careful   floral    fatal\n\n\nThe following list contains words with the most common prefixes.\n\nawake     abed      afloat     adorn\nafraid    aloud     asleep     alert\nafire     ago       amid       adrift\naway      about     agree      alas\nalone     across    ablaze     award\nbecame    again     become     apart\nbecause   around    begin      alive\nbelong    along     untwist    abuse\nunhitch   awhile    unjust     between\nunhurt    began     depend     befall\ndelay     behave    declare    beside\ndemand    before    devote     unbend\ndisplay   unlock    excite     untrue\ndisplace  unfit     explode    unchain\ndisgust   unclean   expand     exceed\nencamp    decay     discharge  expect\nenrage    depart    dispute    excel\nenjoy     defend    dismiss    expose\ninquire   endure    disturb    excuse\ninclose   enlarge   forbid     express\ninform    engrave   forgive    explain\nintent    except    forget     require\ninsist    exchange  forsake    unwind\ninvite    explore   rebound    behind\ninflame   exclaim   recess     unfold\nremark    repeat    recite     reply\nrefer     repair    replace    recall\nrenew     regret    release    retain\nrejoice   return    reduce     report\nregard    refresh   restore    remain\ncoachman  huntsman  seaman     postman\nsalesman  workman   footman    hackman\nrailroad  birthday  foreman    boatman\ninkstand  daylight  fireplace  teacup\nseaside   seaweed   sunbeam    tiptoe\nstairway  necktie   rainbow    railway\nseashore  cobweb    spyglass   beehive\n\n\nUsually the vowel followed by one consonant is given the long sound,\nwhereas, when the consonant is doubled, the vowel usually has the short\nsound, as illustrated in the following words.\n\nbiter     plater   toper    hoping\nbitter    platter  stopper  hopping\ndiner     shiny    tiny     doted\ndinner    shinny   tinny    dotted\ncuter     hater    poker    offer\ncutter    hated    paper    wider\nholy      hatter   taper    spider\nholly     riding   favor    diver\nbony      ridding  fever    gallon\nbonny     biting   clover   racer\nbogy      bitting  over     cider\nboggy     caning   halo     label\nMary      canning  solo     yellow\nmarry     planer   polo     jolly\nmate      planner  flabby   jelly\nmatter    ruder    shabby   maker\nrobed     rudder   ruddy    taker\nrobbed    loping   tulip    dummy\npining    lopping  cedar    common\npinning   baker    tamer    moment\ntuning    shady    liner    silent\nstunning  lady     pacer    ruby\nplaning   tidy     giddy    bonnet\nplanning  pony     sudden   penny\n\n\nThe following words illustrate silent _k_, _g_, _w_, _b_, _l_, _t_, and\n_gh_.\n\nknee     kneel     knelt     knell      knit\nknife    knot      knock     knob       knew\nknave    knead     know      knack      gnat\ngnaw     gnu       gnash     gnarl      gnome\nwry      wren      wrist     wrote      write\nwrap     wring     wrung     wrong      wrest\nwreck    wrath     wretch    wreak      wrench\nwrithe   wreath    high      sigh       wright\nthigh    light     fight     tight      sight\nknight   right     fright    plight     night\nblight   slight    bright    flight     might\ncaught   naught    taught    daughter   aught\ntightly  brightly  lightly   lightning  naughty\nclimb    comb      crumb     dumb       lamb\nlimb     numb      thumb     debt       doubt\ncombing  calf      half      balm       calm\nchalk    stalk     walk      folks      talk\noften    soften    castle    jostle     rustle\nthistle  whistle   chestnut  fasten     listen","title":"The Beacon Second Reader","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":21073}