{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_3152/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_3152","id":"gutenberg_3152","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3152","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's Anthologies","Children's literature"],"text":"THE JUNIOR CLASSICS\n\nSELECTED AND ARRANGED BY\n\nWILLIAM PATTEN,\n\nMANAGING EDITOR OF THE HARVARD CLASSICS\n\nINTRODUCTION BY CHARLES W. ELIOT, LL.D.,\n\nPRESIDENT EMERITUS OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY\n\n\nWITH A READING GUIDE BY WILLIAM ALLAN NEILSON, Ph. D., PROFESSOR OF\nENGLISH, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, PRESIDENT SMITH COLLEGE, NORTHAMPTON,\nMASS., SINCE 1917\n\nVOLUME ONE\n\nFairy and Wonder Tales\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\n\nThe purpose of The Junior Classics is to provide, in ten volumes\ncontaining about five thousand pages, a classified collection of tales,\nstories, and poems, both ancient and modern, suitable for boys and\ngirls of from six to sixteen years of age. Thoughtful parents and\nteachers, who realize the evils of indiscriminate reading on the part\nof children, will appreciate the educational value of such a\ncollection. A child\u2019s taste in reading is formed, as a rule, in the\nfirst ten or twelve years of its life, and experience has shown that\nthe childish mind will prefer good literature to any other, if access\nto it is made easy, and will develop far better on literature of proved\nmerit than on trivial or transitory material.\n\nThe boy or girl who becomes familiar with the charming tales and poems\nin this collection will have gained a knowledge of literature and\nhistory that will be of high value in other school and home work. Here\nare the real elements of imaginative narration, poetry, and ethics,\nwhich should enter into the education of every English-speaking child.\n\nThis collection, carefully used by parents and teachers with due\nreference to individual tastes and needs, will make many children enjoy\ngood literature. It will inspire them with a love of good reading,\nwhich is the best possible result of any elementary education. The\nchild himself should be encouraged to make his own selections from this\nlarge and varied collection, the child\u2019s enjoyment being the object in\nview. A real and lasting interest in literature or in scholarship is\nonly to be developed through the individual\u2019s enjoyment of his mental\noccupations.\n\nThe most important change which has been made in American schools and\ncolleges within my memory is the substitution of leading for driving,\nof inspiration for drill, of personal interest and love of work for\ncompulsion and fear. The schools are learning to use methods and\nmaterials which interest and attract the children themselves. The\nJunior Classics will put into the home the means of using this happy\nmethod.\n\nCommitting to memory beautiful pieces of literature, either prose or\npoetry, for recitation before a friendly audience, acting charades or\nplays, and reading aloud with vivacity and sympathetic emotion, are\ngood means of instruction at home or at school This collection contains\nnumerous admirable pieces of literature for such use. In teaching\nEnglish and English literature we should place more reliance upon\nprocesses and acts which awaken emotion, stimulate interest, prove to\nbe enjoyable for the actors, and result in giving children the power of\nentertaining people, of blessing others with noble pleasures which the\nchildren create and share.\n\nFrom the home training during childhood there should result in the\nchild a taste for interesting and improving reading which will direct\nand inspire its subsequent intellectual life. The training which\nresults in this taste for good reading, however unsystematic or\neccentric it may have been, has achieved one principal aim of\neducation; and any school or home training which does not result in\nimplanting this permanent taste has failed in a very important respect.\nGuided and animated by this impulse to acquire knowledge and exercise\nthe imagination through good reading, the adult will continue to\neducate him all through life.\n\nThe story of the human race through all its slow development should be\ngradually conveyed to the child\u2019s mind from the time he begins to read,\nor to listen to his mother reading; and with description of facts and\nactual events should be mingled charming and uplifting products of the\nimagination. To try to feed the minds of children upon facts alone is\nundesirable and unwise. The immense product of the imagination in art\nand literature is a concrete fact with which every educated human being\nshould be made somewhat familiar, that product being a very real part\nof every individual\u2019s actual environment.\n\nThe right selection of reading matter for children is obviously of high\nimportance. Some of the mythologies, Old Testament stories, fairy\ntales, and historical romances, on which earlier generations were\naccustomed to feed the childish mind, contain a great deal that is\nbarbarous, perverse, or cruel; and to this infiltration into children\u2019s\nminds, generation after generation, of immoral, cruel, or foolish ideas\nis probably to be attributed in part the slow ethical progress of the\nrace. The commonest justification of this thoughtless practice is that\nchildren do not apprehend the evil in the bad mental pictures with\nwhich we foolishly supply them; but what should we think of a mother\nwho gave her children dirty milk or porridge, on the theory that the\nchildren would not assimilate the dirt? Should we be less careful about\nmental and moral food materials? The Junior Classics have been selected\nwith this principle in mind, without losing sight of the fact that\nevery developing human being needs to have a vision of the rough and\nthorny road over which the human race has been slowly advancing during\nthousands of years.\n\nWhoever has committed to memory in childhood such Bible extracts as\nGenesis i, the Ten Commandments, Psalm xxiii, Matthew v, 8-12, The\nLord\u2019s Prayer, and I Corinthians xiii, such English prose as Lincoln\u2019s\nGettysburg speech, Bacon\u2019s \u201cEssay on Truth,\u201d and such poems as Bryant\u2019s\n\u201cWaterfowl,\u201d Addison\u2019s \u201cDivine Ode,\u201d Milton\u2019s Sonnet on his Blindness,\nWotton\u2019s \u201cHow happy is he born or taught,\u201d Emerson\u2019s \u201cRhodora,\u201d\nHolmes\u2019s \u201cChambered Nautilus,\u201d and Gray\u2019s Elegy, and has stamped them\non his brain by frequent repetition, will have set up in his mind high\nstandards of noble thought and feeling, true patriotism, and pure\nreligion. He will also have laid in an invaluable store of good\nEnglish.\n\nWhile the majority of the tales and poems are intended for children who\nhave begun to do their own reading, there will be found in every volume\nselections fit for reading aloud to younger children. Throughout the\ncollection the authors tell the stories in their own words; so that the\nsalt which gave them savor is preserved. There are some condensations\nhowever, such as any good teller of borrowed stories would make; but as\na rule condensation has been applied only in the case of long works\nwhich otherwise could not have been included. The notes which precede\nthe condensations supply explanations, and answer questions which\nexperience has shown boys and girls are apt to ask about the works\ncondensed or their authors.\n\nThe Junior Classics constitute a set of books whose contents will\ndelight children and at the same time satisfy the legitimate ethical\nrequirements of those who have the children\u2019s best interests at heart.\n\nCharles W. Eliot\n\nNOTE\n\n\nNotices of copyright on material used in these volumes appear on the\nback of the title pages of the particular volumes in which the stories\nare printed. A complete list of acknowledgments to authors and\npublishers, for their kind permission to use copyrighted material, is\ngiven on pages 3 to 6 of Volume Ten.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n INTRODUCTION                                    Charles, W. Eliot\n PREFACE                                         William Patten\n \nTALES OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS\n Manabozho                                       H. R. Schoolcraft\n Why the Diver Duck Has So Few Tail Feathers     H. R. Schoolcraft\n Manabozho Changed to Wolf                       H. R. Schoolcraft\n Why the Woodpecker has Red Feathers             H. R. Schoolcraft\n Manabozho is Robbed                             H. R. Schoolcraft\n Manabozho and the Woodpeckers                   H. R. Schoolcraft\n The Boy and the Wolves                          Andrew Lang\n The Indian Who Lost His Wife                    Andrew Lang\n \nTALES FROM INDIA\n Punchkin       E. Frere\n The Sun, Moon and Wind                          E. Frere\n Why the Fish Laughed                            Joseph Jacob\n The Farmer and Money Lender                     Joseph Jacob\n Pride Goeth Before a Fall                       Joseph Jacob\n The Wicked Sons                                 Joseph Jacob\n Tiger, Brahman, and Jackal                      Flora Annie Steel\n The Lambikin                                    Flora Annie Steel\n The Rat\u2019s Wedding                               Flora Annie Steel\n The Jackal and the Partridge                    Flora Annie Steel\n The Jackal and the Crocodile                    Flora Annie Steel\n The Jackal and the Iguana                       Flora Annie Steel\n The Bear\u2019s Bad Bargain                          Flora Annie Steel\n The Thief and the Fox                           Ramaswami Raju\n The Farmer and the Fox                          Ramaswami Raju\n The Fools and the Drum                          Ramaswami Raju\n The Lion and the Goat                           Ramaswami Raju\n The Glowworm and Jackdaw                        Ramaswami Raju\n The Camel and the Pig                           Ramaswami Raju\n The Dog and the Dog Dealer                      Ramaswami Raju\n The Tiger, Fox, and Hunters                     Ramaswami Raju\n The Sea, the Fox, and the Wolf                  Ramaswami Raju\n The Fox in the Well                             Ramaswami Raju\n \nTALES FROM THE NORSELAND\n Ashiepattle                                     P. C. Asbj\u00f6rnsen\n The Squire\u2019s Bride                              P. C. Asbj\u00f6rnsen\n The Doll in the Grass                           P. C. Asbj\u00f6rnsen\n The Bear and the Fox                            P. C. Asbj\u00f6rnsen\n The Lad Who Went to the North Wind              Sir George W. Dasent\n The Husband Who Was to Mind the House           Sir George W. Dasent\n How One Went Out to Woo                         Sir George W. Dasent\n Why the Bear is Stumpy-Tailed                   Sir George W. Dasent\n Boots and the Princess                          Sir George W. Dasent\n The Witch in the Stone Boat                     Andrew Lang\n \nTALES FROM FRANCE, SPAIN, AND POLAND\n The Snuffbox                                    Paul S\u00e9billot\n The Golden Blackbird                            Paul S\u00e9billot\n The Half-Chick                                  Andrew Lang\n The Three Brothers                              Hermann R. Kletke\n The Glass Mountain                              Hermann R. Kletke\n \nTALES FROM RUSSIA\n Huntsman the Unlucky                            John T. Naak\u00e9\n Story of Little Simpleton                       John T. Naak\u00e9\n The Golden Fish                                 Lillian M. Gask\n \nTALES FROM SERBIA\n The Wonderful Hair                              W.S. Karajich\n The Language of Animals                         W.S. Karajich\n The Emperor Trojan\u2019s Ears                       W.S. Karajich\n The Maiden Who Was Wiser Than the King          W.S. Karajich\n \nAN IRISH TALE\n The Three Sons                                  Lady Gregory\n \nTALES FROM CHINA AND JAPAN\n Hok Lee and the Dwarfs                          Andrew Lang\n A Dreadful Boar                                 Adele M. Fielde\n The Five Queer Brothers                         Adele M. Fielde\n The Accomplished Teakettle                      A.B. Mitford\n Adventures of Little Peachling                  A.B. Mitford\n \nA TALE FROM NEW GUINEA\n The Two Lizards                                 Annie Ker\n \nA TALE FROM JAMAICA\n De King and De Peafowl                          Mary P. Milne-Horne\n \nSOME OLD FAVORITES\n Hansel and Grethel                              W. and J. Grimm\n Thumbling                                       W. and J. Grimm\n The Six Swans                                   W. and J. Grimm\n Snow-White and Rose-Red                         W. and J. Grimm\n The Ugly Duckling                               Hans C. Andersen\n The Tinder-Box                                  Hans C. Andersen\n The Constant Tin Soldier                        Hans C. Andersen\n The Fir Tree                                    Hans C. Andersen\n The Flying Trunk                                Hans C. Andersen\n The Darning Needle                              Hans C. Andersen\n Pen and Inkstand                                Hans C. Andersen\n Cinderella                                      Miss Mulock\n Little Red Riding-Hood                          Charles Perrault\n The Story of the Three Bears                    Robert Southey\n Puss in Boots                                   Charles Perrault\n Jack the Giant-Killer                           Joseph Jacobs\n Tom Thumb                                       Joseph Jacobs\n Blue Beard                                      Charles Perrault\n The Brave Little Tailor                         Anonymous\n The Sleeping Beauty                             Charles Perrault\n The Fair One With Golden Locks                  Miss Mulock\n Beauty and the Beast                            Mme. d\u2019Aulnoy\n Jack and the Beanstalk                          Anonymous\n Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb                                 Joseph Jacobs\n The Goose-Girl                                  Anonymous\n He Who Knew Not Fear                            Anonymous\n \nTHE FABLES OF \u00c6SOP\n The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse            \u00c6sop\n The Man, Boy, and Donkey                        \u00c6sop\n The Shepherd\u2019s Boy                              \u00c6sop\n Androcles                                       \u00c6sop\n The Fox and the Stork                           \u00c6sop\n The Crow and the Pitcher                        \u00c6sop\n The Frogs Desiring a King                       \u00c6sop\n The Frog and the Ox                             \u00c6sop\n The Cock and the Pearl                          \u00c6sop\n The Fox Without a Tail                          \u00c6sop\n The Fox and the Cat                             \u00c6sop\n The Dog in the Manger                           \u00c6sop\n The Fox and the Goat                            \u00c6sop\n Belling the Cat                                 \u00c6sop\n The Jay and the Peacock                         \u00c6sop\n The Ass and the Lap-Dog                         \u00c6sop\n The Ant and the Grasshopper                     \u00c6sop\n The Woodman and the Serpent                     \u00c6sop\n The Milkmaid and Her Pail                       \u00c6sop\n The Lion and the Mouse                          \u00c6sop\n Hercules and the Waggoner                       \u00c6sop\n The Lion\u2019s Share                                \u00c6sop\n The Fox and the Crow                            \u00c6sop\n The Dog and the Shadow                          \u00c6sop\n The Wolf and the Lamb                           \u00c6sop\n The Bat, Birds, and Beasts                      \u00c6sop\n The Belly and the Members                       \u00c6sop\n The Fox and the Grapes                          \u00c6sop\n The Swallow and the Birds                       \u00c6sop\n\n\n\n\nILLUSTRATIONS\n\n\nHE OFTEN TREMBLED AT WHAT HE HEARD AND SAW, Manabozho the\nMischief-Maker, Frontispiece illustration in color from the painting by\nDan Sayre Groesbeck\n\nWHILE THEY WERE STUPIDLY STARING, THE KETTLE BEGAN FLYING ABOUT THE\nROOM, The Accomplished and Lucky Teakettle, From the painting by\nWarwick Goble\n\nA VERY OLD WOMAN, WALKING UPON CRUTCHES, CAME OUT, Hansel and Grethel,\nFrom the painting by Arthur Rackham\n\nTHEN BLUE BEARD BAWLED OUT SO LOUD THAT HE MADE THE WHOLE HOUSE\nTREMBLE, Blue Beard, From the painting by Edmund Dulac\n\nBEING INFORMED OF EVERYTHING BY A LITTLE DWARF WHO WORE SEVEN-LEAGUE\nBOOTS, Sleeping Beauty, From the painting by Edmund Dulac\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n\nThere are some things in this world we can get along without, but, the\nexperience of many thousand years has shown us that the fairy tale is\nnot one of them. There must have been fairy tales (or fables, or folk\ntales, or myths, or whatever name we choose to give them) ever since\nthe world began. They are not exclusively French, German, Greek,\nRussian, Indian or Chinese, but are the common property of the whole\nhuman family and are as universal as human speech.\n\nAll the world over, fairy tales are found to be pretty much the same.\nThe story of Cinderella is found in all countries. Japan has a Rip Van\nWinkle, China has a Beauty and the Beast, Egypt has a Puss in Boots,\nand Persia has a Jack and the Beanstalk.\n\nThose wise people who have made a careful study of literature, and\nespecially of what we call folk tales or fairy tales or fables or\nmyths, tell us that they all typify in some way the constant struggle\nthat is going on in every department of life. It may be the struggle of\nSummer against Winter, the bright Day against dark Night, Innocence\nagainst Cruelty, of Knowledge against Ignorance. We are not obliged to\nthink of these delightful stories as each having a meaning. Our\nenjoyment of them will not be less if we overlook that side, but it may\nhelp us to understand and appreciate good books if we remember that the\nliterature of the world is the story of man\u2019s struggle against nature;\nthat the beginnings of literature came out of the mouths of\nstory-tellers, and that the stories they told were fairy\ntales\u2014imaginative stories based on truth.\n\nThere is one important fact to remember in connection with the old\nfairy tales, and that is that they were repeated aloud from memory, not\nread from a book or manuscript.\n\nThe printing of books from type may be said to date from the year 1470,\nwhen Caxton introduced printing into England. It is said that the first\nbook printed in English which had the pages numbered was a book of\ntales, \u201c\u00c6sop\u2019s Fables.\u201d\n\nAs late as 1600 printed books were still so rare that only rich men\ncould own them. There was one other way of printing a story\u2014on\nsheepskin (split and made into parchment) with a pen\u2014but that was a\nlong and laborious art that could only be practiced by educated men who\nhad been taught to write. The monks were about the only men who had the\nnecessary education and time, and they cared more for making copies of\nthe Bible and Lives of the Saints than they did of fairy tales. The\ncommon people, and even kings and queens, were therefore obliged to\ndepend upon the professional story-teller.\n\nFairy tales were very popular in the Middle Ages. In the long winter\nmonths fields could not be cultivated, traveling had to be abandoned,\nand all were kept within doors by the cold and snow. We know what the\nknight\u2019s house looked like in those days. The large beamed hall or\nliving room was the principal room. At one end of it, on a low\nplatform, was a table for the knight, his family, and any visiting\nknights and ladies. At the other tables on the main floor were the\narmed men, like squires and retainers, who helped defend the castle\nfrom attack, and the maids of the household.\n\nThe story-teller, who was sometimes called a bard or skald or minstrel,\nhad his place of honor in the center of the room, and when the meal was\nover he was called upon for a story. These story-tellers became very\nexpert in the practice of their art, and some of them could arouse\ntheir audiences to a great pitch of excitement. In the note that\nprecedes the story \u201cThe Treason of Ganelon,\u201d in the volume \u201cHeroes and\nHeroines of Chivalry,\u201d you can see how one of these story-tellers, or\nminstrels, sang aloud a story to the soldiers of William the Conqueror\nto encourage them as he led them into battle.\n\nThe fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm were first published in\n1812. They spent thirteen years collecting them, writing them down as\nthey were told by the peasants in Hesse, a mountainous province of\nGermany lying far removed from the great main roads.\n\nTheir friends helped them, but their best friend was the wife of a\ncowherd, a strong, intelligent woman of fifty, who had a perfect genius\nfor storytelling. She knew she told the stories well, and that not many\nhad her gift. The Grimms said that though she repeated a story for them\nthree times, the variations were so slight as to be hardly apparent.\n\nThe American Indian stories of Manabozho the Mischief-Maker and his\nadventures with the Wolf and the Woodpeckers and the Ducks were\ncollected in very much the same way by Henry R. Schoolcraft\n(1793\u20131864), the explorer and traveler, who lived among the Indian\ntribes for thirty years.\n\nMrs. Steel has told us how she collected her Hindu stories, often\nlistening over and over to poor story-tellers who would spoil a story\nin trying to tell it, until one day her patience would be rewarded by\nhearing it from the lips of the best storyteller in the village, who\nwas generally a boy.\n\nAs all nations have their fairy tales, you will find in this collection\nexamples of English, Irish, French, German, Scandinavian, Icelandic,\nRussian, Polish, Serbian, Spanish, Arabian, Hindu, Chinese, and\nJapanese fairy tales, as well as those recited around the lodge fires\nat night by American Indians for the entertainment of the red children\nof the West.\n\nI hope the work may prove for many a boy and girl (of any age up to a\nhundred) the Golden Bridge over which they can plunge into that\nmarvelous world of fairies, elves, goblins, kobolds, trolls, afreets,\njinns, ogres, and giants that fascinates us all, lost to this world\ntill some one wakes us up to say \u201cBedtime!\u201d\n\nSuch excursions fill the mind with beautiful fancies and help to\ndevelop that most precious of our faculties, the imagination.\n\nWILLIAM PATTEN.\n\n\n\n\nMANABOZHO, THE MISCHIEF-MAKER\n\n\nAdapted from H. R. Schoolcraft\n\n\nThere was never in the whole world a more mischievous busybody than\nthat notorious giant Manabozho. He was everywhere, in season and out of\nseason, running about, and putting his hand in whatever was going\nforward.\n\nTo carry on his game he could take almost any shape he pleased. He\ncould be very foolish or very wise, very weak or very strong, very rich\nor very poor\u2014just as happened to suit his humor best. Whatever anyone\nelse could do, he would attempt without a moment\u2019s reflection. He was a\nmatch for any man he met, and there were few manitoes* (*good spirits\nor evil spirits) that could get the better of him. By turns he would be\nvery kind or very cruel, an animal or a bird, a man or a spirit, and\nyet, in spite of all these gifts, Manabozho was always getting himself\ninvolved in all sorts of troubles. More than once, in the course of his\nadventures, was this great maker of mischief driven to his wits\u2019 ends\nto come off with his life.\n\nTo begin at the beginning, Manabozho, while yet a youngster, was living\nwith his grandmother near the edge of a great prairie. It was on this\nprairie that he first saw animals and birds of every kind; he also\nthere made first acquaintance with thunder and lightning. He would sit\nby the hour watching the clouds as they rolled by, musing on the shades\nof light and darkness as the day rose and fell.\n\nFor a stripling, Manabozho was uncommonly wide-awake. Every sight he\nbeheld in the heavens was a subject of remark, every new animal or bird\nan object of deep interest, and every sound was like a new lesson which\nhe was expected to learn. He often trembled at what he heard and saw.\n\nThe first sound he heard was that of the owl, at which he was greatly\nterrified, and, quickly descending the tree he had climbed, he ran with\nalarm to the lodge. \u201cNoko! noko! grandmother!\u201d he cried. \u201cI have heard\na monedo.\u201d\n\nShe laughed at his fears, and asked him what kind of a noise it made.\nHe answered. \u201cIt makes a noise like this: ko-ko-ko-ho!\u201d\n\nHis grandmother told him he was young and foolish; that what he heard\nwas only a bird which derived its name from the peculiar noise it made.\n\nHe returned to the prairie and continued his watch. As he stood there\nlooking at the clouds he thought to himself, \u201cIt is singular that I am\nso simple and my grandmother so wise; and that I have neither father\nnor mother. I have never heard a word about them. I must ask and find\nout.\u201d\n\nHe went home and sat down, silent and dejected. Finding that this did\nnot attract the notice of his grandmother, he began a loud lamentation,\nwhich he kept increasing, louder and louder, till it shook the lodge\nand nearly deafened the old grandmother.\n\n\u201cManabozho, what is the matter with you?\u201d she said, \u201cyou are making a\ngreat deal of noise.\u201d\n\nManabozho started off again with his doleful hubbub, but succeeded in\njerking out between his big sobs, \u201cI haven\u2019t got any father nor mother,\nI haven\u2019t.\u201d\n\nKnowing that he was of a wicked and revengeful nature, his grandmother\ndreaded to tell him the story of his parentage, as she knew he would\nmake trouble of it.\n\nManabozho renewed his cries and managed to throw out for a third or\nfourth time, his sorrowful lament that he was a poor unfortunate who\nhad no parents or relatives.\n\nAt last she said to him, to quiet him, \u201cYes, you have a father and\nthree brothers living. Your mother is dead. She was taken for a wife by\nyour father, the West, without the consent of her parents. Your\nbrothers are the North, East, and South; and being older than you your\nfather has given them great power with the winds, according to their\nnames. You are the youngest of his children. I have nursed you from\nyour infancy, for your mother died when you were born.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am glad my father is living,\u201d said Manabozho, \u201cI shall set out in\nthe morning to visit him.\u201d\n\nHis grandmother would have discouraged him, saying it was a long\ndistance to the place where his father, Ningabinn, or the West, lived.\n\nThis information seemed rather to please than to discourage Manabozho,\nfor by this time he had grown to such a size and strength that he had\nbeen compelled to leave the narrow shelter of his grandmother\u2019s lodge\nand live out of doors. He was so tall that, if he had been so disposed,\nhe could have snapped off the heads of the birds roosting on the\ntopmost branches of the highest trees, as he stood up, without being at\nthe trouble to climb. And if he had at any time taken a fancy to one of\nthe same trees for a walking stick, he would have had no more to do\nthan to pluck it up with his thumb and finger and strip down the leaves\nand twigs with the palm of his hand.\n\nBidding good-by to his old grandmother, who pulled a very long face\nover his departure, Manabozho set out at a great pace, for he was able\nto stride from one side of a prairie to the other at a single step.\n\nHe found his father on a high mountain far in the west. His father\nespied his approach at a great distance, and bounded down the\nmountainside several miles to give him welcome. Apparently delighted\nwith each other, they reached in two or three of their giant paces the\nlodge of the West which stood high up near the clouds.\n\nThey spent some days in talking with each other\u2014for these two great\npersons did nothing on a small scale, and a whole day to deliver a\nsingle sentence, such was the immensity of their discourse, was quite\nan ordinary affair.\n\nOne evening Manabozho asked his father what he was most afraid of on\nearth.\n\nHe replied\u2014\u201cNothing.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut is there nothing you dread here\u2014nothing that would hurt you if you\ntook too much of it? Come, tell me.\u201d\n\nManabozho was very urgent, so at last his father said: \u201cYes, there is a\nblack stone to be found a couple of hundred miles from here, over that\nway,\u201d pointing as he spoke. \u201cIt is the only thing on earth I am afraid\nof, for if it should happen to hit me on any part of my body it would\nhurt me very much.\u201d The West made this important circumstance known to\nManabozho in the strictest confidence.\n\n\u201cNow you will not tell anyone, Manabozho, that the black stone is bad\nmedicine for your father, will you?\u201d he added. \u201cYou are a good son, and\nI know you will keep it to yourself. Now tell me, my darling boy, is\nthere not something that you don\u2019t like?\u201d\n\nManabozho answered promptly\u2014\u201cNothing.\u201d\n\nHis father, who was of a steady and persevering nature, put the same\nquestion to him seventeen times, and each time Manabozho made the same\nanswer\u2014\u201cNothing.\u201d\n\nBut the West insisted\u2014\u201cThere must be something you are afraid of.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I will tell you,\u201d said Manabozho, \u201cwhat it is.\u201d\n\nHe made an effort to speak, but it seemed to be too much for him.\n\n\u201cOut with it,\u201d said the West, fetching Manabozho such a blow on the\nback as shook the mountain with its echo.\n\n\u201cJe-ee, je-ee\u2014it is,\u201d said Manabozho, apparently in great pain. \u201cYes,\nyes! I cannot name it, I tremble so.\u201d\n\nThe West told him to banish his fears, and to speak up; no one would\nhurt him.\n\nManabozho began again, and he would have gone over the same\nmake-believe of pain, had not his father, whose strength he knew was\nmore than a match for his own, threatened to pitch him into a river\nabout five miles off. At last he cried out:\n\n\u201cFather, since you will know, it is the root of the bulrush.\u201d He who\ncould with perfect ease spin a sentence a whole day long, seemed to be\nexhausted by the effort of pronouncing that one word, \u201cbulrush.\u201d\n\nSome time after Manabozho observed: \u201cI will get some of the black rock,\nmerely to see how it looks.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the father, \u201cI will also get a little of the bulrush root,\nto learn how it tastes.\u201d\n\nThey were both double-dealing with each other, and in their hearts\ngetting ready for some desperate work. They had no sooner separated for\nthe evening than Manabozho was striding off the couple of hundred miles\nnecessary to bring him to the place where the black rock was to be\nprocured, while down the other side of the mountain hurried Ningabinn,\nthe West.\n\nAt the break of day they each appeared at the great level on the\nmountain-top, Manabozho with twenty loads, at least, of the black\nstone, on one side, and on the other the West, with a whole meadow of\nbulrush in his arms.\n\nManabozho was the first to strike\u2014hurling a great piece of the black\nrock, which struck the West directly between the eyes, and he returned\nthe favor with a blow of bulrush that rung over the shoulders of\nManabozho, far and wide, like the long lash of the lightning among the\nclouds.\n\nFirst one and then the other, Manabozho poured in a tempest of black\nrock, while the West discharged a shower of bulrush. Blow upon blow,\nthwack upon thwack\u2014they fought hand to hand until black rock and\nbulrush were all gone. Then they betook themselves to hurling crags at\neach other, cudgeling with huge oak trees, and defying each other from\none mountain top to another; while at times they shot enormous boulders\nof granite across at each other\u2019s heads, as though they had been mere\njackstones. The battle, which had commenced on the mountains, had\nextended far west. The West was forced to give ground. Manabozho\npressing on, drove him across rivers and mountains, ridges and lakes,\ntill at last he got him to the very brink of the world.\n\n\u201cHold!\u201d cried the West. \u201cMy son, you know my power, and although I\nallow I am now fairly out of breath, it is impossible to kill me. Stop\nwhere you are, and I will also portion you out with as much power as\nyour brothers. The four quarters of the globe are already occupied, but\nyou can go and do a great deal of good to the people of the earth,\nwhich is beset with serpents, beasts and monsters, who make great havoc\nof human life. Go and do good, and if you put forth half the strength\nyou have to-day, you will acquire a name that will last forever. When\nyou have finished your work I will have a place provided for you. You\nwill then go and sit with your brother, Kabinocca, in the north.\u201d\n\nManabozho gave his father his hand upon this agreement. And parting\nfrom. him, he returned to his own grounds, where he lay for some time\nsore of his wounds.\n\n\n\n\nWHY THE DIVER DUCK HAS SO FEW TAIL FEATHERS\n\n\nAdapted from H. R. Schoolcraft\n\nHaving overcome the powerful Pearl Feather, killed his serpents and\nescaped all is wiles and charms, the heart of Manabozho welled within\nhim. An unconquerable desire for further adventures seized upon him. He\nhad won in a great fight on land, so he determined his next success\nshould come to him from the water.\n\nHe tried his luck as a fisherman and with such success that he captured\nan enormous fish, a fish so rich in fat that with the oil Manabozho was\nable to form a small lake. Wishing to be generous, and at the same time\nhaving a cunning plan of his own, he invited all the birds and beasts\nof his acquaintance to come and feast upon the oil, telling them that\nthe order in which they partook of the banquet would decide how fat\neach was to be for all time to come.\n\nAs fast as they arrived he told them to plunge in and help themselves.\n\nThe first to make his appearance was the bear, who took a long and\nsteady draft; then came the deer, the opossum, and such others of the\nfamily as are noted for their comfortable covering. The moose and the\nbuffalo were late in arriving on the scene, and the partridge, always\nlean in flesh, looked on till the supply was nearly gone. There was not\na drop left by the time the hare and the marten appeared on the shore\nof the lake, and they are, in consequence, the slenderest of all\ncreatures.\n\nWhen this ceremony was over Manabozho suggested to his friends, the\nassembled birds and animals, that the occasion was proper for a little\nmerrymaking; and taking up his drum he cried out:\n\n\u201cNew songs from the South! Come, brothers, dance!\u201d\n\nThey all fell in and commenced their rounds. Whenever Manabozho, as he\nstood in the circle, saw a fat fowl which he fancied pass him, he\nadroitly wrung its neck and slipped it under his belt, at the same time\nbeating his drum and singing at the top of his lungs to drown the noise\nof the fluttering, crying out in a tone of admiration:\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s the way, my brothers; that\u2019s the way.\u201d At last a small duck of\nthe diver family, thinking there was something wrong, opened one eye\nand saw what Manabozho was doing. Giving a spring, and crying:\n\u201cHa-ha-a! Manabozho is killing us!\u201d he made a dash for the water.\n\nManabozho was so angry that the creature should have played the spy\nthat he gave chase, and just as the Diver Duck was getting into the\nwater he gave him a kick, which is the reason that the diver\u2019s tail\nfeathers are few, his back flattened, and his legs straightened out, so\nthat when he is seen walking on land he makes a sorry looking figure.\n\nThe other birds, having no ambition to be thrust in Manabozho\u2019s belt,\nflew off, and the animals scampered into the woods.\n\n\n\n\nMANAIBOZHO IS CHANGED INTO A WOLF\n\n\nAdapted from H. R. Schoolcraft\n\nOne evening, as Manabozho was walking along the shore of a great lake,\nweary and hungry, he met a great magician in the form of an Old Wolf,\nwith six young ones, coming toward him.\n\nThe Wolf no Sooner caught sight of him than he told his whelps, who\nwere close beside him, to keep out of the way of Manabozho, \u201cFor I\nknow,\u201d he said, \u201cthat it is that mischievous fellow whom we see\nyonder.\u201d\n\nThe young wolves were in the act of running off when Manabozho cried\nout, \u201cMy grandchildren, where are you going? Stop and I will go with\nyou. I wish to have a little chat with your excellent father.\u201d\n\nSaying which, he advanced and greeted the Old Wolf, expressing himself\nas delighted at seeing him looking so well. \u201cWhither do you journey?\u201d\nhe asked.\n\n\u201cWe are looking for a good hunting-ground to pass the winter,\u201d the Old\nWolf answered. \u201cWhat brings you here?\u201d\n\n\u201cI was looking for you,\u201d said Manabozho. \u201cFor I have a passion for the\nchase, brother. I always admired your family; are you willing to change\nme into a wolf?\u201d\n\nThe Wolf gave him a favorable answer, and he was forthwith changed into\na wolf.\n\n\u201cWell, that will do,\u201d said Manabozho. \u201cBut,\u201d he said, looking at his\ntail, \u201ccould you oblige me by making my tail a little longer and more\nbushy, just a little more bushy?\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d said the Old Wolf; and he straightway gave Manabozho such\na length and spread of tail that it was continually getting between his\nlegs, and it was so heavy that it was as much as he could do to carry\nit. But, having asked for it, he was ashamed to say a word, and they\nall started off in company, dashing up the ravine.\n\nAfter getting into the woods for some distance they ran across the\ntracks of moose. The young ones scampered off in pursuit, the Old Wolf\nand Manabozho following at their leisure.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the Old Wolf, by way of starting the conversation, \u201cwho do\nyou think is the fastest of the boys? Can you tell by the jumps they\ntake?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy,\u201d he replied, \u201cthat one that takes such long jumps, he is surely\nthe fastest.\u201d\n\n\u201cHa! ha! you are mistaken,\u201d said the Old Wolf. \u201cHe makes a good start,\nbut he will be the first to tire out; this one who appears to be behind\nwill be the one to kill the game.\u201d\n\nBy this time they had come to the spot where the boys had started in\nchase. One had dropped what seemed to be a small medicine-sack, which\nhe carried for the use of the hunting party.\n\n\u201cTake that, Manabozho,\u201d said the Old Wolf.\n\n\u201cWhy, what will I do with a dirty dog skin?\u201d\n\nThe Old Wolf took it up; it was a beautiful robe.\n\n\u201cOh, I will carry it now,\u201d cried Manabozho.\n\n\u201cOh, no,\u201d said the Wolf, who had used his magical powers, \u201cit is a robe\nof pearls. Come along!\u201d And away he sped at a great rate of speed.\n\n\u201cNot so fast,\u201d called Manabozho after him; and then he added to himself\nas he panted after, \u201cOh, this tail!\u201d\n\nComing to a place where the moose had lain down, they saw that the\nyoung wolves had made a fresh start after their prey. \u201cWhy,\u201d said the\nOld Wolf, \u201cthis moose is thin. I know by the tracks. I can always tell\nwhether they are fat or not.\u201d A little farther on, one of the young\nwolves, in dashing at the moose, had broken a tooth on a tree.\n\n\u201cManabozho,\u201d said the Old Wolf, \u201cone of your grandchildren has shot at\nthe game. Take his arrow; there it is.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d replied Manabozho, \u201cwhat will I do with a dirty dog\u2019s tooth?\u201d\n\nThe Old Wolf took it up, and behold it was a beautiful silver arrow.\n\nWhen they at last overtook them, they found that the youngsters had\nkilled a very fat moose. Manabozho was very hungry, but the Old Wolf\njust then again exerted his magical powers, and Manabozho saw nothing\nbut the bones picked quite clean. He thought to himself, \u201cJust as I\nexpected; dirty, greedy fellows. If it had not been for this log at my\nback I should have been in time to have got a mouthful\u201d; and he cursed\nthe bushy tail which he carried to the bottom of his heart.\n\nThe Old Wolf finally called out to one of the young ones, \u201cGive some\nmeat to your grandfather.\u201d\n\nOne of them obeyed, and coming near to Manabozho he presented him the\nend of his own bushy tail, which was now nicely seasoned with burs\ngathered in the course of the hunt. Manabozho jumped up and called out:\n\u201cYou dog, do you think I am going to eat you?\u201d And he walked off in\nanger.\n\n\u201cCome back brother,\u201d cried the Wolf. \u201cYou are losing your eyes. You do\nthe child injustice. Look there!\u201d and behold a heap of fresh meat was\nlying on the spot, all prepared.\n\nManabozho turned back, and at the sight of so much good food put on a\nsmiling face. \u201cWonderful!\u201d he said, \u201chow fine the meat is!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d replied the Old Wolf, \u201cit is always so with us; we know our work\nand always get the best. It is not a long tail that makes the hunter.\u201d\n\nManabozho bit his lip.\n\n\n\n\nWHY THE WOODPECKER HAS RED HEAD FEATHERS\n\n\nAdapted from H. R. Schoolcraft\n\nWhen his wounds had all been cured by his grandmother\u2019s skill in\nmedicine, Manabozho, as big and sturdy as ever, was ripe for new\nadventures. He set his thoughts immediately upon a war excursion\nagainst the Pearl Feather, a wicked old manito, living on the other\nside of the great lake, who had killed his grandfather.\n\nHe began his preparations by making huge bows and arrows without\nnumber, but he had no arrow heads. At last his grandmother, Noko, told\nhim that an old man who lived at some distance could furnish him with\nsome, and he sent her to get them. Though she returned with her wrapper\nfull, he told her that he had not enough and sent her again for more.\n\nIn the meanwhile he thought to himself, \u201cI must find out the way of\nmaking these heads.\u201d\n\nInstead of directly asking how it was done, he preferred\u2014just like\nManabozho\u2014to deceive his grandmother, in order to learn what he wanted\nby a trick. \u201cNoko,\u201d said he, \u201cwhile I take my drum and rattle, and sing\nmy war songs, do you go and try to get me some larger heads, for these\nyou have brought me are all of the same size. Go and see whether the\nold man is not willing to make some a little larger.\u201d\n\nHe followed her at a distance as she went, having left his drum at the\nlodge, with a great bird tied at the top, whose fluttering wings should\nkeep up the drumbeat, the same as if he were standing there beating the\ndrum himself. He saw the old workman busy, and learned how he prepared\nthe heads; he also beheld the old man\u2019s daughter, who was very\nbeautiful. Manabozho discovered for the first time that he had a heart\nof his own, and the sigh he heaved passed through the arrow maker\u2019s\nlodge like a young gale of wind.\n\n\u201cMy how it blows!\u201d said the old man.\n\n\u201cIt must be from the south, though,\u201d said the daughter, \u201cit is so\nfragrant.\u201d\n\nManabozho slipped away, and in two strides he was at home, shouting\nforth his songs as though he had never left the lodge. He had just time\nto untie the bird which had been beating the drum when his grandmother\ncame in and gave him the big arrowheads.\n\nIn the evening the grandmother said, \u201cMy son, you ought to fast before\nyou go to war, as your brothers do, to find out whether you will be\nsuccessful or not.\u201d\n\nHe said he had no objection. Having privately stored away in a shady\nplace in the forest two or three dozen juicy bears, a moose, and twenty\nstrings of the tenderest birds, he would retire from the lodge so far\nas to be entirely out of view of his grandmother and fall to and enjoy\nhimself heartily. At nightfall, having dispatched a dozen birds and\nhalf a bear or so, he would return, tottering and forlorn, as if quite\nfamished, so as to make his grandmother feel sorry for him.\n\nWhen he had finished his term of fasting, in the course of which he\nslyly dispatched twenty fat bears, six dozen birds, and two fine moose,\nManabozho sung his war song and embarked in his canoe, fully prepared\nfor war.\n\nBesides his weapons he took along a large supply of oil.\n\nHe traveled rapidly night and day, for he had only to will or speak,\nand the canoe went. At length he arrived in sight of the fiery\nserpents, and stopped to study them. He noticed that they were of\nenormous length and of a bright color, that they were some distance\napart, and that the flames which poured forth from the mouths reached\nacross the pass, so he said good morning and began talking with them in\na very friendly way. They were not to be deceived, however.\n\n\u201cWe know you, Manabozho,\u201d they said, \u201cyou cannot pass.\u201d\n\nTurning his canoe as if about to go back, he suddenly cried out with a\nloud and terrified voice: \u201cWHAT IS THAT BEHIND YOU?\u201d\n\nThe serpents thrown off their guard, instantly turned their heads, and\nin a moment Manabozho glided silently past them.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said he, softly, after he had got by, \u201chow about it?\u201d\n\nHe then took up his bow and arrows, and with deliberate aim shot every\none of them easily, for the serpents were fixed to one spot and could\nnot even turn around.\n\nHaving thus escaped the sentinel serpents, Manabozho pushed on in his\ncanoe until he came to a part of the lake called Pitch-Water, as\nwhatever touched it was sure to stick fast.\n\nBut Manabozho was prepared with his oil and, rubbing his canoe freely\nwith it, from end to end, he slipped through with ease\u2014and he was the\nfirst person who had ever succeeded in passing through the Pitch-Water.\n\n\u201cNothing like a little oil,\u201d said Manabozho to himself.\n\nHaving by this time come in view of land, he could see the lodge of the\nShining Manito, high upon a distant hill. At the dawn of day he put his\nclubs and arrows in order and began his attack, yelling and shouting\nand beating his drum, and calling out so as to make it appear that he\nhad many followers:\n\n\u201cSurround him! surround him! run up! run up!\u201d\n\nHe stalked bravely forward, shouting aloud, \u201cIt was you that killed my\ngrandfather,\u201d and shot off a whole forest of arrows.\n\nThe Pearl Feather appeared on the height, blazing like the sun, and\npaid back Manabozho with a tempest of bolts which rattled like hail.\n\nAll day long the fight was kept up, and Manabozho had fired all of his\narrows but three without effect, for the Shining Manito was clothed in\npure wampum. It was only by immense leaps to right and left that\nManabozho could save his head from the sturdy blows which fell about\nhim on every side, like pine.trees, from the hands of the Manito. He\nwas badly bruised, and at his very wits\u2019 end, when a large Woodpecker\nflew past and lit on a tree. It was a bird he had known on the prairie,\nnear his grandmother\u2019s lodge.\n\n\u201cManabozho,\u201d called out the Woodpecker, \u201cyour enemy has a weak point;\nshoot at the lock of hair on the crown of his head.\u201d\n\nThe first arrow he shot only drew a few drops of blood. The Manito made\none or two unsteady steps, but recovered himself. He began to parley,\nbut Manabozho, now that he had discovered a way to reach him, was in no\nhumor to trifle, and he let slip another arrow which brought the\nShining Manito to his knees. Having the crown of his head within good\nrange Manabozho shot his third arrow, and the Manito fell forward upon\nthe ground, dead.\n\nManabozho called the Woodpecker to come and receive a reward for the\ntimely hint he had given him, and he rubbed the blood of the Shining\nManito on the Woodpecker\u2019s head, the feathers of which are red to this\nday.\n\nFull of his victory, Manabozho returned home, beating his war drum\nfuriously and shouting aloud his song of triumph. His grandmother was\non the shore to welcome him with the war dance, which she performed\nwith wonderful skill for one so far advanced in years.\n\n\n\n\nMANABOZHO IS ROBBED BY THE WOLVES\n\n\nAdapted from H. R. Schoolcraft\n\nShortly after this the Old Wolf suggested to Manabozho that he should\ngo out and try his luck in hunting by himself. When he chose to put his\nmind to it he was quite expert, and this time he succeeded in killing a\nfine fat moose which he thought he would take aside slyly and devour\nalone.\n\nHe was very hungry and he sat down to eat, but as he never could go to\nwork in a straightforward way, he immediately fell into great doubts as\nto the proper point at which to begin.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said he, \u201cI do not know where to commence. At the head? No,\npeople will laugh, and say, \u2018He ate him backward.\u2019\u201d\n\nHe went to the side. \u201cNo,\u201d said he, \u201cthey will say I ate him sideways.\u201d\n\nHe then went to the hind quarter. \u201cNo, that will not do, either; they\nwill say I ate him forward. I will begin here, say what they will.\u201d\n\nHe took a delicate piece from the small of the back, and was just on\nthe point of putting it to his mouth when a tree close by made a\ncreaking noise. He seemed vexed at the sound. He raised the morsel to\nhis mouth the second time, when the tree creaked again.\n\n\u201cWhy,\u201d he exclaimed, \u201cI cannot eat when I hear such a noise. \u201cStop,\nstop!\u201d he cried to the tree. He put down the morsel of meat,\nexclaiming. \u201cI CANNOT eat with such a noise,\u201d and starting away he\nclimbed the tree and was actually pulling at the limb which had\nbothered him, when his forepaw was caught between the branches so that\nhe could not free himself.\n\nWhile thus held fast he saw a pack of wolves advancing through the wood\nin the direction of his meat. He suspected them to be the Old Wolf and\nhis cubs, but night was coming on and he could not make them out. \u201cGo\nthe other way, go the other Way!\u201d he cried out; \u201cwhat do you expect to\nget here?\u201d\n\nThe Wolves stopped for a while and talked among themselves, and said:\n\u201cManabozho must have something there, or he would not tell us to go\nanother way.\u201d\n\n\u201cI begin to know know him,\u201d said the Old Wolf, \u201cand all his tricks. Let\nus go forward and see.\u201d They came on and, finding the moose soon made\naway with it.\n\nManabozho looked wistfully on while they ate until they were fully\nsatisfied, when off they scampered in high spirits. A heavy blast of\nwind opened the branches finally, and released him. The wolves had left\nnothing but bare bones. He made for home.\n\nWhen he related his mishap, the Old Wolf, taking him by the forepaw,\ncondoled with him deeply on his ill luck. A tear even started to his\neye as he added: \u201cMy brother, this should teach us not to meddle with\npoints of ceremony when we have good meat to eat.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nMANABOZHO AND THE WOODPECKERS\n\n\nAdapted from H. R. Schoolcraft\n\nManabozho lost the greater part of his magical power through letting\nhis young wolf grandson fall through the thin ice and drown. No one\nknew where his grandmother had gone to. He married the arrow maker\u2019s\ndaughter, and became the father of several children, but he was very\npoor and scarcely able to procure a living. His lodge was pitched in a\ndistant part of the country, where he could get no game, and it was\nwinter time. One day he said to his wife, \u201cI will go out walking and\nsee if I can find some lodges.\u201d\n\nAfter walking some time he finally discovered a lodge at a distance.\nThere were children playing at the door, and when they saw him\napproaching they ran in and told their parents Manabozho was coming.\n\nIt was the home of the large Red-Headed Woodpecker. He came to the door\nand asked Manabozho to enter, and the invitation was promptly accepted.\nAfter some time the Woodpecker, who was a magician, said to his wife:\n\u201cHave you nothing to give Manabozho? he must be hungry.\u201d\n\nShe answered, \u201cNo.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe ought not to go without his supper,\u201d said the Woodpecker. \u201cI will\nsee what I can do.\u201d\n\nIn the center of the lodge stood a large tamarack tree. Upon this the\nWoodpecker flew, and commenced going up, turning his head on each side\nof the tree, and every now and then driving in his bill. At last he\npulled something out of the tree and threw it down, when, behold, a\nfine fat raccoon lay on the ground. He drew out six or seven more, and\nthen came down and told his wife to prepare them.\n\n\u201cManabozho,\u201d he said, \u201cthis is the only thing we eat; what else can we\ngive you?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is very good,\u201d replied Manabozho.\n\nThey smoked their pipes and conversed, and after a while Manabozho got\nready to go home, so the Woodpecker said to his wife, \u201cGive him the\nOther raccoons to take home for his children.\u201d\n\nIn the act of leaving the lodge Manabozho on purpose dropped one of his\nmittens, which was soon after observed upon the ground. \u201cRun,\u201d said the\nWoodpecker to his eldest son, \u201cand give it to him; but mind that you do\nnot give it into his hand; throw it at him, for there is no knowing\nwhat he may do, he acts so curiously.\u201d\n\nThe boy did as he was directed. \u201cGrandfather,\u201d he said, as he came up\nto him, \u201cyou have left one of your mittens, and here it is.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d he said, making believe he did not know he had dropped it, \u201cso I\ndid; but don\u2019t throw it, you will get it wet on the snow.\u201d\n\nThe lad, however, threw it, and was about to return when Manabozho\ncried out, \u201cBakah! Bakah! Stop, stop; is that all you eat? Do you eat\nnothing else with your raccoon? Tell me!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, that is all, answered the Young Woodpecker; \u201cwe have nothing\nelse.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell your father,\u201d continued Manabozho, \u201cto come and visit me, and let\nhim bring a sack. I will give him what he shall eat with his raccoon\nmeat.\u201d\n\nWhen the young one returned and reported this message to his father the\nOld Woodpecker turned up his nose at the invitation. \u201cI wonder,\u201d he\nsaid \u201cwhat he thinks he has got, poor fellow!\u201d He was bound, however,\nto answer the offer of hospitality, and he went accordingly, taking\nalong a cedar-sack, to pay a visit to Manabozho.\n\nManabozho received the Old Red-Headed Woodpecker with great ceremony.\nHe had stood at the door awaiting his arrival, and as soon as he came\nin sight Manabozho commenced, while he was yet far off, bowing and\nopening wide his arms, in token of welcome; all of which the Woodpecker\nreturned in due form, by ducking his bill and hopping to right and\nleft, extending his wings to their full length and fluttering them back\nto his breast.\n\nWhen the Woodpecker at last reached the lodge Manabozho made several\nremarks upon the weather, the appearance of the country, and especially\nspoke of the scarcity of game. \u201cBut we,\u201d he added\u2014\u201cwe always have\nenough. Come in, and you shall not go away hungry, my noble birds!\u201d\n\nManabozho had always prided himself on being able to give as good as he\nhad received; and to be up with the Woodpecker he had shifted his lodge\nso as to inclose a large dry tamarack tree.\n\n\u201cWhat can I give you?\u201d said he to the Woodpecker; \u201cas we eat so shall\nyou eat.\u201d\n\nWith this he hopped forward and, jumping on the tamarack tree, he\nattempted to climb it just as he had seen the Woodpecker do in his own\nlodge. He turned his head first on one side and then on the other, as\nthe Woodpecker does, striving to go up the tree, but as often slipping\ndown. Every now and then he would strike the tree with his nose, as if\nit was a bell, and draw back as if to pull something out of the tree,\nbut he pulled out no raccoons. He dashed his nose so often against the\ntrunk that at last the blood began to flow, and he tumbled down\nsenseless on the ground.\n\nThe Woodpecker started up with his drum and rattle to restore him, and\nby beating them violently he succeeded in bringing him to.\n\nAs soon as he came to his senses, Manabozho began to lay the blame of\nhis failure upon his wife, saying to his guest: \u201cNemesho, it is this\nwoman relation of yours\u2014she is the cause of my not succeeding. She has\nmade me a worthless fellow. Before I married her I also could get\nraccoons.\n\nThe Woodpecker said nothing, but flying on the tree he drew out several\nfine raccoons. \u201cHere,\u201d said he, \u201cthis is the way we do\u201d and left him in\ndisdain, carrying his bill high in the air, and stepping over the\ndoorsill as if it were not worthy to be touched by his toes.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOY AND THE WOLVES\n\n\nRetold by Andrew Lang\n\nOnce upon a time an Indian hunter built himself a house in the middle\nof a great forest, far away from all his tribe; for his heart was\ngentle and kind and he was weary of the treachery and cruel deeds of\nthose who had been his friends. So he left them and took his wife and\nthree children, and they journeyed on until they found a spot near to a\nclear stream, where they began to cut down trees and to make ready\ntheir wigwam. For many years they lived peacefully and happily in this\nsheltered place, never leaving it except to hunt the wild animals,\nwhich served them both for food and clothes. At last, however, the\nstrong man fell sick, and before long lie knew he must die. So he\ngathered his family round him and said his last words to them.\n\n\u201cYou, my wife, the companion of my days, will follow me ere many moons\nhave waned to the island of the blessed. But for you, 0 my children,\nwhose lives are but newly begun, the wickedness, unkindness, and\ningratitude from which I fled are before you. Yet I shall go hence in\npeace, my children, if you will promise always to love each other and\nnever to forsake your youngest brother.\u201d\n\n\u201cNever!\u201d they replied, holding out their hands. And the hunter died\ncontent.\n\nScarcely eight moons had passed when, just as he had said, the wife\nwent forth and followed her husband; but before leaving her children\nshe bade the two elder ones think of their promise never to forsake the\nyounger, for he was a child and weak. And while the snow lay thick upon\nthe ground they tended him and cherished him; but when the earth showed\ngreen again the heart of the young man stirred within him, and he\nlonged to see the wigwams of the village where his father\u2019s youth was\nspent.\n\nTherefore he opened all his heart to his sister, who answered: \u201cMy\nbrother, I understand your longing for our fellow-men, whom here we\ncannot see. But remember our father\u2019s words. Shall we not seek our own\npleasures and forget the little one?\u201d\n\nBut he would not listen, and, making no reply, he took his bow and\narrows and left the hut. The snows fell and melted, yet he never\nreturned, and at last the heart of the girl grew cold and hard and her\nlittle boy became a burden in her eyes, till one day she spoke thus to\nhim: \u201cSee, there is food for many days to come. Stay here within the\nshelter of the hut. I go to seek our brother, and when I have found him\nI shall return hither.\u201d\n\nBut when, after hard journeying, she reached the village where her\nbrother dwelt and saw that he had a wife and was happy, and when she,\ntoo, was sought by a young brave, then she also forgot the boy alone in\nthe forest and thought only of her husband.\n\nNow as soon as the little boy had eaten all the food which his sister\nhad left him, he went out into the woods and gathered berries and dug\nup roots, and while the sun shone he was contented and had his fill.\nBut when the snows began and the wind howled, then his stomach felt\nempty and his limbs cold, and he hid in trees all the night and only\ncrept out to eat what the wolves had left behind. And by and by, having\nno other friends, he sought their company, and sat by while they\ndevoured their prey, and they grew to know him and gave him food. And\nwithout them he would have died in the snow. But at last the snows\nmelted and the ice upon the great lake, and as the wolves went down to\nthe shore the boy went after them. And it happened one day that his big\nbrother was fishing in his canoe near the shore, and he heard the voice\nof a child singing in the Indian tone:\n\n\u201cMy brother, my brother!\nI am becoming a wolf,\nI am becoming a wolf!\u201d\n\n\nAnd when he had so sung he howled as wolves howl. Then the heart of the\nelder sank and he hastened toward him, crying: \u201cBrother, little\nbrother, come to me;\u201d but he, being half a wolf, only continued his\nsong. And the louder the elder called him, \u201cBrother, little brother,\ncome to me,\u201d the swifter he fled after his brothers the wolves and the\nheavier grew his skin, till, with a long howl, he vanished into the\ndepths of the forest.\n\nSo, with shame and anguish in his soul, the elder brother went back to\nhis village, and with his sister mourned the little boy and the broken\npromise till the end of his life.\n\n\n\n\nTHE INDIAN WHO LOST HIS WIFE\n\n\nRetold by Andrew Lang\n\nOnce upon a time there was a man and his wife who lived in the forest\nfar from the rest of the tribe. Very often they spent the day in\nhunting together, but after awhile the wife found that she had so many\nthings to do that she was obliged to stay at home; so he went alone,\nthough he found that when his wife was not with him he never had any\nluck. One day, when he was away hunting, the woman fell ill, and in a\nfew days she died. Her husband grieved bitterly and buried her in the\nhouse where she had passed her life; but as the time went on he felt so\nlonely without her that he made a wooden doll about her height amid\nsize for company and dressed it in her clothes. He seated it in front\nof the fire and tried to think he had his wife back again. The next day\nhe went out to hunt, and when he came home the first thing he did was\nto go up to the doll and brush off some of the ashes from the fire\nwhich had fallen on its face. But he was very busy now, for he had to\ncook and mend, besides getting food, for there was no one to help him.\nAnd so a whole year passed away.\n\nAt the end of that time he came back from hunting one night and found\nsome wood by the door and a fire within. The next night there was not\nonly wood and fire, but a piece of meat in the kettle, nearly ready for\neating. He searched all about to see who could have done this, but\ncould find no one. The next time he went to hunt he took care not to go\nfar and came in quite early. And while he was still a long way off he\nsaw a woman going into the house with wood on her shoulders. So he made\nhaste and opened the door quickly, and instead of the wooden doll his\nwife sat in front of the fire. Then she spoke to him and said:\n\n\u201cThe Great Spirit felt sorry for you because you would not be\ncomforted, so he let me come back to you, but you must not stretch out\nyour hand to touch me till we have seen the rest of our people. If you\ndo I shall die.\u201d\n\nSo the man listened to her words, and the woman dwelt there and brought\nthe wood and kindled the fire, till one day her husband said to her:\n\n\u201cIt is now two years since you died. Let us now go back to our tribe.\nThen you will be well and I can touch you.\u201d\n\nAnd with that he prepared food for the journey, a string of deer\u2019s\nflesh for her to carry and one for himself; and so they started. Now,\nthe camp of the tribe was distant six days\u2019 journey, and when they were\nyet one day\u2019s journey off it began to snow, and they felt weary and\nlonged for rest. Therefore they made a fire, cooked some food, and\nspread out their skins to sleep.\n\nThen the heart of the man was greatly stirred and he stretched out his\narms to his wife, but she waved her hands and said:\n\n\u201cWe have seen no one yet. It is too soon.\u201d\n\nBut he would not listen to her and caught her to him, and behold! he\nwas clasping the wooden doll. And when he saw it was the doll he pushed\nit from him in his misery and rushed away to the camp and told them all\nhis story. And some doubted, and they went back with him to the place\nwhere he and his wife had stopped to rest, and there lay the doll, and\nbesides, they saw in time snow the steps of two people, and the foot of\none was like the foot of the doll. And the man grieved sore all the\ndays of his life.\n\n\n\n\nPUNCHKIN\n\n\nBy E. Frere\n\nOnce upon a time there was a Raja who had seven beautiful daughters.\nThey were all good girls; but the youngest, named Balna, was more\nclever than the rest. The Raja\u2019s wife died when they were quite little\nchildren, so these seven poor Princesses were left with no mother to\ntake care of them.\n\nThe Raja\u2019s daughters took it by turns to cook their father\u2019s dinner\nevery day, while he was absent deliberating with his Ministers on the\naffairs of the nation.\n\nAbout this time the Prudhan died, leaving a widow and one daughter; and\nevery day, when the seven Princesses were preparing their father\u2019s\ndinner, the Prudhan\u2019s widow and daughter would come and beg for a\nlittle fire from the hearth. Then Balna used to say to her sisters,\n\u201cSend that woman away; send her away. Let her get the fire at her own\nhouse. What does she want with ours? If we allow her to come here, we\nshall suffer for it some day.\u201d\n\nBut the other sisters would answer, \u201cBe quiet, Balna; why must you\nalways be quarreling with this poor woman? Let her take some fire if\nshe likes.\u201d Then the Prudhan\u2019s widow used to go to the hearth and take\na few sticks from it; and while no one was looking, she would quickly\nthrow some mud into the midst of the dishes which were being prepared\nfor the Raja\u2019s dinner.\n\nNow the Raja was very fond of his daughters. Ever since their mother\u2019s\ndeath they had cooked his dinner with their own hands, in order to\navoid the danger of his being poisoned by his enemies. So, when he\nfound the mud mixed up with his dinner, he thought it must arise from\ntheir carelessness, as it did not seem likely that anyone should have\nput mud there on purpose; but being very kind he did not like to\nreprove them for it, although this spoiling of the curry was repeated\nmany days.\n\nAt last, one day, he determined to hide, and watch his daughters\ncooking, and see how it all happened; so he went into the next room,\nand watched them through a hole in the wall.\n\nThere he saw his seven daughters carefully washing the rice and\npreparing the curry, and as each dish was completed, they put it by the\nfire ready to be cooked. Next he noticed the Prudhan\u2019s widow come to\nthe door, and beg for a few sticks from the fire to cook her dinner\nwith. Balna turned to her, angrily, and said, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you keep fuel\nin your own house, and not come here every day and take ours? Sisters,\ndon\u2019t give this woman any more wood; let her buy it for herself.\u201d\n\nThen the eldest sister answered, \u201cBalna, let the poor woman take the\nwood and the fire; she does us no harm.\u201d But Balna replied, \u201cIf you let\nher come here so often, maybe she will do us some harm, and make us\nsorry for it, some day.\u201d\n\nThe Raja then saw the Prudhan\u2019s widow go to the place where all his\ndinner was nicely prepared, and, as she took the wood, she threw a\nlittle mud into each of the dishes.\n\nAt this he was very angry, and sent to have the woman seized and\nbrought before him. But when the widow came, she told him that she had\nplayed this trick because she wanted to gain an audience with him; and\nshe spoke so cleverly, and pleased him so well with her cunning words,\nthat instead of punishing her, the Raja married her, and made her his\nRanee, and she and her daughter came to live in the palace.\n\nNow the new Ranee hated the seven poor Princesses, and wanted to get\nthem, if possible, out of the way, in order that her daughter might\nhave all their riches, and live in the palace as Princess in their\nplace; and instead of being grateful to them for their kindness to her,\nshe did all she could to make them miserable. She gave them nothing but\nbread to eat, and very little of that, and very little water to drink;\nso these seven poor little Princesses, who had been accustomed to have\neverything comfortable about them, and good food and good clothes all\ntheir lives long, were very miserable and unhappy; and they used to go\nout every day and sit by their dead mother\u2019s tomb and cry\u2014and say:\n\n\u201cO mother, mother, cannot you see your poor children, how unhappy we\nare, and how we are starved by our cruel stepmother?\u201d\n\nOne day, while they were thus sobbing and crying, lo and behold! a\nbeautiful pomelo tree grew up out of the grave, covered with fresh,\nripe pomeloes, and the children satisfied their hunger by eating some\nof the fruit, and every day after this, instead of trying to eat the\nbad dinner their stepmother provided for them, they used to go out to\ntheir mother\u2019s grave and eat the pommels which grew there on the\nbeautiful tree.\n\nThen the Ranee said to her daughter, \u201cI cannot tell how it is, every\nday those seven girls say they don\u2019t want any dinner, and won\u2019t eat\nany; and yet they never grow thin nor look ill; they look better than\nyou do. I cannot tell how it is.\u201d And she bade her watch the seven\nPrincesses, and see if anyone gave them anything to eat.\n\nSo next day, when the Princesses went to their mother\u2019s grave, and were\neating the beautiful pomeloes, the Prudhan\u2019s daughter followed them,\nand saw them gathering the fruit.\n\nThen Balna said to her sisters, \u201cDo you not see that girl watching us?\nLet us drive her away, or hide the pomeloes, else she will go and tell\nher mother all about it, and that will be bad for us.\u201d\n\nBut the other sisters said, \u201cOh no, do not be unkind, Balna. The girl\nwould never be so cruel as to tell her mother. Let us rather invite her\nto come and have some of the fruit.\u201d And calling her to them, they gave\nher one of the pomeloes.\n\nNo sooner had she eaten it, however, than the Prudhan\u2019s daughter went\nhome and said to her mother, \u201cI do not wonder the seven Princesses will\nnot eat the dinner you prepare for them, for by their mother\u2019s grave\nthere grows a beautiful pomelo tree, and they go there every day and\neat the pomeloes. I ate one, and it was the nicest I have ever tasted.\u201d\n\nThe cruel Ranee was much vexed at hearing this, and all next day she\nstayed in her room, and told the Raja that she had a very bad headache.\nThe Raja was deeply grieved, and said to his wife, \u201cWhat can I do for\nyou?\u201d She answered, \u201cThere is only one thing that will make my headache\nwell. By your dead wife\u2019s tomb there grows a fine pomelo tree; you must\nbring that here, and boil it, root and branch, and put a little of the\nwater in which it has been boiled on my forehead, and that will cure my\nheadache.\u201d So the Raja sent his servants, and had the beautiful pomelo\ntree pulled up by the roots, and did as the Ranee desired; and when\nsome of the water, in which it had been boiled, was put on her\nforehead, she said her headache was gone and she felt quite well.\n\nNext day, when the seven Princesses went as usual to the grave of their\nmother, the pomelo tree had disappeared. Then they all began to cry\nvery bitterly.\n\nNow there was by the Ranee\u2019s tomb a small tank, and as they were crying\nthey saw the tank was filled with a rich cream-like substance, which\nquickly hardened into a thick white cake. At seeing this all the\nPrincesses were very glad, and they ate some of the cake, and liked it;\nand next day the same thing happened, and so it went on for many days.\nEvery morning the Princesses went to their mother\u2019s grave, and found\nthe little tank filled with the nourishing cream-like cake. Then the\ncruel stepmother said to her daughter: \u201cI cannot tell how it is, I have\nhad the pomelo tree which used to grow by the Ranee\u2019s grave destroyed,\nand yet the Princesses grow no thinner, nor look more sad, though they\nnever eat the dinner I give them. I cannot tell how it is!\u201d\n\nAnd her daughter said, \u201cI will watch.\u201d\n\nNext day, while the Princesses were eating the cream cake, who should\ncome by but their stepmother\u2019s daughter. Balna saw her first, and said,\n\u201cSee, sisters, there comes that girl again. Let us sit round the edge\nof the tank and not allow her to see it, for if we give her some of our\ncake, she will go and tell her mother; and that will be very\nunfortunate for us.\u201d\n\nThe other sisters, however, thought Balna unnecessarily suspicious, and\ninstead of following her advice, they gave the Prudhan\u2019s daughter some\nof the cake, and she went home and told her mother all about it.\n\nThe Ranee, on hearing how well the Princesses fared, was exceedingly\nangry, and sent her servants to pull down the dead Ranee\u2019s tomb, and\nfill the little tank with the ruins. And not content with this, she\nnext day pretended to be very, very ill\u2014in fact, at the point of\ndeath\u2014and when the Raja was much grieved, and asked her whether it was\nin his power to procure her any remedy, she said to him: \u201cOnly one\nthing can save my life, but I know you will not do it.\u201d He replied,\n\u201cYes, whatever it is, I will do it.\u201d She then said, \u201cTo save my life,\nyou must kill the seven daughters of your first wife, and put some of\ntheir blood on my forehead and on the palms of my hands, and their\ndeath will be my life.\u201d At these words the Raja was very sorrowful; but\nbecause he feared to break his word, he went out with a heavy heart to\nfind his daughters.\n\nHe found them crying by the ruins of their mother\u2019s grave.\n\nThen, feeling he could not kill them, the Raja spoke kindly to them,\nand told them to come out into the jungle with him; and there he made a\nfire and cooked some rice, and gave it to them. But in the afternoon,\nit being very hot, the seven Princesses all fell asleep, and when he\nsaw they were fast asleep, the Raja, their father, stole away and left\nthem (for he feared his wife), saying to himself: \u201cIt is better my poor\ndaughters should die here, than be killed by their stepmother.\u201d\n\nHe then shot a deer, and returning home, put some of its blood on the\nforehead and hands of the Ranee, and she thought then that he had\nreally killed the Princesses, and said she felt quite well.\n\nMeantime the seven Princesses awoke, and when they found themselves all\nalone in the thick jungle they were much frightened, and began to call\nout as loud as they could, in hopes of making their father hear; but he\nwas by that time far away, and would not have been able to hear them\neven had their voices been as loud as thunder.\n\nIt so happened that this very day the seven young sons of a neighboring\nRaja chanced to be hunting in that same jungle, and as they were\nreturning home, after the day\u2019s sport was over, the youngest Prince\nsaid to his brothers: \u201cStop, I think I hear some one crying and calling\nout. Do you not hear voices? Let us go in the direction of the sound,\nand find out what it is.\u201d\n\nSo the seven Princes rode through the wood until they came to the place\nwhere the seven Princesses sat crying and wringing their hands. At the\nsight of them the young Princes were very much astonished, and still\nmore so on learning their story; and they settled that each should take\none of these poor forlorn ladies home with him, and marry her.\n\nSo the first and eldest Prince took the eldest Princess home with him,\nand married her.\n\nAnd the second took the second; and third took the third; and the\nfourth took the fourth; and the fifth took the fifth; and the sixth\ntook the sixth; and the seventh, and the handsomest of all, took the\nbeautiful Balna.\n\nAnd when they got to their own land, there was great rejoicing\nthroughout the kingdom, at the marriage of the seven young Princes to\nseven such beautiful Princesses.\n\nAbout a year after this Balna had a little son, and his uncles and\naunts were so fond of the boy that it was as if he had seven fathers\nand seven mothers. None of the other Princes and Princesses had any\nchildren, so the son of the seventh Prince and Balna was acknowledged\ntheir heir by all the rest.\n\nThey had thus lived very happily for some time, when one fine day the\nseventh Prince (Balna\u2019s husband) said he would go out hunting, and away\nhe went; and they waited long for him, but he never came back.\n\nThen his six brothers said they would go and see what had become of\nhim; and they went away, but they also did not return.\n\nAnd the seven Princesses grieved very much, for they feared that their\nkind husbands must have been killed.\n\nOne day, not long after this had happened, as Balna was rocking her\nbaby\u2019s cradle, and while her sisters were working in the room below,\nthere came to the palace door a man in a long black dress, who said\nthat he was a Fakir, and came to beg. The servant said to him, \u201cYou\ncannot go into the palace\u2014the Raja\u2019s sons have all gone away; we think\nthey must be dead, and their widows cannot be interrupted by your\nbegging.\u201d But he said, \u201cI am a holy man, you must let me in. Then the\nstupid servants let him walk through the palace, but they did not know\nthat this was no Fakir, but a wicked Magician named Punchkin.\n\nPunchkin Fakir wandered through the palace, and saw many beautiful\nthings there, till at last he reached the room where Balna sat singing\nbeside her little boy\u2019s cradle. The Magician thought her more beautiful\nthan all the other beautiful things he had seen, insomuch that he asked\nher to go home with him and to marry him. But she said, \u201cMy husband, I\nfear, is dead, but my little boy is still quite young; I will stay here\nand teach him to grow up a clever man, and when he is grown up he shall\ngo out into the world, and try and learn tidings of his father. Heaven\nforbid that I should ever leave him, or marry yon.\u201d At these words the\nMagician was very angry, and turned her into a little black dog, and\nled her away; saying, \u201cSince yon will not come with me of your own free\nwill, I will make you.\u201d So the poor Princess was dragged away, without\nany power of effecting an escape, or of letting her sisters know what\nhad become of her. As Punchkin passed through the palace gate the\nservants said to him, \u201cWhere did yon get that pretty little dog?\u201d And\nhe answered, \u201cOne of the Princesses gave it to me as a present.\u201d At\nhearing which they let him go without further questioning.\n\nSoon after this, the six elder Princesses heard the little baby, their\nnephew, begin to cry, and when they went upstairs they were much\nsurprised to find him all alone, and Balna nowhere to be seen. Then\nthey questioned the servants, and when they heard of the Fakir and the\nlittle black dog, they guessed what had happened, and sent in every\ndirection seeking them, but neither the Fakir nor the dog were to be\nfound. What could six poor women do? They gave up all hopes of ever\nseeing their kind husbands, and their sister, and her husband again,\nand devoted themselves thenceforward to teaching and taking care of\ntheir little nephew.\n\nThus time went on, till Balna\u2019s son was fourteen years old. Then, one\nday, his aunts told him the history of the family; and no sooner did he\nhear it, than be was seized with a great desire to go in search of his\nfather and mother and uncles, and if he could find them alive to bring\nthem home again. His aunts, on learning his determination, were much\nalarmed and tried to dissuade him, saying, \u201cWe have lost our husbands,\nand our sister and her husband, and you are now our sole hope; if you\ngo away, what shall we do?\u201d But he replied, \u201cI pray you not to be\ndiscouraged; I will return soon, and if it is possible bring my father\nand mother and uncles with me.\u201d So he set out on his travels; but for\nsome months he could learn nothing to help him in his search.\n\nAt last, after he had journeyed many hundreds of weary miles, and\nbecome almost hopeless of ever hearing anything further of his parents,\nhe one day came to a country that seemed full of stones, and rocks, and\ntrees, and there he saw a large palace with a tower; hard by was a\nMalee\u2019s little house.\n\nAs he was looking about, the Malee\u2019s wife saw him, and ran out of the\nhouse and said, \u201cMy dear boy, who are you that dare venture to this\ndangerous place?\u201d He answered, \u201cI am a Raja\u2019s son, and I come in search\nof my father, and my uncles, and my mother whom a wicked enchanter\nbewitched.\u201d\n\nThen the Malee\u2019s wife said, \u201cThis country and this palace belong to a\ngreat enchanter; he is all powerful, and if anyone displeases him, he\ncan turn them into stones and trees. All the rocks and trees you see\nhere were living people once, and the Magician turned them to what they\nnow are. Some time ago a Raja\u2019s son came here, and shortly afterward\ncame his six brothers, and they were all turned into stones and trees;\nand these are not the only unfortunate ones, for up in that tower lives\na beautiful Princess, whom the Magician has kept prisoner there for\ntwelve years, because she hates him and will not marry him.\u201d\n\nThen the little Prince thought, \u201cThese must be my parents and my\nuncles. I have found what I seek at last.\u201d So he told his story to the\nMalee\u2019s wife, and begged her to help him to remain in that place awhile\nand inquire further concerning the unhappy people she mentioned; and\nshe promised to befriend him, and advised his disguising himself lest\nthe Magician should see him, and turn him likewise into stone. To this\nthe Prince agreed. So the Malee\u2019s wife dressed him up in a saree, and\npretended that he was her daughter.\n\nOne day, not long after this, as the Magician was walking in his garden\nhe saw the little girl (as he thought) playing about, and asked her who\nshe was. She told him she was the Malee\u2019s daughter, and the Magician\nsaid, \u201cYou are a pretty little girl, and to-morrow you shall take a\npresent of flowers from me to the beautiful lady who lives in the\ntower.\u201d\n\nThe young Prince was much delighted at hearing this, and went\nimmediately to inform the Malee\u2019s wife; after consultation with whom he\ndetermined that it would be more safe for him to retain his disguise,\nand trust to the chance of a favorable opportunity for establishing\nsome communication with his mother, if it were indeed she.\n\nNow it happened that at Balna\u2019s marriage her husband had given her a\nsmall gold ring on which her name was engraved, and she had put it on\nher little son\u2019s finger when he was a baby, and afterward when he was\nolder his aunts had had it enlarged for him, so that he was still able\nto wear it. The Malee\u2019s wife advised him to fasten the well-known\ntreasure to one of the bouquets he presented to his mother, and trust\nto her recognizing it. This was not to be done without difficulty, as\nsuch a strict watch was kept over the poor Princess (for fear of her\never establishing communication with her friends), that though the\nsupposed Malee\u2019s daughter was permitted to take her flowers every day,\nthe Magician or one of his slaves was always in the room at the time.\nAt last one day, however, opportunity favored him, and when no one was\nlooking the boy tied the ring to a nosegay, and threw it at Balna\u2019s\nfeet. It fell with a clang on the floor, and Balna, looking to see what\nmade the strange sound, found the little ring tied to the flowers. On\nrecognizing it, she at once believed the story her son told her of his\nlong search, and begged him to advise her as to what she had better do;\nat the same time entreating him on no account to endanger his life by\ntrying to rescue her. She told him that for twelve long years the\nMagician had kept her shut up in the tower because she refused to marry\nhim, and she was so closely guarded that she saw no hope of release.\n\nNow Balna\u2019s son was a bright, clever boy, so he said, \u201cDo not fear,\ndear mother; the first thing to do is to discover how far the\nMagician\u2019s power extends, in order that we may be able to liberate my\nfather and uncles, whom he has imprisoned in the form of the rocks and\ntrees. You have spoken to him angrily for twelve long years; now rather\nspeak kindly. Tell him you have given up all hopes of again seeing the\nhusband you have so long mourned, and say you are willing to harry him.\nThen endeavor to find out what his power consists in, and whether he is\nimmortal, or can be put to death.\u201d\n\nBalna determined to take her son\u2019s advice; and the next day sent for\nPunchkin, and spoke to him as had been suggested.\n\nThe Magician greatly delighted, begged her to allow the wedding to take\nplace as soon as possible.\n\nBut she told him that before she married him he must allow her a little\nmore time, in which she might make his acquaintance, and that, after\nbeing enemies so long, their friendship could but strengthen by\ndegrees. \u201cAnd do tell me,\u201d she said, \u201care you quite immortal? Can death\nnever touch you? And are you too great an enchanter ever to feel human\nsuffering?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy do you ask?\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cBecause,\u201d she replied. \u201cif I am to be your wife, I would fain know all\nabout you, in order, if any calamity threatens you, to overcome, or if\npossible to avert it.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is true,\u201d he added, \u201cthat I am not as others. Far, far away,\nhundreds of thousands of miles from this, there lies a desolate country\ncovered with thick jungle. In the midst of the jungle grows a circle of\npalm trees, and in the center of the circle stand six chattees full of\nwater, piled one above another: below the sixth chattee is a small cage\nwhich contains a little green parrot; on the life of the parrot depends\nmy life; and if the parrot is killed I must die. It is. however,\u201d he\nadded, \u201cimpossible that the parrot should sustain any injury, both on\naccount of the inaccessibility of the country, and because, by my\nappointment, many thousand genii surround the palm trees, and kill all\nwho approach the place.\u201d\n\nBalna told her son what Punchkin had said; but at the same time\nimplored him to give up all idea of getting the parrot.\n\nThe Prince, however, replied, \u201cMother, unless I can get hold of that\nparrot, you, and my father, and uncles, cannot be liberated: be not\nafraid, I will shortly return. Do you, meantime, keep the Magician in\ngood humor\u2014still putting off your marriage with him on various\npretexts; and before he finds out the cause of delay, I will be here.\u201d\nSo saying, he went away.\n\nMany, many weary miles did he travel, till at last he came to a thick\njungle; and, being very tired, sat down under a tree and fell asleep.\nHe was awakened by a soft rustling sound, and looking about him, saw a\nlarge serpent which was making its way to an eagle\u2019s nest built in the\ntree under which he lay, and in the nest were two young eagles. The\nPrince seeing the danger of the young birds, drew his sword, and killed\nthe serpent; at the same moment a rushing sound was heard in the air,\nand the two old eagles, who had been out hunting for food for their\nyoung ones, returned. They quickly saw the dead serpent and the young\nPrince standing over it; and the old mother eagle said to him, \u201cDear\nboy, for many\u2019 years all our young ones have been devoured by that\ncruel serpent; you have now saved the lives of our children; whenever\nyou are in need therefore, send to us and we will help you; and as for\nthese little eagles, take them, and let them be your servants.\u201d\n\nAt this the Prince was very glad, and the two eaglets crossed their\nwings, on which he mounted; and they carried him far, far away over the\nthick, jungles, until he came to the place where grew the circle of\npalm trees, in the midst of which stood the six chattees full of water.\nIt was the middle of the day, and the heat was very great. All round\nthe trees were the genii fast asleep; nevertheless, there were such\ncountless thousands of them, that it would have been quite impossible\nfor anyone to walk through their ranks to the place; down swooped the\nstrong-winged eaglets\u2014down jumped the Prince; in an instant he had\noverthrown the six chattees full of water, and seized the little green\nparrot, which he rolled up in his cloak; while, as he mounted again\ninto the air, all the genii below awoke, and finding their treasure\ngone, set up a wild and melancholy howl.\n\nAway, away flew the little eagles, till they came to their home in the\ngreat tree; then the Prince said to the old eagles, \u201cTake back your\nlittle ones; they have done me good service; if ever again I stand in\nneed of help, I will not fail to come to you.\u201d He then continued his\njourney on foot till he arrived once more at the Magician\u2019s palace,\nwhere he sat down at the door and began playing with the Parrot.\nPunchkin saw him, and came to him quickly, and said, \u201cMy boy, where did\nyon get that parrot? Give it to me, I pray you.\u201d\n\nBut the Prince answered, \u201cOh no, I cannot give away my parrot, it is a\ngreat pet of mine; I have had it many years.\u201d\n\nThen the Magician said, \u201cIf it is an old favorite, I can understand\nyour not caring to give it away; but come, what will you sell it for?\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said the Prince, \u201cI will not sell my parrot.\u201d\n\nThen Punchkin got frightened, and said, \u201cAnything, anything; name what\nprice you will, and it shall be yours.\u201d The Prince answered, \u201cLet the\nseven Raja\u2019s sons whom you turned into rocks and trees be instantly\nliberated.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is done as you desire,\u201d said the Magician, \u201conly give me my\nparrot.\u201d And With that, by a stroke of his wand, Balna\u2019s husband and\nhis brothers resumed their natural shapes. \u201cNow, give me my parrot,\u201d\nrepeated Punchkin.\n\n\u201cNot so fast, my master,\u201d rejoined the Prince; \u201cI must first beg that\nyou will restore to life all whom you have thus imprisoned.\u201d\n\nThe Magician immediately waved his wand again; and whilst he cried, in\nan imploring voice, \u201cGive me my parrot!\u201d the whole garden became\nsuddenly alive: where rocks, and stones, and trees had been before,\nstood Rajas, and Punts, and Sirdars, and mighty men on prancing horses,\nand jeweled pages, and troops of armed attendants.\n\n\u201cGive me my parrot!\u201d cried Punchkin. Then the boy took hold of the\nparrot, and tore off one of its wings; and as he did so the Magician\u2019s\nright arm fell off.\n\nPunchkin then stretched out his left arm, crying, \u201cGive me my parrot!\u201d\nThe Prince pulled off the parrot\u2019s second wing, and the Magician\u2019s left\narm tumbled off.\n\n\u201cGive me my parrot!\u201d cried he, and fell on his knees. The Prince pulled\noff the parrot\u2019s right leg, and the Magician\u2019s right leg fell off: the\nPrince pulled off the parrot\u2019s left leg, down fell the Magician\u2019s left.\n\nNothing remained of him save the limbless body and the head; but still\nhe rolled his eyes, and cried \u201cGive me my parrot!\u201d \u201cTake your parrot,\nthen, cried the boy, and with that. he wrung the bird\u2019s neck, and threw\nit at the magician; and as he did so, Punchkin\u2019s head twisted round\nand, with a fearful groan, he died!\n\nThen they let Balna out of the tower; and she, her son, and the seven\nPrinces went to their own country, and lived very happily ever\nafterward. And as to the rest of the world, everyone went to his own\nhouse.\n\n\n\n\nHOW SUN, MOON AND WIND WENT OUT TO DINNER\n\n\nBy E. Frere\n\nOne day Sun, Moon, and Wind went out to dine with their uncle and aunt\nThunder and Lightning. Their mother (one of the most distant Stars you\nsee far up in the sky) waited alone for her children\u2019s return.\n\nNow both Sun and Wind were greedy and selfish. They enjoyed the great\nfeast that had been prepared for them, without a thought of saving any\nof it to take home to their mother\u2014but the gentle Moon did not forget\nher. Of every dainty dish that was brought round, she placed a small\nportion under one of her beautiful long fingernails, that Star might\nalso have a share in the treat.\n\nOn their return, their mother, Who had kept watch for them all night\nlong with her little bright eye, said, \u201cWell, children, what have yon\nbrought home for me?\u201d Then Sun (who was eldest) said, \u201cI have brought\nnothing home for you. I went out to enjoy myself with my friends\u2014not to\nfetch dinner for my mother!\u201d And Wind said, \u201cNeither have I brought\nanything home for you, mother. You could hardly expect me to bring a\ncollection of good things for you, when I merely went out for my own\npleasure.\u201d But Moon said, \u201cMother, fetch a plate, see what I have\nbrought you.\u201d And shaking her hands she showered down such a choice\ndinner as never was seen before.\n\nThen Star turned to Sun and spoke thus, \u201cBecause you went out to amuse\nyourself with your friends, and feasted and enjoyed yourself, without\nany thought of our mother at home\u2014you shall be cursed. Henceforth, your\nrays shall ever be hot and scorching, and shall burn all that they\ntouch. And men shall hate you, and cover their heads when you appear.\n\n(And that is why the Sun is so hot to this day.)\n\nThen she turned to Wind and said, \u201cYou also who forgot your mother in\nthe midst of your selfish pleasures\u2014hear your doom. You shall always\nblow in the hot, dry weather, and shall parch and shrivel all living\nthings. And men shall detest and avoid you from this very time.\u201d\n\n(And that is why the Wind in the hot weather is still so disagreeable.)\n\nBut to Moon she said, \u201cDaughter, because you remembered your mother,\nand kept for her a share in your own enjoyment, from henceforth you\nshall be ever cool, and calm and bright. No noxious glare shall\naccompany your pure rays, and men shall always call you \u2018blessed.\u2019\u201d\n\n(And that is why the Moon\u2019s light is so soft, and cool, and beautiful\neven to this day.)\n\n\n\n\nWHY THE FISH LAUGHED\n\n\nBy Joseph Jacobs\n\nAs a certain fisherwoman passed by a palace crying her fish, the queen\nappeared at one of the windows and beckoned her to come near and show\nwhat she had. At that moment a very big fish jumped about in the bottom\nof the basket.\n\n\u201cIs it a he or a she?\u201d inquired the queen. \u201cI wish to purchase a she\nfish.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this the fish laughed aloud.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a he,\u201d replied the fisherwoman, and proceeded on her rounds.\n\nThe queen returned to her room in a great rage; and on coming to see\nher in the evening, the king noticed that something had disturbed her.\n\n\u201cAre you indisposed?