{"collection":"folklore-oral-tradition","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_49750/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_49750","id":"gutenberg_49750","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/49750","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Humour","Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy","Category: Short Stories","Children's stories","Fairy tales","Fantasy fiction","Wit and humor, Juvenile"],"text":"THE GOLDEN-BREASTED KOOTOO\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN-BREASTED KOOTOO\n\n    BY\n    LAURA E. RICHARDS\n    AUTHOR OF \u201cCAPTAIN JANUARY,\u201d \u201cTHE JOYOUS STORY\n    OF TOTO,\u201d \u201cTOTO\u2019S MERRY WINTER,\u201d\n    \u201cIN MY NURSERY,\u201d ETC.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    BOSTON\n    LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY\n\n\n\n\n    _Copyright, 1885_,\n    BY ROBERTS BROTHERS\n\n    _Copyright, 1899_,\n    BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND CO.\n    \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n    _All rights reserved_\n\n\n    University Press:\n    JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n                                                       PAGE\n    THE GOLDEN-BREASTED KOOTOO                            5\n    THE STORY OF HOKEY POKEY                             25\n    THE AMBITIOUS ROCKING-HORSE                          40\n    \u201cOH, DEAR\u201d                                           44\n    THE TRAVELLER, THE COOK, AND THE LITTLE OLD MAN      55\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN-BREASTED KOOTOO.\n\nPART I.\n\n\nONCE upon a time\u2014and a good time it was\u2014there lived a king. I do not\nknow exactly what his name was, or just where he lived; but it doesn\u2019t\nmatter at all: his kingdom was somewhere between Ashantee and Holland,\nand his name sounded a little like Samuel, and a little like Dolabella,\nand a good deal like Chimborazo, and yet it was not quite any of them.\nBut, as I said before, it doesn\u2019t matter. We will call him the King,\nand that will be all that is necessary, as there is no other king in\nthe story.\n\nThis King was very fond of music; in fact, he was excessively fond of\nit. He kept four bands of music playing all day long. The first was\na brass band, the second was a string band, the third was a rubber\nband, and the fourth was a man who played on the jews-harp. (Some\npeople thought he ought not to be called a band, but he said he was all\nthe jews-harp band there was, and that was very true.) The four bands\nplayed all day long on the four sides of the grand courtyard, and the\nKing sat on a throne in the middle and transacted affairs of state.\nAnd when His Majesty went to bed at night, the grand chamberlain wound\nup a musical-box that was in his pillow, and another one in the top\nbureau-drawer, and they played \u201cThe Dog\u2019s-meat Man\u201d and \u201cPride of the\nPirate\u2019s Heart\u201d till daylight did appear.\n\nOne day it occurred to the King that it would be an excellent plan\nfor him to learn to sing. He wondered that he had never thought of it\nbefore. \u201cYou see,\u201d he said, \u201cit would amuse me very much to sing while\nI am out hunting. I cannot take the bands with me to the forest, for\nthey would frighten away the wild beasts; and I miss my music very\nmuch on such occasions. Yes, decidedly, I will learn to sing.\u201d\n\nSo he sent for the Chief Musician, and ordered him to teach him to\nsing. The Chief Musician was delighted, and said they would begin\nat once. So he sat down at the piano, and struck a note. \u201cO King,\u201d\nhe said, \u201cplease sing this note.\u201d And the King sang, in a loud,\ndeep voice,[Illustration: B note] The Chief Musician was enchanted.\n\u201cSuperb!\u201d he cried. \u201cMagnificent! Now, O King, please to sing _this_\nnote!\u201d and he struck another note:[Illustration: G note] The King sang,\nin a loud, deep voice,[Illustration: B note] The Chief Musician looked\ngrave. \u201cO King,\u201d he said, \u201cyou did not quite understand me. We will try\nanother note.\u201d And he struck another: [Illustration: C note] The King\nsang, in a loud, deep voice, [Illustration: B note] The Chief Musician\nlooked dejected. \u201cI fear, O King,\u201d he said, \u201cthat you can never learn\nto sing.\u201d \u201cWhat do you mean by that, Chief Musician?\u201d asked the King.\n\u201cIt is your business to teach me to sing. Do you not know how to\nteach?\u201d \u201cNo man knows better,\u201d replied the Chief Musician. \u201cBut Your\nMajesty has no ear for music. You never can sing but one note.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: \u201c\u2018Take this man and behead him!\u2019 said the King.\u201d]\n\nAt these words the King grew purple in the face. He said nothing,\nfor he was a man of few words; but he rang a large bell, and an\nexecutioner appeared. \u201cTake this man and behead him!\u201d said the King.\n\u201cAnd send me the Second Musician!\u201d\n\nThe Second Musician came, looking very grave, for he had heard the\nshrieks of his unhappy superior as he was dragged off to execution,\nand he had no desire to share his fate. He bowed low, and demanded His\nMajesty\u2019s pleasure. \u201cTeach me to sing!\u201d said His Majesty. So the Second\nMusician sat down at the piano, and tried several notes, just as the\nChief Musician had done, and with the same result. Whatever note was\nstruck, the King still sang [Illustration: B note]\n\nNow the Second Musician was a quick-witted fellow, and he saw in a\nmoment what the trouble had been with his predecessor, and saw, too,\nwhat great peril he was in himself. So he assumed a look of grave\nimportance, and said solemnly, \u201cO King, this is a very serious matter.\nI cannot conceal from you that there are great obstacles in the way of\nyour learning to sing\u2014\u201d The King looked at the bell. \u201cBUT,\u201d said the\nSecond Musician, \u201cthey can be overcome.\u201d The King looked away again.\n\u201cI beg,\u201d said the Second Musician, \u201cfor twenty-four hours\u2019 time for\nconsideration. At the end of that time I shall have decided upon the\nbest method of teaching; and I am bound to say this to Your Majesty,\nthat IF you learn to sing\u2014\u201d \u201cWHAT?\u201d said the King, looking at the\nbell again. \u201cThat WHEN you learn to sing,\u201d said the Second Musician\nhastily,\u2014\u201c_when_ you learn to sing, your singing will be like no other\nthat has ever been heard.\u201d This pleased the King, and he graciously\naccorded the desired delay.