{"collection":"folklore-oral-tradition","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_54734/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_54734","id":"gutenberg_54734","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54734","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Humour","Category: Short Stories","Fairy tales"],"text":"LAUGH NOR SMILE NOT, LITTLE FRIEND,\n NOR THE FIRST TALE READ TO END,\n TILL YOUR NAME BELOW IS SHOWN,\n AND THE BOOK\u2019S YOUR VERY OWN.\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n _Tales of Laughter_\n\n\n\n\n MCCLURE\u2019S LIBRARY OF CHILDREN\u2019S CLASSICS\n\n \u2042\n\n EDITED BY KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN AND NORA ARCHIBALD SMITH\n\n\n GOLDEN NUMBERS\n\n A BOOK OF VERSE FOR YOUTH\n\n \u2042\n\n THE POSY RING\n\n A BOOK OF VERSE FOR CHILDREN\n\n \u2042\n\n PINAFORE PALACE\n\n A BOOK OF RHYMES FOR THE NURSERY\n\n \u2042\n\n _Library of Fairy Literature_\n\n THE FAIRY RING\n\n \u2042\n\n MAGIC CASEMENTS\n\n A SECOND FAIRY BOOK\n\n \u2042\n\n OTHER VOLUMES TO FOLLOW\n\n\n _Send to the publishers for Complete Descriptive Catalogue_\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n TALES OF LAUGHTER\n _A THIRD FAIRY BOOK_\n\n\n EDITED BY\n\n KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN\n\n AND\n\n NORA ARCHIBALD SMITH\n\n[Illustration]\n\n NEW YORK\n THE MCCLURE COMPANY\n MCMVIII\n\n\n\n\n _Copyright, 1908, by The McClure Company_\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n _PUBLISHERS\u2019 NOTE_\n\n\n_The McClure Company wish to make acknowledgment of their indebtedness\nto the following publishers_:\n\n_G. P. Putnam\u2019s Sons, for permission to use \u201cThe Greedy Cat,\u201d \u201cFather\nBruin in the Corner,\u201d \u201cThe Pancake,\u201d \u201cThe Death of Chanticleer,\u201d\n\u201cReynard Wants to Taste Horse Flesh,\u201d \u201cBruin and Reynard Partners,\u201d\n\u201cPork and Honey,\u201d and \u201cSlip Root: Catch Reynard\u2019s Foot,\u201d from Tales from\nthe Field; \u201cThe Most Frugal of Men,\u201d \u201cThe Moon Cake,\u201d \u201cThe Ladle that\nFell from the Moon,\u201d \u201cThe Young Head of the Family,\u201d and \u201cThe Dreadful\nBoar,\u201d from Chinese Nights Entertainment._\n\n_The American Book Company, for permission to use \u201cLittle Tuppen,\u201d from\nFairy Stories and Fables._\n\n_Little, Brown & Company, for permission to use \u201cThe Story of the Four\nLittle Children who Went Round the World,\u201d from Edward Lear\u2019s Nonsense\nBooks._\n\n_F. A. Stokes Company, for permission to use \u201cLittle Black Mingo,\u201d \u201cThe\nLad and the Fox,\u201d \u201cThe Old Woman and the Tramp,\u201d \u201cThe Cook and the\nCrested Hen,\u201d and \u201cThe Old Woman and the Fish,\u201d from Fairy Tales from\nthe Swedish; \u201cOne\u2019s Own Children Always Prettiest,\u201d and \u201cThe Princess\nwhom Nobody Could Silence,\u201d from Fairy Tales from the Far North._\n\n_F. Warne & Company, for permission to use \u201cThe Money Box,\u201d \u201cThe Happy\nFamily,\u201d and \u201cIt is Quite True,\u201d from Hans Andersen\u2019s Fairy Tales._\n\n_J. B. Lippincott, for permission to use \u201cManabozho and His Toe,\u201d from\nNorth American Indian Fairy Tales; \u201cThe Three Wishes,\u201d \u201cIf Heaven Will\nIt,\u201d and \u201cThe Fox and the Goose,\u201d from Spanish Fairy Tales; \u201cHans in\nLuck,\u201d \u201cThe Fox and the Cat,\u201d \u201cThe Fisherman and His Wife,\u201d and \u201cThe\nAdventures of Chanticleer and Partlet,\u201d from Grimm\u2019s Fairy Tales._\n\n_Charles Scribner\u2019s Sons, for permission to use \u201cThe Fox and the Dove,\u201d\n\u201cThe Fox and the Hedgehog,\u201d \u201cThe Disappointed Bear,\u201d and \u201cYoung\nNeverfull,\u201d from Russian Grandmother\u2019s Wonder Stories._\n\n_George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., for permission to use \u201cThe Flail which\nCame from the Clouds,\u201d \u201cThe Wren and the Bear,\u201d \u201cThe Wolf and the Fox,\u201d\n\u201cThe Three Luck-Children,\u201d \u201cThe Three Sluggards,\u201d \u201cThe Cat and the Mouse\nin Partnership,\u201d \u201cOld Sultan,\u201d \u201cThe Shreds,\u201d \u201cThe Fox and the Horse,\u201d\n\u201cThe Seven Swabians,\u201d \u201cThe Giant and the Tailor,\u201d and \u201cThe Little\nShepherd Boy,\u201d from Grimm\u2019s Household Stories._\n\n_Joseph McDonough, for permission to use \u201cHow the Sun, the Moon and the\nWind went out to Dinner,\u201d \u201cSingh Rajah and the Cunning Little Jackals,\u201d\n\u201cThe Blind Man, the Deaf Man and the Donkey,\u201d \u201cThe Alligator and the\nJackal,\u201d and \u201cThe Selfish Sparrow and the Houseless Crows,\u201d from Old\nDeccan Days._\n\n_A. L. Burt & Company, for permission to use \u201cGudbrand on the Hillside\u201d\nand \u201cNanny who Wouldn\u2019t Go to Supper,\u201d from Fairy Tales from the Far\nNorth._\n\n\n\n\n A LAUGHING SONG\n\n\n When the greenwoods laugh with the voice of joy,\n And the dimpling stream runs laughing by;\n When the air does laugh with our merry wit,\n And the green hill laughs with the noise of it;\n\n When the meadows laugh with lively green,\n And the grasshopper laughs in the merry scene;\n When Mary and Susan and Emily\n With their sweet round mouths sing \u201cHa, ha, he!\u201d\n\n When the painted birds laugh in the shade,\n Where our table with cherries and nuts is spread;\n Come live and be merry and join with me\n To sing the sweet chorus of \u201cHa, ha, he!\u201d\n\n WILLIAM BLAKE.\n\n\n\n\n _CONTENTS_\n\n\n PAGE\n\n THE RATS AND THEIR SON-IN-LAW (_French_) 3\n\n THE MOUSE AND THE SAUSAGE (_French_) 6\n\n THE THREE WISHES (_Spanish_) 7\n\n THE FOX AND THE GOOSE (_Spanish_) 10\n\n IF HEAVEN WILL IT (_Spanish_) 12\n\n THE BOOBY (_Italian_) 14\n\n THE MONTHS (_Italian_) 20\n\n THE STONE IN THE COCK\u2019S HEAD (_Italian_) 25\n\n THE FOX AND THE CAT (_Cossack_) 30\n\n THE STRAW OX (_Cossack_) 32\n\n THE CAT, THE COCK, AND THE FOX (_Cossack_) 36\n\n THE FOX AND THE DOVE (_Russian_) 39\n\n THE FOX AND THE HEDGEHOG (_Russian_) 41\n\n THE DISAPPOINTED BEAR (_Russian_) 43\n\n YOUNG NEVERFULL (_Russian_) 45\n\n HUDDEN AND DUDDEN AND DONALD O\u2019NEARY (_Celtic_) 47\n\n THE TAIL (_Celtic_) 54\n\n JACK AND THE KING WHO WAS A GENTLEMAN (_Celtic_) 55\n\n HANS IN LUCK (_German_) 62\n\n THE FAMILY SERVANTS (_German_) 68\n\n THE FLAIL WHICH CAME FROM THE CLOUDS (_German_) 69\n\n THE SOLE\u2019S MOUTH (_German_) 71\n\n THE THREE BROTHERS (_German_) 72\n\n THE WREN AND THE BEAR (_German_) 74\n\n THE MUSICIANS OF BREMEN (_German_) 77\n\n THE FOX AND THE CAT (_German_) 81\n\n THE GOLDEN KEY (_German_) 82\n\n DOCTOR KNOW-ALL (_German_) 83\n\n THE FAIR CATHERINE AND PIF-PAF POLTRIE (_German_) 86\n\n THE WOLF AND THE FOX (_German_) 88\n\n DISCREET HANS (_German_) 90\n\n KING THRUSH-BEARD (_German_) 93\n\n THE THREE LUCK CHILDREN (_German_) 98\n\n THE THREE SLUGGARDS (_German_) 101\n\n THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE (_German_) 102\n\n THE NOSE-TREE (_German_) 111\n\n THE ADVENTURES OF CHANTICLEER AND PARTLET (_German_) 118\n\n THE GOLDEN GOOSE (_German_) 124\n\n THE YOUNG GIANT (_German_) 129\n\n THE SWEET SOUP (_German_) 137\n\n SEVEN AT ONE BLOW (_German_) 138\n\n THE CAT AND THE MOUSE IN PARTNERSHIP (_German_) 146\n\n OLD SULTAN (_German_) 149\n\n THE NAIL (_German_) 152\n\n THE FOX AND THE HORSE (_German_) 153\n\n THE GIANT AND THE TAILOR (_German_) 155\n\n THE SPIDER AND THE FLEA (_German_) 157\n\n THE LITTLE SHEPHERD BOY (_German_) 160\n\n THE SEVEN SWABIANS (_German_) 162\n\n THE SHREDS (_German_) 165\n\n THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN KIDS (_German_) 166\n\n THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER (_German_) 170\n\n KING WREN (_German_) 172\n\n WHY THE BEAR HAS A STUMPY TAIL (_German_) 176\n\n THREE WAYS TO BUILD A HOUSE (_German_) 177\n\n HOW TO TELL A TRUE PRINCESS (_German_) 182\n\n THE FIVE SERVANTS (_German_) 184\n\n THE HARE AND THE FOX (_German_) 191\n\n THE STORY OF ZIRAC (_Oriental_) 193\n\n JOHNNY-CAKE (_English_) 197\n\n THE WEE, WEE MANNIE (_Scottish_) 200\n\n SIR GAMMER VANS (_English_) 203\n\n TOM TIT TOT (_English_) 205\n\n THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG (_English_) 211\n\n THE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS (_English_) 215\n\n THE THREE SILLIES (_English_) 218\n\n THE CAT AND THE MOUSE (_English_) 222\n\n HEREAFTERTHIS (_English_) 224\n\n TITTY MOUSE AND TATTY MOUSE (_English_) 228\n\n THE MAGPIE\u2019S NEST (_English_) 231\n\n SCRAPEFOOT (_English_) 233\n\n THE WISE MEN OF GOTHAM (_English_) 236\n\n HENNY-PENNY (_English_) 241\n\n A SON OF ADAM (_English_) 244\n\n THE HAPPY FAMILY (_H. C. Andersen_) 246\n\n THE BLIND MAN, THE DEAF MAN, AND THE DONKEY (_Southern India_) 250\n\n THE ALLIGATOR AND THE JACKAL (_Southern India_) 258\n\n WHY THE FISH LAUGHED (_Indian_) 263\n\n THE SELFISH SPARROW AND THE HOUSELESS CROWS (_Southern India_) 269\n\n THE LAMBIKIN (_Indian_) 271\n\n THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE (_Scandinavian_) 274\n\n THE GREEDY CAT (_Scandinavian_) 278\n\n WELL DONE: ILL PAID (_Scandinavian_) 284\n\n REYNARD AND CHANTICLEER (_Scandinavian_) 287\n\n FATHER BRUIN IN THE CORNER (_Scandinavian_) 289\n\n WHY THE SEA IS SALT (_Scandinavian_) 291\n\n GUDBRAND ON THE HILLSIDE (_Scandinavian_) 296\n\n THE PANCAKE (_Scandinavian_) 301\n\n THE DEATH OF CHANTICLEER (_Scandinavian_) 305\n\n REYNARD WANTS TO TASTE HORSE-FLESH (_Scandinavian_) 309\n\n BRUIN AND REYNARD PARTNERS (_Scandinavian_) 311\n\n PORK AND HONEY (_Scandinavian_) 312\n\n HOW REYNARD OUTWITTED BRUIN (_Scandinavian_) 314\n\n NANNY WHO WOULDN\u2019T GO HOME TO SUPPER (_Scandinavian_) 315\n\n THE BOX WITH SOMETHING PRETTY IN IT (_Scandinavian_) 321\n\n THE FARMER AND THE TROLL (_Scandinavian_) 322\n\n ONE\u2019S OWN CHILDREN ALWAYS PRETTIEST (_Scandinavian_) 323\n\n THE PRINCESS WHOM NOBODY COULD SILENCE (_Scandinavian_) 324\n\n THE MONEY-BOX (_H. C. Andersen_) 328\n\n THE DARNING-NEEDLE (_H. C. Andersen_) 331\n\n MASTER OF ALL MASTERS (_English_) 335\n\n BELLING THE CAT (_English_) 336\n\n THE MAGPIE AND HER CHILDREN (_English_) 338\n\n THE COCK, THE CUCKOO, AND THE BLACK-COCK (_English_) 339\n\n THE RACE BETWEEN HARE AND HEDGEHOG (_English_) 340\n\n BRUNO\u2019S STORY (_Lewis Carroll_) 344\n\n THE BLUEBOTTLE WHO WENT COURTING (_English_) 346\n\n HOW TWO BEETLES TOOK LODGINGS (_English_) 351\n\n LITTLE TUPPEN (_Scandinavian_) 358\n\n THE STORY OF THE FOUR LITTLE CHILDREN WHO WENT ROUND THE WORLD (_Edward Lear_) 361\n\n THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN FAMILIES OF THE LAKE PIPPLE-POPPLE (_Edward Lear_) 370\n\n WEE ROBIN\u2019S YULE-SONG (_Scottish_) 380\n\n THE GIANT\u2019S SHOES (_W. K. Clifford_) 382\n\n THE FARMER AND THE MONEY-LENDER (_Indian_) 385\n\n HOW THE SUN, THE MOON, AND THE WIND WENT OUT TO DINNER (_Southern India_) 388\n\n SINGH RAJAH AND THE CUNNING LITTLE JACKALS (_Southern India_) 390\n\n HARISARMAN (_Indian_) 393\n\n IT IS QUITE TRUE (_H. C. Andersen_) 397\n\n MANABOZHO AND HIS TOE (_North American Indian_) 400\n\n THE MOST FRUGAL OF MEN (_Chinese_) 401\n\n THE MOON-CAKE (_Chinese_) 403\n\n THE LADLE THAT FELL FROM THE MOON (_Chinese_) 404\n\n THE YOUNG HEAD OF THE FAMILY (_Chinese_) 407\n\n A DREADFUL BOAR (_Chinese_) 412\n\n THE OLD MAN AND THE DEVILS (_Japanese_) 415\n\n THE WONDERFUL TEA-KETTLE (_Japanese_) 417\n\n THE WONDERFUL MALLET (_Japanese_) 421\n\n THE TONGUE-CUT SPARROW (_Japanese_) 425\n\n BATTLE OF THE MONKEY AND THE CRAB (_Japanese_) 427\n\n THE CUB\u2019S TRIUMPH (_Japanese_) 429\n\n THE SILLY JELLY-FISH (_Japanese_) 432\n\n CHIN-CHIN KOBAKAMA (_Japanese_) 435\n\n THE OLD WOMAN WHO LOST HER DUMPLINGS (_Japanese_) 438\n\n THE THREE GOATS (_German_) 442\n\n THE FOX TURNED SHEPHERD (_German_) 444\n\n THE SEVEN BOYS AND THE MONSTER (_German_) 446\n\n THE STORY OF LITTLE BLACK MINGO (_H. Bannerman_) 452\n\n THE COCK AND THE CRESTED HEN (_Swedish_) 457\n\n THE OLD WOMAN AND THE FISH (_Swedish_) 459\n\n THE LAD AND THE FOX (_Swedish_) 462\n\n THE OLD WOMAN AND THE TRAMP (_Swedish_) 463\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n _Tales of Laughter_\n\n\n\n\n _The Rats and their Son-in-Law_\n\n\nThere once lived in Japan a rat and his wife, folk of noble race, who\nhad one beautiful daughter. They were exceedingly proud of her charms,\nand dreamed, as parents will, of the grand marriage she was sure to make\nin time. Proud of his pure rodent blood, the father saw no son-in-law\nmore to be desired than a young rat of ancient lineage, whose attentions\nto his daughter were very marked. This match, however, brilliant as it\nwas, seemed not to the mother\u2019s taste. Like many people who think\nthemselves made out of special clay, she had a very poor opinion of her\nown kind, and was ambitious for an alliance with the highest circles.\n_Ad astra!_ (To the stars!) was her motto, she always said, and really,\nwhen one has a daughter of incomparable beauty, one may well hope for an\nequally incomparable son-in-law.\n\n\u201cAddress yourself to the sun at once, then,\u201d cried the impatient father\none day; \u201cthere is nothing above him, surely.\u201d\n\n\u201cQuite so; I had already thought of it,\u201d she answered, \u201cand since you,\ntoo, are in sympathy with the idea, we will make our call to-morrow.\u201d\n\nSo, on the following morning the proud father and the haughty mother-rat\nwent together to present their lovely daughter to the orb of day.\n\n\u201cLord Sun,\u201d said the mother, \u201clet me present our only daughter, who is\nso beautiful that there is nothing like her in the whole world.\nNaturally we desire a son-in-law as wonderful as she, and, as you see,\nwe have come to you first of all.\u201d\n\n\u201cReally,\u201d said the sun, \u201cI am extremely flattered by your proposal, but\nyou do me too much honor; there is some one greater than I; it is the\ncloud. Look, if you do not believe.\u201d ... And at that moment the cloud\narrived, and with one waft of his folds extinguished the sun with all\nhis golden rays.\n\n\u201cVery well; let us speak to the cloud, then,\u201d said the mother-rat, not\nin the least disconcerted.\n\n\u201cImmensely honored, I am sure,\u201d replied the cloud in his turn, \u201cbut you\nare again mistaken; there is some one greater than I; it is the wind.\nYou shall see.\u201d\n\nAt the same moment along came the wind, and with one blow swept the\ncloud out of sight, after which, overturning father, mother, and\ndaughter, he tumbled with them, pell-mell, at the foot of an old wall.\n\n\u201cQuick, quick,\u201d cried the mother-rat, struggling to her feet, \u201cand let\nus repeat our compliments to the wind.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019d better address yourself to the wall,\u201d growled the wind roughly.\n\u201cYou see very well he is greater than I, for he stops me and makes me\ndraw back.\u201d\n\nNo sooner had she heard these words than mother-rat faced about and\npresented her daughter to the wall. Ah, but now the fair rat-maiden\nimitated the wind; she drew back also. He whom she really adored in her\nheart of hearts was the fascinating young rat who had paid his court to\nher so well. However, to please her mother, she had consented to wed the\nsun, in spite of his blinding rays, or the cloud, in spite of his sulky\nlook, even the wind, in spite of his brusque manner; but an old, broken\nwall!... No! death would be better a thousand times.\n\nFortunately the wall excused himself, like all the rest. \u201cCertainly,\u201d he\nsaid, \u201cI can stop the wind, who can sweep away the cloud, who can cover\nup the sun, but there is some one greater than I: it is the rat, who can\npass through my body, and can even, if he chooses, reduce me to powder\nwith his teeth. Believe me, you need seek no better son-in-law; greater\nthan the rat, there is nothing in the world.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you hear that, wife, do you hear it?\u201d cried father-rat in triumph.\n\u201cDidn\u2019t I always say so?\u201d\n\n\u201cQuite true! you always did,\u201d returned the mother-rat in wonder, and\nsuddenly glowed with pride in her ancient name and lineage.\n\nSo they all three went home, very happy and contented, and on the morrow\nthe lovely rat-maiden married her faithful rat-lover.\n\n\n\n\n _The Mouse and the Sausage_\n\n\nOnce upon a time a little mouse and a little sausage, who loved each\nother like sisters, decided to live together, and made their\narrangements in such a way that every day one would go to walk in the\nfields, or make purchases in town, while the other remained at home to\nkeep the house.\n\nOne day, when the little sausage had prepared cabbage for dinner, the\nlittle mouse, who had come back from town with a fine appetite, enjoyed\nit so greatly that she exclaimed: \u201cHow delicious the cabbage is to-day,\nmy dear!\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d answered the little sausage, \u201cthat is because I popped myself into\nthe pot while it was cooking.\u201d\n\nOn the next day, as it was her turn to prepare the meals, the little\nmouse said to herself: \u201cNow I will do as much for my friend as she did\nfor me; we will have lentils for dinner, and I will jump into the pot\nwhile they are boiling,\u201d and she let the action follow the word, without\nreflecting that a simple sausage can do some things which are out of the\nreach of even the wisest mouse.\n\nWhen the sausage came home, she found the house lonely and silent. She\ncalled again and again, \u201cMy little mouse! Mouse of my heart!\u201d but no one\nanswered. Then she went to look at the lentils boiling on the stove,\nand, alas! found within the pot her good little friend, who had perished\nat the post of duty.\n\nPoor mousie, with the best intentions in the world, had stayed too long\nat her cookery, and when she desired to climb out of the pot, had no\nlonger the strength to do so.\n\nAnd the poor sausage could never be consoled! That is why to-day, when\nyou put one in the pan or on the gridiron, you will hear her weep and\nsigh, \u201cM-my p-poor m-mouse! Ah, m-my p-poor m-mouse!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Three Wishes_\n\n\nMany years ago there was an old married man, who, although poor, had\nworked very diligently all his life on his little piece of ground. One\nwinter\u2019s night, as this old man was seated with his wife in front of\ntheir comfortable hearth in social chat, instead of giving thanks to God\nfor the benefits they enjoyed, they spent the time in enumerating the\ngood things possessed by their neighbors, and in wishing that they\nbelonged to them.\n\n\u201cInstead of my little hut, which is on bad soil, and only fit to house a\ndonkey in, I would like to have the farm of old Polainas!\u201d exclaimed the\nold man.\n\n\u201cAnd I,\u201d added his wife, who was annoyed that he did not aspire higher,\n\u201cinstead of that, would like to have our neighbor\u2019s house, which is\nnearly new.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I,\u201d continued her husband, \u201cinstead of our old donkey, which can\nscarcely carry an empty sack, would like to have Polainas\u2019s mule!\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I,\u201d exclaimed the wife, \u201cwould like to have such a fat porker as\nour neighbor has to kill! Some people seem only to wish for a thing in\norder to get it. How I should like to see my wishes accomplished!\u201d\n\nScarcely had she uttered these words, than they beheld a most beautiful\nlittle woman standing in front of the fire. She was so small that her\nheight could not have been more than eighteen inches, while she wore a\ncrown like a queen\u2019s upon her head. Her tunic and veil were almost\ntransparent, and seemed made of white smoke, while the sparks from the\nfire crackled and jumped like fireworks about her, and sparkled around\nher as glittering spangles.\n\nIn her hand she bore a little golden scepter, the end of which was\nformed by a gleaming ruby.\n\n\u201cI am the Fairy Fortunata,\u201d said she to them; \u201cI was passing by here,\nand I have heard your complaints. I have so much anxiety to accomplish\nyour desires that I come to promise you the realization of three wishes:\none to you,\u201d she said to the wife; \u201cthe other to you,\u201d to the husband,\n\u201cand the third must be mutual and agreeable to the desire of you both.\nThis last I will agree to in person to-morrow, when I will return at\nthis time; and until then I leave you to think of what it shall be.\u201d\n\nWhen she had said these words, the beautiful fairy sprang through the\nflames and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.\n\nThe delight of the worthy couple may be imagined, and the number of\nwishes, numerous as suitors at the door of a minister, which presented\nthemselves to their minds. Their desires were so many that, not knowing\nwhich to select, they determined to defer the definite decision to the\nfollowing day. After having had all the night to think the matter over,\nthey began to discuss entirely different things, and in a little while\ntheir conversation recurred to their wealthy neighbors.\n\n\u201cI was at their house to-day,\u201d said the husband; \u201cthey were making black\npuddings. Ah, such black puddings! It would have done you good to see\nthem!\u201d\n\n\u201cI would like to have one of them here,\u201d replied the wife, \u201cto roast on\nthe ashes for supper.\u201d\n\nScarcely had she uttered the words than there appeared upon the ashes\nthe most delicious-looking black pudding that could possibly be\nimagined.\n\nThe woman remained staring at it with open mouth and eyes starting out\nof her head. But her husband jumped up in despair, and after striding up\nand down the room, tearing his hair in desperation, said: \u201cThrough your\ngluttony, you greedy woman, we have lost one of the wishes! Good\nHeavens, what a woman this is! More stupid than a goose! It makes me\ndesperate; I detest you and the black pudding, too, and I wish it were\nstuck on to your nose!\u201d\n\nNo sooner had he spoken than there was the black pudding hanging from\nthe place indicated!\n\nThen was the old man struck with horror and his wife with desperation!\n\n\u201cYou see what you have done, evil tongue!\u201d exclaimed she, as she made\nuseless exertions to tear the appendage from her nose; \u201cif I employed my\nwish badly, at least it was to my own disadvantage, and not to the\ninjury of any one else; but the sin carries its punishment with it, for\nI will not have any other wish, nor desire anything else than that the\nblack pudding be taken off my nose.\u201d\n\n\u201cWife, for Heaven\u2019s sake! What of the new house?\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing!\u201d\n\n\u201cWife, for Heaven\u2019s sake, think of the farm!\u201d\n\n\u201cIt does not matter.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy dear, let us wish for a fortune, and then we will have a golden case\nfor the black pudding.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will not hear of it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen you would have us left just as we were before?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is all that I wish for.\u201d\n\nAnd for all that the man could say, nothing could alter his wife\u2019s\ndetermination, who grew more and more enraged with her double nose, and\ncould scarcely keep off the dog and the cat, who both wished to make\nfree with it.\n\nWhen, on the following night, the fairy appeared and asked them what was\ntheir last wish, they said to her: \u201cWe see how blind and foolish it is\nof men to fancy that the realization of their wishes will make them\nhappy.\u201d\n\nNor is happiness in the accomplishment of our wishes, but rather in the\nnot having any. He is rich who possesses what he wants; but happy is he\nwho wishes for nothing.\n\n\n\n\n _The Fox and the Goose_\n\n\nA fox and a goose were very great friends. The goose, which, as you\nknow, is a very honest and industrious bird, said to the fox:\n\n\u201cFriend fox, I have a little bit of property here, and if you like to\njoin with me, we will cultivate it between us.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat would greatly please me,\u201d answered the fox.\n\n\u201cThen it will be necessary to till it together when the season arrives,\u201d\nsaid the goose.\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d replied the fox.\n\nA little afterward, when they met, the goose said:\n\n\u201cIt is time to sow the seed.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is your business,\u201d said the fox. \u201cI have nothing to do with that.\u201d\n\nSome months passed, when the goose said to the fox:\n\n\u201cFriend, the grass is choking the wheat; it is necessary to weed the\nfield.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d answered the fox, \u201cyou see to that; it is not my business.\u201d\n\nA short time passed by, when the goose said to the fox:\n\n\u201cFriend, the wheat is ripe, and must be reaped.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right,\u201d replied the fox, \u201cyou attend to that; it is not my\nbusiness.\u201d\n\nThen the goose, for all her good nature, began to be distrustful, and\ntold her friend the greyhound what had passed.\n\nThe greyhound, who was very shrewd, saw at once that the fox was going\nto play off one of his tricks upon the goose\u2019s good nature, and said to\nher:\n\n\u201cReap the wheat; put it in the barn, and hide me in a sheaf of corn,\nwithout leaving more than one eye uncovered, so that I may see all that\nmay happen.\u201d\n\nThe goose did as the greyhound had said, and after a time the fox\narrived, and when he saw the barn filled with splendid wheat already\nthrashed, he was very delighted, and, dancing about, sang:\n\n \u201cLi\u00f3, li\u00f3,\n The straw and wheat are mine!\n Li\u00f3, li\u00f3,\n The straw and wheat are mine!\u201d\n\nAs he said this, he approached the sheaf in which the greyhound was\nconcealed, and on seeing the eye among the straw, cried:\n\n\u201cAh, there\u2019s a grape!\u201d\n\n\u201cBut it is not ripe,\u201d replied the greyhound, as he leaped out of his\nhiding place, and killed the fox.\n\n\n\n\n _If Heaven Will It_\n\n\nOnce upon a time a Galician was returning to his home after having spent\nsome time in Seville. When he was close to his abode, he met some one\nwho inquired where he was going.\n\n\u201cTo my native place,\u201d replied the Galician.\n\n\u201cIf Heaven will it,\u201d answered the former.\n\n\u201cWhether Heaven will it or no,\u201d added the Galician to himself, already\nseeing his village from afar, and being only separated from its\noutskirts by a river.\n\nScarcely had he muttered the words ere he fell into the water and was\nchanged into a frog.\n\nIn this condition the poor man lived for three years, being in continual\ndanger from his spiteful foes, bad boys, leeches, and storks. At the end\nof three years another Galician returning home happened to pass by\nthere, and a wayfarer chancing to ask him whither he was going, replied:\n\n\u201cTo my native place.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf Heaven will it,\u201d croaked a frog that poked its head up out of the\nwater.\n\nAnd when it had said this, the frog, which was the first Galician of the\ntale, suddenly found itself once more a man.\n\nHe went on his way gayer than Easter, and having met with another\ntraveler, who asked him whither he went, he answered him:\n\n\u201cTo my own place, if Heaven will it; to see my wife, if Heaven will it;\nto see my children, if Heaven will it; to see my cow, if Heaven will it;\nto sow my land, if Heaven will it; so that I may get a good harvest from\nit, if Heaven will it.\u201d\n\nAnd as he religiously added to everything, \u201cIf Heaven will it,\u201d he was\nallowed to see his wishes accomplished. He found his wife and children\nwell; his cow became the mother of a fine calf; he sowed his field, and\nreaped a good harvest, and all because Heaven willed it.\n\n\n\n\n _The Booby_\n\n An ignorant man who associates with clever people has always been\n more praised than a wise man who keeps the company of fools, for\n as much profit and fame as a man gains from the former, so much\n wealth and honor one may lose by the fault of the latter, and as\n the proof of the pudding is in the eating, you will know from the\n story that I am going to tell you whether my proposition is true.\n\n\nThere was once a man who was as rich as the sea, but as there never can\nbe any perfect happiness in this world, he had a son so idle and\ngood-for-nothing that he could not tell a carob from a cucumber. So,\nbeing unable any longer to put up with his folly, he gave him a good\nhandful of crowns, and sent him to travel to the Levant, for he well\nknew that seeing various countries and mixing with divers people works\ngenius, sharpens the judgment, and makes men expert.\n\nMoscione (for that was the name of the son) got on horseback and began\nhis journey toward Venice, the arsenal of the wonders of the world, to\nembark on board some vessel bound for Cairo, and when he had traveled a\ngood day\u2019s journey he met with a person who was standing fixed at the\nfoot of a poplar, to whom he said: \u201cWhat is your name, my lad, whence\nare you, and what is your trade?\u201d And the lad replied: \u201cMy name is\nLightning, I am from Arrowland, and I can run like the wind.\u201d \u201cI should\nlike to see a proof of it,\u201d said Moscione, and Lightning answered, \u201cWait\na moment, and you will see whether it is dust or flour.\u201d\n\nWhen they had stood waiting a little while a doe came bounding over the\nplain, and Lightning, letting her pass on some way, to give himself a\nhandicap, darted after her so rapidly and light of foot that he would\nhave gone over plains covered with flour without leaving the mark of his\nshoe, and in four bounds he came up with her. Moscione, amazed at this\nexploit, asked if he would come and live with him, and promised to pay\nhim a salary.\n\nSo Lightning consented, and they went on their way together, but they\nhad not journeyed many miles when they met another youth, to whom\nMoscione said: \u201cWhat is your name, comrade, what country are you from,\nand what\u2019s your trade?\u201d \u201cMy name,\u201d replied the lad, \u201cis Hare\u2019s-ear, I am\nfrom Vale Curious, and when I put my ear to the ground I hear all that\nis passing in the world without stirring from the spot. I perceive the\nmonopolies and the agreements of tradespeople to raise the prices of all\nthings, the ill-offices of courtiers, the appointments of lawyers, the\nplots of robbers, the reports of spies, the complaints of servants, the\ngossiping of old women, and the oaths of service, so that neither\nLucian\u2019s cocks nor Francois\u2019s lantern discovered so much as my ears\ncan.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf that be true,\u201d said Moscione, \u201ctell me what they are saying at my\nhome.\u201d\n\nSo the lad put his ear to the ground, and replied: \u201cAn old man is\ntalking to his wife and saying, \u2018Praised be Sol in Lea, I have got rid\nfrom my side of that fellow, Moscione, that nail in my heart, with his\nface of old-fashioned crockery. By traveling through the world he will\nat least become a man, and no longer be such a stupid donkey, such a\nsimpleton, such a lose-the-day fellow, such a\u2014\u2014\u2018\u201d\n\n\u201cStop, stop!\u201d cried Moscione. \u201cYou told the truth, and I believe you, so\ncome along with me, for you have found the road to good luck.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell and good,\u201d said the youth. So they all went on together and\ntraveled ten miles farther, when they met another man, to whom Moscione\nsaid: \u201cMy brave fellow, where were you born and what can you do in the\nworld?\u201d And the man answered: \u201cMy name is Shoot-straight, I am from\nCastle Aim-well, and I can shoot with a crossbow so point-blank as to\nhit a crab-apple in the middle.\u201d\n\n\u201cI should like to see a proof,\u201d said Moscione, so the lad charged his\ncrossbow, took aim, and made a pea leap from the top of the stone\nwindow. Moscione took him also, like the others, into his company, and\nthey traveled on another day\u2019s journey, until they came to some people\nwho were building a large pier in the scorching heat of the sun, and who\nmight well say, \u201cBoy, put water to the wind, for my heart is burning.\u201d\nSo Moscione had compassion on them and said, \u201cMy masters, how is it you\nhave the heart to stand in this furnace, which is bound to roast a\nbuffalo?\u201d And one of them answered: \u201cAh! we are as cool as roses, for we\nhave a young man here who blows upon us from behind in such a manner\nthat it seems as if the west wind were blowing.\u201d \u201cLet me see him, I\npray,\u201d cried Moscione, and so the mason called the lad, and Moscione\nsaid to him: \u201cTell me, by the life of your father, what is your name,\nwhat country are you from, and what is your profession?\u201d And the lad\nreplied: \u201cMy name is Blowblast, I am from Windy Land, and I can make all\nthe winds with my mouth. If you wish a zephyr, I will breathe one that\nwill send you into transports. If you wish for a squall, I will blow\ndown houses.\u201d\n\n\u201cSeeing is believing,\u201d said Moscione, whereupon Blowblast breathed at\nfirst quite gently, so that it seemed to be the wind that blows in\nPosilippo toward evening; then, turning suddenly to some trees, he sent\nforth such a furious blast that it uprooted a row of oaks.\n\nWhen Moscione saw this he took him for a companion, and, traveling on as\nfar again, he met another lad, to whom he said: \u201cWhat is your name, if I\nmay make so bold? Whence are you, if one may ask, and what is your\ntrade, if it is a fair question?\u201d And the lad answered, \u201cMy name is\nStrongback, I am from Valentino, and I have such strength that I take a\nmountain on my back, and it seems to me a mere feather.\u201d \u201cIf that be the\ncase,\u201d said Moscione, \u201cyou deserve to be a king of the custom house, and\nyou should be chosen for the standard-bearer on the first of May, but I\nshould like to see a proof of what you say.\u201d Then Strongback began to\nload himself with masses of rock, stumps of trees, and so many other\nweights that a thousand large wagons could not have carried them, so,\nwhen Moscione saw the feat, he persuaded the lad to join them.\n\nSo they traveled on till they came to Fairflower, the king of which\nplace had a daughter who ran like the wind and could pass over the\nwaving corn without bending an ear, and the king had issued a\nproclamation that whoever should overtake her in running should have her\nto wife, but whoever was left behind should lose his head.\n\nMoscione arrived in this country and heard the proclamation. He went\nstraight to the king and offered to run with the daughter, making the\nwise agreement either to win the race or leave his noddle there. But in\nthe morning he sent to inform the king that he was taken ill, and, being\nunable to run himself, he would send another man in his place. \u201cCome who\nwill,\u201d said Ciennetella (for that was the king\u2019s daughter), \u201cI care not\na fig; it is all one to me.\u201d\n\nSo when the great square was filled with people come to see the race,\ninsomuch that the men swarmed like ants, and the windows and roofs were\nall as full as an egg, Lightning came out and took his stand at the top\nof the square waiting for the signal, and lo, forth came Ciennetella,\ndressed in a little gown tucked half-way up to her knees, and a neat and\npretty little shoe with a single sole. Then they placed themselves\nshoulder to shoulder, and, as soon as the Tarantar\u00e1 and the Too-too of\nthe trumpets was heard, off they darted, running at such a rate that\ntheir hair touched their shoulders, and in truth they seemed just like\nfoxes with the greyhounds after them, horses broken loose from the\nstable, dogs with kettles tied to their tails, or jackasses with furze\nbushes behind them. But Lightning (as he was by name and nature) left\nthe princess more than a hand\u2019s breadth behind him, and came first to\nthe goal. Then you should have heard the buzzing and shouting and cries\nand the uproar, the whistling and clapping of all the people calling\nout, \u201cHurrah, long live the stranger!\u201d whereat Ciennetella\u2019s face turned\nas red as a schoolboy\u2019s who is going to be whipped, and she stood lost\nwith shame and confusion at seeing herself vanquished. But as there were\nto be two heats to the race, she fell to planning her revenge for this\naffront, and, going home, she put a charm in her ring with such a power\nthat if any one had it on his finger, his legs would toddle so that he\nwould not be able to walk, much less to run, and she sent it as a\npresent to Lightning, begging him to wear it on his finger for love of\nher.\n\nHare\u2019s-ear, who heard this trick plotted between the father and\ndaughter, said nothing, and wanted to see the upshot of the affair, and\nwhen, at the trumpeting of the birds, they returned to the field, at the\nusual signal they fell to plying their heels. But if Ciennetella was\nlike another Atalanta, Lightning had become like a shoulder-slipped ass\nand a foundered horse, for he could not stir a step, but Shoot-straight,\nwho saw his coming danger, and heard from Hare\u2019s-ear how matters stood,\nlaid hold on his crossbow and shot the arrow so exactly that it hit\nLightning\u2019s finger, and out shot the stone from the ring in which the\nvirtue of the charm lay, whereupon his legs that had been tied were set\nfree, and with four good leaps he passed Ciennetella and won the race.\nThe king, seeing the palm thus carried off by this figure of a\nblockhead, by a simpleton, the triumph of a fool, bethought himself\nseriously whether or not he should give him his daughter, and taking\ncounsel with the wiseacres of his court, they replied that Ciennetella\nwas not a mouthful for the tooth of such a miserable dog and\nlose-the-day bird, so that, without breaking his word, he might commute\nthe terms of his daughter with a gift of crowns, which would be more to\nthe taste of a poor beggar like Moscione than all the women in the\nworld.\n\nThis advice pleased the king, and he asked Moscione how much money he\nwould take to consider a wife who had been promised. Then Moscione,\nafter consulting the others, said: \u201cI will take as much gold and silver\nas one of my comrades can carry on his back.\u201d The king consented,\nwhereupon they brought Strongback, and on him began to lay bales of\nducats, large purses full of crowns, pails of copper money, and kettles\nfull of chains and rings, but the more they loaded him the firmer he\nstood, just like a tower, so that the treasurer, the bankers, the\nusurers, and the money dealers of the city did not suffice, and the king\nsent to all of the great people in every direction to borrow their\nsilver candlesticks, basins, jugs, plates, brasses, and baskets, and yet\nthere was not enough to make up a full load. At length Moscione and his\ncompanions went away, however, not laden, but tired and satisfied.\n\nWhen the counselors saw what heaps of stores these four miserable\nfellows were carrying off, they said to the king that it was a great\npiece of nonsense to load them with all the sinews of his kingdom, and\nthat it would be well to send people after them to lessen the load of\nthat Atlas who was carrying on his shoulders a world of treasure. The\nking gave ear to this advice, and immediately despatched a party of\narmed men, foot and horse, to overtake Moscione and his friends, but\nHare\u2019s-ear, who had heard this counsel, informed his comrades, and while\nthe dust was rising to the sky from the tramping of those who were\ncoming to unload the rich cargo, Blowblast, seeing that things were come\nto a bad pass, began to blow at such a rate that he not only made the\nenemies fall flat on the ground, but he sent them flying more than a\nmile distant, as a north wind does those people who pass through his\ncountry. So, without meeting any more hindrances, Moscione arrived at\nhis father\u2019s house, where he shared the booty with his companions, since\nthe saying goes, \u201cA good deed deserves a good meed.\u201d So he sent them\naway content and happy, but he stayed with his father, rich beyond\nmeasure, giving no lie to the saying, \u201cHeaven sends biscuits to him who\nhas no teeth.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Months_\n\n It is a saying worthy to be written in letters as big as those on\n a catafalque, that silence never harmed any one, and let it not be\n imagined that those slanderers who never speak well of others, but\n are always cutting and stinging and pinching and biting, ever gain\n anything by their malice; for when the bags come to be shaken out,\n it has always been seen, and is so still, that while the good word\n gains love and profit, slander brings enmity and ruin, and when\n you shall have heard how this happens, you will see I speak with\n reason.\n\n\nOnce upon a time there were two brothers, Cianne, who was as rich as a\nlord, and Lise, who had barely enough to live upon; but poor as one was\nin fortune, so pitiful was the other in mind, for he would not have\ngiven his brother a farthing were it to save his life; so that poor Lise\nin despair left his country, and set out to wander over the world. And\nhe wandered on and on, till one wet and cold evening he came to an inn,\nwhere he found twelve youths seated around a fire, who, when they saw\npoor Lise benumbed with cold, partly from the severe season and partly\nfrom his ragged clothes, invited him to sit down by the fire.\n\nLise accepted the invitation, for he needed it greatly, and began to\nwarm himself, and as he was doing so, one of the young men, whose face\nwas such a picture of moroseness as to make you die of affright, said to\nhim: \u201cWhat think you, countryman, of this weather?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat do I think of it?\u201d replied Lise. \u201cI think that all the months of\nthe year perform their duty; but we, who know not what we would have,\nwish to give less praise to Heaven, and, wanting to have things our own\nway, we do not fish deeply enough to the bottom to find out whether what\ncomes into our fancy be good or evil, useful or hurtful. In winter when\nit rains, we want the sun in Leo, and in the month of August the clouds\nto discharge themselves; not reflecting that were this the case, the\nseasons would be turned topsy-turvy, the seed sown would be lost, the\ncrops would be destroyed, the bodies of men would faint away, and nature\nwould go head over heels. Therefore, let us leave Heaven to its own\ncourse; for it has made the tree to mitigate with wood the severity of\nwinter, and leaves to soften the heat of summer.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou speak like Solomon!\u201d said the youth; \u201cbut you cannot deny that this\nmonth of March, in which we now are, is very impertinent to send all\nthis frost and rain, snow and hail, wind and storm, these fogs and\ntempests and other troubles, that make one\u2019s life a burden.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou tell only the ill of this poor month,\u201d replied Lise, \u201cbut do not\nspeak of the benefits it yields to us; for, by bringing forward the\nspring, it commences the production of things, helps along the cause\nwith the sun, and leads him to the house of the rain.\u201d\n\nThe youth was greatly pleased at what Lise said, for he was in truth no\nother than March himself, who had arrived at that inn with his eleven\nbrothers, and to reward Lise\u2019s goodness, who had not found anything evil\nto say of a month so sad that the shepherds do not like to mention it,\nhe gave him a beautiful little casket, saying, \u201cTake this, and if you\nwant anything, only ask for it, and, opening this box, you will see it\nbefore you.\u201d Lise thanked the youth, with many expressions of respect,\nand laying the little box under his head by way of a pillow, he went to\nsleep.\n\nAs soon, however, as the sun, with the pencil of his rays, had retouched\nthe dark shadows of the night, Lise took leave of the youth and set out\non his way. But he had hardly proceeded fifty steps from the inn, when,\nopening the casket, he said: \u201cAh, my friend, I wish I had a litter lined\nwith cloth, and with a little fire inside, that I might travel warm and\ncomfortable through the snow!\u201d No sooner had he uttered the words, than\nthere appeared a litter, with bearers, who, lifting him up, placed him\nin it; whereupon he told them to carry him home.\n\nWhen the hour was come for food, Lise opened the little box and said: \u201cI\nwish for something to eat.\u201d And instantly there appeared a profusion of\nthe choicest food; such a banquet that ten crowned kings might have\nfeasted on it.\n\nOne evening, having come to a wood, which did not give admittance to the\nsun, because he came through suspected places,[1] Lise opened the little\ncasket and said: \u201cI should like to rest tonight on this beautiful spot,\nwhere the river is making counterpoint on the stones as accompaniment to\nthe canto-fermo of the cool breezes.\u201d And instantly there appeared,\nunder an oilcloth tent, a couch of fine scarlet, with down mattresses,\ncovered with a Spanish counterpane and sheets as light as a feather.\nThen he asked for something to eat, and in a trice there was set out a\nsideboard covered with silver and gold fit for a prince, and under\nanother tent a table spread with viands, the savory smell of which\nextended a hundred miles.\n\nFootnote 1:\n\n Alluding to the quarantine which ships were subject to in coming from\n the East.\n\nWhen he had eaten enough, he laid himself down to sleep, and as soon as\nthe cock, who is the spy of the sun, announced to his master that the\nshades of night were worn and wearied, and it was now time for him, like\na skilful general, to fall upon the rear and make a slaughter of them,\nLise opened his little box and said: \u201cI wish to have a handsome dress,\nfor today I shall see my brother, and I should like to make his mouth\nwater.\u201d No sooner said than done; immediately a princely dress of the\nrichest black velvet appeared, with edgings of red camlet, and a lining\nof yellow cloth embroidered all over, which looked like a field of\nflowers; so, dressing himself, Lise got into the litter, and soon\nreached his brother\u2019s house.\n\nWhen Cianne saw his brother arrive with all his splendor and luxury, he\nwished to know what good fortune had befallen him. Then Lise told him of\nthe youths whom he had met at the inn, and of the present they had made\nhim, but he kept to himself the conversation of the youths.\n\nCianne was all impatience to get away from his brother, and told him to\ngo and rest himself, as he was no doubt tired. Then he started\npost-haste, and soon arrived at the inn, where, finding the same youths,\nhe fell into chat with them. And when the youth asked him the same\nquestion, what he thought of the month of March, Cianne, making a big\nmouth, said: \u201cConfound the miserable month! the enemy of the shepherds,\nwhich stirs up all the ill-humors and brings sickness to our bodies\u2014a\nmonth of which, whenever we want to announce ruin to a man, we say, \u2018Go;\nMarch has shaved you,\u2019 a month, in short, so hateful that it would be\nthe best fortune for the world, the greatest blessing to the earth, the\ngreatest gain to men, were it excluded from the band of brothers.