\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cNo; but I am very much annoyed at the strange behavior of a fish. A\nwoman brought me one to-day, and on my inquiring whether it was a male\nor female, the fish laughed most rudely.\u201d\n\n\u201cA fish laugh! Impossible! You must be dreaming.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am not a fool. I speak of what I have seen with my own eyes and\nheard with my own ears.\u201d\n\n\u201cPassing strange! Be it so. I will inquire concerning it.\u201d\n\nOn the morrow the king repeated to his vizier what his wife had told\nhim, and bade him investigate the matter, and be ready with a\nsatisfactory answer within six mouths, on pain of death. The vizier\npromised to do his best, though he felt almost certain of failure. For\nlive months he labored indefatigably to find a reason for the laughter\nof the fish. He sought everywhere and from everyone. The wise and\nlearned, and they who were skilled in magic and in all manner of\ntrickery, were consulted. Nobody, however, could explain the matter;\nand so he returned broken-hearted to his house, and began to arrange\nhis affairs in prospect of certain death, for he had had sufficient\nexperience of the king to know that His Majesty would not go back from\nhis threat. Amongst other things, he advised his son to travel for a\ntime, until the king\u2019s anger should have somewhat cooled.\n\nThe young fellow, who was both clever and handsome, started off\nwhithersoever Kismet might lead him. He had been gone some days, when\nhe fell in with an old farmer, who also was on a journey to a certain\nvillage. Finding the old man very pleasant, he asked him if he might\naccompany him, professing to be on a visit to the same place. The old\nfarmer agreed, and they walked along together. The day was hot, and the\nway was long and weary.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t yon think it would be pleasanter if you and I sometimes gave one\nanother a lift?\u201d said the youth.\n\n\u201cWhat a fool the man is!\u201d thought the old farmer.\n\nPresently they passed through a field of corn ready for the sickle, and\nlooking\u2019 like a sea of gold as it waved to and fro in the breeze.\n\n\u201cIs this eaten or not?\u201d said the young man.\n\nNot understanding his meaning, the old man replied, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\n\nAfter a little while the two travelers arrived at a big village, where\nthe young man gave his companion a clasp knife, and said, \u201cTake this,\nfriend, and get two horses with it; but mind and bring it back, for it\nis very precious.\u201d\n\nThe old man, looking half amused and half angry, pushed back the knife,\nmuttering something to the effect that his friend was either a fool\nhimself or else tying to play the fool with him. The young man\npretended not to notice his reply, and remained almost silent till they\nreached the city, a short distance outside which was the old farmer\u2019s\nhouse.\n\nThey walked about the bazaar and went to the mosque, but nobody saluted\nthem or invited them to come in and rest.\n\n\u201cWhat a large cemetery!\u201d exclaimed the young man.\n\n\u201cWhat does the man mean,\u201d thought the old farmer, \u201ccalling this largely\npopulated city a cemetery?\u201d\n\nOn leaving the city their way led through a cemetery where a few people\nwere praying beside a grave and distributing chupatties and kulchas to\nPassers-by, in the name of their beloved dead. They beckoned to the two\ntravelers and gave them as much as they would.\n\n\u201cWhat a splendid city this is!\u201d said the young man.\n\n\u201cNow, the man must surely be demented!\u201d thought the old farmer. \u201cI\nwonder what he will do next? He will be calling the land water, and the\nwater land; and be speaking of light where there is darkness, and of\ndarkness where it is light.\u201d However, he kept his thoughts to himself.\n\nPresently they had to wade through a stream that ran along the edge of\nthe cemetery. The water was rather deep, so the old farmer took off his\nshoes and pajamas and crossed over; but the young man waded through it\nwith his shoes and pajamas on.\n\n\u201cWell! I never did see such a perfect fool, both in word and in deed,\nsaid the old man to himself.\n\nHowever, he liked the fellow; and thinking that he would amuse his wife\nand daughter, he invited him to come and stay at his house as long as\nhe had occasion to remain in the village.\n\n\u201cThank you very much,\u201d the young man replied; \u201cbut let me first\ninquire, if you please, whether the beam of your house is strong.\u201d\n\nThe old farmer left him in despair, and entered his house laughing.\n\n\u201cThere is a man in yonder field,\u201d he said, after returning their\ngreetings. \u201cHe has come the greater part of the way with me, and I\nwanted him to put up here as long as he had to stay in this village.\nBut the fellow is such a fool that I cannot make anything out of him.\nHe wants to know if the beam of this house is all right. The man must\nbe mad!\u201d and saying this he burst into a fit of laughter.\n\n\u201cFather,\u201d said the farmer\u2019s daughter, who was a very sharp and wise\ngirl, \u201cthis man, whosoever he is, is no fool, as you deem him. He only\nwishes to know if you can afford to entertain him.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! of course,\u201d replied the farmer. \u201cI see. Well perhaps you can help\nme to solve some of his other mysteries. While we were walking together\nhe asked whether he should carry me or I should carry him, as he\nthought that would be a pleasanter mode of proceeding.\u201d\n\n\u201cMost assuredly,\u201d said the girl. \u201cHe meant that one of you should tell\na story to beguile the time.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes. Well, we were passing through a cornfield, when he asked me\nwhether it was eaten or not.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd didn\u2019t you know the meaning of this, father? He simply wished to\nknow if the man was in debt or not; because if the owner of the field\nwas in debt, then the produce of the field was as good as eaten to him;\nthat is, it would have to go to his creditors.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, yes, yes; of course! Then, on entering a certain village, he bade\nme take his clasp knife and get two horses with it, and bring back the\nknife again to him.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre not two stout sticks as good as two horses for helping one along\non the road? He only asked you to cut a couple of sticks and be careful\nnot to lose his knife.\u201d\n\n\u201cI see,\u201d said time farmer. \u201cWhile we were walking over the city we did\nnot see anybody that we knew, and not a soul gave us a scrap of\nanything to eat, till we were passing the cemetery; but there some\npeople called to us and put into our hands some chupatties and kulchas;\nso my companion called the city a cemetery, and the cemetery a city.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis also is to be understood, father, if one thinks of the city as\nthe place where everything is to be obtained, and of inhospitable\npeople as worse than the dead. The city, though crowded with people,\nwas as if dead, as far as you were concerned; while, in the cemetery,\nwhich is crowded with time dead, you were saluted by kind friends and\nprovided with bread.\u201d\n\n\u201cTrue, true!\u201d said the astonished farmer. \u201cThen, just now, when we were\ncrossing the stream, he waded through it without taking off his shoes\nand pajamas.\u201d\n\n\u201cI admire his wisdom,\u201d replied time girl. \u201cI have often thought how\nstupid people were to venture into that swiftly flowing stream and over\nthose sharp stones with bare feet. The slightest stumble and they would\nfall, and be wetted from head to foot. This friend of yours is a most\nwise man. I should like to see him and speak to him.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said time farmer; \u201cI will go and find him, and bring him\nin.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell him, father, that our beams are strong enough, and then he will\ncome in. I\u2019ll send on ahead a present to the man, to show him that we\ncan afford to have him for our guest.\u201d\n\nAccordingly she called a servant and sent him to the young man with a\npresent of a basin of ghee, twelve chupatties, and a jar of milk, and\nthe following message: \u201cO friend, time moon is full; twelve months make\na year, and the sea is overflowing with water.\u201d\n\nHalf-way the bearer of this present and message met his little son,\nwho, seeing what was in the basket, begged his father to give him some\nof the food. His father foolishly complied. Presently he saw the young\nman, and gave him the rest of the present and the message.\n\n\u201cGive your mistress my salaam,\u201d he replied, \u201cand tell her that the moon\nis new, and that I can only find eleven mouths in the year, and the sea\nis by no means full.\u201d\n\nNot understanding the meaning of these words, the servant repeated them\nword for word, as he had heard them, to his mistress; and thus his\ntheft was discovered, and he was severely punished. After a little\nwhile the young man appeared with the old farmer. Great attention was\nshown to him, and he was treated in every way as it he were the son of\na great man, although his humble host knew nothing of his origin. At\nlength be told them everything\u2014about the laughing of the fish, his\nfather\u2019s threatened execution, and his own banishment\u2014and asked their\nadvice as to what he should do.\n\n\u201cThe laughing of the fish,\u201d said the girl \u201cwhich seems to have been the\ncause of all this trouble, indicates that there is a man in the palace\nwho is plotting against the king\u2019s life.\u201d\n\n\u201cJoy, joy!\u201d exclaimed the vizier\u2019s son. \u201cThere is yet time for me to\nreturn and save my father from an ignominious and unjust death, and the\nking from danger.\u201d\n\nThe following day he hastened back to his own country, taking with him\nthe farmer\u2019s daughter. Immediately on arrival he ran to the palace and\ninformed his father of what he had heard. The poor vizier, now almost\ndead from the expectation of death, was at once carried to the king, to\nwhom he repeated the news that his son had just brought.\n\n\u201cNever!\u201d said the king.\n\n\u201cBut it must be so, Your Majesty,\u201d replied the vizier; \u201cand in order to\nprove the truth of what I have heard, I pray you call together all the\nmaids in your palace, and order them to jump over a pit, which must be\ndug. We\u2019ll soon find out whether there is any man there.\u201d\n\nThe king had time pit dug, and commanded all the maids belonging to the\npalace to try to jump it. All of them tried, but only one succeeded.\nThat one was found to be a man!\n\nThus was the queen satisfied, and the faithful old vizier saved.\n\nAfterward, as soon as could be, the vizier\u2019s son married the old\nfarmer\u2019s daughter; and a most happy marriage it was.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FARMER AND THE MONEY LENDER\n\n\nBy Joseph Jacobs\n\nThere was ounce a farmer who suffered much at time hands of the money\nlender. Good harvests, or bad, the farmer was always poor, the money\nlender rich. At the last, when he hadn\u2019t a farthing left, the farmer\nwent to the money lender\u2019s house, and said, \u201cYou can\u2019t squeeze water\nfrom a stone, and as you have nothing to get by me now, you might tell\nme the secret of becoming rich.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy friend,\u201d returned the money lender, piously, \u201criches come from\nRam\u2014ask _him_.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, I will!\u201d replied the simple farmer; so he prepared three\ngriddle cakes to last him on the journey, and set out to find Ram.\n\nFirst he met a Brahman, and to him he gave a cake asking him to point\nout the road to Ram; but the Brahman only took the cake and went on his\nway without a word. Next the farmer met a Jogi or devotee, and to him\nhe gave a cake, without receiving any help in return. At last, he came\nupon a poor man sitting under a tree, and finding out he was hungry,\nthe kindly farmer gave him his last cake, and sitting clown to rest\nbeside him, entered into conversation.\n\n\u201cAnd where are you going?\u201d asked the poor man, at length.\n\n\u201cOh, I have a long journey before me, for I am going to find Ram!\u201d\nreplied the farmer. \u201cI don\u2019t suppose you could tell me which way to\ngo?\u201d\n\n\u201cPerhaps I can,\u201d said the poor man, smiling, \u201cfor I am Ram! What do you\nwant of me?\u201d\n\nThen the farmer told the whole story, and Rain, taking pity on him,\ngave him a conch shell, and showed him how to blow it in a particular\nway, saying, \u201cRemember! whatever you wish for, you have only to blow\nthe conch that way, and your wish will be fulfilled. Only have a care\nof that money lender, for even magic is not proof against their wiles!\u201d\n\nThe farmer went back to his village rejoicing. In fact the money lender\nnoticed his high spirits at once, and said to himself, \u201cSome good\nfortune must have befallen the stupid fellow, to make him hold his head\nso jauntily.\u201d Therefore he went over to the simple farmer\u2019s house, and\ncongratulated him on his good fortune, in such cunning words,\npretending to have heard all about it, that before long the farmer\nfound himself telling the whole story\u2014all except the secret of blowing\nthe conch, for, with all his simplicity, the farmer was not quite such\na fool as to tell that.\n\nNevertheless, the money lender determined to have the conch by hook or\nby crook, and as he was villain enough not to stick at trifles, he\nwaited for a favorable opportunity and stole the conch.\n\nBut, after nearly bursting himself with blowing the conch in every\nconceivable way, he was obliged to give up the secret as a bad job.\nHowever, being determined to succeed he went back to the farmer and\nsaid, coolly, \u201cLook here; I\u2019ve got your conch, but I can\u2019t use it; you\nhaven\u2019t got it, So it\u2019s clear you can\u2019t use it either. Business is at a\nstandstill unless we make a bargain. Now, I promise to give you back\nyour conch, and never to interfere with your using it, on one\ncondition, which is this\u2014Whatever you get from it, I am to get double.\u201d\n\n\u201cNever!\u201d cried the farmer; \u201cthat would be the old business all over\nagain!\u201d\n\n\u201cNot at all!\u201d replied time wily money lender; \u201cyou will have your\nshare! Now, don\u2019t be a dog in the manger, for if you get all you want,\nwhat can it matter to you if I am rich or poor?\u201d\n\nAt last, though it went sorely against the grain to be of any benefit\nto a money lender, the farmer was forced to yield, and from that time,\nno matter what he gained by the power of the couch, time money lender\ngained double. And the knowledge that this was so preyed upon the\nfarmer\u2019s mind day and night, so that he had no satisfaction out of\nanything.\n\nAt last, there came a very dry season\u2014so dry that the farmer\u2019s crops\nwithered for want of rain. Then he blew his conch, and wished for a\nwell to water them, and lo! there was the well, but the money lender\nhad two!\u2014two beautiful new wells! This was too much for any farmer to\nstand: and our friend brooded over it, and brooded over it, till at\nlast a bright idea came into his head. He seized the conch, blew it\nloudly, and cried out, \u201cOh Ram! I wish to be blind of one eye!\u201d And so\nhe was in a twinkling, but the money lender of course was blind of\nboth, and in trying to steer his way between the two new wells, he fell\ninto one and was drowned.\n\nNow this true story shows that a farmer once got time better of a money\nlender-but only by losing one of his eyes.\n\n\n\n\nPRIDE GOETH BEFORE A FALL\n\n\nBy Joseph Jacobs\n\nIn a certain village there lived ten cloth merchants who always went\nabout together. Once upon a time they had traveled far afield, and were\nreturning home with a great deal of money which they had obtained by\nselling their wares. Now there happened to be a dense forest near their\nvillage, and this they reached early one morning. In it there lived\nthree notorious robbers, of whose existence the traders had never\nheard, and while they were still in the middle of it the robbers stood\nbefore them, with swords and cudgels in their hands, and ordered them\nto lay down all they had. The traders had no weapons with them, and so,\nthough they were many more in number, they had to submit themselves to\nthe robbers, who took away everything from them, even the very clothes\nthey wore, and gave to each only a small loin cloth a span in breadth\nand a cubit in length.\n\nThe idea that they had conquered ten men and plundered all their\nproperty now took possession of the robbers\u2019 minds. They seated\nthemselves like three monarchs before the men they had plundered, and\nordered them to dance to them before returning home. The merchants now\nmourned their fate.\n\nThey had lost all they had, except their loin cloth, and still the\nrobbers were not satisfied, but ordered them to dance.\n\nThere was, among the ten merchants, one who was very clever. He\npondered over the calamity that had come upon him and his friends, the\ndance they would have to perform, and the magnificent manner in which\nthe three robbers had seated themselves on the grass. At the same time\nhe observed that these last had placed their weapons on the ground, in\nthe assurance of having thoroughly cowed the traders, who were now\ncommencing to dance. So he took the lead in the dance, and, as a song\nis always sung by the leader on such occasions, to which the rest keep\ntime with hands and feet, he thus began to sing:\n\nWe are enty men,\nThey are erith men:\nIf each erith man\nSurround eno men,\nEno man remains.\nT\u00e2, tai, t\u00f4m, tadingana.\n\n\nThe robbers were all uneducated, and thought that the leader was merely\nsinging a song as usual. So it was in one sense: for the leader\ncommenced from a distance, and had sung the song over twice before he\nand his companions commenced to approach the robbers. They had\nunderstood his meaning, because they had been trained in trade.\n\nWhen two traders discuss the price of an article in the presence of a\npurchaser, they use a riddling sort of language.\n\n\u201cWhat is the price of this cloth?\u201d one trader will ask another.\n\n\u201cEnty rupees,\u201d another will reply, meaning \u201cten rupees.\u201d\n\nThus, there is no possibility of the purchaser knowing what is meant\nunless he be acquainted with trade language. By the rules of this\nsecret language erith means \u201cthree,\u201d enty means \u201cten,\u201d and eno means\n\u201cone.\u201d So the leader by his song meant to hint to his fellow-traders\nthat they were ten men, the robbers only three, that if three pounced\nupon each of the robbers, nine of them could hold them down, while the\nremaining one bound the robbers\u2019 hands and feet.\n\nThe three thieves, glorying in their victory, and little understanding\nthe meaning of the song and the intentions of the dancers, were proudly\nseated chewing betel and tobacco. Meanwhile the song was sung a third\ntime. Ta, tai, tom had left the lips of the singer; and, before\ntadingana was out of them, the traders separated into parties of three,\nand each party pounced upon a thief. The remaining one\u2014the leader\nhimself\u2014tore up into long narrow strips a large piece of cloth, six\ncubits long, and tied the hands and feet of the robbers. These were\nentirely humbled now, and rolled on the ground like three bags of rice!\n\nThe ten traders now took back all their property, and armed themselves\nwith the swords and cudgels of their enemies; and when they reached\ntheir village, they often amused their friends and relatives by\nrelating their adventure.\n\n\n\n\nHOW THE WICKED SONS WERE DUPED\n\n\nBy Joseph Jacobs\n\nA very wealthy old man, imagining that he was on the point of death,\nsent for his sons and divided his property among them. However, he did\nnot die for several years afterward, and miserable years many of them\nwere. Besides the weariness of old age, the old fellow had to bear with\nmuch abuse and cruelty from his sons. Wretched, selfish ingrates!\nPreviously they vied with one another in trying to please their father,\nhoping thus to receive more money, but now they had received their\npatrimony, they cared not how soon he left them\u2014nay, the sooner the\nbetter, because he was only a needless trouble and expense. And they\nlet the poor old man know what they felt.\n\nOne day he met a friend and related to him all his troubles. The friend\nsympathized very much with him, and promised to think over the matter,\nand call in a little while and tell him what to do. He did so; in a few\ndays he visited the old man and put down four bags full of stones and\ngravel before him.\n\n\u201cLook here, friend,\u201d said he. \u201cYour sons will get to know of my coming\nhere to-day, and will inquire about it. You must pretend that I came to\ndischarge a long-standing debt with you, and that you are several\nthousands of rupees richer than you thought you were. Keep these bags\nin your own hands, and on no account let your sons get to them as long\nas you are alive. You will soon find them change their conduct toward\nyou. Salaam, I will come again soon to see how you are getting on.\u201d\n\nWhen the young men got to hear of this further increase of wealth they\nbegan to be more attentive and pleasing to their father than ever\nbefore. And thus they continued to the day of the old man\u2019s demise,\nwhen the bags were greedily opened, and found to contain only stones\nand gravel!\n\n\n\n\nTHE TIGER, THE BRAHMAN, AND THE JACKAL\n\n\nBy Flora Annie Steel\n\nOnce upon a time a Tiger was caught in a trap. He tried in vain to get\nout through the bars, and rolled and bit with rage and grief when he\nfailed.\n\nBy chance a poor Brahman came by.\n\n\u201cLet me out of this cage, oh pious one!\u201d cried the Tiger.\n\n\u201cNay, my friend,\u201d replied the Brahman mildly, you would probably eat me\nif I did.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot at all!\u201d swore the Tiger with many oaths; \u201con the contrary, I\nshould be forever grateful, and serve you as a slave!\u201d\n\nNow when the Tiger sobbed and sighed and wept and swore, the pious\nBrahman\u2019s heart softened, and at last he consented to open the door of\nthe cage. Out popped the Tiger, and, seizing the poor man, cried, \u201cWhat\na fool you are! What is to prevent my eating you now, for after being\ncooped up so long I am terribly hungry!\u201d\n\nIn vain the Brahman Pleaded for his life; the most he could gain was a\npromise to abide by the decision of the first three things he chose to\nquestion as to the justice of the Tiger\u2019s action.\n\nSo the Brahman first asked a Pipal Tree what it thought of the matter,\nbut the Pipal Tree replied coldly, \u201cWhat have you to complain about?\nDon\u2019t I give shade and shelter to everyone who passes by, and don\u2019t\nthey in return tear down my branches to feed their cattle? Don\u2019t\nwhimper\u2014be a man!\u201d\n\nThen the Brahman sad at heart, went farther afield till he saw a\nBuffalo turning a well wheel; but he fared no better from it, for it\nanswered, \u201cYou are a fool to expect gratitude! Look at me! While I gave\nmilk they fed me on cottonseed and oil cake, but now I am dry they yoke\nme here, and give me refuse as fodder!\u201d\n\nThe Brahman, still more sad, asked the Road to give him its opinion.\n\n\u201cMy dear sir,\u201d said the Road, \u201chow foolish you are to expect anything\nelse! Here am I, useful to everybody, yet all, rich and poor, great and\nsmall, trample on me as they go past, giving me nothing but the ashes\nof their pipes and the husks of their grain!\u201d\n\nOn this the Brahman turned back sorrowfully, and on the way he met a\nJackal, who called out, \u201cWhy, what\u2019s the matter, Mr. Brahman? You look\nas miserable as a fish out of water!\u201d\n\nThe Brahman told him all that had occurred.\n\n\u201cHow very confusing!\u201d said the Jackal, when the recital was ended;\n\u201cwould you mind telling me over again, for everything has got so mixed\nup?\u201d\n\nThe Brahman told it all over again, but the Jackal shook his head in a\ndistracted sort of way, and still could not understand.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s very odd,\u201d said he, sadly, \u201cbut it all seems to go in at one ear\nand out at the other! I will go to the place where it all happened, and\nthen perhaps I shall be able to give a judgment.\u201d\n\nSo they returned to the cage, by which the Tiger was waiting for the\nBrahman, and sharpening his teeth and claws.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ve been away a long time!\u201d growled the savage beast, \u201cbut now let\nus begin our dinner.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur dinner!\u201d thought the wretched Brahman, as his knees knocked\ntogether with fright; \u201cwhat a remarkably delicate way of putting it!\u201d\n\n\u201cGive mime five minutes, my lord!\u201d he pleaded, \u201cin order that I may\nexplain matters to the Jackal here, who is somewhat slow in his wits.\u201d\n\nThe Tiger consented, and the Brahman began the whole story over again,\nnot missing a single detail, and spinning as long a yarn as possible.\n\n\u201cOh, my poor brain! oh, my poor brain!\u201d cried the Jackal, wringing its\npaws. \u201cLet me see! how did it all begin? You were in the cage, and the\nTiger came walking by\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cPooh!\u201d interrupted the Tiger, \u201cwhat a fool you are! _I_ was in the\ncage.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course!\u201d cried the Jackal, pretending to tremble with fright; \u201cyes\nI was in the cage\u2014no I wasn\u2019t\u2014dear! dear, where are my wits? Let me\nsee\u2014the Tiger was in the Brahman, and the cage came walking by\u2014no,\nthat\u2019s not it, either! Well, don\u2019t mind me, but begin your dinner, for\nI shall never understand!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, you shall!\u201d returned the Tiger, in a rage at the Jackal\u2019s\nstupidity; \u201cI\u2019ll make you understand! Look here\u2014I am the Tiger\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my lord!\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd that is the Brahman\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my lord!\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd that is the cage\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my lord!\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I was in the cage\u2014do you understand?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes\u2014no\u2014 Please, my lord\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cWell?\u201d cried the Tiger impatiently.\n\n\u201cPlease, my lord!\u2014how did you get in?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow?\u2014why, in the usual way, of course!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear me!\u2014My head is beginning to whirl again! Please don\u2019t get\nangry, my lord, but what is the usual way?\u201d\n\nAt this the Tiger lost patience, and, jumping into the cage, cried,\n\u201cThis way! Now do you understand how it was?\u201d\n\n\u201cPerfectly!\u201d grinned the Jackal, as he dexterously shut the door. \u201cAnd\nif you will permit me to say so, I think matters will remain as they\nwere!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE LAMBIKIN\n\n\nBy Flora Annie Steel\n\nOnce upon a time there was a wee wee Lambikin, who frolicked about on\nhis little tottery legs, and enjoyed himself amazingly.\n\nNow one day he set off to visit his Granny, and was jumping with joy to\nthink of all the good things he should get from her, when who should he\nmeet but a Jackal, who looked at the tender young morsel and said:\n\u201cLambikin! Lambikin! I\u2019ll EAT YOU!\u201d\n\nBut Lambikin only gave a little frisk and said:\n\n\u201cTo Granny\u2019s house I go,\nWhere I shall fatter grow,\nThen you can eat me so.\u201d\n\n\nThe Jackal thought this reasonable, and let Lambikin pass.\n\nBy and by he met a Vulture, and the Vulture, looking hungrily at the\ntender morsel before him, said: \u201cLambikin! Lambikin! I\u2019ll EAT YOU!\u201d\n\nBut Lambikin only gave a little frisk, and said:\n\n\u201cTo Granny\u2019s house I go,\nWhere I shall fatter grow,\nThen you can eat me so.\u201d\n\n\nThe Vulture thought this reasonable, and let Lambikin pass.\n\nAnd by and by he met a Tiger, and then a Wolf, and a Dog, arid an\nEagle, and all these, when they saw the tender little morsel, said:\n\u201cLambikin! Lambikin! I\u2019ll EAT YOU!\u201d\n\nBut to all of them Lambikin replied, with a little frisk:\n\n\u201cTo Granny\u2019s house I go,\nWhere I shall fatter grow,\nThen you can eat me so.\n\n\nAt last he reached his Granny\u2019s house, and said, all in a great hurry,\n\u201cGranny, dear, I\u2019ve promised to get very fat; so, as people ought to\nkeep their promises, please put me into the corn bin at once.\u201d\n\nSo his Granny said he was a good boy, and put him into the corn bin,\nand there the greedy little Lambikin stayed for seven days, and ate,\nand ate, and ate, until he could scarcely waddle, and his Granny said\nhe was fat enough for anything, and must go home. But cunning little\nLambikin said that would never do, for some animal would be sure to eat\nhim on the way back, he was so plump and tender.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll tell you what you must do,\u201d said Master Lambikin, \u201cyou must make\na little drumikin out of the skin of my little brother who died, and\nthen I can sit inside and trundle along nicely, for I\u2019m as tight as a\ndrum myself.\u201d\n\nSo his Granny made a nice little drumikin out of his brother\u2019s skin,\nwith the wool inside, and Lambikin curled himself up snug and warm in\nthe middle, and trundled away gayly. Soon lie met with the Eagle, who\ncalled out:\n\n\u201cDrumikin! Drumikin!\nHave you seen Lambikin?\u201d\n\n\nAnd Mr. Lambikin, curled up in his soft warm nest, replied:\n\n\u201cFallen into the fire, and so will you\nOn little Drumikin. Tum-pa, tum-too!\u201d\n\n\n\u201cHow very annoying!\u201d sighed the Eagle, thinking regretfully of the\ntender morsel he had let slip.\n\nMeanwhile Lambikin trundled along, laughing to himself, and singing:\n\n\u201cTum-pa, tum-too;\nTum-pa, tum-too!\u201d\n\n\nEvery animal and bird he met asked him the same question:\n\n\u201cDrumikin! Drumikin!\nHave you seen Lambikin?\u201d\n\n\nAnd to each of them the little slyboots replied:\n\n\u201cFallen into the fire, and so will you\nOn little Drumikin. Tum-pa, tum-too;\nTum-pa, tum-too; Tum-pa, tum-too!\u201d\n\n\nThen they all sighed to think of the tender little morsel they had let\nslip.\n\nAt last the Jackal came limping along, for all his sorry looks as sharp\nas a needle, and he too called out\u2014\n\n\u201cDrumikin! Drumikin!\nHave you seen Lambikin?\u201d\n\n\nAnd Lambikin, curled up in his snug little nest, replied gayly:\n\n\u201cFallen into the fire, and so will you\nOn little Drumikin! Tum-pa\u2014\u201d\n\n\nBut he never got any further, for the Jackal recognized his voice at\nonce, arid cried: \u201cHullo! you\u2019ve turned yourself inside out, have you?\nJust you come out of that!\u201d\n\nWhereupon he tore open Drumikin and gobbled up Lambikin.\n\n\n\n\nTHE RAT\u2019S WEDDING\n\n\nBy Flora Annie Steel\n\nOnce upon a time a fat, sleek Rat was caught in a shower of rain, and\nbeing far from shelter he set to work and soon dug a nice hole in the\nground, in which he sat as dry as a bone while the raindrops splashed\noutside, making little puddles on the road.\n\nNow in the course of digging, he came upon a fine bit of root, quite\ndry and fit for fuel, which he set aside carefully\u2014for the Rat is an\neconomical creature\u2014in order to take it home with him. So when the\nshower was over, he set off with the dry root in his mouth. As he went\nalong, daintily picking his way through the puddles, he Saw a Poor Man\nvainly trying to light a fire, while a little circle of children stood\nby, and cried piteously.\n\n\u201cGoodness gracious!\u201d exclaimed the Rat, who was both soft-hearted and\ncurious, \u201cWhat a dreadful noise to make! What is the matter?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe children are hungry,\u201d answered the Man; \u201cthey are crying for their\nbreakfast, but the sticks are damp, the fire won\u2019t burn, and so I can\u2019t\nbake the cakes.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf that is all your trouble, perhaps I can help you,\u201d said the\ngood-natured Rat, \u201cyou are welcome to this dry root and I\u2019ll warrant it\nwill soon make a fine blaze.\u201d\n\nThe Poor Man, with a thousand thanks, took the dry root, and in his\nturn presented the Rat with a morsel of dough, as a reward for his\nkindness and generosity.\n\n\u201cWhat a remarkably lucky fellow I am!\u201d thought the Rat, as he trotted\noff gayly with his prize, \u201cand clever, too! Fancy making a bargain like\nthat\u2014food enough to last me five days in return for a rotten old stick!\nWah! Wah! Wah! What it is to have brains!\u201d\n\nGoing along, hugging his good fortune in this way, he came presently to\na Potter\u2019s yard, where the Potter, leaving his wheel to spin round by\nitself, was trying to pacify his three little children, who were\nscreaming arid crying as if they would burst.\n\n\u201cMy gracious!\u201d cried the Rat, stopping his ears, \u201cwhat a noise! do tell\nme what it is all about.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose they are hungry,\u201d replied the Potter ruefully; \u201ctheir mother\nhas gone to get flour in the bazaar, for there is none in the house. In\nthe meantime I can neither work nor rest because of them.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that all?\u201d answered the officious Rat; then I can help you. Take\nthis dough, cook it quickly, and stop their mouths with food.\u201d\n\nThe Potter overwhelmed the Rat with thanks for his obliging kindness,\nand choosing out a nice well-burned pipkin, insisted on his accepting\nit as a remembrance.\n\nThe Rat was delighted at the exchange, and though the pipkin was just a\ntrifle awkward for him to manage, he succeeded, after infinite trouble,\nin balancing it on his head and went away gingerly, tink-a-tink,\ntink-a-tink, down the road, with his tail over his arm for fear he\nshould trip on it. And all the time he kept saying to himself, \u201cWhat a\nlucky fellow I am! and clever, too! Such a hand at a bargain!\u201d\n\nBy and by he came to where some cowherds were herding their cattle. One\nof them was milking a buffalo, and having no pail, he used his shoes\ninstead.\n\n\u201cOh fie! oh fie!\u201d cried the cleanly Rat, quite shocked at the sight.\n\u201cWhat a nasty, dirty trick! Why don\u2019t you use a pail?\u201d\n\n\u201cFor the best of all reasons\u2014we haven\u2019t got one!\u201d growled the Cowherd,\nwho did not see why the Rat should put his finger in the pie.\n\n\u201cIf that is all,\u201d replied the dainty Rat, \u201coblige me by using this\npipkin, for I cannot bear dirt!\u201d\n\nThe Cowherd, nothing loath, took the pipkin and milked away until it\nwas brimming over; then turning to the Rat, who stood looking on, said,\n\u201cHere, little fellow, You may have a drink, in payment.\u201d\n\nBut if the Rat was good-natured he was also shrewd. \u201cNo, no, my\nfriend,\u201d said he, \u201cthat will not do! As if I could drink the worth of\nany pipkin at a draft! My dear sir, I couldn\u2019t hold it! Besides, I\nnever make a bad bargain, so I expect you, at least to give me the\nbuffalo that gave the milk.\u201d\n\n\u201cNonsense!\u201d cried the Cowherd; \u201ca buffalo for a pipkin! Whoever heard\nof such a price? And what on earth could you do with a buffalo when you\ngot it? Why, the pipkin was about as much as you could manage.\u201d\n\nAt this the Rat drew himself up with dignity, for he did not like\nallusions to his size. \u201cThat is my affair, not yours,\u201d he retorted;\n\u201cyour business is to hand over the buffalo.\u201d\n\nSo just for the fun of the thing, and to amuse themselves at the Rat\u2019s\nexpense, the cowherds loosened the buffalo\u2019s halter and began to tie it\nto the little animal\u2019s tail.\n\n\u201cNo! no!\u201d he called, in a great hurry. \u201cIf the beast pulled, the skin\nof my tail would come off, and then where should I be? Tie it around my\nneck, if you please.\u201d\n\nSo with much laughter the cowherds tied the halter round the Rat\u2019s\nneck, and he, after a polite leave-taking, set off gayly toward home\nwith his prize; that is to say, he set off with the rope, for no sooner\ndid he come to the end of the tether than be was brought up with a\nround turn; the buffalo, nose down, grazing away, would not budge until\nit had finished its tuft of grass, and then seeing another in a\ndifferent direction marched off toward it, while the Rat, to avoid\nbeing dragged, had to trot humbly behind, willy-nilly. He was too proud\nto confess the truth, of course, and, nodding his head knowingly to the\ncowherds, said: \u201cTa-ta, good people! I am going home this way. It may\nbe a little longer, but it\u2019s much shadier.\u201d\n\nAnd when the cowherds roared with laughter he took no notice, but\ntrotted on, looking as dignified as possible. \u201cAfter all,\u201d he reasoned\nto himself, \u201cwhen one keeps a buffalo one has to look after its\ngrazing. A beast must get a good bellyful of grass if it is to give any\nmilk, and I have plenty of time at my disposal.\u201d So all day long he\ntrotted about after the buffalo, making believe; but by evening he was\ndead tired, and felt truly thankful when the great big beast, having\neaten enough, lay down under a tree to chew the cud.\n\nJust then a bridal party came by. The Bridegroom and his friends had\nevidently gone on to the next village, leaving the Bride\u2019s palanquin to\nfollow; so the palanquin bearers, being lazy fellows and seeing a nice\nshady tree, put down their burden, and began to cook some food.\n\n\u201cWhat detestable meanness!\u201d grumbled one; \u201ca grand wedding, and nothing\nbut plain rice to eat! Not a scrap of meat in it, neither sweet nor\nsalt! It would serve the skinflints right if we upset the Bride into a\nditch!\u201d\n\n\u201cDear me!\u201d cried the Rat at once, seeing a way out of his difficulty,\n\u201cthat is a shame! I sympathize with your feelings so entirely that if\nyou will allow me, I\u2019ll give you my buffalo. You can kill it, and cook\nit.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour buffalo!\u201d returned the discontented bearers. \u201cWhat rubbish!\nWhoever heard of a rat owning a buffalo?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot often, I admit,\u201d replied the Rat with conscious pride; \u201cbut look\nfor yourselves. Can you not see that I am leading the beast by a\nstring?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, never mind the string!\u201d cried a great big hungry bearer; master or\nno master, I mean to have meat for my dinner!\u201d Whereupon they killed\nthe buffalo, and cooking its flesh, ate their dinner with a relish;\nthen, offering the remains to the Rat, said carelessly, \u201cHere, little\nRat-skin, that is for you!\u201d\n\n\u201cNow look here!\u201d cried the Rat hotly; \u201cI\u2019ll have none of your pottage,\nor your sauce, either. You don\u2019t suppose I am going to give my best\nbuffalo, that gave quarts and quarts of milk\u2014the buffalo I have been\nfeeding all day\u2014for a wee bit of rice? No! I got a loaf for a bit of\nstick; I got a pipkin for a little loaf; I got a buffalo for a pipkin;\nand now I\u2019ll have the Bride for my buffalo\u2014the Bride, and nothing\nelse!\u201d\n\nBy this time the servants, having satisfied their hunger, began to\nreflect on what they had done, and becoming alarmed at the\nconsequences, arrived at the conclusion it would be wisest to make\ntheir escape while they could. So, leaving the Bride in her palanquin,\nthey took to their heels in various directions.\n\nThe Rat, being as it were left in possession, advanced to the\npalanquin, and drawing aside the curtain, with the sweetest of voices\nand best of bows begged the Bride to descend. She hardly knew whether\nto laugh or to cry, but as any company, even a Rat\u2019s, was better than\nbeing quite alone in the wilderness, she did what she was bidden, and\nfollowed the lead of her guide, who set off as fast as be could for his\nhole.\n\nAs he trotted along beside the lovely young Bride, who, by her rich\ndress and glittering jewels, seemed to be some king\u2019s daughter, he kept\nsaying to himself, \u201cHow clever I am! What bargains I do make, to be\nsure!\u201d\n\nWhen they arrived at his hole, the Rat stepped forward with the\ngreatest politeness, and said, \u201cWelcome, madam, to my humble abode!\nPray step in, or if you will allow me, and as the passage is somewhat\ndark, I will show you the way.\u201d\n\nWhereupon he ran in first, but after a time, finding the Bride did not\nfollow, he put his nose out again, saying testily, \u201cWell, madam, why\ndon\u2019t you follow? Don\u2019t you know it\u2019s rude to keep your husband\nwaiting?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy good sir,\u201d laughed the handsome young Bride, \u201cI can\u2019t squeeze into\nthat little hole!\u201d\n\nThe Rat coughed; then after a moment\u2019s thought he replied, \u201cThere is\nsome truth in your remark\u2014you _are_ overgrown, and I suppose I shall\nhave to build you a thatch somewhere, For to-night you can rest under\nthat wild plum tree.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I am so hungry!\u201d said the Bride ruefully.\n\n\u201cDear, dear! everybody seems hungry to-day!\u201d returned the Rat\npettishly; \u201chowever, that\u2019s easily settled\u2014I\u2019ll fetch you Some supper\nin a trice.\u201d\n\nSo he ran into his hole, returning immediately with an ear of millet\nand a dry pea. \u201cThere!\u201d said he, triumphantly, \u201cisn\u2019t that a fine\nmeal?\u201d\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t eat that!\u201d whimpered the Bride; \u201cit isn\u2019t a mouthful; and I\nwant rice pottage, and cakes, and sweet eggs, and sugar drops. I shall\ndie if I don\u2019t get them!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear me!\u201d cried the Rat in a rage, \u201cwhat a nuisance a bride is, to\nbe sure! Why don\u2019t you eat the wild plums?\u201d\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t live on wild plums!\u201d retorted the weeping Bride; \u201cnobody\ncould; besides, they are only half ripe, and I can\u2019t reach them.\u201d\n\n\u201cRubbish!\u201d cried the Rat; \u201cripe or unripe, they must do you for\nto-night, and to-morrow you can gather a basketful, sell them in the\ncity, and buy sugar drops and sweet eggs to your heart\u2019s content!\u201d\n\nSo the next morning the Rat climbed up into the plum tree, and nibbled\naway at the stalks till the fruit fell down into the Bride\u2019s veil.\nThen, unripe as they were, she carried them into the city, calling out\nthrough the streets\u2014\n\n\u201cGreen plums I sell! green plums I sell!\nPrincess am I, Rat\u2019s bride as well!\u201d\n\n\nAs she passed by the palace, her mother, the Queen, heard her voice,\nand running out, recognized her daughter. Great were the rejoicings,\nfor everyone thought the poor Bride had been eaten by wild beasts.\n\nIn the midst of the feasting and merriment, the Rat, who had followed\nthe Princess at a distance, and had become alarmed at her long absence,\narrived at the door, against which he beat with a big knobby stick,\ncalling out fiercely, \u201cGive me my wife! Give me my wife! She is mine by\na fair bargain. I gave a stick and I got a loaf; I gave a loaf and I\ngot a pipkin; I gave a pipkin and I got a buffalo; I gave a buffalo and\nI got a bride. Give me my wife! Give me my wife!\u201d\n\n\u201cLa! son-in-law! What a fuss you do make,\u201d said the wily old Queen\nthrough the door, \u201cand all about nothing! Who wants to run away with\nyour wife? On the contrary, we are proud to see you, and I only keep\nyou waiting at the door till we can spread the carpets, and receive you\nin style.\u201d\n\nHearing this, the Rat was mollified, and waited patiently outside while\nthe cunning old Queen prepared for his reception, which she did by\ncutting a hole in the very middle of a stool, putting a red hot stone\nunderneath, covering it over with a stew-pan lid, and then spreading a\nbeautiful embroidered cloth over all. Then she went to the door, and\nreceiving the Rat with the greatest respect, led him to the stool,\npraying him to be seated.\n\n\u201cDear! dear! how clever I am! What bargains I do make, to be sure!\u201d\nsaid he to himself as he climbed on to the stool. \u201cHere I am,\nson-in-law to a real live Queen! What will the neighbors say?\u201d\n\nAt first he sat down on the edge of the stool, but even there it was\nwarm, and after a while he began to fidget, saying, \u201cDear me,\nmother-in-law, how hot your house is! Everything I touch seems\nburning!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are out of the wind there, my son,\u201d replied the cunning old Queen;\n\u201csit more in the middle of the stool, and then you will feel the breeze\nand get cooler.\u201d\n\nBut he didn\u2019t! for the stewpan lid by this time had become so hot that\nthe Rat fairly frizzled when he sat down on it; and it was not until he\nhad left all his tail, half his hair, and a large piece of his skin\nbehind him, that he managed to escape, howling with pain, and vowing\nthat never, never, never again would he make a bargain!\n\n\n\n\nTHE JACKAL AND THE PARTRIDGE\n\n\nBy Flora Annie Steel\n\nA jackal and a partridge swore eternal friendship; but the Jackal was\nvery exacting and jealous. \u201cYou don\u2019t do half as much for me as I do\nfor you,\u201d he used to say, \u201cand yet you talk a great deal of your\nfriendship. Now my idea of a friend is one who is able to make me laugh\nor cry, give me a good meal, or save my life if need be. You couldn\u2019t\ndo that!\u201d\n\n\u201cLet us see,\u201d answered the Partridge; \u201cfollow me at a little distance,\nand if I don\u2019t make you laugh soon you may eat me!\u201d\n\nSo she flew on till she met two travelers trudging along, one behind\nthe other. They were both foot-sore and weary, and the first carried\nhis bundle on a stick over his shoulder, while the second had his shoes\nin his hand.\n\nLightly as a feather the Partridge settled on the first traveler\u2019s\nstick. He, none the wiser, trudged on, but the second traveler, seeing\nthe bird sitting so tamely just in front of his nose, said to himself,\n\u201cWhat a chance for a supper!\u201d and immediately flung his shoes at it,\nthey being ready to hand. Whereupon the Partridge flew away, and the\nshoes knocked off the first traveler\u2019s turban.\n\n\u201cWhat a plague do you mean?\u201d cried he, angrily turning on his\ncompanion. \u201cWhy did you throw your shoes at my head?\u201d\n\n\u201cBrother,\u201d replied the other mildly, \u201cdo not be vexed. I didn\u2019t throw\nthem at you, but at a Partridge that was sitting on your stick.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn my stick! Do you take me for a fool?\u201d shouted the injured man, in a\ngreat rage. \u201cDon\u2019t tell me such cock-and-bull stories. First you insult\nme, and then you lie like a coward; but I\u2019ll teach you manners!\u201d\n\nThen he fell upon his fellow traveler without more ado, and they fought\nuntil they could not see out of their eyes, till their noses were\nbleeding, their clothes in rags, and the Jackal had nearly died of\nlaughing.\n\n\u201cAre you satisfied?\u201d asked the Partridge of her friend.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d answered the Jackal, \u201cyou have certainly made nine laugh, but I\ndoubt if you could make me cry. It is easy enough to be a buffoon; it\nis more difficult to excite the highest emotions.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet us see,\u201d retorted the Partridge, somewhat piqued; \u201cthere is a\nhuntsman with his dogs coming along the road. Just creep into that\nhollow tree and watch me; if you don\u2019t weep scalding tears, you must\nhave no feeling in you!\u201d\n\nThe Jackal did as he was bid, and watched the Partridge, who began\nfluttering about the bushes till the dogs caught sight of her, when she\nflew to the hollow tree where the Jackal was hidden. Of course the dogs\nsmelt him at once, and set up such a yelping and scratching that the\nhuntsman came up, and seeing what it was, dragged the Jackal out by the\ntail. Whereupon the dogs worried him to their heart\u2019s content, and\nfinally left him for dead.\n\nBy and by he opened his eyes\u2014for he was only foxing\u2014and saw the\nPartridge sitting on a branch above him.\n\n\u201cDid you cry?\u201d she asked anxiously. \u201cDid I rouse your high emo\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cBe quiet, will you!\u201d snarled the Jackal; half dead with fear!\u201d\n\nSo there the Jackal lay for some time, getting the better of his\nbruises, and meanwhile he became hungry.\n\n\u201cNow is the time for friendship!\u201d said he to the Partridge. \u201cGet me a\ngood dinner, and I will acknowledge you a true friend.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well!\u201d replied the Partridge; \u201conly watch me, and help yourself\nwhen the time comes.\u201d\n\nJust then a troop of women came by, carrying their husbands dinners to\nthe harvest field. The Partridge gave a little plaintive cry, and began\nfluttering along from bush to bush as if she were wounded.\n\n\u201cA wounded bird! a wounded bird!\u201d cried the women; \u201cwe can easily catch\nit.\u201d Whereupon they set off in pursuit, but the cunning Partridge\nplayed a thousand tricks, till they became so excited over the chase\nthat they put their bundles on the ground in order to pursue it more\nnimbly. The Jackal, meanwhile, seizing his opportunity, crept up, and\nmade off with a good dinner.\n\n\u201cAre you satisfied now?\u201d asked the Partridge.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d returned the Jackal, \u201cI confess you have given me a very good\ndinner; you have also made me laugh\u2014and cry\u2014ahem! But, after all, the\ngreat test of friendship is beyond you\u2014you couldn\u2019t save my life!\u201d\n\n\u201cPerhaps not,\u201d acquiesced the Partridge mournfully, \u201cI am so small and\nweak. But it grows late\u2014we should be getting home; and as it is a long\nway round by the ford, let us go across the river. My friend the\nCrocodile will carry us over.\u201d\n\nAccordingly they set off for the river, and the Crocodile kindly\nconsented to carry them across, so they sat on his broad back and he\nferried them over. But just as they were in the middle of the stream\nthe Partridge remarked. \u201cI believe the Crocodile intends to play us a\ntrick. How awkward if he were to drop you into the water!\u201d\n\n\u201cAwkward for you, too!\u201d replied the Jackal, turning pale.\n\n\u201cNot at all! not at all! I have wings, you haven\u2019t.\u201d\n\nOn this the Jackal shivered and shook with fear, and when the\nCrocodile, in a gruesome growl, remarked that he was hungry and wanted\na good meal, the wretched creature hadn\u2019t a word to say.\n\n\u201cPooh!\u201d cried the Partridge airily, \u201cdon\u2019t try tricks on us\u2014I should\nfly away, and as for my friend, the Jackal, you couldn\u2019t hurt him. He\nis not such a fool as to take his life with him on these little\nexcursions; he leaves it at home, locked up in the cupboard.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that a fact?\u201d asked the Crocodile, surprised. \u201cCertainly!\u201d retorted\nthe Partridge. Try to eat him if you like, but you will only tire\nyourself to no purpose.\n\n\u201cDear me! how very odd!\u201d gasped time Crocodile; and he was so taken\naback that he carried the Jackal safe to shore.\n\n\u201cWell, are you satisfied now?\u201d asked the Partridge.\n\n\u201cMy dear madam!\u201d quoth the Jackal, \u201cyou have made me laugh, you have\nmade me cry, you have given me a good dinner, and you have saved my\nlife; but, upon my honor, I think you are too clever for a friend so\ngood-by!\u201d\n\nAnd the Jackal never went near the Partridge again.\n\n\n\n\nTHE JACKAL AND THE CROCODILE\n\n\nBy Flora Annie Steel\n\nOnce upon a time Mr. Jackal was trotting along gayly, when lie caught\nsight of a wild plum tree laden with fruit on the other side of a\nbroad, deep stream. I could not get across anyhow, so he just sat down\non the bank and looked at the ripe, luscious fruit until his mouth\nwatered with desire.\n\nNow it so happened that, just then, Miss Crocodile came floating down\nstream with her nose in the air.\n\n\u201cGood morning, my dear!\u201d said Mr. Jackal politely; \u201chow beautiful you\nlook to-day, and how charmingly you swim! Now, if I could only swim\ntoo, what a fine feast of plums we two friends might have over there\ntogether!\u201d And Mr. Jackal laid his paw on his heart, and sighed.\n\nNow Miss Crocodile had a very inflammable heart, and when Mr. Jackal\nlooked at her so admiringly, and spoke so sentimentally, she simpered\nand blushed, saying, \u201cOh! Mr. Jackal! how can you talk so? I could\nnever dream of going out to dinner with you, unless\u2014unless\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cUnless what?\u201d asked the Jackal persuasively.\n\n\u201cUnless we were going to be married!\u201d simpered Miss Crocodile.\n\n\u201cAnd why shouldn\u2019t we be married, my charmer?\u201d returned the Jackal\neagerly. \u201cI would go and fetch the barber to begin the betrothal at\nonce, but I am so faint with hunger just at present that I should never\nreach the village. Now, if the most adorable of her sex would only take\npity on her slave, and carry me over the stream, I might refresh myself\nwith those plums, and so gain strength to accomplish the ardent desire\nof my heart!\u201d\n\nHere the Jackal sighed so piteously, and cast such sheep\u2019s eyes at Miss\nCrocodile, that she was unable to withstand him. So she carried him\nacross to the plum tree, and then sat on the water\u2019s edge to think over\nher wedding dress, while Mr. Jackal feasted on the plums and enjoyed\nhimself.\n\n\u201cNow for the barber, my beauty!\u201d cried the gay Jackal, when he had\neaten as much as he could. Then the blushing Miss Crocodile carried him\nback again, and bade him be quick about his business, like a dear good\ncreature, for really she felt so flustered at the very idea that she\ndidn\u2019t know what might happen.\n\n\u201cNow don\u2019t distress yourself, my dear!\u201d quoth the deceitful Mr. Jackal,\nspringing to the bank, \u201cbecause it\u2019s not impossible that I may not find\nthe barber, and then, you know, you may have to wait some time, a\nconsiderable time in fact, before I return. So don\u2019t injure your health\nfor my sake, if you please.\u201d With that he blew her a kiss, and trotted\naway with his tail up.\n\nOf course he never came back, though trusting Miss Crocodile waited\npatiently for him; at last she understood what a gay, deceitful fellow\nhe was, and determined to have her revenge on him one way or another.\n\nSo she hid herself in the water, under the roots of a tree, close to a\nford where the Jackal always came to drink. By and by, sure enough, he\ncame lilting along in a self-satisfied way, and went right into the\nwater for a good long draft. Whereupon Miss Crocodile seized him by the\nright legs and held on. He guessed at once what had happened, and\ncalled out, \u201cOh! my heart\u2019s adored! I\u2019m drowning! I\u2019m drowning! If you\nlove me, leave hold of that old root and get a good grip of my leg\u2014it\nis just next door!\u201d\n\nHearing this, Miss Crocodile thought she must have made a mistake, and,\nletting go the Jackal\u2019s leg in a hurry, seized an old root close by,\nand held on. Whereupon Mr. Jackal jumped nimbly to shore, and ran off\nwith his tail up, calling out, \u201cHave a little patience, my beauty! The\nbarber will come some day!\u201d\n\nBut this time Miss Crocodile knew better than to wait, and being now\ndreadfully angry, she crawled away to the Jackal\u2019s hole, and, slipping\ninside, lay quiet.\n\nBy and by Mr. Jackal came lilting along with his tail up. \u201cHo! ho! That\nis your game, is it?\u201d said he to himself, when he saw the trail of the\nCrocodile in the sandy soil. So he stood outside, and said aloud,\n\u201cBless my stars! What has happened? I don\u2019t half like to go in, for\nwhenever I come home my wife always calls out,\n\n\u2018Oh, dearest hubby hub!\nWhat have you brought for grub\nto me and the darling cub?\u2019\n\n\nand to-day she doesn\u2019t say anything!\u201d\n\nHearing this, Miss Crocodile sang out from inside,\n\n\u201cOh, dearest hubby hub!\nWhat have you brought for grub\nTo me and the darling cub?\u201d\n\n\nThe Jackal winked a very big wink, and, stealing in softly, stood at\nthe doorway. Meanwhile Miss Crocodile, hearing him coming, held her\nbreath, and lay, shamming dead, like a big log.\n\n\u201cBless my stars!\u201d cried Mr. Jackal, taking out his pocket handkerchief,\n\u201chow very sad! Here\u2019s poor Miss Crocodile stone dead, and all for love\nof me! Dear! dear! Yet it is very odd, and I don\u2019t think she can be\nquite dead, you know\u2014for dead folks always wag their tails!\u201d\n\nOn this, Miss Crocodile began to wag her tail very gently, and Mr.\nJackal ran off, roaring with laughter, and saying. \u201cOho! oho! so dead\nfolks always wag their tails!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE JACKAL AND THE IGUANA\n\n\nBy Flora Annie Steel\n\nOne moonlight night a miserable, half-starved Jackal, skulking through\nthe village, found a worn-out pair of shoes in the gutter. They were\ntoo tough for him to eat, so, determined to make some use of them, he\nstrung them to his ears like earrings, and, going down to the edge of\nthe pond, gathered all the old bones he could find together and built a\nplatform of them, plastering it over with mud.\n\nOn this he sat in a dignified attitude, and when any animal came to the\npond to drink, he cried out in a loud voice, \u201cHi! stop! You must not\ntaste a drop till you have done homage to me. So repeat these verses\nwhich I have composed in honor of the occasion:\n\n\u2018Silver is his dais, plastered o\u2019er with gold;\nIn his ears are jewels,\u2014some prince I must behold!\u2019\u201d\n\n\nNow, as most of the animals were very thirsty, and in a great hurry to\ndrink, they did not care to dispute the matter, but gabbled off the\nwords without a second thought. Even the royal tiger, treating it as a\njest, repeated the Jackal\u2019s rime, in consequence of which the latter\nbecame quite a cock-a-hoop, and really began to believe he was a\npersonage of great importance.\n\nBy and by an Iguana, or big lizard, came waddling down to the water,\nlooking for all the world like a baby alligator.\n\n\u201cHi! you there!\u201d sang out the Jackal; \u201cyou mustn\u2019t drink until you have\nsaid\u2014\n\n\u2018Silver is his dais, plastered o\u2019er with gold;\nIn his ears are jewels,\u2014some prince I must behold!\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\u201cPouf! pouf! pouf!\u201d gasped the Iguana. \u201cMercy on us, how dry my throat\nis! Mightn\u2019t I have just a wee sip of water first? and then I could do\njustice to your admirable lines; at present I am as hoarse as a crow!\u201d\n\n\u201cBy all means,\u201d replied the Jackal, with a gratified smirk. \u201cI flatter\nmyself the verses are good, especially when well recited.\u201d\n\nSo the Iguana, nose down in the water, drank away until the Jackal\nbegan to think he would never leave off, and was quite taken aback when\nhe finally came to an end of his draft, and began to move away.\n\n\u201cHi! hi!\u201d cried the Jackal, recovering his presence of mind, \u201cstop a\nbit, and say\u2014\n\n\u2018Silver is his dais, plastered o\u2019er with gold;\nIn his ears are jewels,\u2014some prince I must behold!\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\u201cDear me!\u201d replied the Iguana, politely, \u201cI was very near forgetting!\nLet me see\u2014I must try my voice first\u2014do, re, me, fa, sol, la, si\u2014that\nis right! Now, how does it run?\u201d\n\n\u201cSilver is his dais, plastered o\u2019er with gold;\nIn his ears are jewels,\u2014some prince I must behold!\u201d\n\n\nrepeated the Jackal, not observing that the Lizard Was carefully edging\nfarther and farther away.\n\n\u201cExactly so,\u201d returned the Iguana; \u201cI think I could say that!\u201d\nWhereupon he sang out at the top of his voice\u2014\n\n\u201cBones made up his dais, with mud it\u2019s plastered o\u2019er,\nOld shoes are his eardrops; a jackal, nothing more!\u201d\n\n\nAnd turning round, he bolted for his hole as hard as he could.\n\nThe Jackal could scarcely believe his ears, and sat dumb with\nastonishment. Then, rage lending him wings, he flew after the Lizard,\nwho, despite his short legs and scanty breath, put his best foot\nforemost, and scuttled away at a great rate.\n\nIt was a near race, however, for just as he popped into his hole, the\nJackal caught him by the tail, and held on. Then it was a case of\n\u201cpull, butcher; pull, baker,\u201d until the Lizard made certain his tail\nmust come off, and he felt as if his front teeth would come out. Still\nnot an inch did either budge, one way or the other, and there they\nmight have remained till the present day, had not the Iguana called\nout, in his sweetest tones, \u201cFriend, I give in! Just leave hold of my\ntail, will you? then I can turn round and come out.\u201d\n\nWhereupon the Jackal let go, and the tail disappeared up the hole in a\ntwinkling; while all the reward the Jackal got for digging away until\nhis nails were nearly worn out was hearing the Iguana sing softly\u2014\n\n\u201cBones made up his dais, with mud it\u2019s plastered o\u2019er,\nOld shoes are his eardrops; a jackal, nothing more\n\n\n\n\nTHE BEAR\u2019S BAD BARGAIN\n\n\nBy Flora Annie Steel\n\nOnce upon a time a very old Woodman lived with his very old Wife in a\ntiny hut close to the orchard of a very rich man, so close that the\nboughs of a pear tree hung right over the cottage yard. Now it was\nagreed between the rich man and the Woodman that if any of the fruit\nfell into the yard, the old couple were to be allowed to eat it; so you\nmay imagine with what hungry eyes they watched the pears ripening, and\nprayed for a storm of wind, or a flock of flying foxes, or anything\nwhich would cause the fruit to fall. But nothing came, and the old\nWife, who was a grumbling, scolding old thing, declared they would\ninfallibly become beggars. So she took to giving her husband nothing\nbut dry bread to eat, and insisted on his working harder than ever,\ntill the poor soul got quite thin; and all because the pears would not\nfall down!\n\nAt last the Woodman turned round and declared he would not work more\nunless his Wife gave him Khichri for his dinner; so with a very bad\ngrace the old woman took some rice and pulse, some butter and spices,\nand began to cook a savory Khichri. What an appetizing smell it had, to\nbe sure! The Woodman was for gobbling it up as soon as ever it was\nready. \u201cNo, no,\u201d cried the greedy old Wife, not till you have brought\nme in another load of Wood; and mind it is a good one. You must work\nfor your dinner.\u201d\n\nSo the old man set off to the forest and began to hack and to hew with\nsuch a will that he soon had quite a large bundle, and with every\nfaggot he cut he seemed to smell the savory Khichri and think of the\nfeast that was coming.\n\nJust then a Bear came swinging by, with its great black nose tilted in\nthe air, and its little keen eyes peering about; for bears, though good\nenough fellows on the whole, are just dreadfully inquisitive.\n\n\u201cPeace be with you, friend,\u201d said the Bear, \u201cand what may you be going\nto do with that remarkably large bundle of wood?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is for my Wife,\u201d returned the Woodman. \u201cThe fact is,\u201d he added\nconfidentially, smacking his lips, \u201cshe has made such a Khichri for\ndinner! and if I bring in a good bundle of wood she is pretty sure to\ngive me a plentiful portion. Oh, my dear fellow, you should just smell\nthat Khichri.\u201d\n\nAt this the Bear\u2019s mouth began to water, for, like all bears, he was a\ndreadful glutton.\n\n\u201cDo you think your Wife would give mite some, too, if I brought her a\nbundle of wood?\u201d he asked anxiously.\n\n\u201cPerhaps; if it is a very big load,\u201d answered the Woodman craftily.\n\n\u201cWould\u2014would four hundredweight be enough?\u201d asked the Bear.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m afraid not,\u201d returned the Woodman, shaking his head; \u201cyou see\nKhichri is an expensive dish to make\u2014there is rice in it, and plenty of\nbutter, and pulse, and\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cWould\u2014would eight hundredweight do?\u201d\n\n\u201cSay half a ton, and it\u2019s a bargain!\u201d quoth the Woodman.\n\n\u201cHalf a ton is a large quantity!\u201d sighed the Bear.\n\n\u201cThere is saffron in the Khichri,\u201d remarked the Woodman, casually.\n\nThe Bear licked his lips, and his little eyes twinkled with greed and\ndelight.\n\n\u201cWell it\u2019s a bargain! Go home sharp and tell your Wife to keep the\nKhichri hot; I\u2019ll be with you in a trice.\u201d\n\nAway went the Woodman in great glee to tell his Wife how the Bear had\nagreed to bring half a ton of wood in return for a share of the\nKhichri.\n\nNow the wife could not help allowing that her husband had made a good\nbargain, but being by nature a grumbler, she was determined not to be\npleased, so she began to scold the old man for not having settled\nexactly the share the Bear was to have. \u201cFor,\u201d said she, \u201che will\ngobble up the potful before we have finished our first helping.\u201d\n\nOn this the Woodman became quite pale. \u201cIn that case,\u201d he said, \u201cwe had\nbetter begin now, and have a fair start.\u201d So without more ado they\nsquatted down on the floor, with the brass pot full of Khichri between\nthem, and began to eat as fast as they could.\n\n\u201cRemember to leave some for the Bear, Wife,\u201d said the Woodman, speaking\nwith his mouth crammed full.\n\n\u201cCertainly, certainly,\u201d she replied, helping herself to another\nhandful.\n\n\u201cMy dear,\u201d cried the old woman in her turn, with her mouth so full she\ncould hardly speak, \u201cremember the poor Bear!\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly, certainly, my love!\u201d returned the old man, taking another\nmouthful.\n\nSo it went on, till there was not a single grain left in the pot.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s to be done now?\u201d said the Woodman; \u201cit is all your fault, Wife,\nfor eating so much.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy fault!\u201d retorted his Wife scornfully, \u201cwhy, you ate twice as much\nas I did!\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I didn\u2019t!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, you did! Men always eat more than women.\n\n\u201cNo, they don\u2019t!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, they do!\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, it\u2019s no use quarreling about it now,\u201d said the Woodman, \u201cthe\nKhichri\u2019s gone, and the Bear will be furious.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat wouldn\u2019t matter much if we could get the wood,\u201d said the greedy\nold woman. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what we must do\u2014we must lock up everything\nthere is to eat in the house, leave the Khichri pot by the fire, and\nhide in the garret. When the Bear comes he will think we have gone out\nand left his dinner for him. Then he will throw down his bundle and\ncome in. Of course he will rampage a little when he finds the pot is\nempty, but he can\u2019t do much mischief, and I don\u2019t think he will take\nthe trouble of carrying the wood away.\u201d\n\nSo they made haste to lock up all the food and hide themselves in the\ngarret.\n\nMeanwhile the Bear had been toiling and moiling away at his bundle of\nwood, which took him much longer to collect than he expected; however,\nat last he arrived quite exhausted at the woodcutter\u2019s cottage. Seeing\nthe brass Khichri pot by the fire, he threw down his load and went in.\nAnd then\u2014mercy! wasn\u2019t he angry when he found nothing in it\u2014not even a\ngrain of rice, nor a tiny wee bit of pulse, but only a smell that was\nso uncommonly nice that he actually cried with rage and disappointment.\nHe flew into the most dreadful temper, but though he turned the house\ntopsy-turvy, he could not find a morsel of food. Finally, he declared\nhe would take the wood away again, but, as the crafty old woman had\nimagined, when he came to the task, he did not care, even for the sake\nof revenge, to carry so heavy a burden.\n\n\u201cI won\u2019t go away empty-handed,\u201d said he to himself, seizing the Khichri\npot; \u201cif I can\u2019t get the taste I\u2019ll have the smell!\u201d\n\nNow, as he left the cottage, he caught sight of the beautiful golden\npears hanging over into the yard. His mouth began to water at once, for\nhe was desperately hungry, and the pears were the best of the season.\nIn a trice he was on the wall, up the tree, and gathering the biggest\nand ripest one he could find, was just putting it into his mouth when a\nthought struck him.\n\n\u201cIf I take these pears home I shall be able to sell them for ever so\nmuch to the other bears, and then with the money I shall be able to buy\nsome Khichri. Ha, ha! I shall have the best of the bargain after all!\u201d\n\nSo saying, he began to gather the ripe pears as fast as he could and\nput them in the Khichri pot, but whenever he came to an unripe one he\nwould shake his head and say, \u201cNo one would buy that, yet it is a pity\nto waste it.\u201d So he would pop it into his mouth and eat it, making wry\nfaces if it was very sour.\n\nNow all this time the Woodman\u2019s Wife had been watching the Bear through\na crevice, and holding her breath for fear of discovery; but, at last,\nwhat with being asthmatic, and having a cold in her head, she could\nhold it no longer, and just as the Khichri pot was quite full of golden\nripe pears, out she came with the most tremendous sneeze you ever\nheard\u2014\u201cA-h-che-u!\u201d\n\nThe Bear, thinking some one had fired a gun at him, dropped the Khichri\npot into the cottage yard, and fled into the forest as fast as his legs\nwould carry him.\n\nSo the Woodrnan and his Wife got the Khichri, the wood, and the coveted\npears, but the poor bear got nothing but a very bad stomachache from\neating unripe fruit.\n\n\n\n\nTHE THIEF AND THE FOX\n\n\nBy Ramaswarni Raju\n\nA man tied his horse to a tree and went into an inn. A Thief hid the\nhorse in a wood, and stood near the tree as if he had not done it.\n\n\u201cDid you see my horse?\u201d said the man.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the Thief, \u201cI saw the tree eat up your horse.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow could the tree eat up my horse?\u201d said the man.\n\n\u201cWhy it did so,\u201d said the Thief.\n\nThe two went to a Fox and told him of the case. The Fox said. \u201cI am\ndull. All last night the sea was on fire; I had to throw a great deal\nof hay into it to quench the flames; so come to-morrow, and I shall\nhear your case.\n\n\u201cOh, you lie,\u201d said the Thief. \u201cHow could the sea burn? How could hay\nquench the flames?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, you lie,\u201d said the Fox, with a loud laugh; \u201chow could a tree eat\nup a horse?\u201d\n\nThe Thief saw his lie had no legs, and gave the man his horse.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FARMER AND THE FOX\n\n\nBy Ramaswami Raju\n\nA farmer was returning from a fair which he had attended the previous\nday at a neighboring market town. He had a quantity of poultry which he\nhad purchased. A Fox observed this, and approaching the Farmer, said,\n\u201cGood morning, my friend.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat cheer, old fellow?\u201d said the Farmer.\n\n\u201cI am just coming from the wood, through which you mean to go with your\npoultry. A band of highwaymen has been tarrying there since daybreak.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen what shall I do?\u201d said the Farmer.\n\n\u201cWhy,\u201d said the Fox, \u201cif I were you I should stay here a while, and\nafter breakfast enter the wood, for by that time the robbers will have\nleft the place.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo be it,\u201d said the Farmer, and had a hearty breakfast, with Reynard\nfor his guest.\n\nThey kept drinking for a long time. Reynard appeared to have lost his\nwits; he stood up and played the drunkard to perfection. The Farmer,\nwho highly admired the pranks of his guest, roared with laughter, and\ngradually fell into a deep slumber. It was some time after noon when he\nawoke. To his dismay he found that the Fox was gone, and that the\npoultry had all disappeared!\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said the Farmer, as he trudged on his way home with a heavy\nheart, \u201cI thought the old rogue was quite drowned in liquor, but I now\nsee it was all a pretense. One must indeed be very sober to play the\ndrunkard to perfection.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOOLS AND THE DRUM\n\n\nBy Ramaswami Raju\n\nTwo fools heard a Drum sounding, and said to themselves, There is some\none inside it who makes the noise.\u201d\n\nSo, watching a moment, when the drummer was out, they pierced a hole in\neach side of it, and pushed their hands in. Each felt the hand of the\nother within the Drum, and exclaimed, \u201cI have caught him!\u201d\n\nThen one said to the other, \u201cBrother, the fellow seems to be a stubborn\nknave; come what will, we should not give in.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot an inch, brother,\u201d said the other.\n\nSo they kept pulling each other\u2019s hand, fancying it was the man in the\nDrum. The drummer came up, and finding them in such an awkward plight\nshowed them with his fist who the man in the Drum really was. But as\nhis fine Drum was ruined, he said, with a sigh, \u201cAlas! Fools have\nfancies with a triple wing!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE LION AND THE GOAT\n\n\nBy Ramaswami Raju\n\nA lion was eating up one after another the animals of a certain\ncountry. One day an old Goat said, \u201cWe must put a stop to this. I have\na plan by which he may be sent away from this part of the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cPray act up to it at once,\u201d said the other animals.\n\nThe old Goat laid himself down in a cave on the roadside, with his\nflowing beard and long curved horns. The Lion, on his way to the\nvillage, saw him, and stopped at the mouth of the cave.\n\n\u201cSo you have come, after all,\u201d said the Goat.\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d said the Lion.\n\n\u201cWhy, I have long been lying in this cave. I have eaten up one hundred\nelephants, a hundred tigers, a thousand wolves, and ninety-nine lions.\nOne more lion has been wanting. I have waited long and patiently.\nHeaven has, after all, been kind to me,\u201d said the Goat, and shook his\nhorns and his beard, and made a start as if he were about to spring\nupon the Lion.\n\nThe latter said to himself, \u201cThis animal looks like a Goat, but it does\nnot talk like one. So it is very likely some wicked spirit in this\nshape. Prudence often serves us better than valor, so for the present I\nshall return to the wood,\u201d and he turned back.\n\nThe Goat rose up, and, advancing to the mouth of the cave, said, \u201cWill\nyou come back tomorrow?\u201d\n\n\u201cNever again,\u201d said the Lion.\n\n\u201cDo you think I shall be able to see you, at least, in the wood\nto-morrow?\u201d\n\n\u201cNeither in the wood nor in this neighborhood any more,\u201d said the Lion,\nand running to the forest, soon left it with his kindred.\n\nThe animals in the country, not hearing him roar any more, gathered\nround the Goat, and said, \u201cThe wisdom of one doth save a host.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE GLOWWORM AND THE JACKDAW\n\n\nBy Ramaswami Raju\n\nJackdaw once ran up to a Glowworm and was about to seize him. \u201cWait a\nmoment, good friend,\u201d said the Worm, \u201cand you shall hear something to\nyour advantage.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! what is it?\u201d said the Daw.\n\n\u201cI am but one of the many glowworms that live in this forest. If you\nwish to have them all, follow me,\u201d said the Glowworm.\n\n\u201cCertainly!\u201d said the Daw.\n\nThen the Glowworm led him to a place in the wood where a fire had been\nkindled by some woodmen, and pointing to the sparks flying about, said,\n\u201cThere you find the glowworms warming themselves round a fire. When you\nhave done with them I shall show you some more, at a distance from this\nplace.\u201d\n\nThe Daw darted at the sparks and tried to swallow some of them, but his\nmouth being burned by the attempt, he ran away exclaiming, \u201cAh, the\nGlowworm is a dangerous little creature!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE CAMEL AND THE PIG\n\n\nBy Ramaswami Raju\n\nA camel said, \u201cNothing like being tall! Look how tall I am!\u201d\n\nA Pig, who heard these words, said, \u201cNothing like being short! Look how\nshort I am!\u201d\n\nThe Camel said, \u201cWell, if I fail to prove the truth of what I said. I\nshall give up my hump.\u201d\n\nThe Pig said, \u201cIf I fail to prove the truth of what I have said, I\nshall give up my snout.\u201d\n\n\u201cAgreed!\u201d said the Camel.\n\n\u201cJust so!\u201d said the Pig.\n\nThey came to a garden, inclosed by a low wall without any opening. The\nCamel stood on this side of the wall, and reaching the plants within by\nmeans of his long neck, made a breakfast on them. Then he turned,\njeeringly to the Pig, who had been standing at the bottom of the wall,\nwithout even having a look at the good things in the garden, and said,\n\u201cNow, would you be tall or short?\u201d\n\nNext they came to a garden, inclosed by a high wall, with a wicket gate\nat one end. The Pig entered by the gate, and, after having eaten his\nfill of the vegetables within, came out, laughing at the poor Camel,\nwho had had to stay outside because he was too tall to enter the garden\nby the gate, and said, \u201cNow, would you be tall or short?\u201d\n\nThen they thought the matter over and came to the conclusion that the\nCamel should keep his hump and the Pig his snout, observing, \u201cTall is\ngood, where tall would do; of short, again, \u2019tis also true!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOG AND THE DOG DEALER\n\n\nBy Ramaswami Raju\n\nA dog was standing by the cottage of a peasant. A man who dealt in dogs\npassed by the way. The Dog said, \u201cWill you buy me?\u201d\n\nThe man said, \u201cOh, you ugly little thing! I would not give a quarter of\na penny for you!\u201d\n\nThen the Dog went to the palace of the king and stood by the portal.\nThe sentinel caressed it, and said, \u201cYou are a charming little\ncreature!\u201d\n\nJust then the Dog Dealer came by. The Dog said, \u201cWill you buy me?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d said the man, \u201cyou guard the palace of the king, who must have\npaid a high price for you. I cannot afford to pay the amount, else I\nwould willingly take you.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d said the Dog, \u201chow place and position affect people!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE TIGER, THE FOX, AND THE HUNTERS\n\n\nBy Ramaswami Raju\n\nA fox was once caught in a trap. A hungry Tiger saw him and said, \u201cSo\nyou are here!\u201d\n\n\u201cOnly on your account,\u201d said the Fox in a whisper.\n\n\u201cHow so?\u201d said the Tiger.\n\n\u201cWhy, you were complaining you could not get men to eat, so I got into\nthis net to-day, that you may have the men when they come to take me,\u201d\nsaid the Fox, and gave a hint that if he would wait a while in a\nthicket close by he would point out the men to him.\n\n\u201cMay I depend upon your word?\u201d said the Tiger.\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d said the Fox.\n\nThe Hunters came, and seeing the Fox in the net, said, \u201cSo you are\nhere!\u201d\n\n\u201cOnly on your account,\u201d said the Fox, in a whisper.\n\n\u201cHow so?\u201d said the men.\n\n\u201cWhy, you were complaining you could not get at the Tiger that has been\ndevouring your cattle; I got into this net to-day that you may have\nhim. As I expected, he came to eat me up, and is in yonder thicket,\u201d\nsaid the Fox, and gave a hint that if they would take him out of the\ntrap he would point out the Tiger.\n\n\u201cMay we depend upon your word?\u201d said the men.\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d said the Fox, while the men went with him in a circle to\nsee that he did not escape.\n\nThen the Fox said to the Tiger and the men, \u201cSir Tiger, here are the\nmen; gentlemen, here is the Tiger.\u201d\n\nThe men left the Fox and turned to the Tiger. The former beat a hasty\nretreat to the wood, saying, \u201cI have kept my promise to both; now you\nmay settle it between yourselves.\u201d\n\nThe Tiger exclaimed, when it was too late, \u201cAlas! what art for a double\npart!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE SEA, THE FOX, AND THE WOLF\n\n\nBy Ramaswami Raju\n\nA fox that lived by the seashore once met a Wolf that had never seen\nthe Sea. The Wolf said, \u201cWhat is the Sea?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is a great piece of water by my dwelling,\u201d said the Fox.\n\n\u201cIs it under your control?\u201d said the Wolf.\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d said the Fox.\n\n\u201cWill you show me the Sea, then?\u201d said the Wolf.\n\n\u201cWith pleasure,\u201d said the Fox. So the Fox led the Wolf to the Sea and\nsaid to the waves, \u201cNow go back\u201d\u2014they went back! \u201cNow come up\u201d\u2014and they\ncame up! Then the Fox said to the waves, \u201cMy friend, the Wolf, has come\nto see you, so you will come up and go back till I bid you stop; and\nthe Wolf saw with wonder the waves coming up and going back.\n\nHe said to the Fox, \u201cMay I go into the Sea?\u201d\n\n\u201cAs far as you like. Don\u2019t be afraid, for at a word, the Sea would go\nor come as I bid, and as you have already seen.\u201d\n\nThe Wolf believed the Fox, and followed the waves rather far from the\nshore. A great wave soon upset him, and threw his carcass on the shore.\nThe Fox made a hearty breakfast on it.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX IN THE WELL\n\n\nBy Ramaswami Raju\n\nA fox fell into a well and was holding hard to some roots at the side\nof it, just above the water. A Wolf, who was passing by, saw him, and\nsaid, \u201cHello, Reynard, after all you have fallen into a well!\u201d\n\n\u201cBut not without a purpose, and not without the means of getting out of\nit,\u201d said the Fox.\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d said the Wolf.\n\n\u201cWhy,\u201d said the Fox, \u201cthere is a drought all over the country now, and\nthe water in this well is the only means of appeasing the thirst of the\nthousands that live in this neighborhood. They held a meeting, and\nrequested me to keep the water from going down lower; so I am holding\nit up for the public good.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat will be your reward?\u201d said the Wolf.\n\n\u201cThey will give me a pension, and save me the trouble of going about\nevery day in quest of food, not to speak of innumerable other\nprivileges that will be granted me. Further, I am not to stay here all\nday. I have asked a kinsman of mine, to whom I have communicated the\nsecret of holding up the water, to relieve me from time to time. Of\ncourse he will also get a pension, and have other privileges. I expect\nhim here shortly.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, Reynard, may I relieve you, then? May I hope to get a pension and\nother privileges? You know what a sad lot is mine, especially in\nwinter.\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d said the Fox; \u201cbut you must get a long rope, that I may\ncome up and let you in.\n\nSo the Wolf got a rope. Up came the Fox and down went the wo1f, when\nthe former observed, with a laugh, \u201cMy dear sir, you may remain there\ntill doomsday, or till the owner of the well throws up your carcass,\u201d\nand left the place.\n\n\n\n\nASHIEPATTLE AND HIS GOODLY CREW\n\n\nBy P. C. Asbj\u00f6rnsen\n\nOnce upon a time there was a king, and this king had heard about a ship\nwhich went just as fast by land as by water; and as he wished to have\none like it, he promised his daughter and half the kingdom to anyone\nwho could build one for him. And this was given out at every church all\nover the country. There were many who tried, as you can imagine; for\nthey thought it would be a nice thing to have half the kingdom, and the\nprincess wouldn\u2019t be a bad thing into the bargain. But they all fared\nbadly.\n\nNow there were three brothers, who lived far away on the borders of a\nforest; the eldest was called Peter, the second Paul, and the youngest\nEspen Ashiepattle, because he always sat in the hearth, raking and\ndigging in the ashes.\n\nIt so happened that Ashiepattle was at church on the Sunday when the\nproclamation about the ship, which the king wanted, was read. When he\ncame home amid told his family, Peter, the eldest, asked his mother to\nget some food ready for him, for now he was going away to try if he\ncould build the ship and win the princess and half the kingdom. When\nthe bag was ready lie set out. On the way he met an old man who was\nvery crooked and decrepit.\n\n\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d said the man.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going into the forest to make a trough for my father. He doesn\u2019t\nlike to eat at table in our company,\u201d said Peter.\n\n\u201cTrough it shall he!\u201d said the man. \u201cWhat have you got in that bag of\nyours?\u201d he added.\n\n\u201cStones,\u201d said Peter.\n\n\u201cStones it shall be,\u201d said the man. Peter then went into the forest and\nbegan to cut and chop away at the trees and work away as hard as he\ncould, but in spite of all his cutting and chopping he could only turn\nout troughs. Toward dinner time he wanted something to eat and opened\nhis bag. But there was not a crumb of food in it. As he had nothing to\nlive upon, and as he did not turn out anything but troughs, he became\ntired of the work, took his ax and bag on his shoulder, and went home\nto his mother.\n\nPaul then wanted to set out to try his luck at building the ship and\nwinning the princess and half the kingdom. He asked his mother for\nprovisions, and when the bag was ready he threw it over his shoulder\nand went on his way to the forest. On the road he met the old man, who\nwas very crooked and decrepit.\n\n\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d said the man.\n\n\u201cOh, I am going into the forest to make a trough for our sucking pig,\u201d\nsaid Paul.\n\n\u201cPig trough it shall be,\u201d said the man. \u201cWhat have you got in that bag\nof yours?\u201d added the man.\n\n\u201cStones,\u201d said Paul.\n\n\u201cStones it shall be,\u201d said the man.\n\nPaul then began felling trees and working away as hard as he could, but\nno matter how he cut and how he worked he could only turn out pig\ntroughs. He did not give in, however, but worked away till far into the\nafternoon before he thought of taking any food; then all at once he\nbecame hungry and opened his bag, but not a crumb could he find. Paul\nbecame so angry he turned the bag inside out and struck it against the\nstump of a tree; then lie took his ax, went out of the forest, and set\noff homeward.\n\nAs soon as Paul returned, Ashiepattle wanted to set out and asked his\nmother for a bag of food.\n\n\u201cPerhaps I can manage to build the ship and win the princess and half\nthe kingdom,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cWell, I never heard the like,\u201d said his mother. \u201cAre you likely to win\nthe princess, you, who never do anything but root and dig in the ashes?\nNo, you shan\u2019t have any bag with food!\u201d\n\nAshiepattle did not give in, however, but he prayed and begged till he\ngot leave to go. He did not get any food, not he; but he stole a couple\nof oatmeal cakes and some flat beer and set out.\n\nWhen he had walked a while he met the same old man, who was so crooked\nand tattered and decrepit.\n\n\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d said the man.\n\n\u201cOh, I was going into the forest to try if it were possible to build a\nship which can go as fast by land as by water,\u201d said Ashiepattle, \u201cfor\nthe king has given out that anyone who can build such a ship shall have\nthe princess and half the kingdom.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat have you got in that bag of yours?\u201d said the man.\n\n\u201cNot much worth talking about; there ought to be a little food in it,\u201d\nanswered Ashiepattle.\n\n\u201cIf you\u2019ll give me a little of it I\u2019ll help you, said the man.\n\n\u201cWith all my heart,\u201d said Ashiepattle, \u201cbut there is nothing but some\noatmeal cakes and a drop of flat beer.\u201d\n\nIt didn\u2019t matter what it was, the man said; if he only got some of it\nhe would be sure to help Ashiepattle.\n\nWhen they came up to an old oak in the wood the man said to the lad,\n\u201cNow you must cut off a chip and then put it back again in exactly the\nsame place, and when you have done that you can lie down and go to\nsleep.\u201d\n\nAshiepattle did as he was told and then lay down to sleep, and in his\nsleep lie thought he heard somebody cutting and hammering and sawing\nand carpentering, but he could not wake up till the man called him;\nthen the ship stood quite finished by the side of the oak.\n\n\u201cNow you must go on board and everyone you meet you must take with\nyou,\u201d said the man. Espen Ashiepattle thanked him for the ship, said he\nwould do so, and then sailed away.\n\nWhen he had sailed some distance he came to a long, thin tramp, who was\nlying near some rocks, eating stones.\n\n\u201cWhat sort of a fellow are you, that you lie there eating stones?\u201d\nasked Ashiepattle. The tramp said he was so fond of meat he could never\nget enough, therefore he was obliged to eat stones. And then he asked\nif he might go with him in the ship.\n\n\u201cIf you want to go with us, you must make haste and get on board,\u201d said\nAshiepattle.\n\nYes, that he would, but he must take with him some large stones for\nfood.\n\nWhen they had sailed some distance they met one who was lying on the\nside of a sunny hill, sucking at a bung.\n\n\u201cWho are you,\u201d said Ashiepattle, \u201cand what is the good of lying there\nsucking that bung?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, when one hasn\u2019t got the barrel, one must be satisfied with the\nbung,\u201d said the man. \u201cI\u2019m always so thirsty, I can never get enough\nbeer and wine.\u201d And then he asked for leave to go with him in the ship.\n\n\u201cIf you want to go with me you must make haste and get on board,\u201d said\nAshiepattle.\n\nYes, that he would. And so he went on board and took the bung with him\nto allay his thirst.\n\nWhen they had sailed a while again they met one who was lying with his\near to the ground, listening.\n\n\u201cWho are you, and what is the good of lying there on the ground\nlistening?\u201d said Ashiepattle.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m listening to the grass, for I have such good ears that I can hear\nthe grass growing,\u201d said the man. And then he asked leave to go with\nhim in the ship. Ashiepattle could not say nay to that, so he said:\n\n\u201cIf you want to go with me, you must make haste and get on board.\u201d\n\nYes, the man would. And he also went on board.\n\nWhen they had sailed some distance they came to one who was standing\ntaking aim with a gun.\n\n\u201cWho are you, and what is the good of standing there aiming like that?\u201d\nasked Ashiepattle.\n\nSo the man said: \u201cI have such good eyes that I can hit anything, right\nto the end of the world.\u201d And then he asked for leave to go with him in\nthe ship.\n\n\u201cIf you want to go with me, you must make haste and get on board,\u201d said\nAshiepattle.\n\nYes, that he would. And he went on board.\n\nWhen they had sailed some distance again they came to one who was\nhopping and limping about on one leg, and on the other he had seven ton\nweights.\n\n\u201cWho are you, said Ashiepattle, \u201cand what is the good of hopping and\nlimping about on one leg with seven ton weights on the other?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am so light,\u201d said the man, \u201cthat if I walked on both my legs I\nshould get to the end of the world in less than five minutes.\u201d And then\nhe asked for leave to go with him in the ship.\n\n\u201cIf you want to go with us, you must make haste and get on board,\u201d said\nAshiepattle.\n\nYes, that he would. And so he joined Ashiepattle and his crew on the\nship.\n\nWhen they had sailed on some distance they met one who was standing\nholding his hand to his mouth.\n\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d said Ashiepattle, \u201cand what is the good of standing\nthere, holding your mouth like that?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I have seven summers and fifteen winters in my body,\u201d said the\nman; \u201cso I think I ought to keep my mouth shut, for if they get out all\nat the same time they would finish off the world altogether.\u201d And then\nhe asked for leave to go with him in the ship.\n\n\u201cIf you want to go with us you must make haste and get on board,\u201d said\nAshiepattle.\n\nYes, that he would, and then he joined the others on the ship.\n\nWhen they had sailed a long time they came to the king\u2019s palace.\n\nAshiepattle went straight in to the king and said the ship stood ready\nin the courtyard outside; and now he wanted the princess, as the king\nhad promised.\n\nThe king did not like this very much, for Ashiepattle did not cut a\nvery fine figure; he was black and sooty, and the king did not care to\ngive his daughter to such a tramp, so he told Ashiepattle that he would\nhave to wait a little.\n\n\u201cBut you can have her all the same, if by this time to-morrow you can\nempty my storehouse of three hundred barrels of meat,\u201d said the king.\n\n\u201cI suppose I must try,\u201d said Ashiepattle; \u201cbut perhaps you don\u2019t mind\nmy taking one of my crew with me?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, you can do that, and take all six if you like,\u201d said the king,\nfor he was quite sure that even if Ashiepattle took six hundred with\nhim, it would be impossible. So Ashiepattle took with him the one who\nate stones and always hungered after meat.\n\nWhen they came next morning and opened the storehouse they found he had\neaten all the meat, except six small legs of mutton, one for each of\nhis companions. Ashiepattle then went to the king and said the\nstorehouse was empty, and he supposed he could now have the princess.