\n\nAccordingly the Second Musician took his leave with great humility,\nand spent all that night and the following day plunged in the deepest\nthought. As soon as the twenty-four hours had elapsed he again appeared\nbefore the King, who was awaiting him impatiently, sitting on the\nmusic-stool. \u201cWell?\u201d said the King. \u201cQuite well, O King, I thank you,\u201d\nreplied the Second Musician, \u201cthough somewhat fatigued by my labors.\u201d\n\u201cPshaw!\u201d said the King impatiently. \u201cHave you found a way of teaching\nme to sing?\u201d \u201cI have, O King,\u201d replied the Second Musician solemnly;\n\u201cbut it is not an easy way. Nevertheless it is the only one.\u201d The King\nassured him that money was no object, and begged him to unfold his\nplan. \u201cIn order to learn to sing,\u201d said the Second Musician, \u201cyou must\neat a pie composed of all the singing-birds in the world. In this way\nonly can the difficulty of your having no natural ear for music be\novercome. If a single bird is omitted, or if you do not consume the\nwhole pie, the charm will have no effect. I leave Your Majesty to judge\nof the difficulty of the undertaking.\u201d\n\nDifficulty? The King would not admit that there was such a word. He\ninstantly summoned his Chief Huntsman, and ordered him to send other\nhuntsmen to every country in the world, to bring back a specimen of\nevery kind of singing-bird. Accordingly, as there were sixty countries\nin the world at that time, sixty huntsmen started off immediately,\nfully armed and equipped.\n\nAfter they were gone, the King, who was very impatient, summoned his\nWise Men, and bade them look in all the books, and find out how many\nkinds of singing-birds there were in the world. The Wise Men all put\ntheir spectacles on their noses, and their noses into their books, and\nafter studying a long time, and adding up on their slates the number of\nbirds described in each book, they found that there were in all nine\nthousand nine hundred and ninety-nine varieties of singing-birds.\n\nThey made their report to the King, and he was rather troubled by it;\nfor he remembered that the Second Musician had said he must eat every\nmorsel of the pie himself, or the charm would have no effect. It would\nbe a _very_ large pie, he thought, with nine thousand nine hundred and\nninety-nine birds in it. \u201cThe only way,\u201d he said to himself, \u201cwill be\nfor me to eat as little as possible until the huntsmen come back, then\nI shall be very hungry. I have never been _very_ hungry in my life, so\nthere is no knowing how much I could eat if I were.\u201d So the King ate\nnothing from one week\u2019s end to another, except bread and dripping; and\nby the time the huntsmen returned he was so thin that it was really\nshocking.\n\nAt last, after a long time, the sixty huntsmen returned, laden down\nwith huge bags, the contents of which they piled up in a great heap\nin the middle of the courtyard. A mountain of birds! Such a thing had\nnever been seen before. The mountain was so high that everybody thought\nthe full number of birds must be there; and the Chief Cook began to\nmake his preparations, and sent to borrow the garden roller from John\nthe gardener, as his own was not big enough to roll out such a quantity\nof paste.\n\nThe King and the Wise Men next proceeded to count the birds. But alas!\nwhat was their sorrow to find that the number fell short by one! They\ncounted again and again; but it was of no use: there were only nine\nthousand nine hundred and ninety-eight birds in the pile.\n\nThe next thing was to find out what bird was missing. So the Wise\nMen sorted all the birds, and compared them with the pictures in the\nbooks, and studied so hard that they wore out three pairs of spectacles\napiece; and at last they discovered that the missing bird was the\n\u201cGolden-breasted Kootoo.\u201d The chief Wise Man read aloud from the\nbiggest book:\u2014\n\n\u201cThe Golden-breasted Kootoo, the most beautiful and the most melodious\nof singing birds, is found only in secluded parts of the Vale of\nCoringo. Its plumage is of a brilliant golden yellow, except on the\nback, where it is streaked with green. Its beak is\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cThere! there!\u201d interrupted the King impatiently; \u201cnever mind about its\nbeak. Tell the Lord Chamberlain to pack my best wig and a clean shirt,\nand send them after me by a courier; and, Chief Huntsman, follow me. We\nstart this moment for the Vale of Coringo!\u201d\n\nAnd actually, if you will believe it, the King _did_ start off in less\nthan an hour from the counting of the birds. He rode on horseback, and\nwas accompanied only by the Chief Huntsman and the jews-harp band, the\ncourier being obliged to wait for the King\u2019s best wig to be curled.\n\n[Illustration: \u201cHe rode on horseback, and was accompanied only by the\nChief Huntsman and the jews-harp band.\u201d]\n\nThe poor Band had a hard time of it; for he had a very frisky horse,\nand found it extremely difficult to manage the beast with one hand\nand hold the jews-harp with the other; but the King, with much\ningenuity, fastened the head of the horse to the tail of his own steady\ncob, thereby enabling the musician to give all his attention to his\ninstrument. The music was a trifle jerky at times; but what of that? It\nwas music, and the King was satisfied.\n\nThey rode night and day, and at length arrived at the Vale of Coringo,\nand took lodgings at the principal hotel. The King was very weary, as\nhe had been riding for a week without stopping. So he went to bed at\nonce, and slept for two whole days.\n\nOn the morning of the third day he was roused from a wonderful dream\n(in which he was singing a duet with the Golden-breasted Kootoo, to a\njews-harp accompaniment) by the sound of music. The King sat up in bed,\nand listened. It was a bird\u2019s song that he heard, and it seemed to come\nfrom the vines outside his window. But what a song it was! And what a\nbird it must be that could utter such wondrous sounds! He listened, too\nenchanted to move, while the magical song swelled louder and clearer,\nfilling the air with melody. At last he rose, and crept softly to the\nwindow. There, on a swinging vine, sat a beautiful bird, all golden\nyellow, with streaks of green on its back.\n\n[Illustration: \u201cSeizing his gun, he hastily descended the stairs.\u201d]\n\nIt was the Golden-breasted Kootoo! There could be no doubt about it,\neven if its marvellous song had not announced it as the sweetest singer\nof the whole world. Very quietly, but trembling with excitement, the\nKing put on his slippers and his flowered dressing-gown, and seizing\nhis gun, he hastily descended the stairs.