\u201d\n\nMarch, who heard himself thus slandered, suppressed his anger till the\nmorning, intending then to reward Cianne for his calumny; and when\nCianne wished to depart, he gave him a fine whip, saying to him,\n\u201cWhenever you wish for anything, only say, \u2018Whip, give me an hundred!\u2019\nand you shall see pearls strung upon a rush.\u201d\n\nCianne, thanking the youth, went his way in great haste, not wishing to\nmake trial of the whip until he reached home. But hardly had he set foot\nin the house, when he went into a secret chamber, intending to hide the\nmoney which he expected to receive from the whip, and he said, \u201cWhip,\ngive me an hundred!\u201d whereupon the whip gave him more than he looked\nfor, making counterpoint on his legs and face like a musical composer,\nso that Lise, hearing his cries, came running out of the study; and when\nhe saw that the whip, like a runaway horse, could not stop itself, he\nopened the little box and brought it to a standstill. Then he asked\nCianne what had happened to him, and, upon hearing his story, he told\nhim he had no one to blame but himself, for, like a blockhead, he alone\nhad caused his misfortune, acting like a camel that wanted to have horns\nand lose his ears. He bade him mind another time and keep a bridle on\nhis tongue, which was the key that had opened to him the storehouse of\nmisfortune; for if he had spoken well of the youths, he would, perhaps,\nhave had the same good luck as himself, and he cautioned him especially\nto speak well of every one in future, good words being a merchandise\nthat costs nothing, and usually brings profit that is not expected. In\nconclusion, Lise comforted him, bidding him not seek more wealth than\nHeaven had given him, that his little casket would suffice to fill the\nhouses of thirty misers, and Cianne should be master of all he\npossessed, since, to the generous man, Heaven is treasurer, and he added\nthat, although another brother might have ill-will toward Cianne for the\ncruelty with which he had treated him in his poverty, yet he reflected\nthat his avarice had been a favorable wind which had brought him to this\nport, and therefore wished to show himself grateful for the benefit.\n\nWhen Cianne heard these things, he begged his brother\u2019s pardon for his\npast unkindness, and, entering into partnership, they enjoyed together\ntheir good fortune, and from that time forward Cianne spoke well of\neverything, however bad it might be.\n\n\n\n\n _The Stone in the Cock\u2019s Head_\n\n\nThere was once in the City of Dark-Grotto a certain man named Minecco\nAniello, who was so persecuted by fortune that all his household goods\nand movables consisted only of a short-legged cock, which he had reared\nupon bread-crumbs. But one morning, being driven frantic with an\nappetite (for hunger drives the wolf from the thicket), he took it into\nhis head to sell the cock; and, taking it to the market, he met two\nthievish magicians, with whom he made a bargain, and sold it for half a\ncrown. They told him to take it to their house and they would count him\nout the money, and they went their way, but Minecco Aniello, following\nthem, overheard them talking gibberish together and saying, \u201cWho would\nhave told us that we would meet with such a piece of good luck,\nJennarone? This cock will make our fortune to a certainty by the stone\nwhich, you know, he has in his pate. We will quickly have it set in a\nring, and then we shall have everything we could ask for.\u201d \u201cBe quiet,\nJacovuccio,\u201d answered Jennarone; \u201cI see myself rich, and can hardly\nbelieve it; and I am longing to twist the cock\u2019s neck, and give a kick\nin the face of beggary; for in this world virtue without money goes for\nnothing, and a man is judged of by his coat.\u201d\n\nWhen Minecco Aniello, who had traveled about in the world and eaten\nbread from more than one oven, heard this gibberish, he turned on his\nheel and scampered off, and, running home, he twisted the cock\u2019s neck,\nand opening its head, found the stone, which he had instantly set in a\nbrass ring. Then, to make a trial of its virtue, he said: \u201cI wish to\nbecome a youth eighteen years old.\u201d\n\nHardly had he uttered the words, when his blood began to flow more\nquickly, his nerves became stronger, his limbs firmer, his flesh\nfresher, his eyes more fiery, his silver hairs were turned to gold; his\nmouth, which was a sacked village, became peopled with teeth; his beard,\nwhich was as thick as wood, became like a nursery garden; in short, he\nwas changed to a most beautiful youth. Then he said again: \u201cI wish for a\nsplendid palace, and to marry a king\u2019s daughter,\u201d and lo, there\ninstantly appeared a palace of incredible magnificence, in which were\napartments that would amaze you, columns to astound you, pictures to\nfill you with wonder; silver glittered around and gold was trodden under\nfoot; the jewels dazzled your eyes; the servants swarmed like ants, the\nhorses and carriages were not to be counted; in short, there was such a\ndisplay of riches that the king stared at the sight, and willingly gave\nhim his daughter, Nalalizia.\n\nMeanwhile the magicians, having discovered Minecco Aniello\u2019s great\nwealth, laid a plan to rob him of his good fortune; so they made a\npretty little doll, which played and danced by means of clockwork, and,\ndressing themselves like merchants, they went to Pentella, the daughter\nof Minecco Aniello, under pretext of selling it to her. When Pentella\nsaw the beautiful little thing, she asked them what price they put upon\nit, and they replied that it could not be bought for money, but that she\nmight have it and welcome if she would only do them a favor, which was\nto let them see the make of the ring which her father possessed, in\norder to take a model and make another like it; then they would give her\nthe doll without any payment at all.\n\nPentella, who had never heard the proverb, \u201cThink well before you buy\nanything cheap,\u201d instantly accepted this offer, and bade them return the\nnext morning, when she promised to ask her father to lend her the ring.\nSo the magicians went away, and when her father returned home, Pentella\ncoaxed and caressed him, until at last she persuaded him to give her the\nring, making the excuse that she was sad at heart, and wished to divert\nher mind a little.\n\nWhen the next day came, as soon as the scavenger of the sun swept the\nlast trace of the shades from the streets and squares of heaven, the\nmagicians returned, and no sooner had they the ring in their hands than\nthey instantly vanished, and not a trace of them was to be seen, so that\npoor Pentella had like to have died with terror.\n\nBut when the magicians came to a wood, where the branches of some of the\ntrees were dancing a sword dance, and the boughs of others were playing\ntogether at hot-cockles, they desired the ring to break the spell by\nwhich the old man had become young again, and instantly Minecco Aniello,\nwho was just at that minute in the presence of the king, was suddenly\nseen to grow hoary, his hairs to whiten, his forehead to wrinkle, his\neyebrows to grow bristly, his eyes to sink in, his face to be furrowed,\nhis mouth to become toothless, his beard to grow bushy, his back to be\nhumped, his legs to tremble, and, above all, his glittering garments to\nreturn to rags and tatters.\n\nThe king, seeing this miserable beggar seated beside him at table,\nordered him to be instantly driven away with blows and hard words;\nwhereupon Aniello, thus suddenly fallen from his good luck, went weeping\nto his daughter, and asked for the ring in order to set matters to\nrights again. But when he heard the fatal trick of the false merchant,\nhe was ready to throw himself out of the window, cursing a thousand\ntimes the ignorance of his daughter, who, for the sake of a silly doll,\nhad turned him into a miserable scarecrow, and for a paltry thing of\nrags had brought him to rags himself, adding that he was resolved to go\nwandering about the world, like a bad shilling, until he should get\ntidings of those merchants. So saying, he threw a cloak about his neck\nand a wallet on his back, drew his sandals on his feet, took a staff in\nhis hand, and, leaving his daughter all chilled and frozen, he set out\nwalking desperately on until he came to the kingdom of Deep-Hole,\ninhabited by mice, where, having been taken for a big spy of the cats,\nhe was instantly led before Rosecone,[2] the king. The king at once\nasked him who he was, whence he came, and what he was about in that\ncountry; and Minecco Aniello, after first giving the king a\ncheese-paring, in sign of tribute, related to him all his misfortunes,\none by one, and concluded by saying that he was resolved to continue his\ntoil and travel until he could get tidings of those thievish villains\nwho had robbed him of so precious a jewel, taking from him at once the\nflower of his youth, the source of his wealth, and the prop of his\nhonor.\n\nFootnote 2:\n\n Nibbler.\n\nAt these words Rosecone felt pity nibbling at his heart; and wishing to\ncomfort the poor man, he summoned the oldest mice to a council, and\nasked their opinions on the misfortunes of Minecco Aniello, commanding\nthem to use all diligence and endeavor to obtain some tidings of those\nfalse merchants. Now among the rest it happened that Rudolo and\nSaltariello[3] were present, good mice who were used to the ways of the\nworld, and had lived for six years at a tavern of great resort hard by,\nand they said to Aniello: \u201cBe of good heart, comrade! Matters will turn\nout better than you imagine. You must know that one day, when we were in\na room at the hostelry of the Horn, where the most famous men of the\nworld lodge and make merry, two persons from the Hook Castle came in,\nwho, after they had eaten their fill and had seen the bottom of their\nflagon, fell to talking of a trick they had played a certain old man of\nDark-Grotto, and how they had cheated him out of a stone of great value,\nwhich one of them, named Jennarone, said he would never take from his\nfinger, that he might not run the risk of losing it, as the old man\u2019s\ndaughter had done.\u201d\n\nFootnote 3:\n\n Nibbler and Skipjack.\n\nWhen Minecco Aniello heard this, he told the two mice that if they would\ntrust themselves to accompany him to the country where these rogues\nlived, and recover the ring for him, he would give them a good lot of\ncheese and salt meat, which they might eat and enjoy with his majesty,\nthe king. Then the two mice, after bargaining for a suitable reward,\noffered to go over sea and mountain, and taking leave of his mousy\nmajesty, they set out.\n\nAfter journeying a long way, they arrived at Hook Castle, where the mice\ntold Minecco Aniello to remain under some trees on the brink of the\nriver, which, much like a leech, drew the moisture from the land and\ndischarged it into the sea. Then they went to seek the house of the\nmagicians; and, observing that Jennarone never took the ring from his\nfinger, they stood to gain the victory by stratagem; so, waiting till\nnight had dyed with purple grape-juice the sunburnt face of heaven, and\nthe magicians had gone to bed and were fast asleep, Rudolo began to\nnibble the finger on which the ring was; whereupon Jennarone, feeling\nthe smart, took the ring off and laid it on a table at the bed\u2019s head.\nBut as soon as Saltariello saw this, he bobbed the ring into his mouth,\nand in four skips he was off to find Minecco Aniello, and with even\ngreater joy than the man at the gallows feels when the pardon arrives,\nhe instantly turned the magicians into two jackasses, and, throwing his\nmantle over one of them, he bestrode him like a noble count; then he\nloaded the other with cheese and bacon, and set off toward Deep-Hole,\nwhere, having given presents to the king and his counselors, he thanked\nthem for all the good fortune he had received by their assistance,\npraying Heaven that no mouse-trap might ever lay hold of them, that no\ncat might ever harm them, and that no arsenic might ever poison them.\nThen, leaving that country, Minecco Aniello returned to Dark-Grotto,\neven more handsome than before, and was received by the king and his\ndaughter with the greatest affection of the heart, and having ordered\nthe two asses cast down from a rock, he lived happily with his wife,\nnever more taking the ring from his finger, that he might not again\ncommit such a folly.\n\n\n\n\n _The Fox and the Cat_\n\n\nIn a certain forest there once lived a fox, and near to the fox lived a\nman who had a cat that had been a good mouser in its youth, but was now\nold and half-blind. The man didn\u2019t want puss any longer, but not liking\nto kill him, took him out into the forest and lost him there. Then the\nfox came up and said:\n\n\u201cWhy, Mr. Shaggy Matthew! How d\u2019ye do? What brings you here?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said pussy, \u201cmy master loved me as long as I could bite, but now\nthat I can bite no longer, and have left off catching mice\u2014and I used to\ncatch them finely once\u2014he doesn\u2019t like to kill me, but he has left me in\nthe wood, where I must perish miserably.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, dear pussy!\u201d said the fox; \u201cyou leave it to me, and I\u2019ll help you\nget your daily bread.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are very good, dear little sister foxy!\u201d said the cat, and the fox\nbuilt him a little shed with a garden round it to walk about in.\n\nNow one day the hare came to steal the man\u2019s cabbage.\n\u201cKreem-kreem-kreem!\u201d he squeaked. But the cat popped his head out of the\nwindow, and when he saw the hare, he put up his back and stuck up his\ntail and said:\n\n\u201cFt-t-t-t-t-Frrrrrrr!\u201d\n\nThe hare was frightened and ran away and told the bear, the wolf, and\nthe wild boar all about it.\n\n\u201cNever mind,\u201d said the bear, \u201cI tell you what, we\u2019ll all four give a\nbanquet, and invite the fox and the cat, and do for the pair of them.\nNow, look here! I\u2019ll steal the man\u2019s mead; and you, Mr. Wolf, steal his\nfat-pot; and you, Mr. Wildboar, root up his fruit trees; and you, Mr.\nBunny, go and invite the fox and the cat to dinner.\u201d\n\nSo they made everything ready as the bear had said, and the hare ran off\nto invite the guests. He came beneath the window and said:\n\n\u201cWe invite your little ladyship, Foxy-Woxy, together with Mr. Shaggy\nMatthew, to dinner\u201d\u2014and back he ran again.\n\n\u201cBut you should have told them to bring their spoons with them,\u201d said\nthe bear.\n\n\u201cOh, what a head I\u2019ve got! if I didn\u2019t quite forget!\u201d cried the hare,\nand back he went again, ran beneath the window, and cried:\n\n\u201cMind you bring your spoons!\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said the fox.\n\nSo the cat and the fox went to the banquet, and when the cat saw the\nbacon, he put up his back and stuck out his tail and cried:\n\n\u201cMee-oo, mee-oo!\u201d with all his might. But they thought he said:\n\n\u201cMa-lo, ma-lo!\u201d[4]\n\nFootnote 4:\n\n What a little! what a little!\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d said the bear, who was hiding behind the beeches with the other\nbeasts, \u201chere have all we four been getting together all we could, and\nthis pig-faced cat calls it too little! What a monstrous cat he must be\nto have such an appetite!\u201d\n\nSo they were all four very frightened, and the bear climbed up a tree,\nand the others hid where they could. But when the cat saw the boar\u2019s\nbristles sticking out from behind the bushes he thought it was a mouse,\nand put up his back again and cried:\n\n\u201cFt! ft! ft! Frrrrrrr!\u201d\n\nThen they were more frightened than ever. And the boar went into a bush\nstill farther off, and the wolf went behind an oak, and the bear got\ndown from the tree, and climbed up into a bigger one, and the hare ran\nright away.\n\nBut the cat remained in the midst of all the good things and ate away at\nthe bacon, and the little fox gobbled up the honey, and they ate and ate\ntill they couldn\u2019t eat any more, and then they both went home licking\ntheir paws.\n\n\n\n\n _The Straw Ox_\n\n\nThere was once upon a time an old man and an old woman. The old man\nworked in the fields as a pitch burner, while the old woman sat at home\nand spun flax. They were so poor that they could save nothing at all;\nall their earnings went in bare food, and when that was gone there was\nnothing left. At last the old woman had a good idea.\n\n\u201cLook, now, husband,\u201d cried she, \u201cmake me a straw ox, and smear it all\nover with tar.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, you foolish woman!\u201d said he, \u201cwhat\u2019s the good of an ox of that\nsort?\u201d\n\n\u201cNever mind,\u201d said she; \u201cyou just make it. I know what I am about.\u201d\n\nWhat was the poor man to do? He set to work and made the ox of straw,\nand smeared it all over with tar.\n\nThe night passed away, and at early dawn the old woman took her distaff\nand drove the straw ox out into the steppe to graze, and she herself sat\ndown behind a hillock and began spinning her flax, and cried:\n\n\u201cGraze away, little ox, while I spin my flax; graze away, little ox,\nwhile I spin my flax!\u201d And while she spun, her head drooped down, and\nshe began to doze, and while she was dozing, from behind the dark wood\nand from the back of the huge pines a bear came rushing out upon the ox\nand said:\n\n\u201cWho are you? Speak and tell me!\u201d\n\nAnd the ox said:\n\n\u201cA three-year-old heifer am I, made of straw and smeared with tar.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d said the bear, \u201cstuffed with straw and trimmed with tar, are you?\nThen give me of your straw and tar, that I may patch up my ragged fur\nagain!\u201d\n\n\u201cTake some,\u201d said the ox, and the bear fell upon him and began to tear\naway at the tar.\n\nHe tore and tore, and buried his teeth in it till he found he couldn\u2019t\nlet go again. He tugged and he tugged, but it was no good, and the ox\ndragged him gradually off, goodness knows where. Then the old woman\nawoke, and there was no ox to be seen. \u201cAlas! old fool that I am!\u201d cried\nshe, \u201cperchance it has gone home.\u201d Then she quickly caught up her\ndistaff and spinning-board, threw them over her shoulders, and hastened\noff home, and she saw that the ox had dragged the bear up to the fence,\nand in she went to her old man. \u201cDad, dad!\u201d she cried, \u201clook, look! the\nox has brought us a bear. Come out and kill it!\u201d Then the old man jumped\nup, tore off the bear, tied him up, and threw him in the cellar.\n\nNext morning, between dark and dawn, the old woman took her distaff and\ndrove the ox into the steppe to graze. She herself sat down by a mound,\nbegan spinning, and said:\n\n\u201cGraze, graze away, little ox, while I spin my flax! Graze, graze away,\nlittle ox, while I spin my flax!\u201d And while she spun, her head drooped\ndown, and she dozed. And, lo! from behind the dark wood, from the back\nof the huge pines, a gray wolf came rushing out upon the ox and said:\n\n\u201cWho are you? Come, tell me!\u201d\n\n\u201cI am a three-year-old heifer, stuffed with straw and trimmed with tar,\u201d\nsaid the ox.\n\n\u201cOh, trimmed with tar, are you? Then give me of your tar to tar my\nsides, that the dogs and the sons of dogs tear me not!\u201d\n\n\u201cTake some,\u201d said the ox. And with that the wolf fell upon him and tried\nto tear the tar off. He tugged and tugged, and tore with his teeth, but\ncould get none off. Then he tried to let go, and couldn\u2019t; tug and worry\nas he might, it was no good. When the old woman woke, there was no\nheifer in sight. \u201cMaybe my heifer has gone home!\u201d she cried; \u201cI\u2019ll go\nhome and see.\u201d When she got there she was astonished, for by the paling\nstood the ox with the wolf still tugging at it. She ran and told her old\nman, and her old man came and threw the wolf into the cellar also.\n\nOn the third day the old woman again drove her ox into the pastures to\ngraze, and sat down by a mound and dozed off. Then a fox came running\nup. \u201cWho are you?\u201d it asked the ox.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m a three-year-old heifer, stuffed with straw and daubed with tar.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen give me some of your tar to smear my sides with, when those dogs\nand sons of dogs tear my hide!\u201d\n\n\u201cTake some,\u201d said the ox. Then the fox fastened her teeth in him and\ncouldn\u2019t draw them out again. The old woman told her old man, and he\ntook and cast the fox into the cellar in the same way. And after that\nthey caught Pussy Swiftfoot[5] likewise.\n\nFootnote 5:\n\n The hare.\n\nSo when he had got them all safely the old man sat down on a bench\nbefore the cellar and began sharpening a knife. And the bear said to\nhim:\n\n\u201cTell me, daddy, what are you sharpening your knife for?\u201d\n\n\u201cTo flay your skin off, that I may make a leather jacket for myself and\na pelisse for my old woman.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, don\u2019t flay me, daddy dear! Rather let me go, and I\u2019ll bring you a\nlot of honey.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well, see you do it,\u201d and he unbound and let the bear go. Then he\nsat down on the bench and again began sharpening his knife. And the wolf\nasked him:\n\n\u201cDaddy, what are you sharpening your knife for?\u201d\n\n\u201cTo flay off your skin, that I may make me a warm cap against the\nwinter.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! Don\u2019t flay me, daddy dear, and I\u2019ll bring you a whole herd of\nlittle sheep.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, see that you do it,\u201d and he let the wolf go.\n\nThen he sat down, and began sharpening his knife again. The fox put out\nher little snout, and asked him:\n\n\u201cBe so kind, dear daddy, and tell me why you are sharpening your knife?\u201d\n\n\u201cLittle foxes,\u201d said the old man, \u201chave nice skins that do capitally for\ncollars and trimmings, and I want to skin you!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! Don\u2019t take my skin away, daddy dear, and I will bring you hens and\ngeese.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well, see that you do it!\u201d and he let the fox go.\n\nThe hare now alone remained, and the old man began sharpening his knife\non the hare\u2019s account.\n\n\u201cWhy do you do that?\u201d asked puss, and he replied:\n\n\u201cLittle hares have nice little, soft, warm skins, which will make me\nnice gloves and mittens against the winter!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, daddy dear! Don\u2019t flay me, and I\u2019ll bring you kale and good\ncauliflower, if only you let me go!\u201d\n\nThen he let the hare go also.\n\nThen they went to bed: but very early in the morning, when it was\nneither dusk nor dawn, there was a noise in the doorway like \u201cDurrrrrr!\u201d\n\n\u201cDaddy!\u201d cried the old woman, \u201cthere\u2019s some one scratching at the door;\ngo and see who it is!\u201d\n\nThe old man went out, and there was the bear carrying a whole hive full\nof honey. The old man took the honey from the bear; but no sooner did he\nlie down than again there was another \u201cDurrrrr!\u201d at the door. The old\nman looked out and saw the wolf driving a whole flock of sheep into the\ncourtyard. Close on his heels came the fox, driving before him geese and\nhens, and all manner of fowls; and last of all came the hare, bringing\ncabbage and kale, and all manner of good food. And the old man was glad,\nand the old woman was glad. And the old man sold the sheep and oxen, and\ngot so rich that he needed nothing more. As for the straw-stuffed ox, it\nstood in the sun till it fell to pieces.\n\n\n\n\n _The Cat, the Cock, and the Fox_\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a cat and a cock, who agreed to live\ntogether; so they built them a hut in a barnyard, and the cock kept\nhouse while the cat went foraging for sausages. One day the fox came\nrunning up:\n\n\u201cOpen the door, little cock!\u201d cried she.\n\n\u201cPussy told me not to, little fox!\u201d said the cock.\n\n\u201cOpen the door, little cock!\u201d repeated the fox.\n\n\u201cI tell you pussy told me not to, little fox!\u201d\n\nAt last, however, the cock grew tired of always saying \u201cNo!\u201d so he\nopened the door, and in the fox rushed, seized him in her jaws, and ran\noff with him. Then the cock cried:\n\n \u201cHelp! pussy-pussy!\n That foxy hussy\n Has got me tight\n With all her might.\n Across her tail\n My legs do trail\n Along the bridge so stony!\u201d\n\nThe cat heard it, gave chase to the fox, rescued the cock, brought him\nhome, scolded him well, and said:\n\n\u201cNow keep out of her jaws in the future if you don\u2019t want to be killed\naltogether!\u201d\n\nThen the cat went out foraging for wheat, so that the cock might have\nsomething to eat. He had scarcely gone when the sly she-fox again came\ncreeping up.\n\n\u201cDear little cock!\u201d said she, \u201cpray open the door!\u201d\n\n\u201cNay, little fox! Pussy said I wasn\u2019t to.\u201d\n\nBut the fox went on asking and asking till at last the cock let him in,\nwhen the fox rushed at him, seized him by the neck, and ran off with\nhim. Then the cock cried out:\n\n \u201cHelp! pussy-pussy!\n That foxy hussy\n Has got me tight\n With all her might.\n Across her tail\n My legs do trail\n Along the bridge so stony!\u201d\n\nThe cat heard it, and again he ran after the fox and rescued the cock,\nand gave the fox a sound drubbing. Then he said to the cock:\n\n\u201cNow, mind you, never let her come in again, or she\u2019ll eat you.\u201d\n\nBut the next time the cat went out, the she-fox came again, and said:\n\n\u201cDear little cock, open the door!\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, little fox! Pussy said I wasn\u2019t to.\u201d\n\nBut the fox begged and begged so piteously that at last the cock was\nquite touched, and opened the door. Then the fox caught him by the\nthroat again, and ran away with him, and the cock cried:\n\n \u201cHelp! pussy-pussy!\n That foxy hussy\n Has got me tight\n With all her might.\n Across her tail\n My legs do trail\n Along the bridge so stony!\u201d\n\nThe cat heard it, and gave chase again. He ran and ran, but this time he\ncouldn\u2019t catch the fox up; so he returned home and wept bitterly,\nbecause he was now all alone. At last, however, he dried his tears and\ngot him a little fiddle, a little fiddle-bow, and a big sack, and went\nto the fox\u2019s hole and began to play:\n\n \u201cFiddle-de-dee!\n The foxy so wee\n Had daughters twice two,\n And a little son too,\n Oh, fiddle-de-dee!\n Come, foxy, and see\n My sweet minstrelsy!\u201d\n\nThen the fox\u2019s daughter said:\n\n\u201cMammy, I\u2019ll go out and see who it is that is playing so nicely!\u201d\n\nSo out she skipped, but no sooner did pussy see her than he caught hold\nof her and popped her into his sack. Then he played again:\n\n \u201cFiddle-de-dee!\n The foxy so wee\n Had daughters twice two,\n And a little son too\n Oh! Fiddle-de-dee!\n Come, foxy, and see\n My sweet minstrelsy!\u201d\n\nThen the second daughter skipped out, and pussy caught her by the\nforehead, and popped her into his sack, and went on playing and singing\ntill he had got all four daughters into his sack, and the little son\nalso.\n\nThen the old fox was left all alone, and she waited and waited, but not\none of them came back. At last she said to herself:\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll go out and call them home, for the cock is roasting, and the milk\npottage is simmering, and \u2018tis high time we had something to eat.\u201d\n\nSo out she popped, and the cat pounced upon her and killed her too. Then\nhe went and drank up all the soup, and gobbled up all the pottage, and\nthen he saw the cock lying on a plate.\n\n\u201cCome, shake yourself, cock!\u201d said puss.\n\nSo the cock shook himself, and got up, and the cat took the cock home,\nand the dead foxes too. And when they got home they skinned them to make\nnice beds to lie upon, and lived happily together in peace and plenty.\nAnd as they laughed over the joke as a good joke, we may laugh over it\ntoo.\n\n\n\n\n _The Fox and the Dove_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a dove who built her nest in a high tree.\nEvery year, about the time when her young ones were beginning to get\nfeathers, Reynard Sly-Boots would come along and say to the dove:\n\n\u201cGive me your young ones to eat; throw them down to me of your own\naccord, or I will gobble you up, as well as them!\u201d\n\nThe dove, frightened at the threat, would throw down the young birds and\nthus it had happened year after year.\n\nNow one day, as the dove sat most melancholy upon her nest, a great bird\nflew up and asked why she was so sad and downcast. And the dove answered\nthat it was because Reynard would soon come and eat up her young ones.\n\nUpon this the great bird replied, \u201cOh, you goose! Why do you throw them\ndown to him? Just bid your good friend to please give himself the\ntrouble to come after them. Then you\u2019ll soon see him sneak away with his\ntail between his legs, for Reynard cannot climb a tree.\u201d\n\nSo when the time came round and Reynard again presented himself, the\ndove said to him, \u201cIf you want meat for dinner, just be so kind as to\ncome up and help yourself.\u201d\n\nWhen the fox saw that he must go away empty he asked the dove who had\ncounseled her to speak thus, and she answered:\n\n\u201cThe great bird that has a nest yonder near the stream.\u201d\n\nReynard at once betook himself to the stream and remonstrated with the\ngreat bird for building his nest in so exposed a place, asking what he\ndid in case of a high wind.\n\nThe great bird answered, \u201cWhen the wind blows from the right I turn to\nthe left; when it blows from the left I turn to the right.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut what do you do when it blows from all sides?\u201d asked the fox.\n\n\u201cThen I stick my head under my wing,\u201d said the great bird, showing how\nhe did it. But quick as a wink, when the great bird stuck his head under\nhis wing, Reynard Sly-Boots sprang upon him and seized him, saying:\n\n\u201cYou know how to give counsel to others, but not to advise yourself.\u201d\n\nSo he ate him up!\n\n\n\n\n _The Fox and the Hedgehog_\n\n\nA hedgehog met Master Reynard in a field, and said to him, \u201cHello,\nmaster! Whither away?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019m just loafing around!\u201d answered the fox.\n\n\u201cTell me, now,\u201d said Reynard to the hedgehog, after they had been\nchatting a while, \u201chow manifold is your understanding?\u201d\n\n\u201cThreefold,\u201d answered the hedgehog.\n\n\u201cWhy, how is that?\u201d asked the fox.\n\n\u201cWhy, you see, I have one sense above, one below, and the third\neverywhere,\u201d replied the hedgehog; and added: \u201cAnd how manifold is your\nunderstanding?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, mine is seventy-sevenfold,\u201d answered the fox.\n\n\u201cWell, well!\u201d said the hedgehog.\n\nThereupon they walked along through the fields, and so eagerly were they\ntalking that they gave no heed to the way, and presently stumbled into a\nwolf\u2019s den. Then was good counsel precious! How should they ever get out\nof this scrape?\n\nSaid Reynard to the hedgehog, \u201cCome now, search around in your\nhead-piece for a means of getting out of this pickle.\u201d\n\n\u201cI should have done that before,\u201d answered the hedgehog, \u201cbut I was\nafraid that by and by you would curse me. How shall I, a little\nhedgehog, with only a threefold understanding, devise anything better\nthan you, who have a seventy-sevenfold understanding?\u201d\n\nHowever, after talking back and forth a long time, the hedgehog made\nthis suggestion: \u201cSay, Reynard, just seize me by the ear and throw me up\nout of the den, because I am the smaller.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but how shall I get out?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, just stick up your tail, and I will pull you out!\u201d\n\nSo Reynard seized the hedgehog by the ear and tossed him up out of the\nden. Then he called upon him to keep his word. \u201cHello, there, Gossip,\nnow pull me out!\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you know what,\u201d answered the hedgehog, \u201cI\u2019ll tell you something. I\nhave only a threefold understanding, and yet I found a way of helping\nmyself. Now do you help yourself with your seventy-sevenfold\nunderstanding.\u201d\n\nBy this time a peasant came along, and finding the fox in the den he\nmade short work with him. But the hedgehog crept away through the\nthicket with his threefold understanding, while Reynard, with all his\nseventy-sevenfold understanding, was carried off by the peasant.\n\n\n\n\n _The Disappointed Bear_\n\n\nOnce upon a time a little old woman, who was walking in the forest,\nclimbed up into a wild-cherry tree to gather cherries. Now, a bear\nespied her, and he came under the tree and cried, \u201cCome down, old woman,\nthat I may eat you!\u201d\n\n\u201cGo along with you!\u201d answered the old woman. \u201cWhy should you eat a\nscrawny old woman like me. Here, gnaw upon my shoe till I come down, and\nI will take you to my house; I have two little children there, named\nJanko and Mirko; they will make you a right savory dish. So have\npatience till you get them.\u201d\n\nSo said the little old woman, and threw down one of her shoes. Master\nBruin gnawed and gnawed upon it, but the more he gnawed the hungrier he\ngrew. Greatly enraged, he screamed up to the old woman:\n\n\u201cCome down, you old wench, and let me eat you!\u201d\n\n\u201cJust wait a little longer, till the old wench has gathered enough\ncherries,\u201d she answered. \u201cHere, gnaw this other shoe a while; she\u2019ll\nsoon come down and show you the way to her house.\u201d So saying, she threw\ndown the other shoe.\n\nWhen Bruin found that the second shoe was no juicier than the first, he\nmade no further effort, but contented himself with thinking of the fat\nlittle children at the old woman\u2019s house. When she had gathered cherries\nenough, down she came and went home, the bear tramping along behind her.\n\nWhen they reached the house the old woman said: \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what;\nfirst let me give the children a good supper, that they may be all the\nfatter; and meanwhile do you run about till evening to get up a better\nappetite.\u201d\n\nSo Bruin went away and ran about in the woods all the rest of the day,\nand at evening he came back to the hut.\n\n\u201cHere I am, little mother!\u201d he cried; \u201cnow bring out Janko and Mirko,\nand see me polish them off. I am starving to death!\u201d\n\n\u201cOho!\u201d answered the little old woman from within; \u201cJanko has made the\ndoor fast with bolts, and I have just put Mirko to sleep. I couldn\u2019t\nthink of waking him. And the little mother is so old and weak that she\ncan\u2019t unbolt the door alone. Come some other day!\u201d\n\nThen Master Bruin perceived that he had been fooled, and he walked\nreluctantly away, with drooping snout and an empty stomach.\n\n\n\n\n _Young Neverfull_\n\n\nA certain housewife had a young servant lad who devoured everything\neatable that lay in his way. He would rummage in the storeroom until he\nsmelled out something good, and would give himself no rest until he had\ndevoured it all.\n\nNow, the woman had a jar of preserved fruit, and, as she feared that the\nyoungster would eat it and leave her nothing to put into her pies, she\nsaid to him:\n\n\u201cMy good boy, you have now eaten everything that I have except this jam,\nand you have left this just as if you knew that it was poisoned. See how\nkind Heaven is to have preserved you from it. One single spoonful is\nenough to kill one instantly, so I warn you not to touch it unless you\nwant to die.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d answered the boy.\n\nOn the next Sunday, as the woman was getting ready to go to mass, she\nsaid to the boy: \u201cCook the soup and boil the meat and roast this duck;\nwe will have a good dinner to-day. See that you have all done and ready\nwhen I come home.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well; it shall all be done,\u201d answered the boy.\n\nWhen the woman was gone he cooked the soup and boiled the meat, and then\nhe put the duck upon the spit to roast. When he saw what a delicious\nbrown crisp was forming all over the duck, he thought, \u201cIt can roast\nitself another one,\u201d and ate the crisp all off. He turned the spit and\nturned it, but the second brown crisp never came.\n\nWhen he saw this, he thought: \u201cWhen the mistress comes home she will\npepper me well,\u201d and he began to consider how he could escape a beating.\nIn his desperation he remembered the jar of poison against which his\nmistress had warned him the day before. With a sudden resolution he went\ninto the storeroom and devoured the whole jarful of preserved fruit, and\nthen crouched down in a corner to wait for death.\n\nPresently his mistress came home and cried out angrily: \u201cWhat have you\ndone to this duck?\u201d She was about to belabor him well, when he cried:\n\u201cAh, leave me in peace, dear mistress! I shall die in a minute, anyway,\nfor I have eaten up all the poison!\u201d\n\nAt this the woman broke out into a laugh and could not refuse to forgive\nhim. The duck and the preserves, however, were gone all the same.\n\n\n\n\n _Hudden and Dudden and Donald O\u2019Neary_\n\n\nThere was once upon a time two farmers, and their names were Hudden and\nDudden. They had poultry in their yards, sheep on the uplands, and\nscores of cattle in the meadow land alongside the river. But for all\nthat they weren\u2019t happy, for just between their two farms there lived a\npoor man by the name of Donald O\u2019Neary. He had a hovel over his head and\na strip of grass that was barely enough to keep his one cow, Daisy, from\nstarving, and, though she did her best, it was but seldom that Donald\ngot a drink of milk or a roll of butter from Daisy. You would think\nthere was little here to make Hudden and Dudden jealous, but so it is,\nthe more one has the more one wants, and Donald\u2019s neighbors lay awake of\nnights scheming how they might get hold of his little strip of grass\nland. Daisy, poor thing, they never thought of; she was just a bag of\nbones.\n\nOne day Hudden met Dudden, and they were soon grumbling as usual, and\nall to the tune of \u201cIf only we could get that vagabond, Donald O\u2019Neary,\nout of the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s kill Daisy,\u201d said Hudden at last; \u201cif that doesn\u2019t make him clear\nout, nothing will.\u201d\n\nNo sooner said than agreed; and it wasn\u2019t dark before Hudden and Dudden\ncrept up to the little shed where lay poor Daisy, trying her best to\nchew the cud, though she hadn\u2019t had as much grass in the day as would\ncover your hand. And when Donald came to see if Daisy was all snug for\nthe night, the poor beast had only time to lick his hand once before she\ndied.\n\nWell, Donald was a shrewd fellow, and, downhearted though he was, began\nto think if he could get any good out of Daisy\u2019s death. He thought and\nhe thought, and the next day you might have seen him trudging off early\nto the fair, Daisy\u2019s hide over his shoulder, every penny he had jingling\nin his pockets. Just before he got to the fair, he made several slits in\nthe hide, put a penny in each slit, walked into the best inn of the town\nas bold as if it belonged to him, and, hanging the hide up to a nail in\nthe wall, sat down.\n\n\u201cSome of your best whisky,\u201d says he to the landlord. But the landlord\ndidn\u2019t like his looks. \u201cIs it fearing I won\u2019t pay you, you are?\u201d says\nDonald; \u201cwhy, I have a hide here that gives me all the money I want.\u201d\nAnd with that he hit it a whack with his stick, and out hopped a penny.\nThe landlord opened his eyes, as you may fancy.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019ll you take for that hide?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not for sale, my good man.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you take a gold piece?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not for sale, I tell you. Hasn\u2019t it kept me and mine for years?\u201d\nand with that Donald hit the hide another whack, and out jumped a second\npenny.\n\nWell, the long and the short of it was that Donald let the hide go, and,\nthat very evening, who but he should walk up to Hudden\u2019s door?\n\n\u201cGood-evening, Hudden. Will you lend me your best pair of scales?\u201d\n\nHudden stared and Hudden scratched his head, but he lent the scales.\n\nWhen Donald was safe at home, he pulled out his pocketful of bright\ngold, and began to weigh each piece in the scales. But Hudden had put a\nlump of butter at the bottom, and so the last piece of gold stuck fast\nto the scales when he took them back to Hudden.\n\nIf Hudden had stared before, he stared ten times more now, and no sooner\nwas Donald\u2019s back turned, than he was off as hard as he could pelt to\nDudden\u2019s.\n\n\u201cGood-evening, Dudden. That vagabond, bad luck to him\u2014\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cYou mean Donald O\u2019Neary?\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd who else should I mean? He\u2019s back here weighing out sackfuls of\ngold.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow do you know that?\u201d\n\n\u201cHere are my scales that he borrowed, and here\u2019s a gold piece still\nsticking to them.\u201d\n\nOff they went together, and they came to Donald\u2019s door. Donald had\nfinished making the last pile of ten gold pieces. And he couldn\u2019t\nfinish, because a piece had stuck to the scales.\n\nIn they walked without an \u201cIf you please\u201d or \u201cBy your leave.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, _I_ never!\u201d that was all _they_ could say.\n\n\u201cGood-evening, Hudden; good-evening, Dudden. Ah! you thought you had\nplayed me a fine trick, but you never did me a better turn in all your\nlives. When I found poor Daisy dead, I thought to myself, \u2018Well, her\nhide may fetch something\u2019; and it did. Hides are worth their weight in\ngold in the market just now.\u201d\n\nHudden nudged Dudden, and Dudden winked at Hudden.\n\n\u201cGood-evening, Donald O\u2019Neary.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood-evening, kind friends.\u201d\n\nThe next day there wasn\u2019t a cow or a calf that belonged to Hudden or\nDudden but her hide was going to the fair in Hudden\u2019s biggest cart,\ndrawn by Dudden\u2019s strongest pair of horses.\n\nWhen they came to the fair, each one took a hide over his arm, and there\nthey were walking through the fair, bawling out at the top of their\nvoices: \u201cHides to sell! hides to sell!\u201d\n\nOut came the tanner:\n\n\u201cHow much for your hides, my good men?\u201d\n\n\u201cTheir weight in gold.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s early in the day to come out of the tavern.\u201d That was all the\ntanner said, and back he went to his yard.\n\n\u201cHides to sell! Fine fresh hides to sell!\u201d\n\nOut came the cobbler:\n\n\u201cHow much for your hides, my men?\u201d\n\n\u201cTheir weight in gold.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs it making game of me you are? Take that for your pains,\u201d and the\ncobbler dealt Hudden a blow that made him stagger.\n\nUp the people came running from one end of the fair to the other.\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter? What\u2019s the matter?\u201d cried they.\n\n\u201cHere are a couple of vagabonds selling hides at their weight in gold,\u201d\nsaid the cobbler.\n\n\u201cHold \u2018em fast; hold \u2018em fast!\u201d bawled the innkeeper, who was the last\nto come up, he was so fat. \u201cI\u2019ll wager it\u2019s one of the rogues who\ntricked me out of thirty gold pieces yesterday for a wretched hide.\u201d\n\nIt was more kicks than halfpence that Hudden and Dudden got before they\nwere well on their way home again, and they didn\u2019t run the slower\nbecause all the dogs of the town were at their heels.\n\nWell, as you may fancy, if they loved Donald little before, they loved\nhim less now.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, friends?\u201d said he, as he saw them tearing along,\ntheir hats knocked in, and their coats torn off, and their faces black\nand blue. \u201cIs it fighting you\u2019ve been? or mayhap you met the police, ill\nluck to them?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ll police you, you vagabond. It\u2019s mighty smart you thought yourself,\ndeluding us with your lying tales.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho deluded you? Didn\u2019t you see the gold with your own two eyes?\u201d\n\nBut it was no use talking. Pay for it he must and should. There was a\nmeal-sack handy, and into it Hudden and Dudden popped Donald O\u2019Neary,\ntied him up tight, ran a pole through the knot, and off they started for\nthe Brown Lake of the Bog, each with a pole-end on his shoulder, and\nDonald O\u2019Neary between.\n\nBut the Brown Lake was far, the road was dusty, Hudden and Dudden were\nsore and weary, and parched with thirst. There was an inn by the\nroadside.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s go in,\u201d said Hudden; \u201cI\u2019m dead beat. It\u2019s heavy he is for the\nlittle he had to eat.\u201d\n\nIf Hudden was willing, so was Dudden. As for Donald, you may be sure his\nleave wasn\u2019t asked, but he was dumped down at the inn door for all the\nworld as if he had been a sack of potatoes.\n\n\u201cSit still, you vagabond,\u201d said Dudden; \u201cif we don\u2019t mind waiting, you\nneedn\u2019t.\u201d\n\nDonald held his peace, but after a while he heard the glasses clink, and\nHudden singing away at the top of his voice.\n\n\u201cI won\u2019t have her, I tell you; I won\u2019t have her!\u201d said Donald. But\nnobody heeded what he said.\n\n\u201cI won\u2019t have her, I tell you; I won\u2019t have her!\u201d said Donald; and this\ntime he said it louder; but nobody heeded what he said.\n\n\u201cI won\u2019t have her, I tell you; I won\u2019t have her!\u201d said Donald; and this\ntime he said it as loud as he could.\n\n\u201cAnd who won\u2019t you have, may I be so bold as to ask?\u201d said a farmer, who\nhad just come up with a drove of cattle, and was turning in for a glass.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s the king\u2019s daughter. They are bothering the life out of me to\nmarry her.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re the lucky fellow. I\u2019d give something to be in your shoes.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you see that, now! Wouldn\u2019t it be a fine thing for a farmer to be\nmarrying a princess, all dressed in gold and jewels?\u201d\n\n\u201cJewels, do you say? Ah, now, couldn\u2019t you take me with you?