\n\nThe king went into the storehouse and, sure enough, it was quite empty;\nbut Ashiepattle was still black and sooty, and the king thought it was\nreally too bad that such a tramp should have his daughter. So he said\nhe had a cellar full of beer and old wine, three hundred barrels of\neach kind, which he would have him drink first.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t mind your having my daughter if you can drink them up by this\ntime to-morrow,\u201d said the king.\n\n\u201cI suppose I must try,\u201d said Ashiepattle, \u201cbut perhaps you don\u2019t mind\nmy taking one of my crew with me?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, you may do that,\u201d said the king, for he was quite sure there was\ntoo much beer and wine even for all seven of them. Ashiepattle took\nwith him the one who was always sucking the bung and was always\nthirsty; and the king then shut them down in the cellar.\n\nThere the thirsty one drank barrel after barrel, as long as there was\nany left, but in the last barrel he left a couple of pints to each of\nhis companions.\n\nIn the morning the cellar was opened and Ashiepattle went at once to\nthe king and said he had finished the beer and wine, and now he\nsupposed he could have the princess as the king had promised.\n\n\u201cWell, I must first go down to the cellar and see,\u201d said the king, for\nhe could not believe it; but when he got there he found nothing but\nempty barrels.\n\nBut Ashiepattle was both black and sooty and the king thought it\nwouldn\u2019t do for him to have such a son in law. So he said that if\nAshiepattle could get water from the end of the world in ten minutes\nfor the princess\u2019s tea, he could have both her and half the kingdom;\nfor he thought that task would be quite impossible.\n\n\u201cI suppose I must try,\u201d said Ashiepattle, and sent for the one of his\ncrew who jumped about on one leg and had seven ton weights on the\nother, and told him he must take off the weights and use his legs as\nquickly as he could, for he must have water from the end of the world\nfor the princess\u2019s tea in ten minutes.\n\nSo he took off the weights, got a bucket, and set off, and the next\nmoment he was out of sight. But they waited and waited and still he did\nnot return. At last it wanted but three minutes to the time and the\nking became as pleased as if he had won a big wager.\n\nThen Ashiepattle called the one who could hear the grass grow and told\nhim to listen and find out what had become of their companion.\n\n\u201cHe has fallen asleep at the well\u201d,\u201d said he who could hear the grass\ngrow; \u201cI can hear him snoring, and a troll is scratching his head.\u201d\nAshiepattle then called the one who could shoot to the end of the world\nand told him to send a bullet into the troll; he did so and hit the\ntroll right in the eye. The troll gave such a yell that he woke the man\nwho had come to fetch the water for the tea, and when he returned to\nthe palace there was still one minute left out of the ten.\n\nAshiepattle went straight to the king and said: \u201cHere is the water;\u201d\nand now he supposed he could have the princess, for surely the king\nwould not make any more fuss about it now. But the king thought that\nAshiepattle was just as black and sooty as ever, and did not like to\nhave him for a son-in-law; so he said he had three hundred fathoms of\nwood with which he was going to dry corn in the bakehouse, and he\nwouldn\u2019t mind Ashiepattle having his daughter if he would first sit in\nthe bakehouse and burn all the wood; he should then have the princess,\nand that without fail.\n\n\u201cI suppose I must try,\u201d said Ashiepattle; \u201cbut perhaps you don\u2019t mind\nmy taking one of my crew with me?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, no, you can take all six,\u201d said the king, for he thought it would\nbe warm enough for all of them.\n\nAshiepattle took with him the one who had fifteen winters and seven\nsummers in his body, and in the evening he went across to the\nbakehouse: but the king had piled up so much wood on the fire that you\nmight almost have melted iron in the room. They could not get out of\nit, for no sooner were they inside than the king fastened the bolt and\nput a couple of padlocks on the door besides. Ashiepattle then said to\nhis companion:\n\n\u201cYou had better let out six or seven winters, so that we may get\nsomething like summer weather here.\u201d\n\nThey were then just able to exist, but during the night it got cold\nagain and Ashiepattle then told the man to let out a couple of summers,\nand so they slept far into the next day. But when they heard the king\noutside Ashiepattle said:\n\n\u201cYou must let out a couple more winters, but you must manage it so that\nthe last winter you let out strikes the king right in the face.\u201d\n\nHe did so, and when the king opened the door, expecting to find\nAshiepattle and his companion burned to cinders, he saw them huddling\ntogether and shivering with cold till their teeth chattered. The same\ninstant Ashiepattle\u2019s companion with the fifteen winters in his body\nlet loose the last one right in the king\u2019s face, which swelled up into\na big chilblain.\n\n\u201cCan I have the princess now?\u201d asked Ashiepattle\n\n\u201cYes, take her and keep her and the kingdom into the bargain,\u201d said the\nking, who dared not refuse any longer. And so the wedding took place\nand they feasted and made merry and fired off guns and powder.\n\nWhile the people were running about searching for wadding for their\nguns, they took me instead, gave me some porridge in a bottle and some\nmilk in a basket, and fired me right across here, so that I could tell\nyou how it all happened.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SQUIRE\u2019S BRIDE\n\n\nBy P. C. Asbj\u00f6rnsen\n\nOnce upon a time there was a rich squire who owned a large farm, and\nhad plenty of silver at the bottom of his chest and money in the bank\nbesides; but he felt there was something wanting, for he was a widower.\n\nOne day the daughter of a neighboring farmer was working for him in the\nhayfield. The squire saw her and liked her very much, and as she was\nthe child of poor parents he thought if he only hinted that he wanted\nher she would be ready to marry him at once.\n\nSo he told her he had been thinking of getting married again.\n\n\u201cAye! one may think of many things,\u201d said the girl, laughing slyly.\n\nIn her opinion the old fellow ought to be thinking of something that\nbehooved him better than getting married.\n\n\u201cWell, you see, I thought that you should be my wife!\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, thank you all the same,\u201d said she, \u201cthat\u2019s not at all likely.\u201d\n\nThe squire was not accustomed to be gainsaid, and the more she refused\nhim the more determined he was to get her.\n\nBut as he made no progress in her favor he sent for her father and told\nhim that if he could arrange the matter with his daughter he would\nforgive him the money he had lent him, and he would also give him the\npiece of land which lay close to his meadow into the bargain.\n\n\u201cYes, you may be sure I\u2019ll bring my daughter to her senses,\u201d said the\nfather. \u201cShe is only a child, and she doesn\u2019t know what\u2019s best for\nher.\u201d But all his coaxing and talking did not help matters. She would\nnot have the squire, she said, if he sat buried in gold up to his ears.\n\nThe squire waited day after day, but at last he became so angry and\nimpatient that he told the father, if he expected him to stand by his\npromise, he would have to put his foot down and settle the matter now,\nfor he would not wait any longer.\n\nThe man knew no other way out of it but to let the squire get\neverything ready for the wedding; and when the parson and the wedding\nguests had arrived the squire should send for the girl as if she were\nwanted for some work on the farm. When she arrived she would have to be\nmarried right away, so that she would have no time to think it over.\n\nThe squire thought this was well and good, and so he began brewing and\nbaking and getting ready for the wedding in grand style. When the\nguests had arrived the squire called one of his farm lads and told him\nto run down to his neighbor and ask him to send him what he had\npromised.\n\n\u201cBut if you are not back in a twinkling,\u201d he said, shaking his fist at\nhim, \u201cI\u2019ll\u2014\u201d\n\nHe did not say more, for the lad ran off as if he had been shot at.\n\n\u201cMy master has sent me to ask for that you promised him,\u201d said the lad,\nwhen he got to the neighbor, \u201cbut there is no time to be lost, for he\nis terribly busy to-day.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, yes! Run down into the meadow and take her with you. There she\ngoes!\u201d answered the neighbor.\n\nThe lad ran off and when he came to the meadow he found the daughter\nthere raking the hay.\n\n\u201cI am to fetch what your father has promised my master,\u201d said the lad.\n\n\u201cAh, ha!\u201d thought she. \u201cIs that what they are up to?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, indeed!\u201d she said. \u201cI suppose it\u2019s that little bay mare of ours.\nYou had better go and take her. She stands there tethered on the other\nside of the pea field,\u201d said the girl.\n\nThe boy jumped on the back of the bay mare and rode home at full\ngallop.\n\n\u201cHave you got her with you?\u201d asked the squire.\n\n\u201cShe is down at the door,\u201d said the lad.\n\n\u201cTake her up to the room my mother had,\u201d said the squire.\n\n\u201cBut master, how can that be managed?\u201d said the lad.\n\n\u201cYou must just do as I tell you,\u201d said the squire. \u201cIf you cannot\nmanage her alone you must get the men to help you,\u201d for he thought the\ngirl might turn obstreperous.\n\nWhen the lad saw his master\u2019s face he knew it would be no use to\ngainsay him. So he went and got all the farm tenants who were there to\nhelp him. Some pulled at the head and the forelegs of the mare and\nothers pushed from behind, and at last they got her up the stairs and\ninto the room. There lay all the wedding finery ready.\n\n\u201cNow, that\u2019s done master!\u201d said the lad; \u201cbut it was a terrible job. It\nwas the worst I have ever had here on the farm.\n\n\u201cNever mind, you shall not have done it for nothing,\u201d said his master.\n\u201cNow send the women up to dress her.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I say master\u2014!\u201d said the lad.\n\n\u201cNone of your talk!\u201d said the squire. \u201cTell them they must dress her\nand mind and not forget either wreath or crown.\n\nThe lad ran into the kitchen.\n\n\u201cLook here, lasses,\u201d he said; \u201cyou must go upstairs and dress up the\nbay mare as bride. I expect the master wants to give the guests a\nlaugh.\u201d\n\nThe women dressed the bay mare in everything that was there, and then\nthe lad went and told his master that now she was ready dressed, with\nwreath and crown and all.\n\n\u201cVery well, bring her down!\u201d said the squire. \u201cI will receive her\nmyself at the door,\u201d said he.\n\nThere was a terrible clatter on the stairs; for that bride, you know,\nhad no silken shoes on.\n\nWhen the door was opened and the squire\u2019s bride entered the parlor you\ncan imagine there was a good deal of tittering and grinning.\n\nAnd as for the squire you may he sure line had had enough of that\nbride, and they say he never went courting again.\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOLL IN THE GRASS\n\n\nBy P. C. Asbj\u00f6rnsen\n\nOnce upon a time there was a king who had twelve sons. When they were\ngrown up he told them they must go out into the world and find\nthemselves wives, who must all be able to spin and weave and make a\nshirt in one day, else he would not have them for daughters-in-law. He\ngave each of his sons a horse and a new suit of armor, and so they set\nout in the world to look for wives.\n\nWhen they had traveled a bit on the way they said they would not take\nAshiepattle with them, for he was good for nothing. Ashiepattle must\nstop behind; there was no help for it. He did not know what he should\ndo or which way he should turn; he became so sad that he got off the\nhorse and sat down on the grass and began to cry.\n\nWhen he had sat a while one of the tussocks among the grass began to\nmove, and out of it came a small white figure; as it came nearer\nAshiepattle saw that it was a beautiful little girl, but she was so\ntiny, so very, very tiny.\n\nShe went up to him and asked him if he would come below and pay a visit\nto the doll in the grass.\n\nYes, that he would; and so he did. When he came down below, the doll in\nthe grass was sitting in a chair dressed very finely and looking still\nmore beautiful. She asked Ashiepattle where he was going and what was\nhis errand.\n\nHe told her they were twelve brothers, and that the king had given them\neach a horse and a suit of armor, and told them to go out in the world\nand find themselves wives, but they must all be able to spin and weave\nand make a shirt in a day.\n\n\u201cIf you can do that and will become my wife, I will not travel any\nfarther,\u201d said Ashiepattle to the doll in the grass.\n\nYes, that she would, and she set to work at once to get the shirt spun,\nwoven, and made; but it was so tiny, so very, very tiny, no bigger\nthan\u2014so!\n\nAshiepattle then returned home, taking the shirt with him; but when he\nbrought it out he felt very shy because it was so small. But the king\nsaid he could have her for all that, and you can imagine how happy and\njoyful Ashiepattle became.\n\nThe road did not seem long to him as he set out to fetch his little\nsweetheart. When he came to the doll in the grass he wanted her to sit\nwith him on his horse; but no, that she wouldn\u2019t; she said she would\nsit and drive in a silver spoon, and she had two small while horses\nwhich would draw her. So they set out, he on his horse and she in the\nsilver spoon; and the horses which drew her were two small white mice.\n\nAshiepattle always kept to one side of the road, for he was so afraid\nhe should ride over her; she was so very, very tiny.\n\nWhen they had traveled a bit on the way they came to a large lake;\nthere Ashiepattle\u2019s horse took fright and shied over to the other side\nof the road, and upset the spoon, so that the doll in the grass fell\ninto the water. Ashiepattle became very sad, for he did not know how he\nshould get her out again; but after a while a merman brought her up.\n\nBut now she had become just as big as any other grown-up being and was\nmuch more beautiful than she was before. So he placed her in front of\nhim on the horse and rode home.\n\nWhen Ashiepattle got there all his brothers had also returned, each\nwith a sweetheart; but they were so ugly and ill-favored and\nbad-tempered that they had come to blows with their sweethearts on\ntheir way home. On their heads they had hats which were painted with\ntar and soot, and this had run from their hats down their faces, so\nthat they were still uglier and more ill-favored to behold.\n\nWhen the brothers saw Ashiepattle\u2019s sweetheart they all became envious\nof him, but the king was so pleased with Ashiepattle and his sweetheart\nthat he drove all the others away, and so Ashiepattle was married to\nthe doll in the grass; and afterward they lived happy and comfortable\nfor a long, long while; and if they are not dead, they must be still\nalive.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BEAR AND THE FOX\n\n\nBy P. C. Asbj\u00f6rnsen\n\nOnce upon a time there was a bear, who sat on a sunny hillside taking a\nnap. Just then a fox came slinking by and saw him.\n\n\u201cAha! have I caught you napping, grandfather? See if I don\u2019t play you a\ntrick this time!\u201d said Reynard to himself.\n\nHe then found three wood mice and laid them on a stump of a tree just\nunder the bear\u2019s nose.\n\n\u201cBoo! Bruin! Peter the hunter is just behind that stump!\u201d shouted the\nfox right into the bear\u2019s ear, and then took to his heels and made off\ninto the wood.\n\nThe bear woke at once, and when he saw the three mice he became so\nangry that he lifted his paw and was just going to strike them, for he\nthought it was they who had shouted in his ear.\n\nBut just then he saw Reynard\u2019s tail between the bushes and he set off\nat such a speed that the branches crackled under him, and Bruin was\nsoon so close upon Reynard that he caught him by the right hind leg\njust as be was running into a hole under a pine tree.\n\nReynard was now in a fix; but he was not to be outwitted, and he cried:\n\n\u201cSlip pine root, grip fox foot,\u201d and so the bear let go his hold; but\nthe fox laughed far down in the hole and said:\n\n\u201cI sold you that time, also, grandfather!\u201d\n\n\u201cOut of sight is not out of mind!\u201d said the bear, who was in a fine\nfury.\n\nThe other morning, when Bruin came trudging across the moor with a fat\npig, Master Reynard was lying on a stone by the moorside.\n\n\u201cGood-day, grandfather!\u201d said the fox. \u201cWhat nice thing have you got\nthere?\u201d\n\n\u201cPork,\u201d said the bear.\n\n\u201cI have got something tasty as well,\u201d said the fox.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d said the bear.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s the biggest bees\u2019 nest I ever found,\u201d said Reynard.\n\n\u201cAh, indeed,\u201d said the bear, grinning, and his mouth began to water, he\nthought a little honey would be so nice. \u201cShall we change victuals?\u201d he\nsaid.\n\n\u201cNo, I won\u2019t do that,\u201d said Reynard. But they made a wager about naming\nthree kinds of trees. If the fox could say them quicker than the bear\nhe was to have one bite at the pig; but if the bear could say them\nquicker he was to have one suck at the bee\u2019s nest. The bear thought he\nwould be able to suck all the honey up at one gulp.\n\n\u201cWell said the fox, \u201cthat\u2019s all well and good but if I win you must\npromise to tear off the bristles where I want to have a bite,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cWell, I suppose I must, since you are too lazy yourself,\u201d said the\nbear.\n\nThen they began to name the trees.\n\n\u201cSpruce, fir, pine,\u201d growled the bear. His voice was very gruff. But\nall these were only different names of one kind of tree.\n\n\u201cAsh, aspen, oak,\u201d screeched the fox, so that the forest resounded. He\nhad thus won the bet, and so he jumped down, took the heart out of the\npig at one bite, and tried to run off. But the bear was angry, because\nhe had taken the best bit of the whole pig, and seized hold of him by\nhis tail and held him fast.\n\n\u201cJust wait a bit,\u201d said the bear, who was furious.\n\n\u201cNever mind, grandfather; if you\u2019ll let me go you shall have a taste of\nmy honey,\u201d said the fox.\n\nWhen the bear heard this he let go his hold and the fox jumped up on\nthe stone after the honey.\n\n\u201cOver this nest,\u201d said Reynard, \u201cI\u2019ll put a leaf, and in the leaf there\nis a hole, through which you can suck the honey.\u201d He then put the nest\nright up under the bear\u2019s nose, pulled away the leaf, jumped on to the\nstone, and began grinning and laughing; for there was neither honey nor\nhoneycomb in the nest. It was a wasp\u2019s nest as big as a man\u2019s head,\nfull of wasps, and out they swarmed and stung the bear in his eyes and\nears and on his mouth and snout. He had so much to do with scratching\nthem off him that he had no the to think of Reynard.\n\nEver since the bear has been afraid of wasps.\n\nOnce the fox and the bear made up their minds to have a field in\ncommon. They found a small clearing far away in the forest, where they\nsowed rye the first year.\n\n\u201cNow we must share and share alike,\u201d said Reynard; \u201cif you will have\nthe roots I will have the tops,\u201d he said.\n\nYes, Bruin was quite willing; but when they had thrashed the crop the\nfox got all the corn, while the bear got nothing but the roots and\ntares.\n\nBruin didn\u2019t like this, but the fox said it was only as they had\nagreed.\n\n\u201cThis year I am the gainer,\u201d said the fox; \u201canother year it will be\nyour turn; you can then have the tops and I will be satisfied with the\nroots.\u201d\n\nNext spring the fox asked the bear if he didn\u2019t think turnips would be\nthe right thing for that year.\n\n\u201cYes, that\u2019s better food than corn,\u201d said the bear; and the fox thought\nthe same.\n\nWhen the autumn came the fox took the turnips, but the bear only got\nthe tops.\n\nThe bear then became so angry that he parted company then and there\nwith Reynard.\n\nOne day the bear was lying eating a horse which he had killed. Reynard\nwas about again and came slinking along, his mouth watering for a tasty\nbit of the horseflesh.\n\nHe sneaked in and out and round about till he came up behind the bear,\nwhen he made a spring to the other side of the carcass, snatching a\npiece as he jumped across.\n\nThe bear was not slow either; he made a dash after Reynard and caught\nthe tip of his red tail in his paw. Since that time the fox has always\nhad a white tip to his tail.\n\n\u201cWait a bit Reynard, and come here,\u201d said the bear, \u201cand I\u2019ll teach you\nhow to catch horses.\u201d\n\nYes, Reynard was quite willing to learn that, but he didn\u2019t trust\nhimself too near the bear.\n\n\u201cWhen you see a horse lying asleep in a sunny place,\u201d said the bear,\n\u201cyou must tie yourself fast with the hair of his tail to your brush,\nand then fasten your teeth in his thigh,\u201d he said.\n\nBefore long the fox found a horse lying asleep on a sunny hillside; and\nso he did as the bear had told him; he knotted and tied himself well to\nthe horse with the hair of the tail and then fastened his teeth into\nhis thigh.\n\nUp jumped the horse and began to kick and gallop so that Reynard was\ndashed against stock and stone, and was so bruised and battered that he\nnearly lost his senses.\n\nAll at once a hare rushed by. \u201cWhere are you off to in such a hurry,\nReynard?\u201d said the hare.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m having a ride, Bunny!\u201d said the fox.\n\nThe hare sat up on his hind legs and laughed till the sides of his\nmouth split right up to his ears, at the thought of Reynard having such\na grand ride; but since then the fox has never thought of catching\nhorses again.\n\nThat time it was Bruin who for once had the better of Reynard;\notherwise they say the bear is as simple-minded as the trolls.\n\n\n\n\nTHE LAD WHO WENT TO THE NORTH WIND\n\n\nBy Sir George Webbe Dasent\n\nOnce upon a time there was an old widow who had one son, and she was\npoorly and weak, her son had to go up into the safe to fetch meal for\ncooking; but when he got outside the safe, and was just going down the\nsteps, there came the North Wind, puffing and blowing, caught up the\nmeal, and so away with it through the air. Then the lad went back into\nthe safe for more; but when he came out again on the steps, if the\nNorth Wind didn\u2019t come again and carry off the meal with a puff; and\nmore than that, he did so the third time. At this the lad got very\nangry; and as he thought it hard that the North Wind should behave so,\nhe thought he\u2019d just look him up and ask him to give up his meal.\n\nSo off he went, but the way was long, and he walked and walked; but at\nlast he came to the North Wind\u2019s house.\n\n\u201cGood day!\u201d said the lad, and \u201cthank you for coming to see us\nyesterday.\u201d\n\n\u201cGOOD DAY!\u201d answered the North Wind, for his voice was loud and gruff,\n\u201cAND THANKS FOR COMING TO SEE ME. WHAT DO YOU WANT?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d answered the lad, \u201cI only wished to ask you to be so good as to\nlet me have back that meal you took from me on the safe steps, for we\nhaven\u2019t much to live on; and if you\u2019re to go on snapping up the morsel\nwe have there\u2019ll be nothing for it but to starve.\u201d\n\n\u201cI haven\u2019t got your meal,\u201d said the North Wind; \u201cbut if you are in such\nneed, I\u2019ll give you a cloth which will get you everything you want, if\nyou only say, \u2018Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good\ndishes!\u2019\u201d\n\nWith this the lad was well content. But, as the way was so long he\ncouldn\u2019t get home in one day, he stopped at an inn on the way; and when\nthey were going to sit down to supper, he laid the cloth on a table\nwhich stood in the corner and said:\n\n\u201cCloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good dishes.\u201d\n\nHe had scarce said so before the cloth did as it was bid; and all who\nstood by thought it a fine thing, but most of all the landlady. So,\nwhen all were fast asleep, at dead of night, she took the lad\u2019s cloth,\nand put another in its stead, just like the one he had got from the\nNorth Wind, but which couldn\u2019t so much as serve up a bit of dry bread.\n\nSo when the lad awoke, he took his cloth and went off with it, and that\nday he got home to his mother.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d said he, \u201cI\u2019ve been to the North Wind\u2019s house, and a good fellow\nhe is, for he gave me this cloth, and when I only say to it, \u2018Cloth,\nspread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good dishes,\u2019 I get any sort\nof food I please.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll very true, I dare say,\u201d said his mother, \u201cbut seeing is believing,\nand I shan\u2019t believe it till I see it.\u201d\n\nSo the lad made haste, drew out a table, laid the cloth on it, and\nsaid\u2014 \u201cCloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good dishes.\u201d\n\nBut never a bit of dry bread did the cloth serve\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the lad, \u201cthere\u2019s no help for it but to go to the North\nWind again;\u201d and away he went.\n\nSo late in the afternoon he came to where the North Wind lived.\n\n\u201cGood evening!\u201d said the lad.\n\n\u201cGood evening!\u201d said the North Wind. \u201cI want my rights for that meal of\nours which you took,\u201d said the lad; \u201cfor, as for that cloth I got, it\nisn\u2019t worth a penny.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve got no meal,\u201d said the North Wind; \u201cbut yonder you have a ram\nwhich coins nothing but golden ducats as soon as you say to it\u2014\n\n\u201c\u2018Ram, ram! Make money!\u2019\u201d\n\nSo the lad thought this a fine thing; but as it was too far to get home\nthat day, he stopped for the night at the same inn where he had slept\nbefore.\n\nBefore he called for anything, he tried the truth of what the North\nWind had said of the ram, and found it all right; but when the landlord\nsaw that, he thought it was a famous ram, and, when the lad had fallen\nasleep, he took another which couldn\u2019t coin gold ducats, and changed\nthe two.\n\nNext morning off went the lad; and when he got home to his mother, he\nsaid\u2014\u201cAfter all, the North Wind is a jolly fellow; for now he has given\nme a ram which can coin golden ducats if I only say, \u2018Ram, ram! Make\nmoney!\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cAll very true, I dare say,\u201d said his mother; \u201cbut I shan\u2019t believe any\nsuch stuff until I see the ducats made.\u201d\n\n\u201cRam, ram! Make money!\u201d said the lad; but the ram made no money.\n\nSo the lad went back again to the North Wind, and blew him up, and said\nthe ram was worth nothing, and he must have his rights for the meal.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the North Wind, \u201cI\u2019ve nothing else to give you but that\nold stick in the corner yonder; but it\u2019s a stick of that kind that if\nyou say\u2014 \u2018Stick, stick! lay on!\u2019 it lays on till you say, \u2018Stick,\nstick! now stop!\u2019\n\nSo, as the way was long the lad turned in this night, too, to the\nlandlord; but as he could pretty well guess how things stood as to the\ncloth and the ram, he lay down at once on the bench and began to snore,\nas if he were asleep.\n\nNow the landlord, who easily saw that the stick must be worth\nsomething, hunted up one which was like it, and when he heard the lad\nsnore, was going to change the two, but just as the landlord was about\nto take it, the lad bawled out\u2014 \u201cStick, stick! lay on!\u201d\n\nSo the stick began to beat the landlord till he jumped over chairs, and\ntables, and benches, and yelled and roared,\u2014 \u201cOh my! oh my! bid the\nstick be still, else it will beat me to death, and you shall have back\nyour cloth and your ram,\n\nWhen the lad thought the landlord had got enough, he said\u2014 \u201cStick,\nstick! now stop!\u201d\n\nThen he took the cloth and put it into his pocket, and went home with\nhis stick in his hand, leading the ram by a cord round its horns; and\nso he got his rights for the meal he had lost.\n\n\n\n\nTHE HUSBAND WHO WAS TO MIND THE HOUSE\n\n\nBy Sir George Webbe Dasent\n\nOnce upon a time there was a man, so surly and cross, he never thought\nhis wife did anything right in the house. So one evening in haymaking\ntime, he came home, scolding and swearing, and showing his teeth and\nmaking a dust.\n\n\u201cDear love, don\u2019t be so angry; there\u2019s a good man,\u201d said his goody;\n\u201cto-morrow let\u2019s change our work. I\u2019ll go out with the mowers and mow,\nand you shall mind the house at home.\u201d\n\nYes, the husband thought that would do very well. He was quite willing,\nhe said.\n\nSo early next morning his goody took a scythe over her neck, and went\nout into the hayfield with the mowers and began to mow; but the man was\nto mind the house, and do the work at home.\n\nFirst of all he wanted to churn the butter; but when he had churned a\nwhile, he got thirsty, and went down to the cellar to tap a barrel of\nale. So, just when he had knocked in the bung, and was putting the tap\ninto the cask, he heard overhead the pig come into the kitchen. Then\noff he ran up the cellar steps, with the tap in his hand, as fast as he\ncould, to look after the pig, lest it should upset the churn; but when\nhe got up, and saw that the pig had already knocked the churn over, and\nstood there, routing and grunting amid the cream which was running all\nover the floor, he got so wild with rage that he quite forgot his ale\nbarrel and ran at the pig as hard as he could. He caught it, too, just\nas it ran out of doors, and gave it such a kick that piggy lay for dead\non the spot. Then all at once he remembered he had the tap in his hand,\nbut when he got down to the cellar, every drop of ale had run out of\nthe cask.\n\nThen he went into the dairy and found enough cream left to fill the\nchurn again, and so he began to churn, for butter they must have for\ndinner. When he had churned a bit, he remembered that their milking cow\nwas still shut up in the brye, and hadn\u2019t had a bit to eat or a drop to\ndrink all the morning, though the sun was high. Then all at once he\nthought \u2019twas too far to take her down to the meadow, so he\u2019d just get\nher up on the housetop\u2014for the house, you must know, was thatched with\nsods, and a fine crop of grass was growing there.\n\nNow their house lay close up against a steep down, and he thought if he\nlaid a plank across to the thatch at the back he\u2019d easily get the cow\nup.\n\nBut still he couldn\u2019t leave the churn, for there was his little babe\ncrawling about the floor, and \u201cif I leave it,\u201d he thought, \u201cthe child\nis sure to upset it!\u201d So he took the churn on his back, and went out\nwith it; but then he thought he\u2019d better first water the cow before he\nturned her out on the thatch; so he took up a bucket to draw water out\nof the well; but, as he stooped down at the well\u2019s brink, all the cream\nran out of the churn over his shoulders, and so down into the well.\n\nNow it was near dinner time, and he hadn\u2019t even got the butter yet; so\nhe thought he\u2019d best boil the porridge, and filled the pot with water,\nand hung it over the fire. When he had done that, he thought the cow\nmight perhaps fall off the thatch and break her legs or her neck. So he\ngot up on the house to tie her up. One end of the rope he made fast to\nthe cow\u2019s neck, and the other he slipped down the chimney and tied\nround his own thigh; and he had to make haste, for the water now began\nto boil in the pot, and he had still to grind the oatmeal.\n\nSo he began to grind away; but while he was hard at it, down fell the\ncow off the housetop after all, and as she fell, she dragged the man up\nthe chimney by the rope. There he stuck fast; and as for the cow, she\nhung halfway down the wall, swinging between heaven and earth, for she\ncould neither get down nor up.\n\nAnd now the goody had waited seven lengths and seven breadths for her\nhusband to come and call them home to dinner; but never a call they\nhad. At last she thought she\u2019d waited long enough, and went home. But\nwhen she got there and saw the cow hanging in such an ugly place, she\nran up and cut the rope in two with her scythe. But as she did this,\ndown came her husband out of the chimney; and so when his old dame came\ninside the kitchen, there she found him standing on his head in the\nporridge pot.\n\n\n\n\nHOW ONE WENT OUT TO WOO\n\n\nBy Sir George Webbe Dasent\n\nOnce upon a time there was a lad who went out to woo him a wife. Among\nother places he came to a farmhouse, where the household were little\nbetter than beggars; but when the wooer came in they wanted to make out\nthat they were well to do, as you may guess. Now the husband had got a\nnew arm to his coat.\n\n\u201cPray, take a seat,\u201d he said to the wooer; \u201cbut there\u2019s a shocking dust\nin the house.\u201d\n\nSo he went about rubbing and wiping all the benches and tables with his\nnew arm, but he kept the other all the while behind his back.\n\nThe wife she had got one new shoe, and she went stamping and sliding\nwith it up against the stools and chairs saying, \u201cHow untidy it is\nhere! Everything is out of place!\u201d\n\nThen they called out to their daughter to come down and put things to\nrights; but the daughter she had got a new cap; so she put her head in\nat the door, and kept nodding and nodding, first to this side and then\nto that.\n\n\u201cWell! For my part, She said, I can\u2019t be everywhere at once.\u201d\n\nAye! Aye! That was a well-to-do household the wooer had come to.\n\n\n\n\nWHY THE BEAR IS STUMPY-TAILED\n\n\nBy Sir George Webbe Dasent\n\nOne day the Bear met the Fox, who came slinking along with a string of\nfish he had stolen.\n\n\u201cWhence did you get these from?\u201d asked the Bear.\n\n\u201cOh! My Lord Bruin, I\u2019ve been out fishing and caught them,\u201d said the\nFox.\n\nSo the Bear had a mind to learn to fish too, and bade the Fox tell him\nhow he was to set about it.\n\n\u201cOh! It\u2019s an easy craft for you\u201d, answered the Fox, \u201cand soon learned.\nYou\u2019ve only got to go upon the ice, and cut a hole and stick your tail\ndown into it; and so you must go on holding it there as long as you\ncan. You\u2019re not to mind if your tail smarts a little; that\u2019s when the\nfish bite. The longer you hold it there the more fish you\u2019ll get; and\nthen all at once out with it, with a cross pull sideways, and with a\nstrong pull too.\u201d\n\nYes; the Bear did as the Fox had said, and held his tail a long, long\ntime down in the hole, till it was fast frozen in. Then he pulled it\nout with a cross pull, and it snapped short off. That\u2019s why Bruin goes\nabout with a stumpy tail this very day.\n\n\n\n\nBOOTS WHO MADE THE PRINCESS SAY \u201cTHAT\u2019S A STORY\u201d\n\n\nBy Sir George Webbe Dasent\n\nOnce upon a time there was a King who had a daughter, and she was such\na dreadful storyteller that the like of her was not to be found far or\nnear. So the King gave out, that if anyone could tell such a string of\nlies as would get her to say, \u201cThat\u2019s a story,\u201d he should have her to\nwife, and half the kingdom besides. Well, many came, as you may fancy,\nto try their luck, for everyone would have been very glad to have the\nPrincess, to say nothing of the kingdom; but they all cut a sorry\nfigure, for the Princess was so given to storytelling, that all their\nlies went in at one ear and out of the other. Among the rest came three\nbrothers to try their luck, and the two elder went first, but they\nfared no better than those that had gone before them. Last of all, the\nthird, Boots, set off and found the Princess in the farmyard.\n\n\u201cGood morning,\u201d he said, \u201cand thank you for nothing.\u201d \u201cGood morning,\u201d\nsaid she, \u201cand the same to you.\u201d Then she went on\u2014\n\n\u201cYou haven\u2019t such a fine farmyard as ours, I\u2019ll be bound; for when two\nshepherds stand, one at each end of it, and blow their ram\u2019s horns, the\none can\u2019t hear the other.\u201d\n\n\u201cHaven\u2019t we though!\u201d answered Boots; \u201cours is far bigger; for when a\ncalf starts to cross a field, it is a full-grown cow when it reaches\nthe other end.\u201d\n\n\u201cI dare say,\u201d said the Princess. \u201cWell, but you haven\u2019t such a big ox,\nafter all, as ours yonder; for when two men sit, one on each horn, they\ncan\u2019t touch each other with a tweny-foot rule.\u201d\n\n\u201cStuff!\u201d said Boots; \u201cis that all? Why, we have an ox who is so big,\nthat when two men sit, one on each horn, and each blows his great\nmountain-trumpet, they can\u2019t hear one another.\u201d\n\n\u201cI dare say,\u201d said the Princess; \u201cbut you haven\u2019t so much milk as we,\nI\u2019ll be bound; for we milk our cows into great pails, and carry them\nindoors, and empty them into great tubs, and so we make great, great\ncheeses.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! you do, do you?\u201d said Boots. \u201cWell, we milk ours into great tubs,\nand then we put them in carts and drive them indoors, and then we turn\nthem out into great brewing vats, and so we make cheeses as big as a\ngreat house. We had, too, a dun mare to tread the cheese well together\nwhen it was making; but once she tumbled down into the cheese, and we\nlost her; and after we had eaten at this cheese seven years, we came\nupon a great dun mare, alive and kicking. Well, once after that I was\ngoing to drive this mare to the mill, and her backbone snapped in two;\nbut I wasn\u2019t put out, not I; for I took a spruce sapling, and put it\ninto her for a backbone, and she had no other backbone all the while we\nhad her. But the sapling grew up into such a tall tree, that I climbed\nright up to the sky by it, and when I got there I saw a lady sitting\nand spinning the foam of the sea into pigs\u2019\u2014bristle ropes; but just\nthen the spruce-fir broke short off, and I couldn\u2019t get down again; so\nthe lady let me down by one of the ropes, and down I slipped straight\ninto a fox\u2019s hole, and who should sit there but my mother and your\nfather cobbling shoes; and just as I stepped in, my mother gave your\nfather such a box on the ear that it made his whiskers curl.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s a story!\u201d said the Princess, \u201cmy father never did any such\nthing in all his born days!\u201d\n\nSo Boots got the Princess to wife, and half the kingdom besides.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WITCH IN THE STONE BOAT\n\n\nRetold by Andrew Lang\n\nThere was once a king and queen, and they had a son called Sigurd, who\nwas very strong and active and good-looking. When the king came to be\nbowed down with the weight of years he spoke to his son, and said that\nnow it was time for him to look out for a fitting match for himself,\nfor he did not know how long he might last now, and he would like to\nsee him married before he died.\n\nSigurd was not averse to this and asked his father where he thought it\nbest to look for a wife. The king answered that in a certain country\nthere was a king who had a beautiful daughter, and he thought it would\nbe most desirable if Sigurd could get her. So the two parted, and\nSigurd prepared for the journey and went to where his father had\ndirected him.\n\nHe came to the king and asked his daughters hand, which was readily\ngranted him, but only on the condition that he should remain there as\nlong as he could, for the king himself was not strong and not very able\nto govern his kingdom. Sigurd accepted this condition, but added that\nhe would have to get leave to go home again to his own country when he\nheard news of his father\u2019s death. After that Sigurd married the\nprincess and helped his father-in-law to govern the kingdom. He and the\nprincess loved each other dearly, and after a year a son came to them,\nwho was two years old when word came to Sigurd that his father was\ndead. Sigurd now prepared to return home with his wife and child and\nwent on board ship to go by sea.\n\nThey had sailed for several days, when the breeze suddenly fell and\nthere came a dead calm at a time when they needed only one day\u2019s voyage\nto reach home. Sigurd and his queen were one day on deck when most of\nthe others on the ship had fallen asleep. There they sat and talked for\na while, and had their little son along with them. After a time Sigurd\nbecame so heavy with sleep that he could no longer keep awake, so he\nwent below and lay down, leaving the queen alone on the deck playing\nwith her son.\n\nA good while after Sigurd had gone below the queen saw something black\non the sea which seemed to be coming nearer. As it approached she could\nmake out that it was a boat and could see the figure of some one\nsitting in it and rowing it. At last the boat came alongside the ship,\nand now the queen saw that it was a stone boat, out of which there came\non board the ship a fearfully ugly witch. The queen was more frightened\nthan words can describe, and could neither speak a word nor move from\nthe place so as to awaken the king or the sailors. The witch came right\nup to the queen, took the child from her, and laid it on the deck; then\nshe took the queen and stripped her of all her fine clothes, which she\nproceeded to put on herself and looked then like a human being. Last of\nall she took the queen, put her into the boat and said:\n\n\u201cThis spell I lay upon you, that you slacken not your course until you\ncome to my brother in the under world.\u201d\n\nThe queen sat stunned and motionless, but the boat at once shot away\nfrom the ship with her, and before long she was out of sight.\n\nWhen the boat could no longer be seen the child began to cry, and\nthough the witch tried to quiet it she could not manage it; so, with\nthe child on her arm, she went below to where the king was sleeping,\nand awakened him, scolding him for leaving them alone on deck while he\nand all the crew were asleep. It was great carelessness of him, she\nsaid, to leave no one to watch the ship with her.\n\nSigurd was greatly surprised to hear his queen scold him so much, for\nshe had never said an angry word to him before; but he thought it was\nquite excusable in this case, and tried to quiet the child along with\nher but it was no use. Then he went and wakened the sailors and bade\nthem hoist the sails, for a breeze had sprung up and was blowing\nstraight toward the harbor.\n\nThey soon reached the land which Sigurd was to rule over, and found all\nthe people sorrowful for the old king\u2019s death, but they became glad\nwhen they got Sigurd back to the court, and made him king over them.\n\nThe king\u2019s son, however, hardly ever stopped crying from the time he\nhad been taken from his mother on the deck of the ship, although he had\nalways been such a good child before, so that at last the king had to\nget a nurse for him\u2014one of the maids of the court. As soon as the child\ngot into her charge he stopped crying and behaved as well as before.\n\nAfter the sea voyage it seemed to the king that the queen had altered\nvery much in many ways, and not for the better. He thought her much\nmore haughty and stubborn and difficult to deal with than she used to\nbe. Before long others began to notice this as well as the king. In the\ncourt there were two young fellows, one of eighteen years old, the\nother of nineteen, who were very fond of playing chess and often sat\nlong inside playing at it. Their room was next the queen\u2019s, and often\nduring the day they heard the queen talking.\n\nOne day they paid more attention than usual when they heard her talk,\nand put their ears close to a crack in the wall between the rooms, and\nheard the queen say quite plainly: \u201cWhen I yawn a little, then I am a\nnice little maiden: when I yawn halfway, then I am half a troll; and\nwhen I yawn fully then I am a troll altogether.\u201d\n\nAs she said this she yawned tremendously, and in a moment had put on\nthe appearance of a fearfully ugly troll. Then there came up through\nthe floor of the room a three-headed giant with a trough full of meat,\nwho saluted her as his sister and set down the trough before her. She\nbegan to eat out of it and never stopped till she had finished it. The\nyoung fellows saw all this going on, but did not hear the two of them\nsay anything to each other. They were astonished, though, at how\ngreedily the queen devoured the meat and how much she ate of it, and\nwere no longer surprised that she took so little when she sat at table\nwith the king. As soon as she had finished it the giant disappeared\nwith the trough by the same way as he had come, and the queen returned\nto her human shape.\n\nNow we must go back to the king\u2019s son after he had been put in charge\nof the nurse. One evening. after she had lit a candle and was holding\nthe child, several planks sprang up in the floor of the room, and out\nat the opening came a beautiful woman dressed in white, with an iron\nbelt round her waist, to which was fastened an iron chain that went\ndown into the ground. The woman came up to the nurse, took the child\nfrom her, and pressed it to her breast; then she gave it back to the\nnurse and returned by the same way as she had come, and the floor\nclosed over her again. Although the woman had not spoken a single word\nto her, the nurse was very much frightened, but told no one about it.\n\nNext evening the same thing happened again, just as before, but as the\nwoman was going away she said in a sad tone, \u201cTwo are gone and one only\nis left,\u201d and then disappeared as before. The nurse was still more\nfrightened when she heard the woman say this, and thought that perhaps\nsome danger was hanging over the child, though she had no ill opinion\nof the unknown woman, who, indeed, had behaved toward the child as if\nit were her own. The most mysterious thing was the woman saying \u201cand\nonly one is left\u201d; but the nurse guessed that this must mean that only\none day was left, since she had come for two days already.\n\nAt last the nurse made up her mind to go to the king. She told him the\nwhole story and asked him to be present in person the next day about\nthe time when the woman usually came. The king promised to do so, and\ncame to the nurse\u2019s room a little before the time and sat down on a\nchair with his drawn sword in his hand. Soon after the planks in the\nfloor sprang up as before, and the woman came up, dressed in white,\nwith the iron belt and chain. The king saw at once that it was his own\nqueen, and immediately hewed asunder the iron chain that was fastened\nto the belt. This was followed by such noises and crashings down in the\nearth that all the king\u2019s palace shook, so that no one expected\nanything else than to see every bit of it shaken to pieces. At last the\nnoises and shaking stopped, and they began to come to themselves again.\n\nThe king and queen embraced each other, and she told him the whole\nstory\u2014how the witch came to the ship when they were all asleep and sent\nher off in the boat. After she had gone so far that she could not see\nthe ship, she sailed on through darkness until she landed beside a\nthree-headed giant. The giant wished her to marry him, but she refused;\nwhereupon he shut her up by herself and told her she would never get\nfree until she consented. After a time she began to plan how to get her\nfreedom, and at last told him that she would consent if he would allow\nher to visit her son on earth three days on end. This he agreed to, but\nput on her this iron belt and chain, the other end of which he fastened\naround his, own waist, and the great noises that were heard when the\nking cut the chain must have been caused by the giant\u2019s falling down\nthe underground passage when the chain gave way so suddenly. The\ngiant\u2019s dwelling, indeed, was right under the palace, and the terrible\nshakings must have been caused by him in his death throes.\n\nThe king now understood how the queen he had had for some time past had\nbeen so ill-tempered. He at once had a sack drawn over her head and\nmade her be stoned to death, and after that torn in pieces by untamed\nhorses. The two young fellows also told now what they had heard and\nseen in the queen\u2019s room, for before this they had been afraid to say\nanything about it, on account of the Queen\u2019s power.\n\nThe real queen was now restored to all her dignity and was beloved by\nall. The nurse was married to a nobleman and the king and queen gave\nher splendid presents.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SNUFFBOX\n\n\nBy Paul S\u00e9billot\n\nAs often happens in this world, there was once a young man who spent\nall his time in traveling. One day, as he was walking along, he picked\nup a snuffbox. He opened it, and the snuffbox said to him in the\nSpanish language: \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d He was very much frightened, but,\nluckily, instead of throwing the box away he only shut it tight and put\nit in his pocket. Then he went on, away, away, away, and as he went he\nsaid to himself, \u201cif it says to me again, \u2018What do you want?\u2019 I shall\nknow better what to say this time.\u201d So he took out the snuffbox and\nopened it, and again it asked: \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d \u201cMy hat full of\ngold,\u201d answered the youth, and immediately it was full.\n\nOur young man was enchanted. Henceforth he should never be in need of\nanything. So on he traveled, away, away, away, through thick forests,\ntill at last he came to a beautiful castle. In the castle there lived a\nking. The young man walked round and round the castle, not caring who\nsaw him, till the king noticed him and asked what he was doing there.\n\u201cI was just looking at your castle.\u201d \u201cYou would like to have one like\nit, wouldn\u2019t you?\u201d The young man did not reply, but when it grew dark\nhe took out his snuffbox and opened the lid.\u201d What do you want?\u201d \u201cBuild\nme a castle with laths of gold and tiles of diamond and the furniture\nall of silver and gold.\u201d He had scarcely finished speaking when there\nstood in front of him, exactly opposite the king\u2019s palace, a castle\nbuilt precisely as he had ordered. When the king awoke he was struck\ndumb at the sight of the magnificent house shining in the rays of the\nsun. The servants could not do their work for stopping to stare at it.\nThen the king dressed himself and went to see the young man. And he\ntold him plainly that he was a very powerful prince, and that he hoped\nthat they might all live together in one house or the other, and that\nthe king would give him his daughter to wife. So it all turned out just\nas the king wished. The young man married the princess and they lived\nhappily in the palace of gold.\n\nBut the king\u2019s wife was jealous both of the young man and of her own\ndaughter. The princess had told her mother about the snuffbox, which\ngave them everything they wanted, and the queen bribed a servant to\nsteal the snuffbox. They noticed carefully where it was put away every\nnight, and one evening, when the whole world was asleep, the woman\nstole it and brought it to her old mistress. Oh, how happy the queen\nwas! She opened the lid and the snuffbox said to her: \u201cWhat do you\nwant?\u201d And she answered at once: \u201cI want you to take me and my husband\nand my servants and this beautiful house and set us down on the other\nside of the Red Sea, but my daughter and her husband are to stay\nbehind.\u201d\n\nWhen the young couple woke up they found themselves back in the old\ncastle, without their snuffbox. They hunted for it high and low, but\nquite vainly. The young man felt that no time was to be lost, and he\nmounted his horse and filled his pockets with as much gold as he could\ncarry. On he went, away, away, away, but he sought the snuffbox in vain\nall up and down the neighboring countries, and very soon he came to the\nend of all his money. But still he went on, as fast as the strength of\nhis horse would let him, begging his way.\n\nSome one told him that he ought to consult the moon, for the moon\ntraveled far and might be able to tell him something. So he went away,\naway, away, and ended, somehow or other, by reaching the land of the\nmoon. There he found a little old woman who said to him: \u201cWhat are you\ndoing here? My son eats all living things he sees, and if you are wise\nyou will go away without coming any farther.\u201d But the young man told\nher all his sad tale, and how he possessed a wonderful snuffbox, and\nhow it had been stolen from him, and how he had nothing left now that\nhe was parted from his wife and was in need of everything. And he said\nthat perhaps her son, who traveled so far, might have seen a palace\nwith laths of gold and tiles of diamond and furnished all in silver and\ngold. As he spoke these last words the moon came in and said he smelled\nmortal flesh and blood. But his mother told him that it was an unhappy\nman who had lost everything and had come all this way to consult him,\nand bade the young man not to be afraid, but to come forward and show\nhimself. So he went boldly up to the moon, and asked if by any accident\nhe had seen a palace with the laths of gold and the tiles of diamond\nand all the furniture of silver and gold. Once this house belonged to\nhim, but now it was stolen. And the moon said no, but that the sun\ntraveled farther than he did, and that the young man had better go and\nask him.\n\nSo the young man departed and went away, away, away, as well as his\nhorse would take him, begging his living as he rode along, and somehow\nor other at last he got to the land of the sun. There he found a little\nold woman, who asked him: \u201cWhat are you doing here? Go away. Have you\nnot heard that my son feeds upon Christians?\u201d But he said no and that\nhe would not go, for he was so miserable that it was all one to him\nwhether he died or not; that he had lost everything, and especially a\nsplendid palace like none other in the whole world, for it had laths of\ngold and tiles of diamond and all the furniture was of silver and gold;\nand that he had sought it far and long, and in all the earth there was\nno man more unhappy. So the old woman\u2019s heart melted and she agreed to\nhide him.\n\nWhen the sun arrived he declared that he smelled Christian flesh and he\nmeant to have it for his dinner. But his mother told him such a pitiful\nstory of the miserable wretch who had lost everything and had come from\nfar to ask his help that at last he promised to see him.\n\nSo the young man came out from his hiding-place and begged the sun to\ntell him if in the course of his travels he had not seen somewhere a\npalace that had not its like in the whole world, for its laths were of\ngold and its tiles of diamond and all the furniture in silver and gold.\n\nAnd the sun said no, but that perhaps the wind had seen it, for he\nentered everywhere and saw things that no one else ever saw, and if\nanyone knew where it was it was certainly the wind.\n\nThen the poor young man again set forth as well as his horse could take\nhim, begging his living as he went, and somehow or other he ended by\nreaching the home of the wind. He found there a little old woman busily\noccupied in filling great barrels with water. She asked him what had\nput it into his head to come there, for her son ate everything he saw,\nand that he would shortly arrive quite mad, and that the young man had\nbetter look out. But he answered that he was so unhappy that he had\nceased to mind anything, even being eaten, and then he told her that he\nhad been robbed of a palace that had not its equal in all the world,\nand of all that was in it, and that he had even left his wife and was\nwandering over the world until he found it. And that it was the sun who\nhad sent him to consult the wind. So she hid him under the staircase,\nand soon they heard the south wind arrive, shaking the house to its\nfoundations. Thirsty as he was, he did not wait to drink, but he told\nhis mother that he smelled the blood of a Christian man, and that she\nhad better bring him out at once and make him ready to be eaten. But\nshe bade her son eat and drink what was before him, and said that the\npoor young man was much to be pitied, and that the sun had granted him\nhis life in order that he might consult the Wind. Then she brought out\nthe young man, who explained how he was seeking for his palace, and\nthat no man had been able to tell him where it was, so he had come to\nthe Wind. And he added that he had been shamefully robbed, and that the\nlaths were of gold and the tiles of diamond, and all the furniture in\nsilver and gold, and he inquired if the Wind had not seen such a palace\nduring his wanderings.\n\nAnd the Wind said yes, and that all that day he had been blowing\nbackward and forward over it without being able to move one single\ntile. \u201cOh, do tell me where it is,\u201d cried the young man.\u201d \u201cIt is a long\nway off,\u201d replied the Wind, \u201con the other side of the Red Sea.\u201d But our\ntraveler was not discouraged\u2014he had already journeyed too far.\n\nSo he set forth at once, and somehow or other he managed to reach that\ndistant land. And he inquired if any one wanted a gardener. He was told\nthat the head gardener at the castle had just left, and perhaps he\nmight have a chance of getting the place. The young man lost no time,\nbut walked up to the castle and asked if they were in want of a\ngardener; and how happy he was when they agreed to take him! Now he\npassed most of his day in gossiping with the servants about the wealth\nof their masters and the wonderful things in the house. He made friends\nwith one of the maids, who told him the history of the snuffbox, and he\ncoaxed her to let him see it. One evening she managed to get hold of\nit, and the young man watched carefully where she hid it away in a\nsecret place in the bedchamber of her mistress.\n\nThe following night, when everyone was fast asleep, he crept in and\ntook the snuffbox. Think of his joy as he opened the lid! When it asked\nhim, as of yore, \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d he replied: \u201cWhat do I want? What\ndo I want? Why, I want to go with my palace to the old place, and for\nthe king and the queen and all their servants to be drowned in the Red\nSea.\u201d\n\nHe had hardly finished speaking when he found himself back again with\nhis wife, while all the other inhabitants of the palace were lying at\nthe bottom of the Red Sea.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN BLACKBIRD\n\n\nBy Paul S\u00e9billot\n\nOnce upon a time there was a great lord who had three sons. He fell\nvery ill, sent for doctors of every kind, even bonesetters, but they\nnone of them could find out what was the matter with him or even give\nhim any relief. At last there came a foreign doctor, who declared that\nthe golden blackbird alone could cure the sick man.\n\nSo the old lord dispatched his eldest son to look for the wonderful\nbird, and promised him great riches if he managed to find it and bring\nit back.\n\nThe young man began his journey and soon arrived at a place where four\nroads met. He did not know which to choose, and tossed his cap in the\nair, determining that the direction of its fall should decide him.\nAfter traveling for two or three days he grew tired of walking without\nknowing where or for how long, and he stopped at an inn which was\nfilled with merrymakers and ordered something to eat and drink.\n\n\u201cMy faith,\u201d said he, \u201cit is sheer folly to waste more time hunting for\nthis bird. My father is old, and if he dies I shall inherit his goods.\u201d\n\nThe old man, after waiting patiently for some time, sent his second son\nto seek the golden blackbird. The youth took the same direction as his\nbrother, and when he came to the crossroads he too tossed up which road\nhe should take. The cap fell in the same place as before, and he walked\non till he came to the spot where his brother had halted. The latter,\nwho was leaning out of the window of the inn, called to him to stay\nwhere he was and amuse himself.\n\n\u201cYou are right,\u201d replied the youth. \u201cWho knows if I should ever find\nthe golden blackbird, even if I sought the whole world through for it?\nAt the worst, if the old man dies we shall have his property.\u201d\n\nHe entered the inn and the two brothers made merry and feasted, till\nvery soon their money was all spent. They even owed something to their\nlandlord, who kept them as hostages till they could pay their debts.\n\nThe youngest son set forth in his turn, and he arrived at the place\nwhere his brothers where still prisoners. They called to him to stop\nand did all they could to prevent his going further.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d he replied, \u201cmy father trusted me, and I will go all over the\nworld till I find the golden blackbird.\u201d\n\n\u201cBah,\u201d said his brothers, \u201cyou will never succeed any better than we\ndid. Let him die if he wants to. We will divide the property.\u201d\n\nAs he went his way he met a little hare, who stopped to looked at him\nand asked:\n\n\u201cWhere are you going, my friend?\u201d\n\n\u201cI really don\u2019t quite know,\u201d answered he. \u201cMy father is ill, and he\ncannot be cured unless I bring him back the golden blackbird. It is a\nlong time since I set out, but no one can tell me where to find it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said the hare, \u201cyou have a long way to go yet. You will have to\nwalk at least seven hundred miles before you get to it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd how am I to travel such a distance?\u201d\n\n\u201cMount on my back,\u201d said the little hare, \u201cand I will conduct you.\u201d\n\nThe young man obeyed. At each bound the little hare went seven miles,\nand it was not long before they reached a castle that was as large and\nbeautiful as a castle could be.\n\n\u201cThe golden blackbird is in a little cabin near by,\u201d said the little\nhare, \u201cand you will easily find it. It lives in a little cage, with\nanother cage beside it made all of gold. But whatever you do, be sure\nnot to put it in the beautiful cage, or everybody in the castle will\nknow that you have stolen it.\u201d\n\nThe youth found the golden blackbird standing on a wooden perch, but as\nstiff and rigid as if he was dead. And beside, was the beautiful cage,\nthe cage of gold.\n\n\u201cPerhaps he would revive if I were to put him in that lovely cage,\u201d\nthought the youth.\n\nThe moment the golden blackbird had touched the bars of the splendid\ncage he awoke and began to whistle, so that all the servants of the\ncastle ran to see what was the matter, saying that he was a thief and\nmust be put in prison.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d he answered, \u201cI am not a thief. If I have taken the golden\nblackbird, it is only that it may cure my father, who is ill, and I\nhave traveled more than seven hundred miles in order to find it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d they replied, \u201cwe will let you go, and will even give you the\ngolden blackbird if you are able to bring us the porcelain maiden.\u201d\n\nThe youth departed, weeping, and met the little hare, who was munching\nwild thyme.\n\n\u201cWhat are you crying for, my friend?\u201d asked the hare.\n\n\u201cIt is because,\u201d he answered, \u201cthe castle people will not allow me to\ncarry off the golden blackbird without giving them the porcelain maiden\nin exchange.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou have not followed my advice,\u201d said the little hare. \u201cAnd you have\nput the golden blackbird into the fine cage.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas! yes!\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t despair. The porcelain maiden is a young girl, beautiful as\nVenus, who dwells two hundred miles from here. Jump on my back and I\nwill take you there.\u201d\n\nThe little hare, who took seven miles in a stride, was there in no time\nat all, and he stopped on the borders of a lake.\n\n\u201cThe porcelain maiden,\u201d said the hare to the youth, \u201cwill come here to\nbathe with her friends. Keep yourself out of sight behind the thicket,\nwhile I just eat a mouthful of thyme to refresh me. When she is in the\nlake be sure you hide her clothes, which are of dazzling whiteness, and\ndo not give them back to her unless she consents to follow you.\u201d\n\nThe little hare left him, and almost immediately the porcelain maiden\narrived with her friends. She undressed herself and got into the water.\nThen the young man glided up noiselessly and laid hold of her clothes,\nwhich he hid under a rock at some distance.\n\nWhen the porcelain maiden was tired of playing in the water she came\nout to dress herself, but though she hunted for her clothes high and\nlow she could find them nowhere. Her friends helped her in the search,\nbut, seeing at last that it was of no use, they left her alone on the\nbank, weeping bitterly.\n\n\u201cWhy do you cry?\u201d said the young man, approaching her.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d answered she, \u201cwhile I was bathing some one stole my clothes,\nand my friends have abandoned me.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will find your clothes if you will only come with me.\u201d\n\nAnd the porcelain maiden agreed to follow him, and after having given\nup her clothes the young man bought a small horse for her which went\nlike the wind. The little hare brought them both back to seek for the\ngolden blackbird, and when they drew near the castle where it lived the\nlittle hare said to the young man:\n\n\u201cNow, do be a little sharper than you were before, and you will manage\nto carry off both the golden blackbird and the porcelain maiden. Take\nthe golden cage in one hand and leave the bird in the old cage where he\nis, and bring that away too.\u201d\n\nThe little hare then vanished. The youth did as he was bid, and the\ncastle servants never noticed that he was carrying off the golden\nblackbird. When he reached the inn where his brothers were detained he\ndelivered them by paying their debt. They set out all together, but as\nthe two elder brothers were jealous of the success of the youngest,\nthey took the opportunity as they were passing by the shores of a lake\nto throw themselves upon him, seize the golden blackbird, and fling him\nin the water. Then they continued their journey, taking with them the\nporcelain maiden, in the firm belief that their brother was drowned.\nBut happily he had snatched in falling at a tuft of rushes and called\nloudly for help. The little hare came running to him and said: \u201cTake\nhold of my leg and pull yourself out of the water.\u201d\n\nWhen he was safe on shore the little hare said to him:\n\n\u201cNow, this is what you have to do: dress yourself like a Breton seeking\na place as stableboy, and go and offer your services to your father.\nOnce there, you will easily be able to make him understand the truth.\u201d\n\nThe young man did as the little hare bade him, and he went to his\nfather\u2019s castle and inquired if they were not in want of a stableboy.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d replied his father, \u201cvery much indeed. But it is not an easy\nplace. There is a little horse in the stable which will not let anyone\ngo near it, and it has already kicked to death several people who have\ntried to groom it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will undertake to groom it,\u201d said the youth. \u201cI never saw the horse\nI was afraid of yet.\u201d\n\nThe little horse allowed itself to be rubbed down without a toss of its\nhead and without a kick.\n\n\u201cGood gracious!\u201d exclaimed the master. \u201cHow is it that he lets you\ntouch him when no one else can go near him?\u201d\n\n\u201cPerhaps he knows me,\u201d answered the stableboy.\n\nTwo or three days later the master said to him: \u201cThe porcelain maiden\nis here; but though she is as lovely as the dawn, she is so wicked that\nshe scratches every one that approaches her. Try if she will accept\nyour services.\u201d\n\nWhen the youth entered the room where she was the golden blackbird\nbroke forth into a joyful song, and the porcelain maiden sang too and\njumped for joy.\n\n\u201cGood gracious!\u201d cried the master.\u201d The porcelain maiden and the golden\nblackbird know you too?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d replied the youth, \u201cand the porcelain maiden can tell you the\nwhole truth if she only will.\u201d\n\nThen she told all that had happened, and how she had consented to\nfollow the young man who had captured the golden blackbird.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d added the youth, \u201cI delivered my brothers, who were kept\nprisoners in an inn, and as a reward they threw me into a lake. So I\ndisguised myself and came here in order to prove the truth to you.\n\nSo the old lord embraced his son and promised that he should inherit\nall his possessions, and he put to death the two elder ones, who had\ndeceived him and had tried to slay their own brother.\n\nThe young man married the porcelain maiden and had a splendid wedding\nfeast\n\n\n\n\nTHE HALF-CHICK\n\n\nRetold by Andrew Lang\n\nOnce upon a time there was a handsome black Spanish hen who had a large\nbrood of chickens. They were all fine, plump little birds except the\nyoungest, who was quite unlike his brothers and sisters. Indeed, he was\nsuch a strange, queer-looking creature that when he first clipped his\nshell his mother could scarcely believe her eyes, he was so different\nfrom the twelve other fluffy, downy, soft little chicks who nestled\nunder her wings. This one looked just as if he had been cut in two. He\nhad only one leg, and one wing, and one eye, and he had half a head and\nhalf a beak. His mother shook her head sadly as she looked at him and\nsaid:\n\n\u201cMy youngest born is only a half-chick. He can never grow up a tall,\nhandsome cock like his brothers. They will go out into the world and\nrule over poultry yards of their own; but this poor little fellow will\nalways have to stay at home with his mother.\u201d And she called him Medio\nPollito, which is Spanish for half-chick.\n\nNow, though Medio Pollito was such an odd, helpless-looking little\nthing, his mother soon found that he was not at all willing to remain\nunder her wing and protection. Indeed, in character he was as unlike\nhis brothers and sisters as he was in appearance. They were good,\nobedient chickens, and when the old hen chicked after them they chirped\nand ran back to her side. But Medio Pollito had a roving spirit in\nspite of his one leg, and when his mother called to him to return to\nthe coop, he pretended that he could not hear, because he had only one\near.\n\nWhen she took the whole family out for a walk in the fields, Medio\nPollito would hop away by himself and hide among the corn. Many an\nanxious minute his brothers and sisters had looking for him, while his\nmother ran to and fro cackling in fear and dismay.\n\nAs he grew older he became more self-willed and disobedient, and his\nmanner to his mother was often very rude and his temper to the other\nchickens very disagreeable.\n\nOne day he had been out for a longer expedition than usual in the\nfields. On his return he strutted up to his mother with the peculiar\nlittle hop and kick which was his way of walking, and cocking his one\neye at her in a very bold way, he said:\n\n\u201cMother, I am tired of this life in a dull f farmyard, with nothing but\na dreary maize-field to look at. I\u2019m off to Madrid to see the king.\u201d\n\n\u201cTo Madrid, Medio Pollito!\u201d exclaimed his mother. \u201cWhy, you silly\nchick, it would be a long Journey for a grown-up cock, and a poor\nlittle thing like you would be tired out before you had gone half the\ndistance. No, no, stay at home with your mother, and some day, when you\nare bigger, we will go a little journey together.\u201d\n\nBut Medio Pollito had made up his mind, and he would not listen to his\nmother\u2019s advice nor to the prayers and entreaties of his brothers and\nsisters.\n\n\u201cWhat is the use of our all crowding each other up in this poky little\nplace?\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I have a fine courtyard of my own at the king\u2019s\npalace, I shall perhaps ask some of you to come and pay me a short\nvisit.\u201d\n\nAnd scarcely waiting to say good-by to his family, away he stumped down\nthe high road that led to Madrid.\n\n\u201cBe sure that you are kind and civil to every one you meet,\u201d called his\nmother, running after him; but he was in such a hurry to be off that he\ndid not wait to answer her or even to look back.\n\nA little later in the day, as he was taking a short cut through a\nfield, he passed a stream. Now, the stream was all choked up and\novergrown with weeds and water-plants, so that its waters could not\nflow freely.\n\n\u201cOh! Medio Pollito,\u201d it cried as the half-chick hopped along its banks,\n\u201cdo come and help me by clearing away these weeds.\u201d\n\n\u201cHelp you, indeed!\u201d exclaimed Medio Pollito, tossing his head and\nshaking the few feathers in his tail. \u201cDo you think I have nothing to\ndo but to waste my time on such trifles? Help yourself and don\u2019t\ntrouble busy travelers. I am off to Madrid to see the king,\u201d and\nhoppity-kick, hoppity-kick, away stumped Medio Pollito.\n\nA little later he came to a fire that had been left by some gypsies in\na wood. It was burning very low and would soon be out.\n\n\u201cOh! Medio Pollito,\u201d cried the fire in a weak, wavering voice as the\nhalf-chick approached, \u201cin a few minutes I shall go quite out unless\nyou put some sticks and dry leaves upon me. Do help me or I shall die!\u201d\n\n\u201cHelp you, indeed!\u201d answered Medio Pollito. \u201cI have other things to do.\nGather sticks for yourself and don\u2019t trouble me. I am off to Madrid to\nsee the king,\u201d and hoppity-kick, hoppity-kick, away stumped Medio\nPollito.\n\nThe next morning, as he was getting near Madrid, he passed a large\nchestnut tree, in whose branches the wind was caught and entangled.\n\n\u201cOh! Medio Pollito,\u201d called the wind, \u201cdo hop up here and help me to\nget free of these branches. I cannot come away and it is so\nuncomfortable.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is your own fault for going there,\u201d answered Medio Pollito. \u201cI\ncan\u2019t waste all my morning stopping here to help you. Just shake\nyourself off, and don\u2019t hinder me, for I am off to Madrid to see the\nking,\u201d and hoppity-kick, hoppity-kick, away stumped Medio Pollito in\ngreat glee, for the towers and roofs of Madrid were now in sight. When\nhe entered the town he saw before him a great, splendid house, with\nsoldiers standing before the gates. This he knew must be the king\u2019s\npalace, and he determined to hop up to the front gate and wait there\nuntil the king came out. But as he was hopping past one of the back\nwindows the king\u2019s cook saw him.\n\n\u201cHere is the very thing I want,\u201d he exclaimed, \u201cfor the king has just\nsent a message to say that he must have chicken broth for his dinner.\u201d\nOpening the window he stretched out his arm, caught Medio Pollito, and\npopped him into the broth pot that was standing near the fire. Oh! how\nwet and clammy the water felt as it went over Medio Pollito\u2019s head,\nmaking his feathers cling to him.\n\n\u201cWater! water!\u201d he cried in his despair, \u201cdo have pity upon me and do\nnot wet me like this.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! Medio Pollito,\u201d replied the water, \u201cyou would not help me when I\nwas a little stream away on the fields. Now you must be punished.\u201d\n\nThen the fire began to burn and scald Medio Pollito, and he danced and\nhopped from one side of the pot to the other, trying to get away from\nthe heat and crying out in pain:\n\n\u201cFire! fire! do not scorch me like this; you can\u2019t think how it hurts.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! Medio Pollito,\u201d answered the fire, \u201cyou would not help me when I\nwas dying away in the wood. You are being punished.\u201d\n\nAt last, just when the pain was so great that Medio Pollito thought he\nmust die, the cook lifted up the lid of the pot to see if the broth was\nready for the king\u2019s dinner.\n\n\u201cLook here!\u201d he cried in horror, \u201cthis chicken is quite useless. It is\nburned to a cinder. I can\u2019t send it up to the royal table.\u201d And opening\nthe window he threw Medio Pollito out in the street. But the wind\ncaught him up and whirled him through the air so quickly that Medio\nPollito could scarcely breathe, and his heart beat against his side\ntill he thought it would break.\n\n\u201cOh, wind I\u201d at last he gasped out, \u201cif you hurry me along like this\nyou will kill me. Do let me rest a moment, or\u2014\u201d\n\nBut he was so breathless that he could not finish his sentence.\n\n\u201cAh! Medio Pollito,\u201d replied the wind, \u201cwhen I was caught in the\nbranches of the chestnut tree you would not help me. Now you are\npunished.\u201d And he swirled Medio Pollito over the roofs of the houses\ntill they reached the highest church in the town, and there he left him\nfastened to the top of the steeple.\n\nAnd there stands Medio Pollito to this day. And if you go to Madrid and\nwalk through the streets till you come to the highest church, you will\nsee Medio Pollito perched on his one leg on the steeple, with his one\nwing drooping at his side and gazing sadly out of his one eye over the\ntown.\n\n\n\n\nTHE THREE BROTHERS\n\n\nBy Hermann R. Kletke\n\nThere was once upon a time a witch who in the shape of a hawk used\nevery night to break the windows of a certain village church. In the\nsame village there lived three brothers, who were all determined to\nkill the mischievous hawk. But in vain did the two eldest mount guard\nin the church with their guns; as soon as the bird appeared high above\ntheir heads sleep overpowered them, and they only awoke to hear the\nwindows crashing in.\n\nThen the younger brother took his turn of guarding the windows, and to\nprevent his being overcome by sleep he placed a lot of thorns under his\nchin, so that if he felt drowsy and nodded his head they would prick\nhim and keep him awake.\n\nThe moon was already risen and it was as light as day, when suddenly he\nheard a fearful noise, and at the same time a terrible desire to sleep\noverpowered him.\n\nHis eyelids closed and his head sank on his shoulders, but the thorns\nran into him and were so painful that he awoke at once. He saw the hawk\nswooping down upon the church, and in a moment he had seized his gun\nand shot at the bird. The hawk fell heavily under a big stone, severely\nwounded in its right wing. The youth ran to look at it and saw that a\nhuge abyss had opened below the stone. He went at once to fetch his\nbrothers, and with their help dragged a lot of pine wood and ropes to\nthe spot. They fastened some of the burning pine wood to the end of the\nrope and let it slowly down to the bottom of the abyss. At first it was\nquite dark, and the flaming torch only lit up dirty gray stone walls.\nBut the youngest brother determined to explore the abyss, and letting\nhimself down by the rope he soon reached the bottom. Here he found a\nlovely meadow full of green trees and exquisite flowers.\n\nIn the middle of the meadow stood a huge stone castle, with an iron\ngate leading to it, which was wide open. Everything in the castle\nseemed to be made of copper, and the only inhabitant he could discover\nwas a lovely girl, who was combing her golden hair; and he noticed that\nwhenever one of her hairs fell on the ground it rang out like pure\nmetal. The youth looked at her more closely, and saw that her skin was\nsmooth and fair, her blue eyes bright and sparkling, and her hair as\ngolden as the sun. He fell in love with her on the spot, and kneeling\nat her feet he implored her to become his wife.\n\nThe lovely girl accepted his proposal gladly; but at the same time she\nwarned him that she could never come up to the world above till her\nmother, the old witch, was dead. And she went on to tell him that the\nonly way in which the old creature could be killed was with the sword\nthat hung up in the castle; but the sword was so heavy that no one\ncould lift it.\n\nThen the youth went into a room in the castle where everything was made\nof silver, and here he found another beautiful girl, the sister of his\nbride. She was combing her silver hair, and every hair that fell on the\nground rang out like pure metal. The second girl handed him the sword,\nbut though he tried with all his strength he could not lift it. At last\na third sister came to him and gave him a drop of something to drink,\nwhich she said would give him the needful strength. He drank one drop,\nbut still he could not lift the sword; then he drank a second and the\nsword began to move; but only after he had drunk a third drop was he\nable to swing the sword over his head.\n\nThen he hid himself in the castle and awaited the old witch\u2019s arrival.\nAt last as it was beginning to grow dark she appeared. She swooped down\nupon a big apple tree, and after shaking some golden apples from it she\npounced down upon the earth. As soon as her feet touched the ground she\nbecame transformed from a hawk into a woman. This was the moment the\nyouth was waiting for, and he swung his mighty sword in the air with\nall his strength and the witch\u2019s head fell off, and her blood spurted\nupon the walls.\n\nWithout fear of any further danger, he packed up all the treasures of\nthe castle into great chests and gave his brothers a signal to pull\nthem up out of the abyss. First the treasures were attached to the rope\nand then the three lovely girls. And now everything was up above and\nonly he himself remained below. But as he was a little suspicious of\nhis brothers, he fastened a heavy stone on to the rope and let them\npull it up. At first they heaved with a will, but when the stone was\nhalfway up they let it drop suddenly, and it fell to the bottom broken\ninto a hundred pieces.\n\n\u201cSo that\u2019s what would have happened to my bones had I trusted myself to\nthem,\u201d said the youth sadly; and he cried bitterly, not because of the\ntreasures, but because of the lovely girl with her swanlike neck and\ngolden hair.\n\nFor a long time he wandered sadly all through the beautiful underworld,\nand one day he met a magician who asked him the cause of his tears. The\nyouth told him all that had befallen him, and the magician said:\n\n\u201cDo not grieve, young man! If you will guard the children who are\nhidden in the golden apple tree I will bring you at once up to the\nearth. Another magician who lives in this land always eats my children\nup. It is in vain that I have hidden them under the earth and locked\nthem into the castle. Now I have hidden them in the apple tree; hide\nyourself there, too, and at midnight you will see my enemy.\u201d\n\nThe youth climbed up the tree and picked some of the beautiful golden\napples, which he ate for his supper. At midnight the wind began to rise\nand a rustling sound was heard at the foot of the tree. The youth\nlooked down and beheld a long thick serpent beginning to crawl up the\ntree. It wound itself round the stem and gradually got higher and\nhigher. It stretched its huge head, in which the eyes glittered\nfiercely, among the branches, searching for the nest in which the\nlittle children lay. They trembled with terror when they saw the\nhideous creature and hid themselves beneath the leaves.\n\nThen the youth swung his mighty sword in the air, and with one blow cut\noff the serpent\u2019s head. He cut up the rest of the body into little bits\nand strewed them to the four winds.\n\nThe father of the rescued children was so delighted over the death of\nhis enemy that he told the youth to get on his back, and thus he\ncarried him up to the world above.\n\nWith what joy did he hurry now to his brothers\u2019 house! He burst into a\nroom where they were all assembled, but no one knew who he was. Only\nhis bride, who was serving as cook to her sisters, recognized her lover\nat once.\n\nHis brothers, who had quite believed he was dead, yielded him up his\ntreasures at once and flew into the woods in terror. But the good youth\nforgave them all they had done and divided his treasures with them.\nThen he built himself a big castle with golden windows, and there he\nlived happily with his golden-haired wife till the end of their lives.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GLASS MOUNTAIN\n\n\nBy Hermann R. Kletke\n\nOnce upon a time there was a glass mountain at the top of which stood a\ncastle made of pure gold, and in front of the castle there grew an\napple tree on which there were golden apples.\n\nAnyone who picked an apple gained admittance into the golden castle,\nand there in a silver room sat an enchanted princess of surpassing\nfairness and beauty. She was as rich, too, as she was beautiful, for\nthe cellars of the castle were full of precious stones, and great\nchests of the finest gold stood round the walls of all the rooms.\n\nMany knights had come from afar to try their luck, but it was in vain\nthey attempted to climb the mountain. In spite of having their horses\nshod with sharp nails, no one managed to get more than halfway up, and\nthen they all fell back right down to the bottom of the steep, slippery\nhill. Sometimes they broke an arm, sometimes a leg, and many a brave\nman had broken his neck even.\n\nThe beautiful princess sat at her window and watched the bold knights\ntrying to reach her on their splendid horses. The sight of her always\ngave men fresh courage, and they flocked from the four quarters of the\nglobe to attempt the work of rescuing her. But all in vain, and for\nseven years the princess had sat now and waited for some one to scale\nthe glass mountain.\n\nA heap of corpses both of riders and horses lay round the mountain, and\nmany dying men lay groaning there unable to go any further with their\nwounded limbs. The whole neighborhood had the appearance of a vast\nchurchyard. In three more days the seven years would be at an end, when\na knight in golden armor and mounted on a spirited steed was seen\nmaking his way toward the fatal hill.\n\nSticking his spurs into his horse he made a rush at the mountain and\ngot up halfway, then he calmly turned his horse\u2019s head and came down\nagain without a slip or stumble. The following day he started in the\nsame way; the horse trod on the glass as if it had been level earth,\nand sparks of fire flew from its hoofs. All the other knights gazed in\nastonishment, for he had almost gained the summit, and in another\nmoment he would have reached the apple tree; but of a sudden a huge\neagle rose up and spread its mighty wings, hitting as it did so the\nknight\u2019s horse in the eye. The beast shied, opened its wide nostrils,\nand tossed its mane, then rearing high up in the air, its hind feet\nslipped and it fell with its rider down the steep mountain side.\nNothing was left of either of them except their bones, which rattled in\nthe battered, golden armor like dry peas in a pod.\n\nAnd now there was only one more day before the close of the seven\nyears. Then there arrived on the scene a mere school boy\u2014a merry,\nhappy-hearted youth, but at the same time strong and well grown. He saw\nhow many knights had broken their necks in vain, but undaunted he\napproached the steep mountain on foot and began the ascent.\n\nFor long he had heard his parents speak of the beautiful princess who\nsat in the golden castle at the top of the glass mountain. He listened\nto all he heard and determined that he too would try his luck. But\nfirst he went to the forest and caught a lynx, and cutting off the\ncreature\u2019s sharp claws, he fastened them on to his own hands and feet.\n\nArmed with these weapons he boldly started up the glass mountain. The\nsun was nearly going down, and the youth had not got more than halfway\nup. He could hardly draw breath he was so worn out, and his mouth was\nparched by thirst. A huge black cloud passed over his head, but in vain\ndid he beg and beseech her to let a drop of water fall on him. He\nopened his mouth, but the black cloud sailed past and not as much as a\ndrop of dew moistened his dry lips.\n\nHis feet were torn and bleeding, and he could only hold on now with his\nhands. Evening closed in, and he strained his eyes to see if he could\nbehold the top of the mountain. Then he gazed beneath him, and what a\nsight met his eyes! A yawning abyss, with certain and terrible death at\nthe bottom, reeking with half-decayed bodies of horses and riders! And\nthis had been the end of all the other brave men who like himself had\nattempted the ascent.\n\nIt was almost pitch dark now, and only the stars lit up the glass\nmountain. The poor boy still clung on as if glued to the glass by his\nblood-stained hands. He made no struggle to get higher, for all his\nstrength had left him, and seeing no hope he calmly awaited death. Then\nall of a sudden he fell into a deep sleep, and forgetful of his\ndangerous position he slumbered sweetly. But all the same, although he\nslept, he had stuck his sharp claws so firmly into the glass that he\nwas quite safe not to fall.\n\nNow, the golden apple tree was guarded by the eagle which had\noverthrown the golden knight and his horse. Every night it flew round\nthe glass mountain keeping a careful lookout, and no sooner had the\nmoon emerged from the clouds than the bird rose up from the apple tree,\nand circling round in the air caught sight of the sleeping youth.\n\nGreedy for carrion, and sure that this must be a fresh corpse, the bird\nswooped down upon the boy. But he was awake now, and perceiving the\neagle, he determined by its help to save himself.\n\nThe eagle dug its sharp claws into the tender flesh of the youth, but\nhe bore the pain without a sound and seized the bird\u2019s two feet with\nhis hands. The creature in terror lifted him high up into the air and\nbegan to circle round the tower of the castle. The youth held on\nbravely. He saw the glittering palace, which by the pale rays of the\nmoon looked like a dim lamp; and he saw the high windows, and round one\nof them a balcony in which the beautiful princess sat lost in sad\nthoughts. Then the boy saw that he was close to the apple tree, and\ndrawing a small knife from his belt he cut off both the eagle\u2019s feet.\nThe bird rose up in the air in its agony and vanished into the clouds,\nand the youth fell on to the broad branches of the apple tree.\n\nThen he drew out the claws of the eagle\u2019s feet that had remained in his\nflesh and put the peel of one of the golden apples on the wound, and in\none moment it was healed and well again. He pulled several of the\nbeautiful apples and put them in his pocket; then he entered the\ncastle. The door was guarded by a great dragon, but as soon as he threw\nan apple at it the beast vanished.\n\nAt the same moment a gate opened, and the youth perceived a courtyard\nfull of flowers and beautiful trees, and on a balcony sat the lovely\nenchanted princess with her retinue.\n\nAs soon as she saw the youth she ran toward him and greeted him as her\nhusband and master. She gave him all her treasures, and the youth\nbecame a rich and mighty ruler. But he never returned to the earth, for\nonly the mighty eagle, who had been the guardian of the princess and of\nthe castle, could have carried on his wings the enormous treasure down\nto the world. But as the eagle had lost its feet, it died, and its body\nwas found in a wood on the glass mountain.\n\nOne day when the youth was strolling about the palace garden with the\nprincess, his wife, he looked down over the edge of the glass mountain\nand saw to his astonishment a great number of people gathered there. He\nblew his silver whistle, and the swallow who acted as messenger in the\ngolden castle flew past.\n\n\u201cFly down and ask what the matter is,\u201d he said to the little bird, who\nsped off like lightning and soon returned saying:\n\n\u201cThe blood of the eagle has restored all the people below to life. All\nthose who have perished on this mountain are awakening up to-day, as it\nwere from a sleep, and are mounting their horses, and the whole\npopulation are gazing on this unheard-of wonder with joy and\namazement.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nHUNTSMAN THE UNLUCKY\n\n\nBy John T. Naak\u00e9\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a huntsman. He would go every day in\nsearch of game, but it often happened that he killed nothing, and so\nwas obliged to return home with his bag empty. On that account he was\nnicknamed \u201cHuntsman the Unlucky.\u201d At last he was reduced by his ill\nfortune to such extremities that he had not a piece of bread nor a\nkopek left. The wretched man wandered about the forest, cold and\nhungry; he had eaten nothing for three days, and was nearly dying of\nstarvation. He lay down on the grass determined to put an end to his\nexistence; happily better thoughts came into his mind; he crossed\nhimself, and threw away the gun. Suddenly he heard a rustling noise\nnear him. It seemed to issue from some thick grass close at hand. The\nhunter got up and approached the spot. He then observed that the grass\npartly hid a gloomy abyss, from the bottom of which there rose a stone,\nand on it lay a small jar. As he looked and listened the hunter heard a\nsmall voice crying\u2014\n\n\u201cDear, kind traveler, release me!\u201d\n\nThe voice seemed to proceed from the little jar. The courageous hunter,\nwalking carefully from one stone to another, approached the spot where\nthe jar lay, took it up gently, and heard a voice crying from within\nlike the chirping of a grasshopper\u2014\n\n\u201cRelease me, and I will be of service to you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho are you, my little friend?\u201d asked Huntsman the Unlucky.\n\n\u201cI have no name, and cannot be seen by human eyes,\u201d answered a soft\nvoice. \u201cIf you want me, call \u2018Murza!\u2019 A wicked magician put me in this\njar, sealed it with the seal of King Solomon, and then threw me into\nthis fearful place, where I have lain for seventy years.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery good,\u201d said Huntsman the Unlucky; \u201cI will give you your liberty,\nand then we shall see how you will keep your word.\u201d He broke the seal\nand opened the little jar\u2014there was nothing in it!\n\n\u201cHalloa! where are you, my friend?\u201d cried the hunter.\n\n\u201cBy your side,\u201d a voice answered.\n\nThe hunter looked about him, but could see no one.\n\n\u201cMurza!\u201d\n\n\u201cReady! I await your orders. I am your servant for the next three days,\nand will do whatever you desire. You have only to say, \u2018Go there, I\nknow not where; bring something, I know not what.