\n\nIt was early dawn, and nobody was awake in the hotel except the Boots,\nwho was blacking his namesakes in the back hall. He saw the King come\ndown, and thought he had come to get his boots; but the monarch paid\nno attention to him, quietly unbolted the front door, and slipped\nout into the garden. Was he too late? Had the bird flown? No, the\nmagic song still rose from the vines outside his chamber-window. But\neven now, as the King approached, a fluttering was heard, and the\nGolden-breasted Kootoo, spreading its wings, flew slowly away over the\ngarden wall, and away towards the mountain which rose just behind the\nhotel. The King followed, clambering painfully over the high wall, and\nleaving fragments of his brocade dressing-gown on the sharp spikes\nwhich garnished it. Once over, he made all speed, and found that he\ncould well keep the bird in sight, for it was flying very slowly.\nA provoking bird it was, to be sure! It would fly a little way, and\nthen, alighting on a bush or hanging spray, would pour forth a flood\nof melody, as if inviting its pursuer to come nearer; but before the\nunhappy King could get within gunshot, it would flutter slowly onward,\nkeeping just out of reach, and uttering a series of mocking notes,\nwhich seemed to laugh at his efforts. On and on flew the bird, up the\nsteep mountain; on and on went the King in pursuit. It is all very well\nto _fly_ up a mountain; but to crawl and climb up, with a heavy gun in\none\u2019s hand, and one\u2019s dressing-gown catching on every sharp point of\nrock, and the tassel of one\u2019s nightcap bobbing into one\u2019s eyes, is a\nvery different matter, I can tell you. But the King never thought of\nstopping for an instant; not he! He lost first one slipper, and then\nthe other; the cord and tassels of his dressing-gown tripped him up,\nso that he fell and almost broke his nose; and finally his gun slipped\nfrom his hold and went crashing down over a precipice; but still the\nKing climbed on and on, breathless but undaunted.\n\nAt length, at the very top of the mountain, as it seemed, the bird made\na longer pause than usual. It lighted on a point of rock, and folding\nits wings, seemed really to wait for the King, singing, meanwhile,\na song of the most inviting and encouraging description. Nearer and\nnearer crept the King, and still the bird did not move. He was within\narm\u2019s length, and was just stretching out his arm to seize the prize,\nwhen it fluttered off the rock. Frantic with excitement, the King made\na desperate clutch after it, and\u2014\n\n\n\n\nPART II.\n\n\nAT eight o\u2019clock the landlady knocked at the King\u2019s door. \u201cHot water,\nYour Majesty,\u201d she said. \u201cShall I bring the can in? And the Band\ndesires his respects, and would you wish him to play while you are\na-dressing, being as you didn\u2019t bring a music-box with you?\u201d\n\nReceiving no answer, after knocking several times, the good woman\nopened the door very cautiously, and peeped in, fully expecting to\nsee the royal night-cap reposing calmly on the pillow. What was her\namazement at finding the room empty; no sign of the King was to be\nseen, although his pink-silk knee-breeches lay on a chair, and his\nermine mantle and his crown were hanging on a peg against the wall.\n\nThe landlady gave the alarm at once. The King had disappeared! He had\nbeen robbed, murdered; the assassins had chopped him up into little\npieces and carried him away in a bundle-handkerchief! \u201cMurder! police!\nfire!!!!\u201d\n\nIn the midst of the wild confusion the voice of the Boots was heard.\n\u201cPlease, \u2019m, I see His Majesty go out at about five o\u2019clock this\nmorning.\u201d\n\nAgain the chorus rose: he had run away; he had gone to surprise and\nslay the King of Coringo while he was taking his morning chocolate; he\nhad gone to take a bath in the river, and was drowned! \u201cMurder! police!\u201d\n\nThe voice of the Boots was heard again. \u201cAnd please, \u2019m, he\u2019s a sittin\u2019\nout in the courtyard now; and please, \u2019m, I think he\u2019s crazy!\u201d\n\nOut rushed everybody, pell-mell, into the courtyard. There, on\nthe ground, sat the King, with his tattered dressing-gown wrapped\nmajestically about him. An ecstatic smile illuminated his face, while\nhe clasped in his arms a large bird with shining plumage.\n\n\u201cBless me!\u201d cried the poultry-woman. \u201cIf he hasn\u2019t got my Shanghai\nrooster that I couldn\u2019t catch last night!\u201d\n\nThe King, hearing voices, looked round, and smiled graciously on the\nastonished crowd. \u201cGood people,\u201d he said, \u201csuccess has crowned my\nefforts. I have found the Golden-breasted Kootoo! You shall all have\nten pounds apiece, in honor of this joyful event, and the landlady\nshall be made a baroness in her own right!\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d said the poultry-woman, \u201cit is my Shang\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cBe still, you idiot!\u201d whispered the landlady, putting her hand over\nthe woman\u2019s mouth. \u201cDo you want to lose your ten pounds and your head\ntoo? If the King has caught the Golden-breasted Kootoo, why, then it\n_is_ the Golden-breasted Kootoo, as sure as I am a baroness!\u201d and she\nadded in a still lower tone, \u201cThere hasn\u2019t been a Kootoo seen in the\nVale for ten years; the birds have died out.\u201d\n\nGreat were the rejoicings at the palace when the King returned in\ntriumph, bringing with him the much-coveted prize, the Golden-breasted\nKootoo. The bands played until they almost killed themselves; the cooks\nwaved their ladles and set to work at once on the pie; the huntsmen\nsang hunting-songs. All was joy and rapture, except in the breast of\none man; that man was the Second Musician, or, as we should now call\nhim, the Chief Musician. He felt no thrill of joy at sight of the\nwondrous bird; on the contrary, he made his will, and prepared to leave\nthe country at once; but when the pie was finished, and he saw its huge\ndimensions, he was comforted. \u201cNo man,\u201d he said to himself, \u201ccan eat\nthe whole of that pie and live!\u201d\n\nAlas! he was right. The unhappy King fell a victim to his musical\nambition before he had half finished his pie, and died in a fit. His\nsubjects ate the remainder of the mighty pasty, with mingled tears and\nsmiles, as a memorial feast; and if the Golden-breasted Kootoo _was_ a\nShanghai rooster, nobody in the kingdom was ever the wiser for it.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF HOKEY POKEY.\n\n\nHOKEY POKEY was the youngest of a large family of children. His elder\nbrothers, as they grew up, all became either butchers or bakers or\nmakers of candlesticks, for such was the custom of the family. But\nHokey Pokey would be none of these things; so when he was grown to be a\ntall youth he went to his father and said, \u201cGive me my fortune.