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you\u2019re an honest fellow, and as I don\u2019t care for the king\u2019s\ndaughter, though she\u2019s as beautiful as the day, and is covered with\njewels from top to toe, you shall have her. Just undo the cord and let\nme out; they tied me up tight, as they knew I\u2019d run away from her.\u201d\n\nOut crawled Donald; in crept the farmer.\n\n\u201cNow lie still, and don\u2019t mind the shaking; it\u2019s only rumbling over the\npalace steps you\u2019ll be. And maybe they\u2019ll abuse you for a vagabond, who\nwon\u2019t have the king\u2019s daughter; but you needn\u2019t mind that. Ah, it\u2019s a\ndeal I\u2019m giving up for you, sure as it is that I don\u2019t care for the\nprincess.\u201d\n\n\u201cTake my cattle in exchange,\u201d said the farmer; and you may guess it\nwasn\u2019t long before Donald was at their tails, driving them homeward.\n\nOut came Hudden and Dudden, and the one took one end of the pole, and\nthe other the other.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m thinking he\u2019s heavier,\u201d said Hudden.\n\n\u201cAh, never mind,\u201d said Dudden; \u201cit\u2019s only a step now to the Brown Lake.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll have her now! I\u2019ll have her now!\u201d bawled the farmer from inside\nthe sack.\n\n\u201cBy my faith and you shall, though,\u201d said Hudden, and he laid his stick\nacross the sack.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll have her! I\u2019ll have her!\u201d bawled the farmer, louder than ever.\n\n\u201cWell, here you are,\u201d said Dudden, for they were now come to the Brown\nLake, and, unslinging the sack, they pitched it plump into the lake.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ll not be playing your tricks on us any longer,\u201d said Hudden.\n\n\u201cTrue for you,\u201d said Dudden. \u201cAh, Donald, my boy, it was an ill day when\nyou borrowed my scales!\u201d\n\nOff they went, with a light step and an easy heart, but when they were\nnear home, whom should they see but Donald O\u2019Neary, and all around him\nthe cows were grazing, and the calves were kicking up their heels and\nbutting their heads together.\n\n\u201cIs it you, Donald?\u201d said Dudden. \u201cFaith, you\u2019ve been quicker than we\nhave.\u201d\n\n\u201cTrue for you, Dudden, and let me thank you kindly; the turn was good,\nif the will was ill. You\u2019ll have heard, like me, that the Brown Lake\nleads to the Land of Promise. I always put it down as lies, but it is\njust as true as my word. Look at the cattle.\u201d\n\nHudden stared, and Dudden gaped; but they couldn\u2019t get over the cattle;\nfine, fat cattle they were, too.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s only the worst I could bring up with me,\u201d said Donald O\u2019Neary;\n\u201cthe others were so fat, there was no driving them. Faith, too, it\u2019s\nlittle wonder they didn\u2019t care to leave, with grass as far as you could\nsee, and as sweet and juicy as fresh butter.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh now, Donald, we haven\u2019t always been friends,\u201d said Dudden, \u201cbut, as\nI was just saying, you were ever a decent lad, and you\u2019ll show us the\nway, won\u2019t you?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t see that I\u2019m called upon to do that; there is a power more\ncattle down there. Why shouldn\u2019t I have them all to myself?\u201d\n\n\u201cFaith, they may well say, the richer you get, the harder the heart. You\nalways were a neighborly lad, Donald. You wouldn\u2019t wish to keep the luck\nall to yourself?\u201d\n\n\u201cTrue for you, Hudden, though it\u2019s a bad example you set me. But I\u2019ll\nnot be thinking of old times. There is plenty for all there, so come\nalong with me.\u201d\n\nOff they trudged, with a light heart and an eager step. When they came\nto the Brown Lake the sky was full of little white clouds, and, if the\nsky was full, the lake was as full.\n\n\u201cAh, now, look! there they are!\u201d cried Donald, as he pointed to the\nclouds in the lake.\n\n\u201cWhere? where?\u201d cried Hudden, and \u201cDon\u2019t be greedy!\u201d cried Dudden, as he\njumped his hardest to be up first with the fat cattle. But if he jumped\nfirst, Hudden wasn\u2019t long behind.\n\nThey never came back. Maybe they got too fat, like the cattle. As for\nDonald O\u2019Neary, he had cattle and sheep all his days to his heart\u2019s\ncontent.\n\n\n\n\n _The Tail_\n\n\nThere was a shepherd once who went out to the hill to look after his\nsheep. It was misty and cold, and he had much trouble to find them. At\nlast he had them all but one; and after much searching he found that\none, too, in a peat hag, half drowned; so he took off his plaid, and\nbent down and took hold of the sheep\u2019s tail and he pulled! The sheep was\nheavy with water, and he could not lift her, so he took off his coat and\nhe _pulled!!_ but it was too much for him, so he spit on his hands, and\ntook a good hold of the tail and he PULLED!! and the tail broke! and if\nit had not been for that this tale would have been a great deal longer.\n\n\n\n\n _Jack and the King who was a Gentleman_\n\n\nWell, children: wanst upon a time, when pigs was swine, there was a poor\nwiddy woman lived all alone with her wan son Jack in a wee hut of a\nhouse, that on a dark night ye might aisily walk over it by mistake, not\nknowin\u2019 at all, at all, it was there, barrin\u2019 ye\u2019d happen to strike yer\ntoe agin\u2019 it. An\u2019 Jack an\u2019 his mother lived for lee an\u2019 long, as happy\nas hard times would allow them, in this wee hut of a house, Jack\nsthrivin\u2019 to \u2018arn a little support for them both by workin\u2019 out, an\u2019\ndoin\u2019 wee turns back an\u2019 forrid to the neighbors. But there was one\nwinter, an\u2019 times come to look black enough for them\u2014nothin\u2019 to do, an\u2019\nless to ate, an\u2019 clothe themselves as best they might; an\u2019 the winther\nwore on, gettin\u2019 harder an\u2019 harder, till at length when Jack got up out\nof his bed on a mornin\u2019, an\u2019 axed his mother to make ready the drop of\nstirabout for their little brakwus as usual, \u201cMusha, Jack, _a-mhic_,\u201d\nsays his mother, says she, \u201cthe male-chist\u2014thanks be to the Lord!\u2014is as\nempty as Paddy Ruadh\u2019s donkey that used to ate his brakwus at\nsupper-time. It stood out long an\u2019 well, but it\u2019s empty at last, Jack,\nan\u2019 no sign of how we\u2019re goin\u2019 to get it filled again\u2014only we trust in\nthe good Lord that niver yet disarted the widow and the orphan\u2014He\u2019ll not\nsee us wantin\u2019, Jack.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Lord helps them that help themselves, mother,\u201d says Jack back again\nto her.\n\n\u201cThrue for ye, Jack,\u201d says she, \u201cbut I don\u2019t see how we\u2019re goin\u2019 to help\nourselves.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe\u2019s a mortial dead mule out an\u2019 out that hasn\u2019t a kick in him,\u201d says\nJack. \u201cAn\u2019, mother, with the help of Providence\u2014not comparin\u2019 the\nChristian to the brute baste\u2014I have a kick in me yet; if you thought ye\ncould only manage to sthrive along the best way you could for a week, or\nmaybe two weeks, till I get back again off a little journey I\u2019d like to\nundhertake.\u201d\n\n\u201cAn\u2019 may I make bould to ax, Jack,\u201d says his mother to him, \u201cwhere would\nye be afther makin\u2019 the little journey to?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou may that, then, mother,\u201d says Jack. \u201cIt\u2019s this: You know the King\nof Munsther is a great jintleman entirely. It\u2019s put on him, he\u2019s so\njintlemanly, that he was niver yet known to make use of a wrong or\ndisrespectable word. An\u2019 he prides himself on it so much that he has\nsent word over all the known airth that he\u2019ll give his beautiful\ndaughter\u2014the loveliest picthur in all Munsther, an\u2019 maybe in all\nIrelan\u2019, if we\u2019d say it\u2014an\u2019 her weight in goold, to any man that in\nthree trials will make him use the unrespectful word, an\u2019 say, \u2018Ye\u2019re a\nliar!\u2019 But every man that tries him, an\u2019 fails, loses his head. All\nsorts and descriptions of people, from prences an\u2019 peers down to bagmen\nan\u2019 beggars, have come from all parts of the known world to thry for the\ngreat prize, an\u2019 all of them up to this has failed, an\u2019 by consequence\nlost their heads. But, mother dear,\u201d says Jack, \u201cwhere\u2019s the use in a\nhead to a man if he can\u2019t get mail for it to ate? So I\u2019m goin\u2019 to thry\nme fortune, only axin\u2019 your blissin\u2019 an\u2019 God\u2019s blissin\u2019 to help me on\nthe way.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, Jack, _a-thaisge_,\u201d says his mother, \u201cit\u2019s a dangersome task; but\nas you remark, where\u2019s the good of the head to ye when ye can\u2019t get mail\nto put in it? So I give ye my blissin\u2019, an\u2019 night, noon, an\u2019 mornin\u2019\nI\u2019ll be prayin\u2019 for ye to prosper.\u201d\n\nAn\u2019 Jack set out, with his heart as light as his stomach, an\u2019 his pocket\nas light as them both together; but a man\u2019ll not travel far in ould\nIrelan\u2019 (thanks be to God!) on the barefooted stomach\u2014as we\u2019ll call\nit\u2014or it\u2019ll be his own fault if he does; an\u2019 Jack didn\u2019t want for plenty\nof first-class aitin\u2019 an\u2019 dhrinkin\u2019, lashin\u2019s an\u2019 laivin\u2019s, and pressin\u2019\nhim to more. An\u2019 in this way he thraveled away afore him for five long\ndays till he come to the King of Munsther\u2019s castle. And when he was\ncomed there he rattled on the gate, an\u2019 out come the king.\n\n\u201cWell, me man,\u201d says the king, \u201cwhat might be your business here?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m come here, your Kingship,\u201d says Jack, mighty polite, an\u2019 pullin\u2019\nhis forelock, be raison his poor ould mother had always insthructed him\nin the heighth of good breedin\u2019\u2014\u201cI\u2019m come here, your R\u2019yal Highness,\u201d\nsays Jack, \u201cto thry for yer daughter.\u201d\n\n\u201cHum!\u201d says the king. \u201cMe good young man,\u201d says he, \u201cdon\u2019t ye think it a\npoor thing to lose yer head?\u201d\n\n\u201cIf I lose it,\u201d says Jack, \u201csure one consolation \u2018ill be that I\u2019ll lose\nit in a glorious cause.\u201d\n\nAn\u2019 who do ye think would be listenin\u2019 to this same deludherin\u2019 speech\nof Jack\u2019s, from over the wall, but the king\u2019s beautiful daughter\nherself. She took an eyeful out of Jack, an\u2019 right well plaised she was\nwith his appearance, for\u2014\n\n\u201cFather,\u201d says she at once, \u201chasn\u2019t the boy as good a right to get a\nchance as another? What\u2019s his head to you? Let the boy in,\u201d says she.\n\nAn\u2019 sure enough, without another word, the king took Jack within the\ngates, an\u2019 handin\u2019 him over to the sarvints, tould him to be well looked\nafther an\u2019 cared for till mornin\u2019.\n\nNext mornin\u2019 the king took Jack with him an\u2019 fetched him out into the\nyard. \u201cNow then, Jack,\u201d says he, \u201cwe\u2019re goin\u2019 to begin. We\u2019ll drop into\nthe stables here, an\u2019 I\u2019ll give you your first chance.\u201d\n\nSo he took Jack into the stables an\u2019 showed him some wondherful big\nhorses, the likes of which poor Jack never saw afore, an\u2019 every one of\nwhich was the heighth of the side wall of the castle an\u2019 could step over\nthe castle walls, which were twenty-five feet high, without strainin\u2019\nthemselves.\n\n\u201cThems\u2019 purty big horses, Jack,\u201d says the king. \u201cI don\u2019t suppose ever ye\nsaw as big or as wondherful as them in yer life.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, they\u2019re purty big, indeed,\u201d says Jack, takin\u2019 it as cool as if\nthere was nothin\u2019 whatsomever astonishin\u2019 to him about them. \u201cThey\u2019re\npurty big, indeed,\u201d says Jack, \u201c_for this counthry_. But at home with us\nin Donegal we\u2019d only count them little nags, shootable for the young\nladies to dhrive in pony-carriages.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d says the king, \u201cdo ye mane to tell me ye have seen bigger in\nDonegal?\u201d\n\n\u201cBigger!\u201d says Jack. \u201cPhew! Blood alive, yer Kingship, I seen horses in\nmy father\u2019s stable that could step over your horses without thrippin\u2019.\nMy father owned one big horse\u2014the greatest, I believe, in the world\nagain.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat was he like?\u201d says the king.\n\n\u201cWell, yer Highness,\u201d says Jack, \u201cit\u2019s quite beyond me to tell ye what\nhe was like. But I know when we wanted to mount it could only be done by\nmeans of a step-laddher, with nine hundred and ninety steps to it, every\nstep a mile high, an\u2019 you had to jump seven mile off the topmost step to\nget on his back. He ate nine ton of turnips, nine ton of oats, an\u2019 nine\nton of hay in the day, an\u2019 it took ninety-nine men in the daytime, an\u2019\nninety-nine more in the night-time, carrying his feeds to him; an\u2019 when\nhe wanted a drink, the ninety-nine men had to lead him to a lough that\nwas nine mile long, nine mile broad, an\u2019 nine mile deep, an\u2019 he used to\ndrink it dry every time,\u201d says Jack, an\u2019 then he looked at the king,\nexpectin\u2019 he\u2019d surely have to make a liar of him for that.\n\nBut the king only smiled at Jack, an\u2019 says he, \u201cJack, that was a\nwonderful horse entirely, an\u2019 no mistake.\u201d\n\nThen he took Jack with him out into the garden for his second trial, an\u2019\nshowed him a bee-skep, the size of the biggest rick of hay ever Jack had\nseen; an\u2019 every bee in the skep was the size of a thrush, an\u2019 the queeny\nbee as big as a jackdaw.\n\n\u201cJack,\u201d says the king, says he, \u201cisn\u2019t them wondherful bees? I\u2019ll\nwarrant ye, ye never saw anything like them?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, they\u2019re middlin\u2019\u2014middlin\u2019 fairish,\u201d says Jack\u2014\u201c_for this counthry_.\nBut they\u2019re nothin\u2019 at all to the bees we have in Donegal. If one of our\nbees was flying across the fields,\u201d says Jack, \u201cand one of your bees\nhappened to come in its way, an\u2019 fall into our bee\u2019s eye, our bee would\nfly to the skep, an\u2019 ax another bee to take the mote out of his eye.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you tell me so, Jack?\u201d says the king. \u201cYou must have great monsthers\nof bees.\u201d\n\n\u201cMonsthers!\u201d says Jack. \u201cAh, yer Highness, monsthers is no name for some\nof them. I remimber,\u201d says Jack, says he, \u201ca mighty great breed of bees\nme father owned. They were that big that when my father\u2019s new castle was\na-buildin\u2019 (in the steddin\u2019 of the old one which he consaived to be too\nsmall for a man of his mains), and when the workmen closed in the roof,\nit was found there was a bee inside, an\u2019 the hall door not bein\u2019 wide\nenough, they had to toss the side wall to let it out. Then the queeny\nbee\u2014ah! she was a wondherful baste entirely!\u201d says Jack. \u201cWhenever she\nwent out to take the air she used to overturn all the ditches and hedges\nin the country; the wind of her wings tossed houses and castles; she\nused to swallow whole flower gardens; an\u2019 one day she flew against a\nridge of mountains nineteen thousand feet high and knocked a piece out\nfrom top to bottom, an\u2019 it\u2019s called Barnesmore Gap to this day. This\nqueeny bee was a great trouble an\u2019 annoyance to my father, seein\u2019 all\nthe harm she done the naybors round about; and once she took it in her\nhead to fly over to Englan\u2019, an\u2019 she created such mischief an\u2019\ndesolation there that the King of Englan\u2019 wrote over to my father if he\ndidn\u2019t come immaidiately an\u2019 take home his queeny bee that was wrackin\u2019\nan\u2019 ruinin\u2019 all afore her he\u2019d come over himself at the head of all his\narmy and wipe my father off the face of the airth. So my father ordhered\nme to mount our wondherful big horse that I tould ye about, an\u2019 that\ncould go nineteen mile at every step, an\u2019 go over to Englan\u2019 an\u2019 bring\nhome our queeny bee. An\u2019 I mounted the horse an\u2019 started, an\u2019 when I\ncome as far as the sea I had to cross to get over to Englan\u2019, I put the\nhorse\u2019s two forefeet into my hat, an\u2019 in that way he thrashed the sea\ndry all the way across an\u2019 landed me safely. When I come to the King of\nEnglan\u2019 he had to supply me with nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand\nmen an\u2019 ninety-nine thousand mile of chains an\u2019 ropes to catch the\nqueeny bee an\u2019 bind her. It took us nine years to catch her, nine more\nto tie her, an\u2019 nine years and nine millions of men to drag her home,\nan\u2019 the King of Englan\u2019 was a beggar afther from that day till the day\nof his death. Now, what do ye think of that bee?\u201d says Jack, thinkin\u2019 he\nhad the king this time, sure enough.\n\nBut the king was a cuter one than Jack took him for, an\u2019 he only smiled\nagain, an\u2019 says he\u2014\n\n\u201cWell, Jack, that was a wondherful great queeny bee entirely.\u201d\n\nNext, for poor Jack\u2019s third an\u2019 last chance, the king took him to show\nhim a wondherful field of beans he had, with every beanstalk fifteen\nfeet high, an\u2019 every bean the size of a goose\u2019s egg.\n\n\u201cWell, Jack,\u201d says the king, says he, \u201cI\u2019ll engage ye never saw more\nwondherful beanstalks than them?\u201d\n\n\u201cIs it them?\u201d says Jack. \u201cArrah, man, yer Kingship,\u201d says he, \u201cthey may\nbe very good\u2014_for this counthry_; but sure we\u2019d throw them out of the\nground for useless afther-shoots in Donegal. I mind one beanstalk in\npartickler, that my father had for a show an\u2019 a cur\u2019osity, that he used\nto show as a great wondher entirely to sthrangers. It stood on\nninety-nine acres of ground, it was nine hundred mile high, an\u2019 every\nleaf covered nine acres. It fed nine thousand horses, nine thousand\nmules, an\u2019 nine thousand jackasses for nineteen years. He used to send\nnine thousand harvestmen up the stalk in spring to cut and gather off\nthe soft branches at the top. They used to cut these off when they\u2019d\nreach up as far as them (which was always in the harvest time), an\u2019\nthrow them down, an\u2019 nine hundred and ninety-nine horses an\u2019 carts were\nkept busy for nine months carting the stuff away. Then the harvestmen\nalways reached down to the foot of the stalk at Christmas again.\u201d\n\n\u201cFaix, Jack,\u201d says the king, \u201cit was a wondherful beanstalk, that,\nentirely.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou might say that,\u201d says Jack, trying to make the most of it, for he\nwas now on his last leg. \u201cYou might say that,\u201d says he. \u201cWhy, I mind one\nyear I went up the stalk with the harvestmen, an\u2019 when I was nine\nthousand mile up, doesn\u2019t I miss my foot, and down I come. I fell feet\nforemost, and sunk up to my chin in a whinstone rock that was at the\nfoot. There I was in a quandhary\u2014but I was not long ruminatin\u2019 till I\nhauled out my knife, an\u2019 cut off my head, an\u2019 sent it home to look for\nhelp. I watched after it, as it went away, an\u2019 lo an\u2019 behould ye, afore\nit had gone half a mile I saw a fox set on it, and begin to worry it.\n\u2018By this an\u2019 by that,\u2019 says I to meself, \u2018but this is too bad!\u2019\u2014an\u2019 I\njumped out an\u2019 away as hard as I could run, to the assistance of my\nhead. An\u2019 when I come up, I lifted my foot, an\u2019 give the fox three\nkicks, an\u2019 knocked three kings out of him\u2014every one of them a nicer an\u2019\na better jintleman than you.\u201d\n\n\u201cYe\u2019re a liar, an\u2019 a rascally liar,\u201d says the king.\n\n\u201cMore power to ye!\u201d says Jack, givin\u2019 three buck leaps clean into the\nair, \u201can\u2019 it\u2019s proud I am to get you to confess it; for I have won yer\ndaughter.\u201d\n\nRight enough, the king had to give up to Jack the daughter\u2014an\u2019 be the\nsame token, from the first time she clapped her two eyes on Jack she\nwasn\u2019t the girl to gainsay him\u2014an\u2019 her weight in goold. An\u2019 they were\nboth of them marrid, an\u2019 had such a weddin\u2019 as surpassed all the\nweddin\u2019s ever was heerd tell of afore or since in that country or in\nthis. An\u2019 Jack lost no time in sendin\u2019 for his poor ould mother, an\u2019\nneither herself nor Jack ever after knew what it was to be in want. An\u2019\nmay you an\u2019 I never know that same naither.\n\n\n\n\n _Hans in Luck_\n\n\nHans had served his master for seven years, when he one day said to him:\n\u201cMaster, my time is up; I want to go home to my mother; please give me\nmy wages.\u201d\n\nHis master answered, \u201cYou have served me well and faithfully, and as the\nservice has been, so shall the wages be.\u201d And he gave him a lump of gold\nas big as his head.\n\nHans took out his pocket-handkerchief and tied up the gold in it, and\nthen slung the bundle over his shoulder, and started on his homeward\njourney.\n\nAs he walked along, just putting one foot before the other, a man on\nhorseback appeared, riding gaily and merrily along on his capering\nsteed.\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d said Hans quite loud as he passed, \u201cwhat a fine thing riding must\nbe. You are as comfortable as if you were in an arm-chair; you don\u2019t\nstumble over any stones; you save your shoes, and you get over the road\nyou hardly know how.\u201d\n\nThe horseman, who heard him, stopped and said: \u201cHallo, Hans, why are you\non foot?\u201d\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t help myself,\u201d said Hans, \u201cfor I have this bundle to carry home.\nIt is true that it is a lump of gold, but I can hardly hold my head up\nfor it, and it weighs down my shoulder frightfully.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll tell you what,\u201d said the horseman, \u201cwe will change. I will give\nyou my horse, and you shall give me your bundle.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith all my heart,\u201d said Hans; \u201cbut you will be rarely weighted with\nit.\u201d\n\nThe horseman dismounted, took the gold, and helped Hans up, put the\nbridle into his hands, and said: \u201cWhen you want to go very fast, you\nmust click your tongue and cry \u2018Gee-up! Gee-up!\u2019\u201d\n\nHans was delighted when he found himself so easily riding along on\nhorseback. After a time it occurred to him that he might be going\nfaster, and he began to click with his tongue, and to cry, \u201cGee-up!\nGee-up!\u201d The horse broke into a gallop, and before Hans knew where he\nwas he was thrown off into a ditch which separated the fields from the\nhighroad. The horse would have run away if a peasant coming along the\nroad leading a cow, had not caught it. Hans felt himself all over, and\npicked himself up; but he was very angry, and said to the peasant:\n\u201cRiding is poor fun at times, when you have a nag like mine, which\nstumbles and throws you, and puts you in danger of breaking your neck. I\nwill never mount it again. I think much more of your cow there. You can\nwalk comfortably behind her, and you have her milk into the bargain\nevery day, as well as butter and cheese. What would I not give for a cow\nlike that!\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the peasant, \u201cif you have such a fancy for it as all that,\nI will exchange the cow for the horse.\u201d\n\nHans accepted the offer with delight, and the peasant mounted the horse\nand rode rapidly off.\n\nHans drove his cow peacefully on, and thought what a lucky bargain he\nhad made. \u201cIf only I have a bit of bread, and I don\u2019t expect ever to be\nwithout it, I shall always have butter and cheese to eat with it. If I\nam thirsty, I only have to milk my cow and I have milk to drink. My\nheart! what more can you desire?\u201d\n\nWhen he came to an inn he made a halt, and in his great joy he ate up\nall the food he had with him, all his dinner and his supper, and he gave\nthe last coins he had for half a glass of beer. Then he went on farther\nin the direction of his mother\u2019s village, driving the cow before him.\nThe heat was very oppressive, and, as midday drew near, Hans found\nhimself on a heath which it took him an hour to cross. He was so hot and\nthirsty that his tongue was parched and clung to the roof of his mouth.\n\n\u201cThis can easily be set to rights,\u201d thought Hans. \u201cI will milk my cow\nand sup up the milk.\u201d He tied her to a tree, and as he had no pail, he\nused his leather cap instead; but, try as hard as he liked, not a single\ndrop of milk appeared. As he was very clumsy in his attempts, the\nimpatient animal gave him a severe kick on his forehead with one of her\nhind legs. He was stunned by the blow, and fell to the ground, where he\nlay for some time, not knowing where he was.\n\nHappily, just then a butcher came along the road, trundling a young pig\nin a wheelbarrow.\n\n\u201cWhat is going on here?\u201d he cried, as he helped poor Hans up.\n\nHans told him all that had happened.\n\nThe butcher handed him his flask, and said: \u201cHere, take a drink, it will\ndo you good. The cow can\u2019t give any milk, I suppose; she must be too\nold, and good for nothing but to be a beast of burden, or go to the\nbutcher.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d said Hans, smoothing his hair. \u201cNow who would ever have\nthought it! Killing the animal is all very well, but what kind of meat\nwill it be? For my part, I don\u2019t like cow\u2019s flesh; it\u2019s not juicy\nenough. Now, if one had a nice young pig like that, it would taste ever\nso much better; and then, all the sausages!\u201d\n\n\u201cListen, Hans!\u201d then said the butcher; \u201cfor your sake I will exchange,\nand let you have the pig instead of the cow.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod reward your friendship!\u201d said Hans, handing over the cow, as the\nbutcher untied the pig, and put the halter with which it was tied into\nhis hand.\n\nHans went on his way, thinking how well everything was turning out for\nhim. Even if a mishap befell him, something else immediately happened to\nmake up for it. Soon after this, he met a lad carrying a beautiful white\ngoose under his arm. They passed the time of day, and Hans began to tell\nhim how lucky he was, and what successful bargains he had made. The lad\ntold him that he was taking the goose for a christening feast. \u201cJust\nfeel it,\u201d he went on, holding it up by the wings. \u201cFeel how heavy it is;\nit\u2019s true they have been stuffing it for eight weeks. Whoever eats that\nroast goose will have to wipe the fat off both sides of his mouth.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, indeed!\u201d answered Hans, weighing it in his hand; \u201cbut my pig is no\nlight weight, either.\u201d\n\nThen the lad looked cautiously about from side to side, and shook his\nhead. \u201cNow, look here,\u201d he began; \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s all quite straight\nabout your pig. One has just been stolen out of Schultze\u2019s sty, in the\nvillage I have come from. I fear, I fear it is the one you are leading.\nThey have sent people out to look for it, and it would be a bad business\nfor you if you were found with it; the least they would do, would be to\nput you in the black hole.\u201d\n\nPoor Hans was very much frightened at this. \u201cOh, dear! oh, dear!\u201d he\nsaid. \u201cDo help me out of this trouble. You are more at home here; take\nmy pig, and let me have your goose.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I shall run some risk if I do, but I won\u2019t be the means of\ngetting you into a scrape.\u201d\n\nSo he took the rope in his hand, and quickly drove the pig up a side\nroad; and honest Hans, relieved of his trouble, plodded on with the\ngoose under his arm.\n\n\u201cWhen I really come to think it over,\u201d he said to himself, \u201cI have still\nhad the best of the bargain. First, there is the delicious roast goose,\nand then all the fat that will drip out of it in cooking will keep us in\ngoose fat to eat on our bread for three months, at least; and, last of\nall, there are the beautiful white feathers, which I will stuff my\npillow with, and then I shall need no rocking to send me to sleep. How\ndelighted my mother will be!\u201d\n\nAs he passed through the last village he came to a knife-grinder with\nhis cart, singing to his wheel as it buzzed merrily round\u2014\n\n \u201cScissors and knives I grind so fast,\n And hang up my cloak against the blast.\u201d\n\nHans stopped to look at him, and at last he spoke to him and said: \u201cYou\nmust be doing a good trade to be so merry over your grinding.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d answered the grinder. \u201cThe work of one\u2019s hands has a golden\nfoundation. A good grinder finds money whenever he puts his hand into\nhis pocket. But where did you buy that beautiful goose?\u201d\n\n\u201cI did not buy it; I exchanged my pig for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd the pig?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I got that instead of my cow.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd the cow?\u201d\n\n\u201cI got that for a horse.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd the horse?\u201d\n\n\u201cI gave a lump of gold as big as my head for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd the gold?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, that was my wages for seven years\u2019 service.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou certainly have known how to manage your affairs,\u201d said the grinder.\n\u201cNow, if you could manage to hear the money jingling in your pockets\nwhen you got up in the morning, you would indeed have made your\nfortune.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow shall I set about that?\u201d asked Hans.\n\n\u201cYou must be a grinder like me\u2014nothing is needed for it but a whetstone;\neverything else will come of itself. I have one here which certainly is\na little damaged, but you need not give me anything for it but your\ngoose. Are you willing?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow can you ask me such a question?\u201d said Hans. \u201cWhy, I shall be the\nhappiest person in the world. If I can have some money every time I put\nmy hand in my pocket, what more should I have to trouble about?\u201d\n\nSo he handed him the goose, and took the whetstone in exchange.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d said the grinder, lifting up an ordinary large stone which lay\nnear on the road, \u201chere is another good stone into the bargain. You can\nhammer out all your old nails on it to straighten them. Take it, and\ncarry it off.\u201d\n\nHans shouldered the stone, and went on his way with a light heart, and\nhis eyes shining with joy. \u201cI must have been born in a lucky hour!\u201d he\ncried; \u201ceverything happens just as I want it, and as it would happen to\na Sunday\u2019s child.\u201d\n\nIn the mean time, as he had been on foot since daybreak, he began to\nfeel very tired, and he was also very hungry, as he had eaten all his\nprovisions at once, in his joy at his bargain over the cow. At last he\ncould hardly walk any farther, and he was obliged to stop every minute\nto rest. Then the stones were frightfully heavy, and he could not get\nrid of the thought that it would be very nice if he were not obliged to\ncarry them any farther. He dragged himself like a snail to a well in the\nfields, meaning to rest and refresh himself with a draught of the cool\nwater. So as not to injure the stones by sitting on them, he laid them\ncarefully on the edge of the well. Then he sat down, and was about to\nstoop down to drink when he inadvertently gave them a little push, and\nboth the stones fell straight into the water.\n\nWhen Hans saw them disappear before his very eyes he jumped for joy, and\nthen knelt down and thanked God, with tears in his eyes, for having\nshown him this further grace, and relieved him of the heavy stones\n(which were all that remained to trouble him) without giving him\nanything to reproach himself with. \u201cThere is certainly no one under the\nsun so happy as I,\u201d he said.\n\nAnd so, with a light heart, free from every care, he bounded on home to\nhis mother.\n\n\n\n\n _The Family Servants_\n\n\n\u201cWhere are you going to?\u201d \u201cTo Walpe.\u201d\n\n\u201cI to Walpe, you to Walpe; so, so, together we go.\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you got a husband? How do you call your husband?\u201d\n\n\u201cCham.\u201d \u201cMy husband Cham, your husband Cham; I to Walpe, you to Walpe;\nso, so, together we go.\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you got a child? How do you call your child?\u201d\n\n\u201cGrild.\u201d \u201cMy child Grild, your child Grild; my husband Cham, your\nhusband Cham; I to Walpe, you to Walpe; so, so, together we go.\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you got a cradle? How do you call your cradle?\u201d\n\n\u201cHippodadle.\u201d \u201cMy cradle Hippodadle, your cradle Hippodadle; my child\nGrild, your child Grild; my husband Cham, your husband Cham; I to Walpe,\nyou to Walpe; so, so, together we go.\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you got a man? How do you call your man?\u201d\n\n\u201cDo-as-well-as-you-can.\u201d \u201cMy man Do-as-well-as-you-can, your man\nDo-as-well-as-you-can; my cradle Hippodadle, your cradle Hippodadle; my\nchild Grild, your child Grild; my husband Cham, your husband Cham; I to\nWalpe, you to Walpe; so, so, together we go.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Flail which came from the Clouds_\n\n\nA countryman once drove his plow with a pair of oxen, and when he came\nabout the middle of his fields the horns of his two beasts began to\ngrow, and grow, till they were so high that when he went home he could\nnot get them into the stable-door. By good luck just then a Butcher\npassed by, to whom he gave up his beasts, and struck a bargain, that he\nshould take to the Butcher a measure-full of turnip-seed, for every\ngrain of which the Butcher should give him a Brabant dollar. That is\nwhat you may call a good bargain! The Countryman went home, and came\nagain, carrying on his back a measure of seed, out of which he dropped\none grain on the way. The Butcher, however, reckoned out for every seed\na Brabant dollar; and had not the Countryman lost one he would have\nreceived a dollar more. Meanwhile the seed which he dropped on the road\nhad grown up to a fine tree, reaching into the clouds. So the Countryman\nthought to himself he might as well see what the people in the clouds\nwere about. Up he climbed, and at the top he found a field with some\npeople thrashing oats; but while he was looking at them he felt the tree\nshake beneath him, and, peeping downward, he perceived that some one was\non the point of chopping down the tree at the roots. \u201cIf I am thrown\ndown,\u201d said the Countryman to himself, \u201cI shall have a bad fall;\u201d and,\nquite bewildered, he could think of nothing else to save himself than to\nmake a rope with the oat straw, which lay about in heaps. He then seized\nhold of a hatchet and flail which were near him, and let himself down by\nhis straw rope. He fell into a deep, deep hole in the earth, and found\nit very lucky that he had brought the hatchet with him; for with it he\ncut steps, and so mounted again into the broad daylight, bringing with\nhim the flail for a sign of the truth of his tale, which nobody, on that\naccount, was able to doubt!\n\nThere is a wonderful adventure!!!\n\n\n\n\n _The Sole\u2019s Mouth_\n\n\nThe Fishes once grew very discontented because no order was kept in\ntheir dominions. None turned aside for the others, but each swam right\nor left just as it pleased him, sometimes between those who wished to be\ntogether, or else pushed them to one side, and the stronger ones gave\nthe weaker blows with their tails, which made them get out of the way as\nfast as they could, or else they devoured them without more ceremony.\n\u201cHow nice it would be,\u201d thought the Fishes, \u201cif we had a king who should\nexercise the power of judging between us!\u201d And so at last they assembled\ntogether to choose a lord, who should be he who could swim the quickest\nand render help best to the weaker fishes.\n\nSo they laid themselves all in rank and file by the shore, and the Pike\ngave a signal with his tail, on which they started off. Like an arrow\ndarted away the Pike, closely followed by the Herring, the Gudgeon, the\nPerch, the Carp, and the rest. Even the Sole swam among them, hoping to\ngain the prize.\n\nAll at once a cry was heard, \u201cThe Herring is first, the Herring is\nfirst!\u201d \u201cWho is first?\u201d asked the flat, envious Sole in a vexed tone.\n\u201cWho is first?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Herring, the Herring!\u201d was the reply. \u201cThe nak-ed Herring, the\nnak-ed Herring!\u201d cried the Sole disdainfully.\n\nAnd ever since that time the Sole\u2019s mouth has been all awry as a\npunishment for his wicked envy.\n\n\n\n\n _The Three Brothers_\n\n\nThere was once a man who had three sons, but no fortune except the house\nhe lived in. Now, each of them wanted to have the house after his death;\nbut their father was just as fond of one as of the other, and did not\nknow how to treat them all fairly. He did not want to sell the house,\nbecause it had belonged to his forefathers, or he might have divided the\nmoney between them.\n\nAt last an idea came into his head, and he said to his sons: \u201cGo out\ninto the world, and each learn a trade, and when you come home, the one\nwho makes best use of his handicraft shall have the house.\u201d\n\nThe sons were quite content with this plan, and the eldest decided to be\na farrier, the second a barber, and the third a fencing master. They\nfixed a time when they would all meet at home again, and then they set\noff.\n\nIt so happened that they each found a clever master with whom they\nlearned their business thoroughly. The farrier shod the king\u2019s horses,\nand he thought, \u201cI shall certainly be the one to have the house.\u201d\n\nThe barber shaved nobody but grand gentlemen, so he thought it would\nfall to him.\n\nThe fencing master got many blows, but he set his teeth, and would not\nlet himself be put out, because he thought, \u201cIf I am afraid of a blow, I\nshall never get the house.\u201d\n\nNow, when the given time had passed, they all went home together to\ntheir father; but they did not know how to get a good opportunity of\nshowing off their powers, and sat down to discuss the matter.\n\nSuddenly a hare came running over the field.\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d cried the barber, \u201cshe comes just in the nick of time.\u201d\n\nHe took up his bowl and his soap, and got his lather by the time the\nhare came quite close, then he soaped her in full career, and shaved her\nas she raced along, without giving her cut or missing a single hair. His\nfather, astonished, said: \u201cIf the others don\u2019t look out, the house will\nbe yours.\u201d\n\nBefore long a gentleman came along in his carriage at full gallop.\n\n\u201cNow, father, you shall see what I can do,\u201d said the farrier, and he ran\nafter the carriage and tore the four shoes off the horse as he galloped\nalong, then, without stopping a second, shod him with new ones.\n\n\u201cYou are a fine fellow, indeed,\u201d said his father. \u201cYou know your\nbusiness as well as your brother. I don\u2019t know which I shall give the\nhouse to at this rate.\u201d\n\nThen the third one said: \u201cLet me have a chance, too, father.\u201d\n\nAs it was beginning to rain, he drew his sword and swirled it round and\nround his head, so that not a drop fell on him. Even when the rain grew\nheavier, so heavy that it seemed as if it was being poured from the sky\nout of buckets, he swung the sword faster and faster, and remained as\ndry as if he had been under a roof.\n\nHis father was amazed, and said: \u201cYou have done the best; the house is\nyours.\u201d\n\nBoth the other brothers were quite satisfied with this decision, and as\nthey were all so devoted to one another, they lived together in the\nhouse, and carried on their trades, by which they made plenty of money,\nsince they were so perfect in them.\n\nThey lived happily together to a good old age, and when one fell ill and\ndied, the others grieved so much over him that they pined away and soon\nafter departed this life.\n\nThen, as they had been so fond of one another, they were all buried in\none grave.\n\n\n\n\n _The Wren and the Bear_\n\n\nOne summer\u2019s day the bear and the wolf were walking in the forest, and\nthe bear heard a bird singing very sweetly, and said: \u201cBrother Wolf,\nwhat kind of bird is that which is singing so delightfully?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is the king of the birds, before whom we must do reverence,\u201d\nreplied the wolf; but it was only the wren.\n\n\u201cIf that be so,\u201d said the bear, \u201cI should like to see his royal palace;\ncome, lead me to it.\u201d \u201cThat cannot be as you like,\u201d replied the wolf.\n\u201cYou must wait till the queen returns.\u201d Soon afterward the queen arrived\nwith some food in her bill, and the king, too, to feed their young ones,\nand the bear would have gone off to see them, but the wolf, pulling his\near, said: \u201cNo, you must wait till the queen and the king are both off\nagain.\u201d\n\nSo, after observing well the situation of the nest, the two tramped off,\nbut the bear had no rest, for he wished still to see the royal palace,\nand after a short delay he set off to it again. He found the king and\nqueen absent, and, peeping into the nest, he saw five or six young birds\nlying in it. \u201cIs this the royal palace?\u201d exclaimed the bear; \u201cthis\nmiserable place! You are no king\u2019s children, but wretched young brats.\u201d\n\u201cNo, no, that we are not!\u201d burst out the little wrens together in a\ngreat passion, for to them this speech was addressed. \u201cNo, no, we are\nborn of honorable parents, and you, Mr. Bear, shall make your words\ngood!\u201d At this speech the bear and the wolf were much frightened, and\nran back to their holes; but the little wrens kept up an unceasing\nclamor till their parents\u2019 return. As soon as they came back with food\nin their mouths the little birds began, \u201cWe will none of us touch a\nfly\u2019s leg, but will starve rather, until you decide whether we are fine\nand handsome children or not, for the bear has been here and insulted\nus!\u201d\n\n\u201cBe quiet,\u201d replied the king, \u201cand that shall soon be settled.\u201d And\nthereupon he flew with his queen to the residence of the bear, and\ncalled to him from the entrance, \u201cOld grumbler, why have you insulted my\nchildren? That shall cost you dear, for we will decide the matter by a\npitched battle.\u201d\n\nWar having thus been declared against the bear, all the four-footed\nbeasts were summoned: the ox, the ass, the cow, the goat, the stag, and\nevery animal on the face of the earth. The wren, on the other hand,\nsummoned every flying thing; not only the birds, great and small, but\nalso the gnat, the hornet, the bee, and the flies.\n\nWhen the time arrived for the commencement of the war, the wren king\nsent out spies to see who was appointed commander-in-chief of the enemy.\nThe gnat was the most cunning of all the army, and he, therefore, buzzed\naway into the forest where the enemy was encamped, and alighted on a\nleaf of the tree beneath which the watchword was given out. There stood\nthe bear and called the fox to him, and said: \u201cYou are the most crafty\nof animals, so you must be general, and lead us on.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d said the\nfox, \u201cbut what sign shall we appoint?\u201d Nobody answered. Then the fox\nsaid: \u201cI have a fine long bushy tail, which looks like a red feather at\na distance; if I hold this tail straight up, all is going well and you\nmust march after me; but if I suffer it to hang down, run away as fast\nas you can.\u201d As soon as the gnat heard all this she flew home and told\nthe wren king everything to a hair.\n\nWhen the day arrived for the battle to begin, the four-footed beasts all\ncame running along to the field, shaking the earth with their roaring\nand bellowing. The wren king also came with his army, whirring and\nbuzzing and humming enough to terrify any one out of his senses. Then\nthe wren king sent the hornet forward to settle upon the fox\u2019s tail and\nsting it with all his power. As soon as the fox felt the first sting he\ndrew up his hind leg with the pain, still carrying, however, his tail as\nhigh in the air as before; at the second sting he was obliged to drop it\na little bit; but at the third he could no longer bear the pain, but was\nforced to drop his tail between his legs. As soon as the other beasts\nsaw this, they thought all was lost, and began to run each one to his\nown hole; so the birds won the battle without difficulty.\n\nWhen all was over the wren king and his queen flew home to their\nchildren, and cried out: \u201cRejoice! rejoice! we have won the battle; now\neat and drink as much as you please.\u201d\n\nThe young wrens, however, said: \u201cStill we will not eat till the bear has\ncome to our nest and begged pardon, and admitted that we are fine and\nhandsome children.\u201d\n\nSo the wren king flew back to the cave of the bear, and called out, \u201cOld\ngrumbler, you must come to the nest and beg pardon of my children for\ncalling them wretched young brats, else your ribs shall be crushed in\nyour body!\u201d\n\nIn great terror the bear crept out and begged pardon; and afterward the\nyoung wrens, being now made happy in their minds, settled down to eating\nand drinking, and I am afraid they were over-excited and kept up their\nmerriment far too late.\n\n\n\n\n _The Musicians of Bremen_\n\n\nA certain man had a donkey that had served him faithfully for many long\nyears, but whose strength was so far gone that at last he was quite\nunfit for work. So his master began to consider how much he could make\nof the donkey\u2019s skin, but the beast, perceiving that no good wind was\nblowing, ran away along the road to Bremen. \u201cThere,\u201d thought he, \u201cI can\nbe town musician.\u201d When he had run some way, he found a hound lying by\nthe roadside, yawning like one who was very tired. \u201cWhat are you yawning\nfor now, you big fellow?\u201d asked the ass.\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d replied the hound, \u201cbecause every day I grow older and weaker; I\ncannot go any more to the hunt, and my master has well-nigh beaten me to\ndeath, so that I took to flight; and now I do not know how to earn my\nbread.