\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said the hunter. \u201cYou will doubtless know best what is\nwanted: Go there, I know not where; bring something, I know not what.\u201d\n\nAs soon as the hunter had uttered these words there appeared before him\na table covered with dishes, each filled with the most delicious\nviands, as if they had come direct from a banquet of the czar. The\nhunter sat down at the table, and ate and drank till he was satisfied.\nHe then rose, crossed himself, and, bowing on all sides, exclaimed\u2014\n\n\u201cThank you! thank you!\u201d\n\nInstantly the table, and everything else with it, disappeared, and the\nhunter continued his journey.\n\nAfter walking some distance he sat down by the roadside to rest. It so\nhappened that while the hunter was resting himself, there passed\nthrough the forest a gypsy thief, leading a horse which he wanted to\nsell.\n\n\u201cI wish I had the money to buy the horse with,\u201d thought the hunter;\n\u201cwhat a pity my pockets are empty! However, I will ask my invisible\nfriend. Murza!\u201d\n\n\u201cReady!\u201d\n\n\u201cGo there, I know not where; bring something, I know not what.\u201d\n\nIn less than a minute the hunter heard the money chinking in his\npocket; gold poured into them, he knew not how nor whence.\n\n\u201cThanks! you have kept your word,\u201d said the hunter.\n\nHe then began to bargain with the gypsy for the horse. Having agreed\nupon the price, he paid the man in gold, who, staring at the hunter\nwith his mouth wide open, wondered where Huntsman the Unlucky had got\nso much money from. Parting from the hunter, the gypsy thief ran with\nall his speed to the farther end of the forest, and whistled. There was\nno answer. \u201cThey are asleep,\u201d thought the gypsy, and entered a cavern\nwhere some robbers, lying on the skins of animals, were resting\nthemselves.\n\n\u201cHalloa, comrades! Are you asleep?\u201d cried the gypsy. \u201cGet up, quick! or\nyou will lose a fine bird. He is alone in the forest, and his pockets\nare full of gold. Make haste!\u201d\n\nThe robbers sprang up, mounted their horses, and galloped after the\nhunter.\n\nThe hunter heard the clatter, and seeing himself suddenly surrounded by\nrobbers, cried out\u2014 \u201cMurza!\u201d\n\n\u201cReady!\u201d answered a voice near him. \u201cGo there, I know not where; bring\nsomething, I know not what.\u201d\n\nThere was a rustling noise heard in the forest, and then something from\nbehind the trees fell upon the robbers. They were knocked from their\nhorses, and scattered on all sides; yet no hand was seen to touch them.\nThe robbers, thrown upon the ground, could not raise themselves, and\nthe hunter, thankful and rejoicing at his deliverance, rode on, and\nsoon found his way out of the dark forest, and came upon a town.\n\nNear this town there were pitched tents full of soldiers. Huntsman the\nUnlucky was told that an enormous army of Tartars had come, under the\ncommand of their khan, who, angry at being refused the hand of the\nbeautiful Princess Milovzora, the daughter of the czar, had declared\nwar against him. The hunter had seen the Princess Milovzora when she\nwas out hunting in the forest. She used to ride a beautiful horse, and\ncarry a golden lance in her hand; a magnificent quiver of arrows hung\nfrom her shoulder. When her veil was lifted up she appeared like the\nspring sunlight, to give light to the eyes and warmth to the heart.\n\nThe hunter reflected for a little while, and then cried, \u201cMurza!\u201d\n\nIn an instant he found himself dressed in splendid attire; his jacket\nwas embroidered with gold, he wore a beautiful mantle on his shoulders,\nand ostrich feathers hung gracefully down from the top of his helmet,\nfastened by a brooch of a ruby surrounded by pearls. The hunter went\ninto the castle, presented himself before the czar, and offered to\ndrive away the forces of the enemy on condition that the czar gave him\nthe beautiful Princess Milovzora for his wife.\n\nThe czar was greatly surprised, but did not like to refuse such an\noffer at once; he first asked the hunter his name, his birth and his\npossessions.\n\n\u201cI am called Huntsman the Unlucky, Master of Murza the Invisible.\u201d\n\nThe czar thought the young stranger was mad; the courtiers, however,\nwho had seen him before, assured the czar that the stranger exactly\nresembled Huntsman the Unlucky, whom they knew; but how he had got that\nsplendid dress they could not tell.\n\nThen the czar demanded:\n\n\u201cDo you hear what they say? If you are telling lies, you will lose your\nhead. Let us see, then, how you will overcome the enemy with the forces\nof your invisible Murza?\u201d\n\n\u201cBe of good hope, czar,\u201d answered the hunter; \u201cas soon as I say the\nword, everything will be completed.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood,\u201d said the czar. \u201cIf you have spoken the truth you shall have my\ndaughter for your wife; if not, your head will be the forfeit.\u201d\n\nThe hunter said to himself, \u201cI shall either become a prince, or I am a\nlost man.\u201d\n\nHe then whispered, \u201cMurza, go there, I know not where; do this, I know\nnot what.\u201d\n\nA few minutes passed, and there was nothing to be heard or seen.\nHuntsman the Unlucky turned pale; the czar, enraged, ordered him to be\nseized and put in irons, when suddenly the firing of guns was heard in\nthe distance. The czar and his courtiers ran out on the steps leading\nto the castle, and saw bodies of men approaching from both right and\nleft, their standards waving gracefully in the air; the soldiers were\nsplendidly equipped. The czar could hardly believe his eyes, for he\nhimself had no troops so fine as these.\n\n\u201cThis is no delusion!\u201d cried Huntsman the Unlucky. \u201cThese are the\nforces of my invisible friend.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet them drive away the enemy then, if they can,\u201d said the czar.\n\nThe hunter waved his handkerchief. The army wheeled into position;\nmusic burst forth in a martial strain, and then a great cloud of dust\narose. When the dust had cleared away, the army was gone.\n\nThe czar invited Huntsman the Unlucky to dinner, and asked him numerous\nquestions about Murza the Invisible. At the second course the news came\nthat the enemy was flying in every direction, completely routed. The\nterrified Tartars had left all their tents and baggage behind them. The\nczar thanked the hunter for his assistance, and informed his daughter\nthat he had found a husband for her. Princess Milovzora blushed upon\nreceiving this intelligence, then turned pale, and began to shed tears.\nThe hunter whispered something to Murza, and the princess\u2019s tears\nchanged into precious stones as they fell. The courtiers hastened to\npick them up\u2014they were pearls and diamonds. The princess smiled at\nthis, and overcome with pleasure gave her hand to Huntsman the\nUnlucky\u2014unlucky no longer. Then began the feast. But here the story\nmust end.\n\n\n\n\nSTORY OF LITTLE SIMPLETON\n\n\nBy John T. Naak\u00e9\n\nOnce there lived a peasant and his wife who had three daughters. The\ntwo elder girls were cunning and selfish; the youngest was simple and\nopen-hearted, and on that account came to be called, first by her\nsisters and afterward by her father and mother, \u201cLittle Simpleton.\u201d\nLittle Simpleton was pushed about, had to fetch everything that was\nwanted, and was always kept at work; but she was ever ready to do what\nshe was told, and never uttered a word of complaint. She would water\nthe garden, prepare pine splinters, milk the cows, and feed the ducks;\nshe had to wait upon everybody\u2014in a word, she was the drudge of the\nfamily.\n\nOne day, as the peasant was going with the hay to market, he asked his\ndaughters what they would like him to buy for them.\n\n\u201cBuy me some kumach (Red wool stuff from Bucharest) for a sarafan (A\nlong dress worn by the Russian peasant women) father,\u201d answered the\neldest daughter.\n\n\u201cAnd me some nankeen,\u201d said the second. The youngest daughter alone did\nnot ask for a present. The peasant was moved with compassion for the\ngirl; although a simpleton she was still his daughter.\n\nTurning to her he asked \u201cWell, Little Simpleton, what shall I buy for\nyou?\u201d\n\nLittle Simpleton smiled and replied\u2014\n\n\u201cBuy me, dearest father, a little silver plate and a little apple.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat do you want them for?\u201d asked her sisters.\n\n\u201cI will make the little apple roll round the plate, and will say some\nwords to it which an old woman taught me because I gave her a cake.\u201d\n\nThe peasant promised to buy his daughters what they asked of him, and\nthen started for market. He sold his hay, and bought the presents: some\nnankeen for one of his daughters, for another some kumach, and for\nLittle Simpleton a little silver plate and a little apple. Then he\nreturned home and gave these things to his daughters.\n\nThe girls were delighted; the two elder ones made themselves sarafans,\nand laughed at Little Simpleton, wondering what she would do with the\nsilver plate and the apple.\n\nLittle Simpleton did not eat the apple, but sat down in a corner and\ncried\u2014\n\n\u201cRoll, roll, little apple on the silver plate, and show me towns and\nfields, forests and seas, lofty mountains and beautiful skies.\u201d\n\nAnd the apple began to roll on the plate, and there appeared on it town\nafter town; ships sailing on the seas, and people in the fields;\nmountains and beautiful skies; suns and stars. All these things looked\nso beautiful, and were so wonderful, that it would be impossible to\ntell of them in a story, or describe them with the pen.\n\nAt first the elder sisters looked at the little plate with delight;\nsoon, however, their hearts were filled with envy, and they began to\ntry to get it from their younger sister. But the girl would not part\nwith it on any account. Then the wicked girls said\u2014 \u201cDearest sister,\nlet us go into the forest to gather blackberries.\u201d\n\nLittle Simpleton got up, gave the plate and apple to her father, and\nwent with them into the forest. They walked about and gathered\nblackberries. All at once they saw a spade lying upon the ground. The\nwicked sisters killed Little Simpleton with it, and buried her under a\nbirch tree.\n\nThey returned home late, and told their father, \u201cThe Simpleton is lost;\nshe ran away from us in the forest; we searched, but could not find her\nanywhere. The wolves must have eaten her.\u201d\n\nThe peasant regretted the loss of his daughter bitterly; for although\nso simple she was still his child. The wicked sisters also shed tears.\nHer father put the little silver plate and the little apple into a box,\nand locked them up.\n\nNext morning a shepherd was tending his sheep near the place, playing\non his pipe, and searching in the forest for one of his flock that was\nmissing. He observed the little grave under the birch tree; it was\ncovered by the most lovely flowers, and out of the middle of the grave\nthere grew a reed. The shepherd cut off the reed, and made a pipe of\nit. As soon as the pipe was prepared, oh, wonderful! It began to play\nof itself, and say\u2014\n\n\u201cPlay, oh pipe, play! and comfort my poor parents and sisters. I was\nkilled for the sake of my little silver plate and my little apple.\u201d\n\nWhen the people heard of this they ran out of their huts, and all came\nround the shepherd and began to ask him who was killed.\n\n\u201cGood people,\u201d answered the shepherd, \u201cI don\u2019t know who it is. While\nsearching for one of my sheep in the forest, I came upon a grave\ncovered with flowers. Above them all stood a reed. I cut off the reed\nand made this pipe of it. It plays of itself, and you have heard what\nit says.\u201d\n\nThe father of Little Simpleton happened to be present. He took the pipe\ninto his own hand, and it began to play:\n\n\u201cPlay, oh pipe, play! Comfort my poor father and mother. I was killed\nfor the sake of my little silver plate and my little apple.\u201d The\npeasant asked the shepherd to take him to the place where he had cut\nthe reed. They all went into the forest, saw the grave, and were\nastonished at the sight of the lovely flowers which grew there. They\nopened the grave, and there discovered the body of a girl, which the\npoor man recognized as that of his youngest daughter. There she lay,\nmurdered\u2014but by whom no one could tell. The people asked one another\nwho it was that had killed the poor girl. Suddenly the pipe began to\nplay\u2014\n\n\u201cOh, my dearest father; my sisters brought me to this forest, and here\nkilled me for the sake of my little plate and my little apple. You will\nnot bring me to life until you fetch some of the water from the czar\u2019s\nwell.\u201d\n\nThen the wicked sisters confessed it all. They were seized and cast\ninto a dark prison, to await the pleasure of the czar. The peasant set\nout for the capital. As soon as he arrived at the city, he went to the\npalace, saw the czar, told his story, and begged permission to take\nsome water from the well. The czar said, \u201cYou may take some water of\nlife from my well, and as soon as you have restored your daughter to\nlife, bring her here with her little plate and the little apple; bring\nyour other two daughters also.\u201d\n\nThe peasant bowed to the ground, and returned home with a bottle full\nof the water of life. He hastened to the grave in the forest, lifted up\nthe body of his daughter, and as soon as he had sprinkled it with the\nwater the girl came to life again, and threw herself into his arms. All\nwho were present were moved to tears.\n\nThen the peasant started again for the capital, and arriving there went\nat once to the czar\u2019s palace. The czar came out, and saw the peasant\nwith his three daughters, two of them with their arms bound, the third,\nas beautiful as the spring flowers, stood near, the tears like diamonds\nfalling down her cheeks. The czar was very angry with the two wicked\nsisters; then he asked the youngest for her little plate and apple. The\ngirl took the box from her father\u2019s hands, and said\u2014\n\n\u201cSire, what would you like to see? Your towns or your armies; the ships\nat sea, or the beautiful stars in the sky?\u201d\n\nThen she made the little apple roll round the plate, and there appeared\non it many towns, one after the other, with bodies of soldiers near\nthem, with their standards and artillery. Then the soldiers made ready\nfor the fight, and the officers stood in their places. The firing\ncommenced, the smoke arose, and hid it all from view. The little apple\nbegan again to roll on the plate, and there appeared the sea covered\nwith ships, their flags streaming in the wind. The guns began to fire,\nthe smoke arose, and again all disappeared from their sight. The apple\nagain began to roll on the plate, and there appeared on it the\nbeautiful sky with suns and stars.\n\nThe czar was astonished. The girl fell down on her knees before him,\nand cried\u2014\n\n\u201cOh, Sire, take my little plate and my little apple, and forgive my\nsisters!\u201d\n\nThe czar was moved by her tears and entreaties and forgave the wicked\nsisters; the delighted girl sprang up and began to embrace and kiss\nthem. The czar smiled, took her by the hand and said, \u201cI honor the\ngoodness of your heart, and admire your beauty. Would you like to\nbecome my wife?\u201d\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d answered the beautiful girl, \u201cI obey your royal command; but\nallow me first to ask my parents\u2019 permission.\u201d\n\nThe delighted peasant at once gave his consent; they sent for the\nmother, and she, too, gladly bestowed her blessing.\n\n\u201cOne favor more,\u201d said the beautiful girl to the czar. \u201cPermit my\nparents and sisters to remain with me.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this the sisters fell down on their knees before her, and\ncried\u2014\n\n\u201cWe are not worthy of so much favor!\u201d\n\n\u201cDearest sisters,\u201d said the beautiful girl, \u201call is forgotten and\nforgiven. They who remember the past with malice deserve to lose their\nsight.\u201d\n\nShe then tried to lift them up from the ground, but they, shedding\nbitter tears, would not rise. Then the czar, looking at them with a\nfrown, bade them get up; he allowed them, however, to stay in the\npalace.\n\nA magnificent entertainment then began: the palace was splendidly\nlighted up, and looked like the sun among the clouds. The czar and\nczarina rode out in an open chariot and showed themselves to the\npeople, who cried joyfully\u2014\n\n\u201cLong live czar and czarina! May they shine upon us like the glorious\nsun for years and years to come!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN FISH\n\n\nBy L. M. Gask\n\nUpon a certain island in the middle of the sea dwelt an old man and his\nwife. They were so poor that they often went short of bread, for the\nfish he caught were their only means of livelihood.\n\nOne day when the man had been fishing for many hours without success,\nhe hooked a small Gold Fish, whose eyes were bright as diamonds.\n\n\u201cLet me go, kind man,\u201d the little creature cried. \u201cI should not make a\nmouthful either for yourself or your wife, and my own mate waits for me\ndown in the waters.\u201d\n\nThe old man was so moved by his pleadings that he took him off the hook\nand threw him back into the sea. Before he swam off to rejoin his mate,\nthe Gold Fish promised that in return for his kindness he would come to\nthe fisherman\u2019s help if ever he wanted him. Laughing merrily at this,\nfor he did not believe that a fish could help him except by providing\nhim with food, the old man went home and told his wife.\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d she cried, \u201cyou actually let him go when you had caught him? It\nwas just like your stupidity. We have not a scrap of bread in the\nhouse, and now, I suppose, we must starve!\u201d\n\nHer reproaches continued for so long that though he scarcely believed\nwhat the fish had said, the poor old man thought that at least it would\ndo no harm to put him to the test. He therefore hastened back to the\nshore, and stood at the very edge of the waves.\n\n\u201cGolden Fish, Golden Fish!\u201d he called. \u201cCome to me, I pray, with your\ntail in the water, and your head lifted up toward me!\u201d\n\nAs the last word was uttered the Gold Fish popped up his head.\n\n\u201cYou see I have kept my promise,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat can I do for you, my\ngood friend?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere is not a scrap of bread in the house,\u201d quavered the old man,\n\u201cand my wife is very angry with me for letting you go.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t trouble about that!\u201d said the Gold Fish in an off-hand manner;\n\u201cyou will find bread, and to spare, when you go home.\u201d And the old man\nhurried away to see if his little friend had spoken truly.\n\nSurely enough, he found that the pan was full of fine white loaves.\n\n\u201cI did not do so badly for you after all, good wife!\u201d he said, as they\nate their supper; but his wife was anything but satisfied. The more she\nhad, the more she wanted, and she lay awake planning what they should\ndemand from the Gold Fish next.\n\n\u201cWake up, you lazy man!\u201d she cried to her husband, early next morning.\n\u201cGo down to the sea and tell your fish that I must have a new washtub.\u201d\n\nThe old man did as his wife bade him, and the moment he called the Gold\nFish reappeared. He seemed quite willing to grant the new request, and\non his return home the old man found a beautiful new washtub in the\nsmall yard at the back of their cabin.\n\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you ask for a new cabin too?\u201d his wife said angrily. \u201cIf\nyou had had a grain of sense you would have done this without being\ntold. Go back at once, and say that we must have one.\n\nThe old man was rather ashamed to trouble his friend again so soon; but\nthe Gold Fish was as obliging as ever.\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d he said, \u201ca new cabin you shall have.\u201d And the old mart\nfound one so spick-and-span that he hardly dare cross the floor for\nfear of soiling it. It would have pleased him greatly had his wife been\ncontented, but she, good woman, did nothing but grumble still.\n\n\u201cTell your Gold Fish,\u201d she said next day, \u201cthat I want to be a duchess,\nwith many servants at my beck and call, and a splendid carriage to\ndrive in.\n\nOnce more her wish was granted, but now her husband\u2019s plight was hard\nindeed. She would not let him share her palace, but ordered him off to\nthe stables, where he was forced to keep company with her grooms. In a\nfew days, however, he grew reconciled to his lot, for here he could\nlive in peace, while he learned that she was leading those around her a\nterrible life, it was not long before she sent for him again.\n\n\u201cSummon the Gold Fish,\u201d she commanded haughtily, \u201cand tell him I wish\nto be Queen of the Waters, and to rule over all the fish.\u201d\n\nThe poor old man felt sorry for the fish if they had to be under her\nrule, for prosperity had quite spoiled her. However, he dared not\ndisobey, and once more summoned his powerful friend.\n\n\u201cMake your wife the Queen of the Waters?\u201d exclaimed the Gold Fish.\n\u201cThat is the last thing I should do. She is unfit to reign, for she\ncannot rule herself or her desires. I shall make her once more a poor\nold woman. Adieu! You will see me no more.\u201d\n\nThe old man returned sorrowfully with this unpleasant message, to find\nthe palace transformed into a humble cabin, and his wife in a skirt of\nthreadbare stuff in place of the rich brocade which she had worn of\nlate. She was sad and humble, and much more easy to live with than she\nhad been before. Her husband therefore had occasion many times to think\ngratefully of the Gold Fish, and sometimes when drawing up his net the\nglint of the sun upon the scales of his captives would give him a\nmoment\u2019s hope\u2014which, alas! was as often disappointed\u2014that once again he\nwas to see his benefactor.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WONDERFUL HAIR\n\n\nBy W. S. Karajich\n\nThere once lived a man who was very poor, and who had many children; so\nmany that he was unable to support them. As he could not endure the\nidea of their perishing of hunger, he was often tempted to destroy\nthem; his wife alone prevented him. One night, as he lay asleep, there\nappeared to him a lovely child in a vision. The child said\u2014\n\n\u201cOh, man! I see your soul is in danger, in the thought of killing your\nhelpless children. But I know you are poor, and am come here to help\nyou. You will find under your pillow in the morning a looking-glass, a\nred handkerchief, and an embroidered scarf. Take these three things,\nbut show them to no one, and go to the forest. In that forest you will\nfind a rivulet. Walk by the side of this rivulet until you come to its\nsource; there you will see a girl, as bright as the sun, with long hair\nstreaming down her shoulders. Take care that she does you no harm. Say\nnot a word to her; for if you utter a single syllable, she will change\nyou into a fish or some other creature, and eat you. Should she ask you\nto comb her hair, obey her. As you comb it, you will find one hair as\nred as blood; pull it out, and run away with it. Be swift, for she will\nfollow you. Then throw on the ground, first the embroidered scarf, then\nthe red handkerchief, and last of all the looking-glass; they will\ndelay her pursuit of you. Sell the hair to some rich man; but see that\nyou do not allow yourself to be cheated, for it is of boundless worth.\nIts produce will make you rich and thus you will be able to feed your\nchildren.\u201d\n\nNext morning, when the poor man awoke, he found under his pillow\nexactly the things the child mad told him of in his dream. He went\nimmediately into the forest, and when he had discovered the rivulet he\nwalked by the side of it, on and on, until he reached its source. There\nhe saw a girl sitting on the bank, threading a needle with the rays of\nthe sun. She was embroidering a net made of the hair of heroes, spread\non a frame before her. He approached and bowed to her. The girl got up\nand demanded\u2014\n\n\u201cWhere did you come from, strange knight?\u201d\n\nThe man remained silent. Again she asked him\u2014\n\n\u201cWho are you, and why do you come here?\u201d And many other questions. But\nhe remained silent as a stone, indicating with his hands only that he\nwas dumb and in need of help. She told him to sit at her feet, and when\nhe had gladly done so, she inclined her head toward him, that he might\ncomb her hair. He began to arrange her hair as if to comb it, but as\nsoon as he had found the red one, he separated it from the rest,\nplucked it out, leaped up, and ran from her with his utmost speed.\n\nThe girl sprang after him, and was soon at his heels. The man, turning\nround as he ran, and seeing that his pursuer would soon overtake him,\nthrew the embroidered scarf on the ground, as he had been told. When\nthe girl saw it, she stopped and began to examine it; turning it over\non both sides, and admiring the embroidery. Meanwhile the man gained a\nconsiderable distance in advance. The girl tied the scarf round her\nbosom and recommenced the pursuit. When the man saw that she was again\nabout to overtake him, he threw down the red handkerchief. At the sight\nof it, the girl again stopped, examined, and wondered at it; the\npeasant, in the meantime, was again enabled to increase the distance\nbetween them. When the girl perceived this, she became furious, and\nthrowing away both scarf and handkerchief began to run with increased\nspeed after him. She was just upon the point of catching the poor\npeasant, when he threw the looking-glass at her feet. At the sight of\nthe looking-glass, the like of which she had never seen before, the\ngirl checked herself, picked it up, and looked in it. Seeing her own\nface, she fancied there was another girl looking at her. While she was\nthus occupied the man ran so far that she could not possibly overtake\nhim. When the girl saw that further pursuit was useless, she turned\nback, and the peasant, joyful and unhurt, reached his home. Once within\ndoors he showed the hair to his wife and children, and told them all\nthat had happened to him; but his wife only laughed at the Story. The\npeasant, however, took no heed of her ridicule, but went to a\nneighboring town to sell the hair. He was soon surrounded by a crowd of\npeople, and some merchants began to bid for his prize. One merchant\noffered him one gold piece, another two, for the single hair, and so\non, until the price rose to a hundred gold pieces. Meanwhile the king,\nhearing of the wonderful red hair, ordered the peasant to be called in,\nand offered him a thousand gold pieces for it. The man joyfully sold it\nfor that sum.\n\nWhat wonderful kind of hair was this after all? The king split it\ncarefully open from end to end, and in it was found the story of many\nmarvelous secrets of nature, and of things that had happened since the\ncreation of the world.\n\nThus the peasant became rich, and henceforth lived happily with his\nwife and children. The child he had seen in his dream, was an angel\nsent down from heaven to succor him, and to reveal to mankind the\nknowledge of many wonderful things which had hitherto remained\nunexplained.\n\n\n\n\nTHE LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS\n\n\nBy W. S. Karajich\n\nA certain man had a shepherd who had served him faithfully and honestly\nfor many years. One day, as the Shepherd was tending his sheep, he\nheard a hissing noise in the forest, and wondered what it could he. He\nwent, therefore, into the wood in the direction of the sound, to learn\nwhat it was. There he saw that the dry grass and leaves had caught\nfire, and in the middle of a burning circle a Snake was hissing. The\nShepherd stopped to see what the Snake would do, for the fire was\nburning all around it, and the flames approached it nearer and nearer\nevery moment. Then the Snake cried from amid the fire\u2014\n\n\u201cOh, Shepherd! for heaven\u2019s sake save me from this fire!\u201d\n\nThe Shepherd stretched out his crook over the flames to the Snake, and\nthe Snake passed along it on to his hand, and from his hand it crawled\nto his neck, where it twisted itself round.\n\nWhen the Shepherd perceived this, he was greatly alarmed, and said to\nthe Snake\u2014\n\n\u201cWhat have I done in an evil hour? Have I saved you to my own\ndestruction?\u201d\n\nThe Snake answered him, \u201cFear not, but carry me to my father\u2019s house.\nMy father is the King of the snakes.\u201d\n\nThe Shepherd, however, began to beg the Snake to excuse him, saying\nthat he could not leave the sheep; but the Snake answered\u2014\n\n\u201cBe not troubled about the sheep; no harm shall happen to them; only go\nas fast as you can.\u201d\n\nThe Shepherd then walked through the forest with the Snake until he\ncame to a gate which was entirely made of snakes knotted together.\nThere the Snake on the Shepherd\u2019s neck gave a whistle, and all the\nother snakes untwisted themselves. Then the Snake said to the Shepherd\u2014\n\n\u201cWhen we come to my father\u2019s palace he will give you whatever you ask\nfor: silver, gold, and precious stones. Do you, however, take nothing\nof these, but beg to know the language of the brutes and other\ncreatures. He will refuse you this for a long time, but at last he will\ngrant your request.\u201d\n\nMeanwhile they came to the palace, to the father, who, shedding many\ntears, cried\u2014\n\n\u201cFor heaven\u2019s sake! my dearest daughter, where have you been?\u201d\n\nAnd she told him in due order how she had been surrounded by the forest\nfire, and how the Shepherd had rescued her. Then the King of the snakes\nturned to the Shepherd and said to him\u2014\n\n\u201cWhat would you have me give you for the deliverance of my daughter?\u201d\n\nThe Shepherd answered, \u201cOnly let me understand the language of animals;\nI want nothing else.\u201d\n\nThen the King said, \u201cThat is not good for you; for if I were to bestow\nupon you the gift of the knowledge of the tongue of animals, and you\nwere to tell anyone of it, you would instantly die. Ask, therefore, for\nsomething else; whatever you desire to possess, I will give to you.\u201d\n\nTo which the Shepherd replied\u2014\n\n\u201cIf you wish to give me anything, then grant me the knowledge of the\nlanguage of brute creatures; but if you do not care to give me\nthat\u2014farewell, and God protect you! I want nothing else.\u201d And the\nShepherd turned to leave the place.\n\nThen the King called him back, saying\u2014\n\n\u201cStay! come here to me, since you will have it at all hazards. Open\nyour mouth.\u201d\n\nThe Shepherd opened his mouth, and the King of the snakes breathed into\nit, and said\u2014\n\n\u201cDo you now breathe into my mouth.\u201d\n\nThe Shepherd breathed into his mouth, and the Snake King breathed again\ninto that of the Shepherd. After they had breathed each three times\ninto the other\u2019s mouth, the King said\u2014\n\n\u201cNow you understand the language of animals, and of all created things.\nGo in peace, and God be with you! but for the life of you, tell no one\nof this; if you do, you will die on the instant!\u201d\n\nThe Shepherd returned home through the forest. As he walked he heard\nand understood all that the birds said, and the grass and all the other\nthings that are upon the earth. When he came to his sheep and found\nthem all together and quite safe, he laid himself down to rest.\nScarcely had he lain down when there flew two ravens toward him, who\ntook their perch upon a tree, and began to talk together in their own\nlanguage.\n\n\u201cWhat if that Shepherd only knew that underneath the place where the\nblack lamb lies there is a cellar full of silver and gold!\u2019\n\nWhen the Shepherd heard this, he went to his master, and told him of\nit. The master took a cart with him, and they dug down to a door\nleading to the cave, and removed the treasure to his house. But the\nmaster was an honest man, and gave all the treasure to the Shepherd,\nsaying\u2014\n\n\u201cMy son, all this treasure is yours, for heaven has given it to you.\nBuy yourself a house with it, marry, and live happily in it.\u201d\n\nThe Shepherd took the treasure, built himself a house, and, having\nmarried, lived a happy life. Soon he became known as the richest man,\nnot only in his own village, but so rich that there was not his equal\nin the whole neighborhood. He had his own shepherd, cow keeper,\nhostler, and swineherd; plenty of goods and chattels, and great riches.\n\nOne day, just before Christmas, he said to his wife, \u201cGet some wine,\nand some brandy, and all things necessary; to-morrow we will go to the\nfarmyard and take the good things to the shepherds that they may also\nenjoy themselves.\u201d\n\nThe wife followed his directions and prepared all that he had told her.\nWhen they arrived on the following day at the farmhouse, the master\nsaid to the shepherds in the evening\u2014\n\n\u201cCome here, all of you; eat, drink, and be merry. I will watch over the\nflocks for you to-night.\u201d And he went, in very deed, and remained with\nthe flocks.\n\nAbout midnight the wolves began to howl and the dogs to bark, and the\nwolves said in their language\u2014\n\n\u201cMay we come in and do what mischief we like? Then you, too, shall have\nyour share.\u201d\n\nAnd the dogs answered in their language, \u201cCome in; and we will eat our\nfill with you.\u201d\n\nBut among the dogs there was an old one, who had but two teeth in his\nhead, and he said to the wolves\u2014\n\n\u201cThat will not do. So long as I have my two teeth in my head you shall\ndo no harm to my master nor his.\u201d\n\nThe master heard it all, and understood what was said. On the following\nmorning he ordered all the dogs to be killed save only the old one. The\nhinds said, \u201cHeaven forbid, sir; that would be a great pity!\u201d But the\nmaster answered, \u201cDo what I have told you.\u201d\n\nThen he prepared to return home with his wife, and they both mounted\ntheir horses. And as they rode on, the husband got a little ahead,\nwhile the wife fell behind. At last the husband\u2019s horse neighed, and\ncalled to the mare\u2014\n\n\u201cCome on! make haste! Why do you lag behind!\u201d\n\nAnd the mare answered him, \u201cAh yes, it is all very easy for you: you\nhave only one to carry, the master; while I have to carry two, the\nmistress and her baby.\u201d\n\nThe husband turned round and laughed, and his wife seeing this, urged\nthe mare forward, overtook her husband, and asked him what he had been\nlaughing at.\n\n\u201cNothing; I do not know; just something that came into my mind,\u201d\nanswered the husband.\n\nBut the wife was not satisfied with this answer, and she pressed him\nagain and again to tell her why he had laughed.\n\nBut he excused himself, and said\u2014\n\n\u201cLet me alone, wife! What is the matter with you? I do not know myself\nwhy I laughed.\u201d\n\nBut the more he denied her the more she insisted upon his telling her\nwhat he had been laughing at. At last the husband said to her\u2014\n\n\u201cKnow then, that if I tell you the reason, I shall instantly die.\u201d\n\nThe woman, however, did not care for that, but urged him to tell her\nnotwithstanding.\n\nMeanwhile they had reached home. The husband ordered a coffin to be\nmade immediately, and when it was ready he had it placed before the\nhouse, and said to his wife\u2014\n\n\u201cSee now, I now lay me down in this coffin, and then tell you why I\nlaughed; but as soon as I have told you I shall die.\u201d\n\nThe husband lay down in the coffin, and looked around him for the last\ntime. And there came the old Dog from the farmyard, and sat down at his\nhead and whined. The husband seeing this, said to his wife\u2014\n\n\u201cBring a piece of bread and give it to this Dog.\u201d\n\nThe wife brought out a piece of bread, and threw it down to the Dog;\nbut the Dog would not even look at it. Then the House Cock ran up, and\nbegan to pick at the bread; and the Dog said to it\u2014\n\n\u201cYou miserable greedy thing, you! You can eat, and yet you see that the\nmaster is going to die!\u201d\n\nThe Cock answered the Dog, \u201cAnd let him die since he is such a fool. I\nhave a hundred wives, and I call them all together whenever I find a\ngrain of corn, and as soon as they have come round me, I swallow it\nmyself. And if any one of them got angry, I should be at her directly\nwith my beak. The master has only one wife, and he cannot even manage\nher.\u201d\n\nWhen the husband heard this he quickly sprang out of the coffin, took\nup a stick, and called his wife into the room.\n\n\u201cCome, wife,\u201d he said, \u201cI will tell you what you so much want to hear.\u201d\n\nThen as he beat her with the stick he cried, \u201cThis is it, wife! This is\nit.\u201d\n\nIn this way he quieted his wife, and she never asked him again what he\nhad been laughing at.\n\n\n\n\nTHE EMPEROR TROJAN\u2019S GOAT\u2019S EARS\n\n\nBy W. S. Karajich\n\nThere once lived an emperor whose name was Trojan. This emperor had\ngoat\u2019s ears, and he used to call in barber after barber to shave him.\nBut whoever went in never came out again; for while the barber was\nshaving him, the emperor would ask what he observed uncommon in him,\nand when the barber would answer that he observed his goat\u2019s ears, the\nEmperor would immediately cut him into pieces.\n\nAt last it came to the turn of a certain barber to go who feigned\nillness, and sent his apprentice instead. When the apprentice appeared\nbefore the emperor he was asked why his master did not come, and he\nanswered, \u201cBecause he is ill.\u201d Then the emperor sat down, and allowed\nthe youth to shave him.\n\nAs he shaved him the apprentice noticed the emperor\u2019s goat\u2019s ears, but\nwhen Trojan asked him what he had observed, he answered, \u201cI have\nobserved nothing.\u201d\n\nThen the emperor gave him twelve ducats, and said to him\u2014\n\n\u201cFrom this time forth you shall always come and shave me.\n\nWhen the apprentice came home, his master asked him how he got on at\nthe emperor\u2019s, and the youth answered\u2014\n\n\u201cAll well; and the emperor has told me that I am to shave him in\nfuture.\u201d\n\nThen he showed the twelve ducats he had received; but as to the\nemperor\u2019s goat\u2019s ears, of that he said nothing.\n\nFrom this time forth the apprentice went regularly to Trojan to shave\nhim, and for each shaving he received twelve ducats; but he told no one\nthat the emperor had goat\u2019s ears.\n\nAt last it began to worry and torment him that he dare tell no one his\nsecret; and he became sick and began to pine away. His master, who\ncould not fail to observe this, asked him what ailed him, and after\nmuch pressing the apprentice confessed that he had something on his\nheart which he dared not confide to anyone, and he added, \u201cIf I could\nonly tell it to somebody, I should feel better at once.\u201d\n\nThen said the master\u2014\n\n\u201cTell it to me, and I will faithfully keep it from everybody else; or\nif you fear to trust me with it, then go to the confessor and confide\nit to him; but if you will not do even that, then go into the fields\noutside the town, there dig a hole, thrust your head into it, and tell\nthe earth three times what you know, then throw the mold in again and\nfill up the hole.\u201d\n\nThe apprentice chose the last course; went into the field outside the\ncity, dug a hole, into which he thrust his head, and called out three\ntimes\u2014\n\n\u201cThe Emperor Trojan has goat\u2019s ears.\u201d\n\nThen he filled up the hole again, and with his mind quite relieved went\nhome.\n\nWhen some time had passed by, there sprang an elder tree out of this\nvery hole, and three slender sterns grew up, beautiful and straight as\ntapers. Some shepherds found this elder, cut off one of the stems, and\nmade a pipe of it. But as soon as they began to blow into the new pipe,\nout burst the words:\n\n\u201cThe Emperor Trojan has goat\u2019s ears!\u201d\n\nThe news of this strange occurrence spread immediately through the\nwhole city, and at last the Emperor Trojan himself heard the children\nblowing on a pipe:\n\n\u201cThe Emperor Trojan has goat\u2019s ears!\u201d\n\nHe sent instantly for the barber\u2019s apprentice, and shouted to him\u2014\n\n\u201cHeh! what is this you have been telling the people about me.\u201d\n\nThe poor youth began at once to explain that he had indeed noticed the\nemperor\u2019s ears, but had never told a soul of it. The emperor tore his\nsaber out of its sheath to hew the apprentice down, at which the youth\nwas so frightened that he told the whole story in its order: how he had\nconfessed himself to the earth; how an elder tree had sprang up on the\nvery spot; and how, when a pipe was made of one of its sterns, the tale\nwas sounded in every direction.\n\nThen the emperor took the apprentice with him in a carriage to the\nplace, to convince himself of the truth of the story; and when they\narrived there they found there was only a single stem left. The Emperor\nTrojan ordered a pipe to be made out of this stem, that he might hear\nhow it sounded. As soon as the pipe was ready, and one of them blew\ninto it, out poured the words:\n\n\u201cThe Emperor Trojan has goat\u2019s ears!\u201d\n\nThen the emperor was convinced that nothing on this earth could be\nhidden, spared the barber apprentices life, and henceforth allowed any\nbarber, without exception, to come and shave him.\n\n\n\n\nTHE MAIDEN WHO WAS WISER THAN THE KING\n\n\nBy W. S. Karajich\n\nThere once lived a poor man in a miserable hovel, who had no one with\nhim save an only daughter. But she was very wise, and went about\neverywhere seeking alms, and taught her father also to speak in a\nbecoming manner when he begged. It happened once that the poor man came\nto the king and asked for a gift. The king demanded whence he came, and\nwho had taught him to speak so well. The man said whence he came, and\nthat it was his daughter who had taught him.\n\n\u201cAnd who taught your daughter?\u201d asked the king.\n\nThe poor man answered: \u201cGod, and our great poverty.\u201d\n\nThen the king gave him thirty eggs, saying\u2014\n\n\u201cTake these eggs to your daughter, and tell her to hatch chickens out\nof them, and I will reward her handsomely; but if she cannot hatch\nthem, it will go ill with you.\u201d\n\nThe poor man went crying back to his hovel, and related to his daughter\nwhat had passed. The maiden saw at once that the eggs had been boiled,\nbut she told her father to go to rest, and assured him that she would\nsee that all went well. The father followed her advice, and went to\nsleep; the maiden took a pot, filled it with water and beans, and set\nit on the fire. On the following morning, the beans being quite boiled,\nshe told her father to take a plow and oxen, and to plow along the road\nwhere the king would pass.\n\n\u201cAnd,\u201d she added, \u201cwhen you see the king, take the beans, sow them, and\ncry, \u2018Hi! go on, oxen mine! Heaven be with me, and make my boiled beans\ntake root and grow!\u2019 And when the king asks you how it is possible for\nboiled beans to grow, answer him, that it is quite as possible as for\nboiled eggs to yield chickens.\u201d\n\nThe poor man hearkened to his daughter, went away, and began to plow.\nWhen he saw the king coming he began to cry\u2014\n\n\u201cHi, go on, oxen mine! God help me, and make my boiled beans take root\nand grow!\u201d\n\nThe king, hearing these words, stopped on the road, and said to the\npoor man\u2014\n\n\u201cHere, fellow! how is it possible for boiled beans to grow?\u201d\n\nAnd the poor man answered him\u2014\n\n\u201cHeaven prosper you, king! just as possible as for boiled eggs to yield\nchickens.\u201d\n\nThe king guessed at once that it was the poor man\u2019s daughter who had\ntaught him this answer. He ordered his servants to seize him and bring\nhim into his presence. Then he gave him a bundle of flax, and said to\nhim\u2014\n\n\u201cTake this flax and make out of it ropes and sails and all that is\nwanted on shipboard; if you do not, you shall lose your head.\u201d\n\nThe poor man took the bundle in great fear, and went crying home to his\ndaughter, to whom he related all that had passed. But the maiden sent\nhim again to rest with the promise that all should go well. On the\nfollowing day she took a small piece of wood, awoke her father, and\nsaid to him\u2014\n\n\u201cTake this wood, and carry it to the king; let him cut a spinning\nwheel, a spindle, and a loom out of it, and I will do all that he\ndemands of me.\u201d\n\nThe poor man again followed the directions of his daughter; he went to\nthe king and delivered the maiden\u2019s message. The king was astonished at\nhearing this, and began to think what he should do next. At last he\ntook up a small cup, and said as he gave it to the father\u2014\n\n\u201cTake this cup to your daughter, and let her empty the sea with it, so\nthat it shall become like a dry field.\u201d\n\nThe poor man obeyed with tears in his eyes, and took the cup to his\ndaughter with the king\u2019s message. But the maiden told him he need only\nleave the matter till the morning, when she would see to it.\n\nIn the morning she called her father, and gave him a pound of tow to\ntake to the king, and bade him say:\n\n\u201cLet the king stop up all the springs and river mouths of the earth\nwith this tow, and then will I dry up the sea for him.\u201d\n\nAnd the poor man went and told this to the king.\n\nNow the king saw that this maiden was wiser that he was himself, and he\nordered her to be brought before him. And when the father and daughter\nstood in his presence and bowed before him, he said to the daughter\u2014\n\n\u201cTell me, girl, what is it that man hears the farthest?\u201d\n\nAnd the maiden answered\u2014 \u201cGreat king! that which man hears the farthest\nis the thunder, and a lie.\u201d\n\nUpon this the king took hold of his beard, and turning to his\ncouncilors, demanded of them:\n\n\u201cTell me what my beard is worth?\u201d\n\nAnd when one valued it at so much, and another at so much more, the\nmaiden told them outright that they could not guess it. \u201cThe king\u2019s\nbeard,\u201d she said, \u201cis of as much worth as three rainy days in summer\ntime.\u201d\n\nThe king was astonished and exclaimed, \u201cThe maiden has made the best\nanswer!\u201d\n\nThen he asked her if she would be his wife, nor would he desist from\npressing his suit, until she agreed to it. The maiden bent before him\nand said\u2014\n\n\u201cGlorious king! let it be as you will; but I beg of you to write on a\npiece of paper with your own hand, that, should you ever be angry with\nme, and should drive me forth from your palace, I shall be at liberty\nto take whatever I love dearest away with me.\u201d\n\nAnd the king agreed and wrote out the paper. After some time had passed\naway, it came, in fact, to pass, that the king became one day so angry\nwith his wife, that he said to her\u2014\n\n\u201cI will have you no longer for my wife; leave my palace, and go where\nyou will.\u201d\n\n\u201cIllustrious king!\u201d answered the queen, \u201cI will obey you. Permit me,\nhowever, to stay here over the night, then in the morning I will go\nforth.\u201d\n\nThe king granted her prayer; and the queen before supper mixed some\nbrandy and some sweet herbs in the king\u2019s wine, and pressed him to\npartake of it, saying\u2014\n\n\u201cDrink, O king, and be merry. To-morrow we part; and believe me, I\nshall then be happier than when I married you.\u201d\n\nThe king drank too much, and when he was fast asleep, the queen had him\nlaid in a wagon ready prepared, and drove with him into a rocky cavern.\nAnd when the king awoke in the cavern, and saw where he was, he cried\nout\u2014\n\n\u201cWho has brought me here?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have brought you here,\u201d answered the queen.\n\nThe king demanded of her:\n\n\u201cWhy have you done this? Have I not told you that you are no longer my\nwife?\u201d\n\nThen said she, as she drew forth a sheet of paper\u2014\n\n\u201cIt is true what you say; but see what you yourself have laid down on\nthis sheet: that when I should leave you, I might take with me, from\nyour palace, that which I loved best.\u201d\n\nWhen the king heard this, he kissed her, and went back with her to the\npalace.\n\n\n\n\nTHE THREE SONS\n\n\nBy Lady Gregory\n\nI\u2019ll tell you a story, says the old man who was bringing fish from the\nsea; and after that I\u2019ll be going on to Ballinrobe, to one that has a\nshop there and that was reared by my grandmother. It is likely he\u2019ll\ngive me a tasty suit of clothes.\n\nWorking all my life I am, working with the flail in the barn, working\nwith the spade at the potato tilling and the potato digging, breaking\nstones on the road. And four years ago the wife died, and it\u2019s lonesome\nto be housekeeping alone.\n\nThere was a King long ago in Ireland, and he had three sons, and one of\nthem was something silly. There came a sickness on the King, and he\ncalled his three sons, and he said to them that he had knowledge the\nonly thing would cure him was the apples from Burnett\u2019s orchard, and he\nbade them to go look for them, for that orchard was in some far-away\nplace, and no one could tell where it was.\n\nThe three sons went then, and they caught their horses, and put on\ntheir bridles, and they set out, and went on till they came to three\ncrossroads. There they stopped, and they settled among themselves that\neach one of them would take one of the roads and go searching for the\napples, and they would meet at the same place at the end of a year and\na day.\n\nThe youngest son, that was a bit silly, took the crossest of the roads,\nand he went on till he came to a cottage by the roadside. He went in,\nand there was a withered old man in the house, and he said: \u201cThere is a\ngreat welcome before the King of Ireland\u2019s son!\u201d The son was astonished\nat that because he thought no one could know him. He was well received\nthere, and in the course of the evening he asked the old man did he\nknow where was Burnett\u2019s garden. \u201cI am a hundred years old,\u201d said the\nman, \u201cand I never heard of such a place. But I have a brother,\u201d he\nsaid, \u201cthat is a hundred years older than I am, and it may be he would\nknow,\u201d he said.\n\nSo in the morning he gave a canoe to the King\u2019s son, and it went on of\nitself without him turning or guiding it, till it brought him to the\nold man\u2019s brother, and he got a welcome there and good treatment, and\nin the course of the night he asked that old man did he know where was\nBurnett\u2019s orchard.\n\n\u201cI do not,\u201d said he: \u201cthough I am two hundred years old I never heard\nof it. But go on,\u201d he said, \u201cto a brother I have that has a hundred\nyears more than myself.\u201d\n\nSo in the morning, he went into the canoe, and it went on of itself\ntill it came to where the third old man was, that was older again than\nthe other two, and the King\u2019s son asked did he know where was Burnett\u2019s\ngarden. \u201cI do not,\u201d he said, \u201calthough I am three hundred years old;\nbut I will tell you how you will know it,\u201d he said. \u201cGo on till you\ncome to shore, where you will see a Swan-Gander standing by the water,\nand he is the one that can tell you and can bring you to it,\u201d he said.\n\u201cAnd ask him to bring you to that garden in the name of the Almighty\nGod.\u201d\n\nSo the King\u2019s son went on in the canoe till he came where the\nSwan-Gander was standing on the shore. \u201cCan you tell me,\u201d says he,\n\u201cwhere can I get the apples that are in Burnett\u2019s orchard? And can you\nbring me there?\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cIndeed,\u201d said the Swan-Gander, \u201cI am in no way obliged to your leader,\nor to whoever it was sent you to me and gave you that teaching. And\nthose apples are well minded,\u201d he said, \u201cby wolves; and the only time\nthey sleep is for three hours once in every seven years. And it chances\nthey are asleep for those three hours at this time; and so I will bring\nyou there,\u201d he said.\n\nWith that he stretched out his wings, and he bade the King\u2019s son to get\non his back. And it was long before he could start flying with the\nweight that was on him; but at last he flew away, and he brought the\nKing\u2019s son to Burnett\u2019s garden, and there was a high wall around it,\nbut he flew over the wall, and put him down in the garden. The King\u2019s\nson filled his bag with the apples, and when he had done that he went\nlooking around, and he came to a large cottage in the garden, and he\nwent in, and there was no one in the house but a beautiful young girl,\nand she was asleep. So he went away; but he brought with him the gold\nrings and the gold garters that he saw there in the window.\n\nHe got up again on the back of the Swan-Gander, but it was hard for it\nto rise with the weight of the bag of apples. But it did rise at last,\nand it brought him to where the old man was that was three hundred\nyears old. The King\u2019s son gave one of the apples to the old man, and no\nsooner did he eat it than his age left him, and he was like a boy of\nfifteen years.\n\nHe went on then to the two other old men, and gave an apple to both of\nthem, and no sooner did they eat it than they were like young boys\nagain.\n\nThen the King\u2019s son went back to the crossroads, for it was the end of\nthe year and a day, and he was the first to come there, and he fell\nasleep. The two brothers came and saw him there, and they stole the bag\nof apples from under his head and put in the place of it a bag of\napples that were no use at all. Then they went on to their father\u2019s\nhouse, and they gave him the apples they had stolen, and he was cured\non the moment; but they told him that what the youngest son was\nbringing to him was poison apples, that would bring him to his death.\n\nThe King was very angry when he heard that, and he went to his butler\nand said, \u201cGo out to the wood where my son is, and shoot him, and bring\nhis heart here with you on the top of a gun and throw it to the dogs at\nthe door; for I will never have him, or anything belonging to him,\nbrought into the house,\u201d he said.\n\nSo the butler got the gun, and went out to the wood; and when he saw\nthe young man he was going to shoot him. \u201cWhy would you do that?\u201d said\nhe. So the butler told him all the father ordered him; and the young\nman said, \u201cDo not shoot me, but save me. And this is what you will do.\nGo into the wood until you meet with a woodcock, and shoot it, and take\nthe heart out of it, for that is most like the heart of a man. Bring\nthe woodcock\u2019s heart to my father\u2019s house,\u201d he said, \u201cand throw it to\nthe dogs at the door.\u201d\n\nSo the butler did that, and spared him, and took the woodcock\u2019s heart\nand threw it to the dogs at the door.\n\nIt was a good while after that, a beautiful young lady came to the\nKing\u2019s doorway in a coach and four, and stopped at the door. \u201cSend out\nmy husband to me here,\u201d she said. So the eldest son came out to her.\n\u201cWas it you came to the garden for the apples?\u201d says she. \u201cIt was,\u201d\nsays he. \u201cWhat things did you take notice of in the cottage where I\nwas?\u201d says she.\n\nSo he began telling of this thing and that thing that never was in it\nat all.\n\nAnd when she heard that she gave him a clout that knocked his head as\nsolid as any stone in the wall.\n\nThen the second son came out, and she asked him the same question, and\nhe told the same lies, and she gave him another clout that left his\nhead as solid as any stone in the wall.\n\nWhen the King heard all that, he knew they had deceived him, and that\nit was the youngest son who got the apples for his cure, and he began\nto cry after him and to lament that he was not living to come back\nagain. \u201cWould you like to know he is living yet?\u201d says the butler. \u201cI\nwould sooner hear it than any word ever I heard,\u201d says the King.\n\n\u201cWell he is living yet, and is in the wood,\u201d says the butler.\n\nWhen the young lady heard that, she bade the butler bring her to where\nhe was, and they went together to the wood, and there they found him,\nwhere he had been living on the fruits of trees through the most of the\nyear. When the young lady saw him, she said: \u201cWas it you came to the\nhouse where I was in the garden?\u201d \u201cIt was,\u201d says he.\n\n\u201cWhat things did you take notice of in it?\u201d\n\n\u201cHere they are,\u201d says he. And he put his hand in his pocket, and\nbrought out the gold rings and the golden garters, and the other signs\nhe had brought away.\n\nSo she knew that he was the right one, and she married him, and they\nlived happy ever after, and there was great rejoicing in the King of\nIreland\u2019s house.\n\n\n\n\nHOK LEE AND THE DWARFS\n\n\nRetold by Andrew Lang\n\nThere once lived in a small town in China a man named Hok Lee. He was a\nsteady, industrious man, who not only worked hard at his trade, but did\nall his own housework as well, for he had no wife to do it for him.\n\u201cWhat an excellent, industrious man is this Hok Lee!\u201d said his\nneighbors. \u201cHow hard he works! He never leaves his house to amuse\nhimself or to take a holiday as others do!\u201d\n\nBut Hok Lee was by no means the virtuous person his neighbors thought\nhim. True, he worked hard enough by day, but at night, when all\nrespectable folk were fast asleep, he used to steal out and join a\ndangerous band of robbers, who broke into rich people\u2019s houses and\ncarried off all they could lay hands on.\n\nThis state of things went on for some time, and though a thief was\ncaught now and then and punished, no suspicion ever fell on Hok Lee, he\nwas such a very respectable, hard-working man.\n\nHok Lee had already amassed a good store of money as his share of the\nproceeds of these robberies, when it happened one morning on going to\nmarket that a neighbor said to him:\n\n\u201cWhy, Hok Lee, what is the matter with your face? One side of it is all\nswelled up.\u201d\n\nTrue enough, Hok Lee\u2019s right cheek was twice the size of his left, and\nit soon began to feel very uncomfortable.\n\n\u201cI will bind up my face,\u201d said Hok Lee. \u201cDoubtless the warmth will cure\nthe swelling.\u201d But no such thing. Next day it was worse, and day by day\nit grew bigger and bigger till it was nearly as large as his head and\nbecame very painful.\n\nHok Lee was at his wits\u2019 end what to do. Not only was his check\nunsightly and painful, but his neighbors began to jeer and make fun of\nhim, which hurt his feelings very much indeed.\n\nOne day, as luck would have it, a traveling doctor came to the town. He\nsold not only all kinds of medicine, but also dealt in many strange\ncharms against witches and evil spirits.\n\nHok Lee determined to consult him and asked him into his house. After\nthe doctor had examined him carefully he spoke thus:\n\n\u201cThis, Hok Lee, is no ordinary swelled face. I strongly suspect you\nhave been doing some wrong deed which has called down the anger of the\nspirits on you. None of my drugs will avail to cure you, but if you are\nwilling to pay me handsomely I can tell you how you may be cured.\u201d\n\nThen Hok Lee and the doctor began to bargain together, and it was a\nlong time before they could come to terms. However, the doctor got the\nbetter of it in the end, for he was determined not to part with his\nsecret under a certain price, and Hok Lee had no mind to carry his huge\ncheek about with him to the end of his days. So he was obliged to part\nwith the greater portion of his ill-gotten gains.\n\nWhen the doctor had pocketed the money he told Hok Lee to go on the\nfirst night of the full moon to a certain wood and there to watch by a\nparticular tree. After a time he would see the dwarfs and little\nsprites who live underground come out to dance. When they saw him they\nwould be sure to make him dance too. \u201cAnd mind you dance your very\nbest,\u201d added the doctor. \u201cIf you dance well and please them they will\ngrant you a petition and you can then beg to be cured; but if you dance\nbadly they will most likely do you some mischief out of spite.\u201d With\nthat he took leave and departed.\n\nHappily the first night of the full moon was near, and at the proper\ntime Hok Lee set out for the wood. With a little trouble he found the\ntree the doctor had described, and feeling nervous he climbed up into\nit.\n\nHe had hardly settled himself on a branch when he saw the little dwarfs\nassembling in the moonlight. They came from all sides, till at length\nthere appeared to be hundreds of them. They seemed in high glee and\ndanced and skipped and capered about, while Hok Lee grew so eager\nwatching them that he crept farther and farther along his branch till\nat length it gave a loud crack. All the dwarfs stood still, and Hok Lee\nfelt as if his heart stood still also.\n\nThen one of the dwarfs called out: \u201cSome one is up in that tree. Come\ndown at once, whoever you are, or we must come and fetch you.\u201d\n\nIn great terror Hok Lee proceeded to come down; but he was so nervous\nthat he tripped near the ground and came rolling down in the most\nabsurd manner. When he had picked himself up he came forward with a low\nbow, and the dwarf who had first spoken and who appeared to be the\nleader said: \u201cNow, then, who art thou and what brings thee here?\u201d\n\nSo Hok Lee told him the sad story of his swelled cheek, and how he had\nbeen advised to come to the forest and beg the dwarfs to cure him.\n\n\u201cIt is well,\u201d replied the dwarf. \u201cWe will see about that. First,\nhowever, thou must dance before us. Should thy dancing please us,\nperhaps we may be able to do something; but shouldst thou dance badly\nwe shall assuredly punish thee, so now take warning and dance away.\u201d\n\nWith that, he and all the other dwarfs sat down in a large ring,\nleaving Hok Lee to dance alone in the middle. He felt half-frightened\nto death, and besides was a good deal shaken by his fall from the tree\nand did not feel at all inclined to dance. But the dwarfs were not to\nbe trifled with.\n\n\u201cBegin!\u201d cried their leader, and \u201cBegin!\u201d shouted the rest in chorus.\n\nSo in despair Hok Lee began. First he hopped on one foot and then on\nthe other, but he was so stiff and so nervous that he made but a poor\nattempt, and after a time sank down on the ground and vowed he could\ndance no more.\n\nThe dwarfs were very angry. They crowded round Hok Lee and abused him.\n\u201cThou to come here to be cured, indeed!\u201d they cried. \u201cThou hast brought\none big cheek with thee, but thou shalt take away two.\u201d And with that\nthey ran off and disappeared, leaving Hok Lee to find his way home as\nbest he might.\n\nHe hobbled away, weary and depressed, and not a little anxious on\naccount of the dwarfs\u2019 threat.\n\nNor were his fears unfounded, for when he rose next morning his left\ncheek was swelled up as big as his right, and he could hardly see out\nof his eyes. Hok Lee felt in despair, and his neighbors jeered at him\nmore than ever. The doctor, too, had disappeared, so there was nothing\nfor it but to try the dwarfs once more.\n\nHe waited a month till the first night of the full moon came round\nagain, and then he trudged back to the forest and sat down under the\ntree from which he had fallen. He had not long to wait. Ere long the\ndwarfs came trooping out till all were assembled.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t feel quite easy,\u201d said one. \u201cI feel as if some horrid human\nbeing were near us.\u201d\n\nWhen Hok Lee heard this he came forward and bent down to the ground\nbefore the dwarfs, who came crowding round and laughed heartily at his\ncomical appearance with his two big cheeks.\n\n\u201cWhat dost thou want?\u201d they asked; and Hok Lee proceeded to tell them\nof his fresh misfortunes and begged so hard to be allowed one more\ntrial at dancing that the dwarfs consented, for there is nothing they\nlove so much as being amused.\n\nNow, Hok Lee knew how much depended on his dancing well, so he plucked\nup a good spirit and began, first quite slowly and faster by degrees,\nand he danced so well and gracefully, and made such new and wonderful\nsteps, that the dwarfs were quite delighted with him.\n\nThey clapped their tiny hands and shouted:\n\n\u201cWell done, Hok Lee, well done. Go on\u2014dance more, for we are pleased.\u201d\n\nAnd Hok Lee danced on and on, till he really could dance no more and\nwas obliged to stop.\n\nThen the leader of the dwarfs said: \u201cWe are well pleased, Hok Lee, and\nas a recompense for thy dancing thy face shall he cured. Farewell.\u201d\n\nWith these words he and the other dwarfs vanished, and Hok Lee, putting\nhis hands to his face, found to his great joy that his cheeks were\nreduced to their natural size. The way home seemed short and easy to\nhim, and he went to bed happy and resolved never to go out robbing\nagain.\n\nNext day the whole town was full of the news of Hok\u2019s sudden cure. His\nneighbors questioned him, but could get nothing from him, except the\nfact that he had discovered a wonderful cure for all kinds of diseases.\n\nAfter a time a rich neighbor, who had been ill for some years, came and\noffered to give Hok Lee a large sum of money if he would tell him how\nhe might get cured. Hok Lee consented on condition that he swore to\nkeep the secret. He did so, and Hok Lee told him of the dwarfs and\ntheir dances.\n\nThe neighbor went off, carefully obeyed Hok Lee\u2019s directions, and was\nduly cured by the dwarfs. Then another and another came to Hok Lee to\nbeg his secret, and from each he extracted a vow of secrecy and a large\nsum of money. This went on for some years, so that at length Hok Lee\nbecame a very wealthy man and ended his days in peace and prosperity.\n\n\n\n\nA DREADFUL BOAR\n\n\nBy Adele M. Fielde\n\nA poor Old Woman, who lived with her one little granddaughter in a\nwood, was out gathering sticks for fuel and found a green stalk of\nsugar-cane which she added to her bundle. She presently met an elf in\nthe form of a Wild Boar, that asked her for the cane. She declined\ngiving it to him, saying that at her age to stoop and to rise again was\nto earn what she picked up, and she was going to take the cane home and\nlet her little granddaughter suck its sap.\n\nThe Boar, angry at her refusal, said that during the coming night he\nwould come and eat her granddaughter instead of the cane, and went off\ninto the wood.\n\nWhen the Old Woman reached her cabin she sat down by the door and\nwailed, for she knew that she had no means of defending herself against\nthe Boar. While she sat crying a vender of needles came along and asked\nher what was the matter. She told him, but all that he could do for her\nwas to give her a box of needles. The Old Woman stuck the needles\nthickly over the lower half of the door, on its outer side, and then\nwent on crying.\n\nJust then a Man came along with a basket of crabs, heard her\nlamentations, and stopped to inquire what was the matter. She told him,\nbut he said he knew no help for her, but he would do the best he could\nfor her by giving her half his crabs. The woman put the crabs in her\nwater jar, behind her door, and again sat down and cried.\n\nA Farmer, who was coming along from the fields, leading his ox, also\nasked the cause of her distress and heard her story. He said he was\nsorry he could not think of any way of preventing the evil she\nexpected, but that he would leave his ox to stay all night with her, as\nit might be a sort of company for her in her loneliness. She led the ox\ninto her cabin, tied it to the head of her bedstead, gave it some\nstraw, and then sat down to cry again.\n\nA courier returning on horseback from a neighboring town was the next\nto pass her door, and he dismounted to inquire what troubled her.\nHaving heard her tale, he said he would leave his horse to stay with\nher, and make the ox more contented. So she tied the horse to the foot\nof the bed, and, thinking how surely evil was coming upon her, she\nburst out crying anew.\n\nA boy just then came along with a snapping turtle that he had caught\nand stopped to ask what had happened to her. On learning the cause of\nher weeping he said it was no use to contend against sprites, but that\nhe would give her his snapping turtle as a proof of his sympathy. She\ntook the turtle, tied it in front of her bedstead, and continued to\ncry.\n\nSome men who were carrying millstones then came along, inquired into\nher trouble, and expressed their compassion by giving her a millstone,\nwhich they rolled into her back yard. While they were doing this a Man\nwent by carrying hoes and a pickaxe, and he stopped and asked her why\nshe was crying so hard. She told him her grief, and he said he would\ngladly help her if he could, but he was only a well digger and could do\nnothing for her except to dig a well. She pointed out a place in the\nbackyard, and he went to work and quickly dug a well.\n\nOn his departure the old woman cried again, until a Paper Seller came\nand inquired what was the matter. When she told him he gave her a large\nsheet of white paper, as a token of pity, and she laid it smoothly over\nthe mouth of the well.\n\nNightfall came. The old woman shut and barred her door, put her\ngranddaughter snugly on the wall side of the bed, and then lay down\nbeside her to await the foe.\n\nAt midnight the Boar came and threw himself against the door to break\nit in. The needles wounded him sorely, so that when he had gained an\nentrance he was heated and thirsty, and went to the water jar to drink.\n\nWhen he thrust in his snout the crabs attacked him, clung to his\nbristles, and pinched his ears, till he rolled over and over to free\nhimself.\n\nThen in a rage he approached the front of the bed; but the snapping\nturtle nipped his tail and made him retreat under the feet of the\nhorse, who kicked him over to the ox, and the ox tossed him back to the\nhorse. Thus beset, he was glad to escape to the back yard to take a\nrest and to consider the situation.\n\nSeeing a clean paper spread on the ground, he went to lie upon it, and\nfell into the well. The Old Woman, hearing the fall, rushed out and\nrolled the millstone down on him and crushed him.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIVE QUEER BROTHERS\n\n\nBy Adele M. Fielde\n\nAn old woman had five grown-up sons that looked just alike. The eldest\ncould gulp up the ocean at a mouthful; the second was hard enough to\nnick steel; the third had extensible legs; the fourth was unaffected by\nfire; the fifth lived without breathing. They all concealed their\npeculiar traits, and their neighbors did not know they were queer.\n\nThe eldest supported the family by fishing, going alone to the sea, and\nbringing back loads of spoil. The neighbors often besought him to teach\ntheir sons how to fish, and he at last let all their boys go with him,\none day, to learn his art. On reaching the shore he sucked the sea into\nhis mouth, and sent the boys to the dry bottom to collect the fish.\nWhen he was tired of holding the water, he beckoned to the boys to\nreturn, but they were playing among strange objects and paid no heed to\nhim. When he could contain the sea no longer, he had to let it flow\nback into its former basin, and all the boys were drowned.\n\nAs he went homeward, he passed the doom of the parents, who inquired\nhow many fish their sons had caught and how long they would be in\ncoming back. He told them the facts, but they would not excuse him.\nThey dragged him before the magistrate to account for the loss of their\nchildren. He defended himself by saying he had not invited the boys to\ngo with him, and had consented to their going only when the parents had\nrepeatedly urged him; that after the boys were on the ocean bed, he had\ndone his utmost to induce them to come ashore; that he had held the\nwater as long as he could, and had then put it in the sea basin solely\nbecause nothing else would contain it.\n\nNotwithstanding this defense the judges decided that since he took the\nboys away and did not bring them back, he was guilty of murder and\nsentenced him to be beheaded.\n\nHe entreated leave to pay, before his execution, one visit to his aged\nmother, and this was granted.\n\nHe went alone and told his brothers of his doom, and the second brother\nreturned in his stead to the judge, thanked him for having given him\npermission to perform a duty required by filial piety, and said he was\nthen ready to die.\n\nHe knelt with bowed head and the headsman brought the knife down across\nthe back of his neck, but the knife was nicked and the neck was left\nunharmed.\n\nA second knife and a third of finer steel were brought and tried by\nheadsmen who were accustomed to sever heads clean off at one stroke.\nHaving spoiled their best blades without so much as scratching his\nneck, they took him back to prison and informed the judge that the\nsentence could not be executed.\n\nThe judge accordingly decreed that he should be dropped into the sea\nwhich covered his victims.\n\nWhen the old woman\u2019s son heard this decision he said that he took leave\nof his mother supposing that his head was to be cut off, and that if he\nwas to be drowned he must go to her and make known his fate and get her\nblessing anew.\n\nPermission being given, he went and told his brothers what had\nhappened. The third brother took the place of the second and presented\nhimself before the judge as the criminal that was to be sunk in the\nsea. He was carried far from shore and thrown overboard, but he\nstretched his legs till his feet touched bottom, and he stood with his\nhead in the air. They hauled him aboard and took him farther from land,\nbut still his extensible legs supported him above the waters. Then they\nsailed to mid-ocean and cast him into its greatest depths, but his legs\nstill lengthened so that he was not drowned. They brought him back to\nthe judge, reported what had been done, and said that some other method\nof destroying him must be followed.\n\nOn hearing this the judge condemned him to death by being boiled in\noil. While the caldron was being heated he begged and obtained\npermission to go and tell his mother of the way he had survived from\nthe attempt to drown him, and of the manner in which he was soon to be\ntaken off.\n\nHis brothers having heard the latest judgment, the fourth one went to\nbear the penalty of the law and was lowered into the kettle of boiling\noil. In this he disported himself as if in a tepid bath, and he even\nasked his executioners to stir up the fire a little to increase the\nwarmth. Finding that he could not be fried, he was remanded to prison.\n\nAt this the populace, the bereaved parents, and the magistrate joined\nin an effort to invent a sure method of putting him to death. Water,\nfire, and sword all having failed, they finally fixed upon smothering\nhim in a vast cream cake.\n\nThe whole country round made contributions of flour for the pastry, of\nsugar for the filling, and of bricks for a huge oven; and it was made\nand baked on a plain outside the city walls.\n\nMeanwhile the prisoner was allowed to go and bid his mother farewell,\nand the fifth brother secretly became his substitute.\n\nWhen the cake was done, a multitude of people with oxen, horses, and\nropes dragged it to the execution ground, and within it the culprit was\ninterred.\n\nAs he was able to exist without air he rested peacefully till the next\nmidnight, and then safely crawled forth, returned to his home, and\ndwelt there happily for many years with his remarkable brothers.\n\n\n\n\nTHE ACCOMPLISHED AND LUCKY TEAKETTLE\n\n\nBy A. B. Mitford\n\nA long time ago, at a temple called Morinji, there was an old\nteakettle. One day, when the priest of the temple was about to hang it\nover the hearth to boil the water for his tea, to his amazement the\nkettle all of a sudden put forth the head and tail of a badger. What a\nwonderful kettle, to come out all over fur!\n\nThe priest, thunderstruck, called in the novices or assistants of the\ntemple to see the sight; and while they were stupidly staring, one\nsuggesting one thing and another another, the kettle, jumping up into\nthe air, began flying about the room. More astonished than ever, the\npriest and his pupils tried to pursue it; but no thief or cat was ever\nhalf so sharp as the wonderful badger kettle. At last, however, they\nmanaged to knock it down and secure it; and, holding it in with their\nunited efforts, they forced it into a box, intending to carry it off\nand throw it away in some distant place, so that they might no more be\nplagued with the goblin.\n\nFor this day their troubles were over, but as luck would have it, the\ntinker who was in the habit of working for the temple called in, and\nthe priest suddenly bethought him that it was a pity to throw the\nkettle away for nothing, and that he might as well get a trifle for it,\nno matter how small. So he brought out the kettle, which had resumed\nits former shape and had got rid of its head and tail, and showed it to\nthe tinker. When the tinker saw the kettle, he offered twenty copper\ncoins for it, and the priest was only too glad to close the bargain and\nbe rid of his troublesome piece of furniture. And the tinker trudged\noff home with his pack and his new purchase.\n\nThat night, as he lay asleep, he heard a strange noise near his pillow;\nso he peeped out from under the bedclothes and there he saw the kettle\nthat he had bought in the temple covered with fur and walking about on\nfour legs. The tinker started up in a fright to see what it could all\nmean, when all of a sudden the kettle resumed its former shape. This\nhappened over and over again, until at last the tinker showed the\nteakettle to a friend of his, who said, \u201cThis is certainly an\naccomplished and lucky teakettle\u2014you should take it about as a show,\nwith songs and accompaniments of musical instruments, and make it dance\nand walk on the tight rope.\u201d\n\nThe tinker, thinking this good advice, made arrangements with a\nshowman, and set up an exhibition. The noise of the kettle\u2019s\nperformances soon spread abroad, until even the princes of the land\nsent to order the tinker to come to them; and he grew rich beyond all\nexpectations. Even the princesses, too, and the great ladies of the\ncourt, took great delight in the dancing kettle, so that no sooner had\nit shown its tricks in one place than it was time for them to keep some\nother engagement.\n\nAt last the tinker grew so rich that he took the kettle back to the\ntemple, where it was laid up as a precious treasure and worshiped as a\nsaint.\n\n\n\n\nTHE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE PEACHLING\n\n\nBy A. B. Mitford\n\nMany hundred years ago there lived an honest old woodcutter and his\nwife. One fine morning the old man went off to the hills with his bill\nhook to gather a faggot of sticks, while his wife went down to the\nriver to wash the dirty clothes. When she came to the river, she saw a\npeach floating down the stream; so she picked it up and carried it\nhomeward with her, thinking to give it to her husband to eat when he\nshould come in. The old man soon came down from the hills, and the good\nwife set the peach before him, when, just as she was inviting him to\neat it, the fruit split in two and a little baby was born into the\nworld. So the old couple took the babe and brought it up as their own;\nand because it had been born in a peach, they called it Momotaro, or\nLittle Peachhing!\n\nBy degrees Little Peachling grew up to be strong and brave, and at last\none day he said to his old foster parents\u2014\n\n\u201cI am going to the ogres\u2019 island, to carry off the riches they have\nstored up there. Pray, then, make me some millet dumplings for my\njourney.\u201d\n\nSo the old folks ground the millet and made the dumplings for him; and\nLittle Peachling, after taking an affectionate leave of them,\ncheerfully set out on his travels.\n\nAs he was journeying on, he fell in with an Ape, who gibbered at him,\nand said,\n\n\u201cKia! kia! kia! where are you off to, Little Peachling?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going to the ogres\u2019 island, to carry off their treasure,\u201d answered\nLittle Peachling.\n\n\u201cWhat are you carrying at your girdle?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m carrying the very best millet dumplings in all Japan.\n\n\u201cIf you\u2019ll give me one, I will go with you,\u201d said the Ape.\n\nSo Little Peachhing gave one of his dumplings to the Ape, who received\nit and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he heard a\nPheasant calling\u2014\n\n\u201cKen! ken! ken! where are you off to, Master Peachling?\u201d\n\nLittle Peachling answered as before; and the Pheasant, having begged\nand obtained a millet dumpling, entered his service and followed him. A\nlittle while after this they met a Dog, who cried\u2014\n\nBow! wow! wow! whither away, Master Peachling?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going off to the ogres\u2019 island, to carry off their treasure.\n\n\u201cIf you will give me one of those nice millet dumplings of yours, I\nwill go with you,\u201d said the Dog.\n\n\u201cWith all my heart,\u201d said Little Peachling. So he went on his way, with\nthe Ape, the Pheasant, and the Dog following after him.\n\nWhen they got to the ogres\u2019 island, the Pheasant flew over the castle\ngate and the Ape clambered over the castle wall, while Little\nPeachling, leading the Dog, forced in the gate and got into the castle.\nThen they did battle with the ogres and put them to flight, and took\ntheir King prisoner. So all the ogres did homage to Little Peachling,\nand brought out the treasures which they had laid up. There were caps\nand coats that made their wearers invisible, jewels which governed the\nebb and the flow of the tide, coral, musk, emeralds, amber, and\ntortoise shells, besides gold and silver. All these were laid before\nLittle Peachling by the conquered ogres.\n\nSo Little Peachling went home laden with riches, and maintained his\nfoster parents in peace and plenty for the remainder of their lives.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TWO LIZARDS\n\n\nBy Annie Ker\n\nIn the old days there lived two lizards, Webubu and Nagari. Webubu was\nplain of speech, and moreover was unable to cry aloud, but Nagari, by\nstretching his long neck, could produce a sweet low sound, somewhat\nafter the manner of a whistle.\n\nNagari longed for companions, so he stretched his neck and cried\n\u201cU-u-u-u-u.\u201d Then many women, hearing the sweet sound, flocked to where\nNagari sat, and listened to his music. This pleased Nagari, and he\ncontinued to sound his long note. \u201cU-u-u-u-u,\u201d he sang, and the women\nsat so still, one might have thought them dead or weeping.\n\nWebubu, on the contrary, had no one to cheer him in his loneliness.\n\u201cWhat can I do,\u201d he said, \u201cto draw women to me as Nagari has done? I\nhave not a sweet voice as he has. What can I do?\u201d\n\nAs he was speaking a thought grew up in his heart, and he began to act.\nHe cut a slim piece of hollow bamboo, and pierced small holes in it.\nThus was the first flute (duraio) born. Webubu then built himself a\nplatform high in a corkwood tree, which we call \u201ctroba\u201d on the beach,\nand seating himself there he began to play his flute.\n\nThe women sat patiently around Nagari, while he sounded his one note,\n\u201cU-u-u!\u201d But on a sudden, upon the still air, broke the sweet voice of\nWebubu\u2019s flute. High and sweet were the notes which Webubu sent forth\nfrom his flute.\n\n\u201cM! m!\u201d said the listening women.\n\n\u201cU-u-u-u,\u201d sang Nagari.\n\n\u201cAh, ss-ss-ss!\u201d cried the women. \u201cDeafen us not with thy \u2018U,\u2019 when we\nwould hear this strange music!\u201d\n\nNagari was much troubled at this saying, and marveled greatly. Then one\nwoman made bold to rise up, and saying, \u201cI shall return,\u201d she went to\nseek the sweet music. Now this woman lied, for she never returned.\nAfter a time, another woman arose and said, \u201cStay here, my friends; I\nshall return.\u201d\n\nThen she went in like manner to look for the music. And she also lied,\nfor she returned not. And so with each woman, until Nagari was left\nsitting alone as he had been at the beginning.\n\nNow Webubu was still playing his flute on the platform he had built in\nthe corkwood tree, when the women came in sight. He was alarmed for the\nsafety of his frail platform, when he saw these many people advancing,\nand he cried, \u201cCome not up into the tree. Remain below, I beseech you,\nO women!\u201d\n\nBut the women were consumed with eagerness to be close to the music\nwhich had taken their hearts, and they climbed, all of them, until they\nwere upon the platform of Webubu.\n\nThen straightway what he had feared came to pass, and Webubu, and his\nflute, and the multitude of women fell crashing through the branches of\nthe corkwood tree to the ground beneath.\n\nAnd from that hour until now, all corkwood trees lean toward the earth,\nas I will show thee, if thou wilt go with me to the beach where they\ngrow.\n\n\n\n\nDE KING AND DE PEAFOWL\n\n\nBy Mary Pamela Milne-Horne\n\nOne day once \u2019pon a time de King hab a party of ladies an\u2019 genelmen.\nAn\u2019 arter de party, de band was ter come an\u2019 play. But de fiddler was\ntook sick, so dey could not dance. So de King said, \u201cI am gwine ter\nsen\u2019 ober ter my frien\u2019s an\u2019 ask dem ter come an\u2019 sing.\u201d So he sen\u2019,\nan\u2019 de genelman say he was very glad an\u2019 his family was Dog, Peafowl,\nand Tiger. So he sen\u2019 Missis Duck fus, an\u2019 dey said, \u201cCan you sing? let\nme har you voice.\u201d\n\nDey put her in a rocking-chair \u2019pon de platform, an\u2019 de Duck say,\n\u201cHahh! hahh!\u201d an\u2019 den he say, \u201cDat will not do. Sen\u2019 for Dog.\u201d An\u2019 dey\ntook her an\u2019 put her in a coop, an\u2019 all de ducks come round an\u2019 ask to\nhave her let out, an\u2019 say, \u201cHahh! hahh! hahh!\u201d\n\nDen dey sen\u2019 for Dog an\u2019 tole him dat if he fin\u2019 a salt beef bone in de\nroad, he mus\u2019 not pick it up, \u2019cos it mek him rough in his troat. So\nDog did not pick it up, but pass it; but arter, when he go, his voice\ndid not suit either. Dey tole Dog to sing, an\u2019 he said, \u201cHow! how!\nhow!\u201d An\u2019 de King say, \u201cDon\u2019t wan\u2019 a man ter ask me how\u2014he will not\ndo.\u201d Dey saw a Fowl coming. \u201cCan you sing?\u201d An\u2019 de Fowl say \u201cKa! ka!\nka!\u201d an\u2019 dey said, \u201cDat will not do,\u201d an\u2019 dribe de Fowl \u2019way. De Cock\ncame in arter, an\u2019 de Cock said, \u201cCoquericou,\u201d an\u2019 dey said, \u201cDe King\ndon\u2019 wan\u2019 ter know when de daylight, sah!\u201d De King came in an\u2019 said,\n\u201cAll dese people cannot sing; dey will not do.\u201d\n\nDey sen\u2019 Tiger, an\u2019 dey said, \u201cYou must not pick up a big salt beef\nbone in de road.\u201d An\u2019 de Tiger did pick it up, an\u2019 Tiger could not\nsing, an\u2019 said, \u201cGrum! grum! grum!\u201d\n\n\u201cDat voice is wuss dan all, dat voice will not do.\u201d\n\nDen dey sen\u2019 off for Peafowl, but Peafowl would not go. Dey went back\nter dinner, all de people went back ter dinner, an\u2019 when dey were at\ndinner in a large house, de Peafowl came in an\u2019 sing\u2014\n\nMi - kale an\u2019 iv\u2019ry, Mi - kale an\u2019 iv\u2019rv. Mi -\n\nkale an\u2019 iv\u2019ry, Mi - kale an\u2019 iv\u2019ry, Why - ou, Why - ou\n\nWhy - ou Why - ou Why-ou Wife gwine ter die.\n\nDen de genelmen jump up an\u2019 say, \u201cHullo! What dat?\u201d De King say, \u201cSing\nagain, my pritty lil\u2019 bird,\u201d an\u2019 den de Peafowl sang, \u201cMikale an\u2019\niv\u2019ry, Mikale an\u2019 iv\u2019ry, Mikale an\u2019 iv\u2019ry, Whyou, Whyou, Whyou, Whyou,\nWhyou wife gwine ter die.\u201d \u201cWhat dat? What dat? What dat?\u201d dey say, an\u2019\nde bird den settin\u2019 on de tree sing, \u201cMikale an\u2019 iv\u2019ry,\u201d etc.\n\nDe King say, \u201cSing again, you pritty lil\u2019 bird. You dress shall be\ntipped with blue, an\u2019 you shall hab a beautiful field of corn as a\npresent.\u201d An\u2019 de bird sang again better, when he har dat, \u201cMikale an\u2019\niv\u2019ry, Mikale an\u2019 iv\u2019ry, Mikale an\u2019 iv\u2019ry, Mikale an\u2019 iv\u2019ry, whyou,\nwhyou, whyou, whyou, whyou wife gwine ter die.\u201d De King jump up an\u2019\ncall de buggy, an\u2019 jump in an\u2019 tek de Peafowl in, an\u2019 all de horses was\nrichly decked, an\u2019 all de company very fine, dey dribe de Peafowl home,\nan\u2019 dat why de Peafowl hav such a beautiful dress.\n\n\n\n\nHANSEL AND GRETHEL\n\n\nBy William and Jacob Grimm\n\nOnce upon a time there dwelt near a large wood a poor woodcutter with\nhis wife and two children by his former marriage, a little boy called\nHansel and a girl named Grethel. He had little enough to break or bite,\nand once, when there was a great famine in the land, he could not\nprocure even his daily bread; and as he lay thinking in his bed one\nevening, rolling about for trouble, he sighed, and said to his wife,\n\u201cWhat will become of us? How can we feed our children when we have no\nmore than we can eat ourselves?\u201d\n\n\u201cKnow, then, my husband,\u201d answered she, \u201cwe will lead them away quite\nearly in the morning into the thickest part of the wood, and there make\nthem a fire, and give them each a little piece of bread; then we will\ngo to our work and leave them alone, so they will not find the way home\nagain and we shall be freed from them.\u201d \u201cNo, wife,\u201d replied he, \u201cthat I\ncan never do; how can you bring your heart to leave my children all\nalone in the wood, for the wild beasts will soon come and tear them to\npieces?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, you simpleton!\u201d said she, \u201cthen we must all four die of hunger;\nyou had better plane the coffins for us.\u201d But she left him no peace\ntill he consented saying, \u201cAh, but I shall regret the poor children.\u201d\n\nThe two children, however, had not gone to sleep for very hunger, and\nso they overheard what the stepmother said to their father. Grethel\nwept bitterly, and said to Hansel, \u201cWhat will become of us?\u201d \u201cBe quiet,\nGrethel,\u201d said he; \u201cdo not cry, I will soon help you.\u201d And as soon as\ntheir parents had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his coat, and,\nunbarring the back door, slipped out. The moon shone brightly, and the\nwhite pebbles which lay before the door seemed like silver pieces, they\nglittered so brightly. Hansel stooped down, and put as many into his\npocket as it would hold, and then going back he said to Grethel, \u201cBe\ncomforted, dear sister, and sleep in peace; God will not forsake us;\u201d\nand so saying he went to bed again.\n\nThe next morning, before the sun arose, the wife went and awoke the two\nchildren. \u201cGet up, you lazy things; we are going into the forest to\nchop wood.\u201d Then she gave them each a piece of bread, saying, \u201cThere is\nsomething for your dinner; do not eat it before the time, for you will\nget nothing else.\u201d Grethel took the bread in her apron, for Hansel\u2019s\npocket was full of pebbles; and so they all set out upon their way.\nWhen they had gone a little distance Hansel stood still, and peeped\nback at the house; and this he repeated several times, till his father\nsaid, \u201cHansel, what are you peeping at, and why do you lag behind? Take\ncare, and remember your legs.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! father,\u201d said Hansel, \u201cI am looking at my white cat sitting upon\nthe roof of the house, and trying to say good-by.\u201d \u201cYou simpleton!\u201d\nsaid the wife, \u201cthat is not a cat; it is only the sun shining on the\nwhite chimney.\u201d But in reality Hansel was not looking at a cat; but\nevery time he stopped he dropped a pebble out of his pocket upon the\npath.\n\nWhen they came to the middle of the wood the father told the children\nto collect wood, and he would make them a fire, so that they should not\nbe cold; so Hansel and Grethel gathered together quite a little\nmountain of twigs. Then they set fire to them, and as the flame burned\nup high the wife said, \u201cNow, you children, lie down near the fire and\nrest yourself, while we go into the forest and chop Wood; when we are\nready, I will come and call you.\u201d\n\nHansel and Grethel sat down by the fire, and when it was noon each ate\nthe piece of bread, and, because they could hear the blows of an ax,\nthey thought their father was near; but it was not an ax, but a branch\nwhich he had bound to a withered tree, so as to be blown to and fro by\nthe wind. They waited so long that at last their eyes closed from\nweariness, and they fell fast asleep. When they awoke it was quite\ndark, and Grethel began to cry; \u201cHow shall we get out of the wood?\u201d But\nHansel tried to comfort her by saying, \u201cWait a little while till the\nmoon rises, and then we will quickly find the way.\u201d The moon soon shone\nforth, and Hansel, taking his sister\u2019s hand, followed the pebbles,\nwhich glittered like new-coined silver pieces, and showed them the\npath. All night long they walked on, and as day broke they came to\ntheir father\u2019s house. They knocked at the door, and when the wife\nopened it, and saw Hansel and Grethel, she exclaimed, \u201cYou wicked\nchildren! why did you sleep so long in the wood? We thought you were\nnever coming home again.\u201d But their father was very glad, for it had\ngrieved his heart to leave them all alone.\n\nNot long afterward there was again great scarcity in every corner of\nthe land; and one night the children overheard their mother saying to\ntheir father, \u201cEverything is again consumed; we have only half a loaf\nleft, and then the song is ended: the children must be sent away. We\nwill take them deeper into the wood, so that they may not find the way\nout again; it is the only means of escape for us.\u201d\n\nBut her husband felt heavy at heart, and thought, \u201cIt were better to\nshare the last crust with the children.\u201d His wife, however, would\nlisten to nothing that he said and scolded and, reproached him without\nend. He who says A must say B too; and he who consents the first time\nmust also the second.\n\nThe children, however, had heard the conversation as they lay awake,\nand as soon as the old people went to sleep Hansel got up intending\u2019 to\npick up some pebbles as before; but the wife had locked the door, so\nthat he could not get out. Nevertheless he comforted Grethel, saying,\n\u201cDo not cry; sleep in quiet; the good God will not forsake us.\u201d\n\nEarly in the morning the stepmother came and pulled them out of bed,\nand gave them each a slice of bread, which was still smaller than the\nformer piece. On the way Hansel broke his in his pocket, and, stopping\nevery now and then, dropped a crumb upon the path. \u201cHansel, why do you\nstop and look about?\u201d said the father. \u201cKeep in the path.\u201d\u2014\u201cI am\nlooking at my little dove,\u201d answered Hansel, \u201cnodding a good-by to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cSimpleton!\u201d said the wife, \u201cthat is no dove, but only the sun shining\non the chimney.\u201d\n\nSo Hansel kept still dropping crumbs as he went along.\n\nThe mother led the children deep into the wood, where they had never\nbeen before, and there making an immense fire, she said to them, \u201cSit\ndown here and rest, and when you feel tired you can sleep for a little\nwhile. We are going into the forest to hew wood, and in the evening,\nwhen we are ready, we will come and fetch you.