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you be a butcher?\u201d asked his father.\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d said Hokey Pokey.\n\n\u201cWill you be a baker?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, again.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you make candlesticks?\u201d\n\n\u201cNor that either!\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said his father, \u201cthis is the only fortune I can give you;\u201d and\nwith that he took up his cudgel and gave the youth a stout beating.\n\u201cNow you cannot complain that I gave you nothing!\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cThat is true!\u201d said Hokey Pokey. \u201cBut give me also the wooden mallet\nwhich lies on the shelf, and I will make my way through the world.\u201d\n\nHis father gave him the mallet, glad to be so easily rid of him, and\nHokey Pokey went out into the world to seek his fortune. He walked\nall day, and at nightfall he came to a small village. Feeling hungry,\nhe went into a baker\u2019s shop, intending to buy a loaf of bread for his\nsupper. There was a great noise and confusion in the back part of the\nshop; and on going to see what was the matter, he found the baker on\nhis knees beside a large box or chest, which he was trying with might\nand main to keep shut. But there was something inside the box which was\ntrying just as hard to get out, and it screamed and kicked, and pushed\nthe lid up as often as the baker shut it down.\n\n\u201cWhat have you there in the box?\u201d asked Hokey Pokey.\n\n\u201cI have my wife,\u201d replied the baker. \u201cShe is so frightfully\nill-tempered that whenever I am going to bake bread I am obliged to\nshut her up in this box, lest she push me into the oven and bake me\nwith the bread, as she has often threatened to do. But to-day she has\nbroken the lock of the box, and I know not how to keep her down.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is easily managed,\u201d said Hokey Pokey. \u201cDo you but tell her, when\nshe asks who I am, that I am a giant with three heads, and all will be\nwell.\u201d So saying, he took his wooden mallet and dealt three tremendous\nblows on the box, saying in a loud voice,\u2014\n\n    \u201cHickory Hox!\n     I sit by the box,\n     Waiting to give you a few of my knocks.\u201d\n\n\u201cHusband, husband! whom have you there?\u201d cried the wife in terror.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said the baker; \u201cit is a frightful giant with three heads. He\nis sitting by the box, and if you open it so much as the width of your\nlittle finger, he will pull you out and beat you to powder.\u201d\n\nWhen the wife heard that she crouched down in the box, and said never a\nword, for she was afraid of her life.\n\nThe baker then took Hokey Pokey into the other part of the shop,\nthanked him warmly, and gave him a good supper and a bed. The next\nmorning he gave him for a present the finest loaf of bread in his\nshop, which was shaped like a large round ball; and Hokey Pokey, after\nknocking once more on the lid of the box, continued his travels.\n\nHe had not gone far before he came to another village, and wishing to\ninquire his way he entered the first shop he came to, which proved to\nbe that of a confectioner. The shop was full of the most beautiful\nsweetmeats imaginable, and everything was bright and gay; but the\nconfectioner himself sat upon a bench, weeping bitterly.\n\n\u201cWhat ails you, friend?\u201d asked Hokey Pokey; \u201cand why do you weep, when\nyou are surrounded by the most delightful things in the world?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d replied the confectioner. \u201cThat is just the cause of my\ntrouble. The sweetmeats that I make are so good that their fame has\nspread far and wide, and the Rat King, hearing of them, has taken\nup his abode in my cellar. Every night he comes up and eats all the\nsweetmeats I have made the day before. There is no comfort in my life,\nand I am thinking of becoming a rope-maker and hanging myself with the\nfirst rope I make.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy don\u2019t you set a trap for him?\u201d asked Hokey Pokey.\n\n\u201cI have set fifty-nine traps,\u201d replied the confectioner, \u201cbut he is so\nstrong that he breaks them all.\u201d\n\n\u201cPoison him,\u201d suggested Hokey Pokey.\n\n\u201cHe dislikes poison,\u201d said the confectioner, \u201cand will not take it in\nany form.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn that case,\u201d said Hokey Pokey, \u201cleave him to me. Go away, and hide\nyourself for a few minutes, and all will be well.\u201d\n\nThe confectioner retired behind a large screen, having first showed\nHokey Pokey the hole of the Rat King, which was certainly a very large\none. Hokey Pokey sat down by the hole, with his mallet in his hand, and\nsaid in a squeaking voice,\u2014\n\n    \u201cRatly King! Kingly Rat!\n     Here your mate comes pit-a-pat.\n     Come and see; the way is free;\n     Hear my signal: one! two! three!\u201d\n\n[Illustration: \u201cThe confectioner thanked him warmly.\u201d]\n\nAnd he scratched three times on the floor. Almost immediately the head\nof a rat popped up through the hole. He was a huge rat, quite as large\nas a cat; but his size was no help to him, for as soon as he appeared,\nHokey Pokey dealt him such a blow with his mallet that he fell down\ndead without even a squeak. Then Hokey Pokey called the confectioner,\nwho came out from behind the screen and thanked him warmly; he also\nbade him choose anything he liked in the shop, in payment for his\nservices.\n\n\u201cCan you match this?\u201d asked Hokey Pokey, showing his round ball of\nbread.\n\n\u201cThat can I!\u201d said the confectioner; and he brought out a most\nbeautiful ball, twice as large as the loaf, composed of the finest\nsweetmeats in the world, red and yellow and white. Hokey Pokey took it\nwith many thanks, and then went on his way.\n\nThe next day he came to a third village, in the streets of which the\npeople were all running to and fro in the wildest confusion.\n\n\u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d asked Hokey Pokey, as one man ran directly into\nhis arms.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d replied the man. \u201cA wild bull has got into the principal\nchina-shop, and is breaking all the beautiful dishes.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy do you not drive him out?\u201d asked Hokey Pokey.