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, do you know,\u201d said the ass, \u201cI am going to Bremen, to be town\nmusician there; suppose you go with me and take a share in the music. I\nwill play on the lute, and you shall beat the kettledrums.\u201d The dog was\nsatisfied, and off they set.\n\nPresently they came to a cat, sitting in the middle of the path, with a\nface like three rainy days! \u201cNow, then, old shaver, what has crossed\nyou?\u201d asked the ass.\n\n\u201cHow can one be merry when one\u2019s neck has been pinched like mine?\u201d\nanswered the cat. \u201cBecause I am growing old, and my teeth are all worn\nto stumps, and because I would rather sit by the fire and spin, than run\nafter mice, my mistress wanted to drown me; and so I ran away. But now\ngood advice is dear, and I do not know what to do.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo with us to Bremen. You understand nocturnal music, so you can be\ntown musician.\u201d The cat consented, and went with them. The three\nvagabonds soon came near a farmyard, where, upon the barn door, the cock\nwas sitting crowing with all his might. \u201cYou crow through marrow and\nbone,\u201d said the ass; \u201cwhat do you do that for?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is the way I prophesy fine weather,\u201d said the cock; \u201cbut, because\ngrand guests are coming for the Sunday, the housewife has no pity, and\nhas told the cook-maid to make me into soup for the morrow; and this\nevening my head will be cut off. Now I am crowing with a full throat as\nlong as I can.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, but you, Red-comb,\u201d replied the ass, \u201crather come away with us. We\nare going to Bremen, to find there something better than death; you have\na good voice, and if we make music together it will have full play.\u201d\n\nThe cock consented to this plan, and so all four traveled on together.\nThey could not, however, reach Bremen in one day, and at evening they\ncame into a forest, where they meant to pass the night. The ass and the\ndog laid themselves down under a large tree, the cat and the cock\nclimbed up into the branches, but the latter flew right to the top,\nwhere he was most safe. Before he went to sleep he looked all round the\nfour quarters, and soon thought he saw a little spark in the distance;\nso, calling his companions, he said they were not far from a house, for\nhe saw a light. The ass said: \u201cIf it is so, we had better get up and go\nfarther, for the pasturage here is very bad\u201d; and the dog continued:\n\u201cYes, indeed! a couple of bones with some meat on would be very\nacceptable!\u201d So they made haste toward the spot where the light was, and\nwhich shone now brighter and brighter, until they came to a well-lighted\nrobber\u2019s cottage. The ass, as the biggest, went to the window and peeped\nin. \u201cWhat do you see, Gray-horse?\u201d asked the cock. \u201cWhat do I see?\u201d\nreplied the ass; \u201ca table laid out with savory meats and drinks, with\nrobbers sitting around enjoying themselves.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat would be the right sort of thing for us,\u201d said the cock.\n\n\u201cYes, yes, I wish we were there,\u201d replied the ass. Then these animals\ntook counsel together how they should contrive to drive away the\nrobbers, and at last they thought of a way. The ass placed his forefeet\nupon the window ledge, the hound got on his back, the cat climbed up\nupon the dog, and, lastly, the cock flew up and perched upon the head of\nthe cat. When this was accomplished, at a given signal they commenced\ntogether to perform their music: the ass brayed, the dog barked, the cat\nmewed, and the cock crew; and they made such a tremendous noise, and so\nloud, that the panes of the window were shivered! Terrified at these\nunearthly sounds, the robbers got up with great precipitation, thinking\nnothing less than that some spirits had come, and fled off into the\nforest, so the four companions immediately sat down at the table, and\nquickly ate up all that was left, as if they had been fasting for six\nweeks.\n\nAs soon as they had finished, they extinguished the light, and each\nsought for himself a sleeping-place, according to his nature and custom.\nThe ass laid himself down upon some straw, the hound behind the door,\nthe cat upon the hearth, near the warm ashes, and the cock flew up on a\nbeam which ran across the room. Weary with their long walk, they soon\nwent to sleep.\n\nAt midnight the robbers perceived from their retreat that no light was\nburning in their house, and all appeared quiet; so the captain said: \u201cWe\nneed not have been frightened into fits\u201d; and, calling one of the band,\nhe sent him forward to reconnoiter. The messenger, finding all still,\nwent into the kitchen to strike a light, and, taking the glistening,\nfiery eyes of the cat for live coals, he held a lucifer match to them,\nexpecting it to take fire. But the cat, not understanding the joke, flew\nin his face, spitting and scratching, which dreadfully frightened him,\nso that he made for the back door; but the dog, who laid there, sprang\nup and bit his leg; and as he limped upon the straw where the ass was\nstretched out, it gave him a powerful kick with its hind foot. This was\nnot all, for the cock, awaking at the noise, clapped his wings, and\ncried from the beam: \u201cCock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle-do!\u201d\n\nThen the robber ran back as well as he could to his captain, and said:\n\u201cAh, my master, there dwells a horrible witch in the house, who spat on\nme and scratched my face with her long nails; and then before the door\nstands a man with a knife, who chopped at my leg; and in the yard there\nlies a black monster, who beat me with a great wooden club; and besides\nall, upon the roof sits a judge, who called out, \u2018Bring the knave up,\ndo!\u2019 so I ran away as fast as I could.\u201d\n\nAfter this the robbers dared not again go near their house; but\neverything prospered so well with the four town musicians of Bremen,\nthat they did not forsake their situation! And there they are to this\nday, for anything I know.\n\n\n\n\n _The Fox and the Cat_\n\n\nIt happened once that the cat met Mr. Fox in the wood, and because she\nthought he was clever and experienced in all the ways of the world, she\naddressed him in a friendly manner.\n\n\u201cGood-morning, dear Mr. Fox! how are you, and how do you get along in\nthese hard times?\u201d\n\nThe fox, full of pride, looked at the cat from head to foot for some\ntime, hardly knowing whether he would deign to answer or not. At last he\nsaid:\n\n\u201cOh, you poor whisker-wiper, you silly piebald, you starveling\nmouse-hunter! what has come into your head? How dare you ask me how I am\ngetting on? What sort of education have you had? How many arts are you\nmaster of?\u201d\n\n\u201cOnly one,\u201d said the cat meekly.\n\n\u201cAnd what might that one be?\u201d asked the fox.\n\n\u201cWhen the dogs run after me, I can jump into a tree and save myself.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that all?\u201d said the fox. \u201cI am master of a hundred arts, and I have\na sackful of cunning tricks in addition. But I pity you. Come with me,\nand I will teach you how to escape from the dogs.\u201d\n\nJust then a huntsman came along with four hounds. The cat sprang\ntrembling into a tree, and crept stealthily up to the topmost branch,\nwhere she was entirely hidden by twigs and leaves.\n\n\u201cOpen your sack, Mr. Fox! open your sack!\u201d cried the cat, but the dogs\nhad gripped him, and held him fast.\n\n\u201cOh, Mr. Fox!\u201d cried the cat, \u201cyou with your hundred arts, and your\nsackful of tricks, are held fast, while I, with my one, am safe. Had you\nbeen able to creep up here, you would not have lost your life.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Golden Key_\n\n\nOne winter, when a deep snow was lying on the ground, a poor boy had to\ngo out in a sledge to fetch wood. As soon as he had collected together a\nsufficient quantity, he thought that before he returned home he would\nmake a fire to warm himself, because his limbs were so frozen. So,\nsweeping the snow away, he made a clear space, and presently found a\nsmall gold key. As soon as he picked it up, he began to think that where\nthere was a key there must also be a lock; and, digging in the earth, he\nfound a small iron chest. \u201cI hope the key will fit,\u201d thought he to\nhimself; \u201cthere are certainly great treasures in this box!\u201d He looked\nall over it, but could not find any keyhole; but at last he did discover\none, which was, however, so small that it could scarcely be seen. He\ntried the key, and behold! it fitted exactly. Then he turned it once\nround, and now, if you will wait until he has quite unlocked it, and\nlifted up the lid, then we shall learn what wonderful treasures were in\nthe chest!\n\n\n\n\n _Doctor Know-All_\n\n\nA long time ago there lived a peasant named \u201cCrabb,\u201d who one day drove\ninto a certain city his cart laden with a bundle of faggots, drawn by\ntwo oxen. He soon found a purchaser for his wood in the person of a\nlearned doctor, who bought it for two dollars, and, while the money was\nbeing counted out, the peasant, peeping in at the door, saw how\ncomfortably his customer was eating and drinking; and the thought\nthereupon came into his head that he would like to be a professor, too.\nSo he waited a little while, and at last mustered courage to ask whether\nhe could not be a doctor. \u201cOh, yes,\u201d replied the doctor, \u201cthat can soon\nbe managed!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat must I do?\u201d asked the peasant.\n\n\u201cFirst of all, buy an A B C book, one which has a cock-a-doodle-do for a\nfrontispiece; secondly, sell your cart and oxen, and turn them into\nmoney to buy good clothes with, and what else belongs to a doctor\u2019s\nappearance; lastly, let a sign be painted, with the words, \u2018I am the\nDoctor Know-All,\u2019 and nail that over your house door.\u201d\n\nThe countryman did all that he was told, and after he had practised a\nlittle time, but not to much purpose, a certain very wealthy baron had\nsome money stolen from him. Mention was made to the baron of Doctor\nKnow-All, who dwelt in such a village, and who would be sure to know\nwhere the money was gone. As soon as the baron heard of him, he ordered\nhis horses put to his carriage and drove to the place where the doctor\nlived. The baron inquired if he were the Doctor Know-All, and he\nreplying \u201cYes,\u201d the baron said he must return with him and discover his\nmoney.\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d replied the doctor; \u201cbut my wife Gertrude must accompany\nme.\u201d\n\nTo this the baron agreed, and, all being seated in the carriage, away\nthey drove back again. When they arrived at the house a splendid\ncollation was on the table, of which the doctor was invited to partake.\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d said he, \u201cbut my wife Gertrude, too\u201d; and he sat down with\nher at the bottom of the table. As soon as the first servant entered\nwith a dish of delicate soup, the doctor poked his wife, saying, \u201cHe is\nthe first!\u201d meaning he was the first who had brought in meat. But the\nservant imagined he meant to say, \u201cHe is the first thief!\u201d and because\nhe really was so, he felt very much disturbed, and told his comrades in\nthe kitchen, \u201cThe doctor knows all; we shall come off badly, for he has\nsaid I am the first!\u201d When the second servant heard this he felt afraid\nto go; but he was obliged, and as soon as he entered the room with the\ndish, the man poked his wife again, and said: \u201cGertrude, that is the\nsecond!\u201d This frightened the servant so much that he left the room as\nsoon as possible; and the third servant who entered fared no better, for\nthe doctor said to his wife, \u201cThat is the third!\u201d The fourth servant had\nto bring in a covered dish, and the baron said to the doctor he must\nshow his powers by telling truly what was in the dish. Now, there were\ncrabs in it, and the doctor looked at the dish for some minutes,\nconsidering how to get out of the scrape. At last he cried out: \u201cOh,\npoor _Crabb_ that I am!\u201d When the baron heard this, he exclaimed: \u201cGood!\nhe knows it! he knows, too, where my money is!\u201d\n\nThe servant, however, was terribly frightened; and he winked to the\ndoctor to follow him out. When he had done so, he found all four\nservants there who had stolen the money, and were now so eager to get\noff that they offered him a large sum if he would not betray them; for\nif he did their necks would be in danger. They led him also to the place\nwhere the money lay hid, and the doctor was so pleased that he gave them\nthe required promise, and then returned to the house, where he sat down\nagain at table, and, producing his book, said: \u201cI will now look in my\nbook, baron, and discover the place where the money lies.\u201d A fifth\nservant, who had had a share in the robbery, wished to hear if the\ndoctor knew more, and so he crept up the chimney to listen. Below sat\nthe countryman, turning the leaves of his book backward and forward,\nforward and backward, looking for the cock-a-doodle-doo. However, he\ncould not find it, and he at length exclaimed, \u201cYou must come out, for I\nknow you are in it!\u201d This made the servant up the chimney believe he\nmeant him, and down he slipped, and came out, crying, \u201cThe man knows\nall, the man knows all!\u201d\n\nThen Doctor Know-All showed the baron where the money lay; but he said\nnothing about who had stolen it, so that from both sides he received a\nlarge sum of money as a reward, and, moreover, he became a very\ncelebrated character.\n\n\n\n\n _The Fair Catherine and Pif-Paf Poltrie_\n\n\n\u201cGood Day, Father Hollenthe. How do you do?\u201d \u201cVery well, I thank you,\nPif-paf Poltrie.\u201d \u201cMay I marry your daughter?\u201d \u201cOh, yes! if the mother\nMalcho (_Milk-Cow_), the brother Hohenstolz (_High and Mighty_), the\nsister K\u00e2setraut (_Cheese-maker_), and the fair Catherine are willing,\nit may be so.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere is, then, the mother Malcho?\u201d\n\n\u201cIn the stable, milking the cow.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood day, mother Malcho. How do you do?\u201d \u201cVery well, I thank you,\nPif-paf Poltrie.\u201d \u201cMay I marry your daughter?\u201d \u201cOh, yes! if the father\nHollenthe, the brother Hohenstolz, the sister K\u00e2setraut, and the fair\nCatherine are willing, it may be so.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere is, then, the brother Hohenstolz?\u201d\n\n\u201cIn the yard, chopping up the wood.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood day, brother Hohenstolz. How are you?\u201d \u201cVery well, I thank you,\nPif-paf Poltrie.\u201d \u201cMay I marry your sister?\u201d \u201cOh, yes! if the father\nHollenthe, the mother Malcho, the sister K\u00e2setraut, and the fair\nCatherine are willing, it may be so.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere is, then, the sister K\u00e2setraut?\u201d\n\n\u201cIn the garden, cutting the cabbages.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood day, sister K\u00e2setraut. How do you do?\u201d \u201cVery well, I thank you,\nPif-paf Poltrie.\u201d \u201cMay I marry your sister?\u201d \u201cOh, yes! if the father\nHollenthe, the mother Malcho, the brother Hohenstolz, and the fair\nCatherine are willing, it may be so.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere is, then, the fair Catherine?\u201d\n\n\u201cIn her chamber, counting out her pennies.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood day, fair Catherine. How do you do?\u201d \u201cVery well, I thank you,\nPif-paf Poltrie.\u201d \u201cWill you be my bride?\u201d \u201cOh, yes! if the father\nHollenthe, the mother Malcho, the brother Hohenstolz, and the sister\nK\u00e2setraut are willing, so am I.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow much money have you, fair Catherine?\u201d\n\n\u201cFourteen pennies in bare money, two and a half farthings owing to me,\nhalf a pound of dried apples, a handful of prunes, and a handful of\nroots; and don\u2019t you call that a capital dowry? Pif-paf Poltrie, what\ntrade are you? Are you a tailor?\u201d\n\n\u201cBetter than that.\u201d\n\n\u201cA shoemaker?\u201d\n\n\u201cBetter still!\u201d\n\n\u201cA plowman?\u201d\n\n\u201cBetter still!\u201d\n\n\u201cA joiner?\u201d\n\n\u201cBetter still!\u201d\n\n\u201cA smith?\u201d\n\n\u201cBetter still!\u201d\n\n\u201cA miller?\u201d\n\n\u201cBetter still!\u201d\n\n\u201cPerhaps a broom-binder?\u201d \u201cYes, so I am; now, is not that a pretty\ntrade?\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Wolf and the Fox_\n\n\nA wolf, once upon a time, caught a fox. It happened one day that they\nwere both going through the forest, and the wolf said to his companion:\n\u201cGet me some food, or I will eat you up.\u201d\n\nThe fox replied: \u201cI know a farmyard where there are a couple of young\nlambs, which, if you wish, we will fetch.\u201d\n\nThis proposal pleased the wolf, so they went, and the fox, stealing\nfirst one of the lambs, brought it to the wolf, and then ran away. The\nwolf devoured it quickly, but was not contented, and went to fetch the\nother lamb by himself, but he did it so awkwardly that he aroused the\nattention of the mother, who began to cry and bleat loudly, so that the\npeasants ran up. There they found the wolf, and beat him so unmercifully\nthat he ran, howling and limping, to the fox, and said: \u201cYou have led me\nto a nice place, for, when I went to fetch the other lamb, the peasants\ncame and beat me terribly!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy are you such a glutton, then?\u201d asked the fox.\n\nThe next day they went again into the fields, and the covetous wolf said\nto the fox: \u201cGet me something to eat now, or I will devour you!\u201d\n\nThe fox said he knew a country house where the cook was going that\nevening to make some pancakes, and thither they went. When they arrived,\nthe fox sneaked and crept around round the house, until he at last\ndiscovered where the dish was standing, out of which he stole six\npancakes, and took them to the wolf, saying, \u201cThere is something for you\nto eat!\u201d and then ran away. The wolf dispatched these in a minute or\ntwo, and, wishing to taste some more, he went and seized the dish, but\ntook it away so hurriedly that it broke in pieces. The noise of its fall\nbrought out the woman, who, as soon as she saw the wolf, called her\npeople, who, hastening up, beat him with such a good will that he ran\nhome to the fox, howling, with two lame legs! \u201cWhat a horrid place you\nhave drawn me into now,\u201d cried he; \u201cthe peasants have caught me, and\ndressed my skin finely!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, then, are you such a glutton?\u201d said the fox.\n\nWhen they went out again the third day, the wolf limping along with\nweariness, he said to the fox: \u201cGet me something to eat now, or I will\ndevour you!\u201d\n\nThe fox said he knew a man who had just killed a pig, and salted the\nmeat down in a cask in his cellar, and that they could get at it. The\nwolf replied that he would go with him on condition that he helped him\nif he could not escape. \u201cOh, of course I will, on mine own account!\u201d\nsaid the fox, and showed him the tricks and ways by which they could get\ninto the cellar. When they went in there was meat in abundance, and the\nwolf was enraptured at the sight. The fox, too, had a taste, but kept\nlooking round while eating, and ran frequently to the hole by which they\nhad entered, to see if his body would slip through it easily. Presently\nthe wolf asked: \u201cWhy are you running about so, you fox, jumping in and\nout?\u201d \u201cI want to see if any one is coming,\u201d replied the fox cunningly;\n\u201cbut mind you do not eat too much!\u201d\n\nThe wolf said he would not leave till the cask was quite empty; and\nmeanwhile the peasant, who had heard the noise made by the fox, entered\nthe cellar. The fox, as soon as he saw him, made a spring, and was\nthrough the hole in a jiffy; and the wolf tried to follow his example,\nbut he had eaten so much that his body was too big for the opening, and\nhe stuck fast. Then came the peasant with a cudgel, and beat him sorely;\nbut the fox leaped away into the forest, very glad to get rid of the old\nglutton.\n\n\n\n\n _Discreet Hans_\n\n\nHans\u2019 mother asked: \u201cWhither are you going, Hans?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel\u2019s,\u201d\nreplied he. \u201cBehave well, Hans.\u201d \u201cI will take care; good-by, mother.\u201d\n\u201cGood-by, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans came to Grethel. \u201cGood day,\u201d said he. \u201cGood day,\u201d replied Grethel,\n\u201cwhat treasure do you bring to-day?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing. Have you anything\nto give?\u201d Grethel presented Hans with a needle. \u201cGood-by,\u201d said he.\n\u201cGood-by, Hans.\u201d Hans took the needle, stuck it in a load of hay, and\nwalked home behind the wagon.\n\n\u201cGood evening, mother.\u201d \u201cGood evening, Hans. Where have you been?\u201d \u201cTo\nGrethel\u2019s.\u201d \u201cAnd what have you given her?\u201d \u201cNothing; she has given me\nsomething.\u201d \u201cWhat has Grethel given you?\u201d \u201cA needle,\u201d said Hans. \u201cAnd\nwhere have you put it?\u201d \u201cIn the load of hay.\u201d \u201cThen you have behaved\nstupidly, Hans; you should put needles on your coat-sleeve.\u201d \u201cTo behave\nbetter, do nothing at all,\u201d thought Hans.\n\n\u201cWhither are you going, Hans?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel\u2019s, mother.\u201d \u201cBehave well,\nHans.\u201d \u201cI will take care; good-by, mother.\u201d \u201cGood-by, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans came to Grethel. \u201cGood day,\u201d said he. \u201cGood day, Hans. What\ntreasure do you bring?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing. Have you anything to give?\u201d\nGrethel gave Hans a knife. \u201cGood-by, Grethel.\u201d \u201cGood-by, Hans.\u201d Hans\ntook the knife, put it in his sleeve, and went home.\n\n\u201cGood evening, mother.\u201d \u201cGood evening, Hans. Where have you been?\u201d \u201cTo\nGrethel\u2019s.\u201d \u201cAnd what did you take to her?\u201d \u201cI took nothing; she has\ngiven to me.\u201d \u201cAnd what did she give you?\u201d \u201cA knife,\u201d said Hans. \u201cAnd\nwhere have you put it?\u201d \u201cIn my sleeve.\u201d \u201cThen you have behaved foolishly\nagain, Hans; you should put knives in your pocket.\u201d \u201cTo behave better,\ndo nothing at all,\u201d thought Hans.\n\n\u201cWhither are you going, Hans?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel\u2019s, mother.\u201d \u201cBehave well,\nHans.\u201d \u201cI will take care; good-by, mother.\u201d \u201cGood-by, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans came to Grethel. \u201cGood day, Grethel.\u201d \u201cGood day, Hans. What\ntreasure do you bring?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing. Have you anything to give?\u201d\nGrethel gave Hans a young goat. \u201cGood-by, Grethel.\u201d \u201cGood-by, Hans.\u201d\nHans took the goat, tied its legs, and put it in his pocket.\n\nJust as he reached home it was suffocated. \u201cGood evening, mother.\u201d \u201cGood\nevening, Hans. Where have you been?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel\u2019s.\u201d \u201cAnd what did you\ntake to her?\u201d \u201cI took nothing; she gave to me.\u201d \u201cAnd what did Grethel\ngive you?\u201d \u201cA goat.\u201d \u201cWhere did you put it, Hans?\u201d \u201cIn my pocket.\u201d\n\u201cThere you acted stupidly, Hans; you should have tied the goat with a\nrope.\u201d \u201cTo behave better, do nothing,\u201d thought Hans.\n\n\u201cWhither away, Hans?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel\u2019s, mother.\u201d \u201cBehave well, Hans.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll\ntake care; good-by, mother.\u201d \u201cGood-by, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans came to Grethel. \u201cGood day,\u201d said he. \u201cGood day, Hans. What\ntreasure do you bring?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing. Have you anything to give?\u201d\nGrethel gave Hans a piece of bacon. \u201cGood-by, Grethel.\u201d \u201cGood-by, Hans.\u201d\nHans took the bacon, tied it with a rope, and swung it to and fro so\nthat the dogs came and ate it up. When he reached home he held the rope\nin his hand, but there was nothing on it.\n\n\u201cGood evening, mother,\u201d said he. \u201cGood evening, Hans. Where have you\nbeen?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel\u2019s, mother.\u201d \u201cWhat did you take there?\u201d \u201cI took\nnothing; she gave to me.\u201d \u201cAnd what did Grethel give you?\u201d \u201cA piece of\nbacon,\u201d said Hans. \u201cAnd where have you put it?\u201d \u201cI tied it with a rope,\nswung it about, and the dogs came and ate it up.\u201d \u201cThere you acted\nstupidly, Hans; you should have carried the bacon on your head.\u201d \u201cTo\nbehave better, do nothing,\u201d thought Hans.\n\n\u201cWhither away, Hans?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel\u2019s, mother.\u201d \u201cBehave well, Hans.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll\ntake care; good-by, mother.\u201d \u201cGood-by, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans came to Grethel. \u201cGood day,\u201d said he. \u201cGood day, Hans. What\ntreasure do you bring?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing. Have you anything to give?\u201d\nGrethel gave Hans a calf. \u201cGood-by,\u201d said Hans. \u201cGood-by.\u201d Hans took the\ncalf, set it on his head, and the calf scratched his face.\n\n\u201cGood evening, mother.\u201d \u201cGood evening, Hans. Where have you been?\u201d \u201cTo\nGrethel\u2019s.\u201d \u201cWhat did you take her?\u201d \u201cI took nothing; she gave to me.\u201d\n\u201cAnd what did Grethel give you?\u201d \u201cA calf,\u201d said Hans. \u201cAnd what did you\ndo with it?\u201d \u201cI set it on my head, and it kicked my face.\u201d \u201cThen you\nacted stupidly, Hans; you should have led the calf home, and put it in\nthe stall.\u201d \u201cTo behave better, do nothing,\u201d thought Hans.\n\n\u201cWhither away, Hans?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel\u2019s, mother.\u201d \u201cBehave well, Hans.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll\ntake care; good-by, mother.\u201d \u201cGood-by, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans came to Grethel. \u201cGood day,\u201d said he. \u201cGood day, Hans. What\ntreasure do you bring?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing. Have you anything to give?\u201d\nGrethel said: \u201cI will go with you, Hans.\u201d Hans tied a rope round\nGrethel, led her home, put her in the stall, and made the rope fast; and\nthen he went to his mother.\n\n\u201cGood evening, mother.\u201d \u201cGood evening, Hans. Where have you been?\u201d \u201cTo\nGrethel\u2019s.\u201d \u201cWhat did you take her?\u201d \u201cI took nothing.\u201d \u201cWhat did Grethel\ngive you?\u201d \u201cShe gave nothing; she came with me.\u201d \u201cAnd where have you\nleft her, then?\u201d \u201cI tied her with a rope, put her in the stall, and\nthrew in some grass.\u201d \u201cThen you acted stupidly, Hans; you should have\nlooked at her with friendly eyes.\u201d \u201cTo behave better, do nothing,\u201d\nthought Hans; and then he went into the stall, and made sheep\u2019s eyes at\nGrethel.\n\nAnd after that Grethel became Hans\u2019 wife.\n\n\n\n\n _King Thrush-beard_\n\n\nA certain king had a daughter who was beautiful above all belief, but\nwithal so proud and haughty, that no suitor was good enough for her, and\nshe not only turned back every one who came, but also made game of them\nall. Once the king proclaimed a great festival, and invited thereto from\nfar and near all the marriageable young men. When they arrived they were\nall set in a row, according to their rank and standing: first the kings,\nthen the princes, the dukes, the marquesses, the earls, and, last of\nall, the barons. Then the king\u2019s daughter was led down the rows, but she\nfound something to make game of it all. One was too fat. \u201cThe wine-tub!\u201d\nsaid she. Another was too tall. \u201cLong and lanky; has no grace,\u201d she\nremarked. A third was too short and fat. \u201cToo stout to have any wits,\u201d\nsaid she. A fourth was too pale. \u201cLike Death himself,\u201d was her remark,\nand a fifth, who had a great deal of color, she called \u201ca cockatoo.\u201d The\nsixth was not straight enough, and him she called \u201ca green log scorched\nin the oven!\u201d And so she went on, nicknaming every one of the suitors,\nbut she made particularly merry with a good young king whose chin had\ngrown rather crooked. \u201cHa, ha!\u201d laughed she, \u201che has a chin like a\nthrush\u2019s beak\u201d; and after that day he went by the name of Thrush-beard.\n\nThe old king, however, when he saw that his daughter did nothing but\nmock at and make sport of all the suitors who were collected, became\nvery angry, and swore that she should take the first decent beggar for a\nhusband who came to the gate.\n\nA couple of days after this a player came beneath the windows to sing\nand earn some bounty if he could. As soon as the king saw him he ordered\nhim to be called up, and presently he came into the room in all his\ndirty, ragged clothes, and sang before the king and princess, and when\nhe had finished he begged for a slight recompense. The king said: \u201cThy\nsong has pleased so much that I will give thee my daughter for a wife.\u201d\n\nThe princess was terribly frightened, but the king said: \u201cI have taken\nan oath, and mean to perform it, that I will give you to the first\nbeggar.\u201d All her remonstrances were in vain; the priest was called, and\nthe princess was married in earnest to the player. When the ceremony was\nperformed, the king said: \u201cNow, it cannot be suffered that you should\nstop here with your husband, in my house; no! you must travel about the\ncountry with him.\u201d\n\nSo the beggarman led her away, and she was forced to trudge along with\nhim on foot. As they came to a large forest, she asked:\n\n \u201cTo whom belongs this beautiful wood?\u201d\n\nThe echo replied:\n\n \u201cKing Thrush-beard the good!\n Had you taken him, it had been thine.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, silly,\u201d said she,\n\n \u201cWhat a lot had been mine\n Had I happily married King Thrush-beard!\u201d\n\nNext they came to a meadow, and she asked:\n\n\u201cTo whom belongs this meadow so green?\u201d\n\n\u201cTo King Thrush-beard,\u201d was again the reply.\n\nThen they came to a great city, and she asked:\n\n\u201cTo whom does this beautiful town belong?\u201d\n\n\u201cTo King Thrush-beard,\u201d said one.\n\n\u201cAh, what a simpleton was I that I did not marry him when I had the\nchance!\u201d exclaimed the poor princess.\n\n\u201cCome,\u201d broke in the player, \u201cit does not please me, I can tell you,\nthat you are always wishing for another husband; am I not good enough\nfor you?\u201d\n\nBy and by they came to a very small hut, and she said: \u201cAh, heavens, to\nwhom can this miserable, wretched hovel belong?\u201d\n\nThe player replied: \u201cThat is my house, where we shall live together.\u201d\n\nThe princess was obliged to stoop to get in at the door, and when she\nwas inside, she asked: \u201cWhere are the servants?\u201d \u201cWhat servants?\u201d\nexclaimed her husband. \u201cYou must yourself do all that you want done. Now\nmake a fire and put on some water, that you may cook my dinner, for I am\nquite tired.\u201d\n\nThe princess, however, understood nothing about making fires or cooking,\nand the beggar had to set to work himself, and as soon as they had\nfinished their scanty meal they went to bed. In the morning the husband\nwoke up his wife very early, that she might set the house to rights, and\nfor a couple of days they lived on in this way, and made an end of their\nstore. Then the husband said: \u201cWife, we must not go on in this way any\nlonger, stopping here, doing nothing; you must weave some baskets.\u201d So\nhe went out and cut some osiers and brought them home, but when his wife\nattempted to bend them the hard twigs wounded her hands and made them\nbleed. \u201cI see that won\u2019t suit,\u201d said her husband; \u201cyou had better spin,\nperhaps that will do better.\u201d\n\nSo she sat down to spin, but the harsh thread cut her tender fingers\nvery badly, so that the blood flowed freely. \u201cDo you see,\u201d said the\nhusband, \u201chow you are spoiling your work? I made a bad bargain in taking\nyou! Now I must try and make a business in pots and earthen vessels; you\nshall sit in the market and sell them.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, if anybody out of my father\u2019s dominions should come and see me in\nthe market selling pots,\u201d thought the princess to herself, \u201chow they\nwould laugh at me!\u201d\n\nHowever, all her excuses were in vain; she must either do that or die of\nhunger.\n\nThe first time all went well, for the people bought of the princess,\nbecause she was so pretty-looking, and not only gave her what she asked,\nbut some even laid down their money and left the pots behind. On her\nearnings this day, they lived for some time as long as they lasted; and\nthen the husband purchased a fresh stock of pots. With these she placed\nher stall at a corner of the market, offering them for sale. All at once\na drunken hussar came plunging down the street on his horse, and rode\nright into the midst of her earthenware, and shattered it into a\nthousand pieces. The accident, as well it might, set her a-weeping, and\nin her trouble, not knowing what to do, she ran home crying: \u201cAh, what\nwill become of me; what will my good man say?\u201d When she had told her\nhusband, he cried out: \u201cWho ever would have thought of sitting at the\ncorner of the market to sell earthenware? but well I see you are not\naccustomed to any ordinary work. There, leave off crying; I have been to\nthe king\u2019s palace, and asked if they were not in want of a kitchen-maid;\nand they have agreed to take you, and there you will live free of cost.\u201d\n\nNow the princess became a kitchen-maid, and was obliged to do as the\ncook bade her, and wash up the dirty things. Then she put a jar into\neach of her pockets, and in them she took home what was left of what\nfell to her share of the good things, and of these she and her husband\nmade their meals. Not many days afterward it happened that the wedding\nof the king\u2019s eldest son was to be celebrated, and the poor wife placed\nherself near the door of the saloon to look on. As the lamps were lit\nand guests more and more beautiful entered the room, and all dressed\nmost sumptuously, she reflected on her fate with a saddened heart, and\nrepented of the pride and haughtiness which had so humiliated and\nimpoverished her. Every now and then the servants threw her out of the\ndishes morsels of rich delicacies which they carried in, whose fragrant\nsmells increased her regrets, and these pieces she put into her pockets\nto carry home. Presently the king entered, clothed in silk and velvet,\nand having a golden chain round his neck. As soon as he saw the\nbeautiful maiden standing at the door, he seized her by the hand and\nwould dance with her, but she, terribly frightened, refused; for she saw\nit was King Thrush-beard, who had wooed her, and whom she had laughed\nat. Her struggles were of no avail; he drew her into the ball-room, and\nthere tore off the band to which the pots were attached, so that they\nfell down and the soup ran over the floor, while the pieces of meat,\netc., skipped about in all directions. When the fine folks saw this\nsight they burst into one universal shout of laughter and derision, and\nthe poor girl was so ashamed that she wished herself a thousand fathoms\nbelow the earth. She ran out at the door and would have escaped; but on\nthe steps she met a man, who took her back, and when she looked at him,\nlo! it was King Thrush-beard again. He spoke kindly to her, and said:\n\u201cBe not afraid; I and the musician, who dwelt with you in the wretched\nhut, are one; for love of you I have acted thus; and the hussar who rode\nin among the pots was also myself. All this has taken place in order to\nhumble your haughty disposition, and to punish you for your pride, which\nled you to mock me.\u201d\n\nAt these words she wept bitterly, and said: \u201cI am not worthy to be your\nwife, I have done you so great a wrong.\u201d But he replied: \u201cThose evil\ndays are passed; we will now celebrate our marriage.\u201d\n\nImmediately after came the bridesmaids, and put on her the most\nmagnificent dresses; and then her father and his whole court arrived,\nand wished her happiness on her wedding-day; and now commenced her true\njoy as queen of the country of King Thrush-beard.\n\n\n\n\n _The Three Luck-Children_\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a father, who called his three sons to him,\nand gave the first a cock, the second a scythe, and the third a cat, and\nthen addressed them thus: \u201cI am very old, and my end draweth nigh, but I\nwish to show my care for you before I die. Money I have not, and what I\nnow give you appears of little worth; but do not think that, for if each\nof you use his gift carefully, and seek some country where such a thing\nis not known, your fortunes will be made.\u201d\n\nSoon after, the father died, and the eldest son set out on his travels\nwith his cock, but wherever he came, such a creature was already well\nknown. In the towns he saw it from afar, sitting upon the church\nsteeples, and turning itself round with the wind; and in the villages he\nheard more than one crow, and nobody troubled himself about another, so\nthat it did not seem as if he would ever make his fortune by it. At\nlast, however, it fell out that he arrived on an island where the people\nknew nothing about cocks, nor even how to divide their time. They knew,\ncertainly, when it was evening and morning, but at night, if they did\nnot sleep through it, they could not comprehend the time. \u201cSee,\u201d said he\nto them, \u201cwhat a proud creature it is, what a fine red crown it wears on\nits head, and it has spurs like a knight! Thrice during the night it\nwill crow at certain hours, and the third time it calls you may know the\nsun will soon rise; but, if it crows by day, you may prepare then for a\nchange of weather.\u201d\n\nThe good people were well pleased, and the whole night they laid awake\nand listened to the cock, which crowed loudly and clearly at two, four,\nand six o\u2019clock. The next day they asked if the creature were not for\nsale, and how much he asked, and he replied: \u201cAs much gold as an ass can\nbear.\u201d \u201cA ridiculously small sum,\u201d said they, \u201cfor such a marvelous\ncreature!\u201d and gave him readily what he asked.\n\nWhen he returned home with his money, his brothers were astonished, and\nthe second said he would also go out and see what luck his scythe would\nbring him. But at first it did not seem likely that fortune would favor\nhim, for all the countrymen he met carried equally good scythes upon\ntheir shoulders. At last, however, he also came to an island whose\npeople were ignorant of the use of scythes; for when a field of corn was\nripe, they planted great cannons and shot it down! In this way, it was\nno uncommon thing that many of them shot quite over it; others hit the\nears instead of the stalks, and shot them quite away, so that a great\nquantity was always ruined, and the most doleful lamentations ensued.\nBut our hero, when he arrived, mowed away so silently and quickly, that\nthe people held their breath and noses with wonder, and willingly gave\nhim what he desired, which was a horse laden with as much gold as it\ncould carry.\n\nOn his return the third brother set out with his cat to try his luck,\nand it happened to him exactly as it had done to the others; so long as\nhe kept on the old roads he met with no place which did not already\nboast its cat; indeed, so many were there that the new-born kittens were\nusually drowned. At last he voyaged to an island where, luckily for him,\ncats were unknown animals; and yet, the mice were so numerous that they\ndanced upon the tables and chairs, whether the master of the house were\nat home or not. These people complained continually of the plague, and\nthe king himself knew not how to deliver them from it; for in every\ncorner the mice were swarming, and destroyed what they could not carry\naway in their teeth. The cat, however, on its arrival, commenced a grand\nhunt; and so soon cleared a couple of rooms of the troublesome visitors,\nthat the people begged the king to buy it for the use of his kingdom.\nThe king gave willingly the price that was asked for the wonderful\nanimal, and the third brother returned home with a still larger\ntreasure, in the shape of a mule laden with gold.\n\nMeanwhile the cat was having capital sport in the royal palace with the\nmice, and bit so many that the dead were not to be numbered. At last she\nbecame very thirsty with the hot work, and stopped, and, raising her\nhead, cried: \u201cMiau, miau!\u201d At the unusual sound, the king, together with\nall his courtiers, were much frightened, and in terror they ran out of\nthe castle. There the king held a council what it were best to do, and\nat length it was resolved to send a herald to the cat, to demand that\nshe should quit the castle, or force would be used to make her. \u201cFor,\u201d\nsaid the councilors, \u201cwe would rather be plagued by the mice, to which\nwe are accustomed, than surrender ourselves a prey to this beast.\u201d A\npage was accordingly sent to the cat to ask whether she would quit the\ncastle in peace; but the cat, whose thirst had all the while been\nincreasing, replied nothing but \u201cMiau, miau!\u201d The page understood her to\nsay, \u201cNo, no!\u201d and brought the king word accordingly. The councilors\nagreed then that she should feel their power, and cannons were brought\nout and fired, so that the castle was presently in flames. When the fire\nreached the room where the cat was, she sprang out of the window, but\nthe besiegers ceased not until the whole was leveled with the ground.\n\n\n\n\n _The Three Sluggards_\n\n\nA certain king had three sons, all of whom he loved so much that he did\nnot know which he should name to be king after him. When the day of his\ndeath approached, he called them to his bedside, and thus spoke to them:\n\u201cDear children, I have something on my mind that I wish to tell you;\nwhichever of you is the laziest, he shall be king when I am dead.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen, father, the kingdom belongs to me,\u201d said the eldest son; \u201cfor I\nam so lazy, that if I lie down to sleep, and tears come into my eyes, so\nthat I cannot close them, I yet go to sleep without wiping them away!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe kingdom belongs to me,\u201d cried the second son; \u201cfor I am so lazy\nthat when I sit by the fire to warm myself, I allow my boots to scorch\nbefore I will draw away my feet!\u201d\n\nBut the third son said: \u201cThe kingdom is mine, father, for I am so lazy\nthat, were I about to be hanged, and even had I the rope round my neck,\nand any one should give me a sharp sword to cut it with, I should suffer\nmyself to be swung off before I took the trouble to cut the rope!\u201d\n\nAs soon as the father heard this, he said to his youngest son: \u201cYou have\nshown yourself the laziest of all, and you shall be king.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Fisherman and his Wife_\n\n\nThere was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a miserable little\nhovel close to the sea. He went to fish every day, and he fished and\nfished, and at last one day, when he was sitting looking deep down into\nthe shining water, he felt something on his line. When he hauled it up\nthere was a great flounder on the end of the line. The flounder said to\nhim: \u201cLook here, fisherman, don\u2019t you kill me; I am no common flounder,\nI am an enchanted prince! What good will it do you to kill me? I sha\u2019n\u2019t\nbe good to eat; put me back into the water, and leave me to swim about.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the fisherman, \u201cyou need not make so many words about it. I\nam quite ready to put back a flounder that can talk.\u201d And so saying, he\nput back the flounder into the shining water, and it sank down to the\nbottom, leaving a streak of blood behind it.\n\nThen the fisherman got up and went back to his wife in the hovel.\n\u201cHusband,\u201d she said, \u201chast thou caught nothing today?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the man; \u201call I caught was one flounder, and he said he was\nan enchanted prince, so I let him go swim again.\u201d\n\n\u201cDidst thou not wish for anything then?\u201d asked the good wife.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the man; \u201cwhat was there to wish for?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said his wife; \u201cisn\u2019t it bad enough always to live in this\nwretched hovel? Thou mightest at least have wished for a nice clean\ncottage. Go back and call him; tell him I want a pretty cottage; he will\nsurely give us that!\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas,\u201d said the man, \u201cwhat am I to go back there for?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the woman, \u201cit was thou who caught him and let him go\nagain; for certain he will do that for thee. Be off now!\u201d\n\nThe man was still not very willing to go, but he did not want to vex his\nwife, and at last he went back to the sea.\n\nHe found the sea no longer bright and shining, but dull and green. He\nstood by it and said:\n\n \u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\n Prythee, hearken unto me:\n My wife, Ilsebil, will have her own way\n Whatever I wish, whatever _I_ say.\u201d\n\nThe flounder came swimming up, and said: \u201cWell, what do you want?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said the man; \u201cI had to call you, for my wife said I ought to\nhave wished for something, as I caught you. She doesn\u2019t want to live in\nour miserable hovel any longer; she wants a pretty cottage.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo home again, then,\u201d said the flounder; \u201cshe has her wish fully.\u201d\n\nThe man went home and found his wife no longer in the old hut, but a\npretty little cottage stood in its place, and his wife was sitting on a\nbench by the door.\n\nShe took him by the hand, and said: \u201cCome and look in here\u2014isn\u2019t this\nmuch better?\u201d\n\nThey went inside and found a pretty sitting-room, and a bedroom with a\nbed in it, a kitchen, and a larder furnished with everything of the best\nin tin and brass, and every possible requisite. Outside there was a\nlittle yard with chickens and ducks, and a little garden full of\nvegetables and fruit.\n\n\u201cLook!\u201d said the woman, \u201cis not this nice?