\u201d\n\nWhen noon came Grethel shared her bread with Hansel, who had strewn his\non the path. Then they went to sleep; but the evening arrived, and no\none came to visit the poor children, and in the dark night they awoke,\nand Hansel comforted his sister by saying, \u201cOnly wait, Grethel, till\nthe moon comes out, then we shall see the crumbs of bread which I have\ndropped, and they will show us the way home.\u201d The moon shone and they\ngot up, but they could not see any crumbs, for the thousands of birds\nwhich had been flying about in the woods and fields had picked them all\nup. Hansel kept saying to Grethel, \u201cWe will soon find the way\u201d; but\nthey did not, and they walked the whole night long and the next day,\nbut still they did not come out of the wood; and they got so hungry,\nfor they had nothing to eat but the berries which they found upon the\nbushes.\n\nSoon they got so tired that they could not drag themselves along, so\nthey laid down under a tree and went to sleep.\n\nIt was now the third morning since they had left their father\u2019s house,\nand they still walked on; but they only got deeper and deeper into the\nwood, and Hansel saw that if help did not come very soon they would die\nof hunger.\n\nAs soon as it was noon they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting\nupon a bough which sang so sweetly that they stood still and listened\nto it. It soon left off, and spreading its wings, flew off; and they\nfollowed it until it arrived at a cottage, upon the roof of which it\nperched; and when they went close up to it they saw that the cottage\nwas made of bread and cakes, and the windowpanes were of clear sugar.\n\n\u201cWe will go in there,\u201d said Hansel, \u201cand have a glorious feast. I will\neat a piece of the roof, and you can eat the window. Will they not be\nsweet?\u201d So Hansel reached up and broke a piece off the roof, in order\nto see how it tasted; while Grethel stepped up to the window and began\nto bite it. Then a sweet voice called out in the room, \u201cTip-tap,\ntip-tap, who raps at my door?\u201d and the children answered, \u201cThe wind,\nthe wind, the child of heaven\u201d; and they went on eating without\ninterruption. Hansel thought the roof tasted very nice, and so he tore\noff a great piece; while Grethel broke a large round pane out of the\nwindow, and sat down quite contentedly. Just then the door opened, and\na very old woman, walking upon crutches, came out. Hansel and Grethel\nwere so frightened that they let fall what they had in their hands; but\nthe old woman, nodding her head, said, \u201cAh, you dear children, what has\nbrought you here? Come in and stop with me, and no harm shall befall\nyou;\u201d and so saying she took them both by the hand, and led them into\nher cottage. A good meal of milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and\nnuts, was spread on the table, and in the back room were two nice\nlittle beds, covered with white, where Hansel and Grethel laid\nthemselves down, and thought themselves in heaven. The old woman had\nbehaved very kindly to them, but in reality she was a wicked witch who\nwaylaid children, and built the bread house in order to entice them in;\nbut as soon as they were in her power she killed them, cooked and ate\nthem, and made a great festival of the day. Witches have red eyes, and\ncannot see very far; but they have a fine sense of smelling, like wild\nbeasts, so that they know when children approach them. When Hansel and\nGrethel came near the witch\u2019s house she laughed wickedly, saying, \u201cHere\ncome two who shall not escape me.\u201d And early in the morning, before\nthey awoke, she went up to them, and saw how lovingly they lay\nsleeping, with their chubby red cheeks; and she mumbled to herself,\n\u201cThat will be a good bite.\u201d Then she took up Hansel with her rough\nhand, and shut him up in a little cage with a lattice door; and\nalthough he screamed loudly, it was of no use. Grethel came next, and,\nshaking her till she awoke, she said, \u201cGet up, you lazy thing, and\nfetch some water to cook something good for your brother, who must\nremain in that stall and get fat; when he is fat enough I shall, eat\nhim.\u201d Grethel began to cry, but it was all useless, for the old witch\nmade her do as she wished. So a nice meal was cooked for Hansel, but\nGrethel got nothing else but a crab\u2019s claw.\n\nEvery morning the old witch came to the cage and said, \u201cHansel, stretch\nyour finger that I may feel whether you are getting fat.\u201d But Hansel\nused to stretch out a bone, and the old woman, having very bad sight,\nthought it was his finger, and wondered very much that it did not get\nfat. When four weeks had passed, and Hansel still kept quite lean, she\nlost all her patience and would not wait any longer. \u201cGrethel.\u201d she\ncalled out in a passion, \u201cget some water quickly; be Hansel fat or\nlean, this morning I will kill and cook him.\u201d Oh, how the poor little\nsister grieved, as she was forced to fetch the water, and how fast the\ntears ran down her cheeks! \u201cDear good God, help us now!\u201d she exclaimed.\n\u201cHad we only been eaten by the wild beasts in the wood then we should\nhave died together.\u201d But the old witch called out, \u201cLeave off that\nnoise; it will not help you a bit.\u201d\n\nSo early in the morning Grethel was forced to go out and fill the\nkettle, and make a fire. \u201cFirst we will bake, however,\u201d said the old\nwoman; \u201cI have already heated the oven and kneaded the dough\u201d; and so\nsaying she pushed poor Grethel up to the oven, out of which the flames\nwere burning fiercely. \u201cCreep in,\u201d said the witch, \u201cand see if it is\nhot enough, and then we will put in the bread\u201d; but she intended when\nGrethel got in to shut up the oven and let her bake, so that she might\neat her as well as Hansel. Grethel perceived what her thoughts were,\nand said, \u201cI do not know how to do it; how shall I get in?\u201d \u201cYou stupid\ngoose,\u201d said she, \u201cthe opening is big enough. See, I could even get in\nmyself!\u201d and she got up and put her head into the oven. Then Grethel\ngave her a push, so that she fell right in, and then shutting the iron\ndoor, she bolted it. Oh! how horribly she howled; but Grethel ran away,\nand left the ungodly witch to burn to ashes.\n\nNow she ran to Hansel, and, opening his door, called out, \u201cHansel, we\nare saved; the old witch is dead!\u201d So he sprang out, like a bird out of\nhis cage when the door is opened; and they were so glad that they fell\nupon each other\u2019s neck, and kissed each other over and over again. And\nnow, as there was nothing to fear, they went into the witch\u2019s house,\nwhere in every corner were caskets full of pearls and precious stones.\n\u201cThese are better than pebbles,\u201d said Hansel, putting as many into his\npocket as it would hold; while Grethel thought, \u201cI will take some home,\ntoo,\u201d and filled her apron full. \u201cWe must be off now,\u201d said Hansel,\n\u201cand get out of this bewitched forest\u201d; but when they had walked for\ntwo hours they came to a large piece of water. \u201cWe cannot get over,\u201d\nsaid Hansel. \u201cI can see no bridge at all.\u201d \u201cAnd there is no boat\neither,\u201d said Grethel; \u201cbut there swims a white duck, I will ask her to\nhelp us over;\u201d and she sang,\n\n\u201cLittle duck, good little duck,\n    Grethel and Hansel, here we stand,\nThere is neither stile nor bridge,\n    Take us on your back to land.\u201d\n\n\nSo the duck came to them, and Hansel sat himself on, and bade his\nsister sit behind him. \u201cNo,\u201d answered Grethel, \u201cthat will be too much\nfor the duck, she shall take us over one at a time.\u201d This the good\nlittle bird did, and when both were happily arrived on the other side,\nand had gone a little way, they came to a well-known wood, which they\nknew the better every step they went, and at last they perceived their\nfather\u2019s house. Then they began to run, and, bursting into the house,\nthey fell on their father\u2019s neck. He had not had one happy hour since\nhe had left the children in the forest; and his wife was dead. Grethel\nshook her apron, and the pearls and precious stones rolled out upon the\nfloor, and Hansel threw down one handful after the other out of his\npocket. Then all their sorrows were ended, and they lived together in\ngreat happiness.\n\nMy tale is done. There runs a mouse; whoever catches her may make a\ngreat, great cap out of her fur.\n\n\n\n\nTHUMBLING\n\n\nBy William and Jacob Grimm\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a poor peasant, who used to sit every\nevening by the hearth, poking the fire, while his wife spun. One night\nhe said, \u201cHow sad it is that we have no children; everything is so\nquiet here, while in other houses it is so noisy and merry.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d sighed his wife, \u201cif we had but only one, and were he no bigger\nthan my thumb, I should still be content, and love him with all my\nheart.\u201d A little while after the wife fell ill; and after seven months\na child was born, who, although he was perfectly formed in all his\nlimbs, was not actually bigger than one\u2019s thumb. So they said to one\nanother that it had happened just as they wished; and they called the\nchild \u201cThumbling.\u201d Every day they gave him all the food he could eat;\nstill he did not grow a bit, but remained exactly the height he was\nwhen first born; he looked about him, however, very knowingly, and\nshowed himself to be a bold and clever fellow, who prospered in\neverything he undertook.\n\nOne morning the peasant was making ready to go into the forest to fell\nwood, and said, \u201cNow I wish I had some one who could follow me with the\ncart.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! father,\u201d exclaimed Thumbling, \u201cI will bring the cart; don\u2019t you\ntrouble yourself; it shall be there at the right time.\u201d\n\nThe father laughed at this speech, and said, \u201cHow shall that be? You\nare much too small to lead the horse by the bridle.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat matters not, father. If mother will harness the horse, I can sit\nin his car, and tell him which way to take.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, we will try for once,\u201d said the father; and so, when the hour\ncame, the mother harnessed the horse, and placed Thumbling in its ear,\nand told him how to guide it. Then he set out quite like a man, and the\ncart went on the right road to the forest; and just as it turned a\ncorner, and Thumbling called out \u201cSteady, steady,\u201d two strange men met\nit; and one said to the other, \u201cMy goodness, what is this? Here comes a\ncart, and the driver keeps calling to the horse; but I can see no one.\u201d\n\u201cThat cannot be all right,\u201d said the other: \u201clet us follow and see\nwhere the cart stops.\u201d\n\nThe cart went on safely deep into the forest, and straight to the place\nwhere the wood was cut. As soon as Thumbling saw his father, he called\nto him, \u201cHere, father; here I am, you see, with the cart; just take me\ndown.\u201d The peasant caught the bridle of the horse with his left hand,\nand with his right took his little son out of its ear; and he sat\nhimself down merrily on a straw. When the two strangers saw the little\nfellow, they knew not what to say for astonishment; and one of them\ntook his companion aside, and said, \u201cThis little fellow might make our\nfortune if we could exhibit him in the towns. Let us buy him.\u201d They\nwent up to the peasant, and asked, \u201cWill you sell your son? We will\ntreat him well.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d replied the man; \u201che is my heart\u2019s delight, and\nnot to be bought for all the money in the world!\u201d But Thumbling, when\nhe heard what was said, climbed up by his father\u2019s skirt, and set\nhimself on his shoulder, and whispered in his ear, \u201cLet me go now, and\nI will soon come back again.\u201d So his father gave him to the two men for\na fine piece of gold; and they asked him where he would sit. \u201cOh,\u201d\nreplied he, \u201cput me on the rim of your hat; and then I can walk round\nand survey the country. I will not fall off.\u201d They did as he wished;\nand when he had taken leave of his father, they set out. Just as it was\ngetting dark he asked to be lifted down; and, after some demur, the man\non whose hat he was, took him off and placed him on the ground. In an\ninstant Thumbling ran off, and crept into a mousehole, where they could\nnot see him. \u201cGood evening, masters,\u201d said he, \u201cyou can go home without\nme\u201d; and with a quiet laugh he crept into his hole still further. The\ntwo men poked their sticks into the hole, but all in vain; for\nThumbling only went down further; and when it had grown quite dark they\nwere obliged to return home full of vexation and with empty pockets.\n\nAs soon as Thumbling perceived that they were off, he crawled out of\nhis hiding place, and said, \u201cHow dangerous it is to walk in this field\nin the dark: one might soon break one\u2019s head or legs;\u201d and so saying he\nlooked around, and by great good luck saw an empty snail shell. \u201cGod be\npraised,\u201d he exclaimed, \u201chere I can sleep securely; and in he went.\nJust as he was about to fall asleep he heard two men coming by, one of\nwhom said to the other, \u201cHow shall we manage to get at the parson\u2019s\ngold and silver?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat I can tell you,\u201d interrupted Thumbling.\n\n\u201cWhat was that?\u201d exclaimed the thief, frightened. \u201cI heard some one\nspeak.\u201d They stood still and listened; and then Thumbling said, \u201cTake\nme with you, and I will help you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d asked the thieves.\n\n\u201cSearch on the ground, and mark where my voice comes from,\u201d replied he.\nThe thief looked about, and at last found him; and lifted him up in the\nair.\n\n\u201cWhat, will you help us, you little wight?\u201d said they.\n\n\u201cDo you not see I can creep between the iron bars into the chamber of\nthe parson, and reach out to you whatever you require?\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well; we will see what you can do,\u201d said the thief.\n\nWhen they came to the house, Thumbling crept into the chamber, and\ncried out with all his might, \u201cWill you have all that is here?\u201d The\nthieves were terrified, and said, \u201cSpeak gently, or some one will\nawake.\u201d\n\nBut Thumbling feigned not to understand, and exclaimed, louder still,\n\u201cWill you have all that is here?\u201d\n\nThis awoke the cook, who slept in the room, and sitting up in her bed\nshe listened. The thieves, however, had run back a little way, quite\nfrightened; but taking courage again, and thinking the little fellow\nwished to tease them, they came and whispered to him to make haste and\nhand them out something. At this, Thumbling cried out still more\nloudly, \u201cI will give you it all, only put your hands in.\u201d The listening\nmaid heard this clearly, and springing out of bed, hurried out at the\ndoor. The thieves ran off as if they were pursued by the wild huntsman,\nbut the maid, as she could see nothing, went to strike a light. When\nshe returned, Thumbling escaped without being seen into the barn, and\nthe maid, after she had looked round and searched in every corner,\nwithout finding anything, went to bed again, believing she had been\ndreaming with her eyes open. Meanwhile Thumbling had crept in amongst\nthe hay, and found a beautiful place to sleep, where he intended to\nrest till daybreak, and then to go home to his parents.\n\nOther things however, was he to experience, for there is much\ntribulation and trouble going on in this world.\n\nThe maid got up at dawn of day to feed the cow. Her first walk was to\nthe barn, where she took an armful of hay, and just the bundle where\npoor Thumbling lay asleep. He slept so soundly, however, that he was\nnot conscious, and only awoke when he was in the cow\u2019s mouth. \u201cAh,\ngoodness!\u201d exclaimed he, \u201chowever came I into this mill?\u201d but soon he\nsaw where he really was. Then he took care not to come between the\nteeth, but presently slipped quite down the cow\u2019s throat. \u201cThere are no\nwindows in this room,\u201d said he to himself, \u201cand no sunshine, and I\nbrought no light with me.\u201d Overhead his quarters seemed still worse,\nand more than all, he felt his room growing narrower, as the cow\nswallowed more hay. So he began to call out in terror as loudly as he\ncould, \u201cBring me no more food. I do not want any more food!\u201d Just then\nthe maid was milking the cow, and when she heard the voice without\nseeing anything, and knew it was the same she had listened to in the\nnight, she was so frightened that she slipped off her stool and\noverturned the milk. In great haste she ran to her master, saying, \u201cOh,\nMr. Parson, the cow has been speaking.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are crazy,\u201d he replied; but still he went himself into The stable\nto see what was the matter, and scarcely had he stepped in when\nThumbling began to shout out again, \u201cBring me no more food, bring me no\nmore food.\u201d This terrified the parson himself, and he thought an evil\nspirit had entered into his cow, and so ordered her to be killed. As\nsoon as that was done, and they were dividing the carcass, a fresh\naccident befell Thumbling, for a wolf, who was passing at the time,\nmade a snatch at the cow, and tore away the part where he was stuck\nfast. However, he did not lose courage, but as soon as the wolf had\nswallowed him, he called out from inside, \u201cOh, Mr. Wolf, I know of a\ncapital meal for you.\u201d \u201cWhere is it to be found?\u201d asked the wolf\n\n\u201cIn the house by the meadow; you must creep through the gutter, and\nthere you will find cakes, and bacon, and sausages, as many as you can\neat,\u201d replied Thumbling, describing exactly his father\u2019s house.\n\nThe wolf did not wait to be told twice, but in the night crept in, and\nate away in the larder, to his heart\u2019s content. When he had finished,\nhe tried to escape by the way he entered, but the hole was not large\nenough. Thereupon Thumbling, who had reckoned on this, began to make a\ntremendous noise inside the poor wolf, screaming and shouting as loud\nas he could. \u201cWill you be quiet?\u201d said the wolf; \u201cyou will awake the\npeople.\u201d \u201cEh, what!\u201d cried the little man, \u201csince you have satisfied\nyourself, it is my turn now to make merry;\u201d and he set up a louder\nhowling than before. At last his father and mother awoke, and came to\nthe room and looked through the chinks of the door; and as soon as they\nperceived the ravages the wolf had committed, they ran and brought the\nman his ax and the woman the scythe. \u201cStop you behind,\u201d said the man,\nas they entered the room; \u201cif my blow does not kill him, you must give\nhim a cut with your weapon, and chop off his head if you can.\u201d\n\nWhen Thumbling heard his father\u2019s voice, he called out, \u201cFather dear, I\nam here, in the wolf\u2019s body!\u201d \u201cHeaven be praised,\u201d said the man, full\nof joy, \u201cour dear child is found again;\u201d and he bade his wife take away\nthe scythe, lest it should do any harm to his son. Then he raised his\nax, and gave the wolf such a blow on its head that it fell dead, and,\ntaking a knife, he cut it open and released the little fellow, his son.\n\u201cAh,\u201d said his father, \u201cwhat trouble we have had about you.\u201d \u201cYes,\nfather,\u201d replied Thumbling, \u201cI have been traveling a great deal about\nthe world. Heaven be praised! I breathe fresh air again.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere have you been, my son?\u201d he inquired.\n\n\u201cOnce I was in a mouse\u2019s hole, once inside a cow, and lastly inside\nthat wolf; and now I will stop here with you,\u201d said Thumbling.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the old people, \u201cwe will not sell you again for all the\nriches of the world;\u201d and they embraced and kissed him with great\naffection. Then they gave him plenty to eat and drink, and had new\nclothes made for him, for his old ones were worn out with traveling.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SIX SWANS\n\n\nBy William and Jacob Grimm\n\nA king was once hunting in a large wood, and pursued his game so hotly,\nthat none of his courtiers could follow him. But when evening\napproached he stopped, and looking around him perceived that he had\nlost himself. He sought a path out of the forest, but could not find\none, and presently he saw an old woman with a nodding head, who came up\nto him. \u201cMy good woman,\u201d said he to her, \u201ccan you not show me the way\nout of the forest?\u201d \u201cOh, yes, my lord King,\u201d she replied, \u201cI can do\nthat very well, but upon one condition, which if you do not fulfill you\nwill never again get out of the wood, but will die of hunger.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat, then, is this condition?\u201d asked the King.\n\n\u201cI have a daughter,\u201d said the old woman, \u201cwho is as beautiful as anyone\nyou can find in the whole world, and well deserves to be your bride.\nNow, if you will make her your Queen, I will show you your way out of\nthe wood.\u201d In the anxiety of his heart the King consented, and the old\nwoman led him to her cottage, where the daughter was sitting by a fire.\nShe received the King as if she had expected him, and he saw at once\nthat she was very beautiful, but yet she did not quite please him, for\nhe could not look at her without a secret shuddering. However, after\nall, he took the maiden up on his horse, and the old woman showed him\nthe way, and the King arrived safely at his palace, where the wedding\nwas to be celebrated.\n\nThe King had been married once before, and had seven children by his\nfirst wife, six boys and a girl, whom he loved above everything else in\nthe world. He became afraid, soon, that the stepmother might not treat\nthem very well, and might even do them some great injury, so he took\nthem away to a lonely castle which stood in the midst of a forest. This\ncastle was so hidden, and the way to it so difficult to discover, that\nhe himself could not have found it if a wise woman had not given him a\nball of cotton which had the wonderful property, when he threw it\nbefore him, of unrolling itself and showing him the right path. The\nKing went, however, so often to see his dear children, that the Queen\nnoticed his absence, became inquisitive, and wished to know what he\nwent to fetch out of the forest. So she gave his servants a great\nquantity of money, and they disclosed to her the secret, and also told\nher of the ball of cotton which alone could show the way. She had now\nno peace until she discovered where this ball was concealed, and then\nshe made some fine silken shirts, and, as she had learned of her\nmother, she sewed within each one a charm. One day soon after, when the\nKing was gone out hunting, she took the little shirts and went into the\nforest, and the cotton showed her the path. The children, seeing some\none coming in the distance, thought it was their dear father, and ran\nout toward her full of joy. Then she threw over each of them a shirt,\nwhich as it touched their bodies changed them into Swans, which flew\naway over the forest. The Queen then went home quite contented, and\nthought she was free of her stepchildren; but the little girl had not\nmet her with the brothers, and the Queen did not know of her.\n\nThe following day the King went to visit his children, but he found\nonly the maiden. \u201cWhere are your brothers?\u201d asked he. \u201cAh, dear\nfather,\u201d she replied, \u201cthey are gone away and have left me alone;\u201d and\nshe told him how she had looked out of the window and seen them changed\ninto Swans, which had flown over the forest; and then she showed him\nthe feathers which they had dropped in the courtyard, and which she had\ncollected together. The King was much grieved, but he did not think\nthat his wife could have done this wicked deed, and, as he feared the\ngirl might also be stolen away, he took her with him. She was, however,\nso much afraid of the stepmother, that she begged him not to stop more\nthan one night in the castle.\n\nThe poor maiden thought to herself: \u201cThis is no longer my place, I will\ngo and seek my brothers;\u201d and when night came she escaped and went\nquite deep into the wood. She walked all night long and great part of\nthe next day, until she could go no further from weariness. Just then\nshe saw a rude hut, and walking in she found a room with six little\nbeds, but she dared not get into one, but crept under, and, laying\nherself upon the hard earth, prepared to pass the night there. Just as\nthe sun was setting, she heard a rustling, and saw six white Swans come\nflying in at the window. They settled on the ground and began blowing\none another until they had blown all their feathers off, and their\nswan\u2019s down stripped off like a shirt. Then the maiden knew them at\nonce for her brothers, and gladly crept out from under the bed, and the\nbrothers were not less glad to see their sister, but their joy was of\nshort duration. \u201cHere you must not stay,\u201d said they to her; \u201cthis is a\nrobber\u2019s hiding-place; if they should return and find you here, they\nwill murder you.\u201d \u201cCan you not protect me, then?\u201d inquired the sister.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d they replied, \u201cfor we can only lay aside our swan\u2019s feathers for\na quarter of an hour each evening, and for that time we retain our\nhuman form, but afterward we resume our usual appearance.\u201d\n\nTheir sister then asked them with tears, \u201cCan you not be restored\nagain?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, no,\u201d replied they, \u201cthe conditions are too difficult. For six long\nyears you must neither speak nor laugh, and during that time you must\nsew together for us six little shirts of star flowers, and should there\nfall a single word from your lips, then all your labor will be vain.\u201d\nJust as the brother finished speaking, the quarter of an hour elapsed,\nand they all flew out of the window again like Swans.\n\nThe little sister, however, made a solemn resolution to rescue her\nbrothers or die in the attempt; and she left the cottage, and,\npenetrating deep into the forest, passed the night amid the branches of\na tree. The next morning she went out and collected the star flowers to\nsew together. She had no one to converse with, and as for laughing she\nhad no spirits, so there up in the tree she sat, intent only upon her\nwork. After she had passed some time there, it happened that the King\nof that country was hunting in the forest, and his huntsmen came\nbeneath the tree on which the maiden sat. They called to her and asked,\n\u201cWho art thou?\u201d But she gave no answer. \u201cCome down to us,\u201d continued\nthey, \u201cwe will do thee no harm.\u201d She simply shook her head, and, when\nthey pressed her further with questions, she threw down to them her\ngold necklace, hoping therewith to satisfy them. They did not, however,\nleave her, and she threw down her girdle, but in vain; and even her\nrich dress did not make them desist. At last the hunter himself climbed\nthe tree and brought down the maiden and took her before the King. The\nKing asked her, \u201cWho art thou? What dost thou upon that tree? But she\ndid not answer, and then he asked her, in all the languages that he\nknew, but she remained dumb to all, as a fish. Since, however, she was\nso beautiful, the King\u2019s heart was touched, and he conceived for her a\nstrong affection. Then he put around her his cloak, and, placing her\nbefore him on his horse, took her to his castle. There he ordered rich\nclothing to be made for her, and, although her beauty shone as the\nsun-beams, not a word escaped her. The King placed her by his side at\ntable, and there her dignified mien and manners so won upon him, that\nhe said, \u201cThis maiden will I to marry, and no other in the world,\u201d and\nafter some days he was united to her.\n\nNow, the King had a wicked stepmother who was discontented with his\nmarriage, and spoke evil of the young Queen. \u201cWho knows whence the\nwench comes?\u201d said she. \u201cShe who cannot speak is not worthy of a King.\u201d\nA year after, when the Queen brought her first-born son into the world,\nthe old woman took him away. Then she went to the King and complained\nthat the Queen was a murderess. The King, however, would not believe\nit, and suffered no one to do any injury to his wife, who sat\ncomposedly sewing at her shirts and paying attention to nothing else.\nWhen a second child was born, the false stepmother used the same\ndeceit, but the King again would not listen to her words, but said,\n\u201cShe is too pious and good to act so: could she but speak and defend\nherself, her innocence would come to light.\u201d But when again the third\ntime the old woman stole away the child, and then accused the Queen,\nwho answered her not a word to the accusation, the King was obliged to\ngive her up to be tried, and she was condemned to suffer death by fire.\n\nWhen the time had elapsed, and the sentence was to be carried out,\nduring which she had neither spoken nor laughed, it was the very day\nwhen her dear brothers should be made free; the six shirts were also\nready, all but the last, which yet wanted the left sleeve. As she was\nled to the scaffold she placed the shirts upon her arm, and just as she\nhad mounted it, and the fire was about to be kindled, she looked round,\nand saw six Swans come flying through the air. Her heart leaped for joy\nas she perceived her deliverers approaching, and soon the Swans, flying\ntoward her, alighted so near that she was enabled to throw over them\nthe shirts, and as soon as she had so done their feathers fell off and\nthe brothers stood up alive and well; but the youngest wanted his left\narm, instead of which he had a swan\u2019s wing. They embraced and kissed\neach other, and the Queen going to the King, who was thunderstruck,\nbegan to say, \u201cNow may I speak, my dear husband, and prove to you that\nI am innocent and falsely accused;\u201d and then she told him how the\nwicked old woman had stolen away and hidden her three children. When\nshe had concluded, the King was overcome with joy, and the wicked\nstepmother was led to the scaffold and bound to the stake and burned to\nashes.\n\nThe King and the Queen forever after lived in peace and prosperity with\ntheir six brothers.\n\n\n\n\nSNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED\n\n\nBy William and Jacob Grimm\n\nThere was once a poor Widow who lived alone in her hut with her two\nchildren, who were called Snow-White and Rose-Red, because they were\nlike the flowers which bloomed on two rosebushes which grew before the\ncottage. But they were two as pious, good, industrious, and amiable\nchildren as any that were in the world, only Snow-White was more quiet\nand gentle than Rose-Red. For Rose-Red would run and jump about the\nmeadows, seeking flowers and catching butterflies, while Snow-White sat\nat home helping her Mother to keep house, or reading to her if there\nwere nothing else to do. The two children loved one another dearly, and\nalways walked hand in hand when they went out together; and ever when\nthey talked of it they agreed that they would never separate from each\nother, and that whatever one had the other should share. Often they ran\ndeep into the forest and gathered wild berries; but no beast ever\nharmed them. For the hare would eat cauliflowers out of their hands,\nthe fawn would graze at their side, the goats would frisk about them in\nplay, and the birds remained perched on the boughs singing as if nobody\nwere near. No accident ever befell them; and if they stayed late in the\nforest, and night came upon them, they used to lie down on the moss and\nsleep till morning; and because their Mother knew they would do so, she\nfelt no concern about them. One time when they had thus passed the\nnight in the forest, and the dawn of morning awoke them, they saw a\nbeautiful Child dressed in shining white sitting near their couch. She\ngot up and looked at them kindly, but without saying anything went into\nthe forest; and when the children looked round they saw that where they\nhad slept was close to the edge of a pit, into which they would have\ncertainly fallen had they walked a couple of steps further in the dark.\nTheir Mother told them the figure they had seen was doubtless the good\nangel who watches over children.\n\nSnow-White and Rose-Red kept their Mother\u2019s cottage so clean that it\nwas a pleasure to enter it. Every morning in the summer time Rose-Red\nwould first put the house in order, and then gather a nosegay for her\nMother, in which she always placed a bud from each rose tree. Every\nwinter\u2019s morning Snow-White would light the fire and put the kettle on\nto boil, and although the kettle was made of copper it yet shone like\ngold, because it was scoured so well. In the evenings, when the flakes\nof snow were falling, the Mother would say: \u201cGo, Snow-White, and bolt\nthe door;\u201d and then they used to sit down on the hearth, and the Mother\nwould put on her spectacles and read out of a great book while her\nchildren sat spinning. By their side, too, laid a little lamb, and on a\nperch behind them a little white dove reposed with her head under her\nwing.\n\nOne evening, when they were thus sitting comfortably together, there\ncame a knock at the door as if somebody wished to come in. \u201cMake haste,\nRose-Red,\u201d cried her Mother; \u201cmake haste and open the door; perhaps\nthere is some traveler outside who needs shelter.\u201d So Rose-Red went and\ndrew the bolt and opened the door, expecting to see some poor man\noutside, but instead, a great fat Bear poked his black head in.\nRose-Red shrieked out and ran back, the little lamb bleated, the dove\nfluttered on her perch, and Snow-White hid herself behind her Mother\u2019s\nbed. The Bear, however, began to speak, and said: \u201cBe not afraid, I\nwill do you no harm; but I am half frozen, and wish to come in and warm\nmyself.\u201d\n\n\u201cPoor Bear!\u201d cried the Mother; \u201ccome in and lie down before the fire;\nbut take care you do not burn your skin;\u201d and then she continued: \u201cCome\nhere, Rose-Red and Snow-White, the Bear will not harm you, he means\nhonorably.\u201d So they both came back, and by degrees the lamb too and the\ndove overcame their fears and welcomed the rough visitor.\n\n\u201cYou children!\u201d said the Bear, before he entered, \u201ccome and knock the\nsnow off my coat.\u201d And they fetched their brooms and swept him clean.\nThen he stretched himself before the fire and grumbled out his\nsatisfaction; and in a little while the children became familiar enough\nto play tricks with the unwieldy animal. They pulled his long, shaggy\nskin, set their feet upon his back and rolled him to and fro, and even\nventured to beat him with a hazel stick, laughing when he grumbled. The\nBear bore all their tricks good temperedly, and if they hit him too\nhard he cried out:\n\n\u201cLeave me my life, you children,\nSnow-White and Rose-Red,\nOr you\u2019ll never wed.\u201d\n\n\nWhen bedtime came and the others were gone, the Mother said to the\nBear: \u201cYou may sleep here on the hearth if you like, and then you will\nbe safely protected from the cold and bad weather.\u201d\n\nAs soon as day broke the two children let the Bear out again, and he\ntrotted away over the snow, and ever afterward he came every evening at\na certain hour. He would lie down on the hearth and allow the children\nto play with him as much as they liked, till by degrees they became so\naccustomed to him that the door was left unbolted till their black\nfriend arrived.\n\nBut as soon as spring returned, and everything out of doors was green\nagain, the Bear one morning told Snow-White that he must leave her, and\ncould not return during the whole summer. \u201cWhere are you going, then,\ndear Bear?\u201d asked Snow-White, \u201cI am obliged to go into the forest and\nguard my treasures from the evil Dwarfs; for in winter, when the ground\nis hard, they are obliged to keep in their holes, and cannot work\nthrough; but now, since the sun has thawed the earth and warmed it, the\nDwarf\u2019s pierce through, and steal all they can find; and what has once\npassed into their hands, and gets concealed by them in their caves, is\nnot easily brought to light.\u201d Snow-White, however, was very sad at the\ndeparture of the Bear, and opened the door so hesitatingly that when he\npressed through it he left behind on the sneck a piece of his hairy\ncoat; and through the hole which was made in his coat Snow-White\nfancied she saw the glittering of gold; but she was not quite certain\nof it. The Bear, however, ran hastily away, and was soon hidden behind\nthe trees.\n\nSome time afterward the Mother sent the children into the wood to\ngather sticks; and while doing so, they came to a tree which was lying\nacross the path, on the trunk of which something kept bobbing up and\ndown from the grass, and they could not imagine what it was. When they\ncame nearer they saw a Dwarf, with an old wrinkled face and a\nsnow-white beard a yard long. The end of this beard was fixed in a\nsplit of the tree, and the little man kept jumping about like a dog\ntied by a chain, for he did not know how to free himself. He glared at\nthe Maidens with his red fiery eyes, and exclaimed, \u201cWhy do you stand\nthere? are you going to pass without offering me any assistance?\u201d \u201cWhat\nhave you done, little man?\u201d asked Rose-Red. \u201cYou stupid, gaping goose!\u201d\nexclaimed he. \u201cI wanted to have split the tree, in order to get a\nlittle wood for my kitchen, for the little wood which we use is soon\nburned up with great fagots, not like what you rough, greedy people\ndevour! I had driven the wedge in properly, and everything was going on\nwell, when the smooth wood flew upward, and the tree closed so suddenly\ntogether that I could not draw my beautiful beard out, and here it\nsticks and I cannot get away. There, don\u2019t laugh, you milk-faced\nthings! are you dumfounded?\u201d\n\nThe children took all the pains they could to pull the Dwarf\u2019s beard\nout; but without success. \u201cI will run and fetch some help,\u201d cried\nRose-Red at length.\n\n\u201cCrack-brained sheep\u2019s head that you are!\u201d snarled the Dwarf; \u201cwhat are\nyou going to call other people for? You are two too many now for me;\ncan you think of nothing else?\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t be impatient,\u201d replied Snow-White; \u201cI have thought of\nsomething;\u201d and pulling her scissors out of her pocket she cut off the\nend of the beard. As soon as the Dwarf found himself at liberty, he\nsnatched up his sack, which lay between the roots of the tree, filled\nwith gold, and throwing it over his shoulder marched off, grumbling and\ngroaning and crying: \u201cStupid people! to cut off a piece of my beautiful\nbeard. Plague take you!\u201d and away he went without once looking at the\nchildren.\n\nSome time afterward Snow-White and Rose-Red went a-fishing, and as they\nneared the pond they saw something like a great locust hopping about on\nthe bank, as if going to jump into the water. They ran up and\nrecognized the Dwarf. \u201cWhat are you after?\u201d asked Rose-Red; \u201cyou will\nfall into the water.\u201d \u201cI am not quite such a simpleton as that,\u201d\nreplied the Dwarf: \u201cbut do you not see this fish will pull me in?\u201d The\nlittle man had been sitting there angling, and unfortunately the wind\nhad entangled his beard with the fishing line; and so, when a great\nfish bit at the bait, the strength of the weak little fellow was not\nable to draw it out, and the fish had the best of the struggle. The\nDwarf held on by the reeds and rushes which grew near; but to no\npurpose, for the fish pulled him where it liked, and he must soon have\nbeen drawn into the pond. Luckily just then the two Maidens arrived,\nand tried to release the beard of the Dwarf from the fishing line; but\nboth were too closely entangled for it to be done. So the Maiden pulled\nout her scissors again and cut off another piece of the beard. When the\nDwarf saw this done he was in a great rage, and exclaimed: \u201cYou donkey!\nthat is the way to disfigure my face. Was it not enough to cut it once,\nbut you must now take away the best part of my fine beard? I dare not\nshow myself again now to my own people. I wish you had run the soles\noff your boots before you had come here!\u201d So saying, he took up a bag\nof pearls which lay among the rushes, and without speaking another\nword, slipped off and disappeared behind a stone.\n\nNot many days after this adventure, it chanced that the Mother sent the\ntwo Maidens to the next town to buy thread, needles and pins, laces and\nribbons. Their road passed over a common, on which here and there great\npieces of rock were lying about. Just over their heads they saw a great\nbird flying round and round, and every now and then, dropping lower and\nlower, till at last it flew down behind a rock. Immediately afterward\nthey heard a piercing shriek, and running up they saw with affright\nthat the eagle had caught their old acquaintance. the Dwarf, and was\ntrying to carry him off. The compassionate children thereupon laid hold\nof the little man, and held him fast till the bird gave up the struggle\nand flew off. As soon then as the Dwarf had recovered from his fright,\nhe exclaimed in his squeaking voice: \u201cCould you not hold me more\ngently? You have seized my fine brown coat in such a manner that it is\nall torn and full of holes, meddling and interfering rubbish that you\nare!\u201d With these words he shouldered a bag filled with precious stones,\nand slipped away to his cave among the rocks.\n\nThe maidens were now accustomed to his ingratitude, and so they walked\non to the town and transacted their business there. Coming home, they\nreturned over the same common, and unawares walked up to a certain\nclean spot on which the Dwarf had shaken out his bag of precious\nstones, thinking nobody was near. The sun was shining, and the bright\nstones glittered in its beams and displayed such a variety of colors\nthat the two Maidens stopped to admire them.\n\n\u201cWhat are you standing there gaping for?\u201d asked the Dwarf, while his\nface grew as red as copper with rage; he was continuing to abuse the\npoor Maidens, when a loud roaring noise was heard, and presently a\ngreat black Bear came rolling out of the forest. The Dwarf jumped up\nterrified, but he could not gain his retreat before the Bear overtook\nhim. Thereupon, he cried out: \u201cSpare me, my dear Lord Bear! I will give\nyou all my treasures. See these beautiful precious stones which lie\nhere; only give me my life; for what have you to fear from a little\nweak fellow like me? you could not touch me with your big teeth. There\nare two wicked girls, take them; they would make nice morsels, as fat\nas young quails; eat them for heaven\u2019s sake.\u201d\n\nThe Bear, however, without troubling himself to speak, gave the\nbad-hearted Dwarf a single blow with his paw, and he never stirred\nafter.\n\nThe Maidens were then going to run away, but the Bear called after\nthem: \u201cSnow-White and Rose-Red, fear not! wait a bit and I will\naccompany you.\u201d They recognized his voice and stopped; and when the\nBear came, his rough coat suddenly fell off, and he stood up a tall\nman, dressed entirely in gold. \u201cI am a king\u2019s son,\u201d he said, \u201cand was\ncondemned by the wicked Dwarf, who stole all my treasures, to wander\nabout in this forest, in the form of a bear, till his death released\nme. Now he has received his well-deserved punishment.\u201d\n\nThen they went home, and Snow-White was married to the prince, and\nRose-Red to his brother, with whom they shared the immense treasure\nwhich the Dwarf had collected. The old Mother also lived for many years\nhappily with her two children, and the rose trees which had stood\nbefore the cottage were planted now before the palace, and produced\nevery year beautiful red and white roses.\n\n\n\n\nTHE UGLY DUCKLING\n\n\nBy Hans Christian Andersen\n\nIt was so glorious out in the country; it was summer; the cornfields\nwere yellow, the oats were green, the hay had been put up in stacks in\nthe green meadows, and the stork went about on his long red legs, and\nchattered Egyptian, for this was the language he had learned from his\ngood mother. All around the fields and meadows were great forests, and\nin the midst of these forests lay deep lakes. Yes, it was right\nglorious out in the country. In the midst of the sunshine there lay an\nold farm, with deep canals about it, and from the wall down to the\nwater grew great burdocks, so high that little children could stand\nupright under the loftiest of them. It was just as wild there as in the\ndeepest wood, and here sat a Duck upon her nest; she had to hatch her\nducklings; but she was almost tired out before the little ones came;\nand then she so seldom had visitors. The other ducks liked better to\nswim about in the canals than to run up to sit down under a burdock,\nand cackle with her.\n\nAt last one egg-shell after another burst open. \u201cPiep! piep!\u201d it cried,\nand in all the eggs there were little creatures that stuck out their\nheads.\n\n\u201cQuack! quack!\u201d they said; and they all came quacking out as fast as\nthey could, looking all round them under the green leaves; and the\nmother let them look as much as they chose, for green is good for the\neye.\n\n\u201cHow wide the world is!\u201d said all the young ones, for they certainly\nhad much more room now than when they were in the eggs.\n\n\u201cD\u2019ye think this is all the world?\u201d said the mother. \u201cThat stretches\nfar across the other side of the garden, quite into the parson\u2019s field;\nbut I have never been there yet. I hope you are all together,\u201d and she\nstood up. \u201cNo, I have not all. The largest egg still lies there. How\nlong is that to last? I am really tired of it.\u201d And she sat down again.\n\n\u201cWell, how goes it?\u201d asked an old Duck who had come to pay her a visit.\n\n\u201cIt lasts a long time with that one egg,\u201d said the Duck who sat there.\n\u201cIt will not burst. Now, only look at the others; are they not the\nprettiest little ducks one could possibly see? They are all like their\nfather: the rogue, he never comes to see me.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me see the egg which will not burst,\u201d said the old visitor. \u201cYou\nmay be sure it is a turkey\u2019s egg. I was once cheated in that way, and\nhad much anxiety and trouble with the young ones, for they are afraid\nof the water. Must I say it to you, I could not get them to venture in.\nI quacked and I clacked, but it was no use. Let me see the egg. Yes,\nthat\u2019s a turkey\u2019s egg. Let it lie there, and teach the other children\nto swim.\u201d\n\n\u201cI think I will sit on it a little longer,\u201d said the Duck. \u201cI\u2019ve sat so\nlong now that I can sit a few days more.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust as you please,\u201d said the old Duck; and she went away.\n\nAt last the great egg burst. \u201cPiep! piep!\u201d said the little one, and\ncrept forth, it was very large and very ugly. The Duck looked at it.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a very large duckling,\u201d said she; \u201cnone of the others look like\nthat: can it really be a turkey chick? Well, we shall soon find out. It\nmust go into the water, even if I have to thrust it in myself.\u201d\n\nThe next day, it was bright, beautiful weather; the sun shone on all\nthe green trees. The Mother Duck went down to the canal with all her\nfamily. Splash! she jumped into the water. \u201cQuack! quack!\u201d she said,\nand one duckling after another plunged in. The water closed over their\nheads, but they came up in an instant, and swam capitally; their legs\nwent of themselves, and they were all in the water. The ugly gray\nDuckling swam with them.\n\n\u201cNo, it\u2019s not a turkey,\u201d said she; \u201clook how well it can use its legs,\nand how straight it holds itself. It is my own child! On the whole it\u2019s\nquite pretty, if one looks at it rightly. Quack! quack! come with me,\nand I\u2019ll lead you out into the great world, and present you in the\nduckyard; but keep close to me, so that no one may tread on you, and\ntake care of the cats!\u201d\n\nAnd so they came into the duckyard. There was a terrible riot, going on\nin there, for two families were quarreling about an eel\u2019s head, and the\ncat got it after all.\n\n\u201cSee, that\u2019s how it goes in the world!\u201d said the Mother Duck; and she\nwhetted her beak, for she too wanted the eel\u2019s head. \u201cOnly use your\nlegs,\u201d she said. \u201cSee that you can bustle about, and bow your heads\nbefore the old Duck yonder. She\u2019s the grandest of all here; she\u2019s of\nSpanish blood\u2014that\u2019s why she\u2019s so fat; and d\u2019ye see she has a red rag\nround her leg; that\u2019s something particularly fine, and the greatest\ndistinction a duck can enjoy; it signifies that one does not want to\nlose her, and that she\u2019s to be known by the animals and by men too.\nShake yourselves\u2014don\u2019t turn in your toes; a well-brought-up duck turns\nits toes quite out, just like father and mother\u2014so! Now bend your necks\nand say \u2018Quack!\u2019\u201d\n\nAnd they did so: but the other ducks round about looked at them, and\nsaid quite boldly:\n\n\u201cLook there! now we\u2019re to have these hanging on, as if there were not\nenough of us already! And\u2014fie!\u2014how that Duckling yonder looks; we won\u2019t\nstand that!\u201d And one duck flew up at it, and bit it in the neck.\n\n\u201cLet it alone,\u201d said the mother: \u201cit does no harm to anyone.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but it\u2019s too large and peculiar,\u201d said the Duck who had bitten\nit; \u201cand therefore it must be put down.\u201d\n\n\u201cThose are pretty children that the mother has there,\u201d said the old\nDuck with the rag round her leg. They\u2019re all pretty but that one; that\nwas rather unlucky. I wish she could bear it over again.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat cannot be done, my lady,\u201d replied the Mother Duck. \u201cIt is not\npretty, but it has a really good disposition, and swims as well as any\nother; yes, I may even say it, swims better. I think it will grow up\npretty, and become smaller in time; it has lain too long in the egg,\nand therefore is not properly shaped.\u201d And then she pinched it in the\nneck, and smoothed its feathers. Moreover it is a drake,\u201d she said,\n\u201cand therefore it is not so much consequence. I think he will be very\nstrong: he makes his way already.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe other duckling\u2019s are graceful enough,\u201d said the old Duck. \u201cMake\nyourself at home; and if you find an eel\u2019s head, you may bring it to\nme.\u201d\n\nAnd now they were at home. But the poor Duckling which had crept last\nout of the egg, and looked so ugly, was bitten and pushed and jeered,\nas much by the ducks as by the chickens.\n\n\u201cIt is too big!\u201d they all said. And the turkey cock, who had been born\nwith spurs, and therefore thought himself an emperor, blew himself up\nlike a ship in full sail, and bore straight down upon it; then he\ngobbled and grew quite red in the face. The poor Duckling did not know\nwhere it should stand or walk; it was quite melancholy because it\nlooked ugly, and was the butt of the whole duckyard.\n\nSo it went on the first day; and afterward it became worse and worse.\nThe poor Duckling was hunted about by everyone: even its brothers and\nsisters were quite angry with it, and said: \u201cIf the cat would only\ncatch you, you ugly creature!\u201d And the mother said: \u201cIf you were only\nfar away!\u201d And the ducks hit it, and the chickens beat it, and the girl\nwho had to feed the poultry kicked at it with her foot.\n\nThen it ran and flew over the fence, and the little birds in the bushes\nflew up in fear.\n\n\u201cThat is because I am so ugly!\u201d thought the Duckling; and it shut its\neyes, but flew on further; and so it came out into the great moor,\nwhere the wild ducks lived. Here it lay the whole night long; and it\nwas weary and downcast.\n\nToward morning the wild chicks flew up, and looked at their new\ncompanion.\n\n\u201cWhat sort of a one are you?\u201d they asked; and the Duckling turned in\nevery direction, and bowed as well as it could. You are remarkably\nugly!\u201d said the Wild Ducks. \u201cBut that is nothing to us, so long as you\ndo not marry into our family.\u201d\n\nPoor thing! it certainly did not think of marrying, and only hoped to\nobtain leave to lie among the reeds and drink some of the swamp water.\n\nThus it lay two whole days; then came thither two wild geese, or,\nproperly speaking, two wild ganders. It was not long since each had\ncrept out of an egg, and that\u2019s why they were so saucy.\n\n\u201cListen, comrade,\u201d said one of them. \u201cYou\u2019re so ugly that I like you.\nWill you go with us, and become a bird of passage? Near here, in\nanother moor, there are a few sweet lovely geese, all unmarried, and\nall able to say \u2018Rap?\u2019 You\u2019ve a chance of\u2019 making your fortune, ugly as\nyou are.\u201d\n\n\u201cPiff! paff!\u201d resounded through the air; and the two ganders fell down\ndead in the swamp, and the water became blood red. \u201cPiff paff!\u201d it\nsounded again, and the whole flock of wild geese rose up from the\nreeds. And then there was another report. A great hunt was going on.\nThe sportsmen were lying in wait all round the moor, and some were even\nsitting up in the branches of the trees, which spread far over the\nreeds. The blue smoke rose up like clouds among the dark trees, and was\nwafted far away across the water; and the hunting dogs came\u2014splash,\nsplash!\u2014into the swamp, and the rushes and the reeds bent down on every\nside. That was a fright for the poor Duckling! It turned its head, and\nput it under its wing; but at that moment a frightful great dog stood\nclose by the Duckling. His tongue hung far out of his mouth, and his\neyes gleamed horrible and ugly; he thrust out his nose close against\nthe Duckling, showed his Sharp teeth, and\u2014splash, splash!\u2014on he went,\nwithout seizing it.\n\n\u201cO, Heaven be thanked!\u201d sighed the Duckling. \u201cI am so ugly, that even\nthe dog does not like to bite me!\u201d\n\nAnd so it lay quite quiet, while the shots rattled through the reeds\nand gun after gun was fired. At last, late in the day, all was still;\nbut the poor Duckling did not dare to rise up; it waited several hours\nbefore it looked round, and then hastened away out of the moor as fast\nit could. It ran on over field and meadow; there was such a storm\nraging that it was difficult to get from one place to another.\n\nToward evening the Duck came to a little miserable peasant\u2019s hut. This\nhut was so dilapidated that it did not itself know on which side it\nshould fall; and that\u2019s why it remained standing. The storm whistled\nround the Duckling in such a way that the poor creature was obliged to\nsit down, to stand against it; and the wind blew worse and worse. Then\nthe Duckling noticed that one of the hinges of the door had given way,\nand the door hung so slanting that the Duckling could slip through the\ncrack into the room; and that is what it did.\n\nHere lived a woman, with her Cat and her Hen. And the Cat, whom she\ncalled Sonnie, could arch his back and purr, he could even give out\nsparks; but for that one had to stroke his fur the wrong way. The Hen\nhad quite little short legs, and therefore she was called Chickabiddy\nShortshanks; she laid good eggs, and the woman loved her as her own\nchild.\n\nIn the morning the strange Duckling was at once noticed, and the Cat\nbegan to purr and the Hen to cluck.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d said the woman, and looked all round; but she could not\nsee well, and therefore she thought the Duckling was a fat duck that\nhad strayed. \u201cThis is a rare prize!\u201d she said, \u201cNow I shall have ducks\u2019\neggs. I hope it is not a drake. We must try that.\u201d\n\nAnd so the Duckling was admitted on trial for three weeks; but no eggs\ncame. And the Cat was master of the house, and the Hen was the lady,\nand always said \u201cWe and the world!\u201d for she thought they were half the\nworld, and by far the better half. The Duckling thought one might have\na different opinion, but the Hen would not allow it.\n\n\u201cCan you lay eggs?\u201d she asked.\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen will you hold your tongue!\u201d\n\nAnd the Cat said, \u201cCan you curve your back, and purr, and give out\nsparks?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen you will please have no opinion of your own when sensible folks\nare speaking.\n\nAnd the Duckling sat in a corner and was melancholy; then the fresh air\nand the sunshine streamed in; and it was seized with such a strange\nlonging to swim on the water, that it could not help telling the Hen of\nit.\n\n\u201cWhat are you thinking of?\u201d cried the Hen. \u201cYou have nothing to do,\nthat\u2019s why you have these fancies. Lay eggs, or purr, and they will\npass over.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut it is so charming to swim on the water!\u201d said the Duckling, \u201cso\nrefreshing to let it close over one\u2019s head, and to dive down to the\nbottom.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, that must be a mighty pleasure, truly,\u201d quoth the Hen. \u201cI fancy\nyou must have gone crazy. Ask the Cat about it\u2014he\u2019s the cleverest\nanimal I know\u2014ask him if he likes to swim on the water, or to dive\ndown: I won\u2019t speak about myself. Ask our mistress, the old woman; no\none in the world is cleverer than she. Do you think she has any desire\nto swim, and to let the water close above her head?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t understand me,\u201d said the Duckling.\n\n\u201cWe don\u2019t understand you? Then pray who is to understand you? You\nsurely don\u2019t pretend to be cleverer than the Cat and the woman\u2014I won\u2019t\nsay anything of myself. Don\u2019t be conceited, child, and thank your Maker\nfor all the kindness you have received. Did you not get into a warm\nroom, and have you not fallen into company from which you may learn\nsomething? But you are a chatterer, and it is not pleasant to associate\nwith you. You may believe me, I speak for your good. I tell you\ndisagreeable things, and by that one may always know one\u2019s true\nfriends! Only take care that you learn to lay eggs, or to purr, and\ngive out sparks!\u201d\n\n\u201cI think I will go out into the wide world,\u201d said the Duckling.\n\n\u201cYes, do go,\u201d replied the Hen.\n\nAnd so the Duckling went away. It swam on the water, and dived, but it\nwas slighted by every creature because of its ugliness.\n\nNow came the autumn. The leaves in the forest turned yellow and brown;\nthe wind caught them so that they danced about, and up in the air it\nwas very cold. The clouds hung low, heavy with hail and snowflakes, and\non the fence stood the raven, crying, \u201cCroak! croak!\u201d for mere cold;\nyes, it was enough to make one feel cold to think of this. The poor\nlittle Duckling certainly had not a good time. One evening\u2014the sun was\njust setting in his beauty\u2014there came a whole flock of great, handsome\nbirds out of the bushes; they were dazzlingly white, with long,\nflexible necks; they were swans. They uttered a very peculiar cry,\nspread forth their glorious great wings, and flew away from that cold\nregion to warmer lands, to fair open lakes. They mounted so high, so\nhigh! and the ugly Duckling felt quite strangely as it watched them. It\nturned round and round in the water like a wheel, stretched out its\nneck toward them, and uttered such a strange, loud cry as frightened\nitself. Oh! it could not forget those beautiful, happy birds; and so\nsoon as it could see them no longer, it dived down to the very bottom,\nand when it came up again, it was quite beside itself. It knew not the\nname of those birds, and knew not whither they were flying; but it\nloved them more than it had ever loved anyone. It was not at all\nenvious of them. How could it think of wishing to possess such\nloveliness as they had? It would have been glad if only the ducks would\nhave endured its company the poor, ugly creature!\n\nAnd the winter grew cold, very cold! The Duckling was forced to swim\nabout in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but\nevery night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.\nIt froze so hard that the icy covering crackled again; and the Duckling\nwas obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from\nfreezing up. At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus\nfroze fast into the ice. Early in the morning a peasant came by, and\nwhen he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice\ncrust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife. Then it\ncame to itself again. The children wanted to play with it; but the\nDuckling thought they wanted to hurt it, and in its terror fluttered up\ninto the milk pan, so that the milk spurted down into the room. The\nwoman clasped her hands, at which the Duckling flew down into the\nbutter tub, and then into the meal barrel and out again. How it looked\nthen! The woman screamed, and struck at it with the fire tongs; the\nchildren tumbled over one another in their efforts to catch the\nDuckling; and they laughed and they screamed!\u2014well it was that the door\nstood open, and the poor creature was able to slip out between the\nshrubs into the newly fallen snow\u2014there it lay quite exhausted.\n\nBut it would be too melancholy if I were to tell all the misery and\ncare which the Duckling had to endure in the hard winter. It lay out on\nthe moor among the reeds, when the sun began to shine again and the\nlarks to sing: it was a beautiful spring.\n\nThen all at once the Duckling could flap its wings: they beat the air\nmore strongly than before, and bore it strongly away; and before it\nwell knew how all this happened, it found itself in a great garden,\nwhere the elder trees smelled sweet, and bent their long green branches\ndown to the canal that wound through the region. Oh, here it was so\nbeautiful, such a gladness of spring! and from the thicket came three\nglorious white swans; they rustled their wings, and swam lightly on the\nwater. The Duckling knew the splendid creatures, and felt oppressed by\na peculiar sadness.\n\n\u201cI will fly away to them, to the royal birds! and they will beat me,\nbecause I, that am so ugly, dare to come near them. But it is all the\nsame. Better to be killed by them than to be pursued by ducks, and\nbeaten by fowls, and pushed about by the girl who takes care of the\npoultry yard, and to suffer hunger in winter!\u201d And it flew out into the\nwater, and swam toward the beautiful swans: these looked at it, and\ncame sailing down upon it with outspread wings. \u201cKill me!\u201d said the\npoor creature, and bent its head down upon the water, expecting nothing\nbut death. But what was this that it saw in the clear water? It beheld\nits own image; and, lo! it was no longer a clumsy, dark-gray bird, ugly\nand hateful to look at, but a\u2014swan!\n\nIt matters nothing if one is born in a duck yard, if one has only lain\nin a swan\u2019s egg.\n\nIt felt quite glad at all the need and misfortune it had suffered, now\nit realized its happiness in all the splendor that surrounded it. And\nthe great swans swam round it, and stroked it with their beaks.\n\nInto the garden came little children, who threw bread and corn into the\nwater; and the youngest cried, \u201cThere is a new one!\u201d and the other\nchildren shouted joyously, \u201cYes, a new one has arrived!\u201d And they\nclapped their hands and danced about, and ran to their father and\nmother; and bread and cake were thrown into the water; and they all\nsaid, \u201cThe new one is the most beautiful of all so young and handsome!\u201d\nand the old swans bowed their heads before him.\n\nThen he felt quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wings, for he\ndid not know what to do; he was so happy, and yet not at all proud. He\nthought how he had been persecuted and despised; and now he heard them\nsaying that he was the most beautiful of all birds. Even the elder tree\nbent its branches straight down into the water before him, and the sun\nshone warm and mild. Then his wings rustled, he lifted his slender\nneck, and cried rejoicingly from the depths of his heart:\n\n\u201cI never dreamed of so much happiness when I was the Ugly Duckling!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE TINDER-BOX\n\n\nBy Hans Christian Andersen\n\nThere came a soldier marching along the high road\u2014one, two! one, two!\nHe had his knapsack on his back and a saber by his side, for he had\nbeen in the wars, and now he wanted to go home. And on the way he met\nwith an old Witch: she was very hideous and her under lip hung down\nupon her breast. She said: \u201cGood evening, Soldier. What a fine sword\nyou have, and what a big knapsack! You\u2019re a proper soldier! Now you\nshall have as much money as you like to have.\u201d\n\n\u201cI thank you, you old Witch\u201d said the Soldier.\n\n\u201cDo you see that great tree?\u201d quoth the Witch; and she pointed to a\ntree which stood beside them.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s quite hollow inside. You must climb to the top, and then you\u2019ll\nsee a hole, through which you can let yourself down and get deep into\nthe tree. I\u2019ll tie a rope round your body, so that I can pull you up\nagain when you call me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat am I to do down in the tree?\u201d asked the Soldier.\n\n\u201cGet money,\u201d replied the Witch. \u201cListen to me. When you come down to\nthe earth under the tree, you will find yourself in a great hall: it is\nquite light, for above three hundred lamps are burning there. Then you\nwill see three doors; these you can open, for the keys are hanging\nthere. If you go into the first chamber, you\u2019ll see a great chest in\nthe middle of the floor; on this chest sits a dog, and he\u2019s got a pair\nof eyes as big as two teacups. But you need not care for that. I\u2019ll\ngive you my blue-checked apron, and you can spread it out upon the\nfloor; then go up quickly and take the dog, and set him on my apron;\nthen open the chest, and take as many shillings as you like. They are\nof copper; if you prefer silver, you must go into the second chamber.\nBut there sits a dog with a pair of eyes as big as mill wheels. But do\nnot you care for that. Set him upon my apron, and take some of the\nmoney. And if you want gold, you can have that too\u2014in fact, as much as\nyou can carry\u2014if you go into the third chamber. But the dog that sits\non the money chest there has two eyes as big as round towers. He is a\nfierce dog, you may be sure; but you needn\u2019t be afraid, for all that.\nOnly set him on my apron, and he won\u2019t hurt you; and take out of the\nchest as much gold as you like.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s not so bad,\u201d said the Soldier. \u201cBut what am I to give you, you\nold Witch? for you will not do it for nothing, I fancy.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d replied the Witch, \u201cnot a single shilling will I have. You shall\nonly bring me an old Tinder-box which my grandmother forgot when she\nwas down there last.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen tie the rope round my body,\u201d cried the Soldier.\n\n\u201cHere it is,\u201d said the Witch, \u201cand here\u2019s my blue-checked apron.\u201d\n\nThen the Soldier climbed up into the tree, let himself slip down into\nthe hole, and stood, as the Witch had said, in the great hall where the\nthree hundred lamps were burning.\n\nNow he opened the first door. Ugh! there sat the dog with eyes as big\nas teacups, staring at him.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re a nice fellow!\u201d exclaimed the Soldier; and he set him on the\nWitch\u2019s apron, and took as many shillings as his pockets would hold,\nand then locked the chest, set the dog on it again, and went into the\nsecond chamber, Aha! there sat the dog with eyes as big as mill wheels.\n\n\u201cYou should not stare so hard at me,\u201d said the Soldier; \u201cyou might\nstrain your eyes.\u201d And he set the dog upon the Witch\u2019s apron. And when\nhe saw the silver money in the chest, he threw away all the copper\nmoney he had and filled his pockets and his knapsack with silver only.\nThen he went into the third chamber. Oh, but that was horrid! The dog\nthere really had eyes as big as towers, and they turned round and round\nin his head like wheels.\n\n\u201cGood evening!\u201d said the Soldier; and he touched his cap, for he had\nnever seen such a dog as that before. When he had looked at him a\nlittle more closely, he thought: \u201cThat will do,\u201d and lifted him down to\nthe floor, and opened the chest. Mercy! What a quantity of gold was\nthere! He could buy with it the whole town, and the sugar sucking pigs\nof the cake woman, and all the tin soldiers, whips, and rocking-horses\nin the whole world. Yes, that was a quantity of money! Now the Soldier\nthrew away all the silver coin with which he had filled his pockets and\nhis knapsack, and took gold instead; yes, all his pockets, his\nknapsack, his boots, and his cap were filled, so that he could scarcely\nwalk. Now indeed he had plenty of money. He put the dog on the chest\nshut the door, and then called up through the tree: \u201cNow pull me up,\nyou old Witch!\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you the Tinder-box?\u201d asked the Witch.\n\n\u201cPlague on it!\u201d exclaimed the Soldier, \u201cI had clean forgotten that.\u201d\nAnd he went and brought it.\n\nThe Witch drew him up, and he stood on the high road again, with\npockets, boots, knapsack, and cap full of gold.\n\n\u201cWhat are you going to do with the Tinder-box?\u201d asked the Soldier.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s nothing to you,\u201d retorted the Witch. \u201cYou\u2019ve had your money;\njust give me the Tinder-box.\u201d\n\n\u201cNonsense!\u201d said the Soldier. \u201cTell me directly what you\u2019re going to do\nwith it or I\u2019ll draw my sword and cut off your head.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d cried the Witch.\n\nSo the Soldier cut off her head. There she lay! But he tied up all his\nmoney in her apron, took it on his back like a bundle, put the\nTinder-box in his pocket, and went straight off toward the town.\n\nThat was a splendid town! And he put up at the very best inn, and asked\nfor the finest rooms, and ordered his favorite dishes, for now he was\nrich, as he had so much money. The servant who had to clean his boots\ncertainly thought them a remarkably old pair for such a rich gentleman;\nbut he had not bought any new ones yet. The next day he procured proper\nboots and handsome clothes. Now our Soldier had become a fine\ngentleman; and the people told him of all the splendid things which\nwere in their city, and about the King, and what a pretty Princess the\nKing\u2019s daughter was.\n\n\u201cWhere can one get to see her?\u201d asked the Soldier.\n\n\u201cShe is not to be seen at all,\u201d said they all together; \u201cshe lives in a\ngreat copper castle, with a great many walls and towers round about it:\nno one but the King may go in and out there, for it has been prophesied\nthat she shall marry a common soldier, and the King can\u2019t bear that.\u201d\n\n\u201cI should like to see her,\u201d thought the Soldier; but he could not get\nleave to do so. Now he lived merrily, went to the theater, drove in the\nKing\u2019s garden, and gave much money to the poor; and this was very kind\nof him, for he knew from old times how hard it is when one has not a\nshilling.\n\nNow he was rich, had new clothes, and gained many friends, who all said\nhe was a rare one, a true cavalier; and that pleased the Soldier well.\nBut as he spent money every day and never carried any, he had at last\nonly two shillings left; and he was obliged to turn out of the fine\nrooms in which he had dwelt, and had to live in a little garret under\nthe roof, and clean his boots for himself, and mend them with a\ndarning-needle. None of his friends came to see him, for there were too\nmany stairs to climb.\n\nIt was quite dark one evening, and he could not even buy himself a\ncandle, when it occurred to him that there was a candle end in the\nTinder-box which he had taken out of the hollow tree into which the\nWitch had helped him. He brought out the Tinder-box and the candle end;\nbut as soon as he struck fire and the sparks rose up from the flint,\nthe door flew open, and the dog who had eyes as big as a couple of\nteacups, and whom he had seen in the tree, stood before him, and said:\n\n\u201cWhat are my lord\u2019s commands?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is this?\u201d said the Soldier. \u201cThat\u2019s a famous Tinder-box, if I can\nget everything with it that I want! Bring me some money,\u201d said he to\nthe dog; and whisk! the dog was gone, and whisk! he was back again,\nwith a great bag full of shillings in his mouth.\n\nNow the Soldier knew what a capital Tinder-box this was. If he struck\nit once, the dog came who sat upon the chest of copper money; if he\nstruck it twice, the dog came who had the silver; and if he struck it\nthree times, then appeared the dog who had the gold. Now the Soldier\nmoved back into the fine rooms, and appeared again in handsome clothes;\nand all his friends knew him again, and cared very much for him indeed.\n\nOnce he thought to himself: \u201cIt is a very strange thing that one cannot\nget to see the Princess. They all say she is very beautiful; but what\nis the use of that, if she has always to sit in the great copper castle\nwith the many towers? Can I not get to see her at all? Where is my\nTinder-box?\u201d And so he struck a light, and whisk! came the dog with\neyes as big as teacups.\n\n\u201cIt is midnight, certainly,\u201d said the Soldier, \u201cbut I should very much\nlike to see the Princess, only for one little moment.\u201d\n\nAnd the dog was outside the door directly, and, before the Soldier\nthought it, came back with the Princess. She sat upon the dogs back and\nslept; and everyone could see she was a real Princess, for she was so\nlovely. The Soldier could not refrain from kissing her, for he was a\nthorough soldier. Then the dog ran back again with the Princess. But\nwhen morning came, and the King and Queen were drinking tea, the\nPrincess said she had had a strange dream the night before about a dog\nand a soldier\u2014that she had ridden upon the dog, and the soldier had\nkissed her.\n\n\u201cThat would be a fine history!\u201d said the Queen.\n\nSo one of the old court ladies had to watch the next night by the\nPrincess\u2019s bed, to see if this was really a dream, or what it might be.\n\nThe Soldier had a great longing to see the lovely Princess again; so\nthe dog came in the night, took her away, and ran as fast as he could.\nBut the old lady put on water boots, and ran just as fast after him.\nWhen she saw that they both entered a great house, she thought: \u201cNow I\nknow where it is; and with a bit of chalk she drew a great cross on the\ndoor. Then she went home and lay down, and the dog came up with the\nPrincess; but when he saw that there was a cross drawn on the door\nwhere the Soldier lived, he took a piece of chalk too, and drew crosses\non all the doors in the town. And that was cleverly done, for now the\nlady could not find the right door, because all the doors had crosses\nupon them.\n\nIn the morning early came the King and Queen, the old court lady and\nall the officers, to see where it was the Princess had been. \u201cHere it\nis!\u201d said the King, when he saw the first door with a cross upon it.\n\u201cNo, my dear husband, it is there!\u201d said the Queen, who descried\nanother door which also showed a cross. \u201cBut there is one, and there is\none!\u201d said all, for wherever they looked there were crosses on the\ndoors. So they saw that it would avail them nothing if they searched\non.\n\nBut the Queen was an exceedingly clever woman, who could do more than\nride in a coach. She took her great gold scissors, cut a piece of silk\ninto pieces, and made a neat little bag; this bag she filled with fine\nwheat flour, and tied it on the Princess\u2019s back, and when that was\ndone, she cut a little hole in the bag, so that the flour would be\nscattered along all the way which the Princess should take.\n\nIn the night the dog came again, took the Princess on his back, and ran\nwith her to the Soldier, who loved her very much, and would gladly have\nbeen a prince, so that he might have her for his wife. The dog did not\nnotice at all how the flour ran out in a stream from the castle to the\nwindows of the Soldier\u2019s house, where he ran up the wall with the\nPrincess. In the morning the King and Queen saw well enough where their\ndaughter had been, and they took the Soldier and put him in prison.\n\nThere he sat. Oh, but it was dark and disagreeable there! And they said\nto him: \u201cTo-morrow you shall be hanged.\u201d That was not amusing to hear,\nand he had left his Tinder-box at the inn. In the morning he could see,\nthrough the iron grating of the little window, how the people were\nhurrying out of the town to see him hanged. He heard the drums beat and\nsaw the soldiers marching. All the people were running out, and among\nthem was the shoemaker\u2019s boy with leather apron and slippers, and he\ngalloped so fast that one of his slippers flew off, and came right\nagainst the wall where the Soldier sat looking through the iron\ngrating.\n\n\u201cHalloo, you shoemaker\u2019s boy! you needn\u2019t be in such a hurry,\u201d cried\nthe Soldier to him: \u201cit will not begin till I come. But if you will run\nto where I lived and bring me my Tinder-box, you shall have four\nshillings: but you must put your best leg foremost.\u201d\n\nThe shoemaker\u2019s boy wanted to get the four shillings, so he went and\nbrought the Tinder-box, and\u2014well, we shall hear now what happened.\n\nOutside the town a great gallows had been built, and round it stood the\nsoldiers and many hundred thousand people. The King and Queen sat on a\nsplendid throne, opposite to the judges and the whole council. The\nsoldiers already stood upon the ladder; but as they were about to put\nthe rope round his neck, he said that before a poor criminal suffered\nhis punishment an innocent request was always granted to him. He wanted\nvery much to smoke a pipe of tobacco, and it would be the last pipe he\nshould smoke in the world. The King would not say \u201cNo\u201d to this; so the\nSoldier took his Tinder-box and struck fire. One\u2014two\u2014three!\u2014and there\nsuddenly stood all the dogs\u2014the one with eyes as big as teacups, the\none with eyes as large as mill wheels, and the one whose eyes were as\nbig as round towers.\n\n\u201cHelp me now, so that I may not be hanged,\u201d said the Soldier.\n\nAnd the dogs fell upon the judges and all the council, seized one by\nthe leg and another by the nose, and tossed them many feet into the\nair, so that they fell down and were all broken to pieces.\n\n\u201cI won\u2019t!\u201d cried the King; but the biggest dog took him and the Queen,\nand threw them after the others. Then the soldiers were afraid, and the\npeople cried: \u201cLittle Soldier, you shall be our king, and marry the\nbeautiful Princess.\u201d\n\nSo they put the Soldier into the King\u2019s coach, and all the three dogs\ndarted on in front and cried \u201cHurrah!\u201d and the boys whistled through\ntheir fingers, and the soldiers presented arms. The Princess came out\nof the copper castle, and became Queen, and she liked that well enough.\nThe wedding lasted a week, and the three dogs sat at the table too, and\nopened their eyes wider than ever at all they saw.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CONSTANT TIN SOLDIER\n\n\nBy Hans Christian Andersen\n\nThere were once five-and-twenty tin soldiers; they were all brothers,\nfor they had all been born of one old tin spoon. They shouldered their\nmuskets, and looked straight before them; their uniform was red and\nblue, and very splendid. The first thing they had heard in the world,\nwhen the lid was taken off the box, had been the words \u201cTin soldiers!\u201d\nThese words were tittered by a little boy, clapping his hands; the\nsoldiers had been given to him, for it was his birthday; and now he put\nthem upon the table. Each soldier was exactly like the rest; but one of\nthem had been cast last of all, and there had not been enough tin to\nfinish him; but he stood as firmly upon his one leg as the others on\ntheir two; and it was just this soldier who became remarkable.\n\nOn the table on which they had been placed stood many other playthings,\nbut the toy that attracted most attention was a neat castle of\ncardboard. Through the little windows one could see straight into the\nhall. Before the castle some little trees were placed round a little\nlooking-glass, which was to represent a clear lake. Waxen swans swam on\nthis lake, and were mirrored in it. This was all very pretty; but the\nprettiest of all was a little Lady, who stood at the open door of the\ncastle; she was also cut out in paper, but she had a dress of the\nclearest gauze, and a little narrow blue ribbon over her shoulders that\nlooked like a scarf; and in the middle of this ribbon was a shining\ntinsel rose, as big as her whole face. The little Lady stretched out\nboth her arms, for she was a dancer, and then she lifted one leg so\nhigh that the Tin Soldier could not see it at all, and thought that,\nlike himself, she had but one leg.\n\n\u201cThat would be the wife for me,\u201d thought he; \u201cbut she is very grand.\nShe lives in a castle, and I have only a box, and there are\nfive-and-twenty of us in that. It is no place for her. But I must try\nto make acquaintance with her.\u201d\n\nAnd then he lay down at full length behind a snuffbox which was on the\ntable; there he could easily watch the little dainty lady, who\ncontinued to stand on one leg without losing her balance.\n\nWhen the evening came, all the other tin soldiers were put into their\nbox, and the people in the house went to bed. Now the toys began to\nplay at \u201cvisiting,\u201d and at \u201cwar,\u201d and \u201cgiving balls.\u201d The tin soldiers\nrattled in their box, for they wanted to join, but could not lift the\nlid. The Nutcracker threw somersaults, and the Pencil amused itself on\nthe table; there was so much noise that the Canary woke up, and began\nto speak too, and even in verse. The only two who did not stir from\ntheir places were the Tin Soldier and the Dancing Lady; she stood\nstraight up on the point of one of her toes, and stretched out both her\narms: and he was just as enduring on his one leg; and he never turned\nhis eyes away from her.\n\nNow the clock struck twelve\u2014and, bounce!\u2014the lid flew off the snuffbox;\nbut there was not snuff in it, but a little black goblin; you see, it\nwas a trick.\n\n\u201cTin Soldier,\u201d said the Goblin, \u201cdon\u2019t stare at things that don\u2019t\nconcern you.\u201d\n\nBut the Tin Soldier pretended not to hear him. \u201cJust you wait till\nto-morrow!\u201d said the Goblin. But when the morning came, and the\nchildren got up, the Tin Soldier was placed in the window; and whether\nit was the Goblin or the draft that did it, all at once the window flew\nopen, and the Soldier fell, head over heels, out of the third story.\nThat was a terrible passage! He put his leg straight up, and struck\nwith his helmet downward, and his bayonet between the paving stones.\n\nThe servant maid and the little boy came down directly to look for him,\nbut though they almost trod upon him they could not see him. If the\nSoldier had cried out, \u201cHere I am!\u201d they would have found him; but he\ndid not think it fitting to call out loudly, because he was in uniform.\n\nNow it began to rain; the drops soon fell thicker, and at last it came\ndown in a complete stream. When the rain was past, two street boys came\nby.\n\n\u201cJust look!\u201d said one of them, \u201cthere lies a tin soldier. He must come\nout and ride in the boat.\u201d\n\nAnd they made a boat out of a newspaper, and put the Tin Soldier in the\nmiddle of it; and so he sailed down the gutter, and the two boys ran\nbeside him and clapped their hands. Goodness preserve us! how the waves\nrose in that gutter, and how fast the stream ran! But then it had been\na heavy rain. The paper boat rocked up and down, and sometimes turned\nround so rapidly that the Tin Soldier trembled; but he remained firm\nand never changed countenance, and looked straight before him, and\nshouldered his musket.\n\nAll at once the boat went into a long drain, and it became as dark as\nif he had been in his box.\n\n\u201cWhere am I going now?\u201d he thought. \u201cYes, yes, that\u2019s the Goblin\u2019s\nfault. Ah! if the little Lady only sat here with me in the boat, it\nmight be twice as dark for what I should care.\u201d\n\nSuddenly there came a great water rat, which lived under the drain.\n\n\u201cHave you a passport?\u201d said the Rat. \u201cGive me your passport.\u201d\n\nBut the Tin Soldier kept silence, and only held his musket tighter than\never.\n\nThe boat went on, but the Rat came after it. Hu! how he gnashed his\nteeth, and called out to the bits of straw and wood:\n\n\u201cHold him! hold him! he hasn\u2019t paid toll\u2014he hasn\u2019t showed his\npassport!\u201d\n\nBut the stream became stronger and stronger. The Tin Soldier could see\nthe bright daylight where the arch ended; but he heard a roaring noise,\nwhich might well frighten a bolder man. Only think\u2014just where the\ntunnel ended the drain ran into a great canal; and for him that would\nhave been as dangerous as for us to be carried down a great waterfall.\n\nNow he was already so near it that he could not stop. The boat was\ncarried out, the poor Tin Soldier stiffening himself as much as he\ncould, and no one could say that he moved an eyelid. The boat whirled\nround three or four times, and was full of water to the very edge\u2014it\nmust sink. The Tin Soldier stood up to his neck in water, and the boat\nsank deeper and deeper, and the paper was loosened more and more, and\nnow the water closed over the Soldier\u2019s head. Then he thought of the\npretty little dancer, and how he should never see her again; and it\nsounded in the Soldier\u2019s ears:\n\n\u201cFarewell, farewell, thou warrior brave,\nDie shalt thou this day.\u201d\n\n\nAnd now the paper parted, and the Tin Soldier fell out; but at that\nmoment he was snapped up by a great fish.\n\nOh, how dark it was in that fish\u2019s body! It was darker yet than in the\ndrain tunnel; and then it was very narrow, too. But the Tin Soldier\nremained unmoved, and lay at full length, shouldering his musket.\n\nThe fish swam to and fro; he made the most wonderful movements, and\nthen became quite still. At last something flashed through him like\nlightning. The daylight shone quite clear, and a voice said aloud, \u201cThe\nTin Soldier!\u201d The fish had been caught, carried to market, bought, and\ntaken into the kitchen, where the cook cut him open with a large knife.\nShe seized the Soldier round the body with both her hands, and carried\nhim into the room, where all were anxious to see the remarkable man who\nhad traveled about in the inside of a fish; but the Tin Soldier was not\nat all proud. They placed him on the table, and there\u2014no! What curious\nthings may happen in the world! The Tin Soldier was in the very room in\nwhich he had been before! he saw the same children, and the same toys\nstood upon the table; and there was the pretty castle with the graceful\nlittle Dancer. She was still balancing herself on one leg and held the\nother extended in the air. She was faithful, too. That moved the Tin\nSoldier: he was very near weeping tin tears, but that would not have\nbeen proper. He looked at her, but they said nothing to each other.\n\nThen one of the little boys took the Tin Soldier and flung him into the\nstove. He gave no reason for doing this. It must have been the fault of\nthe Goblin in the snuffbox.\n\nThe Tin Soldier stood there quite illuminated, and felt a heat that was\nterrible; but whether this heat proceeded from the real fire or from\nlove he did not know. The colors had quite gone off from him; but\nwhether that had happened on the journey, or had been caused by grief,\nno one could say. He looked at the little Lady, she looked at him, and\nhe felt that he was melting; but he stood firm, shouldering his musket.\nThen suddenly the door flew open, and the draft of air caught the\nDancer, and she flew like a sylph just into the stove to the Tin\nSoldier, and flashed up in a flame, and then was gone! Then the Tin\nSoldier melted down into a lump, and when the servant maid took the\nashes out next day, she found him in the shape of a little tin heart.\nBut of the Dancer nothing remained but the tinsel rose, and that was\nburned as black as coal.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIR TREE\n\n\nBy Hans Christian Andersen\n\nOut in the woods stood a nice little Fir tree. The place he had was a\nvery good one; the sun shone on him; as to fresh air, there was enough\nof that, and round him grew many large-sized comrades, pines as well as\nfirs. But the little Fir wanted so very much to be a grown-up tree.\n\nHe did not think of the warm sun and of the fresh air; he did not care\nfor the little cottage children that ran about and prattled when they\nwere in the wood looking for wild strawberries. The children often came\nwith a whole pitcher full of berries, or a long row of them threaded on\na straw, and sat down near the young Tree and said, \u201cOh, how pretty he\nis! what a nice little fir!\u201d But this was what the Tree could not bear\nto hear.\n\nAt the end of a year he had shot up a good deal, and after another year\nhe was another long bit taller; for with fir trees one can always tell\nby the shoots how many years old they are.\n\n\u201cOh, were I but such a high tree as the others are,\u201d sighed he. \u201cThen I\nshould be able to spread out my branches, and with the tops to look\ninto the wide world! Then would the birds build nests among my\nbranches; and when there was a breeze, I could bend with as much\nstateliness as the others!\u201d\n\nNeither the sunbeams, nor the birds, nor the red clouds which morning\nand evening sailed above him, gave the little Tree any pleasure.\n\nIn winter, when the snow lay glittering on the ground, a hare would\noften come leaping along, and jump right over the little Tree. Oh, that\nmade him so angry! But two winters were past, and in the third the Tree\nwas so large that the hare was obliged to go round it. \u201cTo grow and\ngrow, to get older and be tall,\u201d thought the Tree\u2014\u201cthat, after all, is\nthe most delightful thing in the world!\u201d\n\nIn autumn the woodcutters always came and felled some of the largest\ntrees. This happened every year; and the young Fir tree, that had now\ngrown to a very comely size, trembled at the sight; for the magnificent\ngreat trees fell to the earth with noise and cracking, the branches\nwere lopped off, and the trees looked long and bare: they were hardly\nto be recognized; and then they were laid in carts, and the horses\ndragged them out of the wood.\n\nWhere did they go to? What became of them? In spring, when the Swallows\nand the Storks came, the Tree asked them: \u201cDon\u2019t you know where they\nhave been taken? Have you not met them anywhere?\u201d\n\nThe Swallows did not know anything about it; but the Stork looked\nmusing, nodded his head, and said: \u201cYes; I think I know; I met many\nships as I was flying hither from Egypt; on the ships were magnificent\nmasts, and I venture to assert that it was they that smelled so of fir.\nI may congratulate you, for they lifted themselves on high most\nmajestically!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, were I but old enough to fly across the sea! But how does the sea\nlook in reality? What is it like?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat would take a long time to explain,\u201d said the Stork, and with\nthese words off he went.\n\n\u201cRejoice in thy growth!\u201d said the Sunbeams, \u201crejoice in thy vigorous\ngrowth, and in the fresh life that groweth within thee!\u201d\n\nAnd the Wind kissed the Tree, and the Dew wept tears over him; but the\nFir understood it not.\n\nWhen Christmas came, quite young trees were cut down; trees which often\nwere not even as large or of the same age as this Fir tree, who could\nnever rest, but always wanted to be off. These young trees, and they\nwere always the finest looking, retained their branches; they were laid\non carts, and the horses drew them out of the wood.\n\n\u201cWhere are they going to?\u201d asked the Fir.\n\n\u201cThey are not taller than I; there was one indeed that was considerably\nshorter;\u2014and why do they retain all their branches? Whither are they\ntaken?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe know! we know!\u201d chirped the Sparrows. \u201cWe have peeped in at the\nwindows in the town below! We know whither they are taken! The greatest\nsplendor and the greatest magnificence one can imagine await them. We\npeeped through the windows, and saw them planted in the middle of the\nwarm room, and ornamented with the most splendid things\u2014with gilded\napples, with gingerbread, with toys, and many hundred lights!\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd then?\u201d asked the Fir tree, trembling in every bough. \u201cAnd then?\nWhat happens then?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe did not see anything more: it was incomparably beautiful.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would fain know if I am destined for so glorious a career,\u201d cried\nthe Tree, rejoicing. \u201cThat is still better than to cross the sea! What\na longing do I suffer! Were Christmas but come! I am now tall, and my\nbranches spread like the others that were carried off last year! Oh,\nwere I but already on the cart! Were I in the warm room with all the\nsplendor and magnificence! Yes; then something better, something still\ngrander, will surely follow, or wherefore should they thus ornament me?\nSomething better, something still grander, must follow\u2014but what? Oh,\nhow I long, how I suffer! I do not know myself what is the matter with\nme!\u201d\n\n\u201cRejoice in our presence!\u201d said the Air and the Sunlight; \u201crejoice in\nthy own fresh youth!\u201d\n\nBut the Tree did not rejoice at all; he grew and grew, and was green\nboth winter and summer. People that saw him said, \u201cWhat a fine tree!\u201d\nand toward Christmas he was one of the first that was cut down. The ax\nstruck deep into the very pith; the tree fell to the earth with a sigh:\nhe felt a pang\u2014it was like a swoon; he could not think of happiness,\nfor he was sorrowful at being separated from his home, from the place\nwhere he had sprung up. He well knew that he should never see his dear\nold comrades, the little bushes and flowers around him, any more;\nperhaps not even the birds! The departure was not at all agreeable.