\n\n\u201cWe are afraid to do that,\u201d said the man; \u201cbut we are running up and\ndown to express our emotion and sympathy, and that is something.\u201d\n\n\u201cShow me the china-shop!\u201d said Hokey Pokey.\n\nSo the man showed him the china-shop; and there, sure enough, was a\nfurious bull, making most terrible havoc. He was dancing up and down\non a Dresden dinner set, and butting at the Chinese mandarins, and\nswitching down finger-bowls and tea-pots with his tail, bellowing\nmeanwhile in the most outrageous manner. The floor was covered with\nbroken crockery, and the whole scene was melancholy to behold.\n\nNow when Hokey Pokey saw this, he said to the owner of the china-shop,\nwho was tearing his hair in a frenzy of despair, \u201cStop tearing your\nhair, which is indeed a senseless occupation, and I will manage this\nmatter for you. Bring me a red cotton umbrella, and all will yet be\nwell.\u201d\n\nSo the china-shop man brought him a red cotton umbrella, and Hokey\nPokey began to open and shut it violently in front of the door. When\nthe bull saw that, he stopped dancing on the Dresden dinner set and\ncame charging out of the shop, straight towards the red umbrella. When\nhe came near enough, Hokey Pokey dropped the umbrella, and raising his\nwooden mallet hit the bull such a blow on the muzzle that he fell down\ndead, and never bellowed again.\n\nThe people all flung up their hats, and cheered, and ran up and down\nall the more, to express their gratification. As for the china-shop\nman, he threw his arms round Hokey Pokey\u2019s neck, called him his\ncherished preserver, and bade him choose anything that was left in his\nshop in payment for his services.\n\n\u201cCan you match these?\u201d asked Hokey Pokey, holding up the loaf of bread\nand the ball of sweetmeats.\n\n\u201cThat can I,\u201d said the shop-man; and he brought out a huge ball of\nsolid ivory, inlaid with gold and silver, and truly lovely to behold.\nIt was very heavy, being twice as large as the ball of sweetmeats; but\nHokey Pokey took it, and, after thanking the shop-man and receiving his\nthanks in return, he proceeded on his way.\n\nAfter walking for several days, he came to a fair, large castle, in\nfront of which sat a man on horseback. When the man saw Hokey Pokey, he\ncalled out,\u2014\n\n\u201cWho are you, and what do you bring to the mighty Dragon, lord of this\ncastle?\u201d\n\n\u201cHokey Pokey is my name,\u201d replied the youth, \u201cand strange things do I\nbring. But what does the mighty Dragon want, for example?\u201d\n\n\u201cHe wants something new to eat,\u201d said the man on horseback. \u201cHe has\neaten of everything that is known in the world, and pines for something\nnew. He who brings him a new dish, never before tasted by him, shall\nhave a thousand crowns and a new jacket; but he who fails, after three\ntrials, shall have his jacket taken away from him, and his head cut off\nbesides.\u201d\n\n\u201cI bring strange food,\u201d said Hokey Pokey. \u201cLet me pass in, that I may\nserve the mighty Dragon.\u201d\n\nThen the man on horseback lowered his lance, and let him pass in, and\nin short space he came before the mighty Dragon. The Dragon sat on\na silver throne, with a golden knife in one hand, and a golden fork\nin the other. Around him were many people, who offered him dishes of\nevery description; but he would none of them, for he had tasted them\nall before; and he howled with hunger on his silver throne. Then came\nforward Hokey Pokey, and said boldly,\u2014\n\n\u201cHere come I, Hokey Pokey, bringing strange food for the mighty Dragon.\u201d\n\nThe Dragon howled again, and waving his knife and fork, bade Hokey\nPokey give the food to the attendants, that they might serve him.\n\n\u201cNot so,\u201d said Hokey Pokey. \u201cI must serve you myself, most mighty\nDragon, else you shall not taste of my food. Therefore put down your\nknife and fork, and open your mouth, and you shall see what you shall\nsee.\u201d\n\nSo the Dragon, after summoning the man-with-the-thousand-crowns\nand the man-with-the-new-jacket to one side of his throne, and the\nman-to-take-away-the-old-jacket and the executioner to the other, laid\ndown his knife and fork and opened his mouth. Hokey Pokey stepped\nlightly forward, and dropped the round loaf down the great red throat.\nThe Dragon shut his jaws together with a snap, and swallowed the loaf\nin two gulps.\n\n\u201cThat is good,\u201d he said; \u201cbut it is not new. I have eaten much bread,\nthough never before in a round loaf. Have you anything more? Or shall\nthe man take away your jacket?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have this, an it please you,\u201d said Hokey Pokey; and he dropped the\nball of sweetmeats into the Dragon\u2019s mouth.\n\nWhen the Dragon tasted this, he rolled his eyes round and round, and\nwas speechless with delight for some time. At length he said, \u201cWorthy\nyouth, this is very good; it is extremely good; it is better than\nanything I ever tasted. Nevertheless, it is not new; for I have tasted\nthe same kind of thing before, only not nearly so good. And now,\nunless you are positively sure that you have something new for your\nthird trial, you really might as well take off your jacket; and the\nexecutioner shall take off your head at the same time, as it is getting\nrather late. Executioner, do your\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cCraving your pardon, most mighty Dragon,\u201d said Hokey Pokey, \u201cI will\nfirst make my third trial;\u201d and with that he dropped the ivory ball\ninto the Dragon\u2019s mouth.\n\n\u201cGug-wugg-gllll-grrr!\u201d said the Dragon, for the ball had stuck fast,\nbeing too big for him to swallow.\n\nThen Hokey Pokey lifted his mallet and struck one tremendous blow upon\nthe ball, driving it far down the throat of the monster, and killing\nhim most fatally dead. He rolled off the throne like a scaly log, and\nhis crown fell off and rolled to Hokey Pokey\u2019s feet. The youth picked\nit up and put it on his own head, and then called the people about him\nand addressed them.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c\u2018People,\u2019 he said, \u2018I am Hokey Pokey.\u2019\u201d]\n\n\u201cPeople,\u201d he said, \u201cI am Hokey Pokey, and I have come from a far land\nto rule over you. Your Dragon have I slain, and now I am your king; and\nif you will always do exactly what I tell you to do, you will have no\nfurther trouble.\u201d\n\nSo the people threw up their caps and cried, \u201cLong live Hokey Pokey!\u201d\nand they always did exactly as he told them, and had no further\ntrouble.\n\nAnd Hokey Pokey sent for his three brothers, and made them Chief\nButcher, Chief Baker, and Chief Candlestick-maker of his kingdom. But\nto his father he sent a large cudgel made of pure gold, with these\nwords engraved on it: \u201cNow you cannot complain that I have given you\nnothing!