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the man; \u201cand so let it remain. We can live here very\nhappily.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe will see about that,\u201d said the woman, and with that they ate\nsomething and went to bed.\n\nEverything went well for a week or more, and then said the wife:\n\u201cListen, husband; this cottage is too cramped, and the garden is too\nsmall. The flounder might have given us a bigger house. I want to live\nin a big stone castle. Go to the flounder, and tell him to give us a\ncastle.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas, wife!\u201d said the man; \u201cthe cottage is good enough for us; what\nshould we do with a castle?\u201d\n\n\u201cNever mind,\u201d said his wife; \u201cdo thou but go to the flounder, and he\nwill manage it.\u201d\n\n\u201cNay, wife,\u201d said the man; \u201cthe flounder gave us the cottage. I don\u2019t\nwant to go back; as likely as not he\u2019ll be angry.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo, all the same,\u201d said the woman. \u201cHe can do it easily enough, and\nwillingly into the bargain. Just go!\u201d\n\nThe man\u2019s heart was heavy, and he was very unwilling to go. He said to\nhimself: \u201cIt\u2019s not right.\u201d But at last he went.\n\nHe found the sea was no longer green; it was still calm, but dark violet\nand gray. He stood by it and said:\n\n \u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\n Prythee, hearken unto me:\n My wife, Ilsebil, will have her own way\n Whatever I wish, whatever I say.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow, what do you want?\u201d said the flounder.\n\n\u201cAlas,\u201d said the man, half scared, \u201cmy wife wants a big stone castle.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo home again,\u201d said the flounder; \u201cshe is standing at the door of it.\u201d\n\nThen the man went away, thinking he would find no house, but when he got\nback he found a great stone palace, and his wife standing at the top of\nthe steps, waiting to go in.\n\nShe took him by the hand and said: \u201cCome in with me.\u201d\n\nWith that they went in and found a great hall paved with marble slabs,\nand numbers of servants in attendance, who opened the great doors for\nthem. The walls were hung with beautiful tapestries, and the rooms were\nfurnished with golden chairs and tables, while rich carpets covered the\nfloors, and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings. The tables\ngroaned under every kind of delicate food and the most costly wines.\nOutside the house there was a great courtyard, with stabling for horses,\nand cows, and many fine carriages. Beyond this there was a great garden\nfilled with the loveliest flowers, and fine fruit trees. There was also\na park, half a mile long, and in it were stags and hinds, and hares, and\neverything of the kind one could wish for.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d said the woman, \u201cis not this worth having?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes,\u201d said the man; \u201cand so let it remain. We will live in this\nbeautiful palace and be content.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe will think about that,\u201d said his wife, \u201cand sleep upon it.\u201d\n\nWith that they went to bed.\n\nNext morning the wife woke up first; day was just dawning, and from her\nbed she could see the beautiful country around her. Her husband was\nstill asleep, but she pushed him with her elbow, and said: \u201cHusband, get\nup and peep out of the window. See here, now, could we not be king over\nall this land? Go to the flounder. We will be king.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas, wife,\u201d said the man, \u201cwhat should we be king for? I don\u2019t want to\nbe king.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said his wife, \u201cif thou wilt not be king, I will. Go to the\nflounder. I will be king.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas, wife,\u201d said the man, \u201cwhatever dost thou want to be king for? I\ndon\u2019t like to tell him.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d said the woman. \u201cGo thou must. I will be king.\u201d\n\nSo the man went; but he was quite sad because his wife would be king.\n\n\u201cIt is not right,\u201d he said; \u201cit is not right.\u201d\n\nWhen he reached the sea, he found it dark, gray, and rough, and\nevil-smelling. He stood there and said:\n\n \u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\n Prythee, hearken unto me:\n My wife, Ilsebil, will have her own way\n Whatever I wish, whatever I say.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow, what does she want?\u201d said the flounder.\n\n\u201cAlas,\u201d said the man, \u201cshe wants to be king now.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo back. She is king already,\u201d said the flounder.\n\nSo the man went back, and when he reached the palace he found that it\nhad grown much larger, and a great tower had been added, with handsome\ndecorations. There was a sentry at the door, and numbers of soldiers\nwere playing drums and trumpets. As soon as he got inside the house, he\nfound everything was marble and gold; and the hangings were of velvet,\nwith great golden tassels. The doors of the saloon were thrown wide\nopen, and he saw the whole court assembled. His wife was sitting on a\nlofty throne of gold and diamonds; she wore a golden crown, and carried\nin one hand a scepter of pure gold. On each side of her stood her ladies\nin a long row, each one a head shorter than the next.\n\nHe stood before her, and said: \u201cAlas, wife, art thou now king?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d she said; \u201cnow I am king.\u201d\n\nHe stood looking at her for some time, and then he said: \u201cAh, wife, it\nis a fine thing for thee to be king; now we will not wish to be anything\nmore.\u201d\n\n\u201cNay, husband,\u201d she answered, quite uneasily, \u201cI find the time hangs\nvery heavy on my hands. I can\u2019t bear it any longer. Go back to the\nflounder. King I am, but I must also be emperor.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas, wife,\u201d said the man, \u201cwhy dost thou now want to be emperor?\u201d\n\n\u201cHusband,\u201d she answered, \u201cgo to the flounder. Emperor I will be.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas, wife,\u201d said the man, \u201cemperor he can\u2019t make thee, and I won\u2019t ask\nhim. There is only one emperor in the country; and emperor the flounder\ncannot make thee, that he can\u2019t.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d said the woman. \u201cI am king, and thou art but my husband. To him\nthou must go, and that right quickly. If he can make a king, he can also\nmake an emperor. Emperor I will be, so quickly go.\u201d\n\nHe had to go, but he was quite frightened. And as he went, he thought:\n\u201cThis won\u2019t end well; emperor is too shameless. The flounder will make\nan end of the whole thing.\u201d\n\nWith that he came to the sea, but now he found it quite black, and\nheaving up from below in great waves. It tossed to and fro, and a sharp\nwind blew over it, and the man trembled. So he stood there, and said:\n\n \u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\n Prythee, hearken unto me:\n My wife, Ilsebil, will have her own way\n Whatever I wish, whatever I say.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat does she want now?\u201d said the flounder.\n\n\u201cAlas, flounder,\u201d he said, \u201cmy wife wants to be emperor.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo back,\u201d said the flounder. \u201cShe is emperor.\u201d\n\nSo the man went back, and when he got to the door, he found that the\nwhole palace was made of polished marble, with alabaster figures and\ngolden decorations. Soldiers marched up and down before the doors,\nblowing their trumpets and beating their drums. Inside the palace,\ncounts, barons, and dukes walked about as attendants, and they opened to\nhim the doors, which were of pure gold.\n\nHe went in, and saw his wife sitting on a huge throne made of solid\ngold. It was at least two miles high. She had on her head a great golden\ncrown, set with diamonds, three yards high. In one hand she held the\nscepter, and in the other the ball of empire. On each side of her stood\nthe gentlemen-at-arms in two rows, each one a little smaller than the\nother, from giants two miles high, down to the tiniest dwarf no bigger\nthan my little finger. She was surrounded by princes and dukes.\n\nHer husband stood still, and said: \u201cWife, art thou now emperor?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said she; \u201cnow I am emperor.\u201d\n\nThen he looked at her for some time, and said: \u201cAlas, wife, how much\nbetter off art thou for being emperor?\u201d\n\n\u201cHusband,\u201d she said, \u201cwhat art thou standing there for? Now I am\nemperor, I mean to be pope! Go back to the flounder.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas, wife,\u201d said the man, \u201cwhat wilt thou not want? Pope thou canst\nnot be. There is only one pope in Christendom. That\u2019s more than the\nflounder can do.\u201d\n\n\u201cHusband,\u201d she said, \u201cpope I will be; so go at once. I must be pope this\nvery day.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, wife,\u201d he said, \u201cI dare not tell him. It\u2019s no good; it\u2019s too\nmonstrous altogether. The flounder cannot make thee pope.\u201d\n\n\u201cHusband,\u201d said the woman, \u201cdon\u2019t talk nonsense. If he can make an\nemperor, he can make a pope. Go immediately. I am emperor, and thou art\nbut my husband, and thou must obey.\u201d\n\nSo he was frightened, and went; but he was quite dazed. He shivered and\nshook, and his knees trembled.\n\nA great wind arose over the land, the clouds flew across the sky, and it\ngrew as dark as night; the leaves fell from the trees, and the water\nfoamed and dashed upon the shore. In the distance the ships were being\ntossed to and fro on the waves, and he heard them firing signals of\ndistress. There was still a little patch of blue in the sky among the\ndark clouds, but toward the south they were red and heavy, as in a bad\nstorm. In despair, he stood and said:\n\n \u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\n Prythee, hearken unto me:\n My wife, Ilsebil, will have her own way\n Whatever I wish, whatever I say.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow, what does she want?\u201d said the flounder.\n\n\u201cAlas,\u201d said the man, \u201cshe wants to be pope.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo back. Pope she is,\u201d said the flounder.\n\nSo back he went, and he found a great church, surrounded with palaces.\nHe pressed through the crowd, and inside he found thousands and\nthousands of lights, and his wife, entirely clad in gold, was sitting on\na still higher throne, with three golden crowns upon her head, and she\nwas surrounded with priestly state. On each side of her were two rows of\ncandles, the biggest as thick as a tower, down to the tiniest little\ntaper. Kings and emperors were on their knees before her, kissing her\nshoe.\n\n\u201cWife,\u201d said the man, looking at her, \u201cart thou now pope?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said she; \u201cnow I am pope.\u201d\n\nSo there he stood gazing at her, and it was like looking at a shining\nsun.\n\n\u201cAlas, wife,\u201d he said, \u201cart thou better off for being pope?\u201d At first\nshe sat as stiff as a post, without stirring. Then he said: \u201cNow, wife,\nbe content with being pope; higher thou canst not go.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will think about that,\u201d said the woman, and with that they both went\nto bed. Still she was not content, and could not sleep for her\ninordinate desires. The man slept well and soundly, for he had walked\nabout a great deal in the day; but his wife could think of nothing but\nwhat further grandeur she could demand. When the dawn reddened the sky,\nshe raised herself up in bed and looked out of the window, and when she\nsaw the sun rise she said:\n\n\u201cHa! can I not cause the sun and the moon to rise? Husband!\u201d she cried,\ndigging her elbow into his side, \u201cwake up and go to the flounder. I will\nbe lord of the universe.\u201d\n\nHer husband, who was still more than half asleep, was so shocked that he\nfell out of bed. He thought he must have heard wrong. He rubbed his eyes\nand said:\n\n\u201cAlas, wife, what didst thou say?\u201d\n\n\u201cHusband,\u201d she said, \u201cif I cannot be lord of the universe, and cause the\nsun and moon to set and rise, I shall not be able to bear it. I shall\nnever have another happy moment.\u201d\n\nShe looked at him so wildly that it caused a shudder to run through him.\n\n\u201cAlas, wife,\u201d he said, falling on his knees before her, \u201cthe flounder\ncan\u2019t do that. Emperor and pope he can make, but that is indeed beyond\nhim. I pray thee, control thyself and remain pope.\u201d\n\nThen she flew into a terrible rage. Her hair stood on end; she panted\nfor breath, and screamed:\n\n\u201cI won\u2019t bear it any longer; wilt thou go?\u201d\n\nThen he pulled on his trousers and tore away like a madman. Such a storm\nwas raging that he could hardly keep his feet; houses and trees quivered\nand swayed, mountains trembled, and the rocks rolled into the sea. The\nsky was pitchy black; it thundered and lightened, and the sea ran in\nblack waves, mountains high, crested with white foam. He shrieked out,\nbut could hardly make himself heard:\n\n \u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\n Prythee, hearken unto me:\n My wife, Ilsebil, will have her own way\n Whatever I wish, whatever I say.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow, what does she want?\u201d asked the flounder.\n\n\u201cAlas,\u201d he said, \u201cshe wants to be Lord of the Universe.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow she must go back to her old hovel,\u201d said the flounder; \u201cand there\nyou will find her.\u201d\n\nAnd there they are to this very day!\n\n\n\n\n _The Nose-tree_\n\n\nDid you ever hear the story of the three poor soldiers who, after having\nfought hard in the wars, set out on their road home, begging their way\nas they went?\n\nThey had journeyed on a long time, sick at heart with their bad luck at\nthus being turned loose on the world in their old days, when one evening\nthey reached a deep, gloomy wood, through which lay their road. Night\ncame fast upon them, and they found that they must, however unwillingly,\nsleep in this wood; so, to make all safe as they could, it was agreed\nthat two should lie down and sleep, while a third sat up and watched,\nlest wild beasts should break in and tear them to pieces. When he was\ntired he was to wake one of the others, and sleep in his turn; and so on\nwith the third, so as to share the work fairly among them.\n\nThe two who were to rest first soon lay down and fell fast asleep; and\nthe other made himself a good fire under the trees, and sat down by its\nside to keep watch. He had not sat long before, all of a sudden, up came\na little dwarf in a red jacket. \u201cWho is there?\u201d said he. \u201cA friend,\u201d\nsaid the soldier. \u201cWhat sort of a friend?\u201d \u201cAn old, broken soldier,\u201d\nsaid the other, \u201cwith his two comrades, who have nothing left to live\non; come, sit down and warm yourself.\u201d \u201cWell, my worthy fellow,\u201d said\nthe little man, \u201cI will do what I can for you; take this and show it to\nyour comrades in the morning.\u201d So he took out an old cloak and gave it\nto the soldier, telling him that whenever he put it over his shoulders\nanything that he wished for would be done for him. Then the little man\nmade him a bow and walked away.\n\nThe second soldier\u2019s turn to watch soon came, and the first laid him\ndown to sleep; but the second man had not sat by himself long before up\ncame the dwarf in the red jacket again. The soldier treated him in as\nfriendly a way as his comrade had done, and the little man gave him a\npurse, which he told him would be always full of gold, let him draw as\nmuch as he would out of it.\n\nThen the third soldier\u2019s turn to watch came; and he also had little\nRed-jacket for his guest, who gave him a wonderful horn, that drew\ncrowds around it whenever it was played, and made every one forget his\nbusiness to come and dance to its beautiful music.\n\nIn the morning each told his story, and showed the gift he had got from\nthe elf: and as they all liked one another very much, and were old\nfriends, they agreed to travel together to see the world, and, for a\nwhile, only to make use of the wonderful purse. And thus they spent\ntheir time very joyously, till at last they began to be tired of this\nroving life, and thought they should like to have a home of their own.\nSo the first soldier put his old cloak on and wished for a fine castle.\nIn a moment it stood before their eyes: fine gardens and green lawns\nspread around it, and flocks of sheep and goats; herds of oxen were\ngrazing about; and out of the gate came a grand coach with three\ndapple-gray horses, to meet them and bring them home.\n\nAll this was very well for a time, but they found it would not do to\nstay at home always; so they got together all their rich clothes, and\njewels, and money, and ordered their coach with three dapple-gray\nhorses, and set out on a journey to see a neighboring king. Now this\nking had an only daughter, and as he saw the three soldiers traveling in\nsuch grand style, he took them for king\u2019s sons, and so gave them a kind\nwelcome. One day, as the second soldier was walking with the princess,\nshe saw that he had the wonderful purse in his hand. Then she asked him\nwhat it was, and he was foolish enough to tell her\u2014though, indeed, it\ndid not much signify what he said, for she was a fairy, and knew all the\nwonderful things that the three soldiers had brought. Now this princess\nwas very cunning and artful; so she set to work and made a purse, so\nlike the soldier\u2019s that no one would know the one from the other; and\nthen she asked him to come and see her, and made him drink some wine\nthat she had got ready for him, and which soon made him fall fast\nasleep. Then she felt in his pocket, and took away the wonderful purse,\nand left the one she had made in its place.\n\nThe next morning the soldiers set out home; and soon after they reached\ntheir castle, happening to want some money, they went to their purse for\nit, and found something indeed in it; but to their great sorrow, when\nthey had emptied it, none came in the place of what they took. Then the\ncheat was soon found out; for the second soldier knew where he had been,\nand how he had told the story to the princess, and he guessed that she\nhad played him a trick. \u201cAlas!\u201d cried he, \u201cpoor wretches that we are,\nwhat shall we do?\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d said the first soldier, \u201clet no gray hairs grow\nfor this mishap; I will soon get the purse back.\u201d So he threw his cloak\nacross his shoulders and wished himself in the princess\u2019s chamber.\n\nThere he found her sitting alone, telling up her gold, that fell around\nher in a shower from the wonderful purse.\n\nBut the soldier stood looking at her too long; for she turned around,\nand the moment she saw him she started up and cried out with all her\nforce, \u201cThieves! thieves!\u201d so that the whole court came running in and\ntried to seize on him. The poor soldier now began to be dreadfully\nfrightened in his turn, and thought it was high time to make the best of\nhis way off; so, without thinking of the ready way of traveling that his\ncloak gave him, he ran to the window, opened it, and jumped out; and\nunluckily, in his haste, his cloak caught and was left hanging, to the\ngreat joy of the princess, who knew its worth.\n\nThe poor soldier made the best of his way home to his comrades on foot,\nand in a very downcast mood; but the third soldier told him to keep up\nhis heart, and took his horn and blew a merry tune. At the first blast a\ncountless host of foot-and-horse came rushing to their aid, and they set\nout to make war against their enemy. The king\u2019s palace was at once\nbesieged, and he was told that he must give up the purse and cloak, or\nthat not one stone should be left upon another. So the king went into\nhis daughter\u2019s chamber and talked with her; but she said, \u201cLet me try\nfirst if I cannot beat them one way or another.\u201d So she thought of a\ncunning scheme to over-reach them; and dressing herself out as a poor\ngirl, with a basket on her arm, she set out by night with her maid, and\nwent into the enemy\u2019s camp, as if she wanted to sell trinkets.\n\nIn the morning she began to ramble about, singing ballads so beautifully\nthat all the tents were left empty, and the soldiers ran round in\ncrowds, and thought of nothing but hearing her sing. Among the rest came\nthe soldier to whom the horn belonged, and as soon as she saw him she\nwinked to her maid, who slipped slyly through the crowd, and went into\nhis tent where it hung and stole it away. This done, they both got\nsafely back to the palace, the besieging army went away, the three\nwonderful gifts were all left in the hands of the princess, and the\nthree soldiers were as penniless and forlorn as when little Red-jacket\nfound them in the wood.\n\nPoor fellows! they began to think what was now to be done. \u201cComrades,\u201d\nat last said the second soldier, who had had the purse, \u201cwe had better\npart; we cannot live together, let each seek his bread as well as he\ncan.\u201d So he turned to the right, and the other two went to the left, for\nthey said they would rather travel together. The second soldier strayed\non till he came to a wood (which happened to be the same wood where they\nhad met with so much good luck before), and he walked on a long time\ntill evening began to fall, when he sat down tired beneath a tree and\nsoon fell asleep.\n\nMorning dawned, and he was greatly delighted, on opening his eyes, to\nsee that the tree was laden with the most beautiful apples. He was\nhungry enough, so he soon plucked and ate first one, then a second, then\na third apple. A strange feeling came over his nose; when he put the\napple to his mouth something was in the way. He felt it\u2014it was his nose,\nthat grew and grew till it hung down to his breast. It did not stop\nthere\u2014still it grew and grew. \u201cHeavens!\u201d thought he, \u201cwhen will it have\ndone growing?\u201d And well might he ask, for by this time it reached the\nground as he sat on the grass\u2014and thus it kept creeping on till he could\nnot bear its weight or raise himself up; and it seemed as if it would\nnever end, for already it stretched its enormous length all through the\nwood, over hill and dale.\n\nMeantime his comrades were journeying on, till on a sudden one of them\nstumbled against something. \u201cWhat can that be?\u201d said the other. They\nlooked, and could think of nothing that it was like but a nose. \u201cWe will\nfollow it and find its owner, however,\u201d said they. So they traced it up,\ntill at last they found their poor comrade, lying stretched along under\nthe apple-tree.\n\nWhat was to be done? They tried to carry him, but in vain. They caught\nan ass that was passing, and raised him upon its back; but it was soon\ntired of carrying such a load. So they sat down in despair, when before\nlong up came their old acquaintance, the dwarf with the red jacket.\n\u201cWhy, how now, friend,\u201d said he, laughing: \u201cwell, I must find a cure for\nyou, I see.\u201d So he told them to gather a pear from another tree that\ngrew close by, and the nose would come right again. No time was lost;\nand the nose, to the poor soldier\u2019s joy, was soon brought to its proper\nsize.\n\n\u201cI will do something more for you, still,\u201d said the dwarf: \u201ctake some of\nthose pears and apples with you; whoever eats one of the apples will\nhave his nose grow like yours just now; but if you give him a pear, all\nwill come right again. Go to the princess, and get her to eat some of\nyour apples; her nose will grow twenty times as long as yours did: then\nlook sharp, and you will get what you want from her.\u201d\n\nThe friends thanked the dwarf very heartily for all his kindness; and it\nwas agreed that the poor soldier, who had already tried the power of the\napple, should follow out the suggestion. So he dressed himself up as a\ngardener\u2019s boy, and went to the king\u2019s palace, and said he had apples to\nsell, so fine and so beautiful as were never seen there before. Every\none that saw them was delighted, and wanted to taste; but he said they\nwere for the princess only; and she soon sent her maid to buy his stock.\nThey were so ripe and rosy that she soon began eating; and had not eaten\nabove a dozen before she too began to wonder what ailed her nose, for it\ngrew and grew down to the ground, out at the window, and over the\ngarden, and away, nobody knows where.\n\nThen the king made known to all his kingdom that whoever would heal her\nof this dreadful disease should be richly rewarded. Many tried, but the\nprincess got no relief. And now the old soldier dressed himself up very\nsprucely as a doctor, and said he would cure her. So he chopped up some\nof the apple, and, to punish her a little more, gave her a dose, saying\nhe would call to-morrow and see her again. The morrow came, and, of\ncourse, instead of being better, the nose had been growing on all night\nas before; and the poor princess was in a dreadful fright. So the doctor\nthen chopped up a very little of the pear and gave her, and said he was\nsure that would do good, and he would call again the next day. Next day\ncame, and the nose was, to be sure, a little smaller, but yet it was\nbigger than when the doctor first began to meddle with it.\n\nThen he thought to himself, \u201cI must frighten this cunning princess a\nlittle more before I shall get what I want from her\u201d; so he gave her\nanother dose of the apple, and said he would call on the morrow. The\nmorrow came, and the nose was ten times as bad as before. \u201cMy good\nlady,\u201d said the doctor, \u201csomething works against my medicine, and is too\nstrong for it; but I know by the force of my art what it is; you have\nstolen goods about you, I am sure; and if you do not give them back, I\ncan do nothing for you.\u201d But the princess denied very stoutly that she\nhad anything of the kind. \u201cVery well,\u201d said the doctor, \u201cyou may do as\nyou please, but I am sure I am right, and you will die if you do not own\nit.\u201d Then he went to the king, and told him how the matter stood.\n\u201cDaughter,\u201d said he, \u201csend back the cloak, the purse, and the horn, that\nyou stole from the right owners.\u201d\n\nThen she ordered her maid to fetch all three, and gave them to the\ndoctor, and begged him to give them back to the soldiers; and the moment\nhe had them safe he gave her a whole pear to eat, and the nose came\nright. And as for the doctor, he put on the cloak, wished the king and\nall his court a good day, and was soon with his two friends, who lived\nfrom that time happily at home in their palace, except when they took an\nairing to see the world, in their coach with the three dapple-gray\nhorses.\n\n\n\n\n _The Adventures of Chanticleer and Partlet_\n\n\n I. HOW THEY WENT TO THE HILLS TO EAT NUTS\n\nChanticleer said to Partlet one day: \u201cThe nuts must be ripe; now we will\ngo up the hill together and have a good feast before the squirrel\ncarries them all off.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right,\u201d said Partlet, \u201ccome along; we\u2019ll have a fine time.\u201d So they\nwent away up the hill, and, as it was a bright day, they stayed till\nevening.\n\nNow whether they really had grown fat, or whether it was merely pride, I\ndo not know, but, whatever the reason, they would not walk home, and\nChanticleer had to make a little carriage of nut-shells. When it was\nready, Partlet took her seat in it, and said to Chanticleer, \u201cNow you\nget between the shafts.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s all very fine,\u201d said Chanticleer, \u201cbut I would sooner go home on\nfoot than put myself in harness. I will sit on the box and drive, but\ndraw it myself, I never will.\u201d\n\nAs they were squabbling over this, a duck quacked out: \u201cYou thievish\nfolk! Who told you to come to my nut-hill? Just you wait, you will\nsuffer for it.\u201d\n\nThen she rushed at Chanticleer with open bill, but he was not to be\ntaken by surprise, and fell upon her with his spurs till she cried out\nfor grace. At last she allowed herself to be harnessed to the carriage.\nChanticleer seated himself on the box as coachman, and cried out\nunceasingly: \u201cNow, duck, run as fast as you can.\u201d\n\nWhen they had driven a little way they met two foot passengers, a pin\nand a needle, who called out: \u201cStop! stop!\u201d They said it would soon be\npitch dark, and they couldn\u2019t walk a step farther, the road was so\ndirty; might they not have a lift? They had been to the Tailor\u2019s Inn by\nthe gate, and had lingered over their beer.\n\nAs they were both very thin, and did not take up much room, Chanticleer\nallowed them to get in, but he made them promise not to tread either on\nhis toes or on Partlet\u2019s. Late in the evening they came to an inn, and\nas they did not want to drive any farther in the dark, and the duck was\ngetting rather uncertain on her feet, tumbling from side to side, they\ndrove in.\n\nThe landlord at first made many objections to having them, and said the\nhouse was already full; perhaps he thought they were not very grand\nfolk. But at last, by dint of persuasive words, and promising him the\negg which Mrs. Partlet had laid on the way, and also that he should keep\nthe duck, who laid an egg every day, he consented to let them stay the\nnight.\n\nThen they had a meal served to them, and feasted and passed the time in\nrioting.\n\nIn the early dawn, before it grew light and every one was asleep,\nPartlet woke up Chanticleer, fetched the egg, pecked a hole in it, and\nbetween them they ate it all up, and threw the shells on to the hearth.\nThen they went to the needle, which was still asleep, seized it by the\nhead and stuck it in the cushion of the landlord\u2019s arm-chair; the pin\nthey stuck in his towel, and then, without more ado, away they flew over\nthe heath. The duck, who preferred to sleep in the open air and had\nstayed in the yard, heard them whizzing by, and bestirred herself. She\nfound a stream, and swam away down it; it was a much quicker way to get\non than being harnessed to a carriage.\n\nA couple of hours later the landlord, who was the first to leave his\npillow, got up and washed. When he took up the towel to dry himself, he\nscratched his face and made a long red line from ear to ear. Then he\nwent to the kitchen to light his pipe, but when he stooped over the\nhearth the egg-shells flew into his eye.\n\n\u201cEverything goes to my head this morning,\u201d he said angrily, as he\ndropped on to the cushion of his grandfather\u2019s arm-chair. But he quickly\nbounded up again, and shouted, \u201cGracious me!\u201d for the needle had run\ninto him, and this time not in the head. He grew furious, and his\nsuspicions immediately fell on the guests who had come in so late the\nnight before. When he went to look for them, they were nowhere to be\nseen. Then he swore never to take such ragamuffins into his house again;\nfor they ate a great deal, paid nothing, and played tricks, by way of\nthanks, into the bargain.\n\n\n II. THE VISIT TO MR. KORBES\n\nAnother day, when Partlet and Chanticleer were about to take a journey,\nChanticleer built a fine carriage with four red wheels, and harnessed\nfour little mice to it. Mrs. Partlet seated herself in it with\nChanticleer, and they drove off together.\n\nBefore long they met a cat, who said, \u201cWhither away?\u201d\n\nChanticleer answered:\n\n \u201cAll on our way\n A visit to pay\n To Mr. Korbes at home to-day.\u201d\n\n\u201cTake me with you,\u201d said the cat.\n\nChanticleer answered: \u201cWith pleasure; sit down behind, so that you don\u2019t\nfall out forward.\u201d\n\n \u201cWhen we\u2019re off, away we roam,\n To visit Mr. Korbes at home.\n My wheels so red, pray have a care\n From any splash of mud to spare.\n Ye wheels sweep on with speed inclined,\n Ye mice outstrip the whistling wind,\n When we\u2019re off, away to roam,\n To visit Mr. Korbes at home.\u201d\n\nThen came a millstone, an egg, a duck, a pin, and, last of all, a\nneedle. They all took their places in the carriage and went with the\nrest.\n\nBut when they arrived at Mr. Korbes\u2019s house, he wasn\u2019t in. The mice drew\nthe carriage into the coach-house, Partlet and Chanticleer flew on to a\nperch, the cat sat down by the fire, the duck lay down by the well-pole.\nThe egg rolled itself up in the towel, the pin stuck itself into the\ncushion, the needle sprang into the pillow on the bed, and the millstone\nlaid itself over the door.\n\nWhen Mr. Korbes came home, and went to the hearth to make a fire, the\ncat threw ashes into his eyes. He ran into the kitchen to wash, and the\nduck squirted water into his face; seizing the towel to dry himself, the\negg rolled out, broke, and stuck up one of his eyes. He wanted to rest,\nand sat down in his arm-chair, when the pin pricked him. He grew very\nangry, threw himself on the bed and laid his head on the pillow, when\nthe needle ran into him and made him cry out. In a fury he wanted to\nrush into the open air, but when he got to the door, the millstone fell\non his head and killed him. What a bad man Mr. Korbes must have been!\n\n\n III. THE DEATH OF PARTLET\n\nPartlet and Chanticleer went to the nut-hill on another occasion, and\nthey arranged that whichever of them found a nut should share it with\nthe other.\n\nPartlet found a huge nut, but said nothing about it, and meant to eat it\nall herself; but the kernel was so big that she could not swallow it. It\nstuck in her throat, and she was afraid she would be choked. She\nshrieked: \u201cChanticleer, Chanticleer, run and fetch some water as fast as\nyou can, or I shall choke!\u201d\n\nSo Chanticleer ran as fast as he could to the well, and said: \u201cWell,\nwell, you must give me some water! Partlet is out on the nut-hill; she\nhas swallowed a big nut, and is choking.\u201d\n\nThe well answered: \u201cFirst you must run to my bride, and tell her to give\nyou some red silk.\u201d\n\nChanticleer ran to the bride, and said: \u201cBride, bride, give me some red\nsilk; I will give the silk to the well, and the well will give me some\nwater to take to Partlet, for she has swallowed a big nut and is\nchoking.\u201d\n\nThe bride answered: \u201cRun first and fetch me a wreath which I left\nhanging on a willow.\u201d\n\nSo Chanticleer ran to the willow, pulled the wreath off the branch, and\nbrought it to the bride. The bride gave him the red silk, which he took\nto the well, and the well gave him the water for it. Then Chanticleer\ntook the water to Partlet; but as it happened, she had choked in the\nmeantime, and lay there dead and stiff. Chanticleer\u2019s grief was so great\nthat he cried aloud, and all the animals came and condoled with him.\n\nSix mice built a little car to draw Partlet to the grave; and when the\ncar was ready they harnessed themselves to it and drew Partlet away.\n\nOn the way, Reynard the fox joined them. \u201cWhere are you going,\nChanticleer?\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going to bury my wife, Partlet.\u201d\n\n\u201cMay I go with you?\u201d\n\n \u201cWell, yes, if ride you will, you must jump up behind,\n To carry weight in front, my horses aren\u2019t inclined.\u201d\n\nSo the fox took a seat at the back, and he was followed by the wolf, the\nbear, the stag, the lion, and all the other animals of the forest. The\nprocession went on till they came to a stream.\n\n\u201cHow shall we ever get over?\u201d said Chanticleer.\n\nA straw was lying by the stream, and it said: \u201cI will stretch myself\nacross, and then you can pass over upon me.\u201d\n\nBut when the six mice got on to the straw it collapsed, and the mice\nfell into the water with it, and they were all drowned. So the\ntravelers\u2019 difficulty was as great as ever. Then a coal came along and\nsaid: \u201cI am big enough; I will lie down and you can pass over me.\u201d\n\nSo the coal laid itself across the stream, but unfortunately it just\ntouched the water, hissed, went out, and was dead. A stone, seeing this,\nhad pity on them, and, wanting to help Chanticleer, laid itself over the\nwater. Now Chanticleer drew the car himself, and he just managed to get\nacross with Partlet. Next he wanted to pull the others over who were\nhanging on behind, but it was too much for him, and the car fell back\nand they all fell into the water and were drowned.\n\nSo Chanticleer was left alone with the dead hen, and he dug a grave\nhimself and laid her in it. Then he made a mound over it, and seated\nhimself upon it and grieved till he died; and then they were all dead.\n\n\n\n\n _The Golden Goose_\n\n\nThere was once a man who had three sons. The youngest of them was called\nSimpleton; he was scorned and despised by the others, and kept in the\nbackground.\n\nThe eldest son was going into the forest to cut wood, and, before he\nstarted, his mother gave him a nice sweet cake and a bottle of wine to\ntake with him, so that he might not suffer from hunger or thirst. In the\nwood he met a little, old, gray man, who bade him good day, and said:\n\u201cGive me a bit of the cake in your pocket, and let me have a drop of\nyour wine. I am so hungry and thirsty.\u201d\n\nBut the clever son said: \u201cIf I give you my cake and wine, I shan\u2019t have\nenough for myself. Be off with you!\u201d\n\nHe left the little man standing there, and went on his way. But he had\nnot been long at work, cutting down a tree, before he made a false\nstroke, and dug the ax into his own arm, and he was obliged to go home\nto have it bound up.\n\nNow, this was no accident; it was brought about by the little gray man.\n\nThe second son now had to go into the forest to cut wood, and, like the\neldest, his mother gave him a sweet cake and a bottle of wine. In the\nsame way the little gray man met him, and asked for a piece of his cake\nand a drop of his wine. But the second son made the same sensible\nanswer: \u201cIf I give you any, I shall have the less for myself. Be off out\nof my way!\u201d and he went on.\n\nHis punishment, however, was not long delayed. After a few blows at the\ntree, he hit his own leg, and had to be carried home.\n\nThen Simpleton said: \u201cLet me go to cut the wood, father.\u201d\n\nBut his father said: \u201cYour brothers have only come to harm by it; you\nhad better leave it alone. You know nothing about it.\u201d But Simpleton\nbegged so hard to be allowed to go that at last his father said: \u201cWell,\noff you go then. You will be wiser when you have hurt yourself.\u201d\n\nHis mother gave him a cake which was mixed with water only and baked in\nthe ashes, and a bottle of sour beer. When he reached the forest, like\nthe others, he met the little gray man, who greeted him, and said: \u201cGive\nme a bit of your cake and a drop of your wine. I am so hungry and\nthirsty.\u201d\n\nSimpleton answered: \u201cI have only a cake baked in the ashes, and some\nsour beer; but, if you like such fare, we will sit down and eat it\ntogether.\u201d\n\nSo they sat down; but when Simpleton pulled out his cake, it was a\nsweet, nice cake, and his sour beer was turned into good wine. So they\nate and drank, and the little man said: \u201cAs you have such a kind heart,\nand are willing to share your possessions, I will give you good luck.\nThere stands an old tree; cut it down, and you will find something at\nthe roots.\u201d\n\nSo saying, he disappeared.\n\nSimpleton cut down the tree, and when it fell, lo, and behold! a goose\nwas sitting among the roots, and its feathers were of pure gold. He\npicked it up, and taking it with him, went to an inn, where he meant to\nstay the night. The landlord had three daughters, who saw the goose, and\nwere very curious as to what kind of bird it could be, and wanted to get\none of its golden feathers.\n\nThe eldest thought: \u201cThere will soon be some opportunity for me to pull\nout one of the feathers,\u201d and when Simpleton went outside, she took hold\nof its wing to pluck out a feather; but her hand stuck fast, and she\ncould not get away.\n\nSoon after, the second sister came up, meaning also to pluck out one of\nthe golden feathers; but she had hardly touched her sister when she\nfound herself held fast.\n\nLastly, the third one came, with the same intention, but the others\nscreamed out: \u201cKeep away! For goodness sake, keep away!\u201d\n\nBut she, not knowing why she was to keep away, thought, \u201cWhy should I\nnot be there, if they are there?\u201d\n\nSo she ran up, but as soon as she touched her sisters she had to stay\nhanging on to them, and they all had to pass the night like this.\n\nIn the morning, Simpleton took up the goose under his arm, without\nnoticing the three girls hanging on behind, so they had to keep running\nafter, dodging his legs right and left.\n\nIn the middle of the fields they met the parson, who, when he saw the\nprocession, cried out: \u201cFor shame, you bold girls! Why do you run after\nthe lad like that? Do you call that proper behavior?\u201d\n\nThen he took hold of the hand of the youngest girl to pull her away; but\nno sooner had he touched her than he felt himself held fast, and he,\ntoo, had to run behind.\n\nSoon after the sexton came up, and, seeing his master the parson\ntreading on the heels of the three girls, cried out in amazement:\n\u201cHallo, your Reverence! Whither away so fast? Don\u2019t forget that we have\na christening!\u201d\n\nSo saying, he plucked the parson by the sleeve, and soon found that he\ncould not get away either.\n\nAs this party of five, one behind the other, tramped on, two peasants\ncame along the road, carrying their hoes. The parson called them, and\nasked them to set the sexton and himself free. But as soon as ever they\ntouched the sexton they were held fast, so now there were seven people\nrunning behind Simpleton and his goose.\n\nBy and by they reached a town where a king ruled whose only daughter was\nso solemn that nothing and nobody could make her laugh. So the king had\nproclaimed that whoever could bring her laughter should marry her.\n\nWhen Simpleton heard this he took his goose, with all his following,\nbefore her, and when she saw these seven people running, one behind\nanother, she burst into fits of laughter, and seemed as if she could\nnever stop.\n\nThereupon Simpleton asked her in marriage. But the king did not like him\nfor a son-in-law, and he made all sorts of conditions. First, he said\nSimpleton must bring him a man who could drink up a cellar full of wine.\n\nThen Simpleton at once thought of the little gray man, who might be able\nto help him, and he went out to the forest to look for him. On the very\nspot where the tree that he had cut down had stood, he saw a man sitting\nwith a very sad face. Simpleton asked him what was the matter, and he\nanswered:\n\n\u201cI am so thirsty, and I can\u2019t quench my thirst. I hate cold water, and I\nhave already emptied a cask of wine; but what is a drop like that on a\nburning stone?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, there I can help you,\u201d said Simpleton. \u201cCome with me, and you\nshall soon have enough to drink and to spare.\u201d\n\nHe led him to the king\u2019s cellar, and the man set to upon the great\ncasks, and he drank and drank till his sides ached, and by the end of\nthe day the cellar was empty.\n\nThen again Simpleton demanded his bride. But the king was annoyed that a\nwretched fellow called \u201cSimpleton\u201d should have his daughter, and he made\nnew conditions. He was now to find a man who could eat up a mountain of\nbread.\n\nSimpleton did not reflect long, but went straight to the forest, and\nthere in the self-same place sat a man tightening a strap round his\nbody, and making a very miserable face. He said: \u201cI have eaten up a\nwhole oven-full of rolls, but what is the good of that when any one is\nas hungry as I am. I am never satisfied. I have to tighten my belt every\nday if I am not to die of hunger.\u201d\n\nSimpleton was delighted, and said: \u201cGet up and come with me. You shall\nhave enough to eat.\u201d\n\nThen he took him to the court, where the king had caused all the flour\nin the kingdom to be brought together, and a huge mountain of bread to\nbe baked. The man from the forest sat down before it and began to eat,\nand at the end of the day the whole mountain had disappeared.\n\nNow, for the third time, Simpleton asked for his bride. But again the\nking tried to find an excuse, and demanded a ship which could sail on\nland as well as at sea.\n\n\u201cAs soon as you can furnish it, you shall have my daughter,\u201d he said.\n\nSimpleton went straight to the forest, and there sat the little gray man\nto whom he had given his cake. The little man said: \u201cI have eaten and\ndrunk for you, and now I will give you the ship, too. I do it all\nbecause you were merciful to me.\u201d\n\nThen he gave him the ship which could sail on land as well as at sea,\nand when the king saw it he could no longer withhold his daughter. The\nmarriage was celebrated, and, at the king\u2019s death, Simpleton inherited\nthe kingdom, and lived long and happily with his wife.\n\n\n\n\n _The Young Giant_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a husbandman who had a son who, when he was\nborn, was no bigger than the length of a thumb, and who for many years\ndid not grow a hair\u2019s breadth taller.\n\nOne morning, just as the countryman was about to set out to plow his\nfield, little Thumbling said:\n\n\u201cFather, I want to go, too.\u201d\n\n\u201cI dare say you do,\u201d said the man; \u201cbut you are much better at home. If\nI took you out I should be sure to lose you.\u201d\n\nThereupon Thumbling fell a-crying, and cried so much that at length his\nfather picked him up and put him in his pocket and set forth to his\nwork.\n\nWhen they reached the fields the man took his son out and set him down\non the ridge of a newly turned furrow, so that he might see the world\naround him. Then suddenly from over the mountains a great giant came\nstriding toward them.\n\n\u201cSee, son,\u201d said the husbandman, \u201chere is an ogre coming to fetch you\naway because you were naughty and cried this morning.\u201d\n\nAnd the words had scarcely passed his lips when, in two great strides,\nthe giant had reached little Thumbling\u2019s side and had picked him up in\nhis great hands and carried him away without uttering a sound.\n\nThe poor father stood dumb with fear, for he thought he should never see\nhis little son again.\n\nThe giant, however, treated little Thumbling very kindly in his house in\nthe woods. He kept him warm in his pocket, and fed him so heartily and\nwell that Thumbling became a young giant himself, tall, and broad.\n\nAt the end of two years the old giant took him out into the woods to try\nhis strength.