\n\nThe Tree only came to himself when he was unloaded in a courtyard with\nthe other trees, and heard a man say, \u201cThat one is splendid! we don\u2019t\nwant the others.\u201d Then two servants came in rich livery and carried the\nFir tree into a large and splendid drawing-room. Portraits were hanging\non the walls, and near the white porcelain stove stood two large\nChinese vases with lions on the covers. There, too, were large\neasy-chairs, silken sofas, large tables full of picture books, and full\nof toys worth hundreds and hundreds of crowns\u2014at least the children\nsaid so. And the Fir tree was stuck upright in a cask that was filled\nwith sand: but no one could see that it was a cask, for green cloth was\nhung all round it, and it stood on a large gayly colored carpet. Oh,\nhow the Tree quivered! What was to happen? The servants, as well as the\nyoung ladies, decorated it. On one branch there hung little nets cut\nout of colored paper, and each net was filled with sugarplums; and\namong the other boughs gilded apples and walnuts were suspended,\nlooking as though they had grown there, and little blue and white\ntapers were placed among the leaves. Dolls that looked for all the\nworld like men\u2014the Tree had never beheld such before\u2014were seen among\nthe foliage, and at the very top a large star of gold tinsel was fixed.\nIt was really splendid\u2014beyond description splendid.\n\n\u201cThis evening!\u201d said they all; \u201chow it will shine this evening!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d thought the Tree, \u201cif the evening were but come! If the tapers\nwere but lighted! And then I wonder what will happen! Perhaps the other\ntrees from the forest will come to look at me! Perhaps the sparrows\nwill beat against the windowpanes! I wonder if I shall take root here,\nand winter and summer stand covered with ornaments!\u201d\n\nHe knew very much about the matter! but he was so impatient that for\nsheer longing he got a pain in his back, and this with trees is the\nsame thing as a headache with us.\n\nThe candles were now lighted. What brightness! What splendor! The Tree\ntrembled so in every bough that one of the tapers set fire to the\nfoliage. It blazed up splendidly.\n\n\u201cHelp! help!\u201d cried the young ladies, and they quickly put out the\nfire.\n\nNow the Tree did not even dare tremble. What a state he was in! He was\nso uneasy lest he should lose something of his splendor, that he was\nquite bewildered amid the glare and brightness; when suddenly both\nfolding doors opened, and a troop of children rushed in as if they\nwould upset the Tree. The older persons followed quietly; the little\nones stood quite still. But it was only for a moment; then they shouted\nso that the whole place reechoed with their rejoicing; they danced\nround the Tree, and one present after the other was pulled off.\n\n\u201cWhat are they about?\u201d thought the Tree. \u201cWhat is to happen now!\u201d And\nthe lights burned down to the very branches, and as they burned down\nthey were put out one after the other, and then the children had\npermission to plunder the Tree. So they fell upon it with such violence\nthat all its branches cracked; if it had not been fixed firmly in the\ncask, it would certainly have tumbled down.\n\nThe children danced about with their beautiful playthings; no one\nlooked at the Tree except the old nurse, who peeped between the\nbranches; but it was only to see if there was a fig or an apple left\nthat had been forgotten.\n\n\u201cA story! a story!\u201d cried the children, drawing a little fat man toward\nthe Tree. He seated himself under it, and said: \u201cNow we are in the\nshade, and the Tree can listen too. But I shall tell only one story.\nNow which will you have; that about IvedyAvedy, or about Klumpy-Dumpy\nwho tumbled downstairs, and yet after all came to the throne and\nmarried the princess?\u201d\n\n\u201cIvedy-Avedy,\u201d cried some; \u201cKlumpy-Dumpy,\u201d cried the others. There was\nsuch a bawling and screaming!\u2014the Fir tree alone was silent, and he\nthought to himself, \u201cAm I not to bawl with the rest?\u2014am I to do nothing\nwhatever?\u201d for he was one of the company, and had done what he had to\ndo.\n\nAnd the man told about Klumpy-Dumpy that tumbled down, who\nnotwithstanding came to the throne, and at last married the princess.\nAnd the children clapped their hands, arid cried out, \u201cOh, go on! Do go\non!\u201d they waited to hear about Ivedy-Avedy too, but the little man only\ntold them about Klumpy-Dumpy. The Fir tree stood quite still and\nabsorbed in thought: the birds in the wood had never related the like\nof this. \u201cKlumpy-Dumpy fell downstairs, and yet he married the\nprincess! Yes, yes! that\u2019s the way of the world!\u201d thought the Fir tree,\nand believed it all, because the man who told the story was so\ngood-looking. \u201cWell, well! who knows, perhaps I may fall downstairs\ntoo, and get a princess as wife!\u201d And he looked forward with joy to the\nmorrow, when he hoped to be decked out again with lights, play-things,\nfruits, and tinsel.\n\n\u201cI won\u2019t tremble to-morrow!\u201d thought the Fir tree. \u201cI will enjoy to the\nfull all my splendor! To-morrow I shall hear again the story of\nKlumpy-Dumpy, and perhaps that of Ivedy-Avedy too.\u201d And the whole night\nthe Tree stood still and in deep thought.\n\nIn the morning the servant and the housemaid came in.\n\n\u201cNow then the splendor will begin again,\u201d thought the Fir. But they\ndragged him out of the room, and up the stairs into the loft; and here,\nin a dark corner, where no daylight could enter, they left him. \u201cWhat\u2019s\nthe meaning of this?\u201d thought the Tree. \u201cWhat am I to do here? What\nshall I hear now, I wonder?\u201d And he leaned against the wall lost in\nreverie. Time enough had he too for his reflections; for days and\nnights passed on, and nobody came up; and when at last somebody did\ncome, it was only to put some great trunks in a corner out of the way.\nThere stood the Tree quite hidden; it seemed as if he had been entirely\nforgotten.\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis now winter out-of-doors!\u201d thought the Tree. \u201cThe earth is hard\nand covered with snow; men cannot plant me now, and therefore I have\nbeen put up here under shelter till the springtime comes! How\nthoughtful that is! How kind man is, after all! If it only were not so\ndark here, and so terribly lonely! Not even a hare. And out in the\nwoods it was so pleasant, when the snow was on the ground, and the hare\nleaped by; yes\u2014even when he jumped over me; but I did not like it then.\nIt is really terribly lonely here!\u201d\n\n\u201cSqueak! squeak!\u201d said a little Mouse at the same moment, peeping out\nof his hole. And then another little one came. They snuffed about the\nFir tree, and rustled among the branches.\n\n\u201cIt is dreadfully cold,\u201d said the Mouse. \u201cBut for that, it would be\ndelightful here, old Fir, wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am by no means old,\u201d said the Fir tree. \u201cThere\u2019s many a one\nconsiderably older than I am.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere do you come from,\u201d asked the Mice; \u201cand what can you do?\u201d They\nwere so extremely curious. \u201cTell us about the most beautiful spot on\nthe earth. Have you never been there? Were you never in the larder,\nwhere cheeses lie on the shelves, and hams hang from above; where one\ndances about on tallow candles; that place where one enters lean, and\ncomes out again fat and portly?\u201d\n\n\u201cI know no such place,\u201d said the Tree. \u201cBut I know the wood, where the\nsun shines, and where the little birds sing.\u201d And then he told all\nabout his youth; and the little Mice had never heard the like before;\nand they listened and said:\n\n\u201cWell, to be sure! How much you have seen! How happy you must have\nbeen!\u201d\n\n\u201cI!\u201d said the Fir tree, thinking over what he had himself related.\n\u201cYes, in reality those were happy times.\u201d And then he told about\nChristmas Eve, when he was decked out with cakes and candles.\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d said the little Mice, \u201chow fortunate you have been, old Fir\ntree!\u201d\n\n\u201cI am by no means old,\u201d said he. \u201cI came from the wood this winter; I\nam in my prime, and am only rather short for my age.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat delightful stories you know!\u201d said the Mice; and the next night\nthey came with four other little Mice, who were to hear what the Tree\nrecounted; and the more he related, the more plainly he remembered all\nhimself; and it appeared as if those times had really been happy times.\n\u201cBut they may still come\u2014they may still come. Humpy-Dumpy fell\ndownstairs, and yet he got a princess!\u201d and he thought at the moment of\na nice little Birch tree growing out in the woods; to the Fir, that\nwould be a real charming princess.\n\n\u201cWho is Klumpy-Dumpy?\u201d asked the Mice. So then the Fir tree told the\nwhole fairy tale, for he could remember every single word of it; and\nthe little Mice jumped for joy up to the very top of the Tree. Next\nnight two more Mice came, and on Sunday two Rats, even; but they said\nthe stories were not interesting, which vexed the little Mice; and\nthey, too, now began to think them not so very amusing either.\n\n\u201cDo you know only one story?\u201d asked the Rats.\n\n\u201cOnly that one,\u201d answered the Tree. \u201cI heard it on my happiest evening;\nbut I did not then know how happy I was.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is a very stupid story! Don\u2019t you know one about bacon and tallow\ncandles? Can\u2019t you tell any larder stories?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the Tree.\n\n\u201cThen good-by,\u201d said the Rats and they went home.\n\nAt last the little Mice stayed away also; and the Tree sighed: \u201cAfter\nall, it was very pleasant when the sleek little Mice sat round me and\nlistened to what I told them. Now that too is over. But I will take\ngood care to enjoy myself when I am brought out again.\u201d\n\nBut when was that to be? Why, one morning there came a quantity of\npeople and set to work in the loft. The trunks were moved, the tree was\npulled out and thrown\u2014rather hard, it is true\u2014down on the floor, but a\nman drew him toward the stairs, where the daylight shone.\n\n\u201cNow a merry life will begin again,\u201d thought the Tree. He felt the\nfresh air, the first sunbeam\u2014and now he was out in the courtyard. All\npassed so quickly, there was so much going on around him, that the Tree\nquite forgot to look to himself. The court adjoined a garden, and all\nwas in flower; the roses hung so fresh and odorous over the balustrade,\nthe lindens were in blossom, the Swallows flew by, and said\n\u201cQuirre-vit! my husband is come!\u201d but it was not the Fir tree that they\nmeant.\n\n\u201cNow, then, I shall really enjoy life,\u201d said he, exultingly, and spread\nout his branches; but, alas! they were all withered and yellow. It was\nin a corner that he lay, among weeds and nettles. The golden star of\ntinsel was still on the top of the Tree, and glittered in the sunshine.\n\nIn the courtyard some of the merry children were playing who had danced\nat Christmas round the Fir tree, and were so glad at the sight of him.\nOne of the youngest ran and tore off the golden star.\n\n\u201cOnly look what is still on the ugly old Christmas tree!\u201d said he,\ntrampling on the branches, so that they all cracked beneath his feet.\n\nAnd the Tree beheld all the beauty of the flowers, and the freshness in\nthe garden; he beheld himself, and wished he had remained in his dark\ncorner in the loft: he thought of his first youth in the wood, of the\nMerry Christmas Eve, and of the little Mice who had listened with so\nmuch pleasure to the story of Humpy-Dumpy.\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis over\u2014\u2019tis past!\u201d said the poor Tree. \u201cHad I but rejoiced when I\nhad reason to do so! But now \u2019tis past, \u2019tis past!\u201d\n\nAnd the gardener\u2019s boy chopped the Tree into small pieces; there was a\nwhole heap lying there. The wood flamed up splendidly under the large\nbrewing copper, and it sighed so deeply! Each sigh was like a shot.\n\nThe boys played about in the court, and the youngest wore the gold star\non his breast which the Tree had had on the happiest evening of his\nlife. However, that was over now\u2014the Tree gone, the story at an end.\nAll, all was over; every tale must end at last.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FLYING TRUNK\n\n\nBy Hans Christian Andersen\n\nThere was once a merchant, who was so rich that he could pave the whole\nstreet with gold, and almost have enough left for a little lane. But he\ndid not do that; he knew how to employ his money differently. When he\nspent a shilling he got back a crown, such a clever merchant was he;\nand this continued till he died.\n\nHis son now got all this money; and he lived merrily, going to the\nmasquerade every evening, making kites out of dollar notes, and playing\nat ducks and drakes on the seacoast with gold pieces instead of\npebbles. In this way the money might soon be spent, and indeed it was\nso. At last he had no more than four shillings left, and no clothes to\nwear but a pair of slippers and an old dressing gown.\n\nNow his friends did not trouble themselves any more about him as they\ncould not walk with him in the street, but one of them, who was\ngood-natured, sent him an old trunk, with the remark: \u201cPack up!\u201d Yes,\nthat was all very well, but he had nothing to pack, therefore he seated\nhimself in the trunk.\n\nThat was a wonderful trunk. So soon as any one pressed the lock the\ntrunk could fly. He pressed it, and whirr! away flew the trunk with him\nthrough the chimney and over the clouds farther and farther away. But\nas often as the bottom of the trunk cracked a little he was in great\nfear lest it might go to pieces, and then he would have flung a fine\nsomersault! In that way he came to the land of the Turks. He hid the\ntrunk in a wood under some dry leaves, and then went into the town. He\ncould do that very well, for among the Turks all the people went about\ndressed like himself in dressing gown and slippers. Then he met a nurse\nwith a little child.\n\n\u201cHere, you Turkish nurse,\u201d he began, \u201cwhat kind of a great castle is\nthat close by the town, in which the windows are so high up?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere dwells the Sultan\u2019s daughter,\u201d replied she. \u201cIt is prophesied\nthat she will be very unhappy respecting a lover; and therefore nobody\nmay go near her, unless the Sultan and Sultana are there too.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you!\u201d said the Merchant\u2019s Son; and he went out into the forest,\nseated himself in his trunk, flew on the roof, and crept through the\nwindow into the Princess\u2019s room.\n\nShe was lying asleep on the sofa, and she was so beautiful that the\nMerchant\u2019s Son was compelled to kiss her. Then she awoke, and was\nstartled very much; but he said he was a Turkish angel who had come\ndown to her through the air, and that pleased her.\n\nThey sat down side by side, and he told her stories about her eyes; and\nhe told her they were the most glorious dark lakes, and that thoughts\nwere swimming about in them like mermaids. And he told her about her\nforehead; that it was a snowy mountain with the most splendid halls and\npictures. And he told her about the stork who brings the lovely little\nchildren.\n\nYes, those were fine histories! Then he asked the Princess if she would\nmarry him, and she said, \u201cYes,\u201d directly.\n\n\u201cBut you must come here on Saturday,\u201d said she. \u201cThen the Sultan and\nSultana will be here to tea. They will be very proud that I am to marry\na Turkish angel. But take care that you know a very pretty story, for\nboth my parents are very fond indeed of stories. My mother likes them\nhigh-flown and moral, but my father likes them merry, so that one can\nlaugh.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I shall bring no marriage gift but a story,\u201d said he; and so they\nparted. But the Princess gave him a saber, the sheath embroidered with\ngold pieces and that was very useful to him.\n\nNow he flew away, bought a new dressing gown, and sat in the forest and\nmade up a story; it was to be ready by Saturday, and that was not an\neasy thing.\n\nBy the time he had finished it Saturday had come. The Sultan and his\nwife and all the court were at the \u2018Princess\u2019s to tea. He was received\nvery graciously.\n\n\u201cWill you relate us a story?\u201d said the Sultana; \u201cone that is deep and\nedifying.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but one that we can laugh at,\u201d said the Sultan.\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d he replied; and so began. And now listen well.\n\n\u201cThere was once a bundle of Matches, and these Matches were\nparticularly proud of their high descent. Their genealogical tree, that\nis to say, the great fir tree of which each of them was a little\nsplinter, had been a great old tree out in the forest. The Matches now\nlay between a Tinder-box and an old Iron Pot; and they were telling\nabout the days of their youth. \u2018Yes, when we were upon the green\nboughs,\u2019 they said, \u2018then we really were upon the green boughs! Every\nmorning and evening there was diamond tea for us\u2014I mean dew; we had\nsunshine all day long whenever the sun shone, and all the little birds\nhad to tell stories. We could see very well that we were rich, for the\nother trees were only dressed out in summer, while our family had the\nmeans to wear green dresses in the winter as well. But then the\nwoodcutter came, like a great revolution, and our family was broken up.\nThe head of the family got an appointment as mainmast in a first-rate\nship, which could sail round the world if necessary; the other branches\nwent to other places, and now we have the office of kindling a light\nfor the vulgar herd. That\u2019s how we grand people came to be in the\nkitchen.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018My fate was of different kind,\u2019 said the Iron Pot, which stood next\nto the Matches. \u2018From the beginning, ever since I came into the world,\nthere has been a great deal of scouring and cooking done in me. I look\nafter the practical part, and am the first here in the house. My only\npleasure is to sit in my place after dinner, very clean and neat, and\nto carry on a sensible conversation with my comrades. But except the\nWaterpot, which is sometimes taken down into the courtyard, we always\nlive within our four walls. Our only newsmonger is the Market Basket;\nbut he speaks very uneasily about the government and the people. Yes,\nthe other day there was an old pot that fell down, from fright, and\nburst. He\u2019s liberal, I can tell you!\u2019\u2014\u2018Now you\u2019re talking too much,\u2019\nthe Tinder-box interrupted, and the steel struck against the flint, so\nthat sparks flew out. \u2018Shall we not have a merry evening?\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Yes, let us talk about who is the grandest,\u2019 said the Matches.\n\n\u201c\u2018No, I don\u2019t like to talk about myself,\u2019 retorted the Pot. \u2018Let us get\nup an evening entertainment. I will begin. I will tell a story from\nreal life, something that everyone has experienced, so that we can\neasily imagine the situation, and take pleasure in it. On the Baltic,\nby the Danish shore\u2014\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018That\u2019s a pretty beginning!\u2019 cried all the Plates. \u2018That will be a\nstory we shall like.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Yes, it happened to me in my youth, when I lived in a family where\nthe furniture was polished, the floors scoured, and new curtains were\nput up every fortnight.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018What an interesting way you have of telling a story!\u2019 said the Carpet\nBroom. \u2018One can tell directly that a man is speaking who has been in\nwoman\u2019s society. There\u2019s something pure runs through it.\u2019\n\n\u201cAnd the Pot went on telling the story, and the end was as good as the\nbeginning.\n\n\u201cAll the Plates rattled with joy, and the Carpet Broom brought some\ngreen parsley out of the dust hole, and put it like a wreath on the\nPot, for he knew that it would vex the others. \u2018If I crown him to-day,\u2019\nit thought, \u2018he will crown me tomorrow.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Now I\u2019ll dance,\u2019 said the Fire Tongs; and they danced. Preserve us!\nhow that implement could lift up one leg! The old chair-cushion burst\nto see it. \u2018Shall I be crowned too?\u2019 thought the Tongs; and indeed a\nwreath was awarded.\n\n\u201c\u2018They\u2019re only common people, after all!\u2019 thought the Matches.\n\n\u201cNow the Tea Urn was to sing; but she said she had taken cold and could\nnot sing unless she felt boiling within. But that was only affectation:\nshe did not want to sing, except when she was in the parlor with the\ngrand people.\n\n\u201cIn the window sat an old Quill Pen, with which the maid generally\nwrote: there was nothing remarkable about this pen, except that it had\nbeen dipped too deep into the ink, but she was proud of that. \u2018If the\nTea Urn won\u2019t sing,\u2019 she said, \u2018she may leave it alone. Outside hangs a\nnightingale in a cage, and he can sing. He hasn\u2019t had any education,\nbut this evening we\u2019ll say nothing about that.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018I think it very wrong,\u2019 said the Teakettle\u2014he was the kitchen singer,\nand half brother to the Tea Urn\u2014\u2018that that rich and foreign bird should\nbe listened to. Is that patriotic? Let the Market Basket decide.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018I am vexed,\u2019 said the Market Basket. \u2018No one can imagine how much I\nam secretly vexed. Is that a proper way of spending the evening? Would\nit not be more sensible to put the house in order? Let each one go to\nhis own place, and I will arrange the whole game. That would be quite\nanother thing.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, let us make a disturbance, cried they all. Then the door opened,\nand the maid came in, and they all stood still; not one stirred. But\nthere was not one pot among them who did not know what he could do and\nhow grand he was. \u2018Yes, if I had liked,\u2019 each one thought, \u2018it might\nhave been a very merry evening.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe servant girl took the Matches and lighted the fire with them.\nmercy! how they sputtered and burst out into flame! \u2018Now everyone can\nsee,\u2019 thought they, \u2018that we are the first. How we shine! what a\nlight!\u2019\u2014and they burned out.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat was a capital story,\u201d said the Sultana. \u201cI feel myself quite\ncarried away to the kitchen, to the Matches. Yes, now thou shalt marry\nour daughter.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, certainly,\u201d said the Sultan, \u201cthou shalt marry our daughter on\nMonday.\u201d\n\nAnd they called him thou, because he was to belong to the family.\n\nThe wedding was decided on, and on the evening before it the whole city\nwas illuminated. Biscuits and cakes were thrown among the people, the\nstreet boys stood on their toes, called out \u201cHurrah!\u201d and whistled on\ntheir fingers. It was uncommonly splendid.\n\n\u201cYes, I shall have to give something as a treat,\u201d thought the\nMerchant\u2019s Son. So he bought rockets and crackers, and every imaginable\nsort of fire-work, put them all into his trunk, and flew up into the\nair.\n\n\u201cCrack!\u201d how they went, and how they went off! All the Turks hopped up\nwith such a start that their slippers flew about their ears; such a\nmeteor they had never yet seen. Now they could understand that it must\nbe a Turkish angel who was going to marry the Princess.\n\nWhat stories people tell! Everyone whom he asked about it had seen it\nin a separate way; but one and all thought it fine.\n\n\u201cI saw the Turkish angel himself,\u201d said one. \u201cHe had eyes like glowing\nstars, and a beard like foaming water.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe flew up in a fiery mantle,\u201d said another; \u201cthe most lovely little\ncherub peeped forth from among the folds.\u201d\n\nYes, they were wonderful things that he heard; and on the following day\nhe was to be married.\n\nNow he went back to the forest to rest himself in his trunk. But what\nhad become of that? A spark from the fireworks had set fire to it, and\nthe trunk was burned to ashes. He could not fly any more, and could not\nget to his bride.\n\nShe stood all day on the roof waiting; and most likely she is waiting\nstill. But he wanders through the world, telling fairy tales; but they\nare not so merry as that one he told about the Matches.\n\n\n\n\nTHE DARNING NEEDLE\n\n\nBy Hans Christian Andersen\n\nThere was once a darning needle, who thought herself so fine, she\nimagined she was an embroidery needle.\n\n\u201cTake care, and mind you hold me tight!\u201d she said to the Fingers that\ntook her out. \u201cDon\u2019t let me fall! If I fall on the ground I shall\ncertainly never be found again, for I am so fine!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s as it may be,\u201d said the Fingers; and they grasped her round the\nbody.\n\n\u201cSee, I\u2019m coming with a train!\u201d said the Darning Needle, and she drew a\nlong thread after her, but there was no knot in the thread.\n\nThe Fingers pointed the needle just at the cook\u2019s slipper, in which the\nupper leather had burst, and was to be sewn together.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s vulgar work,\u201d said the Darning Needle. \u201cI shall never get\nthrough. I\u2019m breaking! I\u2019m breaking!\u201d And she really broke. \u201cDid I not\nsay so?\u201d said the Darning Needle; \u201cI\u2019m too fine!\u201d\n\n\u201cNow it\u2019s quite useless,\u201d said the Fingers; but they were obliged to\nhold her fast, all the same; for the cook dropped some sealing wax upon\nthe needle, and pinned her handkerchief together with it in front.\n\n\u201cSo, now I\u2019m a breastpin!\u201d said the Darning Needle. \u201cI knew very well\nthat I should come to honor: when one is something, one comes to\nsomething!\u201d\n\nAnd she laughed quietly to herself\u2014and one can never see when a darning\nneedle laughs. There she sat, as proud as if she was in a state coach,\nand looked all about her.\n\n\u201cMay I be permitted to ask if you are of gold?\u201d she inquired of the\npin, her neighbor. \u201cYou have a very pretty appearance, and a peculiar\nhead, but it is only little. You must take pains to grow, for it\u2019s not\neveryone that has sealing wax dropped upon him.\u201d\n\nAnd the Darning Needle drew herself up so proudly that she fell out of\nthe handkerchief right into the sink, which the cook was rinsing out.\n\n\u201cNow we\u2019re going on a journey,\u201d said the Darning Needle. \u201cIf I only\ndon\u2019t get lost!\u201d\n\nBut she really was lost.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m too fine for this world,\u201d she observed, as she lay in the gutter.\n\u201cBut I know who I am, and there\u2019s always something in that!\u201d\n\nSo the Darning Needle kept her proud behavior, and did not lose her\ngood humor. And things of many kinds swam over her, chips and straws\nand pieces of old newspapers.\n\n\u201cOnly look how they sail!\u201d said the Darning Needle. \u201cThey don\u2019t know\nwhat is under them! I\u2019m here, I remain firmly here. See, there goes a\nchip thinking of nothing in the world but of himself\u2014of a chip! There\u2019s\na straw going by now. How he turns! how he twirls about! Don\u2019t think\nonly of yourself, you might easily run up against a stone. There swims\na bit of newspaper. What\u2019s written upon it has long been forgotten, and\nyet it gives itself airs. I sit quietly and patiently here. I know who\nI am, and I shall remain what I am.\u201d\n\nOne day something lay close beside her that glittered splendidly; then\nthe Darning Needle believed that it was a diamond; but it was a bit of\nbroken bottle; and because it shone, the Darning Needle spoke to it,\nintroducing herself as a breastpin.\n\n\u201cI suppose you are a diamond?\u201d she observed.\n\n\u201cWhy, yes, something of that kind.\u201d\n\nAnd then each believed the other to be a very valuable thing; and they\nbegan speaking about the world, and how very conceited it was.\n\n\u201cI have been in a lady\u2019s box,\u201d said the Darning Needle, \u201cand this lady\nwas a cook. She had five fingers on each hand, and I never saw anything\nso conceited as those five fingers. And yet they were only there that\nthey might take me out of the box and put me back into it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWere they of good birth?\u201d asked the Bit of Bottle.\n\n\u201cNo, indeed,\u201d cried the Darning Needle, \u201cbut very haughty. There were\nfive brothers, all of the finger family. They kept very proudly\ntogether, though they were of different lengths: the outermost, the\nthumbling, was short and fat; he walked out in front of the ranks, and\nonly had one joint in his back, and could only make a single bow; but\nhe said that if he were hacked off a man, that man was useless for\nservice in war. Daintymouth, the second finger, thrust himself into\nsweet and sour, pointed to sun and moon, and gave the impression when\nthey wrote. Longrnan, the third, looked at all the others over his\nshoulder. Goldborder, the fourth, went about with a golden belt round\nhis waist; and little Playman did nothing at all, and was proud of it.\nThere was nothing but bragging among them, and therefore I went away.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd now we sit here and glitter!\u201d said the Bit of Bottle.\n\nAt that moment more water came into the gutter, so that it overflowed,\nand the Bit of Bottle was carried away.\n\n\u201cSo he is disposed of,\u201d observed the Darning Needle. \u201cI remain here, I\nam too fine. But that\u2019s my pride, and my pride is honorable.\u201d And\nproudly she sat there, and had many great thoughts. \u201cI could almost\nbelieve I had been born of a sunbeam, I\u2019m so fine! It really appears as\nif the sunbeams were always seeking for me under the water. Ah! I\u2019m so\nfine that my mother cannot find me. If I had my old eye, which broke\noff, I think I should cry; but, no, I should not do that: it\u2019s not\ngenteel to cry.\u201d\n\nOne day a couple of street boys lay grubbing in the gutter where they\nsometimes find old nails, farthings, and similar treasures. It was\ndirty work, but they took great delight in it.\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d cried one, who had pricked himself with the Darning Needle,\nthere\u2019s a fellow for you!\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not a fellow; I\u2019m a young lady!\u201d said the Darning Needle.\n\nBut nobody listened to her. The sealing wax had come off, and she had\nturned black; but black makes one look slender, and she thought herself\nfiner even than before.\n\n\u201cHere comes an eggshell sailing along!\u201d said the boys; and they stuck\nthe Darning Needle fast in the eggshell.\n\n\u201cWhite walls, and black myself! that looks well,\u201d remarked the Darning\nNeedle. \u201cNow one can see me. I only hope I shall not be seasick!\u201d But\nshe was not seasick at all. \u201cIt is good against seasickness, if one has\na steel stomach, and does not forget that one is a little more than an\nordinary person! Now my seasickness is over. The finer one is, the more\none can bear.\u201d\n\n\u201cCrack!\u201d went the eggshell, for a wagon went over her.\n\n\u201cGood heavens, how it crushes one!\u201d said the Darning Needle. \u201cI\u2019m\ngetting seasick now\u2014I\u2019m quite sick.\u201d\n\nBut she was not really sick, though the wagon went over her; she lay\nthere at full length, and there she may lie.\n\n\n\n\nPEN AND INKSTAND\n\n\nBy Hans Christian Andersen\n\nThe following remark was made in a poet\u2019s room, as the speaker looked\nat the inkstand that stood upon his table:\n\n\u201cIt is marvelous all that can come out of that ink-stand! What will it\nproduce next? Yes, it is marvelous!\u201d\n\n\u201cSo it is!\u201d exclaimed the Inkstand. \u201cIt is incomprehensible! That is\nwhat I always say.\u201d It was thus the Inkstand addressed itself to the\nPen, and to everything else that could hear it on the table. \u201cIt is\nreally astonishing all that can come from me! It is almost incredible!\nI positively do not know myself what the next thing may be, when a\nperson begins to dip into me. One drop of me serves for half a side of\npaper; and what may not then appear upon it? I am certainly something\nextraordinary. From me proceed all the works of the poets. These\nanimated beings, whom people think they recognize\u2014these deep feelings,\nthat gay humor, these charming descriptions of nature\u2014I do not\nunderstand them myself, for I know nothing about nature; but still it\nis all in me. From me have gone forth, and still go forth, these\nwarrior hosts, these lovely maidens, these bold knights on snorting\nsteeds, those droll characters in humbler life. The fact is, however,\nthat I do not know anything about them myself. I assure you they are\nnot my ideas.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are right there,\u201d replied the Pen. \u201cYou have few ideas, and do not\ntrouble yourself much with thinking, if you did exert yourself to\nthink, you would perceive that you ought to give something that was not\ndry. You supply me with the means of committing to paper what I have in\nme; I write with that. It is the pen that writes. Mankind do not doubt\nthat; and most men have about as much genius for poetry as an old\ninkstand.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou have but little experience,\u201d said the ink-stand. \u201cYou have\nscarcely been a week in use, and you are already half worn out. Do you\nfancy that you are a poet? You are only a servant: and I have had many\nof your kind before you came\u2014many of the goose family, and of English\nmanufacture. I know both quill pens and steel pens. I have had a great\nmany in my service, and I shall have many more still, when he, the man\nwho stirs me up, comes and puts down what he takes from me. I should\nlike very much to know what will be the next thing he will take from\nme.\u201d\n\n\u201cInk tub!\u201d said the Pen.\n\nLate in the evening the Poet returned home. He had been at a concert,\nhad heard a celebrated violin player, and was quite enchanted with his\nwonderful performance. It had been a complete gush of melody that he\nhad drawn from the instrument. Sometimes it seemed like the gentle\nmurmur of a rippling stream, sometimes like the singing of birds,\nsometimes like the tempest sweeping through the mighty pine forests, he\nfancied he heard his own heart weep, but in the sweet tones that can be\nheard in a woman\u2019s charming voice. It seemed as if not only the strings\nof the violin made music, but its bridge, its pegs, and its sounding\nboard. It was astonishing! The piece had been a most difficult one; but\nit seemed like play\u2014as if the bow were but wandering capriciously over\nthe strings. Such was the appearance of facility, that everyone might\nhave supposed he could do it. The violin seemed to sound of itself, the\nbow to play of itself. These two seemed to do it all. One forgot the\nmaster who guided them, who gave them life and soul. Yes, they forgot\nthe master; but the Poet thought of him. He named him, and wrote down\nhis thoughts as follows:\n\n\u201cHow foolish it would be of the violin and the bow, were they to be\nvain in their performance! And yet this is what so often we of the\nhuman species are. Poets, artists, those who make discoveries in\nscience, military and naval commanders\u2014we are all proud of ourselves;\nand yet we are all only the instruments in our Lord\u2019s hands. To Him\nalone be the glory! We have nothing to arrogate to ourselves.\u201d\n\nThis was what the Poet wrote; and he headed it with: \u201cThe Master and\nthe Instruments.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, madam,\u201d said the Pen to the Inkstand when they were again alone,\n\u201cyou heard him read aloud what I had written.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, what I gave you to write,\u201d said the Ink-stand. \u201cIt was a hit at\nyou for your conceit. Strange that you cannot see that people make a\nfool of you! I gave you that hit pretty cleverly. I confess, though, it\nwas rather malicious.\u201d\n\n\u201cInkholder!\u201d cried the Pen.\n\n\u201cWriting stick!\u201d cried the Inkstand.\n\nThey both felt assured that they had answered well; and it is a\npleasant reflection that one has made a smart reply\u2014one sleeps\ncomfortably after it. And they both went to sleep; but the Poet could\nnot sleep. His thoughts welded forth like the tones from the violin,\ntrilling like pearls, rushing like a storm through the forest. He\nrecognized the feeling of his own heart\u2014he perceived the gleam from the\neverlasting Master.\n\nTo Him alone be the glory!\n\n\n\n\nCINDERELLA\n\n\nRetold by Miss Mulock\n\nThere was once an honest gentleman who took for his second wife a lady,\nthe proudest and most disagreeable in the whole country. She had two\ndaughters exactly like herself in all things. He also had one little\ngirl, who resembled her dead mother, the best woman in all the world.\nScarcely had the second marriage taken place, than the stepmother\nbecame jealous of the good qualities of the little girl who was so\ngreat a contrast to her own two daughters. She gave her all the menial\noccupations of the house; compelled her to wash the floors and\nstaircases; to dust the bedrooms, and clean the grates; and while her\nsisters occupied carpeted chambers hung with mirrors, where they could\nsee themselves from head to foot, this poor little damsel was sent to\nsleep in an attic, on an old straw mattress, with only one chair and\nnot a looking-glass in the room.\n\nShe suffered all in silence, not daring to complain to her father, who\nwas entirely ruled by his new wife. When her daily work was done, she\nused to sit down in the chimney corner among the ashes; from which the\ntwo sisters gave her the nickname of Cinderella. But Cinderella,\nhowever, shabbily clad, was handsomer than they were with all their\nfine clothes.\n\nIt happened that the king\u2019s son gave a series of balls, to which were\ninvited all the rank and fashion of the city, and among the rest the\ntwo elder sisters. They were very proud and happy, and occupied their\nwhole time in deciding what they should wear; a source of new trouble\nto Cinderella, whose duty it was to get up their fine linen and laces,\nand who never could please them however much she tried. They talked of\nnothing but their clothes.\n\n\u201cI,\u201d said the elder, \u201cshall wear my velvet gown and my trimmings of\nEnglish lace.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I,\u201d added the younger, \u201cwill have but my ordinary silk petticoat,\nbut I shall adorn it with an upper skirt of flowered brocade, and shall\nput on my diamond tiara, which is a great deal finer than anything of\nyours.\u201d\n\nHere the elder sister grew angry, and the dispute began to run so high\nthat Cinderella, who was known to have excellent taste, was called upon\nto decide between them. She gave them the best advice she could, and\ngently and submissively offered to dress them herself, and especially\nto arrange their hair, an accomplishment in which she excelled many a\nnoted coiffeur. The important evening came, and she exercised all her\nskill to adorn the two young ladies. While she was combing out the\nelder\u2019s hair, this ill-natured girl said sharply, \u201cCinderella, do you\nnot wish you were going to the ball?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, madam\u201d (they obliged her always to say madam), \u201cyou are only\nmocking me; it is not my fortune to have any such pleasure.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are right; people would only laugh to see a little cinder wench at\na ball.\u201d\n\nAny other than Cinderella would have dressed the hair all awry, but she\nwas good, and dressed it perfectly even and smooth, and as prettily as\nshe could.\n\nThe sisters had scarcely eaten for two days, and had broken a dozen\nstaylaces a day, in trying to make themselves slender; but to-night\nthey broke a dozen more, and lost their tempers over and over again\nbefore they had completed their toilet. When at last the happy moment\narrived, Cinderella followed them to the coach; after it had whirled\nthem away, she sat down by the kitchen fire and cried.\n\nImmediately her godmother, who was a fairy, appeared beside her. \u201cWhat\nare you crying for, my little maid?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I wish\u2014I wish\u2014\u201d Her sobs stopped her.\n\n\u201cYou wish to go to the ball; isn\u2019t it so?\u201d\n\nCinderella nodded.\n\n\u201cWell then, be a good girl, and you shall go. First run into the garden\nand fetch me the largest pumpkin you can find.\u201d\n\nCinderella did not comprehend what this had to do with her going to the\nball, but being obedient and obliging, she went. Her godmother took the\npumpkin, and having scooped out all its inside, struck it with her\nwand; it became a splendid gilt coach, lined with rose-colored satin.\n\n\u201cNow fetch me the mousetrap out of the pantry, my dear.\u201d\n\nCinderella brought it; it contained six of the fattest, sleekest mice.\nThe fairy lifted up the wire door, and as each mouse ran out she struck\nit and changed it into a beautiful black horse.\n\n\u201cBut what shall I do for your coachman, Cinderella?\u201d\n\nCinderella suggested that she had seen a large black rat in the rat\ntrap, and he might do for want of better.\n\n\u201cYou are right; go and look again for him.\u201d\n\nHe was found; and the fairy made him into a most respectable coachman,\nwith the finest whiskers imaginable. She afterward took six lizards\nfrom behind the pumpkin frame, and changed them into six footmen, all\nin splendid livery, who immediately jumped up behind the carriage, as\nif they had been footmen all their days. \u201cWell, Cinderella, now you can\ngo to the ball.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat, in these clothes?\u201d said Cinderella piteously, looking down on\nher ragged frock.\n\nHer godmother laughed, and touched her also with the wand; at which her\nwretched threadbare jacket became stiff with gold, and sparkling with\njewels; her woolen petticoat lengthened into a gown of sweeping satin,\nfrom underneath which peeped out her little feet, no longer bare, but\ncovered with silk stockings, and the prettiest glass slippers in the\nworld. \u201cNow, Cinderella, depart; but remember, if you stay one instant\nafter midnight, your carriage will become a pumpkin, your coachman a\nrat, your horses mice, and your footmen lizards; while you, yourself,\nwill be the little cinder wench you were an hour ago.\u201d\n\nCinderella promised without fear, her heart was so full of joy.\n\nArrived at the palace, the king\u2019s son, whom some one, probably the\nfairy, had told to await the coming of an uninvited princess, whom\nnobody knew, was standing at the entrance, ready to receive her. He\noffered her his hand, and led her with the utmost courtesy through the\nassembled guests, who stood aside to let her pass, whispering to one\nanother, \u201cOh, how beautiful she is!\u201d It might have turned the head of\nanyone but poor Cinderella, who was so used to be despised, that she\ntook it all as if it were something happening in a dream.\n\nHer triumph was complete; even the old king said to the queen, that\nnever since her majesty\u2019s young days had he seen so charming and\nelegant a person. All the court ladies scanned her eagerly, clothes and\nall, determining to have theirs made next day of exactly the same\npattern. The king\u2019s son himself led her out to dance, and she danced so\ngracefully that he admired her more and more. Indeed, at supper, which\nwas fortunately early, his admiration quite took away his appetite. For\nCinderella, herself, with an involuntary shyness, sought out her\nsisters; placed herself beside them and offered them all sorts of civil\nattentions, which coming as they supposed from a stranger, and so\nmagnificent a lady, almost overwhelmed them with delight.\n\nWhile she was talking with them, she heard the clock strike a quarter\nto twelve, and making a courteous adieu to the royal family, she\nreentered her carriage, escorted tenderly by the king\u2019s son, and\narrived in safety at her own door. There she found her godmother, who\nsmiled approval; and of whom she begged permission to go to a second\nball, the following night, to which the queen had earnestly invited\nher.\n\nWhile she was talking, the two sisters were heard knocking at the gate,\nand the fairy godmother vanished, leaving Cinderella sitting in the\nchimney corner, rubbing her eves and pretending to be very sleepy.\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d cried the eldest sister maliciously, \u201cit has been the most\ndelightful ball, and there was present the most beautiful princess I\never saw, who was so exceedingly polite to us both.\u201d\n\n\u201cWas she?\u201d said Cinderella indifferently; \u201cand who might she be?\u201d\n\n\u201cNobody knows, though everybody would give their eyes to know,\nespecially the king\u2019s Son.\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed!\u201d replied Cinderella, a little more interested; \u201cI should like\nto see her. Miss Javotte\u201d\u2014that was the elder sister\u2019s name\u2014\u201cwill you\nnot let me go to-morrow, and lend me your yellow gown that you wear on\nSundays?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat, lend my yellow gown to a cinder wench! I am not so mad as that;\u201d\nat which refusal Cinderella did not complain, for if her sister really\nhad lent her the gown, she would have been considerably embarrassed.\n\nThe next night came, and the two young ladies, richly dressed in\ndifferent toilets, went to the ball.\n\nCinderella, more splendidly attired and beautiful than ever, followed\nthem shortly after. \u201cNow remember twelve o\u2019clock,\u201d was her godmother\u2019s\nparting speech; and she thought she certainly should. But the prince\u2019s\nattentions to her were greater even than the first evening, and in the\ndelight of listening to his pleasant conversation, time slipped by\nunperceived. While she was sitting beside him in a lovely alcove, and\nlooking at the moon from under a bower of orange blossoms, she heard a\nclock strike the first stroke of twelve. She started up, and fled away\nas lightly as a deer.\n\nAmazed, the prince followed, but could not catch her. Indeed he missed\nhis lovely princess altogether, and only saw running out of the palace\ndoors, a little dirty lass whom he had never beheld before, and of whom\nhe certainly would never have taken the least notice. Cinderella\narrived at home breathless and weary, ragged and cold, without\ncarriage, or footman or coachman; the only remnant of her past\nmagnificence being one of her little glass slippers\u2014the other she had\ndropped in the ballroom as she ran away.\n\nWhen the two sisters returned, they were full of this strange\nadventure, how the beautiful lady had appeared at the ball more\nbeautiful than ever, and enchanted everyone who looked at her; and how\nas the clock was striking twelve she had suddenly risen up and fled\nthrough the ballroom, disappearing no one knew how or where, and\ndropping one of her glass slippers behind her in her flight. How the\nking\u2019s son had remained inconsolable, until he chanced to pick up the\nlittle glass slipper, which he carried away in his pocket, and was seen\nto take it out continually, and look at it affectionately, with the air\nof a man very much in love; in fact, from his behavior during the\nremainder of the evening, all the court and royal family were convinced\nthat he had become desperately enamored of the wearer of the little\nglass slipper.\n\nCinderella listened in silence, turning her face to the kitchen fire,\nand perhaps it was that which made her look so rosy, but nobody ever\nnoticed or admired her at home, so it did not signify, and next morning\nshe went to her weary work again just as before.\n\nA few days after, the whole city was attracted by the sight of a herald\ngoing round with a little glass slipper in his hand, publishing with a\nflourish of trumpets, that the king\u2019s son ordered this to be fitted on\nthe foot of every lady in the kingdom, and that he wished to marry the\nlady whom it fitted best, or to whom it and the fellow slipper\nbelonged. Princesses, duchesses, countesses, and simple gentlewomen all\ntried it on, but being a fairy slipper, it fitted nobody; and besides,\nnobody could produce its fellow slipper, which lay all the time safely\nin the pocket of Cinderella\u2019s old linsey gown.\n\nAt last the herald came to the house of the two sisters, and though\nthey well knew neither of themselves was the beautiful lady, they made\nevery attempt to get their clumsy feet into the glass slipper, but in\nvain.\n\n\u201cLet me try it on,\u201d said Cinderella from the chimney corner.\n\n\u201cWhat, you?\u201d cried the others, bursting into shouts of laughter; but\nCinderella only smiled, and held out her hand.\n\nHer sisters cou1d not prevent her, since the command was that every\nyoung maiden in the city should try on the slipper, in order that no\nchance might be left untried, for the prince was nearly breaking his\nheart; and his father and mother were afraid that though a prince, he\nwould actually die for love of the beautiful unknown lady.\n\nSo the herald bade Cinderella sit down on a three-legged stool in the\nkitchen, and himself put the slipper on her pretty little foot, which\nit fitted exactly; she then drew from her pocket the fellow slipper,\nwhich she also put on, and stood up\u2014for with the touch of the magic\nshoes all her dress was changed likewise\u2014no longer the poor despised\ncinder wench, but the beautiful lady whom the king\u2019s son loved.\n\nHer sisters recognized her at once. Filled with astonishment, mingled\nwith no little alarm, they threw themselves at her feet, begging her\npardon for all their former unkindness. She raised and embraced them;\ntold them she forgave them with all her heart, and only hoped they\nwould love her always. Then she departed with the herald to the king\u2019s\npalace, and told her whole story to his majesty and the royal family,\nwho were not in the least surprised, for everybody believed in fairies,\nand everybody longed to have a fairy godmother.\n\nFor the young prince, he found her more lovely and lovable than ever,\nand insisted upon marrying her immediately. Cinderella never went home\nagain, but she sent for her two sisters to the palace, and with the\nconsent of all parties married them shortly after to two rich gentlemen\nof the court.\n\n\n\n\nLITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD\n\n\nBy Charles Perrault\n\nOnce upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country\ngirl, the prettiest creature ever seen. Her mother was very fond of\nher, and her grandmother doted on her still more. This good woman had\nmade for her a little red riding-hood, which became the girl so well\nthat everybody called her Little Red Riding-Hood.\n\nOne day her mother, having made some custards, said to her:\n\n\u201cGo, my dear, and see how thy grandmamma does, for I hear she has been\nvery ill; carry her a custard and this little pot of butter.\u201d\n\nLittle Red Riding-Hood set out immediately to go to her grandmother,\nwho lived in another village.\n\nAs she was going through the wood she met with Gaffer Wolf, who had a\nvery great mind to eat her up, but he durst not, because of some fagot\nmakers hard by in the forest. He asked her whither she was going. The\npoor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stop and listen\nto a wolf, said to him:\n\n\u201cI am going to see my grandmamma and carry her a custard and a little\npot of butter from my mamma.\u201d\n\n\u201cDoes she live far off?\u201d said the Wolf.\n\n\u201cOh! yes,\u201d answered Little Red Riding-Hood; \u201cit is beyond that mill you\nsee there, at the first house in the village.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the Wolf, \u201cI\u2019ll go and see her, too. I\u2019ll go this way and\nyou go that, and we shall see who will be there soonest.\u201d\n\nThe Wolf began to run as fast as he could, taking the nearest way, and\nthe little girl went by the longest, diverting herself in gathering\nnuts, running after butterflies, and making nosegays of such little\nflowers as she met with. The Wolf was not long before he got to the old\nwoman\u2019s house. He knocked at the door\u2014tap, tap.\n\n\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d\n\n\u201cYour grandchild, Little Red Riding-Hood,\u201d replied the Wolf, imitating\nher voice; \u201cwho has brought you a custard and a little pot of butter\nsent you by mamma.\u201d\n\nThe good grandmother, who was in bed, because she was ill, cried out:\n\n\u201cPull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.\u201d\n\nThe Wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door opened, and he fell upon the\ngood woman and ate her up in a moment, for it was above three days that\nhe had not touched a bit. He then shut the door and went into the\ngrandmother\u2019s bed, expecting Little Red Riding-Hood, who came some time\nafterward and knocked at the door\u2014tap, tap.\n\n\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d\n\nLittle Red Riding-Hood, hearing the big voice of the Wolf, was at first\nafraid; but believing her grandmother had got a cold and was hoarse,\nanswered:\n\n\u2019Tis your grandchild, Little Red Riding-Hood, who has brought you a\ncustard and a little pot of butter mamma sends you.\u201d\n\nThe Wolf cried out to her, softening his voice as much as he could:\n\n\u201cPull the bobbin and the latch will go up.\u201d\n\nLittle Red Riding-Hood pulled the bobbin and the door opened.\n\nThe wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the\nbedclothes:\n\n\u201cPut the custard and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come\nand lie down with me.\u201d\n\nLittle Red Riding-Hood undressed herself and went into bed, where,\nbeing greatly amazed to see how her grandmother looked in her night\nclothes, she said to her:\n\n\u201cGrandmamma, what great arms you\u2019ve got!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is the better to hug thee, my dear.\u201d\n\n\u201cGrandmamma, what great legs you\u2019ve got!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe better to run, my child.\u201d\n\n\u201cGrandmamma, what great ears you\u2019ve got!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe better to hear, my child!\u201d\n\n\u201cGrandmamma, what great eyes you\u2019ve got!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe better to see, my child.\u201d\n\n\u201cGrandmamma, what great teeth you\u2019ve got!\u201d\n\n\u201cTo eat thee up!\u201d\n\nAnd saying these words, the wicked Wolf fell upon Little Red\nRiding-Hood and ate her all up.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE THREE BEARS\n\n\nBy Robert Southey\n\nOnce upon a time there were three Bears, who lived together in a house\nof their own in a wood. One of them was a Little, Small, Wee Bear; and\none was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great, Huge Bear. They\nhad each a pot for their porridge, a little pot for the Little, Small,\nWee Bear; and a middle-sized pot for the Middle Bear; and a great pot\nfor the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in: a little\nchair for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized chair for the\nMiddle Bear; and a great chair for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had\neach a bed to sleep in: a little bed for the Little, Small, Wee Bear;\nand a middle-sized bed for the Middle Bear; and a great bed for the\nGreat, Huge Bear.\n\nOne day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast and\npoured it into their porridge pots, they walked out into the wood while\nthe porridge was cooling, that they might not burn their mouths by\nbeginning too soon to eat it. And while they were walking a little old\nwoman came to the house. She could not have been a good, honest, old\nwoman; for, first, she looked in at the window, and then she peeped in\nat the keyhole, and, seeing nobody in the house, she lifted the latch.\nThe door was not fastened, because the bears were good bears, who did\nnobody any harm, and never suspected that anybody would harm them. So\nthe little old woman opened the door and went in; and well pleased she\nwas when she saw the porridge on the table. If she had been a good\nlittle old woman she would have waited till the bears came home, and\nthen, perhaps, they would have asked her to breakfast, for they were\ngood hears\u2014a little rough or so, as the manner of bear\u2019s is, but for\nall that very good-natured and hospitable. But she was an impudent, bad\nold woman, and set about helping herself.\n\nSo first she tasted the porridge of the Great Huge Bear, and that was\ntoo hot for her; and she said a bad word about that. And then she\ntasted the porridge of the Middle Bear, and that was too cold for her;\nand she said a bad word about that, too. And then she went to the\nporridge of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and tasted that, and that was\nneither too hot nor too cold, but just right; and she liked it so well\nthat she ate it all up; but the naughty old woman said a bad word about\nthe little porridge pot, because it did not hold enough for her.\n\nThen the little old woman sat down in the chair of the Great, Huge\nBear, and that was too hard for her. And then she sat down in the chair\nof the Middle Bear, and that was too soft for her. And then she sat\ndown in the chair of the Little Small, Wee Bear, and that was neither\ntoo hard nor too soft, but just right. So she seated herself in it, and\nthere she sat till the bottom of the chair came out, and down came she,\nplump upon the ground. And the naughty old woman said wicked words\nabout that, too.\n\nThen the little old woman went upstairs into the bedchamber in which\nthe three Bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed of the\nGreat, Huge Bear, but that was too high at the head for her. And next\nshe lay down upon the bed of the Middle Bear, and that was too high at\nthe foot for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little,\nSmall, Wee Bear, and that was neither too high at the head nor at the\nfoot, but just right. So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay\nthere till she fell asleep. By this time the three Bears thought their\nporridge would be cool enough, so they came home to breakfast. Now the\nlittle old woman had left the spoon of the Great, Huge Bear standing in\nhis porridge.\n\n\u201cSOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!\u201d\n\n\nsaid the Great, Huge Bear, in his great gruff voice. And when the\nMiddle Bear looked at his, he saw that the spoon was standing in it,\ntoo. They were wooden spoons; if they had been silver ones the naughty\nold woman would have put them in her pocket.\n\n\u201cSOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!\u201d\n\n\nsaid the middle Bear, in his middle voice.\n\nThen the Little, Small, Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon\nin the porridge pot, but the porridge was all gone.\n\n\u201cSOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE, AND HAS EATEN IT ALL UP!\u201d\n\n\nsaid the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.\n\nUpon this the three Bears, seeing that some one had entered their house\nand eaten up the Little, Small, Wee Bear\u2019s breakfast, began to look\nabout them. Now the little old woman had not put the hard cushion\nstraight when she rose from the chair of the Great, Huge Bear.\n\n\u201cSOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!\u201d\n\n\nsaid the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.\n\nAnd the little old woman had squatted down the soft cushion of the\nMiddle Bear.\n\n\u201cSOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!\u201d\n\n\nsaid the Middle Bear, in his middle voice.\n\nAnd you know what the little old woman had done to the third chair.\n\n\u201cSOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR, AND HAS SAT THE BOTTOM OUT OF\nIT!\u201d\n\n\nsaid the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.\n\nThen the three bears thought it necessary that they should make further\nsearch; so they went upstairs into their bedchamber. Now the little old\nwoman had pulled the pillow of the Great, Huge Bear out of its place.\n\n\u201cSOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!\u201d\n\n\nsaid the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.\n\nAnd the little old woman had pulled the bolster of the Middle Bear out\nof its place.\n\n\u201cSOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!\u201d\n\n\nsaid the Middle Bear, in his middle voice.\n\nAnd when the Little, Small, Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was\nthe bolster in its place, and upon the pillow was the little old\nwoman\u2019s ugly, dirty head\u2014which was not in its place, for she had no\nbusiness there.\n\n\u201cSOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED\u2014AND HERE SHE IS!\u201d\n\n\nsaid the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.\n\nThe little old woman had heard in her sleep the great, rough, gruff\nvoice of the Great, Huge Bear, but she was so fast asleep that it was\nno more to her than the moaning of wind or the rumbling of thunder. And\nshe had heard the middle voice of the Middle Bear, but it was only as\nif she had heard some one speaking in a dream. But when she heard the\nlittle, small, wee voice of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, it was so\nsharp and so shrill that it awakened her at once. Up she started, and\nwhen she saw the three bears on one side of the bed she tumbled herself\nout at the other and ran to the window. Now the window was open,\nbecause the Bears, like good, tidy bears as they were, always opened\ntheir bedchamber window when they got up in the morning. Out the little\nold woman jumped, and whether she broke her neck in the fall or ran\ninto the wood and was lost there, or found her way out of the wood and\nwas taken up by the constable and sent to the House of Correction for a\nvagrant as she was, I cannot tell. But the three Bears never saw\nanything more of her.\n\n\n\n\nPUSS IN BOOTS\n\n\nBy Charles Perrault\n\nA miller, dying, divided all his property between his three children.\nThis was very easy, as he had nothing to leave but his mill, his ass,\nand his cat; so he made no will, and called in no lawyer. The eldest\nson had the mill; the second, the ass; and the youngest, nothing but\nthe cat. The young fellow was quite downcast at so poor a lot. \u201cMy\nbrothers,\u201d said he, \u201cby putting their property together, may gain an\nhonest living, but there is nothing left for me except to die of\nhunger, unless, indeed, I were to kill my cat and eat him, and make a\nmuff of his skin.\u201d\n\nThe cat, who heard all this, sat up on his four paws, and looking at\nhim with a grave and wise air, said: \u201cMaster, I think you had better\nnot kill me; I shall be much more useful to you alive.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow so?\u201d asked his master.\n\n\u201cYou have but to give me a sack and a pair of boots, such as gentlemen\nwear when they go shooting, and you will find you are not so ill off as\nyou suppose.\u201d\n\nNow, though the young man did not much depend upon the cat\u2019s words,\nstill he thought it rather surprising that a cat should speak at all.\nAnd he had before now seen him play a great many cunning tricks in\ncatching rats and mice, so that it seemed advisable to trust him a\nlittle further; especially as\u2014poor young fellow\u2014he had nobody else to\ntrust.\n\nWhen the cat got his boots, he drew them on with a grand air, and\nslinging his sack over his shoulder, and drawing the cords of it round\nhis neck, he marched bravely to a rabbit warren hard by, with which he\nwas well acquainted. Then, putting some bran and lettuces into his bag,\nand stretching himself out beside it as if he were dead, he waited till\nsome fine, fat young rabbit, ignorant of the wickedness and deceit of\nthe world, should peep into the sack to eat the food that was inside.\nThis happened very shortly, for there are plenty of foolish young\nrabbits in every warren; and when one of them, who really was a\nsplendid fat fellow, put his head inside, Master Puss drew the cords\nimmediately, and took him and killed him without mercy. Then, very\nproud of his prey, he marched direct to the palace, and begged to speak\nwith the King.\n\nHe was told to ascend to the apartment of his majesty, where, making a\nlow bow, he said: \u201cSire, here is a magnificent rabbit, killed in the\nwarren, which belongs to my lord the Marquis of Carabas, and which he\ntold me to offer humbly to your majesty.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell your master,\u201d replied the King, politely, \u201cthat I accept his\npresent, and am very much obliged to him.\u201d\n\nAnother time, Puss went out and hid himself and his sack in a wheat\nfield, and there caught two splendid fat partridges in the same manner\nas he had done the rabbit. When he presented them to the King, with a\nsimilar message as before, his majesty was so pleased that he ordered\nthe cat to be taken down into the kitchen and given something to eat\nand drink; where, while enjoying himself, the faithful animal did not\ncease to talk in the most cunning way of the large preserves and\nabundant game which belonged to his lord the Marquis of Carabas.\n\nOne day, hearing that the King was intending to take a drive along the\nriverside with his daughter, the most beautiful princess in the world,\nPuss said to his master: \u201cSir, if you would only follow my advice, your\nfortune is made.\u201d\n\n\u201cBe it so,\u201d said the miller\u2019s son, who was growing disconsolate, and\ncared very little what he did: \u201cSay your say, cat.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is but little,\u201d replied Puss, looking wise, as cats can. \u201cYou have\nonly to go and bathe in the river at a place which I shall show you,\nand leave all the rest to me. Only remember that you are no longer\nyourself, but my lord the Marquis of Carabas.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust so,\u201d said the miller\u2019s son, \u201cit\u2019s all the same to me;\u201d but he did\nas the cat told him.\n\nWhile he was bathing, the King and all the court passed by, and were\nstartled to hear loud cries of \u201cHelp! help! my lord the Marquis of\nCarabas is drowning.\u201d The King put his head out of the carriage, and\nsaw nobody but the cat, who had at different times brought him so many\npresents of game; however, he ordered his guards to fly quickly to the\nsuccor of my lord the Marquis of Carabas. While they were pulling the\nunfortunate marquis out of the water, the cat came up, bowing, to the\nside of the King\u2019s carriage, and told a long and pitiful story about\nsome thieves who, while his master was bathing, had come and carried\naway all his clothes, so that it would be impossible for him to appear\nbefore his majesty and the illustrious princess.\n\n\u201cOh, we will soon remedy that,\u201d answered the King, kindly and\nimmediately ordered one of the first officers of the household to ride\nback to the palace with all speed, and bring thence a supply of fine\nclothes for the young gentleman, who kept out of sight until they\narrived. Then, being handsome and well-made, his new clothes became him\nso well, that he looked as if he had been a marquis all his days, and\nadvanced with an air of respectful ease to offer his thanks to his\nmajesty.\n\nThe King received him courteously, and the princess admired him very\nmuch. Indeed, so charming did he appear to her, that she hinted to her\nfather to invite him into the carriage with them, which, you may be\nsure the young man did not refuse. The cat, delighted at the success of\nhis scheme, went away as fast as he could, and ran so swiftly that he\nkept a long way ahead of the royal carriage. He went on and on, till he\ncame to some peasants who were mowing in a meadow. \u201cGood people,\u201d said\nhe, in a very firm voice, \u201cthe King is coming past here shortly, and if\nyou do not say that the field you are mowing belongs to my lord the\nMarquis of Carabas, you shall all be chopped as small as mincemeat.\u201d\n\nSo when the King drove by, and asked whose meadow it was where there\nwas such a splendid crop of hay, the mowers all answered, trembling,\nthat it belonged to my lord the Marquis of Carabas.\n\n\u201cYou have very fine land, marquis,\u201d said his majesty to the miller\u2019s\nson, who bowed, and answered that \u201cit was not a bad meadow, take it\naltogether.\u201d\n\nThen the cat came to a wheat field, where the reapers were reaping with\nall their might. He bounced in upon them: \u201cThe King is coming past\nto-day, and if you do not tell him that this wheat belongs to my lord\nthe Marquis of Carabas, I will have you everyone chopped as small as\nmincemeat.\u201d The reapers, very much alarmed, did as they were bid, and\nthe King congratulated the marquis upon possessing such beautiful\nfields, laden with such an abundant harvest.\n\nThey drove on\u2014the cat always running before and saying the same thing\nto everybody he met, that they were to declare that the whole country\nbelonged to his master; so that even the King was astonished at the\nvast estate of my lord the Marquis of Carabas.\n\nBut now the cat arrived at a great castle where dwelt an Ogre, to whom\nbelonged all the land through which the royal carriage had been\ndriving. This Ogre was a cruel tyrant, and his tenants and servants\nwere terribly afraid of him, which accounted for their being so ready\nto say whatever they were told to say by the cat, who had taken pains\nto inform himself all about the Ogre. So, putting on the boldest face\nhe could assume, Puss marched up to the castle with his boots on, and\nasked to see the owner of it, saying that he was on his travels, but\ndid not wish to pass so near the castle of such a noble gentleman\nwithout paying his respects to him. When the Ogre heard this message,\nhe went to the door, received the cat as civilly as an Ogre can, and\nbegged him to walk in and repose himself.\n\n\u201cThank you, sir,\u201d said the cat; \u201cbut first I hope you will satisfy a\ntraveler\u2019s curiosity. I have heard in far countries of your many\nremarkable qualities, and especially how you have the power to change\nyourself into any sort of beast you choose\u2014a lion, for instance, or an\nelephant.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is quite true,\u201d replied the Ogre; \u201cand lest you should doubt it I\nwill immediately become a lion.\u201d\n\nHe did so; and the cat was so frightened that he sprang up to the roof\nof the castle and hid himself in the gutter\u2014a proceeding rather\ninconvenient on account of his boots, which were not exactly fitted to\nwalk with on tiles. At length, perceiving that the Ogre had resumed his\noriginal form, he came down again, and owned that he had been very much\nfrightened.\n\n\u201cBut, sir,\u201d said he, \u201cit may be easy enough for such a big gentleman as\nyou to change himself into a large animal; I do not suppose you could\nbecome a small one\u2014a rat, or mouse, for instance. I have heard that you\ncan; still, for my part, I consider it quite impossible.\u201d\n\n\u201cImpossible!\u201d cried the other, indignantly. \u201cYou shall see!\u201d and\nimmediately the cat saw the Ogre no longer, but a little mouse running\nalong on the floor.\n\nThis was exactly what Puss wanted; and he fell upon him at once and ate\nhim up. So there was an end to the Ogre.\n\nBy this time the King had arrived opposite the castle, and had a strong\nwish to go into it. The cat, hearing the noise of the carriage wheels,\nran forward in a great hurry, and, standing at the gate, said, in a\nloud voice: \u201cWelcome, sire, to the castle of my lord the Marquis of\nCarabas.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d cried his majesty, very much surprised, \u201cdoes the castle also\nbelong to you? Truly, marquis, you have kept your secret well up to the\nlast minute. I have never seen anything finer than this courtyard and\nthese battlements. Let us go in, if you please.\u201d\n\nThe marquis, without speaking, offered his hand to the princess to help\nher to descend, and, standing aside that the King might enter first,\nfollowed his majesty to the great hall, where a magnificent dinner was\nlaid out, and where, without more delays they all sat down to feast.\n\nBefore the banquet was over, the King, charmed with the good qualities\nof the Marquis of Carabas, said, bowing across the table at which the\nprincess and the miller\u2019s son were talking very confidentially\ntogether: \u201cIt rests with you, marquis, whether you will marry my\ndaughter.\u201d\n\n\u201cI shall be only too happy,\u201d said the marquis, and the princess\u2019s\ncast-down eyes declared the same.\n\nSo they were married the very next day, and took possession of the\nOgre\u2019s castle, and of everything that had belonged to him.\n\nAs for the cat, he became at once a great lord, and had nevermore any\nneed to run after mice, except for his own diversion.\n\n\n\n\nJACK THE GIANT-KILLER\n\n\nRetold by Joseph Jacobs\n\nIn the reign of the famous King Arthur there lived in Cornwall a lad\nnamed Jack, who was a boy of a bold temper and took delight in hearing\nor reading of conjurers, giants, and fairies; and used to listen\neagerly to the deeds of the knights of King Arthur\u2019s Round Table.\n\nIn those days there lived on St. Michael\u2019s Mount, off Cornwall, a huge\nGiant, eighteen feet high and nine feet round; his fierce and savage\nlooks were the terror of all who beheld him.\n\nHe dwelt in a gloomy cavern on the top of the mountain, and used to\nwade over to the mainland in search of prey, when he would throw half a\ndozen oxen upon his back, and tie three times as many sheep and hogs\nround his waist, and march back to his own abode.\n\nThe Giant had done this for many years when Jack resolved to destroy\nhim.\n\nJack took a horn, a shovel, a pickaxe, his armor, and a dark lantern,\nand one winter\u2019s evening he went to the mount. There he dug a pit\ntwenty-two feet deep and twenty broad. He covered the top over so as to\nmake it look like solid ground. He then blew such a blast on his horn\nthat the Giant awoke and came out of his den, crying out: \u201cYou saucy\nvillain, you shall pay for this! I\u2019ll broil you for my breakfast!\u201d\n\nHe had just finished, when, taking one step farther, he tumbled\nheadlong into the pit, and Jack struck him a blow on the head with his\npickaxe which killed him. Jack then returned home to cheer his friends\nwith the news.\n\nAnother Giant, called Blunderbore, vowed to be revenged on Jack if ever\nhe should have him in his power.\n\nThis Giant kept an enchanted castle in the midst of a lonely wood, and\nsome time after the death of Cormoran, Jack was passing through a wood,\nand, being weary, sat down and went to sleep.\n\nThe Giant, passing by and seeing Jack, carried him to his castle, where\nhe locked him up in a large room, the floor of which was covered with\nthe bodies, skulls, and bones of men and women.\n\nSoon after, the Giant went to fetch his brother, who was likewise a\nGiant, to take a meal off his flesh, and Jack saw with terror through\nthe bars of his prison the two Giants approaching.\n\nJack, perceiving in one corner of the room a strong cord, took courage,\nand making a slip-knot at each end, he threw them over their heads, and\ntied it to the window-bars; he then pulled till he had choked them.\nWhen they were black in the face he slid down the rope and stabbed them\nto the heart.\n\nJack next took a great bunch of keys from the pocket of Blunderbore and\nwent into the castle again. He made a strict search through all the\nrooms, and in one of them found three ladies tied up by the hair of\ntheir heads and almost starved to death. They told him that their\nhusbands had been killed by the Giants, who had then condemned them to\nbe starved to death.\n\n\u201cLadies,\u201d said Jack, \u201cI have put an end to the monster and his wicked\nbrother, and I give you this castle and all the riches it contains to\nmake some amends for the dreadful pains you have felt.\u201d He then very\npolitely gave them the keys of the castle and went farther on his\njourney to Wales.\n\nAs Jack had but little money, he went on as fast as possible. At length\nhe came to a handsome house.\n\nJack knocked at the door, when there came forth a Welsh Giant. Jack\nsaid he was a traveler who had lost his way, on which the Giant made\nhim welcome and let him into a room where there was a good bed to sleep\nin.\n\nJack took off his clothes quickly, but though he was weary he could not\ngo to sleep. Soon after this he heard the Giant walking backward and\nforward in the next room and saying to himself:\n\n\u201cThough here you shall lodge with me this night,\nYou shall not see the morning light;\nMy club shall dash your brains out quite!\u201d\n\n\n\u201cSay you so?\u201d thought Jack. \u201cAre these your tricks upon travelers? But\nI hope to prove as cunning as you are.\u201d Then, getting out of bed, he\ngroped about the room and at last found a thick tog of wood. He laid it\nin his own place in the bed, and then hid himself in a dark corner of\nthe room.\n\nThe Giant, about midnight, entered the apartment, and with his bludgeon\nstruck many blows on the bed, in the very place where Jack had laid the\nlog; and then he went back to his own room, thinking he had broken all\nJack\u2019s bones.\n\nEarly in the morning Jack put a bold face upon the matter and walked\ninto the Giant\u2019s room to thank him for his lodging. The Giant started\nwhen he saw him, and began to stammer out: \u201cOh! dear me; is it you?\nPray, how did you sleep last night? Did you hear or see anything in the\ndead of the night?\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing worth speaking of,\u201d said Jack, carelessly; \u201ca rat, I believe,\ngave me three or four slaps with its tail, and disturbed me a little;\nbut I soon went to sleep again.\u201d\n\nThe Giant wondered more and more at this; yet he did not answer a word,\nbut went to bring two great bowls of hasty-pudding for their breakfast.\nJack wanted to make the Giant believe that he could eat as much as\nhimself so he contrived to button a leathern bag inside his coat and\nslip the hasty-pudding into this bag while he seemed to put it into his\nmouth.\n\nWhen breakfast was over he said to the Giant: \u201cNow I will show you a\nfine trick. I can cure all wounds with a touch; I could cut off my head\nin one minute, and the next put it sound again on my shoulders. You\nshall see an example.\u201d He then took hold of the knife, ripped up the\nleathern bag, and all the hasty-pudding tumbled out upon the floor.\n\n\u201cOds splutter hur nails!\u201d cried the Welsh Giant, who was ashamed to be\noutdone by such a little fellow as Jack, \u201chur can do that hurself;\u201d so\nhe snatched up the knife, plunged it into his own stomach, and in a\nmoment dropped down dead.\n\nJack, having hitherto been successful in all his undertakings, resolved\nnot to be idle in future; he therefore furnished himself with a horse,\na cap of knowledge, a sword of sharpness, shoes of swiftness, and an\ninvisible coat, the better to perform the wonderful enterprises that\nlay before him.\n\nHe traveled over high hills, and on the third day he came to a large\nand spacious forest through which his road lay. Scarcely had he entered\nthe forest when he beheld a monstrous Giant dragging along by the hair\nof their heads a handsome Knight and his lady. Jack alighted from his\nhorse, and tying him to an oak-tree, put on his invisible coat, under\nwhich he carried his sword of sharpness.\n\nWhen he came up to the Giant he made several strokes at him, but could\nnot reach his body, but wounded his thighs in several places; and at\nlength, putting both hands to his sword and aiming with all his might,\nhe cut off both his legs. Then Jack, setting his foot upon his neck,\nplunged his sword into the Giant\u2019s body, when the monster gave a groan\nand expired.\n\nThe Knight and his 1ady thanked Jack for their deliverance, and invited\nhim to their house to receive a proper reward for his services. \u201cNo,\u201d\nSaid Jack, \u201cI cannot be easy till I find out this monster\u2019s\nhabitation.\u201d So taking the Knight\u2019s directions, he mounted his horse\nand soon after came in sight of another Giant, who was sitting on a\nblock of timber waiting for his brother\u2019s return.\n\nJack alighted from his horse, and, putting on his invisible coat,\napproached and aimed a blow at the Giant\u2019s head, but missing his aim he\nonly cut off his nose. On this the Giant seized his club and laid about\nhim most unmercifully.\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d said Jack, \u201cif this be the case I\u2019d better dispatch you!\u201d So\njumping upon the block, he stabbed him in the back, when he dropped\ndown dead.\n\nJack then proceeded on his journey, and traveled over hills and dales\ntill, arriving at the foot of a high mountain, he knocked at the door\nof a lonely house, when an old man let him in.\n\nWhen Jack was seated the hermit thus addressed him: \u201cMy son, on the top\nof this mountain is an enchanted castle, kept by the Giant Galligantus\nand a vile magician. I lament the fate of a duke\u2019s daughter, whom they\nseized as she was walking in her father\u2019s garden, and brought hither\ntransformed into a deer.\u201d\n\nJack promised that in the morning, at the risk of his life, he would\nbreak the enchantment; and after a sound sleep he rose early, put on\nhis invisible coat, and got ready for the attempt.\n\nWhen he had climbed to the top of the mountain he saw two fiery\ngriffins; but he passed between them without the least fear of danger,\nfor they could not see him because of his invisible coat. On the castle\ngate he found a golden trumpet, under which were written these lines:\n\nWhoever can this trumpet blow\nShall cause the giant\u2019s overthrow.\n\n\nAs soon as Jack had read this he seized the trumpet and blew a shrill\nblast, which made the gates fly open and the very castle itself\ntremble.\n\nThe Giant and the conjurer now knew that their wicked course was at an\nend, and they stood biting their thumbs and shaking within fear. Jack,\nwith his sword of sharpness, soon killed the Giant, and the magician\nwas then carried away by a whirlwind; and every knight and beautiful\nlady who had been changed into birds and beasts returned to their\nproper shapes. The castle vanished away like smoke, and the head of the\nGiant Galligantus was sent to King Arthur.\n\nThe knights and ladies rested that night at the old man\u2019s hermitage,\nand next day they set out for the Court. Jack then went up to the King\nand gave his Majesty an account of all his fierce battles.\n\nJack\u2019s fame had now spread through the whole country, and at the King\u2019s\ndesire the Duke gave him his daughter in marriage, to the joy of all\nhis kingdom. After this the King gave him a large estate, on which he\nand his lady lived the rest of their days in joy and contentment.\n\n\n\n\nTOM THUMB\n\n\nRetold by Joseph Jacobs\n\nIn the days of the great Prince Arthur, there lived a mighty magician,\nnamed Merlin, the most learned and skillful enchanter the world has\never seen.\n\nThis famous magician, who could take any form he pleased, was\ntravelling about as a poor beggar, and being very tired he stopped at\nthe cottage of a Ploughman to rest himself, and asked for some food.\n\nThe countryman bade him welcome, and his wife, who was a very\ngood-hearted woman, brought him some milk in a wooden bowl and some\ncoarse brown bread on a platter.\n\nMerlin was much pleased with the kindness of the Ploughman and his\nwife; but he could not help noticing that though everything was neat\nand comfortable in the cottage, they both seemed to be very unhappy. He\ntherefore asked them why they were so melancholy, and learned that they\nwere miserable because they had no children.\n\nThe Poor Woman said, with tears in her eves: \u201cI should be the happiest\ncreature in the world if I had a son although he was no bigger than my\nhusband\u2019s thumb.\u201d\n\nMerlin was so much amused with the idea of a boy no bigger than a man\u2019s\nthumb that he determined to grant the Poor Woman\u2019s wish. Accordingly,\nin a short time after, the Ploughman\u2019s wife had a son, who, wonderful\nto relate! was not a bit bigger than his father\u2019s thumb.\n\nThe Queen of the fairies, wishing to see the little fellow, came in at\nthe window, while the mother was sitting up in bed admiring him. The\nQueen kissed the child, and, giving it the name of Tom Thumb, sent for\nsome of the fairies, who dressed her little godson according to her\norders:\n\nAn oak-leaf hat he had for his crown;\nHis shirt of web by spiders spun;\nWith jacket wove of thistle\u2019s down;\nHis trousers were of feathers done.\nHis stockings, of apple rind, they tie\nWith eyelash from his mother\u2019s eye:\nHis shoes were made of mouse\u2019s skin,\nTann\u2019d with the downy hair within.\n\n\nTom never grew any larger than his father\u2019s thumb, but as he got older\nhe became very cunning and full of tricks. When he was old enough to\nplay with the boys, and had lost all his own cherry stones, he used to\ncreep into the bags of his play-fellows, fill his pockets, and, getting\nout without their noticing him, would again join in the game.\n\nOne day, as he was coming out of a bag of cherry stones, where he had\nbeen stealing as usual, the boy to whom it belonged chanced to see him.\n\u201cAh, ah! my little Tommy,\u201d said the boy, \u201cso I have caught you stealing\nmy cherry stones at last, and you shall be rewarded for your thievish\ntricks.\u201d On saying this, he drew the string tight round his neck, and\ngave the bag such a hearty shake that poor little Tom\u2019s legs, thighs\nand body were sadly bruised. He roared out with pain and begged to be\nlet out, promising never to steal again.\n\nA short time afterwards his mother was making a batter pudding, and\nTom, being anxious to see how it was made, climbed up to the edge of\nthe bowl; but his foot slipped, and he plumped over head and ears into\nthe batter, without his mother noticing him, who stirred him into the\npudding-bag, and put him in the pot to boil.\n\nThe batter filled Tom\u2019s mouth, and prevented him from crying; but, upon\nfeeling the hot water, he kicked and struggled so much in the pot that\nhis mother thought that the pudding was bewitched, and, pulling it out\nof the pot, she threw it outside the door. A poor tinker, who was\npassing by, lifted up the pudding, put it in his bag, and walked off.\nAs Tom had now got his mouth cleared of the batter, he began to cry\naloud, which so frightened the tinker that he flung down the pudding\nand ran away. The pudding being broke to pieces by the fall, Tom crept\nout covered all over with the batter, and walked home. His mother, who\nwas very sorry to see her darling in such a woeful state, put him into\na teacup and soon washed off the batter; after which she kissed him and\nlaid him in bed.\n\nSoon after the adventure of the pudding, Tom\u2019s mother went to milk her\ncow in the meadow, and she took him along with her. As the wind was\nvery high, for fear of being blown away, she tied him to a thistle with\na piece of fine thread. The cow soon observed Tom\u2019s oak-leaf hat, and\nliking the appearance of it, took poor Tom and the thistle at one\nmouthful. While the cow was chewing the thistle Tom was afraid of her\ngreat teeth, which threatened to crush him in pieces, and he roared out\nas loud as he could: \u201cMother, mother!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere are you, Tommy, my dear Tommy?\u201d said his mother.\n\n\u201cHere, mother,\u201d replied he, \u201cin the red cow\u2019s mouth.\u201d\n\nHis mother began to cry and wring her hands; but the cow, surprised at\nthe odd noise in her throat, opened her mouth and let Tom drop out.\nFortunately his mother caught him in her apron as he was falling to the\nground, or he would have been dreadfully hurt. She then put Tom in her\nbosom and ran home with him.\n\nTom\u2019s father made him a whip of barley straw to drive the cattle with,\nand having one day gone into the fields, Tom slipped a foot and rolled\ninto the furrow. A raven, which was flying over, picked him up and flew\nwith him over the sea, and there dropped him.\n\nA large fish swallowed Tom the moment he fell into the sea, which was\nsoon after caught and bought for the table of King Arthur. When they\nopened the fish in order to cook it, every one was astonished at\nfinding such a little boy, and Tom was quite delighted at being free\nagain. They carried him to the King, who made Tom his dwarf, and he\nsoon became a great favorite at court; for by his tricks and gambols he\nnot only amused the King and Queen, but also the Knights of the Round\nTable.\n\nIt is said that when the King rode out on horseback he often took Tom\nalong with him, and if a shower came on he used to creep into his\nMajesty\u2019s waistcoat pocket, where he slept till the rain was over.\n\nKing Arthur one day asked Tom about his parents, wishing to know if\nthey were as small as he was, and whether they were well off. Tom told\nthe King that his father and mother were as tall as anybody about the\ncourt, but in rather poor circumstances. On hearing this, the King\ncarried Tom to his treasury, the place where he kept all his money, and\ntold him to take as much money as he could carry home to his parents,\nwhich made the poor little fellow caper with joy. Tom went immediately\nto procure a purse which was made of a water-bubble, and then returned\nto the treasury, where he received a silver three-penny piece to put\ninto it.\n\nOur little hero had some difficulty in lifting the burden upon his\nback; but he at last succeeded in getting it placed and set forward on\nhis journey. Without meeting with any accident, and after resting\nhimself more than a hundred times by the way, in two days and two\nnights he reached his father\u2019s house in safety.\n\nTom had traveled forty-eight hours with a huge silver piece on his\nback, and was almost tired to death, when his mother ran out to meet\nhim and carried him into the house. But he soon returned to court.\n\nAs Tom\u2019s clothes had suffered much in the batter pudding and the inside\nof the fish, his Majesty ordered him a new suit of clothes, and to be\nmounted as a knight on a mouse.\n\nOf Butterfly\u2019s wings his shirt was made,\n    His boots of chicken\u2019s hide;\nAnd by a nimble fairy blade,\nWell learned in the tailoring trade,\n    His clothing was supplied.\n    A needle dangled by his side;\n    A dapper mouse he used to ride,\n    Thus strutted Tom in stately pride!\n\n\nIt was certainly very amusing to see him in this dress and mounted on\nthe mouse, as he rode out a-hunting with the King and nobility, who\nwere all ready to expire with laughter at Tom and his fine prancing\ncharioteer.\n\nThe King was so charmed with his address that he ordered a little chair\nto be made, in order that Tom might sit upon his table, and also a\npalace of gold, a span high, with a door an inch wide, to live in. He\nalso gave him a coach, drawn by six small mice.\n\nThe Queen was so enraged at the honors conferred on Sir Thomas that she\nresolved to ruin him, and told the King that the little knight had been\nsaucy to her.\n\nThe King sent for Tom in great haste, but being fully aware of the\ndanger of royal anger, he crept into an empty snail shell, where he lay\nfor a long time until he was almost starved with hunger; at last he\nventured to peep out, and seeing a fine large butterfly on the ground,\nnear the place of his concealment, he got close to it and jumping\nastride on it was carried up into the, air. The butterfly flew with him\nfrom tree to tree and from field to field, at last returned to the\ncourt, where the King and nobility all strove to catch him; but at last\npoor Tom fell from his seat into a watering-pot, in which he was almost\ndrowned.\n\nWhen the Queen saw him she was in a rage, and said he should be\nbeheaded; and he was again put into a mouse trap until the time of his\nexecution.\n\nHowever, a cat, observing something alive in the trap, patted it about\ntill the wires broke, and set Thomas at liberty.\n\nThe King received Tom again into favor, which he did not live to enjoy,\nfor a large spider one day attacked him; and although he drew his sword\nand fought well, yet the spider\u2019s poisonous breath at last overcame\nhim.\n\nKing Arthur and his whole court were so sorry at the loss of their\nlittle favorite that they went into mourning and raised a fine white\nmarble monument over his grave with the following epitaph:\n\nHere lies Tom Thumb, King Arthur\u2019s knight,\nWho died by a spider\u2019s cruel bite.\nHe was well known in Arthur\u2019s court,\nWhere he afforded gallant sport;\nHe rode a tilt and tournament,\nAnd on a mouse a-hunting went.\nAlive he filled the court with mirth;\nHis death to sorrow soon gave birth.\nWipe, wipe your eyes, and shake your head\nAnd cry,\u2014Alas! Tom Thumb is dead!\n\n\n\n\nBLUE BEARD\n\n\nBy Charles Perrault\n\nThere was once a man who had fine houses, both in town and country, a\ndeal of silver and gold plate, embroidered furniture, and coaches\ngilded all over with gold. But this man was so unlucky as to have a\nblue beard, which made him so ugly that all the women and girls ran\naway from him.\n\nOne of his neighbors, a lady of quality, had two daughters who were\nperfect beauties. He asked her for one of them in marriage, but neither\nof them could bear the thought of marrying a man who had a blue beard.\nBesides, he had already been married several times, and nobody ever\nknew what became of his wives.\n\nIn the hope of making them like him, Blue Beard took them, with their\nmother and three or four ladies of their acquaintance, and other young\npeople of the neighborhood, to one of his country houses, where they\nstayed a whole week.\n\nThere were parties of pleasure, hunting, fishing, dancing, mirth, and\nfeasting all the time. Nobody went to bed, but all passed the time in\nmerry-making and joking with one another. Everything succeeded so well\nthat the youngest daughter began to think the master of the house was a\nvery civil gentleman. And his beard not so very blue after all.\n\nAs soon as they returned home, the marriage took place. About a month\nafterward Blue Beard told his wife that he was obliged to take a\njourney for six weeks, about affairs of great consequence, desiring her\nto amuse herself in his absence, to send for her friends and\nacquaintances, to carry them in to the country if she pleased, and to\nhave a good time wherever she was.