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE AMBITIOUS ROCKING-HORSE.\n\n\nTHERE was once a rocking-horse, but he did not want to be a\nrocking-horse. He wanted to be a trotter.\n\nHe went to a jockey and asked him if he would like to buy a trotter.\n\n\u201cWhere is your trotter?\u201d asked the jockey.\n\n\u201cMe\u2019s him!\u201d said the rocking-horse. That was all the grammar he knew.\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d said the jockey. \u201cYou are the trotter, eh?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the rocking-horse. \u201cWhat will you give me for myself?\u201d\n\n\u201cA bushel of shavings,\u201d said the jockey.\n\nThe rocking-horse thought that was better than nothing, so he sold\nhimself. Then the jockey took him to another jockey who was blind, and\ntold him (the blind jockey) that this was the Sky-born Snorter of the\nSarsaparillas, and that he could trot two miles in a minute. So the\nblind jockey bought him, and paid ten thousand dollars for him.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c\u2018Me\u2019s him,\u2019 said the rocking-horse.\u201d]\n\nThere was a race the next day, and the blind jockey took the Sky-born\nSnorter to the race-course, and started him with the other horses. The\nother horses trotted away round the course, but the Sky-born Snorter\nstayed just where he was, and rocked: and when the other horses came\nround the turn, there he was waiting for them at the judge\u2019s stand.\nSo he won the race; and the judge gave the prize, which was a white\nbuffalo, to the blind jockey.\n\nThe jockey put the Sky-born Snorter in the stable, and then went to get\nhis white buffalo; and while he was gone, the other jockeys came into\nthe stable to see the new horse.\n\n\u201cWhy, he\u2019s a rocking-horse!\u201d said one of them.\n\n\u201cHush!\u201d said the Sky-born Snorter. \u201cYes, I am a rocking-horse, but\ndon\u2019t tell my master. He doesn\u2019t know it, and he paid ten thousand\ndollars for me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhom did he pay it to?\u201d asked the jockeys.\n\n\u201cTo the other jockey, who bought me from myself,\u201d replied the Snorter.\n\n\u201cOh! and what did _he_ give for you?\u201d\n\n\u201cA bushel of shavings,\u201d said the Snorter.\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d said one of the jockeys. \u201cA bushel of shavings, eh? Now, how\nwould you like to have those shavings turned into gold?\u201d\n\n\u201cVery much indeed!\u201d cried the Sky-born.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the jockey, \u201cbring them here, and we will change them for\nyou.\u201d\n\nSo the rocking-horse went and fetched the shavings, and the jockeys set\nfire to them. The flames shot up, bright and yellow.\n\n\u201cSee!\u201d cried the jockeys. \u201cThe shavings are all turned into gold. Now\nwe will see what we can do for you.\u201d And they took the Sky-born Snorter\nand put him in the fire, and he turned into gold too, and was all\nburned up. And the blind jockey drove the white buffalo all the rest of\nhis life, and never knew the difference.\n\nMoral: Don\u2019t be ambitious!\n\n\n\n\n\u201cOH, DEAR!\u201d\n\n\nCHIMBORAZO was a very unhappy boy. He pouted, and he sulked, and\nhe said, \u201cOh, dear! oh, dear! oh, dear! oh, dear!\u201d He said it till\neverybody was tired of hearing it.\n\n\u201cChimborazo,\u201d his mother would say, \u201cplease don\u2019t say, \u2018Oh, dear!\u2019 any\nmore. It is very annoying. Say something else.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d the boy would answer, \u201cI can\u2019t! I don\u2019t know anything else\nto say. Oh, dear! Oh, _dear_!! oh, DEAR!!!\u201d\n\nOne day his mother could not bear it any longer, and she sent for his\nfairy godmother, and told her all about it.\n\n\u201cHumph!\u201d said the fairy godmother. \u201cI will see to it. Send the boy to\nme!\u201d\n\nSo Chimborazo was sent for, and came, hanging his head as usual. When\nhe saw his fairy godmother, he said, \u201cOh, dear!\u201d for he was rather\nafraid of her.\n\n\u201c\u2018Oh, dear!\u2019 it is!\u201d said the godmother sharply; and she put on her\nspectacles and looked at him. \u201cDo you know what a bell-punch is?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d said Chimborazo. \u201cNo, ma\u2019am, I don\u2019t!\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the godmother, \u201cI am going to give you one.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d said Chimborazo, \u201cI don\u2019t want one.\u201d\n\n\u201cProbably not,\u201d replied she, \u201cbut that doesn\u2019t make much difference.\nYou have it now, in your jacket pocket.\u201d\n\nChimborazo felt in his pocket, and took out a queer-looking instrument\nof shining metal. \u201cOh, dear!\u201d he said.\n\n\u201c\u2018Oh, dear!\u2019 it is!\u201d said the fairy godmother. \u201cNow,\u201d she continued,\n\u201clisten to me, Chimborazo! I am going to put you on an allowance\nof \u2018Oh, dears.\u2019 This is a self-acting bell-punch, and it will ring\nwhenever you say \u2018Oh, dear!\u2019 How many times do you generally say it in\nthe course of the day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d said Chimborazo, \u201cI don\u2019t know. Oh, _dear_!\u201d\n\n\u201c_Ting! ting!_\u201d the bell-punch rang twice sharply; and looking at it\nin dismay, he saw two little round holes punched in a long slip of\npasteboard which was fastened to the instrument.\n\n\u201cExactly!\u201d said the fairy. \u201cThat is the way it works, and a very pretty\nway, too. Now, my boy, I am going to make you a very liberal allowance.\nYou may say \u2018Oh, dear!\u2019 forty-five times a day. There\u2019s liberality for\nyou!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d cried Chimborazo, \u201cI\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201c_Ting!_\u201d said the bell-punch.\n\n\u201cYou see!\u201d observed the fairy. \u201cNothing could be prettier. You have now\nhad three of this day\u2019s allowance. It is still some hours before noon,\nso I advise you to be careful. If you exceed the allowance\u2014\u201d Here she\npaused, and glowered through her spectacles in a very dreadful manner.\n\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d cried Chimborazo. \u201cWhat will happen then?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou will see!\u201d said the fairy godmother, with a nod. \u201c_Something_\nwill happen, you may be very sure of that. Good-by. Remember, only\nforty-five!\u201d And away she flew out of the window.