\n\n\u201cPull up that birch-tree for a staff to lean upon,\u201d he said, and the\nyouth obeyed and pulled it up by the roots as if it had been a mere\nweed.\n\nThe old giant still thought he should like him to be stronger, so, after\ntaking great care of him for another two years, they again went out into\nthe wood. This time Thumbling playfully uprooted a stout old oak, and\nthe old giant, well pleased, cried:\n\n\u201cNow you are a credit to me,\u201d and took him back to the field where he\nfirst found him.\n\nHere the young giant\u2019s father happened to be just then plowing; so\nThumbling went up to him and said:\n\n\u201cSee, father, to what a great big man your son has grown!\u201d\n\nBut the peasant was afraid.\n\n\u201cBe off with you! I don\u2019t know you,\u201d he cried.\n\n\u201cBut really and truly, father, I am your son,\u201d he said. \u201cLet me take the\nplow, for I can guide it quite as well as you.\u201d\n\nThe father very unwillingly let go of the plow, for he was afraid of the\ngiant, and sat down to watch. Then Thumbling laid one hand on the\nplowshare and straightway drove it so deep into the ground that the\npeasant cried:\n\n\u201cNow you will do more harm than good, if you drive so deep into the\nearth.\u201d\n\nThereupon the young giant unharnessed the horses and began to draw the\nplow himself, first saying:\n\n\u201cNow, father, get you home and tell mother to cook a hearty meal, while\nI just run round the field.\u201d\n\nAnd in a very short time he had done what the peasant would have taken\ntwo whole days to do.\n\nWhen all was finished, he laid plow, horse, and harrow over his\nshoulders and carried them home as easily as though they were a truss of\nhay.\n\nWhen he reached the house, he saw his mother sitting on a bench in the\ncourtyard.\n\n\u201cOh, who is this frightful monster of a man?\u201d she cried.\n\n\u201cThat is our son,\u201d said her husband.\n\n\u201cI cannot believe that,\u201d replied the woman, \u201cfor our child was a tiny\nlittle thing,\u201d and she begged the young giant to go away.\n\nHowever, he did not take any notice of what she said, for, after feeding\nthe horse in the stable, he came into the kitchen and sat himself down\nupon the edge of the dresser.\n\n\u201cMother, mother,\u201d he said, \u201cI am so hungry. Give me my dinner.\u201d\n\n\u201cHere it is,\u201d said his mother, and set two enormous dishes of smoking\nstew upon the table.\n\nIt would have been enough to last the husbandman and his wife for eight\nwhole days, but the giant ate it all up in five minutes, and then asked\nif they could give him more. But the woman shook her head, and said they\nhad no more in the house.\n\n\u201cMother,\u201d he said, \u201cI am fainting with hunger. That was a mere bite.\u201d\n\nThe woman was so frightened at this that she ran and made some more stew\nin the largest fish kettle.\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d sighed the young giant, \u201cthis is something like a meal!\u201d\n\nBut when he had finished he still felt hungry, and said:\n\n\u201cWell, father, I can see I shall starve if I come here to live. I will\ngo and seek my fortune in the wide world, if you can procure me a bar of\niron so strong that I cannot break it across my knee.\u201d\n\nThe peasant quickly harnessed his two horses to the wagon, and from the\nsmithy in the village he fetched an iron bar so heavy that the horses\ncould hardly drag it. This the giant tried across his knee. Snap! it\ncracked in half, like a twig.\n\nThen the peasant took his wagon and four horses to the smithy and\nbrought back as heavy a bar as they could carry. But in a second the\ngiant had broken it into two pieces and tossed them each aside.\n\n\u201cFather,\u201d he said, \u201cI need a stronger one yet. Take the wagon and eight\nhorses to the smithy, and fetch me back as heavy a one as they can\ndraw.\u201d\n\nThis the countryman did, and again the youth broke it in two as easily\nas if he had cracked a nut.\n\n\u201cWell, father, I see you cannot get me anything strong enough. I must go\nand try my fortune without it.\u201d\n\nSo he turned blacksmith and journeyed for many miles, until he came to a\nvillage, where dwelt a very grasping smith, who earned a great deal of\nmoney, but who gave not a penny of it away.\n\nThe giant stepped into his forge and asked if by any chance he were in\nwant of help.\n\n\u201cWhat wages do you ask?\u201d said the smith, looking the young man up and\ndown; for, thought he: \u201cHere is a fine, powerful fellow, who surely will\nbe worth his salt.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t want money,\u201d replied the giant. \u201cBut here\u2019s a bargain: every\nfortnight, when you give your workmen their wages, I will give you two\nstrokes across your shoulders. It will be just a little amusement for\nme.\u201d\n\nThe cunning smith agreed very willingly, for, he thought, in this way he\nwould save a great deal of money.\n\nHowever, next morning when the new journeyman started work, with the\nvery first stroke he gave the red-hot iron, it shivered into a thousand\npieces, and the anvil buried itself so deep in the earth that he could\nnot pull it out again.\n\n\u201cHere, fellow,\u201d cried his master, \u201cyou won\u2019t suit me; you are far too\nclumsy. I must put an end to our bargain.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust as you please,\u201d said the other, \u201cbut you must pay me for the work\nI have done, so I will just give you one little tap on the shoulder.\u201d\n\nWith that he gave the greedy smith such a blow that it knocked him\nflying over four hay-ricks. Then, picking up the stoutest iron bar he\ncould find for a walking-stick, he set forth once more on his travels.\n\nPresently he came to a farmhouse, where he inquired if they were in need\nof a bailiff. Now, the farmer just happened to need a head man, so he\nwas engaged at once upon the same terms as he had arranged with the old\nblacksmith.\n\nNext morning the farm servants were to go and fell trees in the wood,\nbut just as they were ready to start they found the new bailiff was\nstill in bed and fast asleep.\n\nThey shook him and shouted at him, but he would not open his eyes; he\nonly grumbled at them and told them to be gone.\n\n\u201cI shall have done my work and reached home long before you,\u201d he said.\n\nSo he stayed in bed for another two hours, then arose, and after eating\na hearty breakfast he started with his cart and horses for the wood.\n\nThere was a narrow pathway through which he had to pass just before\nentering the wood, and after he had led his horses through this he went\nback and built up a barrier of brambles and furze and branches so thick\nthat no horse could possibly force its way through.\n\nThen he drove on and met his fellow-servants just leaving the wood on\ntheir way home.\n\n\u201cDrive on, my friends,\u201d he said, \u201cand I will be home before you even\nnow.\u201d\n\nThen he pulled up a giant elm by its roots just on the border of the\nwoods, and laying it on his cart, he turned and quickly overtook the\nothers.\n\nThere they were, staring helplessly at the great barricade which barred\ntheir path, just as he had expected to find them.\n\n\u201cHa, ha!\u201d he chuckled, \u201cyou might just as well have slept an hour or two\nlonger, for I told you you would not get home before me.\u201d\n\nThen, shouldering the tree, the horse and the cart, he pushed a way\nthrough the barrier as easily as if he had been carrying a bag of\nfeathers.\n\nWhen he got back to the farm he showed his new walking-stick, as he\ncalled the tree, to his master.\n\n\u201cWife,\u201d said the farmer, \u201cwe have indeed found a capital bailiff, and if\nhe does need more sleep than the others, he works much better.\u201d\n\nSo the months rolled by, until a whole year had come and gone, and the\ntime had arrived to pay the servants their wages. But the farmer was\novercome with fright when he remembered the blows the giant had to give\nhim. So he begged him to change his mind and accept his whole farm and\nlands instead.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the giant, \u201cI am a bailiff, and a bailiff I intend to remain,\nso you must pay me the wages we agreed upon.\u201d\n\nThe farmer now obtained a promise that he would give him a fortnight to\nthink the matter over, and he secretly assembled all his friends and\nneighbors to discuss what he should do.\n\nThe only thing they could suggest was to slay the bailiff, and it was\narranged that he should be told to bring a cartload of millstones to the\nedge of the well, and then the farmer was to send him down to the bottom\nto clean it out. When the giant was safely at the bottom, all the\nfriends and neighbors would come and roll the millstones down upon him.\n\nEverything happened as had been planned, and when the bailiff was at the\nbottom of the well the millstones were rolled in. As each one fell, the\nwater splashed over the top in a great wave.\n\nIt seemed impossible that the bailiff should not be crushed to death,\nbut suddenly the neighbors heard him call out:\n\n\u201cI say, you up there, shoo away the chickens; they are scattering the\ngravel in my eyes!\u201d\n\nThen he quickly finished his task, and presently jumped out of the well\nwith one of the millstones hanging round his neck.\n\n\u201cHave not I got a handsome collar?\u201d he said.\n\nAgain the farmer was overcome with fear, and again he called together\nall his friends and relations. The only thing they could think of was to\nadvise the farmer to send the bailiff to the haunted mill by night, and\norder him to grind eight bushels of corn. \u201cFor,\u201d said they, \u201cno man who\nhas spent a night there has ever come out alive.\u201d\n\nSo the bailiff went and fetched the corn from the loft. He put two\nbushels in his right-hand pocket, and two in his left, and the rest he\ncarried in a sack across his shoulders.\n\nWhen he reached the mill the miller told him it was haunted, and he had\nbest come to grind his corn in the daytime if he did not wish to lose\nhis life.\n\n\u201cTush, tush!\u201d said the giant. \u201cMake haste and leave me alone. Come back\nin the morning, and I promise you will find me all safe and sound.\u201d\n\nThen he entered the mill and emptied his sacks into the hopper, and by\ntwelve o\u2019clock he had finished his work. Feeling a little weary, he sat\ndown to rest, but noticed with great interest the door opening very\nslowly, all by itself.\n\nThen a table laden with rich food and wines came and set itself before\nhim. Still there was no living creature to be seen. Next the chairs came\nand placed themselves round the festive board, and then he noticed\nfingers handling the knives and forks and placing food upon the plates.\n\nThe giant soon got tired of watching this, and as he felt quite ready\nfor a meal himself, he drew up his chair to the table and partook of a\nhearty repast.\n\nJust as he finished he felt a breath of air blow out all the lights, and\nthen a thundering blow fell upon his head.\n\n\u201cWell, I\u2019m not going to put up with this,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I feel any more\ntaps like that one I will just tap back.\u201d\n\nThen a great battle raged, and blows fell thickly all around, but he\nnever let himself feel any fear, but only gave back as many as he could.\n\nWhen morning came the miller hastened to the mill expecting to find the\ngiant dead, but he was greeted with a hearty laugh.\n\n\u201cWell, miller,\u201d said the giant, \u201csomebody has been slapping me in the\nnight, but I guess they have had as good blows as they have given, and I\nhave managed to eat a hearty supper into the bargain.\u201d\n\nThe miller was overjoyed to find the evil spell had been broken, and\nbegged the giant to accept some money as reward, but this he refused.\nSlinging the meal on his shoulders, he went back to ask his wages from\nthe farmer.\n\nThe farmer was furious to see his bailiff safe and sound again, and\npaced his floor to and fro, shivering and shaking like a leaf. He felt\nhe could not breathe, so he threw the window open, and before he knew\nwhat had happened the giant had sent him flying out of the window\nstraight over the hills into Nowhere Land. And as the farmer had not\nwaited to receive the second stroke, the giant gave it to his wife, and\nshe flew out to join her husband, and for aught I know they are flying\nthrough the air still.\n\n\n\n\n _The Sweet Soup_\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a poor but very good little girl, who lived\nalone with her mother, and when my story begins, they had nothing in the\nhouse to eat. So the child went out into the forest, and there she met\nan old woman, who already knew her distress, and who presented her with\na pot which had the following power. If one said to it, \u201cBoil, little\npot!\u201d it would cook sweet soup; and when one said: \u201cStop, little pot!\u201d\nit would immediately cease to boil. The little girl took the pot home to\nher mother, and now their poverty and distresses were at an end, for\nthey could have sweet broth as often as they pleased.\n\nOne day, however, the little girl went out, and in her absence the\nmother said: \u201cBoil, little pot!\u201d So it began to cook, and she soon ate\nall she wished; but when the poor woman wanted to have the pot stop, she\nfound she did not know the word. Away, therefore, the pot boiled, and\nvery quickly was over the edge; and as it boiled and boiled the kitchen\npresently became full, then the house, and the next house, and soon the\nwhole street. It seemed likely to satisfy all the world, for, though\nthere was the greatest necessity to do so, nobody knew how to stop it.\nAt last, when only a very small cottage of all the village was left\nunfilled with soup, the child returned and said at once: \u201cStop, little\npot!\u201d\n\nImmediately it ceased to boil; but whoever wishes to enter the village\nnow must eat his way through the soup!!!\n\n\n\n\n _Seven at one Blow_\n\n\nA tailor sat in his workroom one morning, stitching away busily at a\ncoat for the Lord Mayor. He whistled and sang so gaily that all the\nlittle boys who passed the shop on their way to school thought what a\nfine thing it was to be a tailor, and told one another that when they\ngrew to be men they\u2019d be tailors, too.\n\n\u201cHow hungry I feel, to be sure!\u201d cried the little man, at last; \u201cbut I\u2019m\nfar too busy to trouble about eating. I must finish his lordship\u2019s coat\nbefore I touch a morsel of food,\u201d and he broke once more into a merry\nsong.\n\n\u201cFine new jam for sale,\u201d sang out an old woman, as she walked along the\nstreet.\n\n\u201cJam! I can\u2019t resist such a treat,\u201d said the tailor; and, running to the\ndoor, he shouted: \u201cThis way for jam, dame; show me a pot of your very\nfinest.\u201d\n\nThe woman handed him jar after jar, but he found fault with all. At last\nhe hit upon some to his liking.\n\n\u201cAnd how many pounds will you take, sir?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll take four ounces,\u201d he replied, in a solemn tone, \u201cand mind you\ngive me good weight.\u201d\n\nThe old woman was very angry, for she had expected to sell several\npounds, at least; and she went off grumbling, after she had weighed out\nthe four ounces.\n\n\u201cNow for a feed!\u201d cried the little man, taking a loaf from the cupboard\nas he spoke. He cut off a huge slice, and spread the jam on quite half\nan inch thick; then he suddenly remembered his work.\n\n\u201cIt will never do to get jam on the Lord Mayor\u2019s coat, so I\u2019ll finish it\noff before I take even one bite,\u201d said he. So he picked up his work once\nmore, and his needle flew in and out like lightning.\n\nI am afraid the Lord Mayor had some stitches in his garment that were\nquite a quarter of an inch long.\n\nThe tailor glanced longingly at his slice of bread and jam once or\ntwice, but when he looked the third time it was quite covered with\nflies, and a fine feast they were having off it.\n\nThis was too much for the little fellow. Up he jumped, crying:\n\n\u201cSo you think I provide bread and jam for you, indeed! Well, we\u2019ll very\nsoon see! Take that!\u201d and he struck the flies such a heavy blow with a\nduster that no fewer than seven lay dead upon the table, while the\nothers flew up to the ceiling in great haste.\n\n\u201cSeven at one blow!\u201d said the little man with great pride. \u201cSuch a brave\ndeed ought to be known all over the town, and it won\u2019t be my fault if\nfolks fail to hear of it.\u201d\n\nSo he cut out a wide belt, and stitched on it in big golden letters the\nwords \u201cSeven at one blow.\u201d When this was done he fastened it round him,\ncrying:\n\n\u201cI\u2019m cut out for something better than a tailor, it\u2019s quite clear. I\u2019m\none of the world\u2019s great heroes, and I\u2019ll be off at once to seek my\nfortune.\u201d\n\nHe glanced round the cottage, but there was nothing of value to take\nwith him. The only thing he possessed in the world was a small cheese.\n\n\u201cYou may as well come, too,\u201d said he, stowing away the cheese in his\npocket, \u201cand now I\u2019m off.\u201d\n\nWhen he got into the street the neighbors all crowded round him to read\nthe words on his belt.\n\n\u201cSeven at one blow!\u201d said they to one another. \u201cWhat a blessing he\u2019s\ngoing; for it wouldn\u2019t be safe to have a man about us who could kill\nseven of us at one stroke.\u201d\n\nYou see, they didn\u2019t know that the tailor had only killed flies; they\ntook it to mean men.\n\nHe jogged along for some miles until he came to a hedge, where a little\nbird was caught in the branches.\n\n\u201cCome along,\u201d said the tailor; \u201cI\u2019ll have you to keep my cheese\ncompany\u201d; so he caught the bird and put it carefully into his pocket\nwith the cheese.\n\nSoon he reached a lofty mountain, and he made up his mind to climb it\nand see what was going on at the other side. When he reached the top,\nthere stood a huge giant, gazing down into the valley below.\n\n\u201cGood day,\u201d said the tailor.\n\nThe giant turned round, and seeing nobody but the little tailor there,\nhe cried with scorn:\n\n\u201cAnd what might you be doing here, might I ask? You\u2019d best be off at\nonce.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot so fast, my friend,\u201d said the little man; \u201cread this.\u201d\n\n\u201cSeven at one blow,\u201d read the giant, and he began to wish he\u2019d been more\ncivil.\n\n\u201cWell, I\u2019m sure nobody would think it to look at you,\u201d he replied; \u201cbut\nsince you are so clever, do this,\u201d and he picked up a stone and squeezed\nit until water ran out.\n\n\u201cDo that! Why, it\u2019s mere child\u2019s play to me,\u201d and the man took out his\ncheese and squeezed it until the whey ran from it. \u201cNow who is\ncleverer?\u201d asked the tailor. \u201cYou see, I can squeeze milk out, while you\nonly get water.\u201d\n\nThe giant was too surprised to utter a word for a few minutes; then,\ntaking up another stone, he threw it so high into the air that for a\nmoment they couldn\u2019t see where it went; then down it fell to the ground\nagain.\n\n\u201cGood!\u201d said the tailor; \u201cbut I\u2019ll throw a stone that won\u2019t come back\nagain at all.\u201d\n\nTaking the little bird from his pocket, he threw it into the air, and\nthe bird, glad to get away, flew right off and never returned.\n\nThis sort of thing didn\u2019t suit the giant at all, for he wasn\u2019t used to\nbeing beaten by any one.\n\n\u201cHere\u2019s something that you\u2019ll never manage,\u201d said he to the little man.\n\u201cJust come and help me to carry this fallen oak-tree for a few miles.\u201d\n\n\u201cDelighted!\u201d said the tailor, \u201cand I\u2019ll take the end with the branches,\nfor it\u2019s sure to be heavier.\u201d\n\n\u201cAgreed,\u201d replied the giant, and he lifted the heavy trunk on to his\nshoulder, while the tailor climbed up among the branches at the other\nend, and sang with all his might, as though carrying a tree was nothing\nto him.\n\nThe poor giant, who was holding the tree-trunk and the little tailor as\nwell, soon grew tired.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going to let it fall!\u201d he shouted, and the tailor jumped down from\nthe branches, and pretended he had been helping all the time.\n\n\u201cThe idea of a man your size finding a tree too heavy to carry!\u201d laughed\nthe little tailor.\n\n\u201cYou are a clever little fellow, and no mistake,\u201d replied the giant,\n\u201cand if you\u2019ll only come and spend the night in our cave, we shall be\ndelighted to have you.\u201d\n\n\u201cI shall have great pleasure in coming, my friend,\u201d answered the little\ntailor, and together they set off for the giant\u2019s home.\n\nThere were seven more giants in the cave, and each one of them was\neating a roasted pig for his supper. They gave the little man some food,\nand then showed him a bed in which he might pass the night. It was so\nbig that, after tossing about for half an hour in it, the tailor thought\nhe would be more comfortable if he slept in the corner, so he crept out\nwithout being noticed.\n\nIn the middle of the night the giant stole out of bed and went up to the\none where he thought the little man was fast asleep. Taking a big bar of\niron, he struck such a heavy blow at it that he woke up all the other\ngiants.\n\n\u201cKeep quiet, friends,\u201d said he. \u201cI\u2019ve just killed the little scamp.\u201d\n\nThe tailor made his escape as soon as possible, and he journeyed on for\nmany miles, until he began to feel very tired, so he lay down under a\ntree, and was soon fast asleep. When he awoke, he found a big crowd of\npeople standing round him. Up walked one very wise-looking old man, who\nwas really the king\u2019s prime minister.\n\n\u201cIs it true that you have killed seven at one blow?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cIt is a fact,\u201d answered the little tailor.\n\n\u201cThen come with me to the king, my friend, for he\u2019s been searching for a\nbrave man like you for some time past. You are to be made captain of his\narmy, and the king will give you a fine house to live in.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat I will,\u201d replied the little man. \u201cIt is just the sort of thing\nthat will suit me, and I\u2019ll come at once.\u201d\n\nHe hadn\u2019t been in the king\u2019s service long before every one grew jealous\nof him. The soldiers were afraid that, if they offended him, he would\nmake short work of them all, while the members of the king\u2019s household\ndidn\u2019t fancy the idea of making such a fuss over a stranger.\n\nSo the soldiers went in a body to the king and asked that another\ncaptain should be put over them, for they were afraid of this one.\n\nThe king didn\u2019t like to refuse, for fear they should all desert, and yet\nhe didn\u2019t dare get rid of the captain, in case such a strong and brave\nman should try to have his revenge.\n\nAt last the king hit upon a plan. In some woods close by there lived two\ngiants, who were the terror of the country side; they robbed all the\ntravelers, and if any resistance was offered they killed the men on the\nspot.\n\nSending for the little tailor, he said:\n\n\u201cKnowing you to be the bravest man in my kingdom, I want to ask a favor\nof you. If you will kill these two giants, and bring me back proof that\nthey are dead, you shall marry the princess, my daughter, and have half\nmy kingdom. You shall also take one hundred men to help you, and you are\nto set off at once.\u201d\n\n\u201cA hundred men, your majesty! Pray, what do I want with a hundred men?\nIf I can kill seven at one blow, I needn\u2019t be afraid of two. I\u2019ll kill\nthem fast enough, never fear.\u201d\n\nThe tailor chose ten strong men, and told them to await him on the\nborder of the wood, while he went on quite alone. He could hear the\ngiants snoring for quite half an hour before he reached them, so he knew\nin which direction to go.\n\nHe found the pair fast asleep under a tree, so he filled his pockets\nwith stones and climbed up into the branches over their heads. Then he\nbegan to pelt one of the giants with the missiles, until after a few\nminutes one of the men awoke. Giving the other a rough push, he cried:\n\n\u201cIf you strike me like that again, I\u2019ll know the reason why.\u201d\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t touch you,\u201d said the other giant crossly, and they were soon\nfast asleep once more.\n\nThen the tailor threw stones at the other man, and soon he awoke as the\nfirst had done.\n\n\u201cWhat did you throw that at me for?\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cYou are dreaming,\u201d answered the other, \u201cI didn\u2019t throw anything.\u201d\n\nNo sooner were they fast asleep again, than the little man began to pelt\nthem afresh.\n\nUp they both sprang, and seizing each other, they began to fight in real\nearnest. Not content with using their fists, they tore up huge trees by\nthe roots, and beat each other until very soon the pair lay dead on the\nground.\n\nDown climbed the little tailor, and taking his sword in his hand he\nplunged it into each giant, and then went back to the edge of the forest\nwhere the ten men were waiting for him.\n\n\u201cThey are as dead as two door nails,\u201d shouted the little man. \u201cI don\u2019t\nsay that I had an easy task, for they tore up trees by their roots to\ntry to protect themselves with, but, of course, it was no good. What\nwere two giants to a man who has slain seven at one blow?\u201d\n\nBut the men wouldn\u2019t believe it until they went into the forest and saw\nthe two dead bodies, lying each in a pool of blood, while the ground was\ncovered with uprooted trees.\n\nBack they went to the king, but instead of handing over half his\nkingdom, as he had promised, his majesty told the little tailor that\nthere was still another brave deed for him to do before he got the\nprincess for his bride.\n\n\u201cJust name it, then; I\u2019m more than ready,\u201d was the man\u2019s reply.\n\n\u201cYou are to kill the famous unicorn that is running wild in the forest\nand doing so much damage. When this is done you shall have your reward\nat once.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo trouble at all, your majesty. I\u2019ll get rid of him in a twinkling.\u201d\n\nHe made the ten men wait for him at the entrance to the wood, as they\nhad done the first time, and taking a stout rope and a saw he entered\nthe forest alone.\n\nUp came the unicorn, but just as it was about to rush at the man he\ndarted behind a big tree.\n\nThe unicorn dashed with such force against the tree that its horn was\ncaught quite fast and it was kept a prisoner.\n\nTaking his rope, he tied it tightly round the animal, and, after sawing\noff the horn, back he went to the palace, leading the unicorn by his\nside.\n\nBut even then the king was not satisfied, and he made the little tailor\ncatch a wild boar that had been seen wandering in the woods.\n\nHe took a party of huntsmen with him, but again he made them wait on the\noutskirts of the forest while he went on by himself.\n\nThe wild boar made a dash at the little tailor, but the man was too\nquick for it. He slipped into a little building close by, with the\nanimal at his heels. Then, catching sight of a small window, he forced\nhis way out into the forest again, and while the boar, who was too big\nand clumsy to follow, stood gazing at the spot where he had disappeared,\nthe tailor ran round and closed the door, keeping the animal quite\nsecure inside. Then he called the hunters, who shot the boar and carried\nthe body back to the palace.\n\nThis time the king was obliged to keep his promise; so the little tailor\nbecame a prince, and a grand wedding they had, too.\n\nWhen they had been married for about a couple of years, the princess\nonce overheard her husband talking in his sleep.\n\n\u201cBoy, if you have put a patch on that waistcoat, take the Lord Mayor\u2019s\ncoat home at once, or I\u2019ll box your ears,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cOh, dear,\u201d cried the princess, \u201cto think that I\u2019ve married a common\ntailor! Whatever can I do to get rid of him?\u201d\n\nSo she told her father the story, and the king said she need not worry,\nfor he would find a way out of the difficulty. She was to leave the door\nopen that night, and while the tailor was sleeping, the king\u2019s servants\nshould steal into the room, bind the tailor, and take him away to be\nkilled.\n\nThe princess promised to see that everything was in readiness, and she\ntripped about all day with a very light heart.\n\nShe little knew that one of the tailor\u2019s servants had overheard their\ncruel plot, and carried the news straight to his master.\n\nThat night, when the princess thought her husband was sleeping fast, she\ncrept to the door and opened it.\n\nTo her great terror, the tailor began to speak.\n\n\u201cBoy, take the Lord Mayor\u2019s coat home, or I\u2019ll box your ears. Haven\u2019t I\nkilled seven at one blow? Haven\u2019t I slain two giants, a unicorn, and a\nwild boar? What do I care for the men who are standing outside my door\nat this moment?\u201d\n\nAt these words off flew the men as though they had been shot from a gun,\nand no more attempts were ever made on his life. So the princess had to\nmake the best of a bad job.\n\nHe lived on, and when the old king died he ascended the throne in his\nstead. So the brave little tailor became ruler over the whole kingdom;\nand his motto throughout his whole life was, \u201cSeven at one blow.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Cat and the Mouse in Partnership_\n\n\nA cat having made the acquaintance of a mouse, told her so much of the\ngreat love and affection that he had for her, that the mouse at last\nconsented to live in the same house with him, and to have their domestic\naffairs in common. \u201cBut we must provide for the winter,\u201d said the cat,\n\u201cor we shall be starved; you, little mouse, cannot go everywhere looking\nfor food, or you will meet with an accident.\u201d\n\nThis advice was followed, and a pot was brought with some grease in it.\nHowever, when they had got it, they could not imagine where it should be\nput; but at last, after a long consideration, the cat said: \u201cI know no\nbetter place to put it than in the church, for there no one dares to\nsteal anything; we will set it beneath the organ, and not touch it till\nwe really want it.\u201d\n\nSo the pot was put away in safety; but not long afterward the cat began\nto wish for it again, so he spoke to the mouse and said: \u201cI have to tell\nyou that I am asked by my aunt to stand godfather to a little son, white\nwith brown marks, whom she has just brought into the world, and so I\nmust go to the christening. Let me go out to-day, and do you stop at\nhome and keep house.\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d answered the mouse; \u201cpray, go; and if you eat anything\nnice, think of me; I would also willingly drink a little of the sweet\nred christening-wine.\u201d\n\nBut, alas! it was all a story; for the cat had no aunt, and had not been\nasked to stand godfather to any one. He went straight to the church,\ncrept up to the grease pot, and licked it till he had eaten off the top;\nthen he took a walk on the roofs of the houses in the town, thinking\nover his situation, and now and then stretching himself in the sun and\nstroking his whiskers as often as he thought of his meal. When it was\nevening he went home again, and the mouse said: \u201cSo you have come at\nlast; what a charming day you must have had!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d answered the cat; \u201cit went off very well!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat have you named the kitten?\u201d asked the mouse.\n\n\u201c_Top-off!_\u201d said the cat very quickly.\n\n\u201c_Top-off!_\u201d replied the mouse; \u201cthat is a curious and remarkable name;\nis it common in your family?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat does that matter?\u201d said the cat; \u201cit is not worse than\nCrumb-stealer, as your children are called.\u201d\n\nNot long afterward the cat felt the same longing as before, and said to\nthe mouse: \u201cYou must oblige me by taking care of the house once more by\nyourself; I am again asked to stand godfather, and, since the youngster\nhas a white ring round his neck, I cannot get off the invitation.\u201d So\nthe good little mouse consented, and the cat crept away behind the wall\nto the church again, and ate half the contents of the grease-pot.\n\u201cNothing tastes better than what one eats by one\u2019s self,\u201d said he, quite\ncontented with his day\u2019s work; and when he came home the mouse asked how\nthis child was named.\n\n\u201c_Half-out_,\u201d answered the cat.\n\n\u201c_Half-out!_ What do you mean? I never heard such a name before in my\nlife; I will wager anything it is not in the calendar,\u201d but the cat\nreplied nothing.\n\nPussy\u2019s mouth soon began to water again at the recollection of the\nfeasting. \u201cAll good things come in threes,\u201d said he to the mouse. \u201cI am\nagain required to be godfather; this child is quite black, and has\nlittle white claws, but not a single white hair on his body; such a\nthing only happens once in two years, so pray excuse me this time.\u201d\n\n\u201c_Top-off! Half-out!_\u201d answered the mouse; \u201cthose are such curious\nnames, they make me a bit suspicious.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d replied the cat, \u201cthere you sit in your gray coat and long tail,\nthinking nonsense. That comes of never going out.\u201d\n\nThe mouse busied herself during the cat\u2019s absence in putting the house\nin order, but meanwhile greedy puss licked the grease-pot clean out.\n\u201cWhen it is all done one will rest in peace,\u201d thought he to himself, and\nas soon as night came he went home fat and tired. The mouse, however,\nagain asked what name the third child had received. \u201cIt will not please\nyou any better,\u201d answered the cat, \u201cfor he is called _All-out_.\u201d\n\n\u201c_All-out!_\u201d exclaimed the mouse; \u201cwell, that is certainly the most\ncurious name by far. I have never yet seen it in print. _All-out!_ What\ncan that mean?\u201d and, shaking her head, she rolled herself up and went to\nsleep.\n\nAfter that nobody else asked the cat to stand godfather; but the winter\nhad arrived, and nothing more was to be picked up out of doors; so the\nmouse bethought herself of their store of provision, and said, \u201cCome,\nfriend cat, we will go to our grease-pot which we laid by; it will taste\nwell now.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, indeed,\u201d replied the cat; \u201cit will taste as well as if you stroked\nyour tongue against the window.\u201d\n\nSo they set out on their journey, and when they arrived at the church\nthe pot stood in its old place\u2014but it was empty! \u201cAh,\u201d said the mouse,\n\u201cI see what has happened; now I know you are indeed a faithful friend.\nYou have eaten the whole as you stood godfather; first _Top-off_, then\n_Half-out_, then\u2014\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you be quiet?\u201d cried the cat. \u201cNot a word, or I\u2019ll eat you.\u201d But\nthe poor mouse had \u201c_All-out_\u201d at her tongue\u2019s end, and had scarcely\nuttered it when the cat made a spring, seized her in his mouth, and\nswallowed her.\n\nThis happens every day in the world.\n\n\n\n\n _Old Sultan_\n\n\nA certain peasant had a trusty dog called Sultan, who had grown quite\nold in his service, and had lost all his teeth, so that he could not\nhold anything fast. One day the peasant stood with his wife at the house\ndoor and said: \u201cThis morning I shall shoot old Sultan, for he is no\nlonger of any use.\u201d His wife, however, compassionating the poor animal,\nreplied: \u201cWell, since he has served us so long and so faithfully, I\nthink we may very well afford him food for the rest of his life.\u201d \u201cEh,\nwhat?\u201d replied her husband; \u201cyou are not very clever; he has not a tooth\nin his head, and never a thief is afraid of him, so he must trot off. If\nhe has served us, he has also received his dinner every day.\u201d\n\nThe poor dog, lying stretched out in the sun not far from his master,\nheard all he said, and was much troubled at learning that the morrow\nwould be his last day. He had one good friend, the wolf in the forest,\nto whom he slipped at evening, and complained of the sad fate which\nawaited him. \u201cBe of good courage, my father,\u201d said the wolf; \u201cI will\nhelp you out of your trouble. I have just thought of something. Early\nto-morrow morning your master goes haymaking with his wife, and they\nwill take with them their child, because no one will be left in the\nhouse, and while they are at work they will put him behind the hedge in\nthe shade, and set you by to watch him. I will then spring out of the\nwood and steal away the child, and you must run after me hotly as if you\nwere pursuing me. I will let it fall, and you shall take it back to its\nparents, who will then believe you have saved it, and they will be too\nthankful to do you any injury; and so you will come into great favor,\nand they will never let you want again.\u201d\n\nThis plan pleased the dog, and it was carried out exactly as proposed.\nThe father cried out when he saw the wolf running off with the child,\nbut as old Sultan brought it back he was highly pleased, and stroked\nhim, and said: \u201cNot a hair of your head shall be touched; you shall eat\nyour meals in comfort to the end of your days.\u201d He then told his wife to\ngo home and cook old Sultan some bread and broth, which would not need\nbiting, and also to bring the pillow out of his bed, that he might give\nit to him for a resting-place. Henceforth old Sultan had as much as he\ncould wish for himself; and soon afterward the wolf visited him and\ncongratulated him on his prosperous circumstances. \u201cBut, my father,\u201d\nsaid he slyly, \u201cyou will close your eyes if I by accident steal away a\nfat sheep from your master.\u201d \u201cReckon not on that,\u201d replied the dog; \u201cmy\nmaster believes me faithful; I dare not give you what you ask.\u201d The\nwolf, however, thought he was not in earnest, and by night came slinking\ninto the yard to fetch away the sheep. But the peasant, to whom the dog\nhad communicated the design of the wolf, caught him and gave him a sound\nthrashing with the flail. The wolf was obliged to scamper off, but he\ncried out to the dog: \u201cWait a bit, you rascal, you shall pay for this!\u201d\n\nThe next morning the wolf sent the boar to challenge the dog, that they\nmight settle their affair in the forest. Old Sultan, however, could find\nno other second than a cat, who had only three legs, and, as they went\nout together, the poor cat limped along, holding her tail high in the\nair from pain. The wolf and his second were already on the spot\nselected, but as they saw their opponent coming they thought he was\nbringing a great sabre with him, because they saw in front the erect\ntail of the cat; and, whenever the poor animal hopped on its three legs,\nthey thought nothing else than that he was going to take up a great\nstone to throw at them. Both of them, thereupon, became very nervous,\nand the boar crept into a heap of dead leaves, and the wolf climbed up a\ntree. As soon as the dog and cat arrived on the spot they wondered what\nhad become of their adversary. The wild boar, however, had not quite\nconcealed himself, for the tips of his ears were sticking out; and,\nwhile the cat was considering them attentively, the boar twitched one of\nthem, and the cat took it for a mouse, and, making a spring, gave it a\ngood bite. At this the boar shook himself with a great cry, and ran\naway, calling out, \u201cThere sits the guilty one, up in the tree!\u201d The dog\nand the cat looked up and saw the wolf, who was ashamed at himself for\nbeing so fearful, and, begging the dog\u2019s pardon, entered into treaty\nwith him.\n\n\n\n\n _The Nail_\n\n\nA tradesman had once transacted a good day\u2019s business at a fair,\ndisposed of all his goods, and filled his purse with gold and silver. He\nprepared afterward to return, in order to reach home by the evening, so\nhe strapped his portmanteau, with the money in it, upon his horse\u2019s\nback, and rode off. At noon he baited in a small town, and as he was\nabout to set out again, the stable-boy who brought his horse said to\nhim: \u201cSir, a nail is wanting in the shoe on the left hind foot of your\nanimal.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet it be wanting,\u201d replied the tradesman; \u201cI am in a hurry and the\niron will doubtless hold the six hours I have yet to travel.\u201d\n\nLate in the afternoon he had to dismount again, and feed his horse, and\nat this place also the boy came and told him that a nail was wanting in\none of the shoes, and asked him whether he should take the horse to a\nfarrier. \u201cNo, no, let it be!\u201d replied the master; \u201cit will last out the\ncouple of hours that I have now to travel; I am in haste.\u201d So saying he\nrode off; but his horse soon began to limp, and from limping it came to\nstumbling, and presently the beast fell down and broke its leg.\nThereupon the tradesman had to leave his unfortunate horse lying on the\nroad, to unbuckle the portmanteau, and to walk home with it upon his\nshoulder, where he arrived at last late at night.\n\n\u201cAnd all this misfortune,\u201d said he to himself, \u201cis owing to the want of\na nail. More haste, the less speed!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Fox and the Horse_\n\n\nThere was once a farmer who had a horse which served him faithfully till\nhe was too old to work any longer, and then his master would not give\nhim anything to eat, but said: \u201cI cannot really find any use for you\nnow, but still I mean you well, and so, if you will show yourself strong\nenough to bring home a lion, I will requite you; but now you must make\nyourself scarce in this stable!\u201d So saying, the farmer drove the poor\nhorse out; and he went with drooping head toward the forest to shelter\nhimself there from the weather. In among the trees he met a fox, who\nasked him why he looked so careworn and walked so downcast.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said the horse, \u201cavarice and fidelity dwell not in the same\nhouse together; my master has forgotten all the services which I have\nrendered him for so many years, and, because I am unable now to work any\nlonger, he will not give me any fodder, but has driven me out of the\nstable.\u201d\n\n\u201cWithout any hope?\u201d inquired the fox.\n\n\u201cThe hope is slight enough,\u201d replied the horse; \u201che said that if I could\nmanage to bring him back a lion he would receive me; but he knows well I\ncannot do that.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen I will help you,\u201d replied the fox; \u201cnow lie down and stretch\nyourself out, and do not stir, so that you may appear dead.\u201d\n\nThe horse, accordingly, did as he was bid, and the fox went to the lion,\nwhose den was not very far off, and said to him, \u201cNear here lies a dead\nhorse; come with me and you may make a capital meal.\u201d The lion\naccompanied the fox, and when they came to the horse the fox said:\n\u201cHist! listen to what I am about to say; you can have this beast at your\nconvenience; I will bind it to you by the tail, and you shall then drag\nit away to your den, and devour it at your leisure.\u201d This advice pleased\nthe lion, and, in order that the fox might knot the horse\u2019s tail fast to\nhim, he stood with his back toward it, quite still. The fox, however,\ncunningly tied the lion\u2019s legs together with the hairs of the horse\u2019s\ntail, and pulled and knotted all so carefully that no strength could\nhave divided it. As soon as his work was finished the fox tapped the\nhorse on the shoulder, and cried, \u201cDrag, my friend, drag!\u201d The horse\njumped up at once and drew the lion away with him. The beast soon began\nto roar, so that all the birds in the forest flew away in terror, but\nthe horse let him roar while he quietly dragged him to his master\u2019s\ndoor. Now, when the farmer saw this proof of the fidelity of his horse,\nhe thought better of his former resolution, and said to the faithful\nanimal: \u201cYou shall remain with me now, and live at your ease.\u201d And so\nthe good horse had good meals and good treatment till he died.\n\n\n\n\n _The Giant and the Tailor_\n\n\nA certain tailor, who was a large boaster but a very small performer,\ntook it once into his head to go and look about him in the world. As\nsoon as he could, he left his workshop, and traveled away over hills and\nvalleys, now on this road, and now on that; but still onward. After he\nhad gone some way, he perceived in the distance a steep mountain, and\nbehind it a lofty tower, which rose from the midst of a wild, dense\nforest. \u201cGood gracious!\u201d cried the tailor, \u201cwhat is this?\u201d and driven by\nhis curiosity, he went rapidly toward the place. But he opened his mouth\nand eyes wide enough when he got nearer; for the tower had legs, and\nsprang in a trice over the steep hill, and stood up, a mighty giant,\nbefore the tailor. \u201cWhat are you about here, you puny fly-legs?\u201d asked\nthe giant in a voice which rumbled on all sides like thunder.\n\n\u201cI am trying to earn a piece of bread in this forest,\u201d whispered the\ntailor.\n\n\u201cWell, then, it is time you entered my service,\u201d said the giant\nfiercely.\n\n\u201cIf it must be so, why not?\u201d said the tailor humbly; \u201cbut what wage\nshall I have?\u201d \u201cWhat wage shall you have?\u201d repeated the giant\ncontemptuously; \u201clisten and I will tell you: every year, three hundred\nand sixty-five days, and one besides, if it be leap-year. Is that\nright?\u201d\n\n\u201cQuite,\u201d said the tailor; but thought to himself: \u201cOne must cut\naccording to his cloth; I will seek to make myself free very soon.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo, little rascal, and fetch me a glass of water!\u201d cried the giant.\n\n\u201cWhy not the whole well, and its spring, too?\u201d said the tailor, but\nfetched as he was bid. \u201cWhat! the well and its spring, too?\u201d bellowed\nthe giant, who was rather cowardly and weak, and so began to be afraid,\nthinking to himself: \u201cThis fellow can do more than roast apples; he has\na heap of courage. I must take care, or he will be too much of a servant\nfor me!\u201d So, when the tailor returned with the water, the giant sent him\nto fetch a couple of bundles of faggots from the forest, and bring them\nhome. \u201cWhy not the whole forest at one stroke, every tree, young and\nold, knotty and smooth?\u201d asked the tailor, and went away. \u201cWhat! the\nwhole forest, and the well, too, and its spring!\u201d murmured the\nfrightened giant in his beard; and he began to be still more afraid, and\nbelieved that the tailor was too great a man for him, and not fit for\nhis servant. However, when the tailor returned with his load of faggots,\nthe giant told him to shoot two or three wild boars for their supper.\n\u201cWhy not rather a thousand at one shot, and the rest afterward?