\n\n\u201cHere,\u201d said he, \u201care the keys of the two great wardrobes wherein I\nhave my best furniture; these are of my silver and gold plate, which is\nnot every day in use; these open my strong boxes, which hold my money,\nboth gold and silver; these my caskets of jewels; and this is the\nmaster key to all my apartments. This little one here is the key of the\ncloset at the end of the great gallery on the ground floor. Open them\nall; go into all and every one of them, except that little closet,\nwhich I forbid you; if you happen to open it, there\u2019s nothing but what\nyou may expect from my just anger and resentment.\u201d\n\nShe promised to observe exactly whatever he ordered; so, having\nembraced her, he got into his coach and proceeded on his journey.\n\nHer neighbors and good friends did not wait to be sent for, so great\nwas their impatience to see all the rich furniture of her house. They\nran through all the rooms, closets, and wardrobes, which were all so\nfine and rich that they seemed to surpass one another.\n\nAfter that they went up into the two great rooms, where were the best\nand richest furniture; they could not sufficiently admire the number\nand beauty of the tapestries, beds, couches, cabinets, stands, tables,\nand looking-glasses, in which you might see yourself from head to foot;\nsome of them were framed with glass, others with silver, plain and\ngilded, the finest and most magnificent ever seen.\n\nThey ceased not to compliment and envy their friend, but she was so\nmuch pressed by her curiosity to open the closet on the ground floor\nthat, without considering that it was very uncivil to leave her\ncompany, she went down a little back staircase with such haste that she\nhad twice or thrice like to have broken her neck.\n\nArriving at the closet door, she hesitated, thinking of her husband\u2019s\norders and considering what unhappiness might attend her if she was\ndisobedient; but the temptation was so strong she could not overcome\nit. She took the little key and opened it, trembling, but could not at\nfirst see anything plainly because the windows were shut. After some\nmoments she began to perceive that the floor was all covered with\nblood, in which lay the bodies of several dead women, ranged against\nthe walls. (These were the wives whom Blue Beard had married and\nmurdered, one after another.) She thought she would die for fear, and\nthe key, which she pulled out of the lock, fell out of her hand.\n\nAfter having somewhat recovered from the shock, she took up the key,\nlocked the door, and went upstairs to her bedroom to rest. Having\nobserved that the key of the closet was stained with blood, she tried\ntwo or three times to wipe it off, but the stain would not come out; in\nvain did she wash it, and even rub it with soap and sand, the blood\nstill remained, for the key was magical; when the blood was removed\nfrom one side it came again on the other.\n\nBlue Beard returned from his journey the same evening, and said he had\nreceived letters upon the road informing him that the affair he went\nabout was ended to his advantage. His wife did all she could to\nconvince him she was extremely glad of his speedy return.\n\nNext morning he asked her for the keys, which she gave him, but with\nsuch a trembling hand that he easily guessed what had happened.\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d said he, \u201cis not the key of my closet among the rest?\u201d\n\n\u201cI must certainly,\u201d said she, \u201chave left it above upon the table.\u201d\n\n\u201cFail not,\u201d said Blue Beard, \u201cto bring it to me presently.\u201d\n\nAfter several goings backward and forward she was forced to bring him\nthe key. Blue Beard attentively considered it and said to his wife:\n\n\u201cHow comes this blood upon the key?\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not know,\u201d cried the poor woman, paler than death.\n\n\u201cYou do not know!\u201d replied Blue Beard. \u201cI very well know. You were\nresolved to go into the closet, were you not? Very well, madam; you\nshall go in and take your place among the ladies you saw there.\n\nUpon this she threw herself at her husband\u2019s feet, and begged his\npardon with all the signs of a true repentance, vowing that she would\nnever again be disobedient. She would have melted a rock, so beautiful\nand sorrowful was she; but Blue Beard had a heart harder than any rock!\n\n\u201cYou must die, madam,\u201d said he, \u201cand that; very soon.\u201d\n\n\u201cSince I must die,\u201d answered she, her eyes bathed in tears, \u201cgive me\nsome little time to say my prayers.\u201d\n\n\u201cI give you,\u201d replied Blue Beard, \u201chalf a quarter of an hour, but not\none moment more.\u201d\n\nWhen she was alone she called out to her sister:\n\n\u201cSister Anne, go up, I beg you, on top of the tower and see if my\nbrothers are not coming; they promised me that they would come to-day,\nand if you see them, give them a sign to make haste.\u201d\n\nSister Anne went up on the top of the tower, and the poor afflicted\nwife cried out from time to time:\n\n\u201cAnne, sister Anne, do you see anyone coming?\u201d\n\nAnd sister Anne replied:\n\n\u201cI see nothing but the sun, which makes a dust, and the grass, which\nlooks green.\u201d\n\nIn the meanwhile Blue Beard, holding a great saber in his hand, cried\nout as loud as he could bawl to his wife:\n\n\u201cCome down instantly, or I shall come up after you.\u201d\n\n\u201cOne moment longer, if you please,\u201d said his wife; and then she cried\nout softly: \u201cAnne, sister Anne, dost thou see anybody coming?\u201d\n\nAnd sister Anne answered:\n\n\u201cI see nothing but the sun, which makes a dust, and the grass, which is\ngreen.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome down quickly,\u201d shouted Blue Beard, \u201cor I will come up after you.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am coming,\u201d answered his wife; and then she cried: \u201cAnne, sister\nAnne, dost thou not see any one coming?\u201d\n\n\u201cI see,\u201d replied sister Anne, \u201ca great dust, which comes on this side.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre they my brothers?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas! no, my dear sister, I see a flock of sheep.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you not come down?\u2019 roared Blue Beard.\n\n\u201cOne moment longer,\u201d said his wife, and then she cried out: \u201cAnne,\nsister Anne, dost thou see nobody coming?\u201d\n\n\u201cI see,\u201d said she, \u201ctwo horsemen, but they are yet a great way off.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod be praised!\u201d replied the poor wife joyfully; \u201cthey are my\nbrothers; I will make them a sign, as well as I can, for them to make\nhaste.\u201d\n\nThen Blue Beard bawled out so loud that he made the whole house\ntremble. The distressed wife came down and threw herself at his feet,\nall in tears, with her hair about her shoulders.\n\n\u201cThat will not help you,\u201d says Blue Beard; \u201cyou must die;\u201d then, taking\nhold of her hair with one hand, and lifting up the sword with the\nother, he was going to cut off her head. The poor lady, turning to him\nand looking at him with dying eyes, begged him to give her one little\nmoment more.\n\n\u201cNo, no,\u201d said he; \u201csay your prayers,\u201d and was just about to strike\u2026\n\nAt this very instant there was such a loud knocking at the gate that\nBlue Beard looked up in alarm. The gate was opened and two horsemen\nentered, who drew their swords and ran directly at Blue Beard. He knew\nthem to be his wife\u2019s brothers, one a dragoon, the other a musketeer;\nso that he quickly ran to save himself; but the two brothers pursued so\nclose that they overtook him before he could get to the steps of the\nporch, and ran their swords through his body and left him dead. The\npoor wife was almost as dead as her husband, and had not strength\nenough to rise and welcome her brothers.\n\nBlue Beard had no heirs, and so his wife became mistress of all his\nestate. She made use of one part of it to marry her sister Anne to a\nyoung gentleman who had loved her a long while; another part to buy\ncaptains\u2019 commissions for her brothers, and the rest to marry herself\nto a very worthy gentleman, who made her forget the unhappy time she\nhad passed with Blue Beard.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR\n\n\nAnonymous\n\nOne summer\u2019s day a little Tailor sat on his table by the window in the\nbest of spirits and sewed for dear life. As he was sitting thus a\npeasant woman came down the street, calling out: \u201cGood jam to sell!\ngood jam to sell!\u201d This sounded sweetly in the Tailor\u2019s ears; he put\nhis little head out of the window and shouted: \u201cUp here, my good woman,\nand you\u2019ll find a willing customer!\u201d The woman climbed up the three\nflights of stairs with her heavy basket to the tailor\u2019s room, and he\nmade her spread out the pots in a row before him. He examined them all,\nlifted them up and smelt them, and said at last: \u201cThis jam seems good;\nweigh me four ounces of it, my good woman; and even if it\u2019s a quarter\nof a pound I won\u2019t stick at it.\u201d The woman, who had hoped to find a\ngood market, gave him what he wanted, but went away grumbling\nwrathfully. \u201cNow Heaven shall bless this jam for my use,\u201d cried the\nlittle Tailor, \u201cand it shall sustain and strengthen me.\u201d He fetched\nsome bread out of a cupboard, cut a round off the loaf, and spread the\njam on it. \u201cThat will taste good,\u201d he said; \u201cbut I\u2019ll finish that\nwaistcoat first before I take a bite.\u201d He placed the bread beside him,\nwent on sewing, and out of the lightness of his heart kept on making\nhis stitches bigger and bigger. In the meantime the smell of the sweet\njam rose to the ceiling, where swarms of flies were gathered, and\nattracted them to such an extent that they swarmed on to it in masses.\n\u201cHa! who invited you?\u201d said the Tailor, and chased the unwelcome guests\naway. But the flies, who didn\u2019t understand English, refused to let\nthemselves be warned off, and returned again in even greater numbers.\nAt last the Tailor, losing all patience, reached out of his\nchimney-corner for a duster, and exclaiming, \u201cWait, and I\u2019ll give it to\nyou!\u201d he beat them mercilessly with it. When he left off he counted the\nslain, and no fewer than seven lay dead before him with outstretched\nlegs. \u201cWhat a brave fellow I am!\u201d said he, and was filled with\nadmiration at his own courage. \u201cThe whole town must know about this;\u201d\nand in great haste the little Tailor cut out a girdle, hemmed it, and\nembroidered on it in big letters, \u201cSeven at a blow.\u201d \u201cWhat did I say,\nthe town? no, the whole world shall hear of it,\u201d he said; and his heart\nbeat for joy as a lamb wags his tail.\n\nThe Tailor strapped the girdle round his waist and set out into the\nwide world, for he considered his workroom too small a field for his\nbravery. Before he set forth he looked round about him, to see if there\nwas anything in the house he could take with him on his journey; but he\nfound nothing except an old cheese, which he took possession of. In\nfront of the house he observed a bird that had been caught in some\nbushes, and this he put into his wallet beside the cheese. Then he went\non his way merrily, and being light and quick he never felt tired. His\nway led up a hill on the top of which sat a powerful Giant, who was\ncalmly surveying the landscape. The little Tailor went up to him, and\ngreeting him cheerfully said: \u201cGood-day, friend; there you sit at your\nease viewing the whole wide world. I\u2019m just on my way there. What do\nyou say to accompanying me?\u201d The Giant looked contemptuously at the\nTailor, and said: \u201cWhat a poor, wretched little creature you are!\u201d\n\u201cThat\u2019s a good joke,\u201d answered the little Tailor, and unbuttoning his\ncoat he showed the Giant the girdle. \u201cThere, now, you can read what\nsort of a fellow I am.\u201d The Giant read: \u201cSeven at a blow,\u201d and thinking\nthey were human beings the Tailor had slain, he had a certain respect\nfor the little man. But first he thought he\u2019d test him; so taking up a\nstone in his hand, he squeezed it till some drops of water ran out.\n\u201cNow you do the same,\u201d said the Giant, \u201cif you really wish to be\nthought strong.\u201d \u201cIs that all?\u201d said the little Tailor; \u201cthat\u2019s child\u2019s\nplay to me.\u201d So he dived into his wallet, brought out the cheese, and\npressed it till the whey ran out. \u201cMy squeeze was better than yours,\u201d\nsaid he. The Giant didn\u2019t know what to say, for he couldn\u2019t have\nbelieved it of the little fellow. To prove him again, the Giant lifted\na stone and threw it so high that the eye could hardly follow it. \u201cNow,\nmy little dwarf, let me see you do that.\u201d \u201cWell thrown,\u201d said the\nTailor; \u201cbut, after all, your stone fell to the ground; I\u2019ll throw one\nthat won\u2019t come down at all.\u201d He dived into his wallet again, and\ngrasping the bird in his hand he threw it up into the air. The bird,\nenchanted to be free, soared up into the sky, and flew away never to\nreturn. \u201cWell, what do you think of that little piece of business,\nfriend?\u201d asked the Tailor. \u201cYou can certainly throw,\u201d said the Giant;\n\u201cbut now let\u2019s see if you can carry a proper weight.\u201d With these words\nhe led the Tailor to a huge oak-tree which had been felled to the\nground, and said: \u201cIf you are strong enough, help me carry the tree out\nof the wood.\u201d \u201cMost certainly,\u201d said the little Tailor: \u201cjust you take\nthe trunk on your shoulder; I\u2019ll bear the top and branches, which is\ncertainly the heaviest part.\u201d The Giant laid the trunk on his shoulder,\nbut the Tailor sat at his ease among the branches; and the Giant, who\ncouldn\u2019t see what was going on behind him, had to carry the whole tree,\nand the little Tailor into the bargain. There he sat behind in the best\nof spirits, lustily whistling a tune, as if carrying the tree were mere\nsport. The Giant after dragging the heavy weight for some time, could\nget on no farther, and shouted out: \u201cHi! I must let the tree fall.\u201d The\nTailor sprang nimbly down, seized the tree with both hands as if he had\ncarried it the whole way, and said to the Giant: \u201cFancy a big lazy\nfellow like you not being able to carry a tree!\u201d\n\nThey continued to go on their way together, and as they passed by a\ncherry-tree the Giant grasped the top of it, where the ripest fruit\nhung, gave the branches into the Tailor\u2019s hand, and bade him eat. But\nthe little Tailor was far too weak to hold the tree down, and when the\nGiant let go the tree swung back into the air, bearing the little\nTailor with it. When he had fallen to the ground again without hurting\nhimself, the Giant said: \u201cWhat! do you mean to tell me you haven\u2019t the\nstrength to hold down a feeble twig?\u201d \u201cIt wasn\u2019t strength that was\nwanting,\u201d replied time Tailor; \u201cdo you think that would have been\nanything for a man who has killed seven at a blow? I jumped over the\ntree because the huntsmen are shooting among the branches near us. Do\nyou do the like if you dare.\u201d The Giant made an attempt, but couldn\u2019t\nget over the tree, and stuck fast in the branches, so that here, too,\nthe little Tailor had the better of him.\n\n\u201cWell, you\u2019re a fine fellow, after all,\u201d said the Giant; \u201ccome and\nspend the night with us in our cave.\u201d The little Tailor willingly\nconsented to do this, and following his friend they went on till they\nreached a cave where several other giants were sitting round a fire,\neach holding a roast sheep in his hand, of which he was eating. The\nlittle Tailor looked about him, and thought: \u201cYes, there\u2019s certainly\nmore room to turn round in here than in my workshop.\u201d The Giant showed\nhim a bed, and bade him lie down and have a good sleep. But the bed was\ntoo big for the little Tailor, so he didn\u2019t get into it, but crept away\ninto the corner. At midnight, when the Giant thought the little Tailor\nwas fast asleep, he rose up, and taking his big iron walking-stick, he\nbroke the bed in two with a blow, and thought he had made an end of the\nlittle grasshopper. At early dawn the Giants went off to the wood, and\nquite forgot about the little Tailor, till all of a sudden they met him\ntrudging along in the most cheerful manner. The Giants were terrified\nat seeing him, and, fearing lest he should slay them, they all took to\ntheir heels as fast as they could.\n\nThe Little Tailor continued to follow his nose, and after he had\nwandered about for a long time he came to the courtyard of a royal\npalace, and feeling tired he lay down on the grass and fell asleep.\nWhile he lay there the people came, and looking him all over read on\nhis girdle, \u201cSeven at a blow.\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d they said, \u201cwhat can this great\nhero of a hundred fights want in our peaceful land? He must indeed be a\nmighty man of valor.\u201d They went and told the King about him, and said\nwhat a weighty and useful man he\u2019d be in time of war and that it would\nbe well to secure him at any price. This counsel pleased the King, and\nhe sent one of his courtiers down to the little Tailor, to offer him,\nwhen he awoke, a commission in their army. The messenger remained\nstanding by the sleeper, and waited till he stretched his limbs and\nopened his eyes, when he tendered his proposal. \u201cThat\u2019s the very thing\nI came here for,\u201d he answered; \u201cI am quite ready to enter the King\u2019s\nservice.\u201d So he was received with all honor, and given a special house\nof his own to live in.\n\nBut the other officers were angry at the success of the little Tailor,\nand wished him a thousand miles away. \u201cWhat\u2019s to come of it all?\u201d they\nasked one another; \u201cif we quarrel with him, he\u2019ll let out at us, and at\nevery blow seven will fall. There\u2019ll soon be an end of us.\u201d So they\nresolved to go in a body to the King, and all to send in their papers.\n\u201cWe are not made,\u201d they said. \u201cto hold out against a man who kills\nseven at a blow.\u201d The King was grieved at the thought of losing all his\nfaithful servants for the sake of one man, and he wished heartily that\nhe had never set eyes on him, or that he could get rid of him. But he\ndidn\u2019t dare to send him away, for he feared he might kill him and place\nhimself on the throne. He thought long and deeply over the matter, and\nfinally came to a conclusion. He sent for the Tailor and told him that,\nseeing what a great and warlike hero he was, he was about to make him\nan offer. In a certain wood of his kingdom there dwelt two Giants who\ndid much harm by the way they robbed, murdered, burnt, and plundered\neverything about them; \u201cno one could approach them without endangering\nhis life. If he could overcome and kill these two giants he should have\nthe King\u2019s only daughter for a wife, and half his kingdom into the\nbargain; he might have a hundred horsemen, too, to back him up.\u201d\n\u201cThat\u2019s the very thing for a man like me,\u201d thought the little Tailor;\n\u201cone doesn\u2019t get the offer of a beautiful princess and half a kingdom\nevery day.\u201d \u201cDone with you,\u201d he answered; \u201cI\u2019ll soon put an end to the\nGiants. But I haven\u2019t the smallest need of your hundred horsemen; a\nfellow who can slay seven men at a blow need not be afraid of two.\u201d\n\nThe little Tailor set out, and the hundred horsemen followed him. When\nhe came to the outskirts of the wood he said to his followers: \u201cYou\nwait here, I\u2019ll manage the Giants by myself;\u201d and he went on into the\nwood, casting his sharp little eyes right and left about him. After a\nwhile he spied the two Giants lying asleep under a tree, snoring till\nthe very boughs bent with the breeze. The little Tailor lost no time in\nfilling his wallet with stones, and then climbed up the tree under\nwhich they lay. When he got to about the middle of it he slipped along\na branch till he sat just above the sleepers, when he threw down one\nstone after the other on the nearest Giant. The Giant felt nothing for\na long time, but at last he woke up, and pinching his companion said:\n\u201cWhat did you strike me for?\u201d \u201cI didn\u2019t strike you,\u201d said the other;\n\u201cyou must be dreaming.\u201d They both lay down to sleep again, and the\nTailor threw down a stone on the second Giant, who sprang up and cried:\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that for? Why did you throw something at me?\u201d \u201cI didn\u2019t throw\nanything,\u201d growled the first one. They wrangled on for a time, till as\nboth were tired, they made up the matter and fell asleep again. The\nlittle Tailor began his game once more, and flung the largest stone he\ncould find in his wallet with all his force, and hit the first Giant on\nthe chest. \u201cThis is too much of a good thing!\u201d he yelled, and springing\nup like a madman, he knocked his companion against the tree till he\ntrembled. He gave, however, as good as he got, and they became so\nenraged that they tore up trees and beat each other with them, till\nthey both fell dead at once on the ground. Then the little Tailor\njumped down. \u201cIt\u2019s a mercy,\u201d he said, \u201cthat they didn\u2019t root up the\ntree on which I was sitting, or I should have had to jump like a\nsquirrel on to another, which, nimble though I am, would have been no\neasy job.\u201d He drew his sword and gave each of the Giants a very fine\nthrust or two on the breast, and then went to the horsemen and said:\n\u201cThe deed is done; I\u2019ve put an end to the two of them; but I assure you\nit has been no easy matter, for they even tore up trees in their\nstruggle to defend themselves; but all that\u2019s of no use against one who\nslays seven men at a blow.\u201d \u201cWeren\u2019t you wounded?\u201d asked the horsemen.\n\u201cNo fear,\u201d answered the Tailor; \u201cthey haven\u2019t touched a hair of my\nhead.\u201d But the horsemen wouldn\u2019t believe him till they rode into the\nwood and found the Giants weltering in their blood, and the trees lying\naround, torn up by the roots.\n\nThe little Tailor now demanded the promised reward, but the King\nrepented his promise, and pondered once more how he could rid himself\nof the hero. \u201cBefore you obtain the hand of my daughter and half my\nkingdom,\u201d he said to him, \u201cyou must do another deed of valor. A unicorn\nis running about loose in the wood and doing much mischief; you must\nfirst catch it.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m even less afraid of one unicorn than of two\nGiants; seven at a blow, that\u2019s my motto.\u201d He took a piece of cord and\nan axe with him, went out to the wood, and again told the men who had\nbeen sent with him to remain outside. He hadn\u2019t to search long, for the\nunicorn soon passed by, and, on perceiving the Tailor, dashed straight\nat him as though it were going to spike him on the spot. \u201cGently,\ngently,\u201d said he; \u201cnot so fast, my friend;\u201d and standing still he\nwaited till the beast was quite near, when he sprang lightly behind a\ntree; the unicorn ran with all its force against the tree, and rammed\nits horn so firmly into the trunk that it had no strength left to pull\nit out again, and was thus successfully captured. \u201cNow, I\u2019ve caught my\nbird,\u201d said the Tailor, and he came out from behind the tree, placed\nthe cord round its neck first, then struck the horn out of the tree\nwithin his axe, and when everything was in order led the beast Before\nthe King.\n\nStill the King didn\u2019t want to give him the promised reward and made a\nthird demand. The Tailor was to catch a wild boar for him that did a\ngreat deal of harm in the wood; and he might have the huntsmen to help\nhim. \u201cWillingly,\u201d said the Tailor; \u201cthat\u2019s mere child\u2019s play.\u201d But he\ndidn\u2019t take the huntsmen into the wood with him, and they were well\nenough pleased to remain behind, for the wild boar had often received\nthem in a manner which did not make them desire its further\nacquaintance. As soon as the boar perceived the Tailor it ran at him\nwith foaming mouth and gleaming teeth, and tried to knock him down; but\nour alert little friend ran into a chapel that stood near, and got out\nof the window with a jump. The boar pursued him into the church, but\nthe Tailor skipped round to the door and closed it securely. So the\nraging beast was caught, for it was far too heavy and unwieldy to\nspring out of the window. The little Tailor summoned the huntsmen\ntogether, that they might see the Prisoner with their own eyes. Then\nthe hero betook himself to the King, who was obliged now, whether he\nliked it or not, to keep his promise, and hand him over his daughter\nand half his kingdom. Had he known that no hero-warrior, but only a\nlittle tailor, stood before him, it would have gone even more to his\nheart. So the wedding was celebrated with much splendor and little joy,\nand the Tailor became a King.\n\nAfter a time the Queen heard her husband saying one night in his sleep:\n\u201cMy lad, make that waistcoat and patch these trousers, or I\u2019ll box your\nears.\u201d Thus she learned in what rank the young gentleman had been born,\nand next day she poured forth her woes to her father, and begged him to\nhelp her to get rid of a husband who was nothing more nor less than a\ntailor. The King comforted her, and said: \u201cLeave your bedroom door open\ntonight; my servants shall stand outside, and when your husband is fast\nasleep they shall enter, bind him fast, and carry him on to a ship,\nwhich shall sail away out into the wide ocean.\u201d The Queen was well\nsatisfied with the idea, but the armor-bearer, who had overheard\neverything, being much attached to his young master, went straight to\nhim and revealed the whole plot. \u201cI\u2019ll soon put a stop to the\nbusiness,\u201d said the Tailor. That night he and his wife went to bed at\nthe usual time; and when she thought he had fallen asleep she got up,\nopened the door, and then lay down again. The little Tailor, who had\nonly pretended to be asleep, began to call out in a clear voice: \u201cMy\nlad, make that waistcoat and patch these trousers, or I\u2019ll box your\nears. I have killed seven at a blow, slain two giants, led a unicorn\ncaptive, and caught a wild boar, then why should I be afraid of those\nmen standing outside my door?\u201d The men, when they heard the Tailor\nsaying these words, were so terrified that they fled as if pursued by a\nwild army, and didn\u2019t dare go near him again. So the little Tailor was\nand remained a King all the days of his life.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD\n\n\nBy Charles Perrault\n\nThere was once in a distant country a King and Queen whose only sorrow\nwas that they had no children. At last the Queen gave birth to a little\ndaughter and the King showed his joy by giving a christening feast so\ngrand that the like of it was never known. He asked all the fairies in\nthe land\u2014there were seven found in the kingdom\u2014to stand godmothers to\nthe little Princess; hoping that each might bestow on her some good\ngift.\n\nAfter the christening all the guests returned to the palace, where\nthere was placed before each fairy godmother a magnificent covered\ndish, and a knife, fork, and spoon of pure gold, set with precious\nstones. But, as they all were sitting down at table there entered an\nold fairy who had not been invited, because it was more than fifty\nyears since she had gone out of a certain tower, and she was thought to\nbe dead or enchanted. The King ordered a cover to be placed for her,\nbut it was of common earthenware, for he had ordered from his jeweler\nonly seven gold dishes, for the seven fairies aforesaid. The old fairy\nthought herself neglected, and muttered angry threats, which were\noverheard by one of the younger fairies, who chanced to sit beside her.\nThis good godmother, afraid of harm to the pretty baby, hastened to\nhide herself behind the hangings in the hall. She did this because she\nwished to speak last and repair any evil the old fairy might intend.\n\nThe fairies now offered their good wishes, which, unlike most wishes,\nwere sure to come true. The first wished that the little Princess\nshould grow up the fairest woman in the world; the second, that she\nshould have wit like an angel; the third, that she should be perfectly\ngraceful; the fourth, that she should sing like a nightingale; the\nfifth, that she should dance perfectly well; the sixth, that she should\nplay all kinds of music perfectly. Then the old fairy\u2019s turn came.\nShaking her head spitefully, she uttered the wish that when the baby\ngrew up into a young lady, and learned to spin, she might prick her\nfinger with a spindle and die of the wound.\n\nThis terrible prophecy made all the company tremble; and every one fell\nto crying. Upon which the wise young fairy appeared from behind the\ncurtains and said: \u201cAssure yourselves O King and Queen; the Princess\nshall not die. I have no power to undo what my elder has done. The\nPrincess must pierce her finger with a spindle and she shall then sink,\nnot into the sleep of death, but into a sleep that will last a hundred\nyears. After that time is ended, the son of a King shall come and awake\nher.\u201d\n\nThen all the fairies vanished.\n\nThe King, in the hope of avoiding his daughter\u2019s doom, issued an edict\nforbidding all persons to spin, and even to have spinning wheels in\ntheir houses, on pain of instant death. But it was in vain. One day\nwhen she was just fifteen years of age, the King and Queen left their\ndaughter alone in one of their castles, where, wandering about at her\nwill, she came to a little room in the top of a tower, and there found\na very old woman, who had not heard of the King\u2019s edict, busy with her\nspinning wheel.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing, good old woman?\u201d said the Princess.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m spinning my pretty child.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, how pretty! Let me try if I can spin also.\u201d\n\nShe had no sooner taken up the spindle than, being hasty and unhandy,\nshe pierced her finger with the point. Though it was so small a wound,\nshe fainted away at once and dropped on the floor. The poor old woman\ncalled for help; shortly came the ladies-in-waiting, who tried every\nmeans to restore their young mistress; but all in vain. She lay,\nbeautiful as an angel, the color still lingering in her lips and\ncheeks, her fair bosom softly stirred with her breath; only her eyes\nwere fast closed. When the King, her father, and the Queen, her mother,\nbeheld her thus, they knew that all had happened as the cruel fairy\nmeant, and that their daughter would sleep for one hundred years. They\nsent away all the physicians and attendants, and themselves sorrowing\nlaid her upon a bed in the finest apartment in the palace. There she\nslept and looked like a sleeping angel still.\n\nWhen this misfortune happened, the kindly young fairy who had saved the\nPrincess by changing her sleep of death into this sleep of a hundred\nyears, was twelve thousand leagues away, in the kingdom of Mataquin.\nBut, being informed of everything by a little dwarf who wore\nseven-league boots, she arrived speedily in a chariot of fire drawn by\ndragons. The King handed her out of the chariot, and she approved of\nall he had done. Then, being a fairy of great common sense and\nforesight, she thought that the Princess, awakening after a hundred\nyears in this old castle, might not know what to do with herself if she\nfound herself alone. Accordingly, she touched with her magic wand\neverybody and everything in the palace except the King and Queen:\ngovernesses, ladies of honor, waiting maids, gentlemen ushers, cooks,\nkitchen girls, pages, footmen; even the horses that were in the\nstables, and the grooms that attended them, she touched each and all.\nNay, the dogs, too, in the outer court, and the little fat lapdog,\nMopsey, who had laid himself down beside his mistress on her splendid\nbed, were also touched, and they, like all the rest, fell fast asleep\nin a moment. The very spits that were before the kitchen fire fell\nasleep, and the fire itself, and everything became as still as if it\nwere the middle of the night, or as if the palace were a palace of the\ndead.\n\nThe King and Queen, having kissed their daughter, went out of the\ncastle, giving orders that it was to be approached no more. The command\nwas unnecessary, for in one quarter of an hour there sprang up around\nit a wood so thick and thorny that neither beasts nor men could attempt\nto penetrate there. Above this dense mass of forest could only be seen\nthe top of the high tower where the lovely Princess slept.\n\nWhen a hundred years were gone the King had died, and his throne had\npassed to another royal family. The reigning King\u2019s son, being one day\nout hunting, was stopped in the chase by this great wood, inquired what\nwood it was and what were those towers which he saw appearing out of\nthe midst of it. Every one answered as he had heard. Some said it was\nan old castle haunted by spirits. Others said it was the abode of\nwitches and enchanters. The most common story was that an Ogre lived\nthere, a giant with long teeth and claws, who carried away naughty\nlittle boys and girls and ate them up. The Prince did not know what to\nthink. At length an old peasant was found who remembered having heard\nhis grandfather say to his father that in this tower was a Princess,\nbeautiful as the day, who was doomed to sleep there for one hundred\nyears, until awakened by a king\u2019s son, who was to marry her.\n\nAt this the young Prince, who had the spirit of a hero, determined to\nfind out the truth for himself.\n\nSpurred on by love and honor, he leaped from his horse and began to\nforce his way through the thick wood. To his amazement the stiff\nbranches all gave way, and the ugly thorns drew back of their own\naccord, and the brambles buried themselves in the earth to let him\npass. This done, they closed behind him, allowing none to follow.\nNevertheless, he pushed boldly on alone.\n\nThe first thing he saw was enough to freeze him with fear. Bodies of\nmen and horses lay extended on the ground; but the men had faces, not\ndeath white, but red as roses, and beside them were glasses half filled\nwith wine, showing that they had gone to sleep drinking. Next he\nentered a large court paved with marble, where stood rows of guards\npresenting arms, but as still as if cut out of stone; then he passed\nthrough many chambers where gentlemen and ladies, all in the dress of\nthe past century, slept at their ease, some standing, some sitting. The\npages were lurking in corners, the ladies of honor were stooping over\ntheir embroidery frames or listening to the gentlemen of the court; but\nall were as silent and as quiet as statues. Their clothes, strange to\nsay, were fresh and new as ever; and not a particle of dust or spider\nweb had gathered over the furniture, though it had not known a broom\nfor a hundred years. Finally, the astonished Prince came to an inner\nchamber, where was the fairest sight his eyes ever beheld.\n\nA young girl of wonderful beauty lay asleep on an embroidered bed, and\nshe looked as if she had only just closed her eyes. Trembling, the\nPrince approached and knelt beside her. Some say he kissed her; but as\nnobody saw it, and she never told, we cannot be quite sure of the fact.\nHowever, as the end of the enchantment had come, the Princess waked at\nonce, and, looking at him with eyes of the tenderest regard, said,\nsleepily: \u201cIs it you, my Prince? I have waited for you very long.\u201d\n\nCharmed with these words, and still more by the tone in which they were\nuttered, the Prince assured her that he loved her more than his life.\nFor a long time did they sit talking, and yet had not said half enough.\nTheir only interruption was the little dog Mopsey, who had awakened\nwith his mistress, and now began to be jealous that the Princess did\nnot notice him as much as she was wont to do.\n\nMeanwhile all the attendants, whose enchantment was also broken, not\nbeing in love, were ready to die of hunger after their fast of a\nhundred years. A lady of honor ventured to say that dinner was served,\nwhereupon the Prince handed his beloved Princess at once to the great\nhall. She did not wait to dress for dinner, being already perfectly and\nmagnificently attired, though in a fashion somewhat out of date.\nHowever, her lover had the politeness not to notice this, nor to remind\nher that she was dressed exactly like his grandmother whose portrait\nstill hung on the palace walls.\n\nDuring dinner a concert by the attendant musicians took place, and,\nconsidering they had not touched their instruments for a century, they\nplayed the old tunes extremely well. They ended with a wedding march,\nfor that very evening the Prince and Princess were married.\n\nAfter a few days they went together out of the castle and enchanted\nwood, both of which immediately vanished, and were nevermore beheld by\nmortal eyes. The Princess was restored to her ancestral kingdom, and\nafter a few years the Prince and she became King and Queen, and ruled\nlong and happily.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FAIR ONE WITH GOLDEN LOCKS\n\n\nRetold by Miss Mulock\n\nThere was once a King\u2019s daughter so beautiful that they named her the\nFair One with Golden Locks. These golden locks were the most remarkable\nin the world, soft and fine, and falling in long waves down to her very\nfeet. She wore them always thus, loose and flowing, surmounted with a\nwreath of flowers; and though such long hair was sometimes rather\ninconvenient, it was so exceedingly beautiful, shining in the sun like\nripples of molten gold, that everybody agreed she fully deserved her\nname.\n\nNow there was a young King of a neighboring country, very handsome,\nvery rich, and wanting nothing but a wife to make him happy. He heard\nso much of the various perfections of the Fair One with Golden Locks,\nthat at last, without even seeing her, he fell in love with her so\ndesperately that he could neither eat nor drink, and resolved to send\nan ambassador at once to demand her in marriage. So he ordered a\nmagnificent equipage\u2014more than a hundred horses and a hundred\nfootmen\u2014in order to bring back to him the Fair One with Golden Locks,\nwho, he never doubted, would be only too happy to become his Queen.\nIndeed, he felt so sure of her that he refurnished the whole palace,\nand had made by all the dressmakers of the city, dresses enough to last\na lady a lifetime. But, alas! when the ambassador arrived and delivered\nhis message, either the princess was in bad humor, or the offer did not\nappear to be to her taste; for she returned her best thanks to his\nmajesty, but said she had not the slightest wish or intention to get\nmarried. She also, being a prudent damsel, declined receiving any of\nthe presents which the King had sent her; except that, not quite to\noffend his majesty, she retained a box of English pins, which were in\nthat country of considerable value.\n\nWhen the ambassador returned, alone and unsuccessful, all the court was\nvery much affected, and the King himself began to weep with all his\nmight. Now, there was in the palace household a young gentleman named\nAvenant, beautiful as the sun, besides being at once so amiable and so\nwise that the King confided to him all his affairs; and every one loved\nhim, except those people\u2014to be found in all courts\u2014who were envious of\nhis good fortune. These malicious folk hearing him say gaily: \u201cIf the\nKing had sent me to fetch the Fair One with Golden Locks, I know she\nwould have come back with me,\u201d repeated the saying in such a manner,\nthat it appeared as if Avenant thought so much of himself and his\nbeauty, and felt sure the princess would have followed him all over the\nworld; which when it came to the ears of the King, as it was meant to\ndo, irritated him so much that he commanded Avenant to be imprisoned in\na high tower and left to die there of hunger. The guards accordingly\ncarried off the young man, who had quite forgotten his idle speech, and\nhad not the least idea what fault he had committed. They ill-treated\nhim very much, and then left him with nothing to eat and only water to\ndrink. This, however, kept him alive for a few days, during which he\ndid not cease to complain aloud, and to call upon the King, saying: \u201cOh\nKing, what harm have I done? You have no subject more faithful than I.\nNever have I had a thought which could offend you.\u201d\n\nAnd it so befell that the King, coming by chance, or else with a sort\nof remorse, past the tower, was touched by the voice of the young\nAvenant, whom he had once so much regarded. In spite of all the\ncourtiers could do to prevent him, he stopped to listen, and overheard\nthese words. The tears rushed into his eyes; he opened the door of the\ntower, and called: \u201cAvenant!\u201d Avenant came, creeping feebly along, fell\nat the King\u2019s knees, and kissed his feet:\n\n\u201cOh sire, what have I done that you should treat me so cruelly?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou have mocked me and my ambassador; for you said, if I had sent you\nto fetch the Fair One with Golden Locks, you would have been successful\nand brought her back.\u201d\n\n\u201cI did say it, and it was true,\u201d replied Avenant fearlessly; \u201cfor I\nshould have told her so much about your majesty and your various high\nqualities, which no one knows so well as myself, that I am persuaded\nshe would have returned with me.\u201d\n\n\u201cI believe it,\u201d said the King, with an angry look at those who had\nspoken ill of his favorite; he then gave Avenant a free pardon and took\nhim back with him to the court.\n\nAfter having supplied the famished youth with as much supper as he\ncould eat, the King admitted him to a private audience, and said: \u201cI am\nas much in love as ever with the Fair One with Golden Locks, so I will\ntake thee at thy word, and send thee to try and win her for me.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well, please your majesty\u201d replied Avenant cheerfully; \u201cI will\ndepart to-morrow.\u201d\n\nThe King, overjoyed with his willingness and hopefulness would have\nfurnished him with a still more magnificent equipage and suite than the\nfirst ambassador but Avenant refused to take anything except a good\nhorse to ride, and letters of introduction to the Princess\u2019s father.\nThe King embraced him and eagerly saw him depart.\n\nIt was on a Monday morning when, without any pomp or show, Avenant thus\nstarted on his mission. He rode slowly and meditatively, pondering over\nevery possible means of persuading the Fair One with Golden Locks to\nmarry the King; but, even after several days journey towards her\ncountry, no clear project had entered into his mind. One morning, when\nhe had started at break of day, he came to a great meadow with a stream\nrunning through it, along which were planted willows and poplars. It\nwas such a pleasant, rippling stream that he dismounted and sat down on\nits banks. There he perceived gasping on the grass a large golden Carp,\nwhich, in leaping too far after gnats, had thrown itself quite out of\nthe water, and now lay dying on the greensward. Avenant took pity on\nit, and though he was very hungry, and the fish was very fat, and he\nwould well enough have liked it for his breakfast, still he lifted it\ngently and put it back into the stream. No sooner had the Carp touched\nthe fresh cool water than it revived and swam away; but shortly\nreturning, it spoke to him from the water in this wise:\n\n\u201cAvenant, I thank you for your good deed. I was dying, and you have\nsaved me; I will recompense you for this one day.\u201d\n\nAfter this pretty little speech, the fish popped down to the bottom of\nthe stream, according to the habit of Carp, leaving Avenant very much\nastonished, as was natural.\n\nAnother day he met with a Raven that was in great distress, being\npursued by an Eagle, which would have swallowed him up in no time.\n\u201cSee,\u201d thought Avenant, \u201chow the stronger oppress the weaker! What\nright has an Eagle to eat up a Raven?\u201d So taking his bow and arrow,\nwhich he always carried, he shot the Eagle dead, and the Raven,\ndelighted, perched in safety on an opposite tree.\n\n\u201cAvenant,\u201d screeched he, though not in the sweetest voice in the world,\n\u201cyou have generously succored me, a poor miserable Raven. I am not\nungrateful, and I will recompense you one day.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you,\u201d said Avenant, and continued his road.\n\nEntering in a thick wood, so dark with the shadows of early morning\nthat he could scarcely find his way, he heard an Owl hooting, like an\nowl in great tribulation. She had been caught by the nets spread by\nbird-catchers to entrap finches, larks, and other small birds. \u201cWhat a\npity,\u201d thought Avenant, \u201cthat men must always torment poor birds and\nbeasts who have done them no harm!\u201d So he took out his knife, cut the\nnet, and let the Owl go free. She went sailing up in the air, but\nimmediately returned hovering over his head on her brown wings.\n\n\u201cAvenant,\u201d said she, \u201cat daylight the bird-catchers would have been\nhere, and I should have been caught and killed. I have a grateful\nheart; I will recompense you one day.\u201d\n\nThese were the three principal adventures that befell Avenant on his\nway to the kingdom of the Fair One with Golden Locks. Arrived there, he\ndressed himself with the greatest care, in a habit of silver brocade,\nand a hat adorned with plumes of scarlet and white. He threw over all a\nrich mantle, and carried a little basket, in which was a lovely little\ndog, an offering of respect to the Princess. With this he presented\nhimself at the palace gates, where even though he came alone, his mien\nwas so dignified and graceful, so altogether charming, that every one\ndid him reverence, and was eager to run and tell the Fair One with\nGolden Locks, that Avenant, another ambassador from the King, her\nsuitor, awaited an audience.\n\n\u201cAvenant!\u201d repeated the Princess. \u201cThat is a pretty name; perhaps the\nyouth is pretty too.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo beautiful,\u201d said the ladies of honor, \u201cthat while he stood under\nthe palace window we could do nothing but look at him.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow silly of you!\u201d sharply said the Princess. But she desired them to\nbring her robe of blue satin, to comb out her long hair, and adorn it\nwith the freshest garland of flowers; to give her her high-heeled\nshoes, and her fan. \u201cAlso,\u201d added she, \u201ctake care that my\naudience-chamber is well swept and my throne well dusted. I wish in\neverything to appear as becomes the Fair One with Golden Locks.\u201d\n\nThis done she seated herself on her throne of ivory and ebony and gave\norders for her musicians to play, but softly, so as not to disturb\nconversation. Thus, shining in all her beauty, she admitted Avenant to\nher presence.\n\nHe was so dazzled that at first he could not speak; then he began and\ndelivered his harangue to perfection.\n\n\u201cGentle Avenant,\u201d returned the Princess, after listening to all his\nreasons for her returning with him, \u201cyour arguments are very strong,\nand I am inclined to listen to them; but you must first find for me a\nring, which I dropped into the river about a month ago. Until I recover\nit, I can listen to no proposition of marriage.\u201d\n\nAvenant, surprised and disturbed, made her a profound reverence and\nretired, taking with him the basket and the little dog Cabriole, which\nshe refused to accept. All night long he sat sighing to himself. \u201cHow\ncan I ever find a ring which she dropped into the river a month ago?\nShe has set me an impossibility.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy dear master,\u201d said Cabriole, \u201cnothing is an impossibility to one so\nyoung and charming as you are; let us go at daybreak to the\nriver-side.\u201d\n\nAvenant patted him, but replied nothing; until, worn out with grief, he\nslept. Before dawn Cabriole wakened him, saying: \u201cMaster, dress\nyourself and let us go to the river.\u201d\n\nThere Avenant walked up and down, with his arms folded and his head\nbent, but saw nothing. At last he heard a voice, calling from a\ndistance, \u201cAvenant, Avenant!\u201d\n\nThe little dog ran to the water-side.\u2014\u201cNever believe me again, master,\nif it is not a golden Carp with a ring in its mouth!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, Avenant,\u201d said the Carp, \u201cthis is the ring which the Princess has\nlost. You saved my life in the willow meadow, and I have recompensed\nyou. Farewell!\u201d\n\nAvenant took the ring gratefully and returned to the palace with\nCabriole, who scampered about in great glee.\n\nCraving an audience, he presented the Princess with her ring, and\nbegged her to accompany him to his master\u2019s kingdom. She took the ring,\nlooked at it, and thought she was surely dreaming.\n\n\u201cSome fairy must have assisted you, fortunate Avenant,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cMadam, I am only fortunate in my desire to obey your wishes.\u201d\n\n\u201cObey me still,\u201d she said graciously. \u201cThere is a prince named\nGalifron, whose suit I have refused. He is a giant as tall as a tower,\nwho eats a man as a monkey eats a nut: he puts cannons into his pockets\ninstead of pistols; and when he speaks, his voice is so loud that every\none near him becomes deaf. Go and fight him, and bring me his head.\u201d\n\nAvenant was thunderstruck; but after a time he recovered himself. \u201cVery\nwell, madam, I shall certainly perish, but I will perish like a brave\nman. I will depart at once to fight the Giant Galifron.\u201d\n\nThe Princess, now in her turn surprised and alarmed, tried every\npersuasion to induce him not to go, but in vain. Avenant armed himself\nand started, carrying his little dog in its basket. Cabriole was the\nonly creature that gave him consolation: \u201cCourage, master! While you\nattack the giant, I will bite his legs: he will stoop down to strike\nme, and then you can knock him on the head.\u201d Avenant smiled at the\nlittle dog\u2019s spirit, but he knew it was useless.\n\nArrived at the castle of Galifron, he found the road all strewn with\nbones, and carcasses of men. Soon he saw the giant walking. His head\nwas level with the highest trees, and he sang in a terrific voice:\n\n\u201cBring me babies to devour;\nMore\u2014more\u2014more\u2014more\u2014\nMen and women, tender and tough;\nAll the world holds not enough.\u201d\n\n\nTo which Avenant replied, imitating the tune:\n\n\u201cAvenant you here may see,\nHe is come to punish thee:\nBe he tender, be he tough,\nTo kill thee, giant, he is enough.\u201d\n\n\nHearing these words, the giant took up his massive club, looked around\nfor the singer, and perceiving him, would have slain him on the spot,\nhad not a Raven, sitting on a tree close by, suddenly flown out upon\nhim and picked out both his eyes. Then Avenant easily killed him and\ncut off his head, while the Raven, watching him, said:\n\n\u201cYou shot the Eagle who was pursuing me: I promised to recompense you,\nand to-day I have done it. We are quits.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, it is I who am your debtor, Sir Raven,\u201d replied Avenant, as,\nhanging the frightful head to his saddle-bow, he mounted his horse and\nrode back to the city of the Fair One with Golden Locks.\n\nThere everybody followed him, shouting: \u201cHere is brave Avenant, who has\nkilled the giant,\u201d until the Princess, hearing the noise, and fearing\nit was Avenant himself who was killed, appeared, all trembling; and\neven when he appeared with Galifron\u2019s head, she trembled still,\nalthough she had nothing to fear.\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d said Avenant, \u201cyour enemy is dead; so I trust you will accept\nthe hand of the King my master.\u201d\n\n\u201cI cannot,\u201d replied she thoughtfully, \u201cunless you first bring me a\nphial of the water in the Grotto of Darkness. It is six leagues in\nlength, and guarded at the entrance by two fiery dragons. Within, it is\na pit, full of scorpions, lizards, and serpents, and at the bottom of\nthis place flows the Fountain of Beauty and Health. All who wash in it\nbecome, if ugly, beautiful, and if beautiful, beautiful forever; if\nold, young; and if young, young forever. Judge then, Avenant, if I can\nquit my kingdom without carrying with me some of this miraculous\nwater.\u201d\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d replied Avenant, \u201cyou are already so beautiful that you\nrequire it not; but I am an unfortunate ambassador whose death you\ndesire; I will obey you, though I know I shall never return.\u201d\n\nSo he departed with his only friends\u2014his horse and his faithful dog\nCabriole; while all who met him looked at him compassionately, pitying\nso pretty a youth bound on such a hopeless errand. But, however kindly\nthey addressed him, Avenant rode on and answered nothing, for he was\ntoo sad at heart.\n\nHe reached a mountain-side, where he sat down to rest, leaving his\nhorse to graze, and Cabriole to run after the flies. He knew that the\nGrotto of Darkness was not far off, yet he looked about him like one\nwho sees nothing. At last he perceived a rock, as black as ink, whence\ncame a thick smoke; and in a moment appeared one of the two dragons,\nbreathing out flames. It had a yellow and green body, claws, and a long\ntail. When Cabriole saw the monster, the poor little dog hid himself in\nterrible fright. But Avenant resolved to die bravely; so taking a phial\nwhich the Princess had given him, he prepared to descend into the cave.\n\n\u201cCabriole,\u201d said he, \u201cI shall soon be dead; then fill this phial with\nmy blood, and carry it to the Fair One with Golden Locks, and afterward\nto the King, my master, to show him I have been faithful to the last.\u201d\n\nWhile he was thus speaking a voice called: \u201cAvenant, Avenant!\u201d\u2014and he\nsaw an Owl sitting on a hollow tree. Said the Owl: \u201cYou cut the net in\nwhich I was caught, and I vow to recompense you. Now is the time. Give\nme the phial; I know every corner of the Grotto of Darkness\u2014I will\nfetch you the water of beauty.\u201d\n\nDelighted beyond words, Avenant delivered up his phial; the Owl flew\nwith it into the grotto, and in less than half an hour reappeared,\nbringing it quite full and well corked. Avenant thanked her with all\nhis heart, and joyfully took once more the road to the city.\n\nThe Fair One with Golden Locks had no more to say. She consented to\naccompany him back, with all her suite, to his master\u2019s court. On the\nway thither she saw so much of him, and found him so charming, that\nAvenant might have married her himself had he chosen; but he would not\nhave been false to his master for all the beauties under the sun. At\nlength they arrived at the King\u2019s city, and the Fair One with Golden\nLocks became his spouse and Queen. But she still loved Avenant in her\nheart, and often said to the King her lord: \u201cBut for Avenant I should\nnot be here; he has done all sorts of impossible deeds for my sake; he\nhas fetched me the water of beauty, and I shall never grow old\u2014in\nshort, I owe him everything.\u201d\n\nAnd she praised him in this sort so much that at length the King became\njealous; and though Ayenant gave him not the slightest cause of\noffense, he shut him up in the same high tower once more\u2014but with irons\non his hands and feet, and a cruel jailer besides, who fed him with\nbread and water only. His sole companion was his little dog Cabriole.\n\nWhen the Fair One with Golden Locks heard of this, she reproached her\nhusband for his ingratitude, and then throwing herself at his knees,\nimplored that Avenant might be set free. But the King only said: \u201cShe\nloves him!\u201d and refused her prayer. The Queen entreated no more, but\nfell into a deep melancholy.\n\nWhen the King saw it, he thought she did not care for him because he\nwas not handsome enough; and that if he could wash his face with her\nwater of beauty, it would make her love him the more. He knew that she\nkept it in a cabinet in her chamber, where she could find it always.\n\nNow it happened that a waiting-maid, in cleaning out this cabinet, had,\nthe very day before, knocked down the phial, which was broken in a\nthousand pieces, and all the contents were lost. Very much alarmed, she\nthen remembered seeing, in a cabinet belonging to the King, a similar\nphial. This she fetched, and put in the place of the other one, in\nwhich was the water of beauty. But the King\u2019s phial contained the water\nof death. It was a poison, used to destroy great criminals\u2014that is,\nnoblemen, gentlemen, and such like. Instead of hanging them or cutting\ntheir heads off, like common people, they were compelled to wash their\nfaces with this water; upon which they fell asleep, and woke no more.\nSo it happened that the King, taking up this phial, believing it to be\nthe water of beauty, washed his face with it, fell asleep, and\u2014died.\n\nCabriole heard the news, and, gliding in and out among the crowd which\nclustered round the young and lovely widow, whispered softly to\nher\u2014\u201cMadam, do not forget poor Avenant.\u201d If she had been disposed to do\nso, the sight of his little dog would have been enough to remind her of\nhim\u2014his many sufferings, and his great fidelity. She rose up, without\nspeaking to anybody, and went straight to the tower where Avenant was\nconfined. There, with her own hands, she struck off his chains, and\nputting a crown of gold on his head, and a purple mantle on his\nshoulders, said to him, \u201cBe King\u2014and my husband.\n\nAvenant could not refuse: for in his heart he had loved her all the\ntime. He threw himself at her feet, and then took the crown and\nscepter, and ruled her kingdom like a king. All the people were\ndelighted to have him as their sovereign. The marriage was celebrated\nin all imaginable pomp, and Avenant and the Fair One with Golden Locks\nlived and reigned happily together all their days.\n\n\n\n\nBEAUTY AND THE BEAST\n\n\nBy Mme. d\u2019Aulnoy\n\nThere was once a very rich merchant, who had six children, three boys\nand three girls. As he was himself a man of great sense, he spared no\nexpense for their education. The three daughters were all handsome, but\nparticularly the youngest; indeed, she was so very beautiful, that in\nher childhood everyone called her the Little Beauty; and being equally\nlovely when she was grown up, nobody called her by any other name,\nwhich made her sisters very jealous of her. This youngest daughter was\nnot only more handsome than her sisters, but also was better tempered.\nThe two eldest were vain of their wealth and position. They gave\nthemselves a thousand airs, and refused to visit other merchants\u2019\ndaughters; nor would they condescend to be seen except with persons of\nquality.\n\nThey went every day to balls, p1ays, and public walks, and always made\ngame of their youngest sister for spending her time in reading or other\nuseful employments. As it was well known that these young ladies would\nhave large fortunes, many great merchants wished to get them for wives;\nbut the two eldest always answered, that, for their parts, they had no\nthoughts of marrying anyone below a duke or an earl at least. Beauty\nhad quite as many offers as her sisters, but she always answered, with\nthe greatest civility, that though she was much obliged to her lovers,\nshe would rather live some years longer with her father, as she thought\nherself too young to marry.\n\nIt happened that, by some unlucky accident, the merchant suddenly lost\nall his fortune, and had nothing left but a small cottage in the\ncountry. Upon this he said to his daughters, while the tears ran down\nhis cheeks, \u201cMy children, we must now go and dwell in the cottage, and\ntry to get a living by labor, for we have no other means of support.\u201d\nThe two eldest replied that they did not know how to work, and would\nnot leave town; for they had lovers enough who would be glad to marry\nthem, though they had no longer any fortune. But in this they were\nmistaken; for when the lovers heard what had happened, they said, \u201cThe\ngirls were so proud and ill-tempered, that all we wanted was their\nfortune; we are not sorry at all to see their pride brought down; let\nthem show off their airs to their cows and sheep.\u201d But everybody pitied\npoor Beauty, because she was so sweet-tempered and kind to all, and\nseveral gentlemen offered to marry her, though she had not a penny; but\nBeauty still refused, and said she could not think of leaving her poor\nfather in this trouble. At first Beauty could not help sometimes crying\nin secret for the hardships she was now obliged to suffer; but in a\nvery short time she said to herself, \u201cAll the crying in the world will\ndo me no good, so I will try to be happy without a fortune.\u201d\n\nWhen they had removed to their cottage, the merchant and his three sons\nemployed themselves in ploughing and sowing the fields, and working in\nthe garden. Beauty also did her part, for she rose by four o\u2019clock\nevery morning, lighted the fires, cleaned the house, and got ready the\nbreakfast for the whole family. At first she found all this very hard;\nbut she soon grew quite used to it, and thought it no hardship; indeed,\nthe work greatly benefited her health. When she had done, she used to\namuse herself with reading, playing her music, or singing while she\nspun. But her two sisters were at a loss what to do to pass the time\naway; they had their breakfast in bed, and did not rise till ten\no\u2019clock. Then they commonly walked out, but always found themselves\nvery soon tired; when they would often sit down under a shady tree, and\ngrieve for the loss of their carriage and fine clothes, and say to each\nother, \u201cWhat a mean-spirited, poor stupid creature our young sister is,\nto be so content within this low way of life!\u201d But their father thought\ndifferently; and loved and admired his youngest child more than ever.\n\nAfter they had lived in this manner about a year the merchant received\na letter, which informed him that one of his richest ships, which he\nthought was lost, had just come unto port. This news made the two\neldest sisters almost mad with joy; for they thought they should now\nleave the cottage, and have all their finery again. When they found\nthat their father must take a journey to the ship, the two eldest\nbegged he would not fail to bring them back some new gowns, caps,\nrings, and all sorts of trinkets. But Beauty asked for nothing; for she\nthought in herself that all the Ship was worth would hardly buy\neverything her sisters wished for. \u201cBeauty,\u201d said the merchant, \u201chow\ncomes it that you ask for nothing: what can I bring you, my child?\u201d\n\n\u201cSince you are so kind as to think of me, dear father,\u201d she answered,\n\u201cI should be glad if you would bring me a rose, for we have none in our\ngarden.\u201d Now Beauty did not indeed wish for a rose, nor anything else,\nbut she only said this that she might not affront her sisters;\notherwise they would have said she wanted her father to praise her for\ndesiring nothing. The merchant took his leave of them, and set out on\nhis journey; but when he got to the ship, some persons went to law with\nhim about the cargo, and after a deal of trouble he came back to his\ncottage as poor as he had left it. When he was within thirty miles of\nhis home, and thinking of the joy of again meeting his children, he\nlost his way in the midst of a dense forest. It rained and snowed very\nhard, and, besides, the wind was so high as to throw him twice from his\nhorse. Night came on, and he feared he should die of cold and hunger,\nor be torn to pieces by the wolves that he heard howling round him. All\nat once, he cast his eyes toward a long avenue, and saw at the end a\nlight, but it seemed a great way off. He made the best of his way\ntoward it, and found that it came from a splendid palace, the windows\nof which were all blazing with light. It had great bronze gates,\nstanding wide open, and fine court-yards, through which the merchant\npassed; but not a living soul was to be seen. There were stables, too,\nwhich his poor, starved horse, less scrupulous than himself, entered at\nonce, and took a good meal of oats and hay. His master then tied him\nup, and walked toward the entrance hall, but still without seeing a\nsingle creature. He went on to a large dining parlor, where he found a\ngood fire, and table covered with some very nice dishes, but only one\nplate with a knife and fork. As the snow and rain had wetted him to the\nskin, he went up to the fire to dry himself. \u201cI hope,\u201d said he, \u201cthe\nmaster of the house or his servants will excuse me, for it surely will\nnot be long now before I see them.\u201d He waited some time, but still\nnobody came: at last the clock struck eleven, and the merchant, being\nquite faint for the want of food, helped himself to a chicken, and to a\nfew glasses of wine, yet all the time trembling with fear. He sat till\nthe clock struck twelve, and then, taking courage, began to think he\nmight as well look about him: so he opened a door at the end of the\nhall, and went through it into a very grand room, in which there was a\nfine bed; and as he was feeling very weary, he shut the door, took off\nhis clothes, and got into it.\n\nIt was ten o\u2019clock in the morning before he awoke, when he was amazed\nto see a handsome new suit of clothes laid ready for him, instead of\nhis own, which were all torn and spoiled. \u201cTo be sure,\u201d said he to\nhimself, \u201cthis place belongs to some good fairy, who has taken pity on\nmy ill luck.\u201d He looked out of the window, and instead of the\nsnow-covered wood, where he had lost himself the previous night, he saw\nthe most charming arbors covered with all kinds of flowers. Returning\nto the hall where he had supper, he found a breakfast table, ready\nprepared. \u201cIndeed, my good fairy,\u201d said the merchant aloud, \u201cI am\nvastly obliged to you for your kind care of me.\u201d He then made a hearty\nbreakfast, took his hat, and was going to the stable to pay his horse a\nvisit; but as he passed under one of the arbors, which was loaded with\nroses, he thought of what Beauty had asked him to bring back to her,\nand so he took a bunch of roses to carry home. At the same moment he\nheard a loud noise, and saw coming toward him a beast, so frightful to\nlook at that he was ready to faint with fear. \u201cUngrateful man!\u201d said\nthe beast in a terrible voice, \u201cI have saved your life by admitting you\ninto my palace, and in return you steal my roses, which I value more\nthan anything I possess. But you shall atone for your fault\u2014die in a\nquarter of an hour.\n\nThe merchant fell on his knees, and clasping his hands, said, \u201cSir, I\nhumbly beg your pardon: I did not think it would offend you to gather a\nrose for one of my daughters, who had entreated me to bring her one\nhome. Do not kill me, my lord!\u201d\n\n\u201cI am not a lord, but a beast,\u201d replied. the monster, \u201cI hate false\ncompliments: so do not fancy that you can coax me by any such ways. You\ntell me that you have daughters; now I will suffer you to escape, if\none of them will come and die in your stead. If not, profuse that you\nwill yourself return in three months, to be dealt with as I may\nchoose.\u201d\n\nThe tender-hearted merchant had no thoughts of letting any one of his\ndaughters die for his sake; but he knew that if he seemed to accept the\nbeast\u2019s terms, he should at least have the pleasure of seeing them once\nagain. So he gave his promise, and was told that he might then set off\nas soon as he liked. \u201cBut,\u201d said the beast, \u201cI do not wish you to go\nback empty handed. Go to the room you slept in, and you will find a\nchest there; fill it with whatsoever you like best, and I will have it\ntaken to your own house for you.\u201d\n\nWhen the beast had said this, he went away. The good merchant, left to\nhimself, began to consider that as he must die\u2014for he had no thought of\nbreaking a promise, made even to a beast\u2014he might as well have the\ncomfort of leaving his children provided for. He returned to the room\nhe had slept in, and found there heaps of gold pieces lying about.\n\nHe filled the chest with them to the very brim, locked it, and,\nmounting his horse, left the palace as sorrowful as he had been glad\nwhen he first beheld it. The horse took a path across the forest of his\nown accord, and in a few hours they reached the merchant\u2019s house. His\nchildren came running round him, but, instead of kissing them with joy,\nhe could not help weeping as he looked at them. He held in his hand the\nbunch of roses, which he gave to Beauty, saying, \u201cTake these roses,\nBeauty; but little do you think how dear they have cost your poor\nfather;\u201d and then he gave them an account of all that he had seen or\nheard in the palace of the beast.\n\nThe two eldest sisters now began to shed tears, and to lay the blame\nupon Beauty, who, they said, would be the cause of her father\u2019s death.\n\u201cSee,\u201d said they, \u201cwhat happens from the pride of the little wretch;\nwhy did not she ask for such things as we did? But, to be sure, Miss\nmust not be like other people; and though she will be the cause of her\nfather\u2019s death, yet she does not shed a tear.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt would be useless,\u201d replied Beauty, \u201cfor my father shall not die. As\nthe beast will accept one of his daughters, I will give myself up, and\nbe only too happy to prove my love for the best of fathers.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, sister,\u201d said the three brothers with one voice, \u201cthat cannot be;\nwe will go in search of this monster, and either he or we will perish.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo not hope to kill him,\u201d said the merchant, \u201chis power is far too\ngreat. But Beauty\u2019s young life shall not be sacrificed; I am old, and\ncannot expect to live much longer; so I shall but give up a few years\nof my life, and shall only grieve for the sake of my children.\u201d\n\n\u201cNever, father!\u201d cried Beauty; \u201cif you go back to the palace, you\ncannot hinder my going after you; though young, I am not over-fond of\nlife; and I would much rather be eaten up by the monster, than die of\ngrief for your loss.\u201d\n\nThe merchant in vain tried to reason with Beauty who still obstinately\nkept to her purpose; which, in truth, made her two sisters glad, for\nthey were jealous of her, because everybody loved her.\n\nThe merchant was so grieved at the thoughts of losing his child, that\nhe never once thought of the chest filled with gold, but at night, to\nhis great surprise, he found it standing by his bedside. He said\nnothing about his riches to his eldest daughters, for he knew very well\nit would at once make them want to return to town; but he told Beauty\nhis secret, and she then said, that while he was away, two gentlemen\nhad been on a visit at her cottage, who had fallen in love with her two\nsisters. She entreated her father to marry them without delay, for she\nwas so sweet-natured, she only wished them to be happy.\n\nThree months went by, only too fast, and then the merchant and Beauty\ngot ready to set out for the palace of the beast. Upon this, the two\nsisters rubbed their eyes with an onion, to make believe they were\ncrying; both the merchant and his sons cried in earnest. Only Beauty\nshed no tears. They reached the palace in a very few hours, and the\nhorse, without bidding, went into the stable as before. The merchant\nand Beauty walked toward the large hall, where they found a table\ncovered with every dainty and two plates laid already. The merchant had\nvery little appetite; but Beauty, that she might the better hide her\ngrief, placed herself at the table, and helped her father; she then\nbegan to eat herself, and thought all the time that, to be sure, the\nbeast had a mind to fatten her before he ate her up, since he had\nprovided such good cheer for her. When they had done their supper, they\nheard a great noise, and the good old man began to bid his poor child\nfarewell, for he knew it was the beast coming to them. When Beauty\nfirst saw that frightful form, she was very much terrified, but tried\nto hide her fear. The creature walked up to her, and eyed her all\nover\u2014then asked her in a dreadful voice if she had come quite of her\nown accord.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said Beauty.\n\n\u201cThen you are a good girl, and I am very much obliged to you.\u201d\n\nThis was such an astonishingly civil answer that Beauty\u2019s courage rose:\nbut it sank again when the beast, addressing the merchant, desired him\nto leave the palace next morning, and never return to it again. \u201cAnd so\ngood-night, merchant. And good-night, Beauty.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood-night, beast,\u201d she answered, as the monster shuffled out of the\nroom.\n\n\u201cAh! my dear child,\u201d said the merchant, kissing his daughter, \u201cI am\nhalf dead already, at the thought of leaving you with this dreadful\nbeast; you shall go back and let me stay in your place.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Beauty, boldly, \u201cI will never agree to that; you must go\nhome to-morrow morning.\u201d\n\nThey then wished each other good-night, and went to bed, both of them\nthinking they should not be able to close their eyes; but as soon as\never they had lain down, they fell into a deep sleep, and did not awake\ntill morning. Beauty dreamed that a lady came up to her, who said, \u201cI\nam very much pleased, Beauty, with the goodness you have shown, in\nbeing willing to give your life to save that of your father. Do not be\nafraid of anything; you shall not go without a reward.\u201d\n\nAs soon as Beauty awoke she told her father this dream; but though it\ngave him some comfort, he was a long time before he could be persuaded\nto leave the palace. At last Beauty succeeded in getting him safely\naway.\n\nWhen her father was out of sight, poor Beauty began to weep sorely;\nstill, having naturally a courageous spirit, she soon resolved not to\nmake her sad case still worse by sorrow, which she knew was vain, but\nto wait and be patient. She walked about to take a view of all the\npalace, and the elegance of every part of it much charmed her.\n\nBut what was her surprise, when she came to a door on which was\nwritten, BEAUTY\u2019S ROOM! She opened it in haste, and her eyes were\ndazzled by the splendor and taste of the apartment. What made her\nwonder more than all the rest, was a large library filled with books, a\nharpsichord, and many pieces of music. \u201cThe beast surely does not mean\nto eat me up immediately,\u201d said she, \u201csince he takes care I shall not\nbe at a loss how to amuse myself.\u201d She opened the library and saw these\nverses written in letters of gold in the back of one of the books:\u2014\n\n\u201cBeauteous lady, dry your tears,\nHere\u2019s no cause for sighs or fears.\nCommand as freely as you may,\nFor you command and I obey.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said she, sighing; \u201cI wish I could only command a sight of my\npoor father, and to know what he is doing at this moment.\u201d Just then,\nby chance, she cast her eyes upon a looking-glass that stood near her,\nand in it she saw a picture of her old home, and her father riding\nmournfully up to the door. Her sisters came out to meet him, and\nalthough they tried to look sorry, it was easy to see that in their\nhearts they were very glad. In a short time all this picture\ndisappeared, but it caused Beauty to think that the beast, besides\nbeing very powerful, was also very kind. About the middle of the day\nshe found a table laid ready for her, and a sweet concert of music\nplayed all the time she was dining, without her seeing anybody. But at\nsupper, when she was going to seat herself at table, she heard the\nnoise of the beast, and could not help trembling with fear.\n\n\u201cBeauty,\u201d said he, \u201cwill you give me leave to see you sup?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is as you please,\u201d answered she, very much afraid.\n\n\u201cNot in the least,\u201d said the beast; \u201cyou alone command in this place.\nIf you should not like my company, you need only say so, and I will\nleave you that moment. But tell me, Beauty, do you not think me very\nugly?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, yes,\u201d said she, \u201cfor I cannot tell a falsehood; but then I think\nyou are very good.\u201d\n\n\u201cAm I?\u201d sadly replied the beast; \u201cyet, besides being ugly, I am also\nvery stupid; I know well enough that I am but a beast.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery stupid people,\u201d said Beauty, \u201care never aware of it themselves.\u201d\n\nAt which kindly speech the beast looked pleased, and replied, not\nwithout an awkward sort of politeness, \u201cPray do not let me detain you\nfrom supper, and be sure that you are well served. All you see is your\nown, and I should be deeply grieved if you wanted for anything.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are very kind\u2014so kind that I almost forgot you are so ugly,\u201d said\nBeauty, earnestly.\n\n\u201cAh! yes,\u201d answered the beast, with a great sigh; \u201cI hope I am\ngood-tempered, but still I am only a monster.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere is many a monster who wears the form of a man; it is better of\nthe two to have the heart of a man and the form of a monster.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would thank you, Beauty, for this speech, but I am too senseless to\nsay anything that would please you,\u201d returned the beast in a melancholy\nvoice; and altogether he seemed so gentle and so unhappy that Beauty,\nwho had the tenderest heart in the world, felt her fear of him\ngradually vanish.\n\nShe ate her supper with a good appetite, and conversed in her own\nsensible and charming way, till at last, when the beast rose to depart,\nhe terrified her more than ever by saying abruptly, in his gruff voice,\n\u201cBeauty, will you marry me?\u201d\n\nNow Beauty, frightened as she was, would speak only the exact truth;\nbesides her father had told her that the beast liked only to have the\ntruth spoken to him. So she answered, in a very firm tone, \u201cNo, beast.\u201d\n\nHe did not get into a passion, or do anything but sigh deeply, and\ndepart.\n\nWhen Beauty found herself alone, she began to feel pity for the poor\nbeast. \u201cOh!\u201d said she, \u201cwhat a sad thing it is that he should be so\nvery frightful, since he is so good-tempered!\u201d\n\nBeauty lived three months in this palace very well pleased. The beast\ncame to see her every night, and talked with her while she supped; and\nthough what he said was not very clever, yet, as she saw in him every\nday some new goodness, instead of dreading the time of his coming, she\nsoon began continually looking at her watch, to see if it were nine\no\u2019clock; for that was the hour when he never failed to visit her. One\nthing only vexed her, which was that every night before he went away,\nhe always made it a rule to ask her if she would be his wife, and\nseemed very much grieved at her steadfastly replying \u201cNo.\u201d At last, one\nnight, she said to him, \u201cYou wound me greatly, beast, by forcing me to\nrefuse you so often; I wish I could take such a liking to you as to\nagree to marry you; but I must tell you plainly that I do not think it\nwill ever happen. I shall always be your friend; so try to let that\ncontent you.\n\n\u201cI must,\u201d sighed the beast, \u201cfor I know well enough how frightful I am;\nbut I love you better than myself. Yet I think I am very lucky in your\nbeing pleased to stay with me; now promise, Beauty, that you will never\nleave me.\n\nBeauty would almost have agreed to this, so sorry was she for him, but\nshe had that day seen in her magic glass, which she looked at\nconstantly, that her father was dying of grief for her sake.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d she said, \u201cI long so much to see my father, that if you do not\ngive me leave to visit him, I shall break my heart.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would rather break mine, Beauty,\u201d answered the beast; \u201cI will send\nyou to your father\u2019s cottage: you shall stay there, and your poor beast\nshall die of sorrow.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Beauty, crying, \u201cI love you too well to be the cause of your\ndeath; I promise to return in a week. You have shown me that my sisters\nare married, and my brothers are gone for soldiers, so that my father\nis left all alone. Let me stay a week with him.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou shall find yourself with him to-morrow morning,\u201d replied the\nbeast; \u201cbut mind, do not forget your promise. When you wish to return,\nyou have nothing to do but to put your ring on a table when you go to\nbed. Good-by, Beauty!\u201d The beast sighed as he said these words, and\nBeauty went to bed very sorry to see him so much grieved. When she\nawoke in the morning, she found herself in her father\u2019s cottage. She\nrang a bell that was at her bedside, and a servant entered; but as soon\nas she saw Beauty the woman gave a loud shriek; upon which the merchant\nran upstairs, and when he beheld his daughter he ran to her, and kissed\nher a hundred times. At last Beauty began to remember that she had\nbrought no clothes with her to put on; but the servant told her she had\njust found in the next room a large chest full of dresses, trimmed all\nover with gold, and adorned within pearls and diamonds.\n\nBeauty, in her own mind, thanked the beast for his kindness, and put on\nthe plainest gown she could find among them all. She then desired the\nservant to lay the rest aside, for she intended to give them to her\nsisters; but, as soon as she had spoken these words, the chest was gone\nout of sight in a moment. Her father then suggested, perhaps the beast\nchose for her to keep them all for herself: and as soon as he had said\nthis, they saw the chest standing again in the same place. While Beauty\nwas dressing herself, a servant brought word to her that her sisters\nwere come with their husbands to pay her a visit. They both lived\nunhappily with the gentlemen they had married. The husband of the\neldest was very handsome, but was so proud of this that he thought of\nnothing else from morning till night, and did not care a pin for the\nbeauty of his wife. The second had married a man of great learning; but\nhe made no use of it, except to torment and affront all his friends,\nand his wife more than any of them. The two sisters were ready to burst\nwith spite when they saw Beauty dressed like a princess, and looking so\nvery charming. All the kindness that she showed them was of no use; for\nthey were vexed more than ever when she told them how happy she lived\nat the palace of the beast. The spiteful creatures went by themselves\ninto the garden, where they cried to think of her good fortune.\n\n\u201cWhy should the little wretch be better off than we?\u201d said they. \u201cWe\nare much handsomer than she is.\u201d\n\n\u201cSister!\u201d said the eldest, \u201ca thought has just come into my head; let\nus try to keep her here longer than the week for which the beast gave\nher leave; and then he will be so angry that perhaps when she goes back\nto him he will eat her up in a moment.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is well thought of,\u201d answered the other, \u201cbut to do this, we must\npretend to be very kind.\u201d\n\nThey then went to join her in the cottage, where they showed her so\nmuch false love that Beauty could not help crying for joy.\n\nWhen the week was ended, the two sisters began to pretend such grief at\nthe thought of her leaving them that she agreed to stay a week more;\nbut all that time Beauty could not help fretting for the sorrow that\nshe knew her absence would give her poor beast for she tenderly loved\nhim, and much wished for his company again. Among all the grand and\nclever people she saw, she found nobody who was half so sensible, so\naffectionate, so thoughtful, or so kind. The tenth night of her being\nat the cottage, she dreamed she was in the garden of the palace, that\nthe beast lay dying on a grass plot, and with his last breath put her\nin mind of her promise, and laid his death to her forsaking him. Beauty\nawoke in a great fright, and she burst into tears. \u201cAm not I wicked,\u201d\nsaid she, \u201cto behave so ill to a beast who has shown me so much\nkindness? Why will I not marry him? I am sure I should be more happy\nwith him than my sisters are with their husbands. He shall not be\nwretched any longer on my account; for I should do nothing but blame\nmyself all the rest of my life.\u201d\n\nShe then rose, put her ring on the table, got into bed again, and soon\nfell asleep. In the morning she with joy found herself in the palace of\nthe beast. She dressed herself very carefully, that she might please\nhim the better, and thought she had never known a day pass away so\nslowly. At last the clock struck nine, but the beast did not come.\nBeauty, dreading lest she might truly have caused his death, ran from\nroom to room, calling out: \u201cBeast, dear beast;\u201d but there was no\nanswer. At last she remembered her dream, rushed to the grass plot, and\nthere saw him lying apparently dead beside the fountain. Forgetting all\nhis ugliness, she threw herself upon his body, and finding his heart\nstill beating, she fetched some water and sprinkled it over him,\nweeping and sobbing the while.\n\nThe beast opened his eyes. \u201cYou forgot your promise, Beauty, and so I\ndetermined to die; for I could not live without you. I have starved\nmyself to death, but I shall die content since I have seen your face\nonce more.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, dear beast,\u201d cried Beauty, passionately, \u201cyou shall not die; you\nshall live to be my husband. I thought it was only friendship I felt\nfor you, but now I know it was love.\u201d\n\nThe moment Beauty had spoken these words, the palace was suddenly\nlighted up, and all kinds of rejoicings were heard around them, none of\nwhich she noticed, but hung over her dear beast with the utmost\ntenderness. At last, unable to restrain herself, she dropped her head\nover her hands, covered her eyes, and cried for joy; and, when she\nlooked up again, the beast was gone. In his stead she saw at her feet a\nhandsome, graceful young prince, who thanked her with the tenderest\nexpressions for having freed him from enchantment.\n\n\u201cBut where is my poor beast? I only want him and nobody else,\u201d sobbed\nBeauty.\n\n\u201cI am he,\u201d replied the prince. \u201cA wicked fairy condemned me to this\nform, and forbade me to show that I had any wit or sense, till a\nbeautiful lady should consent to marry me. You alone, dearest Beauty,\njudged me neither by my looks nor by my talents, but by my heart alone.\nTake it then, and all that I have besides, for all is yours.\u201d\n\nBeauty, full of surprise, but very happy, suffered the prince to lead\nher to his palace, where she found her father and sisters, who had been\nbrought there by the fairy-lady whom she had seen in a dream the first\nnight she came.\n\n\u201cBeauty,\u201d said the fairy, \u201cyou have chosen well, and you have your\nreward, for a true heart is better than either good looks or clever\nbrains. As for you, ladies,\u201d and she turned to the two elder sisters,\n\u201cI know all your ill deeds, but I have no worse punishment for you than\nto see your sister happy. You shall stand as statues at the door of her\npalace, and when you repent of, and have amended your faults, you shall\nbecome women again. But, to tell you the truth, I very much fear you\nwill remain statues forever.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nJACK AND THE BEANSTALK\n\n\nAnonymous\n\nOnce upon a time there was a poor widow who lived in a little cottage\nwith her only son Jack.\n\nJack was a giddy, thoughtless boy, but very kindhearted and\naffectionate. There had been a hard winter, and after it the poor woman\nhad suffered from fever and ague. Jack did no work as yet, and by\ndegrees they grew dreadfully poor. The widow saw that there was no\nmeans of keeping Jack and herself from starvation but by selling her\ncow; so one morning she said to her son, \u201cI am too weak to go myself,\nJack, so you must take the cow to market for me, and sell her.\u201d\n\nJack liked going to market to sell the cow very much; but as he was on\nhis way, he met a butcher who had some beautiful beans in his hand.\nJack stopped to look at them, and the butcher told the boy that they\nwere of great value, and persuaded the silly lad to sell the cow for\nthese beans. When he brought them home to his mother instead of the\nmoney she expected for her nice cow, she was very vexed and shed many\ntears, scolding Jack for his folly. He was very sorry, and mother and\nson went to bed very sadly that night; their last hope seemed gone.\n\nAt daybreak Jack rose and went out into the garden.\n\n\u201cAt least,\u201d he thought, \u201cI will sow the wonderful beans. Mother says\nthat they are just common scarlet-runners, and nothing else; but I may\nas well sow them.\u201d\n\nSo he took a piece of stick, and made some holes in the ground, and put\nin the beans.\n\nThat day they had very little dinner, and went sadly to bed, knowing\nthat for the next day there would be none, and Jack, unable to sleep\nfrom grief and vexation, got up at day-dawn and went out into the\ngarden.\n\nWhat was his amazement to find that the beans had grown up in the\nnight, and climbed up and up till they covered the high cliff that\nsheltered the cottage, and disappeared above it! The stalks had twined\nand\u2014twisted themselves together till they formed quite a ladder.\n\n\u201cIt would be easy to climb it,\u201d thought Jack.\n\nAnd, having thought of the experiment, he at once resolved to carry it\nout, for Jack was a good climber. However, after his late mistake about\nthe cow, he thought he had better consult his mother first.\n\nSo Jack called his mother, and they both gazed in silent wonder at the\nBeanstalk, which was not only of great height, but it was thick enough\nto bear Jack\u2019s weight.\n\n\u201cI wonder where it ends,\u201d said Jack to his mother; \u201cI think I will\nclimb up and see.\u201d\n\nHis mother wished him not to venture up this strange ladder, but Jack\ncoaxed her to give her consent to the attempt, for he was certain there\nmust be something wonderful in the Beanstalk; so at last she yielded to\nhis wishes.\n\nJack instantly began to climb, and went up and up on the ladder-like\nbean till everything he had left behind him\u2014the cottage, the village,\nand even the tall church tower\u2014looked quite little, and still he could\nnot see the top of the Beanstalk.\n\nJack felt a little tired, and thought for a moment that he would go\nback again; but he was a very persevering boy, and he knew that the way\nto succeed in anything is not to give up. So, after resting for a\nmoment, he went on.\n\nAfter climbing higher and higher, till he grew afraid to look down for\nfear he should be giddy, Jack at last reached the top of the Beanstalk,\nand found himself in a beautiful country, finely wooded, with beautiful\nmeadows covered with sheep. A crystal stream ran through the pastures;\nnot far from the place where he had got off the Beanstalk stood a fine,\nstrong castle.\n\nJack wondered very much that he had never heard of or seen this castle\nbefore; but when he reflected on the subject, he saw that it was as\nmuch separated from the village by the perpendicular rock on which it\nstood as if it were in another land.\n\nWhile Jack was standing looking at the castle, a very strange-looking\nwoman came out of the wood and advanced toward him.\n\nShe wore a pointed cap of quilted red satin turned up with ermine, her\nhair streamed loose over her shoulders, and she walked with a staff.\nJack took off his cap and made her a bow.\n\n\u201cIf you please, ma\u2019am,\u201d said he, \u201cis this your house?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the old lady. \u201cListen, and I will tell you the story of that\ncastle.\u201d\n\n\u201cOnce upon a time there was a noble knight, who lived in this castle,\nwhich is on the borders of Fairyland. He had a fair and beloved wife\nand several lovely children; and as his neighbors, the little people,\nwere very friendly toward him, they bestowed on him many excellent and\nprecious gifts.\n\n\u201cRumor whispered of these treasures; and a monstrous giant who lived at\na great distance, and who was a very wicked being, resolved to obtain\npossession of them.\n\n\u201cSo he bribed a false servant to let him inside the castle, when the\nknight was in bed and asleep, and he killed him as he lay. Then he went\nto the part of the castle which was the nursery, and also killed all\nthe poor little ones he found there.\n\n\u201cHappily for her, the lady was not to be found. She had gone with her\ninfant son, who was only two or three months old, to visit her old\nnurse, who lived in the valley; and she had been detained all night\nthere by a storm.\n\n\u201cThe next morning, as soon as it was light, one of the servants at the\ncastle, who had managed to escape, came to tell the poor lady of the\nsad fate of her husband and her pretty babes. She could scarcely\nbelieve him at first, and was eager at once to go back and share the\nfate of her dear ones; but the old nurse, with many tears, besought her\nto remember that she had still a child, and that it was her duty to\npreserve her life for the sake of the poor innocent.\n\n\u201cThe lady yielded to this reasoning, and consented to remain at her\nnurse\u2019s house as the best place of concealment; for the servant told\nher that the Giant had vowed, if he could find her, he would kill both\nher and her baby. Years rolled on. The old nurse died, leaving her\ncottage and the few articles of furniture it contained to her poor\nlady, who dwelt in it, working as a peasant for her daily bread. Her\nspinning-wheel and the milk of a cow which she had purchased with the\nlittle money she had with her, sufficed for the scanty subsistence of\nherself and her little son. There was a nice little garden attached to\nthe cottage, in which they cultivated peas, beans, and cabbages, and\nthe lady was not ashamed to go out at harvest time and glean in the\nfields to supply her little son\u2019s wants.\n\n\u201cJack, that poor lady is your mother. This castle was once your\nfather\u2019s, and must again be yours.\n\nJack uttered a cry of surprise.\n\n\u201cMy mother! oh, madam, what ought I to do? My poor father! My dear\nmother!\u201d\n\n\u201cYour duty requires you to win it back for your mother. But the task is\na very difficult one, and full of peril, Jack. Have you courage to\nundertake it?