\n\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d cried Chimborazo, bursting into tears. \u201cI don\u2019t want it! I\nwon\u2019t have it! Oh, _dear_! oh, dear! oh, dear! oh, dear! oh, DEAR!!!\u201d\n\n\u201cTing! ting! ting-ting-ting-_ting_!\u201d said the bell-punch; and now there\nwere ten round holes in the strip of pasteboard. Chimborazo was now\nreally frightened. He was silent for some time; and when his mother\ncalled him to his lessons he tried very hard not to say the dangerous\nwords. But the habit was so strong that he said them unconsciously. By\ndinner-time there were twenty-five holes in the cardboard strip; by\ntea-time there were forty! Poor Chimborazo! he was afraid to open his\nlips, for whenever he did the words would slip out in spite of him.\n\n\u201cWell, Chimbo,\u201d said his father after tea, \u201cI hear you have had a visit\nfrom your fairy godmother. What did she say to you, eh?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d said Chimborazo, \u201cshe said\u2014oh, dear! I\u2019ve said it again!\u201d\n\n\u201cShe said, \u2018Oh, dear! I\u2019ve said it again!\u2019\u201d repeated his father. \u201cWhat\ndo you mean by that?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear! I didn\u2019t mean that,\u201d cried Chimborazo hastily; and again the\ninexorable bell rang, and he knew that another hole was punched in the\nfatal cardboard. He pressed his lips firmly together, and did not open\nthem again except to say \u201cGood-night,\u201d until he was safe in his own\nroom. Then he hastily drew the hated bell-punch from his pocket, and\ncounted the holes in the strip of cardboard; there were forty-three!\n\u201cOh, _dear_!\u201d cried the boy, forgetting himself again in his alarm,\n\u201conly two more! Oh, _dear_! oh, DEAR! I\u2019ve done it again! oh\u2014\u201d \u201cTing!\nting!\u201d went the bell-punch; and the cardboard was punched to the end.\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d cried Chimborazo, now beside himself with terror. \u201cOh,\ndear! oh, dear! oh, dear! oh, _dear_!! what will become of me?\u201d\n\nA strange whirring noise was heard, then a loud clang; and the next\nmoment the bell-punch, as if it were alive, flew out of his hand, out\nof the window, and was gone!\n\nChimborazo stood breathless with terror for a few minutes, momentarily\nexpecting that the roof would fall in on his head, or the floor blow up\nunder his feet, or some appalling catastrophe of some kind follow; but\nnothing followed. Everything was quiet, and there seemed to be nothing\nto do but go to bed; and so to bed he went, and slept, only to dream\nthat he was shot through the head with a bell-punch, and died saying,\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d\n\nThe next morning, when Chimborazo came downstairs, his father said, \u201cMy\nboy, I am going to drive over to your grandfather\u2019s farm this morning;\nwould you like to go with me?\u201d\n\nA drive to the farm was one of the greatest pleasures Chimborazo had,\nso he answered promptly, \u201cOh, _dear_!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, very well!\u201d said his father, looking much surprised. \u201cYou need\nnot go, my son, if you do not want to. I will take Robert instead.\u201d\n\nPoor Chimborazo! He had opened his lips to say, \u201cThank you, papa. I\nshould like to go _very_ much!\u201d and, instead of these words, out had\npopped, in his most doleful tone, the now hated \u201cOh, dear!\u201d He sat\namazed; but was roused by his mother\u2019s calling him to breakfast.\n\n\u201cCome, Chimbo,\u201d she said. \u201cHere are sausages and scrambled eggs: and\nyou are very fond of both of them. Which will you have?\u201d\n\nChimborazo hastened to say, \u201cSausages, please, mamma,\u201d\u2014that is, he\nhastened to _try_ to say it; but all his mother heard was, \u201cOh, _dear_!\u201d\n\nHis father looked much displeased. \u201cGive the boy some bread and water,\nwife,\u201d he said sternly. \u201cIf he cannot answer properly, he must be\ntaught. I have had enough of this \u2018oh, dear!\u2019 business.\u201d\n\nPoor Chimborazo! He saw plainly enough now what his punishment was to\nbe; and the thought of it made him tremble. He tried to ask for some\nmore bread, but only brought out his \u201cOh, _dear_!\u201d in such a lamentable\ntone that his father ordered him to leave the room. He went out into\nthe garden, and there he met John the gardener, carrying a basket of\nrosy apples. Oh! how good they looked!\n\n\u201cI am bringing some of the finest apples up to the house, little\nmaster,\u201d said John. \u201cWill you have one to put in your pocket?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, _dear_!\u201d was all the poor boy could say, though he wanted an\napple, oh, so much! And when John heard that he put the apple back in\nhis basket, muttering something about ungrateful monkeys.\n\nPoor Chimborazo! I will not give the whole history of that miserable\nday,\u2014a miserable day it was from beginning to end. He fared no better\nat dinner than at breakfast; for at the second \u201cOh, dear!\u201d his father\nsent him up to his room, \u201cto stay there until he knew how to take what\nwas given him, and be thankful for it.\u201d He knew well enough by this\ntime; but he could not tell his father so. He went to his room, and sat\nlooking out of the window, a hungry and miserable boy.\n\nIn the afternoon his cousin Will came up to see him. \u201cWhy, Chimbo!\u201d he\ncried. \u201cWhy do you sit moping here in the house, when all the boys are\nout? Come and play marbles with me on the piazza. Ned and Harry are out\nthere waiting for you. Come on!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d said Chimborazo.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d asked Will. \u201cHaven\u2019t you any marbles? Never mind.\nI\u2019ll give you half of mine, if you like. Come!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, DEAR!\u201d said Chimborazo.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Will, \u201cif that\u2019s all you have to say when I offer you\nmarbles, I\u2019ll keep them myself. I suppose you expected me to give you\nall of them, did you? I never saw such a fellow!\u201d and off he went in a\nhuff.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n\u201cWell, Chimborazo,\u201d said the fairy godmother \u201cwhat do you think of \u2018Oh,\ndear!\u2019 now?\u201d\n\nChimborazo looked at her beseechingly, but said nothing.\n\n\u201cFinding that forty-five times was not enough for you yesterday, I\nthought I would let you have all you wanted to-day, you see,\u201d said the\nfairy wickedly.\n\n[Illustration: \u201cTouching his lips with her wand.\u201d]\n\nThe boy still looked imploringly at her, but did not open his lips.