\u201d cried\nthe boaster. \u201cWhat, what!\u201d gasped the cowardly giant, terribly\nfrightened. \u201cOh, well! that is enough for to-day; you may go to sleep\nnow!\u201d\n\nThe poor giant, however, was so very much afraid of the little tailor\nthat he could not close his eyes all the night, but tossed about\nthinking how to get rid of his servant, whom he regarded as an enchanter\nconspiring against his life. With time comes counsel. The following\nmorning the giant and the dwarf went together to a marsh where a great\nmany willow-trees were growing. When they got there the giant said:\n\u201cSeat yourself on one of these willow rods, tailor; on my life I only\nwish to see if you are in a condition to bend it down.\u201d\n\nThe boasting tailor climbed the tree, and perched himself on a bough,\nand then, holding his breath, he made himself heavy enough thereby, to\nbend the tree down. Soon, however, he had to take breath again, and\nimmediately, having been unfortunate enough to come without his goose in\nhis pocket, the bough flew up, and to the great joy of the giant,\ncarried the tailor with it so high into the air that he went out of\nsight. And whether he has since fallen down again, or is yet flying\nabout in the air, I am unable to tell you satisfactorily.\n\n\n\n\n _The Spider and the Flea_\n\n\nA spider and a Flea dwelt together in one house, and brewed their beer\nin an egg-shell. One day, when the Spider was stirring it up, she fell\nin and scalded herself. Thereupon the Flea began to scream. And then the\ndoor asked: \u201cWhy are you screaming, Flea?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause little Spider has scalded herself in the beer-tub,\u201d replied\nshe.\n\nThereupon the door began to creak as if it were in pain; and a broom,\nwhich stood in the corner, asked, \u201cWhat are you creaking for, door?\u201d\n\n\u201cMay I not creak?\u201d it replied:\n\n \u201cThe little Spider\u2019s scalt herself,\n And the Flea weeps.\u201d\n\nSo the broom began to sweep industriously, and presently a little cart\ncame by, and asked the reason. \u201cMay I not sweep?\u201d replied the broom:\n\n \u201cThe little Spider\u2019s scalt herself,\n And the Flea weeps;\n The little door creaks with the pain,\u201d\u2014\n\nThereupon the little cart said: \u201cSo will I run,\u201d and began to run very\nfast, past a heap of ashes, which cried out: \u201cWhy do you run, little\ncart?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause,\u201d replied the cart:\n\n \u201cThe little Spider\u2019s scalt herself,\n And the Flea weeps;\n The little door creaks with the pain,\n And the broom sweeps.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the ashes, \u201cI will burn furiously.\u201d Now, next the ashes\nthere grew a tree, which asked: \u201cLittle heap, why do you burn?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause,\u201d was the reply:\n\n \u201cThe little Spider\u2019s scalt herself,\n And the Flea weeps;\n The little door creaks with the pain,\n And the broom sweeps;\n The little cart runs on so fast,\u201d\u2014\n\nThereupon the tree cried, \u201cI will shake myself!\u201d and went on shaking\ntill all its leaves fell off.\n\nA little girl passing by with a water-pitcher saw it shaking, and asked:\n\u201cWhy do you shake yourself, little tree?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy may I not?\u201d said the tree:\n\n \u201cThe little Spider\u2019s scalt herself,\n And the Flea weeps;\n The little door creaks with the pain,\n And the broom sweeps;\n The little cart runs on so fast,\n And the ashes burn.\u201d\n\nThen the maiden said: \u201cIf so, I will break my pitcher\u201d; and she threw it\ndown and broke it.\n\nAt this the streamlet, from which she drew the water, asked: \u201cWhy do you\nbreak your pitcher, my little girl?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy may I not?\u201d she replied; for\n\n \u201cThe little Spider\u2019s scalt herself,\n And the Flea weeps;\n The little door creaks with the pain,\n And the broom sweeps;\n The little cart runs on so fast,\n And the ashes burn;\n The little tree shakes down its leaves\u2014\n Now it is my turn!\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, then,\u201d said the streamlet, \u201cnow must I begin to flow.\u201d And it\nflowed and flowed along, in a great stream, which kept getting bigger\nand bigger, until at last it swallowed up the little girl, the little\ntree, the ashes, the cart, the broom, the door, the Flea, and, last of\nall, the Spider, all together.\n\n\n\n\n _The Little Shepherd Boy_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a little shepherd boy who was famed far and\nwide for the wise answers which he gave to all questions. Now the king\nof the country heard of this lad, but he would not believe what was said\nabout him, so the boy was ordered to come to court. When he arrived the\nking said to him: \u201cIf you can give me answers to each of the three\nquestions which I will now put to you, I will bring you up as my own\nchild, and you shall live here with me in my palace.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat are these three questions?\u201d asked the boy.\n\n\u201cThe first is, How many drops of water are there in the sea?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy lord king,\u201d replied the shepherd boy, \u201clet all the waters be stopped\nup on the earth, so that not one drop shall run into the sea before I\ncount it, and then I will tell you how many drops there are in the sea!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe second question,\u201d said the king, \u201cis: How many stars are there in\nthe sky?\u201d\n\n\u201cGive me a large sheet of paper,\u201d said the boy; and then he made in it\nwith a pin so many minute holes that they were far too numerous to see\nor to count, and dazzled the eyes of whomsoever looked at them. This\ndone, he said: \u201cSo many stars are there in the sky as there are holes in\nthis paper; now count them.\u201d But nobody was able. Thereupon the king\nsaid: \u201cThe third question is: How many seconds are there in eternity?\u201d\n\n\u201cIn Lower Pomerania is situate the adamantine mountain, one mile in\nheight, one mile in breadth, and one mile deep; and thither comes a bird\nonce in every thousand years which rubs its beak against the hill, and,\nwhen the whole shall be rubbed away, then will the first second of\neternity be gone by.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou have answered the three questions like a sage,\u201d said the king, \u201cand\nfrom henceforward you shall live with me in my palace, and I will treat\nyou as my own child.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Seven Swabians_\n\n\nThere were once seven Swabians in company, the first of whom was named\nSchulz, the second Jacky, the third Marli, the fourth Jergli, the fifth\nMichael, the sixth Hans, and the seventh Veitli; and they all were\ntraveling in search of adventures, and for the performance of mighty\ndeeds. In order that they might not be without protection, they thought\nfit to carry along with them a very long and strong pole. Upon this they\nall seven held, and in front the boldest and most courageous man, who\nwas Schulz, walked, while the others followed behind, and Veitli was\nlast.\n\nOne day in July, after they had traveled some distance, and had nearly\nentered the village where they intended to pass the night, it happened\nthat just as they came to a large meadow a hornet or dragon-fly flew out\nfrom behind a bush and hummed about the travelers in a warlike manner.\nSchulz was frightened and almost let go the pole, and the perspiration\nstood all over his body from terror. \u201cListen, listen!\u201d he cried to his\ncompanions; \u201cI hear a trumpeting!\u201d Jacky, who was last but one in the\nrow, and had got I know not what into his nose, exclaimed: \u201cSomething\ncertainly is at hand, for I can smell brimstone and powder!\u201d At these\nwords Schulz sprang over a hedge, in a trice, in his haste to escape,\nand, happening to alight on the prongs of a rake which was left in the\nfield by the haymakers, the handle sprang up and gave him an awkward\nblow on the forehead. \u201cOh! oh! oh! woe is me!\u201d cried Schulz; \u201ctake me\nprisoner, I give myself up, I surrender!\u201d The six others thereupon\njumped over the hedge too, and cried likewise: \u201cWe surrender if you\nsurrender! we surrender if you surrender!\u201d\n\nAt length, when they found no enemy came to bind and take them away,\nthey saw they were deceived, and in order that the tale might not be\ntold of them among the villagers, and they get laughed at and mocked,\nthey took an oath among themselves never to say anything about it unless\nany one of them should open his mouth unawares.\n\nAfter this adventure they went farther, but the second danger they met\nwith must not be compared with the first. For after several days had\nelapsed their road chanced to lead them through an unplowed field where\na hare was lying prone in the sun, with his ears pricked up to catch\nevery sound, and his large, glossy eyes wide open. The seven Swabians\nwere terribly frightened at the sight of this frightful, ferocious\nanimal, and they took counsel together what would be the least dangerous\nplan to adopt, for if they fled away it was to be feared that the\nmonster would pursue them and cut them to pieces. So they resolved to\nstand and have a great battle; for, said they, \u201cBravely dared is half\nwon!\u201d All seven, therefore, grasped hold of their spear, Schulz being\namong the foremost and Veitli hindmost. But Schulz wanted to have the\nspear himself, whereupon Veitli flew into a passion and broke away.\n\nThen the rest advanced together upon the dragon, but first Schulz\ncrossed himself devoutly and invoked the assistance of Heaven. Then he\nmarched on, but as he approached the enemy he felt very fearful and\ncried in great terror: \u201cHan! hurlehau! han! hauhel!\u201d This awoke the\nhare, who sprang away quite frightened, and when Schulz saw it flee, he\njumped for joy and shouted:\n\n \u201cZounds, friends, what fools we are!\n The frightful beast is but a hare!\u201d\n\nAfter they had recovered from their fright the seven Swabians sought new\nadventures, and by and by they arrived at the River Moselle, a smooth\nand deep water, over which there are not many bridges; so that one must\ncross in boats to the other side. The seven Swabians, however, were\nignorant of this, and they therefore shouted to a man who was working on\nthe other side of the river and asked him how they were to pass over.\nBut the man did not understand what they said on account of the distance\nand his ignorance of their language, and so he asked in his dialect:\n\u201cWat? wat?\u201d With this Schulz imagined the man said, \u201cWade, wade through\nthe stream\u201d; and, being foremost on the bank, he jumped into the river\nand began to walk across. Soon he got out of his depth and sank in the\ndeep, driving current; but his hat was carried by the wind to the\nopposite shore. As it reached there a frog perched himself on it, and\ncroaked: \u201cWat! wat! wat!\u201d This noise the six other Swabians, who then\nreached the bank, heard, and they said to one another: \u201cListen! does not\nSchulz call us? Well, if he could wade across we can also.\u201d With these\nwords each one jumped into the river, but they also all sank; and so it\nhappened that the frog caused the death of six Swabians, for nobody has\nheard of or seen them ever since.\n\n\n\n\n _The Shreds_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a maiden who was very pretty, but lazy and\ncareless. When she used to spin, she was so impatient that, if there\nchanced to be a little knot in the thread, she snapped off a long bit\nwith it and threw the pieces down on the ground near her. Now she had a\nservant girl, who was industrious, and used to gather together the\nshreds of thread, clean them, and weave them, till she made herself a\ndress with them.\n\nA certain young man had fallen in love with this lazy maiden; and their\nwedding-day was appointed. On the evening before, the industrious\nservant girl kept dancing about in her fine dress, till the bride\nexclaimed:\n\n \u201cAh! how the girl does jump about,\n Dressed in my shreds and leavings!\u201d\n\nWhen the bridegroom heard this, he asked the bride what she meant, and\nshe told him that the maid had worked herself a dress with the shreds of\nthread which she had thrown away. As soon as the bridegroom heard this,\nand saw the difference between the laziness of his intended and the\nindustry of her servant, he gave up the mistress and chose the maid for\nhis wife.\n\n\n\n\n _The Wolf and the Seven Kids_\n\n\nThere was once an old nanny-goat who had seven kids, and she was just as\nfond of them as a mother of her children. One day she was going into the\nwoods to fetch some food for them, so she called them all up to her, and\nsaid:\n\n\u201cMy dear children, I am going out into the woods. Beware of the wolf! If\nonce he gets into the house, he will eat you up, skin, and hair, and\nall. The rascal often disguises himself, but you will know him by his\nrough voice and his black feet.\u201d\n\nThe kids said: \u201cOh, we will be very careful, dear mother. You may be\nquite happy about us.\u201d\n\nBleating tenderly, the old goat went off to her work. Before long, some\none knocked at the door, and cried:\n\n\u201cOpen the door, dear children! Your mother has come back and brought\nsomething for each of you.\u201d\n\nBut the kids knew quite well by the voice that it was the wolf.\n\n\u201cWe won\u2019t open the door!\u201d they cried. \u201cYou are not our mother. She has a\nsoft, gentle voice; but yours is rough, and we are quite sure that you\nare the wolf.\u201d\n\nSo he went away to a shop and bought a lump of chalk, which he ate, and\nit made his voice quite soft. He went back, knocked at the door again,\nand cried:\n\n\u201cOpen the door, dear children. Your mother has come back and brought\nsomething for each of you.\u201d\n\nBut the wolf had put one of his paws on the window-sill, where the kids\nsaw it, and cried:\n\n\u201cWe won\u2019t open the door. Our mother has not got a black foot as you\nhave; you are the wolf.\u201d\n\nThen the wolf ran to a baker and said: \u201cI have bruised my foot; please\nput some dough on it.\u201d And when the baker had put some dough on his\nfoot, he ran to the miller and said: \u201cStrew some flour on my foot.\u201d\n\nThe miller thought, \u201cThe old wolf is going to take somebody in,\u201d and\nrefused.\n\nBut the wolf said: \u201cIf you don\u2019t do it, I will eat you up.\u201d\n\nSo the miller was frightened, and whitened the wolf\u2019s paws. People are\nlike that, you know.\n\nNow the wretch went for the third time to the door, and knocked and\nsaid:\n\n\u201cOpen the door, children. Your dear mother has come home, and has\nbrought something for each of you out of the wood.\u201d\n\nThe kids cried: \u201cShow us your feet first, that we may be sure you are\nour mother.\u201d\n\nHe put his paws on the window-sill, and when the kids saw that these\nwere white, they believed all he said and opened the door.\n\nAlas! it was the wolf who walked in. They were terrified, and tried to\nhide themselves. One ran under the table, the second jumped into bed,\nthe third into the oven, the fourth ran into the kitchen, the fifth got\ninto the cupboard, the sixth into the washtub, and the seventh hid in\nthe tall clock-case. But the wolf found them all but one, and made short\nwork of them. He swallowed one after the other, except the youngest one\nin the clock-case, whom he did not find. When he had satisfied his\nappetite, he took himself off, and lay down in a meadow outside, where\nhe soon fell asleep.\n\nNot long after the old nanny-goat came back from the woods. Oh, what a\nterrible sight met her eyes! The house door was wide open, table,\nchairs, and benches were overturned, the washing-bowl was smashed to\natoms, the covers and pillows torn from the bed. She searched all over\nthe house for her children, but nowhere were they to be found. She\ncalled them by name, one by one, but no one answered. At last, when she\ncame to the youngest, a tiny voice cried:\n\n\u201cI am here, dear mother, hidden in the clock-case.\u201d\n\nShe brought him out, and he told her that the wolf had come and devoured\nall the others.\n\nYou may imagine how she wept over her children.\n\nAt last, in her grief, she went out, and the youngest kid ran by her\nside. When they went into the meadow, there lay the wolf under a tree,\nmaking the branches shake with his snores. They examined him from every\nside, and they could plainly see movements within his distended body.\n\n\u201cAh, heavens!\u201d thought the goat, \u201cis it possible that my poor children,\nwhom he ate for his supper, should be still alive?\u201d\n\nShe sent the kid running to the house to fetch scissors, needles, and\nthread. Then she cut a hole in the monster\u2019s side, and, hardly had she\nbegun, when a kid popped out its head, and as soon as the hole was big\nenough, all six jumped out, one after the other, all alive, and without\nhaving suffered the least injury, for, in his greed, the monster had\nswallowed them whole. You may imagine the mother\u2019s joy. She hugged them,\nand skipped about like a tailor on his wedding day. At last she said:\n\n\u201cGo and fetch some big stones, children, and we will fill up the greedy\nbeast\u2019s body while he is asleep.\u201d\n\nThen the seven kids brought a lot of stones, as fast as they could carry\nthem, and stuffed the wolf with them till he could hold no more. The old\nmother quickly sewed him up, without his having noticed anything, or\neven moved.\n\nAt last, when the wolf had had his sleep out, and got upon his legs, he\nfound he was very thirsty, and wished to go to the spring to drink. But\nas soon as he began to move, the stones began to tumble about in his\nbody, and he cried out:\n\n \u201cWhat rattles, what rattles\n Against my poor bones?\n Surely not little goats,\n But only big stones!\u201d\n\nAnd when he came to the brook he stooped down to drink, and the heavy\nstones made him lose his balance so that he fell, and sank beneath the\nwater.\n\nAs soon as the seven little goats saw this, they came running up,\nsinging aloud, \u201cThe wolf is dead! the wolf is dead!\u201d and they danced for\njoy around their mother by the side of the brook.\n\n\n\n\n _The Elves and the Shoemaker_\n\n\nThere was once a shoemaker who, through no fault of his own, had become\nso poor that at last he had only leather enough left for one pair of\nshoes. At evening he cut out the shoes which he intended to begin upon\nthe next morning, and since he had a good conscience, he lay down\nquietly, said his prayers, and fell asleep.\n\nIn the morning when he had prayed, as usual, and was preparing to sit\ndown to work, he found the pair of shoes standing finished on his table.\nHe was amazed, and could not understand it in the least.\n\nHe took the shoes in his hand to examine them more closely. They were so\nneatly sewn that not a stitch was out of place, and were as good as the\nwork of a master-hand.\n\nSoon after a purchaser came in, and as he was much pleased with the\nshoes, he paid more than the ordinary price for them, so that the\nshoemaker was able to buy leather for two pairs with the money.\n\nHe cut them out in the evening, and next day, with fresh courage was\nabout to go to work; but he had no need to, for when he got up, the\nshoes were finished, and buyers were not lacking. These gave him so much\nmoney that he was able to buy leather for four pairs of shoes.\n\nEarly next morning he found the four pairs finished, and so it went on;\nwhat he cut out at evening was finished in the morning, so that he was\nsoon again in comfortable circumstances, and became a well-to-do man.\n\nNow it happened one evening, not long before Christmas, when he had cut\nout shoes as usual, that he said to his wife: \u201cHow would it be if we\nwere to sit up to-night to see who it is that lends us such a helping\nhand?\u201d\n\nThe wife agreed, lighted a candle, and they hid themselves in the corner\nof the room behind the clothes which were hanging there.\n\nAt midnight came two little naked men, who sat down at the shoemaker\u2019s\ntable, took up the cut-out work, and began with their tiny fingers to\nstitch, sew, and hammer so neatly and quickly, that the shoemaker could\nnot believe his eyes. They did not stop till everything was quite\nfinished, and stood complete on the table; then they ran swiftly away.\n\nThe next day the wife said: \u201cThe little men have made us rich, and we\nought to show our gratitude. They run about with nothing on, and must\nfreeze with cold. Now I will make them little shirts, coats, waistcoats,\nand hose, and will even knit them stout stockings, and you shall make\nthem each a pair of shoes.\u201d\n\nThe husband agreed, and at evening, when they had everything ready, they\nlaid out the presents on the table, and hid themselves to see how the\nlittle men would behave.\n\nAt midnight they came skipping in, and were about to set to work; but,\ninstead of the leather ready cut out, they found the charming little\nclothes.\n\nAt first they were surprised, then excessively delighted. With the\ngreatest speed they put on and smoothed down the pretty clothes,\nsinging:\n\n \u201cNow we\u2019re dressed so fine and neat,\n Why cobble more for others\u2019 feet?\u201d\n\nThen they hopped and danced about, and leaped over chairs and tables and\nout at the door. Henceforward, they came back no more, but the shoemaker\nfared well as long as he lived, and had good luck in all his\nundertakings.\n\n\n\n\n _King Wren_\n\n\nOnce upon a time the cuckoo gave a big tea-party. It was a grand affair,\nI can tell you. Every bird of note was present, from the eagle down to\nthe sparrow. All the finches were there, the larks, crows, and swallows;\nso how they managed to seat them all is more than I can tell.\n\nNow, the cuckoo was a wise old bird, and she never took a step of this\nsort without a reason. You sometimes hear people say, \u201cAs silly as a\ncuckoo,\u201d but you may take my word for it, it is only because they know\nnothing at all about her.\n\nWell, a bright idea had occurred to the cuckoo, and it was just this:\nShe thought it was high time the birds chose a king of their own. If\nthey had a king, you see, they might in time be able to have a \u201cCourt\nCircular,\u201d which would sound very grand. Besides, who knew but that in\nthe future some of her own family might even marry royalty? Yes, it was\na good idea, she thought, but the other birds would have to be consulted\nfirst.\n\nSo she gave a big tea-party, and fed them all up with the finest worms\nand dainties to be had, just to put them into a good temper.\n\nEven the hungry sparrow finished eating at last\u2014and you have no idea\nwhat his appetite was like!\u2014and then the cuckoo broke the news gently\nthat she thought they ought to have a king to manage their affairs for\nthem.\n\nNow this caused no end of commotion. And there they sat\u2014fathers,\nmothers, uncles, and cousins, all talking away at the same time.\n\nJust then the cock and hen passed by, taking a little airing.\n\nYou must know that they had heard nothing about the teaparty. They were\njust the cock and hen, and it did not matter much what they thought; so\nthey did not get an invitation.\n\n\u201cWat! wat!\u201d cried the hen, when she heard the dreadful din. Of course\nthe cock understood her language, and knew that she was asking what was\ngoing on.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll find out, my dear,\u201d he answered, and he inquired from a fat, green\nfrog.\n\n\u201cThey want to choose a king over the birds,\u201d he told the hen, a minute\nafter.\n\n\u201cStuff and nonsense!\u201d clucked the hen; only it did not sound quite like\nthat, because she spoke in her own language, you see.\n\nWell, the end of it all was that everybody was in favor of a king, save\nthe plover, and he cried: \u201cI have been free all my life, and I\u2019ll die\nfree!\u201d Then away he flew to a dismal swamp, and was seen no more.\n\nSo they agreed to meet again next morning, if it was fine. Their king\nwas to be the bird who could fly higher than all the rest, and they\nwanted a fine day so that nobody could say afterward, \u201cI could have\nflown much higher, only it was so windy,\u201d or something of the sort.\n\nThe next day was perfect, so they all gathered together in a big meadow.\nWhen the cuckoo had counted \u201cThree,\u201d they all rose up with one accord\ninto the air, making such a cloud of dust that for a moment you could\nnot see a thing.\n\nHigher and higher they flew, but one by one the little birds had to give\nup, and in the end the eagle was the only bird left flying, and he\nlooked as though he had reached the sun itself.\n\nBut a tiny little bird had joined them unasked, and he had not even a\nname.\n\nNobody noticed him hide himself among the feathers in the eagle\u2019s back;\nso when the cuckoo had counted three, up he went with the rest, although\nthey did not know it.\n\nNow, when the eagle saw that all the others had given up, he, too, began\nto descend. Then out flew the little bird without a name, and up he\nwent, much higher still.\n\n\u201cI am king! I am king!\u201d cried the eagle, when he reached the ground.\n\n\u201cNot at all,\u201d replied the little bird without a name, \u201cfor I have flown\nhigher still,\u201d and then down he came.\n\n\u201cI am king! I am king!\u201d he chirped, as soon as he got his breath again.\n\n\u201cYou crafty little creature!\u201d they shouted, with one voice. \u201cWe will\nhave another test, and a fair one this time.\u201d\n\nSo the bird who could fall deepest into the earth was to be their king,\nthey said.\n\nWell, the cock set to work and began to grub a hole in the ground, while\nthe duck jumped down into a grave; but unluckily she sprained her foot,\nand she waddled off, saying: \u201cBad work! Bad work!\u201d\n\nBut the little bird without a name crept right into a mouse-hole, and\ncried shrilly:\n\n\u201cI am king! I am king!\u201d\n\n\u201cThen we will show you how we treat our royalty!\u201d cried the angry birds.\n\u201cWe will keep you in the mouse-hole and starve you.\u201d\n\nSo they set the owl to keep watch over the hole during the night, and if\nhe let the bird go he was to be put to death on the spot. The others\nwere all so tired and weary that they flew home and went to bed.\n\nNow, when he had stared into the hole for two whole hours, the poor owl\nbegan to feel very sleepy. So he went to sleep with one eye and watched\nintently with the other, and all went well for a time. But as luck would\nhave it, when he shut one eye, after a while, he forgot to open the\nother, and you may be sure the little bird without a name soon made his\nescape from his prison.\n\nAfter that the poor owl never dared show his face again by day, for fear\nthe birds should put him to death. He flies about all night long, and he\nis a great enemy of the little mice because they make such\u2014to\nhim\u2014unfortunate holes.\n\nAs for that little bird without a name, he did not feel very safe\neither, so he always hid in the hedges, and when he felt pretty secure\nhe would cry out: \u201cI am king! I am king!\u201d\n\nIn time the other birds grew to call him the \u201cHedge king,\u201d just for\nscorn, and that means \u201cWren.\u201d That is how he came by his name.\n\n\n\n\n _Why the Bear has a Stumpy Tail_\n\n\nOne winter\u2019s day the bear met the fox, who came slinking along with a\nstring of fish he had stolen.\n\n\u201cHi! stop a minute! Where did you get those from?\u201d demanded 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 is quite easy,\u201d answered the fox, \u201cand soon learned. You\u2019ve only\ngot to go upon the ice, and cut a hole and stick your tail down through\nit, and hold it there as long as you can. You\u2019re not to mind if it\nsmarts a little; that\u2019s when the fish bite. The longer you hold it\nthere, the more fish you\u2019ll get; and then all at once out with it, with\na cross pull sideways and a strong pull, too.\u201d\n\nWell, the bear did as the fox said, and though he felt very cold, and\nhis tail smarted very much, he kept it a long, long time down in the\nhole, till at last it was frozen in, though of course he did not know\nthat. Then he pulled it out with a strong pull, and it snapped short\noff, and that\u2019s why Bruin goes about with a stumpy tail to this day!\n\n\n\n\n _Three Ways to Build a House_\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a pig who lived with her three children in a\nlarge, comfortable, old-fashioned farmyard. The eldest of the little\npigs was called Browny, the second Whity, and the youngest and\nbest-looking, Blacky. Now, Browny was a very dirty little pig, and I am\nsorry to say spent most of his time rolling and wallowing about in the\nmud. He was never so happy as on a wet day, when the mud in the farmyard\nwas soft and thick and smooth. Then he would steal away from his\nmother\u2019s side, and finding the muddiest place in the yard, would roll\nabout in it and thoroughly enjoy himself. His mother often found fault\nwith him for this and would shake her head sadly and say: \u201cAh, Browny!\nsome day you will be sorry that you did not obey your old mother.\u201d But\nno words of advice or warning could cure Browny of his bad habits.\n\nWhity was quite a clever little pig, but she was greedy. She was always\nthinking of her food and looking forward to her dinner; and when the\nfarm girl was seen carrying the pails across the yard, she would rise up\non her hind legs and dance and caper with excitement. As soon as the\nfood was poured into the trough she jostled Blacky and Browny out of the\nway in her eagerness to get the best and biggest bits for herself. Her\nmother often scolded her for her selfishness, and told her that some day\nshe would suffer for being so greedy.\n\nBlacky was a nice little pig, neither dirty nor greedy. He had nice\ndainty ways, for a pig, and his skin was always as smooth and shining as\nblack satin. He was much cleverer than either Browny or Whity, and his\nmother\u2019s heart used to swell with pride when she heard the farmer\u2019s\nfriends say to each other that some day the little black fellow would be\na prize pig.\n\nNow, the time came when the mother pig felt old and feeble and near her\nend. One day she called the three little pigs around her and said:\n\n\u201cMy children, I feel that I am growing old and weak and that I shall not\nlive long. Before I die I should like to build a house for each of you,\nas this dear old sty in which we have lived so happily will be given to\na new family of pigs, and you will have to turn out. Now, Browny, what\nsort of a house would you like to have?\u201d\n\n\u201cA house of mud,\u201d replied Browny, looking longingly at a wet puddle in\nthe corner of the yard.\n\n\u201cAnd you, Whity?\u201d said the mother pig in rather a sad voice, for she was\ndisappointed that Browny had made so foolish a choice.\n\n\u201cA house of cabbage,\u201d answered Whity, with a mouth full, and scarcely\nraising her snout out of the trough in which she was grubbing for some\npotato parings.\n\n\u201cFoolish, foolish child!\u201d said the mother pig, looking quite distressed.\n\u201cAnd you, Blacky,\u201d turning to her youngest son, \u201cwhat sort of a house\nshall I order for you?\u201d\n\n\u201cA house of brick, please, mother, as it will be warm in winter, cool in\nsummer, and safe all the year round.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is a sensible little pig,\u201d replied his mother, looking fondly at\nhim. \u201cI will see that the three houses are made ready at once. And now\none last piece of advice. You have heard me talk of our old enemy, the\nfox. When he hears that I am dead he is sure to try and get hold of you,\nto carry you off to his den. He is very sly, and will no doubt disguise\nhimself and pretend to be a friend, but you must promise me not to let\nhim enter your houses on any pretext whatever,\u201d and the little pigs\nreadily promised, for they had always had a great fear of the fox, of\nwhom they had heard many terrible tales.\n\nA short time afterward the old pig died, and the little pigs went to\nlive in their own houses. Browny was quite delighted with his soft mud\nwalls and with the clay floor, which soon looked like nothing but a big\nmud pie. But that was what Browny enjoyed, and he was as happy as\npossible, rolling about all day and making himself exceedingly dirty.\nOne day, as he was lying half asleep in the mud, he heard a soft knock\nat his door and a gentle voice said:\n\n\u201cMay I come in, Master Browny? I want to see your beautiful new house.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d said Browny, starting up in great fright, for though the\nvoice sounded gentle, he felt sure it was a feigned voice and he feared\nit was the fox.\n\n\u201cI am a friend come to call on you,\u201d answered the voice.\n\n\u201cNo, no,\u201d replied Browny, \u201cI don\u2019t believe you are a friend. You are the\nwicked fox, against whom our mother warned us. I won\u2019t let you in.\u201d\n\n\u201cOho! is that the way you answer me?\u201d said the fox, speaking very\nroughly in his natural voice. \u201cWe shall soon see who is master here,\u201d\nand with his paws he set to work and scraped a large hole in the soft\nmud walls. A moment later he had jumped through it, and catching Browny\nby the neck, flung him on his shoulders and trotted off with him to his\nden.\n\nThe next day, as Whity was munching a few leaves of cabbage out of the\ncorner of her house, the fox stole up to her door, determined to carry\nher off to join her brother in his den. He began speaking to her in the\nsame feigned, gentle voice in which he had spoken to Browny; but it\nfrightened her very much when he said:\n\n\u201cI am a friend come to visit you and to have some of your good cabbage\nfor my dinner.\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease don\u2019t touch it,\u201d cried Whity in great distress. \u201cThe cabbages\nare the walls of my house, and if you eat them you will make a hole, and\nthe wind and rain will come in and give me a cold. Do go away. I am sure\nyou are not a friend, but our wicked enemy the fox.\u201d And poor Whity\nbegan to whine and to whimper, and to wish that she had not been such a\ngreedy little pig and had chosen a more solid material than cabbages for\nher house. But it was too late now, and in another minute the fox had\neaten his way through the cabbage walls and had caught the trembling,\nshivering Whity and carried her off to his den.\n\nThe next day the fox started off for Blacky\u2019s house, because he had made\nup his mind that he would get the three little pigs together in his den,\nthen kill them, and invite all his friends to a feast. But when he\nreached the brick house he found that the door was bolted and barred, so\nin his sly manner he began: \u201cDo let me in, dear Blacky. I have brought\nyou a present of some eggs that I picked up in a farmyard on my way\nhere.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, no, Mr. Fox,\u201d replied Blacky, \u201cI am not going to open my door to\nyou. I know your cunning ways. You have carried off poor Browny and\nWhity, but you are not going to get me.\u201d\n\nAt this the fox was so angry that he dashed with all his force against\nthe wall and tried to knock it down. But it was too strong and well\nbuilt; and though the fox scraped and tore at the bricks with his paws\nhe only hurt himself, and at last he had to give it up and limp away\nwith his fore paws all bleeding and sore.\n\n\u201cNever mind!\u201d he cried angrily as he went off. \u201cI\u2019ll catch you another\nday, see if I don\u2019t; and won\u2019t I grind your bones to powder when I have\ngot you in my den!\u201d And he snarled fiercely and showed his teeth.\n\nNext day Blacky had to go into the neighboring town to do some marketing\nand to buy a big kettle. As he was walking home with it slung over his\nshoulder he heard a sound of steps stealthily creeping after him. For a\nmoment his heart stood still with fear, and then a happy thought came to\nhim. He had just reached the top of a hill, and could see his own little\nhouse nestling at the foot of it among the trees. In a moment he had\nsnatched the lid off the kettle and had jumped in himself. Coiling\nhimself round he lay quite snug in the bottom of the kettle, while with\nhis foreleg he managed to put the lid on, so that he was entirely\nhidden. With a little kick from the inside he started the kettle off,\nand down the hill it rolled full tilt; and when the fox came up, all\nthat he saw was a large black kettle spinning over the ground at a great\npace. Very much disappointed, he was just going to turn away when he saw\nthe kettle stop close to the little brick house, and in a moment Blacky\njumped out of it and escaped with it safely inside, when he barred and\nbolted the door and put the shutter up over the window.\n\n\u201cOho!\u201d exclaimed the fox to himself, \u201cyou think you will escape me that\nway, do you? We shall soon see about that, my friend,\u201d and very quietly\nand stealthily he prowled round the house looking for some way to climb\non to the roof.\n\nIn the mean time Blacky had filled the kettle with water, and having put\nit on the fire, sat down quietly waiting for it to boil. Just as the\nkettle was beginning to sing and steam to come out of the spout he heard\na sound like a soft, muffled step, patter, patter, patter overhead, and\nthe next moment the fox\u2019s head and forepaws were seen coming down the\nchimney. But Blacky very wisely had not put the lid on the kettle, and\nwith a yelp of pain the fox fell into the boiling water, and before he\ncould escape Blacky had popped the lid on and the fox was scalded to\ndeath.\n\nAs soon as he was sure that their wicked enemy was really dead and could\ndo them no further harm, Blacky started off to rescue Browny and Whity.\nAs he approached the den he heard piteous grunts and squeals from his\npoor little brother and sister, who lived in constant terror of the fox\nkilling and eating them, but when they saw Blacky appear at the entrance\nto the den their joy knew no bounds. He quickly found a sharp stone and\ncut the cords by which they were tied to a stake in the ground, and then\nall three started off together for Blacky\u2019s house, where they lived\nhappily ever after; and Browny quite gave up rolling in the mud and\nWhity ceased to be greedy, for they never forgot how nearly these faults\nhad brought them to an untimely end.\n\n\n\n\n _How to Tell a True Princess_\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a prince who wanted to marry a princess, but\nshe must be a true princess. So he traveled through the whole world to\nfind one, but there was always something against each. There were plenty\nof princesses, but he could not find out if they were true princesses.\nIn every case there was some little defect, which showed the genuine\narticle was not yet found. So he came home again in very low spirits,\nfor he had wanted very much to have a true princess. One night there was\na dreadful storm; it thundered and lightened and the rain streamed down\nin torrents. It was fearful! There was a knocking heard at the palace\ngate, and the old king went to open it.\n\nThere stood a princess outside the gate; but oh, in what a sad plight\nshe was from the rain and the storm! The water was running down from her\nhair and her dress into the points of her shoes and out at the heels\nagain. And yet she said she was a true princess!\n\n\u201cWell, we shall soon find that!\u201d thought the old queen. But she said\nnothing and went into the sleeping-room, took off all the bedclothes,\nand laid a pea on the bottom of the bed. Then she put twenty mattresses\non top of the pea and twenty eider-down quilts on the top of the\nmattresses. And this was the bed in which the princess was to sleep.\n\nThe next morning she was asked how she had slept.\n\n\u201cOh, very badly!\u201d said the princess. \u201cI scarcely closed my eyes all\nnight! I am sure I don\u2019t know what was in the bed. I lay on something so\nhard that my whole body is black and blue. It is dreadful!\u201d\n\nNow they perceived that she was a true princess, because she had felt\nthe pea through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down quilts.\n\nNo one but a true princess could be so sensitive.\n\nSo the prince married her, for now he knew that at last he had got hold\nof a true princess. And the pea was put into the Royal Museum, where it\nis still to be seen if no one has stolen it. Now, this is a true story.\n\n\n\n\n _The Five Servants_\n\n\nOnce upon a time, in a country far away, there lived and ruled an old\nqueen who had such a wicked heart that she was not happy unless she was\nworking evil to others. She had one daughter who was very beautiful, and\nwhom she made use of to further her own evil plans; for, whenever a\nsuitor came to apply for her hand, the old queen set him an impossible\ntask, and chopped off his head without any pity when he could not\nperform it.\n\nNow, in another country there lived a young prince who had heard of this\nlovely girl, and he begged his father to let him go and try his luck.\n\n\u201cNot a bit of it,\u201d said the king. \u201cYou would only lose your head like\nthe rest.\u201d\n\nBut the prince was very anxious to go, and when he found his father was\nfirm, he fell ill and took to his bed for seven years, and not all the\ndoctors in the land could make him well again or restore his fallen\nspirits. Then the father knew that the lad must die, unless he was\nallowed to have his own way, so he said:\n\n\u201cGet up, my son, and try your fate.\u201d\n\nAt these joyful words the boy jumped out of bed, quite recovered, and\nyou may be sure it was not long before he was ready for his journey and\non the road.\n\nOne day, as he was swinging along over hill and dale, and fern and\nbrake, he saw a great big thing lying by the roadside. At first he\nthought it was a huge animal, but as he drew nearer he saw that it was\nreally an enormously fat man, who was as round and jolly as you can\nimagine. Seeing the traveler, he rose to his feet, and I do believe the\nearth trembled as he did so.\n\n\u201cIf you are in need of a servant, take me, and you will not repent,\u201d he\nsaid, pulling off his cap and bowing.\n\n\u201cWhy, whatever should I do with such a fat fellow as you?\u201d answered the\nprince.\n\n\u201cIf I were three thousand times as fat it would not matter, so long as I\nserved you well,\u201d said the man.\n\n\u201cHum! well, that is very true,\u201d replied the prince. \u201cYou may come along,\nand I dare say I shall be able to put you to some use.\u201d\n\nSo they journeyed on together, and presently they came upon a man lying\nwith his ear pressed to the ground.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d asked the prince.\n\n\u201cI am listening,\u201d answered the man. \u201cI can hear everything that is going\non in the world, even the growing of the grass.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said the prince, \u201cthen you can tell me what you hear in the palace\nof the old queen.\u201d\n\n\u201cI hear the cutting off of a suitor\u2019s head.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome with me, then,\u201d said the prince, \u201cfor I can see that you will be\nuseful.\u201d\n\nA little farther on they came upon a pair of legs lying stretched on the\ngrass, but they were so long that the travelers had to walk an hour\nbefore they came to the body, and then nearly another hour before they\nreached the head.\n\n\u201cWell, what a long strip of a chap you are!\u201d said the prince.\n\n\u201cWhy, master, you have only seen me when I am lying down,\u201d replied the\nman. \u201cJust you wait till I stand up. I am thrice as tall as the highest\nmountain you have ever seen on your travels. Just let me come and be\nyour servant, and I promise that you will find me useful.\u201d\n\n\u201cWillingly,\u201d answered the prince.\n\nThen they all went on their way again till they came to a wood, and here\nthey found a man who, though he was lying in the full heat of the sun,\nwas shivering and shaking so that it was a wonder his teeth did not fall\nout of his head.\n\n\u201cWhy, my good man,\u201d said the prince, \u201cwhat makes you shiver so on this\nhot day?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d groaned the man, \u201cthe hotter the day the colder I am; the sun\nfreezes the very marrow in my bones; and when it is what you call cold,\nI begin to grow hot, so that I nearly burn to death. I cannot bear cold\nbecause it is so hot, nor heat because it is so cold.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you are an odd fellow,\u201d said the prince. \u201cSuppose you get up and\njoin my train?\u201d So the man agreed.\n\nThe next man they met was standing in a field turning his head from side\nto side in a way that made your neck ache to watch him.\n\n\u201cWhat are you looking for?\u201d asked the prince.\n\n\u201cI am looking for nothing,\u201d answered the man. \u201cBut I have such keen\nsight that I can see all over the world, through woods and forests, and\nhills and mountains; nothing can escape my eyes.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the prince, \u201cif you are willing to take service, join my\ntrain, for I have need of such as you.\u201d\n\nThen they all journeyed on together in a very merry fashion, for the\nprince was light-hearted at the thought of his beautiful bride that was\nto be. You see, he had quite made up his mind to get the better of the\nwicked queen. Soon they reached the palace, and the prince presented\nhimself to the queen, and said:\n\n\u201cI am come to ask the hand of your daughter in marriage. Set me what\ntask you like, so long as I may marry her when it is done.\u201d\n\n\u201cThree tasks I will set you,\u201d said the queen, \u201cand when they are done\nyou shall be her husband. First, you must find me the ring that I have\ndropped in the sea near the palace.\u201d\n\nThe prince went home to his servants, and said:\n\n\u201cNow is your chance to prove your worth. You must find me a ring that\nlies at the bottom of the sea.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will see where it lies,\u201d said the keen-sighted one; and suddenly he\nshouted: \u201cThere it is; it lies on a rock at the bottom of the waves!\u201d\n\n\u201cI would soon fetch it, if I could see it,\u201d said the long man.\n\n\u201cI can arrange that,\u201d chimed in the fat one, and he lay down beside the\nsea and began to drink.\n\nAnd he drank and drank till the sea disappeared, and the bottom lay\nstretched out before them as dry as a meadow. Then the long man took one\nstride, and picked up the ring and brought it to the prince.\n\nThe old queen was very much surprised to see the ring, but she concealed\nher annoyance, and, leading the youth to the window, said:\n\n\u201cIn yonder field a hundred fat oxen are feeding. You must eat them all\nbefore noon, and, in case you are thirsty, you must drink the contents\nof the hundred casks of wine that are in the cellar.\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d said the youth, cheerfully. \u201cBut I should like to invite a\nfriend to eat with me.