\u201d \u201cI fear nothing when I am doing right,\u201d said Jack.\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the lady in the red cap, \u201cyou are one of those who slay\ngiants. You must get into the castle, and if possible possess yourself\nof a hen that lays golden eggs, and a harp that talks. Remember, all\nthe Giant possesses is really yours.\u201d\n\nAs she ceased speaking, the lady of the red hat suddenly disappeared,\nand of course Jack knew she was a fairy.\n\nJack determined at once to attempt the adventure; so he advanced, and\nblew the horn which hung at the castle portal. The door was opened in a\nminute or two by a frightful Giantess, with one great eye in the middle\nof her forehead.\n\nAs soon as Jack saw her he turned to run away, but she caught him, and\ndragged him into the castle.\n\n\u201cHo, ho!\u201d she laughed terribly. \u201cYou didn\u2019t expect to see me here, that\nis clear! No, I shan\u2019t let you go again. I am weary of my life. I am so\noverworked, and I don\u2019t see why I should not have a page as well as\nother ladies. And you shall be my boy. You shall clean the knives, and\nblack the boots, and make the fires, and help me generally when the\nGiant is out. When he is at home I must hide you, for he has eaten up\nall my pages hitherto, and you would be a dainty morsel, my little\nlad.\u201d\n\nWhile she spoke she dragged Jack right into the castle. The poor boy\nwas very much frightened, as I am sure you and I would have been in his\nplace. But he remembered that fear disgraces a man; so he struggled to\nbe brave and make the best of things. \u201cI am quite ready to help you,\nand do all I can to serve you, madam,\u201d he said, \u201conly I beg you will be\ngood enough to hide me from your husband, for I should not like to be\neaten at all.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s a good boy,\u201d said the Giantess, nodding her head; \u201cit is lucky\nfor you that you did not scream out when you saw me, as the other boys\nwho have been here did, for if you had done so my husband would have\nawakened and have eaten you, as he did them, for breakfast. Come here,\nchild; go into my wardrobe: he never ventures to open that; you will be\nsafe there.\u201d\n\nAnd she opened a huge wardrobe which stood in the great hall, and shut\nhim unto it. But the keyhole was so large that it admitted plenty of\nair, and he could see everything that took place through it. By and by\nhe heard a heavy tramp on the stairs, like the lumbering along of a\ngreat cannon, and then a voice like thunder cried out:\n\n\u201cFe, fa, fi-fo-fum,\nI smell the breath of an Englishman.\nLet him be alive or let him be dead,\nI\u2019ll grind his bones to make my bread.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cWife,\u201d cried the Giant, \u201cthere is a man in the castle. Let me have him\nfor breakfast.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are grown old and stupid,\u201d cried the lady, in her loud tones. \u201cIt\nis only a nice fresh steak off an elephant, that I have cooked for you,\nwhich you smell. There, sit down and make a good breakfast.\u201d\n\nAnd she placed a huge dish before him of savory steaming meat, which\ngreatly pleased him, and made him forget his idea of an Englishman\nbeing in the castle. When he had breakfasted he went out for a walk,\nand then the Giantess opened the door, and made Jack come out to help\nher. He helped her all day. She fed him well, and when evening came put\nhim back in the wardrobe.\n\nThe Giant came in to supper. Jack watched him through the keyhole, and\nwas amazed to see him pick a wolf\u2019s bone, and put half a fowl at a time\ninto his capacious mouth.\n\nWhen the supper was ended he bade his wife bring him his hen that laid\nthe golden eggs.\n\n\u201cIt lays as well as it did when it belonged to that paltry knight,\u201d he\nsaid; \u201cindeed, I think the eggs are heavier than ever.\u201d\n\nThe Giantess went away, and soon returned with a little brown hen,\nwhich she placed on the table before her husband.\n\n\u201cAnd now, my dear,\u201d she said, \u201cI am going for a walk, if you don\u2019t want\nme any longer.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo, said the Giant; \u201cI shall be glad to have a nap by and by.\u201d\n\nThen he took up the brown hen and said to her:\n\n\u201cLay!\u201d And she instantly laid a golden egg.\n\n\u201cLay!\u201d said the Giant again. And she laid another.\n\n\u201cLay!\u201d he repeated the third time. And again a golden egg lay on the\ntable.\n\nNow, Jack was sure this hen was that of which the fairy had spoken.\n\nBy and by the Giant put the hen down on the floor, and soon after went\nfast asleep, snoring so loud that it sounded like thunder.\n\nDirectly Jack perceived that the Giant was fast asleep, he pushed open\nthe door of the wardrobe and crept out; very softly he stole across the\nroom, and, picking up the hen, made haste to quit the apartment. he\nknew the way to the kitchen, the door of which he found was left ajar;\nhe opened it, shut and locked it after him, and flew back to the\nBeanstalk, which he descended as fast as his feet would move.\n\nWhen his mother saw him enter the house she wept for joy, for she had\nfeared that the fairies had carried him away, or that the Giant had\nfound him. But Jack put the brown hen down before her, and told her how\nhe had been in the Giant\u2019s castle, and all his adventures. She was very\nglad to see the hen, which would make them rich once more.\n\nJack made another journey up the Beanstalk to the Giant\u2019s castle one\nday while his mother had gone to market; but first he dyed his hair and\ndisguised himself. The old woman did not know him again, and dragged\nhim in as she had done before, to help her to do the work; but she\nheard her husband coming, and hid him in the wardrobe, not thinking\nthat it was the same boy who had stolen the hen. She bade him stay\nquite still there, or the Giant would eat him. Then the Giant came in,\nsaying:\n\n\u201cFe, fa, fi-fo-furn,\nI smell the breath of an Englishman.\nLet him he alive or let him be dead,\nI\u2019ll grind his bones to make my bread.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cNonsense!\u201d said the wife, \u201cit is only a roasted bullock that I thought\nwould be a titbit for your supper; sit down and I will bring it up at\nonce.\n\nThe Giant sat down, and soon his wife brought up a roasted bullock on a\nlarge dish, and they began their supper. Jack was amazed to see them\npick the bones of the bullock as if it had been a lark. As soon as they\nhad finished their meal, the Giantess rose and said:\n\n\u201cNow, my dear, with your leave I am going up to my room to finish the\nstory I am reading. If you want me, call for me.\u201d\n\n\u201cFirst,\u201d answered the Giant, \u201cbring me my money bags, that I may count\nmy golden pieces before I sleep.\u201d The Giantess obeyed. She went and\nsoon returned with two large bags over her shoulders, which she put\ndown by her husband.\n\n\u201cThere,\u201d she said: \u201cthat is all that is left of the knight\u2019s money.\nWhen you have spent it you must go and take another baron\u2019s castle.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat he shan\u2019t, if I can help it,\u201d thought Jack.\n\nThe Giant, when his wife was gone, took out heaps and heaps of golden\npieces, and counted them, and put them in piles, till he was tired of\nthe amusement. Then he swept them all back into their bags, and leaning\nback in his chair fell fast asleep, snoring so loud that no other sound\nwas audible.\n\nJack stole softly out of the wardrobe, and taking up the bags of money\n(which were his very own, because the Giant had stolen them from his\nfather), he ran off, and with great difficulty descending the\nBeanstalk, laid the bags of gold on his mother\u2019s table. She had just\nreturned from town, and was crying at not finding Jack. \u201cThere, mother,\nI have brought you the gold that my father lost.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, Jack! you are a very good boy, but I wish you would not risk your\nprecious life in the Giant\u2019s castle. Tell me how you came to go there\nagain.\u201d\n\nAnd Jack told her all about it.\n\nJack\u2019s mother was very glad to get the money, but she did not like him\nto run any risk for her.\n\nBut after a time Jack made up his mind to go again to the Giant\u2019s\ncastle.\n\nSo he climbed the Beanstalk once more, and blew the horn at the Giant\u2019s\ngate. The Giantess soon opened the door; she was very stupid, and did\nnot know him again,. but she stopped a minute before she took him in.\nShe feared another robbery; but Jack\u2019s fresh face looked so innocent\nthat she could not resist him, and so she bade him come in, and again\nhid him away in the wardrobe.\n\nBy and by the Giant came home, and as soon as he had crossed the\nthreshold he roared out:\n\n\u201cFe, fa, li-fo-fum,\nI smell the breath of an Englishman.\nLet him be alive or let him be dead,\nI\u2019ll grind his bones to make my bread.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cYou stupid old Giant,\u201d said his wife, \u201cyou only smell a nice sheep,\nwhich I have grilled for your dinner.\u2019\n\nAnd the Giant sat down, and his wife brought up a whole sheep for his\ndinner. When he had eaten it all up, he said:\n\n\u201cNow bring me my harp, and I will have a little music while you take\nyour walk.\u201d\n\nThe Giantess obeyed, and returned with a beautiful harp. The framework\nwas all sparkling with diamonds and rubies, and the strings were all of\ngold.\n\n\u201cThis is one of the nicest things I took from the knight,\u201d Said the\nGiant. \u201cI am very fond of music, and my harp is a faithful servant.\u201d\n\nSo he drew the harp toward him and said:\n\n\u201cPlay!\u201d\n\nAnd the harp played a very soft, sad air.\n\n\u201cPlay something merrier!\u201d said the Giant.\n\nAnd the harp played a merry tune.\n\n\u201cNow play me a lullaby,\u201d roared the Giant; and the harp played a sweet\nlullaby, to the sound of which its master fell asleep.\n\nThen Jack stole softly out of the wardrobe, and went into the huge\nkitchen to see if the Giantess had gone out; he found no one there, so\nhe went to the door and opened it softly, for he thought he could not\ndo so with the harp in his hand.\n\nThen he entered the Giant\u2019s room and seized the harp and ran away with\nit; but as he jumped over the threshold the harp called out: \u201cMASTER!\nMASTER!\u201d\n\nAnd the Giant woke up.\n\nWith a tremendous roar he sprang from his seat, and in two strides had\nreached the door.\n\nBut Jack was very nimble. He fled like lightning with the harp, talking\nto it as he went (for he saw it was a fairy), and telling it he was the\nson of its old master, the knight.\n\nStill the Giant came on so fast that he was quite close to poor Jack,\nand had stretched out his great hand to catch him. But, luckily, just\nat that moment he stepped upon a loose stone, stumbled, and fell flat\non the ground, where he lay at his full length.\n\nThis accident gave Jack time to get on the Bean stalk and hasten down\nit; but just as he reached their own garden he beheld the Giant\ndescending after him.\n\n\u201cMother! mother!\u201d cried Jack, \u201cmake haste and give me the ax.\u201d\n\nHis mother ran to him with a hatchet in her hand, and Jack with one\ntremendous blow cut through all the Beanstalks except one.\n\n\u201cNow, mother, stand out of the way!\u201d said he. Jack\u2019s mother shrank\nback, and it was well she did so, for just as the Giant took hold of\nthe last branch of the Beanstalk, Jack cut the stem quite through and\ndarted from the spot.\n\nDown came the Giant with a terrible crash, and as he fell on his head,\nhe broke his neck, and lay dead at the feet of the woman he had so much\ninjured.\n\nBefore Jack and his mother had recovered from their alarm and\nagitation, a beautiful lady stood before them.\n\n\u201cJack,\u201d said she, \u201cyou have acted like a brave knight\u2019s son, and\ndeserve to have your inheritance restored to you. Dig a grave and bury\nthe Giaint, and then go and kill the Giantess.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d said Jack, \u201cI could not kill any one unless I were fighting with\nhim; and I could not draw my sword upon a woman. Moreover, the Giantess\nwas very kind to me.\u201d\n\nThe Fairy smiled on Jack.\n\n\u201cI am very much pleased with your generous feeling,\u201d she said.\n\u201cNevertheless, return to the castle, and act as you will find needful.\u201d\n\nJack asked the Fairy if she would show him the way to the castle, as\nthe Beanstalk was now down. She told him that she would drive him there\nin her chariot, which was drawn by two peacocks. Jack thanked her, and\nsat down in the chariot with her.\n\nThe Fairy drove him a long distance round, till they reached a village\nwhich lay at the bottom of the mill. Here they found a number of\nmiserable-looking men assembled. The Fairy stopped her carriage and\naddressed them:\n\n\u201cMy friends,\u201d said she, \u201cthe cruel Giant who oppressed you and ate up\nall your flocks and herds is dead, and this young gentleman was the\nmeans of your being delivered from him, and is the son of your kind old\nmaster, the knight.\u201d\n\nThe men gave a loud cheer at these words, and pressed forward to say\nthat they would serve Jack as faithfully as they had served his father.\nThe Fairy bade them follow her to the castle, and they marched thither\nin a body, and Jack blew the horn and demanded admittance.\n\nThe old Giantess saw them coming from the turret loophole. She was very\nmuch frightened, for she guessed that something had happened to her\nhusband; and as she came downstairs very fast she caught her foot in\nher dress, and fell from the top to the bottom and broke her neck.\n\nWhen the people outside found that the door was not opened to them,\nthey took crowbars and forced the portal. Nobody was to be seen, but on\nleaving the mall they found the body of the Giantess at the foot of the\nstairs.\n\nThus Jack took possession of the castle. The Fairy went and brought his\nmother to him, with the hen and the harp. He had the Giantess buried,\nand endeavored as much as lay in his power to do right to those whom\nthe Giant had robbed.\n\nBefore her departure for fairyland, the Fairy explained to Jack that\nshe had sent the butcher to meet him with the beans, in order to try\nwhat sort of lad he was.\n\n\u201cIf you had looked at the gigantic Beanstalk and only stupidly wondered\nabout it,\u201d she said, \u201cI should have left you where misfortune had\nplaced you, only restoring her cow to your mother. But you showed an\ninquiring mind, and great courage and enterprise, therefore you deserve\nto rise; and when you mounted the Beanstalk you climbed the Ladder of\nFortune.\u201d\n\nShe then took her leave of Jack and his mother.\n\n\n\n\nHOP-O\u2019-MY-THUMB\n\n\nRetold by Joseph Jacobs\n\nOnce upon a time there was a Wood-cutter and his wife who had seven\nchildren, all boys. The eldest was only ten years old. They were very\npoor, and their seven children were a great burden, since not one of\nthem was able to earn his living.\n\nWhat troubled them still more was the fact that the youngest was not\nonly very delicate, but silent, which they took for stupidity, but\nwhich was really a mark of his good sense. He was very small, and when\nhe was born he was scarcely bigger than one\u2019s thumb, which caused him\nto be called little \u201cHop-o\u2019-My-Thumb.\u201d This poor child was the\nscapegoat of the house, and was blamed for everything. He was, however,\nsharper and wiser than all his brothers, and though he spoke little, he\nlistened a great deal.\n\nAt last there came a bad year, and so great a famine, that the poor\npeople resolved to rid themselves of their children. One evening, when\nthe children were all in bed, and the Wood-cutter with a sorrowful\nheart, was sitting by the fire with his wife, he said to her: \u201cYou know\nthat we can no longer support our children. I cannot let them die of\nhunger before my eyes, and I am resolved to take them to the wood\nto-morrow, and lose them. It will be easy to do this, for, while they\namuse themselves tying my sticks, we have only to slip away without\ntheir seeing us.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d cried his Wife, \u201cwould you then destroy your children?\u201d In vain\ndid her husband set forth to her their great poverty: she would not\nconsent. She was poor, she said. But she was their mother. At last,\nhaving considered what a grief it would be to her to have them die of\nhunger before her eyes, she agreed to her husband\u2019s plan, and went,\nweeping, to bed.\n\nHop-o\u2019-My-Thumb had listened to all that they had said, for having\nheard them, from his bed, talking of family matters, he had risen\nsoftly and slipped under his father\u2019s stool, in order to hear without\nbeing seen. He then went back to bed, but lay awake the rest of the\nnight, thinking what he should do. He rose early and went to a brook,\nwhere he filled his pocket with little white pebbles, and then returned\nto the house.\n\nSoon after, they all set off, but Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb did not tell his\nbrothers anything of what he knew. They went into a forest, so thick\nthat they could not see each other at a distance of ten paces. The\nWood-cutter began to fell a tree, while the children gathered sticks to\nmake up into bundles. The father and mother, seeing them thus employed,\nslipped away unnoticed, and then fled rapidly, by a little winding\npath.\n\nWhen the children found they were alone, they began to scream and cry\nwith all their strength. Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb let them cry, knowing well how\nto get home; for, while walking, he had dropped along the path the\nlittle white pebbles which he had in his pockets.\n\nHe therefore said to them, \u201cFear not, brothers, my father and mother\nhave left us here, but I will lead you to the house only follow me.\u201d\n\nThey obeyed at once, and he led them home along the same path by which\nthey had come into the forest at first. They did not dare to go into\nthe house, but placed themselves near the door, in order to hear what\ntheir father and mother were saying.\n\nNow it had so happened that, just as the Woodcutter and his Wife\nreached home, the lord of the village had sent them ten crowns, which\nhe had long owed them, and which they had never hoped to obtain. This\ngave them new life, for the poor creatures were almost dead from\nhunger.\n\nThe Wood-cutter immediately sent his Wife to the butcher\u2019s, where, as\nit was long since they had eaten anything, she bought three times as\nmuch meat as was needed for the supper of two people.\n\nWhen they were seated at table, the Wife said, \u201cAlas! where now are our\npoor children? They would make good cheer with what we have left. But\nit is you who wished to lose them. I always said we should repent it.\nWhat are they doing now in the forest? Alas! alas! perhaps the wolves\nhave already eaten them! You were most cruel thus to lose your\nchildren.\u201d\n\nThe Wood-cutter at last grew impatient, for she repeated more than\ntwenty times that they would repent what they had done, and that she\nhad told him so. He threatened to beat her if she was not silent. The\nWood-cutter did not do this because he was less sorry than his Wife,\nbut because her reproaches angered him. His Wife now shed tears, and\ncried out, \u201cAlas! where are my children, my poor children?\u201d\n\nShe said this so loud that the children, who were at the door, heard\nher, and all cried out together, \u201cHere we are! here we are!\u201d\n\nShe ran quickly to open the door, and said, as she embraced them, \u201cHow\noverjoyed I am to see you again, my darling children! you must be very\ntired and very hungry; and you, Peter, how muddy you are! come, let me\nbrush you.\u201d Peter was her eldest son, whom she loved more than all the\nothers.\n\nThe children then sat down at the table, and ate with an appetite which\ndelighted their father and mother, to whom they described, all speaking\nat once, how frightened they had been in the forest.\n\nThese good people were filled with joy to have their children with them\nagain, and this joy lasted as long as the ten crowns held out. But when\nthe money was spent, they fell back into their former misery, and\nresolved to lose them once more; and in order not to fail again, they\ndetermined to take them much further into the forest than the first\ntime.\n\nThey could not, however, speak of this so secretly but that they were\noverheard by Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb, who laid his plans to escape as before.\nAlthough he got up early in order to go out and pick up some little\nstones, he could not succeed in his purpose, for he found the door of\nthe house shut and double-bolted. He was wondering what he should do,\nwhen, his mother having given them each a bit of bread for breakfast,\nhe thought that he might use his bread instead of pebbles by dropping\ncrumbs along the paths as they walked. He therefore slipped the bread\ninto his pocket.\n\nTheir father and mother led them this time into the thickest and\ndarkest part of the forest, and, as soon as they were there, ran away\nand left them.\n\nHop-o\u2019-My-Thumb was not much troubled, because he believed he could\neasily find his way by means of the bread which he had scattered as he\npassed along. What was his surprise when he could not find a single\ncrumb: the birds had come and eaten it all.\n\nNow was their lot indeed wretched; the more they wandered about, the\ndeeper they buried themselves in the forest. Night came, and a great\nwind arose which frightened them terribly. They thought they heard on\nall sides the howling of hungry wolves coming to eat them up. They did\nnot dare to speak, or even turn their heads. Rain began to fall, which\nwet them to the skin. They slipped at every step, and, if they fell,\ngot up so covered with mud that they could hardly move their hands.\n\nFinally, Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb climbed to the top of a tree, to see if he\ncould not discover something. Having looked on all sides, he at last\nsaw a little gleam of light, like that from a candle, but it was very\nfar off, beyond the forest. He got down from the tree: but when he was\non the ground he no longer saw anything, which troubled him greatly.\nHowever, having walked for some time with his brothers in the direction\nwhere he had seen the light, he again saw it as they came out of the\nwood. At last they reached the house where the candle was, though not\nwithout many alarms, for they lost sight of it whenever they descended\nunto a hollow place.\n\nThey knocked at the door, which was opened to them by a woman. She\nasked them what they wanted. Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb replied that they were\npoor children who had lost themselves in the forest, and who asked, for\ncharity\u2019s sake, a place to sleep.\n\nThe woman, seeing how bitter they were, began to weep, and said to\nthem, \u201cAlas! my poor children, whence do you come? Do you not know that\nthis is the house of an Ogre, who eats little children?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas, madam,\u201d said Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb, who like his brothers was shaking\nwith fear, \u201cwhat shall we do? The wolves of the forest will certainly\ndevour us to-night, if you will not give us shelter. This being the\ncase, we had rather be eaten by the Ogre, and he, perhaps, will take\npity on us, if you will beg him to do so.\u201d\n\nThe Ogre\u2019s wife, who thought she might be able to conceal them from her\nhusband till the next morning, let them come in, and placed them near a\ngood fire, where a whole sheep was roasting for the Ogre\u2019s supper.\n\nWhen they had begun to get warm, they heard three or four heavy knocks\nat the door. It was the Ogre. His wife hastily hid the children under\nthe bed, and then opened the door.\n\nThe Ogre asked first if supper was ready, and the wine drawn; and then\nsat down at the table. The mutton was nearly raw, but he liked it all\nthe better on that account.\n\nHe then began to sniff about, saying that he smelled fresh meat.\n\n\u201cIt must be this calf which I have just been dressing that you smell,\u201d\nsaid the wife.\n\n\u201cI smell fresh meat, I tell you again,\u201d said the Ogre, looking fiercely\nat his wife; \u201cand there is something more of which I do not know.\u201d\n\nSaying these words, he rose from the table and went straight to the\nbed, where he found the poor children.\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d said he, \u201cthis, then, is the way you wish to deceive me, wicked\nwoman. I know not what prevents me from eating you, too. Here is game,\nwhich comes to me very conveniently to treat three Ogres of my\nacquaintance, who are coming to visit me about this time.\u201d\n\nHe then drew the little boys from under the bed, one after another. The\npoor children threw themselves on their knees begging for pardon. But\nthey had to do with the most cruel of all the Ogres, who, far from\nhaving pity, devoured them already with his eyes, and said to his wife\nthat they would be delicious morsels fried, when she had made a good\nsauce for them.\n\nHe took out a great knife, and, approaching the poor children, began to\nsharpen it on a long stone, which he held in his left hand. He then\nseized one of them, when his wife said to him, \u201cWhy do you begin at\nthis time of night? Shall you not have time to-morrow?\u201d\n\n\u201cBe silent,\u201d replied the Ogre; \u201cthey will be more tender if I kill them\nnow.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you have already so much meat on hand,\u201d replied his wife. \u201cHere\nare a calf, two sheep, and half a pig.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are right,\u201d said the Ogre; \u201cgive them a good supper, that they may\nnot grow thin, and put them to bed.\u201d\n\nThe good woman was overcome with joy, and brought them their supper at\nonce; but they were too frightened to eat.\n\nAs for the Ogre, he set himself to drinking, delighted to have\nsomething with which to regale his friends. He drank a dozen cups more\nthan usual, which went to his head, and obliged him to go early to bed.\n\nNow this Ogre had seven daughters, who were still only children. These\nlittle Ogresses all had beautiful complexions, for they ate fresh meat\nlike their father. They had little round gray eyes, crooked noses, and\ngreat mouths filled with long teeth, very sharp and far apart. They\nwere not yet very wicked, but they promised well, for they already bit\nlittle children whenever they got the chance. They had been put to bed\nearly, and were all seven in one bed, each having a golden crown on her\nhead.\n\nThere was in the same room another bed of the same size. Here it was\nthat the Ogre\u2019s wife put the seven little boys, after which she went\nto bed in her own chamber.\n\nHop-o\u2019-My-Thumb, who had remarked that the Ogre\u2019s daughters had golden\ncrowns on their heads, was afraid that the Ogre might regret not having\nkilled him and his brothers that evening. So he rose about the middle\nof the night, and, taking his nightcap and those of his brothers, he\nwent very softly and placed them on the heads of the Ogre\u2019s seven\ndaughters, after having removed their golden crowns. He then put the\ncrowns on his brothers\u2019 heads and on his own, so that the Ogre might\nmistake them for his daughters, and his daughters for the boys whom he\nwished to kill.\n\nThe plan succeeded as he had expected. The Ogre, having awakened about\nmidnight, was sorry that he had put off till next day what he might\nhave done that evening. He jumped quickly out of bed, and, taking his\ngreat knife, \u201cLet us see,\u201d said he, \u201chow our little friends are getting\non.\u201d\n\nHe went on tiptoe to the room of his daughters, and approached the bed\nwhere the little boys were all asleep, except Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb, who was\nterribly frightened when he felt the Ogre\u2019s hand touching his head, as\nhe had already touched his brothers\u2019. But when the Ogre felt the golden\ncrowns, he said, \u201cIndeed, I was near making a nice piece of work of it.\nI see that I drank too much in the evening.\u201d\n\nHe then went to the bed of his daughters, where he felt the boys\u2019\nlittle nightcaps. \u201cAh! here they are,\u201d said he, \u201cthe fine fellows! I\nmust go boldly to work.\u201d Saying these words, and without hesitating, he\ncut the throats of his seven daughters. Very well pleased with his\nexpedition, he went back to bed. As soon as Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb heard the\nOgre snoring, he awakened his brothers, and told them to dress\nthemselves quickly and follow him. They went softly down unto the\ngarden, and leaped over the walls. They hurried away, and ran almost\nall night, without knowing whither they went.\n\nThe Ogre, when he woke up, said to his wife, \u201cGo upstairs and dress\nthose little fellows who were here last night.\u201d\n\nThe Ogress was very much astonished at the kindness of her husband, not\nsuspecting for a moment the way in which he meant that she should dress\nthem. Believing that he simply wished her to put on their clothes, she\nwent upstairs, where she was amazed to see her seven daughters with\ntheir throats cut. She was so overcome that she immediately fainted.\nThe Ogre, thinking his wife was too slow, went upstairs to assist her.\nHe was no less astonished than his wife when the frightful sight met\nhis eyes.\n\n\u201cAh! what have I done here?\u201d he cried; \u201cbut those little wretches shall\npay for this, and at once.\u201d\n\nHe then threw a bucket of water into his wife\u2019s face, and, having\nrevived her, said, \u201cGive me quickly my seven-league boots, that I may\ngo after those boys and catch them.\u201d\n\nHe then started out into the country at once, and, having rushed about\nin all directions, came at last to the road where the poor children\nwere walking, and then not more than a hundred steps from their\nfather\u2019s house. They saw the Ogre striding from mountain to mountain,\nand crossing rivers as if they were little brooks.\n\nHop-o\u2019-My-Thumb, who saw a hollow rock near the place where they were,\nhid himself and his six brothers there, and watched carefully what\nbecame of their enemy. The Ogre, who was very tired with his long and\nfruitless journey, wished to rest himself, and sat down, by chance, on\nthe very rock where the little boys were hidden.\n\nAs he was overcome with fatigue, he soon fell asleep, and began to\nsnore so frightfully that the poor children were as much frightened as\nwhen he held his knife ready to cut their throats. Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb was\nless afraid, and told his brothers to run into the house while the Ogre\nslept, and not to worry about him. They followed his counsel, and\nquickly reached the house.\n\nHop-o\u2019-My-Thumb then approached the Ogre, softly drew off his boots,\nand put them on himself. The boots were very long and very large; but,\nas they were fairy boots, they had the gift of becoming larger or\nsmaller, according to the size of the wearer\u2019s leg. In fact, they\nfitted Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb as if they had been made for him.\n\nHe then went straight to the Ogre\u2019s house, where he found his wife\nweeping over her daughters.\n\n\u201cYour husband,\u201d said Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb, \u201cis in great danger, for he has\nbeen taken by a band of robbers, who will kill him if he does not give\nthem all his gold and silver. Just when they held their knives to his\nthroat he perceived me, and besought me to come and tell you of the\nstate in which he was, and to direct you to give me all that he has,\nwithout retaining anything, since otherwise they would slay him without\nmercy. As time passed, he wished that I should take his seven-league\nboots, as you see, in order to make haste, and also that you might not\nthink me an impostor.\u201d\n\nThe good woman, very much frightened, gave him all she had; for this\nOgre was a good husband, although he did eat little children.\n\nHop-o\u2019-My-Thumb, being then loaded with all the Ogre\u2019s treasures,\nreturned to his father\u2019s house, where he was welcomed with great joy\nand where they all lived happily ever after.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOOSE-GIRL\n\n\nAnonymous\n\nThere was once upon a time an old Queen whose husband had been dead for\nmany years, and she had a beautiful daughter. When the princess grew up\nshe was betrothed to a prince who lived at a great distance. When the\ntime came for her to be married, and she had to ,journey forth into the\ndistant kingdom, the aged Queen packed up for her many costly vessels\nof silver and gold, and trinkets also of gold and silver; and cups and\njewels, in short, everything which appertained to a royal dowry, for\nshe loved her child with all her heart. She likewise sent her maid in\nwaiting, who was to ride with her, and hand her over to the bridegroom,\nand each had a horse for the journey, but the horse of the King\u2019s\ndaughter was called Falada, and could speak. So when the hour of\nparting had come, the aged mother went into her bedroom, took a small\nknife and cut her finger with it until it bled, then she held a white\nhandkerchief to it into which she left three drops of blood fall, gave\nit to her daughter and said: \u201cDear child, preserve this carefully, it\nwill be of service to you on your way.\u201d\n\nSo they took a sorrowful leave of each other: the princess put the\npiece of cloth in her bosom, mounted her horse, and then went away to\nher bridegroom. After she had ridden for a while she felt a burning\nthirst and said to her waiting-maid: \u201cDismount, and take my cup which\nthou hast brought with thee for me, and get me some water from the\nstream, for I should like to drink.\u201d \u201cIf you are thirsty,\u201d said the\nwaiting-maid, \u201cget off your horse yourself, and lie down and drink out\nof the water; I don\u2019t choose to be your servant.\u201d So in her great\nthirst the princess alighted, bent down over the water in the stream\nand drank, and was not allowed to drink out of the golden cup. Then she\nsaid, \u201cAh, Heaven!\u201d and the three drops of blood answered:\n\n\u201cIf thy mother knew this, her heart would break.\u201d\n\nBut the King\u2019s daughter was humble, said nothing, and mounted her horse\nagain. She rode some miles further, but the day was warm, the sun\nscorched her, and she was thirsty once more, and when they came to a\nstream of water, she again cried to her waiting-maid: \u201cDismount, and\ngive me some water in my golden cup,\u201d for she had long ago forgotten\nthe girl\u2019s ill words. But the waiting-maid said still more haughtily:\n\u201cIf you wish to drink, drink as you can, I don\u2019t choose to be your\nmaid.\u201d Then in her great thirst the King\u2019s daughter alighted, bent over\nthe flowing stream, wept and said: \u201cAh, heaven!\u201d and the drops of blood\nagain replied: \u201cIf thy mother knew this, her heart would break.\u201d And as\nshe was thus drinking and leaning right over the stream, the\nhandkerchief with the three drops of blood fell out of her bosom, and\nfloated away with the water without her observing it, so great was her\ntrouble.\n\nThe waiting-maid, however, had seen it, and she rejoiced to think that\nshe had now power over the bride, for since the princess had lost the\ndrops of blood, she had become weak and powerless. So now when she\nwanted to mount her horse again, the one that was called Falada, the\nwaiting-maid said: \u201cFalada is more suitable for me, and my nag will do\nfor thee,\u201d and the princess had to be content with that. Then the\nwaiting-maid, with many hard words, bade the princess exchange her\nroyal apparel for her own shabby clothes; and at length she was\ncompelled to swear by the clear sky above her, that she would not say\none word of this to any one at the royal court, and if she had not\ntaken this oath she would have been killed on the spot. But Falada saw\nall this, and observed it well.\n\nThe waiting-maid now mounted Falada, and the true bride the bad horse,\nand thus they traveled onward, until at length they entered the royal\npalace. There were great rejoicings over her arrival, and the prince\nsprang forward to meet her, lifted the waiting-maid from her horse, and\nthought she was his consort. She was conducted upstairs, but the real\nprincess was left standing below. Then the old King looked out of the\nwindow and saw her standing in the courtyard, and how dainty and\ndelicate and beautiful she was, and instantly went to the royal\napartment, and asked the bride about the girl she had with her who was\nstanding down below in the courtyard, and who she was. \u201cI picked her up\non my way for a companion; give the girl something to work at, that she\nmay not stand idle.\u201d But the old King had no work for her, and knew of\nnone, so he said: \u201cI have a little boy who tends the geese, she may\nhelp him.\u201d The boy was called Conrad, and the true bride had to help\nhim to tend the geese.\n\nSoon afterward the false bride said to the young King: \u201cDearest\nhusband, I beg you to do me a favor.\u201d He answered: \u201cI will do so most\nwillingly.\u201d \u201cThen send for the knacker, and have the head of the horse\non which I rode here cut off, for it vexed me on the way.\u201d In reality\nshe was afraid that the horse might tell how she had behaved to the\nKing\u2019s daughter. Then she succeeded in making the King promise that it\nshould be done, and the faithful Falada was to die; this came to the\nears of the real princess, and she secretly promised to pay the knacker\na piece of gold if he would perform a small service for her. There was\na great dark-looking gateway in the town, through which morning and\nevening she had to pass with the geese: would he be so good as to nail\nup Falada\u2019s head on it, so that she might see him again, more than\nonce. The knacker\u2019s man promised to do that, and cut off the head, and\nnailed it fast beneath the dark gateway.\n\nEarly in the morning, when she and Conrad drove out their flock beneath\nthis gateway, she said in passing:\n\n\u201cAlas, Falada, hanging there\n\n\nThen the head answered:\n\n\u201cAlas, young Queen, how ill you fare!\nIf this your tender mother knew,\nHer heart would surely break in two.\u201d\n\n\nThen they went still further out of the town, and drove their geese\ninto the country. And when they had come to the meadow, she sat down\nand unbound her hair which was like pure gold, and Conrad saw it and\ndelighted in its brightness, and wanted to pluck out a few hairs. Then\nshe said:\n\n\u201cBlow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say,\nBlow Conrad\u2019s little hat away,\nAnd make him chase it here and there,\nUntil I have braided all my hair,\nAnd bound it up again.\n\n\nAnd there came such a violent wind that it blew Conrad\u2019s hat far away\nacross country, and he was forced to run after it. When he came back\nshe had finished combing her hair and was putting it up again, and he\ncould not get any of it. Then Conrad was angry, and would not speak to\nher, and thus they watered the geese until the evening, and then they\nwent home.\n\nNext day when they were driving the geese out through the dark gateway,\nthe maiden said:\n\n\u201cAlas, Falada, hanging there\n\n\nFalada answered:\n\n\u201cAlas, young Queen, how ill you fare!\nIf this your tender mother knew,\nHer heart would surely break in two.\u201d\n\n\nAnd she sat down again in the field and began to comb out her hair, and\nConrad ran and tried to clutch it, so she said in haste:\n\n\u201cBlow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say,\nBlow Conrad\u2019s little hat away,\nAnd make him chase it here and there,\nUntil I have braided all my hair,\nAnd bound it up again.\n\n\nThen the wind blew, and blew his little hat off his head and far away,\nand Conrad was forced to run after it, and when he came back, her hair\nhad been put up a long time, and he could get none of it, and so they\nlooked after their geese till evening came.\n\nBut in the evening after they had got home, Conrad went to the old\nKing, and said: \u201cI won\u2019t tend the geese with that girl any longer!\u201d\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d inquired the aged King. \u201cOh, because she vexes me the whole\nday long.\u201d Then the aged King commanded him to relate what it was that\nshe did to him. And Conrad said: \u201cIn the morning when we pass beneath\nthe dark gateway with the flock, there is a sorry horse\u2019s head on the\nwall and she says to it:\n\n\u201cAlas, Falada, hanging there!\u201d\n\n\nAnd the head replies:\n\n\u201cAlas, young Queen, how ill you fare!\nIf this your tender mother knew,\nHer heart would surely break in two.\u201d\n\n\nAnd Conrad went on to relate what happened on the goose pasture, and\nhow when there he had to chase his hat.\n\nThe aged King commanded him to drive his flock out again next day, and\nas soon as morning came, he placed himself behind the dark gateway, and\nheard how the maiden spoke to the head of Falada, and then he too went\ninto the country, and hid himself in the thicket in the meadow. There\nhe soon saw with his own eyes the goose-girl and the goose-boy bringing\ntheir flock, and how after a while she sat down and unplaited her hair,\nwhich shone with radiance. And soon she said:\n\n\u201cBlow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say,\nBlow Conrad\u2019s little hat away,\nAnd make him chase it here and there,\nUntil I have braided all my hair,\nAnd bound it up again.\u201d\n\n\nThen came a blast of wind and carried off Conrad\u2019s hat, so that he had\nto run far away, while the maiden quietly went on combing and plaiting\nher hair, all of which the King observed. Then, quite unseen, he went\naway, and when the goose-girl came home in the evening, he called her\naside, and asked why she did all these things. \u201cI may not tell you\nthat, and I dare not lament my sorrows to any human being, for I have\nsworn not to do so by the heaven which is above me; if I had not done\nthat, I should have lost my life.\u201d He urged her and left her no peace,\nbut he could draw nothing from her. Then said he: \u201cIf thou wilt not\ntell me anything, tell thy sorrows to the iron stove there,\u201d and he\nwent away. Then she crept into the iron stove, and began to weep and\nlament, and emptied her whole heart, and said: \u201cHere am I deserted by\nthe whole world, and yet I am a King\u2019s daughter, and a false\nwaiting-maid has by force brought me to such a pass that I have been\ncompelled to put off my royal apparel, and she has taken my place with\nmy bridegroom, and I have to perform menial service as a goose-girl. If\nmy mother did but know that, her heart would break.\u201d\n\nThe aged King, however, was standing outside by the pipe of the stove,\nand was listening to what she said and heard it. Then he came back\nagain, and bade her come out of the stove. And royal garments were\nplaced on her, and it was marvellous how beautiful she was! The aged\nKing summoned his son, and revealed to him that he had got the false\nbride who was only a waiting-maid, but that the true one was standing\nthere, as the sometime goose-girl. The young King rejoiced with all his\nheart when he saw her beauty and youth, and a great feast was made\nready to which all the people and all good friends were invited. At the\nhead of the table sat the bridegroom with the King\u2019s daughter at one\nside of him and the waiting-maid on the other, but the waiting-maid was\nblinded, and did not recognize the princess in her dazzling array. When\nthey had eaten and drunk, and were merry, the aged King asked the\nwaiting-maid as a riddle, what a person deserved who had behaved in\nsuch and such a way to her master, and at the same time related the\nwhole story, and asked what sentence such an one merited? Then the\nfalse bride said: \u201cShe deserves no better fate than to be stripped\nentirely naked, and put in a barrel which is studded inside with\npointed nails, and two white horses should be harnessed to it, which\nwill drag her along through one street after another, till she is\ndead.\u201d \u201cIt is thou,\u201d said the aged King, \u201cand thou must pronounce thine\nown sentence, and thus shall it be done unto thee.\u201d And when the\nsentence had been carried out, the young King married his true bride,\nand both of them reigned over their kingdom in peace and happiness.\n\n\n\n\nHE WHO KNEW NOT FEAR\n\n\nAnonymous\n\nA certain father had two sons, the elder of whom was sharp and\nsensible, and could do everything, but the younger was stupid and could\nneither learn nor understand anything, and when people saw him they\nsaid: \u201cThere\u2019s a fellow who will give his father some trouble!\u201d When\nanything had to be done, it was always the elder who was forced to do\nit; but if his father bade him fetch anything when it was late, or in\nthe night-time, and the way led through the churchyard, or any other\ndismal place, he answered: \u201cOh, no, father, I\u2019ll not go there, it makes\nme shudder!\u201d for he was afraid. Or when stories were told by the fire\nat night which made the flesh creep, the listeners often said: \u201cOh, it\nmakes us shudder!\u201d the younger sat in a corner and listened with the\nrest of them, and could not imagine what they could mean. \u201cThey are\nalways saying: \u2018It makes me shudder, it makes me shudder!\u2019 It does not\nmake me shudder,\u201d thought he. \u201cThat, too, must be an art of which I\nunderstand nothing!\u201d\n\nNow it came to pass that his father said to him one day: \u201cHearken to\nme, thou fellow in the corner there, thou art growing tall and strong,\nand thou, too, must learn something by which thou canst earn thy\nliving. Look how thy brother works, but thou dost not even earn thy\nsalt.\u201d \u201cWell, father,\u201d he replied, \u201cI am quite willing to learn\nsomething\u2014indeed, if it could but be managed, I should like to learn\nhow to shudder. I don\u2019t understand that at all yet.\u201d The elder brother\nsmiled when he heard that, and thought to himself:\n\n\u201cGood God, what a blockhead that brother of mine is! He will never be\ngood for anything as long as he lives! He who wants to be a sickle must\nbend himself betimes.\u201d\n\nThe father sighed, and answered him: \u201cThou shalt soon learn what it is\nto suffer, but thou wilt not earn thy living by that.\u201d\n\nSoon after this the sexton came to the house on a visit, and the father\nbewailed his trouble, and told him how his younger son was so backward\nin every respect that he knew nothing and learned nothing. \u201cJust\nthink,\u201d said he, \u201cwhen I asked him how he was going to earn his bread,\nhe actually wanted to learn to shudder.\u201d \u201cIf that be all,\u201d replied the\nsexton, \u201che can learn that with me. Send him to me, and I will soon\npolish him.\u201d The father was glad to do it, for he thought: \u201cIt will\ntrain the boy a little.\u201d The sexton, therefore, took him into his\nhouse, and he had to ring the bell. After a day or two the sexton awoke\nhim at midnight, and bade him arise and go up into the church tower and\nring the bell. \u201cThou shalt soon learn what shuddering is,\u201d thought he,\nand secretly went there before him; and when the boy was at the top of\nthe tower and turned around, and was just going to take hold of the\nbell rope, he saw a white figure standing on the stairs opposite to the\nsounding hole. \u201cWho is there?\u201d cried he, but the figure made no reply,\nand did not move or stir. \u201cGive an answer,\u201d cried the boy, \u201cor take\nthyself off; thou hast no business here at night.\u201d\n\nThe sexton, however, remained standing motionless, that the boy might\nthink he was a ghost. The boy cried a second time: \u201cWhat dost thou want\nhere?\u2014speak if thou art an honest fellow, or I will throw thee down the\nsteps!\u201d The sexton thought, \u201cHe can\u2019t intend to be as bad as his\nwords,\u201d uttered no sound and stood as if he were made of stone. Then\nthe boy called to him for the third time, and as that was also to no\npurpose, he ran against him and pushed the ghost down the stairs, so\nthat it fell down ten steps and remained lying there in a corner.\nThereupon he rang the bell, went home, and without saying a word went\nto bed and fell asleep. The sexton\u2019s wife waited a long time for her\nhusband, but he did not come back. At length she became uneasy, and\nwakened the boy, and asked, \u201cDost thou not know where my husband is? He\nwent up the tower before thou didst.\u201d \u201cNo, I don\u2019t know,\u201d replied the\nboy, \u201cbut someone was standing by the sounding hole on the other side\nof the steps, and as he would neither give an answer nor go away, I\ntook him for a scoundrel, and threw him down stairs; just go there and\nyou will see if it was he, I should be sorry if it were.\u201d The woman ran\naway and found her husband, who was lying moaning in the corner, and\nhad broken his leg.\n\nShe carried him down, and then with loud screams she hastened to the\nboy\u2019s father. \u201cYour boy,\u201d cried she, \u201chas been the cause of a great\nmisfortune! He has thrown my husband down the steps and made him break\nhis leg. Take the good-for-nothing fellow away from our house.\u201d The\nfather was terrified, and ran thither and scolded the boy. \u201cWhat wicked\ntricks are these?\u201d said he; \u201cthe devil must have put this into thy\nhead.\u201d \u201cFather,\u201d he replied, \u201cdo listen to me. I am quite innocent. He\nwas standing there by night like one who is intending to do some evil.\nI did not know who it was, and I entreated him three times either to\nspeak or to go away.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the father, \u201cI have nothing but\nunhappiness with thee. Go out of my sight. I will see thee no more.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, father, right willingly, wait only until it is day. Then will I\ngo forth and learn how to shudder, and then I shall, at any rate,\nunderstand one art which will support me.\u201d \u201cLearn what thou wilt,\u201d\nspake the father, \u201cit is all the same to me. Here are fifty thalers for\nthee. Take these and go into the wide world, and tell no one from\nwhence thou comest, and who is thy father, for I have reason to be\nashamed of thee.\u201d \u201cYes, father, it small be as you will. If you desire\nnothing more than that, I can easily keep it in mind.\u201d\n\nWhen day dawned, therefore, the boy put his fifty thalers into his\npocket, and went forth on the great highway, and continually said to\nhimself, \u201cIf I could but shudder! If I could but shudder!\u201d\n\nThen a man approached who heard this conversation which the youth was\nholding with himself, and when they had walked a little further to\nwhere they could see the gallows, the man said to him, \u201cLook, there is\nthe tree where seven men have married the ropemaker\u2019s daughter, and are\nnow learning how to fly. Sit down below it, and wait till night comes,\nand thou wilt soon learn how to shudder.\u201d \u201cIf that is all that is\nwanted,\u201d answered the youth, \u201cit is easily done; but if I learn how to\nshudder as quickly as that, thou shalt have my fifty thalers. Just come\nback to me early in the morning.\u201d Then the youth went to the gallows,\nsat down below it, and waited till evening came. And as he was cold, he\nlighted himself a fire, but at midnight the wind blew so sharp that in\nspite of his fire he could not get warm. And as the wind knocked the\nhanged men against each other, and they moved backward and forward, he\nthought to himself: \u201cThou shiverest below by the fire, but how those up\nabove must freeze and suffer!\u201d And as he felt pity for them, he raised\nthe ladder, and climbed up, unbound one of them after the other, and\nbrought down all seven. Then he stirred the fire, blew it, and set them\nall round it to warm themselves. But they sat there and did not stir,\nand the fire caught their clothes. So he said:\n\n\u201cTake care, or I will hang you up again.\u201d The dead men, however, did\nnot hear, but were quite silent, and let their rags go on burning. On\nthis he grew angry, and said: \u201cIf you will not take care, I cannot help\nyou, I will not be burned with you, and he hung them up again each in\nhis turn.\n\nThen he sat down by his fire and fell asleep, and next morning the man\ncame to him and wanted to have the fifty thalers, and said: \u201cWell, dost\nthou know how to shudder?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d answered he, \u201chow was I to get to\nknow? Those fellows up there did not open their mouths, and were so\nstupid that they let the few old rags which they had on their bodies\nget burned.\u201d Then the man saw that he would not carry away the fifty\nthalers that day, and went away saying:\n\n\u201cOne of this kind has never come in my way before.\u201d\n\nThe youth likewise went his way, and once more began to mutter to\nhimself: \u201cAh, if I could but shudder! Ah, if I could but shudder!\u201d A\nwagoner who was striding behind him heard that and asked: \u201cWho art\nthou?\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d answered the youth. Then the wagoner asked:\n\n\u201cFrom whence comest thou?\u201d \u201cI know not.\u201d \u201cWho is thy father?\u201d \u201cThat I\nmay not tell thee.\u201d \u201cWhat is it that thou art always muttering between\nthy teeth?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d replied the youth, \u201cI do so wish I could shudder, but\nno one can teach me how to do it.\u201d \u201cGive up thy foolish chatter,\u201d said\nthe wagoner. \u201cCome go with me, I will see about a place for thee.\u201d The\nyouth went with the wagoner, and in the evening they arrived at an inn\nwhere they wished to pass the night. Then at the entrance of the room\nthe youth again said quite loudly, \u201cIf I could but shudder! If I could\nbut shudder!\u201d The host who heard that, laughed and said: \u201cIf that is\nyour desire, there ought to be a good opportunity for you here.\u201d \u201cAh,\nbe silent,\u201d said the hostess; \u201cso many inquisitive persons have already\nlost their lives, it would be a pity and a shame if such beautiful eyes\nas these should never see the daylight again.\u201d\n\nBut the youth said: \u201cHowever difficult it may be, I will learn it, and\nfor this purpose indeed have I journeyed forth.\u201d He let the host have\nno rest, until the latter told him, that not far from thence stood a\nhaunted castle where any one could very easily learn what shuddering\nwas, if he would but watch in it for three nights. The King had\npromised that he who would venture this should have his daughter to\nwife, and she was the most beautiful maiden the sun shone on. Great\ntreasures likewise lay in the castle, which were guarded by evil\nspirits, and these treasures would then be freed, and would make a poor\nman rich enough. Already many men had gone into the castle, but as yet\nnone had come out again. Then the youth went next morning to the King,\nand said that if he were allowed he would watch three nights in the\nenchanted castle. The King looked at him, and as the youth pleased him,\nhe said: \u201cThou mayst ask for three things to take into the castle with\nthee, but they must be things without life.\u201d Then he answered, \u201cThen I\nask for a fire, a turning-lathe, and a cutting-board with the knife.\u201d\nThe King had these things carried into the castle for him during the\nday. When night was drawing near, the youth went up and made himself a\nbright fire in one of the rooms, placed the cutting-board and knife\nbeside it, and seated himself by the turning-lathe. \u201cAh, if I could but\nshudder!\u201d said he, \u201cbut I shall not learn it here either.\u201d Toward\nmidnight he was about to poke his fire, and as he was blowing it,\nsomething cried suddenly from one cornier, \u201cAu, miau! how cold we are!\u201d\n\u201cYou simpletons!\u201d cried he, \u201cwhat are you crying about? If you are\ncold, come and take a seat by the fire and warm yourselves.\u201d And when\nhe had said that, two great black cats came with one tremendous leap\nand sat down on each side of him, and looked savagely at him with their\nfiery eyes. After a short time, when they had warmed themselves, they\nsaid: \u201cComrade, shall we have a game at cards?\u201d \u201cWhy not?\u201d he replied,\n\u201cbut just show me your paws. Then they stretched out their claws. \u201cOh,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cwhat long nails you have! Wait, I must first cut them a\nlittle for you.\u201d Thereupon he seized them by the throats, put them on\nthe cutting-board and screwed their feet fast. \u201cI have looked at your\nfingers,\u201d said he, \u201cand my fancy for card-playing has gone, and he\nstruck them dead and threw them out into the water. But when he had\nmade away with these two, and was about to sit down again by his fire,\nout from every hole and corner came black cats and black dogs with\nred-hot chains, and more and more of them came until he could no longer\nstir, and they yelled horribly, and got on his fire, pulled it to\npieces, and wanted to put it out. He watched them for a while quietly,\nbut at last when they were going too far, he seized his cutting knife,\nand cried: \u201cAway with ye, vermin,\u201d and began to cut them down. Part of\nthem ran away, the others he killed, and threw out into the fish pond.\nWhen he came back he blew up the embers of his fire again and warmed\nhimself. And as he thus sat, his eyes would keep open no longer, and he\nfelt a desire to sleep. Then he looked round and saw a great bed in the\ncorner. \u201cThat is the very thing for me,\u201d said he, and got into it. When\nhe was just going to shut his eyes, however, the bed began to move of\nits own accord, and went over the whole of the castle. \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cbut go faster.\u201d Then the bed rolled on as if six horses were\nharnessed to it, up and down, over thresholds and steps, but suddenly,\nhop, hop, it turned over upside down, and lay on him like a mountain.\nBut he threw quilts and pillows up in the air, got out and said: \u201cNow\nany one who likes may drive,\u201d and lay down by his fire, and slept until\nit was day. In the morning the King came, and when he saw him lying\nthere on the ground, he thought the spirits had killed him and he was\ndead. Then said he: \u201cAfter all it is a pity\u2014he is a handsome man.\u201d The\nyouth heard it, got up, and said: \u201cIt has not come to that yet.\u201d Then\nthe King was astonished, but very glad, and asked how he had fared.\n\u201cVery well indeed,\u201d answered he; \u201cone night is over, the two others\nwill get over likewise.\u201d Then he went to the innkeeper, who opened his\neyes very wide, and said: \u201cI never expected to see thee alive again!\nHast thou learned how to shudder yet?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said he, \u201cit is all in\nvain. If some one would but tell me!\u201d\n\nThe second night he again went up into the old castle, sat down by the\nfire, and once more began his old song: \u201cIf I could but shudder!\u201d When\nmidnight came, an uproar and noise of tumbling about was heard; at\nfirst it was low, but it grew louder and louder. Then it was quiet for\na while, and at length with a loud scream, half a man came down the\nchimney and fell before him. \u201cHollo!\u201d cried he, \u201canother half belongs\nto this. This is too little!\u201d Then the uproar began again, there was a\nroaring and howling, and the other half fell down likewise. \u201cWait,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cI will just blow up the fire a little for thee.\u201d When he had\ndone that and looked round again, the two pieces were joined together,\nand a frightful man was sitting in his place. \u201cThat is no part of our\nbargain,\u201d said the youth, \u201cthe bench is mine.\u201d The man wanted to push\nhim away; the youth, however, would not allow that, but thrust him off\nwith all his strength, and seated himself again, in his own place. Then\nstill more men fell down, one after the other; they brought nine dead\nmen\u2019s legs and two skulls, and set them up and played at ninepins with\nthem. The youth also wanted to play and said: \u201cHark you, can I join\nyou?\u201d \u201cYes, if thou hast any money.\u201d \u201cMoney enough,\u201d replied he, \u201cbut\nyour balls are not quite round.\u201d Then he took the skulls and put them\nin the lathe and turned them till they were round. \u201cThere, now, they\nwill roll better!\u201d said he. \u201cHurrah! now it goes merrily!\u201d He played\nwith them and lost some of his money, but when it struck twelve,\neverything vanished from his sight. He lay down and quietly fell\nasleep. Next morning the King came to inquire after him. \u201cHow has it\nfared with thee this time?\u201d asked he. \u201cI have been playing at\nninepins,\u201d he answered, \u201cand have lost a couple of farthings.\u201d \u201cHast\nthou not shuddered then?\u201d \u201cEh, what?\u201d said he, \u201cI have made merry. If I\ndid but know what it was to shudder!\u201d\n\nThe third night he sat down again on his bench and said quite sadly:\n\u201cIf I could but shudder.\u201d When it grew late, six tall men came in and\nbrought a coffin. Then said he: \u201cHa, ha, that is certainly my little\ncousin, who only died a few days ago,\u201d and he beckoned with his finger,\nand cried: \u201cCome, little cousin, come.\u201d They placed the coffin on the\nground, but he went to it and took the lid off, and a dead man lay\ntherein. He felt his face, but it was cold as ice. \u201cStop,\u201d said he, \u201cI\nwill warm thee a, little,\u201d and went to the fire and warmed his hand and\nlaid it on the dead man\u2019s face, but he remained cold. Then he took him\nout, and sat down by the fire and laid him on his breast and rubbed his\narms that the blood might circulate again. As this also did no good, he\nthought to himself: \u201cWhen two people lie in bed together, they warm\neach other,\u201d and carried him to bed, covered him over and lay down by\nhim. After a short time the dead man became warm too, and began to\nmove. Then said the youth: \u201cSee, little cousin, have I not warmed\nthee?\u201d The dead man, however, got up and cried, \u201cNow will I strangle\nthee.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d said he, \u201cis that the way thou thankest me? Thou shalt at once\ngo into thy coffin again,\u201d and he took him up, threw him into it, and\nshut the lid.\n\nThen came the six men and carried him away again. \u201cI cannot manage to\nshudder,\u201d said he. \u201cI shall never learn it here as long as I live.\u201d\n\nThen a man entered who was taller than all others, and looked terrible.\nHe was old, however, and had a long white beard. \u201cThou wretch,\u201d cried\nhe, \u201cthou shalt soon learn what it is to shudder, for thou shalt die.\u201d\n\u201cNot so fast,\u201d replied the youth, \u201cIf I am to die, I shall have to have\na say in it.\u201d \u201cI will soon seize thee,\u201d said the fiend. \u201cSoftly,\nsoftly, do not talk so big. I am as strong as thou art, and perhaps\neven stronger.\u201d \u201cWe shall see,\u201d said the old man. \u201cIf thou art\nstronger, I will let thee go\u2014come, we will try.\u201d Then he led him by\ndark passages to a smith\u2019s forge, took an ax, and with one blow struck\nan anvil into the ground. \u201cI can do that better still,\u201d said the youth,\nand went to the other anvil. The old man placed himself near and wanted\nto look on, and his white heard hung down. Then the youth seized the\nax, split the anvil with one blow, and struck the old man\u2019s beard in\nwith it. \u201cNow I have thee,\u201d said the youth. \u201cNow it is thou who wilt\nhave to die.\u201d Then he seized an iron bar and beat the old man till he\nmoaned and entreated him to stop, and he would give him great riches.\nThe youth drew out the ax and let him go. The old man led him back into\nthe castle, and in a cellar showed him three chests full of gold. \u201cOf\nthese,\u201d said he, \u201cone part is for the poor, the other is for the king,\nthe third is thine.\u201d In the meantime it struck twelve, and the spirit\ndisappeared; the youth, therefore, was left in darkness. \u201cI shall still\nbe able to find my way out,\u201d said he, and felt about, found the way\ninto the room, and slept there by his fire. Next morning the King came\nand said, \u201cNow thou must have learned what shuddering is?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d he\nanswered; \u201cwhat can it be? My dead cousin was here, and a bearded man\ncame and showed me a great deal of money down below, but no one told me\nwhat it was to shudder.\u201d \u201cThen,\u201d said the King, \u201cthou hast delivered\nthe castle, and shalt marry my daughter.\u201d \u201cThat is all very well,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cbut still I do not know what it is to shudder!\u201d\n\nThen the gold was brought up and the wedding celebrated; but howsoever\nmuch the young King loved his wife, and however happy he was, he still\nsaid always: \u201cIf I could but shudder\u2014if I could but shudder.\u201d And at\nlast she was angry at this. Her waiting-maid said, \u201cI will find a cure\nfor him; he shall soon learn what it is to shudder.\u201d She went out to\nthe stream which flowed through the garden, and had a whole bucketful\nof gudgeons brought to her. At night when the young King was sleeping,\nhis wife was to draw the clothes off him and empty the bucketful of\ncold water with the gudgeons in it over him, so that the little fishes\nwould sprawl about him. When this was done, he woke up and cried: \u201cOh,\nwhat makes me shudder so?\u2014what makes me shudder so, dear wife? Ah! now\nI know what it is to shudder!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\u00c6SOP\u2019S FABLES\n\n\nThis has come to be the commonly accepted name for the well-known\ncollection of stories about animals, though we cannot be sure that any\nof them, were written by the Greek slave of that name, who, Herodotus\ntells us, lived about the year 55O B.C. The fable about animals is\nprobably the oldest form of story known. Its object is to teach a\nlesson to men and women, without seeming to do so, and because of this\nconcealed lesson it has always been a great favorite with all nations.\nIn Russia, for example, where a man did not dare say what he thought\nabout a Government officer, he could tell a fable about the Dog in the\nManger.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE\n\n\nNow you must know that a Town Mouse once upon a time went on a visit to\nhis cousin in the country. He was rough and ready, this cousin, but he\nloved his town friend and made him heartily welcome. Beans and bacon,\ncheese and bread, were all he had to offer, but he offered them freely.\nThe Town Mouse rather turned up his long nose at this country fare, and\nsaid: \u201cI cannot understand, Cousin, how you can put up with such poor\nfood as this, but of course you cannot expect anything better in the\ncountry; come you with me and I will show you how to live. When you\nhave been in town a week you will wonder how you could ever have stood\na country life.\u201d No sooner said than done: the two mice set off for the\ntown and arrived at the Town Mouse\u2019s residence late at night. \u201cYou will\nwant some refreshment after our long journey,\u201d said the polite Town\nMouse, and took his friend into the grand dining-room. There they found\nthe remains of a fine feast, and soon the two mice were eating up\njellies and cakes and all that was nice. Suddenly they heard growling\nand barking. \u201cWhat is that?\u201d said the Country Mouse. \u201cIt is only the\ndogs of the house,\u201d answered the other. \u201cOnly!\u201d said the Country Mouse.\n\u201cI do not like that music at my dinner.\u201d Just at that moment the door\nflew open, in came two huge mastiffs, and the two mice had to scamper\ndown and run off. \u201cGood-by, Cousin,\u201d said the Country Mouse. \u201cWhat!\ngoing so soon?\u201d said the other. \u201cYes,\u201d he replied;\n\n\u201cBETTER BEANS AND BACON IN PEACE\nTHAN CAKES AND ALE IN FEAR.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE MAN, THE BOY, AND DONKEY\n\n\nA man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market. As they\nwere walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said: \u201cYou\nfools, what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?\u201d\n\nSo the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their way. But\nsoon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: \u201cSee that lazy\nyoungster, he lets his father walk while he rides.\u201d\n\nSo the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself. But they\nhadn\u2019t gone far when they passed two women, one of whom said to the\nother: \u201cShame on that lazy lout to let his poor little son trudge\nalong.\u201d\n\nWell, the Man didn\u2019t know what to do, but at last he took his Boy up\nbefore him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to the town, and\nthe passers-by began to jeer and point to them. The Man stopped and\nasked what they were scoffing at. The men said: \u201cAren\u2019t you ashamed of\nyourself for overloading that poor Donkey of yours\u2014you and your hulking\nson?\u201d\n\nThe Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They thought and\nthey thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied the Donkey\u2019s feet\nto it, and raised the pole and the Donkey to their shoulders. They went\nalong amid the laughter of all who met them till they came to Market\nBridge, when the Donkey, getting one of his feet loose, kicked out and\ncaused the Boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey\nfell over the bridge, and his fore-feet being tied together he was\ndrowned.\n\n\u201cThat will teach you,\u201d said an old man who had followed them:\n\n\u201cPLEASE ALL, AND YOU WILL PLEASE NONE.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE SHEPHERD\u2019S BOY\n\n\nThere was once a young Shepherd Boy who tended his sheep at the foot of\na mountain near a dark forest. It was rather lonely for him all day, so\nhe thought upon a plan by which he could get a little company and some\nexcitement. He rushed down toward the village calling out \u201cWolf, Wolf,\u201d\nand the villagers came out to meet him, and some of them stopped with\nhim for a considerable time.\n\nThis pleased the boy so much that a few days afterward he tried the\nsame trick, and again the villagers came to his help.\n\nBut shortly after this a Wolf actually did come out from the forest,\nand began to worry the sheep, and the boy of course cried out \u201cWolf,\nWolf,\u201d still louder than before. But this time the villagers who had\nbeen fooled twice before, thought the boy was again deceiving them, and\nnobody stirred to come to bis help.\n\nSo the Wolf made a good meal off the boy\u2019s flock, and when the boy\ncomplained, the wise man of the village said:\n\n\u201cA LIAR WILL NOT BE BELIEVED, EVEN WHEN HE SPEAKS THE TRUTH.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nANDROCLES\n\n\nA slave named Androcles once escaped from his master and fled to the\nforest. As he was wandering about there he came upon a Lion lying down\nmoaning and groaning.\n\nAt first he turned to flee, but finding that the Lion did not pursue\nhim, he turned back and went up to him.\n\nAs he came near, the Lion put out his paw, which was all swollen and\nbleeding, and Androcles found that a huge thorn had got into it, and\nwas causing all the pain. He pulled out the thorn and bound up the paw\nof the Lion, who was soon able to rise and lick the hand of Androcles\nlike a dog.\n\nThen the Lion took Androcles to his cave, and every day used to bring\nhim meat from which to live.\n\nBut shortly afterward both Androcles and the Lion were captured, and\nthe slave was sentenced to be thrown to the Lion, after the latter had\nbeen kept without food for several days. The Emperor and all his Court\ncame to see the spectacle and Androcles was led out into the middle of\nthe arena. Soon the Lion was let loose from his den, and rushed\nbounding and roaring toward his victim. But as soon as he came near to\nAndrocles he recognized his friend, and fawned upon him, and licked his\nhands like a friendly dog. The Emperor, surprised at this, summoned\nAndrocles to him, who told him the whole story. Whereupon the slave was\npardoned and freed, and the Lion let loose to his native forest.\n\n\u201cGRATITUDE IS THE SIGN OF NOBLE SOULS.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE STORK\n\n\nAt one time the Fox and the Stork were on visiting terms and seemed\nvery good friends. So the Fox invited the Stork to dinner, and for a\njoke put nothing before her but some soup in a very shallow dish. This\nthe Fox could easily lap up, but the Stork could only wet the end of\nher long bill in it, and left the meal as hungry as when she began.\n\n\u201cI am sorry,\u201d said the Fox, \u201cthe soup is not to your liking.\u201d\n\n\u201cPray do not apologize,\u201d said the Stork. \u201cI hope you will return this\nvisit, and come and dine with me soon.\u201d\n\nSo a day was appointed when the Fox should visit the Stork; but when\nthey were seated at table all that was for their dinner was contained\nin a very long-necked jar with a narrow mouth, in which the Fox could\nnot insert his snout, so all he could manage to do was to lick the\noutside of the jar.\n\n\u201cI will not apologize for the dinner,\u201d said the Stork:\n\n\u201cONE BAD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE CROW AND THE PITCHER\n\n\nA crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a Pitcher which had once been\nfull of water; but when the Crow put its beak into the mouth of the\nPitcher he found that only very little water was left in it, and that\nhe could not reach far enough down to get at it.\n\nHe tried, and he tried, but at last had to give up in despair.\n\nThen a thought came to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it into\nthe Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped it into the\nPitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher.\nThen he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he\ntook another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took\nanother pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher.\n\nAt last, at last, he saw the water mount up near him; and after casting\nin a few more pebbles he was able to quench his thirst and save his\nlife.\n\n\u201cLITTLE BY LITTLE DOES THE TRICK.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE FROGS DESIRING A KING\n\n\nThe Frogs were living as happy as could be in a marshy swamp that just\nsuited them; they went splashing about caring for nobody and nobody\ntroubling with them. But some of them thought that this was not right,\nthat they should have a King and a proper constitution, so they\ndetermined to send up a petition to Jove to give them what they wanted.\n\u201cMighty Jove,\u201d they cried, \u201csend unto us a King that will rule over us\nand keep us in order.\u201d Jove laughed at their croaking, and threw down\ninto the swamp a huge Log, which came down\u2014kerplash\u2014into the swamp. The\nFrogs were frightened out of their lives by the commotion made in their\nmidst, and all rushed to the bank to look at the horrible monster; but\nafter a time, seeing that it did not move, one or two of the boldest of\nthem ventured out toward the Log, and even dared to touch it; still it\ndid not move. Then the greatest hero of the Frogs jumped upon the Log\nand commenced dancing up and down upon it, thereupon all the Frogs came\nand did the same; and for sometime the Frogs went about their business\nevery day without taking the slightest notice of the new King Log lying\nin their midst.\n\nBut this did not suit them, so they sent another petition to Jove, and\nsaid to him: \u201cWe want a real King; one that will really rule over us.\u201d\nNow this made Jove angry, so he sent among them a big Stork that soon\nset to work gobbling them all up. Then the Frogs repented when too\nlate.\n\n\u201cBETTER NO RULE THAN CRUEL RULE.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE FROG AND THE OX\n\n\n\u201cOh, father,\u201d said a little Frog to the big one sitting by the side of\na pool, \u201cI have seen such a terrible monster! It was as big as a\nmountain, with horns on its head, and a long tail, and it had hoofs\ndivided in two.\u201d\n\n\u201cTush, child, tush,\u201d said the old Frog, \u201cthat was only Farmer White\u2019s\nOx. It isn\u2019t so big either; he may be a little bit taller than I, but I\ncould easily make myself quite as broad; just you see.\u201d So he blew\nhimself out, and blew himself out, and blew himself out. \u201cWas he as big\nas that?\u201d asked he.\n\n\u201cOh, much bigger than that,\u201d said the young Frog.\n\nAgain the old one blew himself out, and asked the young one if the Ox\nwas as big as that.\n\n\u201cBigger, father, bigger,\u201d was the reply.\n\nSo the Frog took a deep breath, and blew and blew and blew, and swelled\nand swelled and swelled. And then he said: \u201cI\u2019m sure the Ox is not as\nbig as ______\u201d But at this moment he burst.\n\n\u201cSELF-CONCEIT MAY LEAD TO SELF-DESTRUCTION.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE COCK AND THE PEARL\n\n\nA cock was once strutting up and down the farmyard among the hens when\nsuddenly he espied something shining and the straw. \u201cHo! ho!\u201d quoth he,\n\u201cthat\u2019s for me,\u201d and soon rooted it out from beneath the straw. What\ndid it turn out to be but a Pearl that by some chance had been lost in\nthe yard? \u201cYou may be a treasure,\u201d quoth Master Cock, \u201cto men that\nprize you, but for me I would rather have a single barley corn than a\npeck of pearls.\u201d\n\n\u201cPRECIOUS THINGS ARE FOR THOSE THAT CAN PRIZE THEM.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX WITHOUT A TAIL\n\n\nIt happened that a Fox caught its tail in a trap, and in struggling to\nrelease himself lost all of it but the stump. At first he was ashamed\nto show himself among his fellow foxes. But at last he determined to\nput a bolder face upon his misfortune, and summoned all the foxes to a\ngeneral meeting to consider a proposal which he had to place before\nthem.\n\nWhen they had assembled together the Fox proposed that they should all\ndo away with their tails. He pointed out how inconvenient a tail was\nwhen they were pursued by their enemies, the dogs; how much it was in\nthe way when they desired to sit down and hold a friendly conversation\nwith one another. He failed to see any advantage in carrying about such\na useless encumbrance.\n\n\u201cThat is all very well,\u201d said one of the older foxes; \u201cbut I do not\nthink you would have recommended us to dispense with our chief ornament\nif you had not happened to lose it yourself.\u201d\n\n\u201cDISTRUST INTERESTED ADVICE.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE CAT\n\n\nA fox was boasting to a Cat of its clever devices for escaping its\nenemies. \u201cI have a whole bag of tricks,\u201d he said, \u201cwhich contains a\nhundred ways of escaping my enemies.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have only one,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cbut I can generally manage with\nthat.\u201d Just at that moment they heard the cry of a pack of hounds\ncoming toward them, and the Cat immediately scampered up a tree and hid\nherself in the boughs. \u201cThis is my plan,\u201d said the Cat. \u201cWhat are you\ngoing to do?\u201d The Fox thought first of one way, then of another, and\nwhile he was debating the hounds came nearer and nearer, and at last\nthe Fox in his confusion was caught up by the hounds and soon killed by\nthe huntsmen. Miss Puss, who had been looking on, said:\n\n\u201cBETTER ONE SAFE WAY THAN A HUNDRED ON WHICH YOU CANNOT RECKON.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOG IN THE MANGER\n\n\nA dog looking out for its afternoon nap jumped into the Manger of an Ox\nand lay there cosily upon the straw. But soon the Ox, returning from\nits afternoon work, came up to the Manger and wanted to eat some of the\nstraw. The Dog in a rage, being awakened from its slumber, stood up and\nbarked at the Ox, and whenever it came near attempted to bite it. At\nlast the Ox had to give up the hope of getting at the straw, and went\naway muttering:\n\n\u201cAH, PEOPLE OFTEN GRUDGE OTHERS WHAT THEY CANNOT ENJOY THEMSELVES.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE GOAT\n\n\nBy an unlucky chance a Fox fell into a deep well from which he could\nnot get out. A Goat passed by shortly afterward, and asked the Fox what\nhe was doing down there. \u201cOh, have you not heard?\u201d said the Fox; \u201cthere\nis going to be a great drought, so I jumped down here in order to be\nsure to have water by me. Why don\u2019t you come down, too?\u201d The Goat\nthought well of this advice, and jumped down into the well. But the Fox\nimmediately jumped on her back, and by putting his foot on her long\nhorns managed to jump up to the edge of the well. \u201cGood-by, friend,\u201d\nsaid the Fox;\u2014\u201cremember next time,\n\n\u201cNEVER TRUST THE ADVICE OF A MAN IN DIFFICULTIES.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nBELLING THE CAT\n\n\nLong ago, the mice held a general council to consider what measures\nthey could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat. Some said this,\nand some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had a\nproposal to make, which he thought would meet the case. \u201cYou will all\nagree,\u201d said he, \u201cthat our chief danger consists in the sly and\ntreacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us. Now, if we could\nreceive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. I\nventure, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and\nattached by a ribbon round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should\nalways know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was\nin the neighborhood.\u201d\n\nThis proposed met with general applause, until an old mouse got up and\nsaid: \u201cThat is all very well, but who is to bell the Cat?\u201d The mice\nlooked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the old mouse said:\n\n\u201cIT IS EASY TO PROPOSE IMPOSSIBLE REMEDIES.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE JAY AND THE PEACOCK\n\n\nA jay venturing into a yard where Peacocks used to walk, found there a\nnumber of feathers which had fallen from the Peacocks when they were\nmoulting. He tied them all to his tail and strutted down toward the\nPeacocks. When he came near them they soon discovered the cheat, and\nstriding up to him pecked at him and plucked away his borrowed plumes.\nSo the Jay could do no better than go back to the other Jays, who had\nwatched his behavior from a distance; but they were equally annoyed\nwith him, and told him\n\n\u201cIT IS NOT ONLY FINE FEATHERS THAT MAKE FINE BIRDS.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE ASS AND THE LAP-DOG\n\n\nA farmer one day came to the stables to see to his beasts of burden:\namong them was his favorite Ass, that was always well fed and often\ncarried his master. With the Farmer came his Lap-dog, who danced about\nand licked his hand and frisked about as happy as could be. The Farmer\nfelt in his pocket, gave the Lap-dog some dainty food, and sat down\nwhile he gave his orders to his servants. The Lap-dog jumped into his\nmaster\u2019s lap, and lay there blinking while the Farmer stroked his ears.\nThe Ass, seeing this, broke loose from his halter and commenced\nprancing about in imitation of the Lap-dog. The Farmer could not hold\nhis sides with laughter, so the Ass went up to him, and putting his\nfeet upon the Farmer\u2019s shoulder attempted to climb into his lap. The\nFarmer\u2019s servants rushed up with sticks and pitchforks and soon taught\nthe Ass that\n\n\u201cCLUMSY JESTING IS NO JOKE.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER\n\n\nIn a field one summer\u2019s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping\nand singing to its heart\u2019s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along\nwith great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.\n\n\u201cWhy not come and chat with me,\u201d said the Grasshopper, \u201cinstead of\ntoiling and moiling in that way?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am helping to lay up food for the winter,\u201d said the Ant, \u201cand\nrecommend you to do the same.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy bother about winter?\u201d said the Grasshopper; \u201cwe have got plenty of\nfood at present.\u201d\n\nBut the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.\n\nThen the winter came the Grasshopper had no food, and found itself\ndying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and\ngrain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the\nGrasshopper knew\n\nIT IS BEST TO PREPARE FOR THE DAYS OF NECESSITY.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOODMAN AND THE SERPENT\n\n\nOne wintry day a Woodman was tramping home from his work when he saw\nsomething black lying on the snow. When he came closer, he saw it was a\nSerpent to all appearance dead. But he took it up and put it in his\nbosom to warm while he hurried home. As soon as he got indoors he put\nthe Serpent down on the hearth before the fire. The children watched it\nand saw it slowly come to life again. Then one of them stooped down to\nstroke it, but the Serpent raised its head and put out its fangs and\nwas about to sting the child to death. So the Woodman seized his axe,\nand with one stroke cut the Serpent in two. \u201cAh,\u201d said he,\n\n\u201cNO GRATITUDE FROM THE WICKED.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE MILKMAID AND HER PAIL\n\n\nPatty, the Milkmaid, was going to market carrying her milk in a Pail on\nher head. As she went along she began calculating what she would do\nwith the money she would get for the milk. \u201cI\u2019ll buy some fowls from\nFarmer Brown,\u201d said she, \u201cand they will lay eggs each morning, which I\nwill sell to the parson\u2019s wife. With the money that I get from the sale\nof these eggs I\u2019ll buy myself a new dimity frock and a chip hat; and\nwhen I go to market, won\u2019t all the young men come up and speak to me!\nPolly Shaw will be that jealous; but I don\u2019t care. I shall just look at\nher and toss my head like this.\u201d As she spoke, she tossed her head\nback, the Pail fell off it and all the milk was spilt. So she had to go\nhome and tell her mother what had occurred. \u201cAh, my child,\u201d said her\nmother,\n\nDO NOT COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY ARE HATCHED.\n\n\n\n\nTHE LION AND THE MOUSE\n\n\nOnce when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up and down\nupon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him,\nand opened his big jaws to swallow him. \u201cPardon, O King,\u201d cried the\nlittle Mouse; \u201cforgive me this time, I shall never forget it: who knows\nbut what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?\u201d The Lion\nwas so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he\nlifted up his paw and let him go. Some time after the Lion was caught\nin a trap, and the hunters, who desired to carry him alive to the King,\ntied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him\non. Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad\nplight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away the\nropes that bound the King of the Beasts. \u201cWas I not right?\u201d said the\nlittle Mouse.\n\n\u201cLITTLE FRIENDS MAY PROVE GREAT FRIENDS.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nHERCULES AND THE WAGONER\n\n\nA wagoner was once driving a heavy load along a very muddy way. At last\nhe came to a part of the road where the wheels sank halfway into the\nmire, and the more the horses pulled, the deeper sank the wheels. So\nthe Wagoner threw down his whip, and knelt down and prayed to Hercules\nthe Strong. \u201cO Hercules, help me in this my hour of distress,\u201d quote\nhe. But Hercules appeared to him, and said:\n\n\u201cTut, man, don\u2019t sprawl there. Get up and put your shoulder to the\nwheel.\u201d\n\n\u201cTHE GODS HELP THEM THAT HELP THEMSELVES.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE LION\u2019S SHARE\n\n\nThe Lion went once a-hunting along with the Fox, the Jackal, and the\nWolf. They hunted and they hunted till at last they surprised a Stag,\nand soon took its life. Then came the question how the spoil should be\ndivided. \u201cQuarter me this Stag,\u201d roared the Lion; so the other animals\nskinned it and cut it into four parts. Then the Lion took his stand in\nfront of the carcass and pronounced judgment: \u201cThe first quarter is for\nme in my capacity as King of Beasts; the second is mine as arbiter;\nanother share comes to me for my part in the chase; and as far the\nfourth quarter, well, as for that, I should like to see which of you\nwill dare to lay a paw upon it.\u201d\n\n\u201cHumph!\u201d grumbled the Fox as he walked away with his tail between his\nlegs; but he spoke in a low growl\u2014\n\n\u201cYOU MAY SHARE THE LABORS OF THE GREAT, BUT YOU WILL NOT SHARE THE\nSPOIL.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE CROW\n\n\nA fox once saw a Crow fly off with a piece of cheese in its beak and\nsettle on a branch of a tree. \u201cThat\u2019s for me, as I am a Fox,\u201d said\nMaster Reynard, and he walked up to the foot of the tree. \u201cGood-day,\nMistress Crow,\u201d he cried. \u201cHow well you are looking to-day: how glossy\nyour feathers; how bright your eye. I feel sure your voice must surpass\nthat of other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear but one song\nfrom you that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds.\u201d The Crow lifted\nup her head and began to caw her best, but the moment she opened her\nmouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by\nMaster Fox. \u201cThat will do,\u201d said he. \u201cThat was all I wanted. In\nexchange for your cheese I will give you a piece of advice for the\nfuture\u2014\n\n\u201cDO NOT TRUST FLATTERERS.\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOG AND THE SHADOW\n\n\nIt happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was carrying it home\nin his mouth to eat it in peace. Now on his way home he had to cross a\nplank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and\nsaw his own shadow reflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was\nanother dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have\nthat also. So he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but as he\nopened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and\nwas never seen more.\n\n\u201cBEWARE LEST YOU LOSE THE SUBSTANCE BY GRASPING AT THE SHADOW.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE LAMB\n\n\nOnce upon a time a Wolf was lapping at a spring on a hillside, when,\nlooking up, what should he see but a Lamb just beginning to drink a\nlittle lower down. \u201cThere\u2019s my supper,\u201d thought he, \u201cif only I can find\nsome excuse to seize it.\u201d Then he called out to the Lamb, \u201cHow dare you\nmuddle the water from which I am drinking?\u201d\n\n\u201cNay, master, nay,\u201d said Lambikin; \u201cif the water be muddy up there, I\ncannot be the cause of it, for it runs down from you to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, then,\u201d said the Wolf, \u201cwhy did you call me bad names this time\nlast year?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat cannot be,\u201d said the Lamb; \u201cI am only six months old.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d snarled the Wolf; \u201cif it was not you it was your\nfather;\u201d and with that he rushed upon the poor little Lamb and\u2014\n\nWARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA\u2014\n\n\nate her all up. But before she died she gasped out\u2014\n\n\u201cANY EXCUSE WILL SERVE A TYRANT.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE BAT, THE BIRDS, AND THE BEASTS\n\n\nA great conflict was about to come off between the Birds and the\nBeasts. When the two armies were collected together the Bat hesitated\nwhich to join. The Birds that passed his perch said: \u201cCome with us;\u201d\nbut he said: \u201cI am a Beast.\u201d Later on, some Beasts who were passing\nunderneath him looked up and said: \u201cCome with us;\u201d but he said: \u201cI am a\nBird.\u201d Luckily at the last moment peace was made, and no battle took\nplace, so the Bat came to the Birds and wished to join in the\nrejoicings, but they all turned against him and he had to fly away. He\nthen went to the Beasts, but soon had to beat a retreat, or else they\nwould have torn him to pieces. \u201cAh,\u201d said the Bat, \u201cI see now\n\nHE THAT IS NEITHER ONE THING NOR THE OTHER HAS NO FRIENDS.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE BELLY AND THE MEMBERS\n\n\nOne fine day it occurred to the Members of the Body that they were\ndoing all the work and the Belly was having all the food. So they held\na meeting, and after a long discussion, decided to strike work till the\nBelly consented to take its proper share of the work. So for a day or\ntwo the Hands refused to take the food, the Mouth refused to receive\nit, and the Teeth had no work to do. But after a day or two the Members\nbegan to find that they themselves were not in a very active condition:\nthe Hands could hardly move, and the Mouth was all parched and dry,\nwhile the Legs were unable to support the rest. So thus they found that\neven the Belly in its dull quiet way was doing necessary work for the\nBody, and that all must work together or the Body will go to pieces.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE GRAPES\n\n\nOne hot summer\u2019s day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he\ncame to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been\ntrained over a lofty branch. \u201cJust the thing to quench my thirst,\u201d\nquoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just\nmissed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped\nup, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the\ntempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with\nhis nose in the air, saying: \u201cI am sure they are sour.\u201d\n\n\u201cIT IS EASY TO DESPISE WHAT YOU CANNOT GET.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE SWALLOW AND THE OTHER BIRDS\n\n\nIt happened that a Countryman was sowing some hemp seed in a field\nwhere a Swallow and some other birds were hopping about picking up\ntheir food. \u201cBeware of that man,\u201d quoth the Swallow. \u201cWhy, what is he\ndoing?\u201d said the others. \u201cThat is hemp seed he is sowing; be careful to\npick up every one of the seeds, or else you will repent it.\u201d The birds\npaid no heed to the Swallow\u2019s words, and by and by the hemp grew up and\nwas made into cord, and of the cords nets were made, and many a bird\nthat had despised the Swallow\u2019s advice was caught in nets made out of\nthat very hemp. \u201cWhat did I tell you?\u201d said the Swallow.\n\n\u201cDESTROY THE SEED OF EVIL, OR IT WILL GROW UP TO YOUR RUIN.\u201d","title":"The Junior Classics, Volume 1: Fairy and wonder tales","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":134996}