\n\n\u201cWell, well,\u201d she said at last, touching his lips with her wand, \u201cI\nthink that is enough in the way of punishment, though I am sorry you\nbroke the bell-punch. Good-by! I don\u2019t believe you will say \u2018Oh, dear!\u2019\nany more.\u201d\n\nAnd he didn\u2019t.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TRAVELLER, THE COOK, AND THE LITTLE OLD MAN.\n\n\nONCE upon a time there was a little old man who lived in a well. He was\na very small little old man, and the well was very deep; and the only\nreason why he lived there was because he could not get out. Indeed,\nwhat better reason could he have?\n\nHe had long white hair, and a long red nose, and a long green coat;\nand this was all he had in the world, except a three-legged stool, a\nlarge iron kettle, and a cook. There was not room in the well for the\ncook; so she lived on the ground above, and cooked the little old man\u2019s\ndinner and supper in the iron kettle, and lowered them down to him in\nthe bucket; and the little old man sat on the three-legged stool, and\nate whatever the cook sent down to him, with a cheerful heart, if it\nwas good; and so things went on very pleasantly.\n\n[Illustration: \u201cThe old man thought it was raining.\u201d]\n\nBut one day it happened that the cook could not find anything for the\nold man\u2019s dinner. She looked high, and she looked low, but nothing\ncould she find; so she was very unhappy; for she knew her master would\nbe miserable if he had no dinner. She sat down by the well, and wept\nbitterly; and her tears fell into the well so fast that the little old\nman thought it was raining, and put up a red cotton umbrella, which he\nborrowed for the occasion. You may wonder where he borrowed it; but I\ncannot tell you, because I do not know.\n\nNow, at that moment a traveller happened to pass by, and when he saw\nthe cook sitting by the well and weeping, he stopped, and asked her\nwhat was the matter. The cook told him that she was weeping because she\ncould not find anything to cook for her master\u2019s dinner.\n\n\u201cAnd who is your master?\u201d asked the traveller.\n\n\u201cHe is a little old man,\u201d replied the cook; \u201cand he lives down in this\nwell.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy does he live there?\u201d inquired the traveller.\n\n\u201cI do not know,\u201d answered the cook; \u201cI never asked him.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe must be a singular person,\u201d said the traveller. \u201cI should like to\nsee him. What does he look like?\u201d\n\nBut this the cook could not tell him; for she had never seen the little\nold man, having come to work for him after he had gone down to live in\nthe well.\n\n\u201cDoes he like to receive visitors?\u201d asked the traveller.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t know,\u201d said the cook. \u201cHe has never had any to receive since I\nhave been here.\u201d\n\n\u201cHumph!\u201d said the other. \u201cI think I will go down and pay my respects to\nhim. Will you let me down in the bucket?\u201d\n\n\u201cBut suppose he should mistake you for his dinner, and eat you up?\u201d the\ncook suggested.\n\n\u201cPooh!\u201d he replied. \u201cNo fear of that; I can take care of myself. And\nas for his dinner,\u201d he added, \u201cget him some radishes. There are plenty\nabout here. I had nothing but radishes for my dinner, and very good\nthey were, though rather biting. Let down the bucket, please! I am all\nright.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat are radishes?\u201d the cook called after him as he went down.\n\n\u201cLong red things, stupid! with green leaves to them!\u201d he shouted; and\nthen, in a moment, he found himself at the bottom of the well.\n\nThe little old man was delighted to see him, and told him that he had\nlived down there forty years, and had never had a visitor before in all\nthat time.\n\n\u201cWhy do you live down here?\u201d inquired the traveller.\n\n\u201cBecause I cannot get out,\u201d replied the little old man.\n\n\u201cBut how did you get down here in the first place?\u201d\n\n\u201cReally,\u201d he said, \u201cit is so long ago that I hardly remember. My\nimpression is, however, that I came down in the bucket.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen why, in the name of common-sense,\u201d said the traveller, \u201cdon\u2019t you\ngo _up_ in the bucket?\u201d\n\nThe little old man sprang up from the three-legged stool, and flung\nhis arms around the traveller\u2019s neck. \u201cMy _dear_ friend!\u201d he cried\nrapturously. \u201cMy precious benefactor! Thank you a thousand times for\nthose words! I assure you I never thought of it before! I will go up at\nonce. You will excuse me?\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d said the traveller. \u201cGo up first, and I will follow you.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: \u201c\u2018\u2019Tis an ill wind that blows nobody any good!\u2019\u201d]\n\nThe little old man got into the bucket, and was drawn up to the top\nof the well. But, alas! when the cook saw his long red nose and his\nlong green coat, she said to herself, \u201cThis must be a radish! how\nlucky I am!\u201d and seizing the poor little old man, she popped him into\nthe kettle without more ado. Then she let the bucket down for the\ntraveller, calling to him to make haste, as she wanted to send down her\nmaster\u2019s dinner.\n\nUp came the traveller, and looking around, asked where her master was.\n\n\u201cWhere should he be,\u201d said the cook, \u201cbut at the bottom of the well,\nwhere you left him?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d exclaimed the traveller. \u201cHe has just come up in\nthe bucket!\u201d\n\n\u201c_Oh_!\u201d cried the cook. \u201cOh! _oh_!! o-o-o-h!!! was that my master? Why,\nI thought he was a radish, and I have boiled him for his own dinner!\u201d\n\n\u201cI hope he will have a good appetite!\u201d said the traveller.\n\nThe cook was a good woman, and her grief was so excessive that she fell\ninto the kettle and was boiled too.\n\nThen the traveller, who had formerly been an ogre by profession, said,\n\u201c\u2019Tis an ill wind that blows nobody any good! My dinner was very\ninsufficient;\u201d and he ate both the little old man and the cook, and\nproceeded on his journey with a cheerful heart.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nTranscriber\u2019s Notes:\n\nObvious punctuation errors repaired.\n\nPage 56, \u201cthe\u201d changed to \u201cshe\u201d (she knew her master would)","title":"The Golden-Breasted Kootoo, and Other Stories","tradition":"folklore-oral-tradition","translated_text":null,"word_count":8569}