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, by all means,\u201d replied the old hag, with a smile.\n\nSo the prince went to his friends and told them the news.\n\n\u201cYou will help me to-day?\u201d he said, turning to the fat man; \u201cand for\nonce you will have a good meal.\u201d\n\nSo they went straightway to the field where the oxen were, and in no\ntime at all the fat man had gobbled up every one, and still looked\nhungry. Then the prince took him down to the cellar, and he quenched his\nthirst with the hundred casks of wine.\n\nAgain the youth presented himself to the witch, and astonished her with\nthe news that the task was done.\n\n\u201cOho! my fine fellow,\u201d she grumbled to herself, \u201cI will catch you yet.\n\n\u201cTo-night,\u201d she added aloud, \u201cI will bring the princess and leave her to\nsit with you; but beware lest you fall asleep, for if I come at twelve\nand find the princess gone, you are a lost man!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat does not sound difficult,\u201d thought the prince. \u201cSurely I can keep\nawake, if I want to.\u201d\n\nSo he told his servants what the third task was to be, and they all\nagreed that a watch had better be kept, lest the old woman should play\nsome trick.\n\nAt nightfall the old queen brought her daughter to the prince\u2019s house\nand returned to the palace. As soon as she was gone, the long man wound\nhimself around the house; the listener lay with his ear to the ground;\nthe fat one stood in the doorway, completely blocking the entrance, and\nthe keen-eyed one kept watch. Within sat the princess, silent as a\nstatue, the moonlight lighting up her beautiful face with a radiant\nglory, so that the prince could only gaze at her in awe and wonder. So\nfar it was well; but at half past eleven a spell, cast by the old queen,\nfell on them all, and they slept, and immediately the princess was\nspirited away.\n\nAt a quarter to twelve the spell lost its power, and they awoke to\ndiscover what a calamity had fallen upon them.\n\n\u201cOh, woe is me! woe is me!\u201d cried the prince. \u201cWhat can save us now?\u201d\nand the faithful servants wept in unison.\n\nSuddenly the listener said:\n\n\u201cHark! be still, and I will listen.\u201d\n\nThey were quiet at once, and he listened for a moment.\n\n\u201cI hear her bewailing her fate!\u201d he cried.\n\nThen the keen-sighted man turned his head from side to side and cried\njoyfully:\n\n\u201cI see her sitting on a rock, three hundred miles away. Our long friend\ncan reach her in two strides.\u201d\n\n\u201cWillingly,\u201d cried the man, and he was up and at the foot of the rock\nbefore the others could look round. He took the princess in his arms,\nand she was back in the prince\u2019s house just one moment before twelve,\nand they all sat down together and rejoiced.\n\nAs the clock struck twelve, the old queen came creeping along, looking\nvery spiteful, as she thought she had really won this time; for was not\nher daughter three hundred miles away? She was not, as we know, and when\nthe queen saw this she felt so angry she would like to have ordered all\ntheir heads to be chopped off.\n\n\u201cThere must be some one here who is cleverer than I!\u201d she screamed, and\nthen she fell to crying, but it was of no use. The prince was firm as a\nrock, and she had to consent to the wedding; but she whispered to her\ndaughter:\n\n\u201cHis servants have done everything for him. Aren\u2019t you ashamed to have a\nhusband who can do nothing at all for himself?\u201d\n\nThe daughter had a proud and haughty temper, and her pride began to rise\nup angrily. So next day she commanded three hundred loads of wood to be\nbrought and piled up in the palace yard and set alight. Then she told\nthe prince that he had performed the tasks only by the help of his\nservants, and before she would marry him some one must sit upon the\nwoodpile and stay there till it was burned out; for she thought no\nservant would do so much for him, and he surely would have to do this\nhimself. However, she was wrong, for the freezing man claimed this as\nhis share of the work, and he mounted the woodpile without delay.\n\nFor three days and three nights it blazed away, till only ashes were\nleft, and there stood the freezing man shivering like a jelly.\n\n\u201cIf it had burned much longer, I should have been benumbed with the\ncold,\u201d he said, with chattering teeth.\n\nNow, the princess saw that she could delay no longer, so they set off to\nthe church, but the queen made yet another attempt to prevent the\nwedding. She called her attendants, and sent them to waylay the party\nand kill every one but the princess. However, the listener had been\nkeeping his ears open, and he heard this order; so they put on more\nspeed and reached the church first, and were married. At the church door\nthe five servants took leave of their master and went out into the world\nto try their fortune alone.\n\nThe prince and his wife set forth on their homeward journey, and at the\nend of the first day they came upon a village where a swineherd stood\nfeeding his pigs.\n\n\u201cDo you know who I am?\u201d said the prince to his wife. \u201cYonder man is my\nfather, and our duty now is to tend the pigs with him.\u201d\n\nThey went into the cottage, and during the night the prince took away\nher splendid clothes, so that in the morning she had to put on an old\ndress and shoes belonging to the swineherd\u2019s wife.\n\nThese were given to her grudgingly, and only for her husband\u2019s sake, as\nthe woman told her. So the princess was now very miserable, and believed\nthat her husband was really a swineherd; but she determined to make the\nbest of it, and turn to and do her share of the work, and said to\nherself:\n\n\u201cIt is a punishment for all my pride.\u201d\n\nThis went on for a week, and then she was so worn out that she sat down\nby the wayside and burst into tears. Some kindly villagers asked her\nwhat was the matter, and if she knew what her husband was?\n\n\u201cHe is a swineherd,\u201d she answered, \u201cand has just gone to market with\nsome of his pigs.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome with us, and we will show you where he is,\u201d they said; and they\ntook her away over the hill to the king\u2019s palace, and there in the hall\nstood her husband surrounded by courtiers, and so richly dressed that\nshe did not know him, till he fell upon her neck, saying:\n\n\u201cWe have borne much for each other, now let us be happy.\u201d\n\nThen there was great rejoicing, and the marriage-feast was celebrated,\nand all I can say is, that I wish we had been there to share the\nmerrymaking.\n\n\n\n\n _The Hare and the Fox_\n\n\nA hare and a Fox were traveling together. It was winter time. Not a\nblade of grass was to be seen, not a bird or mouse stirred in the\nfields.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s hungry weather,\u201d said the Fox to the Hare. \u201cI feel as hollow as an\negg-shell.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd so do I,\u201d replied the Hare. \u201cI\u2019m hungry enough to eat my own ears,\nif only I could reach them.\u201d\n\nWhen they had gone a little way they spied a peasant girl coming toward\nthem. She carried a basket, and out of the basket came a very pleasant\nsmell\u2014the smell of hot rolls.\n\n\u201cI tell you what,\u201d said the Fox. \u201cYou lie down and pretend to be dead.\nThe girl will put down her basket to take you up for the sake of your\nskin, for out of hare-skins they make gloves; then I\u2019ll snatch the\nrolls, and we shall have a splendid meal!\u201d\n\nThe Hare did as the Fox told him, fell down, and pretended to be dead,\nwhile the Fox hid behind a snow-drift. The girl came along, saw the Hare\nwith his legs stretched out stiff and stark, put down her basket sure\nenough, and stooped over the Hare. The Fox snatched up the basket and\nscampered off with it. The Hare in a twinkling came to life, and\nfollowed his companion. But he ran on ahead, and showed quite plainly\nthat he meant to keep the rolls all to himself.\n\nBut that was not what the Hare had bargained for, you may guess. So when\nthey came to a little lake, he called out to the Fox:\n\n\u201cWhat do you say to catching a dish of fish? Then we should have fish\nand rolls to eat like any lord. Just dangle your tail down in the water;\nthe fish haven\u2019t much to bite these days, so they\u2019re bound to hang on to\nyour tail. You must make haste, though, before the lake freezes over.\u201d\n\nWell, the Fox thought that a good idea. So he went to the lake, which\nwas just beginning to freeze, and dangled his tail in the water. In a\nvery short time the tail was frozen in.\n\nNow, the Hare took the basket and gobbled up the rolls one after the\nother as comfortably as you please, right before the Fox\u2019s face.\n\n\u201cWait till it thaws,\u201d he said to the Fox. \u201cWait till the spring. Wait\ntill it thaws!\u201d and then he ran away.\n\nAnd the Fox was so angry at the way he had been caught that he barked\nand barked like a savage dog on a chain.\n\n\n\n\n _The Story of Zirac_\n\n\nOnce upon a time a raven, a rat, and a tortoise, having agreed to be\nfriends together, were having a pleasant chat when they saw a wild goat\nmaking its way toward them with surprising swiftness. They took it for\ngranted by her speed that she was pursued by some hunter, and they at\nonce without ceremony separated, every one to take care of himself. The\ntortoise slipped into the water, the rat crept into a hole, which he\nfortunately found near at hand, and the raven hid himself among the\nboughs of a very high tree. In the mean time the goat stopped quite\nsuddenly, and stood to rest herself by the side of a fountain, when the\nraven, who had looked all round and perceived no one, called to the\ntortoise, who immediately peeped above the water, and seeing the goat\nafraid to drink, said: \u201cDrink boldly, my friend, for the water is very\nclear.\u201d\n\nAfter the goat had done so, the tortoise continued: \u201cPray tell me what\nis the reason you appear in such distress?\u201d\n\n\u201cReason enough,\u201d said the goat; \u201cfor I have just made my escape out of\nthe hands of a hunter, who pursued me with an eager chase.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome,\u201d said the tortoise, \u201cI am glad you are safe. I have an offer to\nmake you. If you like our company, stay here and be one of our friends;\nyou will find our hearts honest and our company useful to you. The sages\nsay that a number of friends lessens trouble.\u201d\n\nAfter this short speech the raven and the rat joined in the invitation,\nso that the goat at once promised to become one of them, each promising\nthe other to prove himself a real and true friend whatever might happen\nin days to come. After this agreement these four friends lived in\nperfect harmony for a very long time, and spent their time pleasantly\ntogether. But one day, as the tortoise, the rat, and the raven were met,\nas they used to do, by the side of the fountain, the goat was missing.\nThis gave great trouble to them, as they knew not what had happened.\nThey very soon came to a resolution, however, to seek for and assist the\ngoat, so the raven at once mounted into the air to see what discoveries\nhe could make; and looking round about him, at length, to his great\nsorrow, saw at a distance the poor goat entangled in a hunter\u2019s net. He\nimmediately dropped down in order to acquaint the rat and tortoise with\nwhat he had seen; and you may be sure that these ill tidings caused\ngreat grief.\n\n\u201cWhat shall we do?\u201d said they.\n\n\u201cWe have promised firm friendship to one another and lived very happily\ntogether so long,\u201d said the tortoise, \u201cthat it would be shameful to\nbreak the bond and not act up to all we said. We cannot leave our\ninnocent and good-natured companion in this dire distress and great\ndanger. No! we must find some way to deliver our poor friend goat out of\ncaptivity.\u201d\n\nSaid the raven to the rat, who was nicknamed Zirac: \u201cRemember, O\nexcellent Zirac, there is none but thyself able to set our friend at\nliberty; and the business must be quickly done for fear the huntsman\nshould lay his hands upon her.\u201d\n\n\u201cDoubt not,\u201d replied Zirac, \u201cbut that I will do my best, so let us go at\nonce that no time may be lost.\u201d\n\nOn this the raven took up Zirac in his bill, and flew with him to the\nplace where the poor goat was confined in the net. No sooner had he\narrived than he at once commenced to gnaw the meshes of the net that\nheld the goat\u2019s foot and had almost set him at liberty when the tortoise\narrived.\n\nAs soon as the goat saw the tortoise she cried out with a loud voice:\n\u201cOh, why have you ventured to come hither, friend tortoise?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause I could no longer bear your absence,\u201d replied the tortoise.\n\n\u201cDear friend,\u201d said the goat, \u201cyour coming to this place troubles me as\nmuch as the loss of my own liberty; for if the hunter should happen to\ncome, what would you do to make your escape? For my part I am almost\nfree, and my being able to run will prevent me from falling into his\nhands again; our friend the raven can find safety in flight, and Zirac\ncan run into any hole. Only you, who are so slow of foot, will become\nthe hunter\u2019s prey.\u201d No sooner had the goat thus spoken, when sure enough\nthe hunter appeared; but the goat, being free, swiftly ran away; the\nraven mounted into the air, and Zirac slipped into a hole, and true\nenough, as the goat had said, only the slow-paced tortoise remained\nwithout help.\n\nWhen the hunter arrived he was a little surprised to see his net broken\nand the goat missing. This was no small vexation to him, and caused him\nto look closely around, to see if he could discover who had done the\nmischief; and unfortunately, in thus searching, he spied the tortoise.\n\n\u201cOh! Oh!\u201d said he. \u201cVery good; I am glad to see you here. I find I shall\nnot go home empty-handed after all; here is a plump tortoise, and that\nis worth something, I\u2019m sure.\u201d Thus saying, he took up the tortoise, put\nit in a sack, threw the sack over his shoulder, and was soon trudging\nhome.\n\nAfter he had gone the three friends came out from their several\nhiding-places, and met together, when, missing the tortoise, they at\nonce judged what had become of him. Then, uttering bitter cries and\nlamentations, they shed torrents of tears. At length the raven broke the\nsilence, and said: \u201cDear friends, our moans and sorrow do not help the\ntortoise. We must, if it be at all possible, devise some means of saving\nhis life. Our sages have often told us that there are three persons that\nare never well known but on special occasions\u2014men of courage in fight,\nmen of honesty in business, and a true friend in extreme necessity. We\nfind, alas! our dear companion the tortoise is in a sad condition, and\ntherefore we must, if possible, help him.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is first-class advice,\u201d replied Zirac. \u201cNow I think I know how it\ncan be done. Let our friend the goat go and show herself to the hunter,\nwho will then be certain to lay down the sack to run after her.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right,\u201d said the goat, \u201cI will pretend to be lame, and run limping\nat a little distance before him, which will encourage him to follow me,\nand thus draw him a good way from his sack, which will give Zirac time\nto set our friend at liberty.\u201d\n\nThis plan appeared such a good one that it was at once approved of, and\nimmediately the goat ran halting before the hunter, and appeared to be\nso feeble and faint that her pursuer thought he had her safe in his\nclutches again, and so, laying down his sack, ran after the goat with\nall his might. That cunning creature suffered him now and again almost\nto come up to her, and then led him another wild-goose chase till at\nlast she had lured him out of sight; which Zirac seeing, began gnawing\nthe string that tied the mouth of the sack, and soon set free the\ntortoise, who went at once and hid himself in a thick bush.\n\nAt length the hunter, tired of running after his prey, gave up the\nchase, and returned to take up his sack.\n\n\u201cHere,\u201d said he, \u201cI have something safe; thou art not quite so swift as\nthat plaguing goat; and if thou wert, art too well confined here to find\nthe way to make thy little legs any use to thee.\u201d So saying, he went to\nthe bag, but not finding the tortoise he was amazed, and thought himself\nin a region of hobgoblins and spirits, since he had by some mysterious\nmeans lost two valuable objects, a goat and a tortoise! He did not know,\nyou see, what wonders true friendship can work when all are pledged to\nhelp one another.\n\nThe four friends soon met together again, congratulated one another on\ntheir escapes, made afresh their vows of friendship, and declared that\nthey would never separate until death parted them.\n\n\n\n\n _Johnny-Cake_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was an old man, and an old woman, and a little\nboy. One morning the old woman made a Johnny-cake, and put it in the\noven to bake. \u201cYou watch the Johnny-cake while your father and I go out\nto work in the garden,\u201d she said, so the old man and the old woman went\nout and began to hoe potatoes, and left the little boy to tend the oven.\nBut he didn\u2019t watch it all the time, and all of a sudden he heard a\nnoise, and he looked up and the oven door popped open, and out of the\noven jumped Johnny-cake, and went rolling along end over end, toward the\nopen door of the house. The little boy ran to shut the door, but\nJohnny-cake was too quick for him and rolled through the door, down the\nsteps, and out into the road long before the little boy could catch him.\nThe little boy ran after him as fast as he could clip it, crying out to\nhis father and mother, who heard the uproar, and threw down their hoes\nand gave chase too. But Johnny-cake outran all three a long way, and was\nsoon out of sight, while they had to sit down, all out of breath, on a\nbank to rest.\n\nOn went Johnny-cake, and by and by he came to two well-diggers, who\nlooked up from their work and called out: \u201cWhere ye going, Johnny-cake?\u201d\n\nHe said: \u201cI\u2019ve outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy,\nand I can outrun you too-o-o!\u201d\n\n\u201cYe can, can ye? We\u2019ll see about that,\u201d said they; and they threw down\ntheir picks and ran after him, but couldn\u2019t catch up with him, and soon\nthey had to sit down by the roadside to rest.\n\nOn ran Johnny-cake, and by and by he came to two ditch-diggers who were\ndigging a ditch. \u201cWhere ye going, Johnny-cake?\u201d said they. He said:\n\u201cI\u2019ve outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two\nwell-diggers, and I can outrun you too-o-o!\u201d\n\n\u201cYe can, can ye? We\u2019ll see about that!\u201d said they; and they threw down\ntheir spades, and ran after him too. But Johnny-cake soon outstripped\nthem also, and seeing they could never catch him, they gave up the chase\nand sat down to rest.\n\nOn went Johnny-cake, and by and by he came to a bear. The bear said:\n\u201cWhere are ye going, Johnny-cake?\u201d\n\nHe said: \u201cI\u2019ve outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy,\nand two well-diggers, and two ditch-diggers, and I can outrun you\ntoo-o-o!\u201d\n\n\u201cYe can, can ye?\u201d growled the bear. \u201cWe\u2019ll see about that!\u201d and trotted\nas fast as his legs could carry him after Johnny-cake, who never stopped\nto look behind him. Before long the bear was left so far behind that he\nsaw he might as well give up the hunt first as last, so he stretched\nhimself out by the roadside to rest.\n\nOn went Johnny-cake, and by and by he came to a wolf. The wolf said:\n\u201cWhere ye going, Johnny-cake?\u201d\n\nHe said: \u201cI\u2019ve outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy,\nand two well-diggers, and two ditch-diggers, and a bear, and I can\noutrun you too-o-o!\u201d\n\n\u201cYe can, can ye?\u201d snarled the wolf. \u201cWe\u2019ll see about that!\u201d And he set\ninto a gallop after Johnny-cake, who went on and on so fast that the\nwolf saw there was no hope of overtaking him, and he too lay down to\nrest.\n\nOn went Johnny-cake, and by and by he came to a fox that lay quietly in\na corner of the fence. The fox called out in a sharp voice, but without\ngetting up: \u201cWhere ye going, Johnny-cake?\u201d\n\nHe said: \u201cI\u2019ve outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy,\nand two well-diggers, and two ditch-diggers, a bear, and a wolf, and I\ncan outrun you too-o-o!\u201d\n\nThe Fox said: \u201cI can\u2019t quite hear you, Johnny-cake. Won\u2019t you come a\nlittle closer?\u201d turning his head a little to one side.\n\nJohnny-cake stopped his race for the first time, and went a little\ncloser, and called out in a very loud voice: \u201c_I\u2019ve outrun an old man,\nand an old woman, and a little boy, and two well-diggers, and two\nditch-diggers, and a bear, and a wolf, and I can outrun you too-o-o!_\u201d\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t quite hear you; won\u2019t you come a _little_ closer?\u201d said the fox\nin a feeble voice, as he stretched out his neck toward Johnny-cake, and\nput one paw behind his ear.\n\nJohnny-cake came up close, and leaning toward the fox screamed out:\n\u201cI\u2019VE OUTRUN AN OLD MAN, AND AN OLD WOMAN, AND A LITTLE BOY, AND TWO\nWELL-DIGGERS, AND TWO DITCH-DIGGERS, AND A BEAR, AND A WOLF, AND I CAN\nOUTRUN YOU TOO-O-O!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can, can you?\u201d yelped the fox, and he snapped up the Johnny-cake in\nhis sharp teeth in the twinkling of an eye.\n\n\n\n\n _The Wee, Wee Mannie_\n\n\nOnce upon a time, when all big folks were wee ones and all lies were\ntrue, there was a wee, wee Mannie that had a big, big coo. And out he\nwent to milk her of a morning, and said:\n\n \u201cHold still, my coo, my hinny,\n Hold still, my hinny, my coo,\n And ye shall have for your dinner\n What but a milk white doo.\u201d\n\nBut the big, big coo wouldn\u2019t hold still. \u201cHout!\u201d said the wee, wee\nMannie:\n\n \u201cHold still, my coo, my dearie,\n And fill my bucket wi\u2019 milk,\n And if ye\u2019ll be no contrairy\n I\u2019ll gi\u2019e ye a gown o\u2019 silk.\u201d\n\nBut the big, big coo wouldn\u2019t hold still. \u201cLook at that, now!\u201d said the\nwee, wee Mannie:\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s a wee, wee Mannie to do,\n Wi\u2019 such a big contrairy coo?\u201d\n\nSo off he went to his mother at the house. \u201cMither,\u201d said he, \u201ccoo won\u2019t\nstand still, and wee, wee Mannie can\u2019t milk big, big coo.\u201d\n\n\u201cHout!\u201d said his mother, \u201ctake stick and beat coo.\u201d\n\nSo off he went to get a stick from the tree, and said:\n\n \u201cBreak, stick, break,\n And I\u2019ll gi\u2019e ye a cake.\u201d\n\nBut the stick wouldn\u2019t break, so back he went to the house.\n\n\u201cMither,\u201d said he, \u201ccoo won\u2019t hold still, stick won\u2019t break, wee, wee\nMannie can\u2019t beat big, big coo.\u201d\n\n\u201cHout!\u201d said his mother, \u201cgo to the butcher and bid him kill coo.\u201d\n\nSo off he went to the butcher, and said:\n\n \u201cButcher, kill the big, big coo,\n She\u2019ll gi\u2019e us no more milk noo.\u201d\n\nBut the butcher wouldn\u2019t kill the coo without a silver penny, so back\nthe Mannie went to the house. \u201cMither,\u201d said he, \u201ccoo won\u2019t hold still,\nstick won\u2019t break, butcher won\u2019t kill without a silver penny, and wee,\nwee Mannie can\u2019t milk big, big coo.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said his mother, \u201cgo to the coo and tell her there\u2019s a weary,\nweary lady with long yellow hair weeping for a cup o\u2019 milk.\u201d\n\nSo off he went and told the coo, but she wouldn\u2019t hold still, so back he\nwent and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said she, \u201ctell the coo there\u2019s a fine, fine laddie from the\nwars sitting by the weary, weary lady with golden hair, and she weeping\nfor a sup o\u2019 milk.\u201d\n\nSo off he went and told the coo, but she wouldn\u2019t hold still, so back he\nwent and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said his mother, \u201ctell the big, big coo there\u2019s a sharp, sharp\nsword at the belt of the fine, fine laddie from the wars who sits beside\nthe weary, weary lady with the golden hair, and she weeping for a sup o\u2019\nmilk.\u201d\n\nAnd he told the big, big coo, but she wouldn\u2019t hold still.\n\nThen said his mother: \u201cRun quick and tell her that her head\u2019s going to\nbe cut off by the sharp, sharp sword in the hands of the fine, fine\nladdie, if she doesn\u2019t give the sup o\u2019 milk the weary, weary lady weeps\nfor.\u201d\n\nAnd wee, wee Mannie went off and told the big, big coo.\n\nAnd when coo saw the glint of the sharp, sharp sword in the hand of the\nfine, fine laddie come from the wars, and the weary, weary lady weeping\nfor a sup o\u2019 milk, she reckoned she\u2019d better hold still; so wee, wee\nMannie milked big, big coo, and the weary, weary lady with the golden\nhair hushed her weeping and got her sup o\u2019 milk, and the fine, fine\nladdie new come from the wars put by his sharp, sharp sword, and all\nwent well that didn\u2019t go ill.\n\n\n\n\n _Sir Gammer Vans_\n\n\nLast Sunday morning at six o\u2019clock in the evening as I was sailing over\nthe tops of the mountains in my little boat, I met two men on horseback\nriding on one mare: So I asked them: \u201cCould they tell me whether the\nlittle old woman was dead yet who was hanged last Saturday week for\ndrowning herself in a shower of feathers?\u201d They said they could not\ninform me positively, but if I went to Sir Gammer Vans he could tell me\nall about it.\n\n\u201cBut how am I to know the house?\u201d said I.\n\n\u201cHo, \u2018tis easy enough,\u201d said they, \u201cfor \u2018tis a brick house built\nentirely of flints, standing alone by itself in the middle of sixty or\nseventy others just like it.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, nothing in the world is easier,\u201d said I.\n\n\u201cNothing _can_ be easier,\u201d said they: so I went on my way. Now this Sir\nG. Vans was a giant, and a bottle-maker. And as all giants who _are_\nbottle-makers usually pop out of a little thumb-bottle from behind the\ndoor, so did Sir G. Vans.\n\n\u201cHow d\u2019ye do?\u201d says he.\n\n\u201cVery well, I thank you,\u201d says I.\n\n\u201cHave some breakfast with me?\u201d\n\n\u201cWith all my heart,\u201d says I.\n\nSo he gave me a slice of beer, and a cup of cold veal; and there was a\nlittle dog under the table that picked up all the crumbs.\n\n\u201cHang him,\u201d says I.\n\n\u201cNo, don\u2019t hang him,\u201d says he; \u201cfor he killed a hare yesterday. And if\nyou don\u2019t believe me, I\u2019ll show you the hare alive in a basket.\u201d\n\nSo he took me into his garden to show me the curiosities. In one corner\nthere was a fox hatching eagle\u2019s eggs; in another there was an iron\napple-tree, entirely covered with pears and lead; in the third there was\nthe hare which the dog killed yesterday alive in the basket; and in the\nfourth there were twenty-four _hipper switches_ threshing tobacco, and\nat the sight of me they threshed so hard that they drove the plug\nthrough the wall, and through a little dog that was passing by on the\nother side. I, hearing the dog howl, jumped over the wall; and turned it\nas neatly inside out as possible, when it ran away as if it had not an\nhour to live. Then he took me into the park to show me his deer; and I\nremembered that I had a warrant in my pocket to shoot venison for his\nmajesty\u2019s dinner. So I set fire to my bow, poised my arrow, and shot\namong them. I broke seventeen ribs on one side, and twenty-one and a\nhalf on the other; but my arrow passed clean through without ever\ntouching it, and the worst was I lost my arrow. However, I found it\nagain in the hollow of a tree. I felt it; it felt clammy. I smelt it; it\nsmelt honey. \u201cOh, ho,\u201d said I, \u201chere\u2019s a bees\u2019 nest,\u201d when out sprang a\ncovey of partridges. I shot at them; some say I killed eighteen; but I\nam sure I killed thirty-six, besides a dead salmon which was flying over\nthe bridge, of which I made the best apple-pie I ever tasted.\n\n\n\n\n _Tom Tit Tot_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a woman, and she baked five pies. And when\nthey came out of the oven, they were that over-baked the crusts were too\nhard to eat. So she says to her daughter:\n\n\u201cDarter,\u201d says she, \u201cput you them there pies on the shelf, and leave \u2018em\nthere a little, and they\u2019ll come again.\u201d She meant, you know, the crust\nwould get soft.\n\nBut the girl, she says to herself: \u201cWell, if they\u2019ll come again, I\u2019ll\neat \u2018em now.\u201d And she set to work and ate \u2018em all, first and last.\n\nWell, come supper-time the woman said: \u201cGo you, and get one o\u2019 them\nthere pies. I dare say they\u2019ve come again now.\u201d\n\nThe girl went and she looked, and there was nothing but the dishes. So\nback she came, and says she: \u201cNoo, they ain\u2019t come again.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot one of \u2018em?\u201d says the mother.\n\n\u201cNot one of \u2018em,\u201d says she.\n\n\u201cWell, come again, or not come again,\u201d said the woman, \u201cI\u2019ll have one\nfor supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you can\u2019t, if they ain\u2019t come,\u201d said the girl.\n\n\u201cBut I can,\u201d says she. \u201cGo you, and bring the best of \u2018em.\u201d\n\n\u201cBest or worst,\u201d says the girl, \u201cI\u2019ve ate \u2018em all, and you can\u2019t have\none till that\u2019s come again.\u201d\n\nWell, the woman she was done, and she took her spinning to the door to\nspin, and as she span she sang:\n\n \u201cMy darter ha\u2019 ate five, five pies to-day.\n My darter ha\u2019 ate five, five pies to-day.\u201d\n\nThe king was coming down the street, and he heard her sing, but what she\nsang he couldn\u2019t make out, so he stopped and said:\n\n\u201cWhat was that you were singing, my good woman?\u201d\n\nThe woman was ashamed to let him hear what her daughter had been doing,\nso she sang, instead of that:\n\n \u201cMy darter ha\u2019 spun five, five skeins to-day.\n My darter ha\u2019 spun five, five skeins to-day.\u201d\n\n\u201cStars o\u2019 mine!\u201d said the king, \u201cI never heard tell of any one that\ncould do that.\u201d\n\nThen he said: \u201cLook you here, I want a wife, and I\u2019ll marry your\ndaughter. But look you here,\u201d says he, \u201celeven months out of the year\nshe shall have all she likes to eat, and all the gowns she likes to get,\nand all the company she likes to keep; but the last month of the year\nshe\u2019ll have to spin five skeins every day, and if she don\u2019t I shall kill\nher.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right,\u201d says the woman; for she thought what a grand marriage that\nwas. And as for the five skeins, when the time came, there\u2019d be plenty\nof ways of getting out of it, and likeliest, he\u2019d have forgotten all\nabout it.\n\nWell, so they were married. And for eleven months the girl had all she\nliked to eat, and all the gowns she liked to get, and all the company\nshe liked to keep.\n\nBut when the time was getting over, she began to think about the skeins\nand to wonder if he had \u2018em in mind. But not one word did he say about\n\u2018em, and she thought he\u2019d wholly forgotten \u2018em.\n\nHowever, the last day of the last month he takes her to a room she\u2019d\nnever set eyes on before. There was nothing in it but a spinning-wheel\nand a stool. And says he: \u201cNow, my dear, here you\u2019ll be shut in\nto-morrow with some victuals and some flax, and if you haven\u2019t spun five\nskeins by the night, your head\u2019ll go off.\u201d\n\nAnd away he went about his business.\n\nWell, she was that frightened, she\u2019d always been such a gutless girl,\nthat she didn\u2019t so much as know how to spin, and what was she to do\nto-morrow with no one to come nigh her to help her? She sat down on a\nstool in the kitchen, and law, how she did cry!\n\nHowever, all of a sudden she heard a sort of a knocking low down on the\ndoor. She upped and oped it, and what should she see but a small little\nblack thing with a long tail, that look up at her right curious, and\nthat said:\n\n\u201cWhat are you a-crying for?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that to you?\u201d says she.\n\n\u201cNever you mind,\u201d that said, \u201cbut tell me what you\u2019re a-crying for.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat won\u2019t do me no good if I do,\u201d says she.\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t know that,\u201d that said, and twirled that\u2019s tail round.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d says she, \u201cthat won\u2019t do no harm, if that don\u2019t do no good,\u201d and\nshe upped and told about the pies, and the skeins, and everything.\n\n\u201cThis is what I\u2019ll do,\u201d says the little black thing: \u201cI\u2019ll come to your\nwindow every morning and take the flax and bring it spun at night.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s your pay?\u201d says she.\n\nThat looked out of the corner of that\u2019s eyes, and that said: \u201cI\u2019ll give\nyou three guesses every night to guess my name, and if you haven\u2019t\nguessed it before the month\u2019s up you shall be mine.\u201d\n\nWell, she thought she\u2019d be sure to guess that\u2019s name before the month\nwas up. \u201cAll right,\u201d says she, \u201cI agree.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right,\u201d that says, and law! how that twirled that\u2019s tail.\n\nWell, the next day, her husband took her into the room, and there was\nthe flax and the day\u2019s food.\n\n\u201cNow, there\u2019s the flax,\u201d says he, \u201cand if that ain\u2019t spun up this night,\noff goes your head.\u201d And then he went out and locked the door.\n\nHe\u2019d hardly gone, when there was a knocking against the window.\n\nShe upped and she oped it, and there sure enough was the little old\nthing sitting on the ledge.\n\n\u201cWhere\u2019s the flax?\u201d says he.\n\n\u201cHere it be,\u201d says she. And she gave it to him.\n\nWell, come the evening a knocking came again to the window. She upped\nand she oped it, and there was the little old thing with five skeins of\nflax on his arm.\n\n\u201cHere it be,\u201d says he, and he gave it to her.\n\n\u201cNow, what\u2019s my name?\u201d says he.\n\n\u201cWhat, is that Bill?\u201d says she.\n\n\u201cNoo, that ain\u2019t,\u201d says he, and he twirled his tail.\n\n\u201cIs that Ned?\u201d says she.\n\n\u201cNoo, that ain\u2019t,\u201d says he, and he twirled his tail.\n\n\u201cWell, is that Mark?\u201d says she.\n\n\u201cNoo, that ain\u2019t,\u201d says he, and he twirled his tail harder, and away he\nflew.\n\nWell, when her husband came in, there were the five skeins ready for\nhim. \u201cI see I sha\u2019n\u2019t have to kill you to-night, my dear,\u201d says he;\n\u201cyou\u2019ll have your food and your flax in the morning,\u201d says he, and away\nhe goes.\n\nWell, every day the flax and the food were brought, and every day that\nthere little black impet used to come mornings and evenings. And all the\nday the girl sat trying to think of names to say to it when it came at\nnight. But she never hit on the right one. And as it got toward the end\nof the month, the impet began to look so maliceful, and that twirled\nthat\u2019s tail faster and faster each time she gave a guess.\n\nAt last it came to the last day but one. The impet came at night along\nwith the five skeins, and that said:\n\n\u201cWhat, ain\u2019t you got my name yet?\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that Nicodemus?\u201d says she.\n\n\u201cNoo, \u2018tain\u2019t,\u201d that says.\n\n\u201cIs that Sammee?\u201d says she.\n\n\u201cNoo, \u2018tain\u2019t,\u201d that says.\n\n\u201cA-well, is that Methusalem?\u201d says she.\n\n\u201cNoo, \u2018tain\u2019t that neither,\u201d that says.\n\nThen that looks at her with that\u2019s eyes like a coal o\u2019 fire, and that\nsays: \u201cWoman, there\u2019s only to-morrow night, and then you\u2019ll be mine!\u201d\nAnd away it flew.\n\nWell, she felt that horrid. However, she heard the king coming along the\npassage. In he came, and when he sees the five skeins, he says, says he:\n\n\u201cWell, my dear,\u201d says he, \u201cI don\u2019t see but what you\u2019ll have your skeins\nready to-morrow night as well, and as I reckon I sha\u2019n\u2019t have to kill\nyou, I\u2019ll have supper in here to-night.\u201d So they brought supper, and\nanother stool for him, and down the two sat.\n\nWell, he hadn\u2019t eaten but a mouthful or so when he stops and begins to\nlaugh.\n\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d says she.\n\n\u201cA-why,\u201d says he, \u201cI was out a-hunting to-day, and I got away to a place\nin the wood I\u2019d never seen before. And there was an old chalk-pit. And I\nheard a kind of a sort of humming. So I got off my hobby, and I went\nright quiet to the pit, and I looked down. Well, what should there be\nbut the funniest little black thing you ever set eyes on. And what was\nthat doing, but that had a little spinning-wheel, and that was spinning\nwonderful fast, and twirling that\u2019s tail. And as that span that sang:\n\n \u201cNimmy nimmy not,\n My name\u2019s Tom Tit Tot.\u201d\n\nWell, when the girl heard this, she felt as if she could have jumped out\nof her skin for joy, but she didn\u2019t say a word.\n\nNext day that there little thing looked so maliceful when he came for\nthe flax. And when night came, she heard that knocking against the\nwindow-panes. She oped the window, and that come right in on the ledge.\nThat was grinning from ear to ear, and Oo! that\u2019s tail was twirling\nround so fast.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s my name?\u201d that says, as that gave her the skeins.\n\n\u201cIs that Solomon?\u201d she says, pretending to be afeard.\n\n\u201cNoo, \u2018tain\u2019t,\u201d that says, and that came farther into the room.\n\n\u201cWell, is that Zebedee?\u201d says she again.\n\n\u201cNoo, \u2018tain\u2019t,\u201d says the impet. And then that laughed and twirled that\u2019s\ntail till you couldn\u2019t hardly see it.\n\n\u201cTake time, woman,\u201d that says; \u201cnext guess, and you\u2019re mine.\u201d And that\nstretched out that\u2019s black hands at her.\n\nWell, she backed a step or two, and she looked at it, and then she\nlaughed out, and says she, pointing her finger at it:\n\n \u201cNimmy nimmy not,\n Your name\u2019s Tom Tit Tot.\u201d\n\nWell, when that heard her, that gave an awful shriek, and away that flew\ninto the dark, and she never saw it any more.\n\n\n\n\n _The Old Woman and her Pig_\n\n\nOnce upon a time an old woman was sweeping her little house, when, to\nher great joy, she found a silver sixpence.\n\n\u201cWhat,\u201d said she, \u201cshall I do with this little sixpence? I think I will\ngo to market and buy a pig.\u201d So the next day she went to market and\nbought a nice little white pig. She tied a string to one of the pig\u2019s\nlegs and began to drive him home.\n\nOn the way the old woman and her pig came to a stile, and she said:\n\n \u201cPlease, pig, get over the stile.\u201d\n But the pig would not.\n\nJust then a little dog came trotting up, and the old woman said to him:\n\n \u201cDog, dog, bite pig;\n Pig won\u2019t get over the stile,\n And I sha\u2019n\u2019t get home to-night.\u201d\n But the dog would not.\n\nSo the old woman held up her stick, and said:\n\n \u201cStick, stick, beat dog;\n Dog won\u2019t bite pig;\n Pig won\u2019t get over the stile,\n And I sha\u2019n\u2019t get home to-night.\u201d\n But the stick would not.\n\nSo the old woman gathered some bits of wood together to make a fire, and\nset them on fire, and then threw her stick into the fire and said:\n\n \u201cFire, fire, burn stick;\n Stick won\u2019t beat dog;\n Dog won\u2019t bite pig;\n Pig won\u2019t get over the stile,\n And I sha\u2019n\u2019t get home to-night.\u201d\n But the fire would not.\n\nSo the old woman fetched a pail of water that was standing near and\nsaid:\n\n \u201cWater, water, quench fire;\n Fire won\u2019t burn stick;\n Stick won\u2019t beat dog;\n Dog won\u2019t bite pig;\n Pig won\u2019t get over the stile,\n And I sha\u2019n\u2019t get home to-night.\u201d\n But the water would not.\n\nThen the old woman saw an ox coming; so she said:\n\n \u201cOx, ox, drink water;\n Water won\u2019t quench fire;\n Fire won\u2019t burn stick;\n Stick won\u2019t beat dog;\n Dog won\u2019t bite pig;\n Pig won\u2019t go;\n I see by the moonlight\n It\u2019s long past midnight;\n Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago.\u201d\n But the ox would not.\n\nSo the old woman turned around and saw a butcher, and she said:\n\n \u201cButcher, butcher, kill ox;\n Ox won\u2019t drink water;\n Water won\u2019t quench fire;\n Fire won\u2019t burn stick;\n Stick won\u2019t beat dog;\n Dog won\u2019t bite pig;\n Pig won\u2019t go.\n I see by the moonlight\n It\u2019s long past midnight;\n Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago.\u201d\n But the butcher would not.\n\nSo the old woman took a rope out of her pocket, and said:\n\n \u201cRope, rope, hang butcher;\n Butcher won\u2019t kill ox;\n Ox won\u2019t drink water;\n Water won\u2019t quench fire;\n Fire won\u2019t burn stick;\n Stick won\u2019t beat dog;\n Dog won\u2019t bite pig;\n Pig won\u2019t go.\n I see by the moonlight\n It\u2019s long past midnight;\n Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago.\u201d\n But the rope would not.\n\nJust then a large brown mouse ran across the meadow, and she said:\n\n \u201cMouse, mouse, gnaw rope;\n Rope won\u2019t hang butcher;\n Butcher won\u2019t kill ox;\n Ox won\u2019t drink water;\n Water won\u2019t quench fire;\n Fire won\u2019t burn stick;\n Stick won\u2019t beat dog;\n Dog won\u2019t bite pig;\n Pig won\u2019t go.\n I see by the moonlight\n It\u2019s long past midnight;\n Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago.\u201d\n \u201cYes,\u201d said the mouse, \u201cI will, if you will give me some cheese.\u201d\n\nSo the old woman put her hand in her pocket and found a nice piece of\ncheese; and when the mouse had eaten it:\n\n The mouse began to gnaw the rope,\n The rope began to hang the butcher,\n The butcher began to kill the ox,\n The ox began to drink the water,\n The water began to quench the fire,\n The fire began to burn the stick,\n The stick began to beat the dog,\n The dog began to bite the pig,\n And the pig began to go.\n\nBut what time the old woman and her pig got home, you, nor I, nor nobody\nknows.\n\n\n\n\n _The Story of the Three Little Pigs_\n\n\nThere was once an old sow with three little pigs, and as she had not\nenough to keep them, she sent them out to seek their fortune. The first\nthat went off met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him:\n\n\u201cPlease, man, give me that straw to build me a house.\u201d\n\nWhich the man did, and the little pig built a house with it. Presently\ncame along a wolf, and knocked at the door, and said:\n\n\u201cLittle pig, little pig, let me come in.\u201d\n\nTo which the pig answered:\n\n\u201cNo, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.\u201d\n\nThe wolf then answered to that:\n\n\u201cThen I\u2019ll huff, and I\u2019ll puff, and I\u2019ll blow your house in.\u201d\n\nSo he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew the house in, and ate up the\nlittle pig.\n\nThe second little pig met a man with a bundle of furze and said:\n\n\u201cPlease, man, give me that furze to build a house.\u201d\n\nWhich the man did, and the pig built his house. Then along came the\nwolf, and said:\n\n\u201cLittle pig, little pig, let me come in.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen I\u2019ll huff, and I\u2019ll puff, and I\u2019ll blow your house in.\u201d\n\nSo he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, and at last\nhe blew the house down, and he ate up the little pig.\n\nThe third little pig met a man with a load of bricks, and said:\n\n\u201cPlease, man, give me those bricks to build a house with.\u201d So the man\ngave him the bricks, and he built his house with them. Then the wolf\ncame, as he did to the other little pigs, and said:\n\n\u201cLittle pig, little pig, let me come in.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, no, by the hair on my chiny chin chin.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen I\u2019ll huff, and I\u2019ll puff, and I\u2019ll blow your house in.\u201d\n\nWell, he huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed, and he\npuffed and he huffed; but he could _not_ get the house down. When he\nfound that he could not, with all his huffing and puffing, blow the\nhouse down, he said:\n\n\u201cLittle pig, I know where there is a nice field of turnips.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere?\u201d said the little pig.\n\n\u201cOh, in Mr. Smith\u2019s home field, and if you will be ready to-morrow\nmorning I will call for you, and we will go together, and get some for\ndinner.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said the little pig, \u201cI will be ready. What time do you\nmean to go?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, at six o\u2019clock.\u201d\n\nWell, the little pig got up at five, and got the turnips before the wolf\ncame (which he did about six), when he said:\n\n\u201cLittle pig, are you ready?\u201d\n\nThe little pig said: \u201cReady! I have been there and come back again, and\ngot a nice potful for dinner.\u201d\n\nThe wolf felt very angry at this, but thought that he would be even with\nthe little pig somehow or other, so he said:\n\n\u201cLittle pig, I know where there is a nice apple-tree.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere?\u201d said the pig.\n\n\u201cDown at Merry-garden,\u201d replied the wolf, \u201cand if you will not deceive\nme I will come for you at five o\u2019clock to-morrow and get some apples.\u201d\n\nWell, the little pig bustled up the next morning at four o\u2019clock, and\nwent off for the apples, hoping to get back before the wolf came; but he\nhad farther to go, and had to climb the tree, so that just as he was\nscrambling down from it, he saw the wolf coming, which, as you may\nsuppose, frightened him very much. When the wolf came up he said:\n\n\u201cLittle pig, what! are you here before me? Are they nice apples?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, very,\u201d said the little pig. \u201cI will throw you down one.\u201d\n\nAnd he threw it so far that, while the wolf was gone to pick it up, the\nlittle pig jumped down and ran home. The next day the wolf came again,\nand said to the little pig:\n\n\u201cLittle pig, there is a fair at Shanklin this afternoon. Will you go?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes,\u201d said the pig, \u201cI will go; what time shall you be ready?\u201d\n\n\u201cAt three,\u201d said the wolf. So the little pig went off before the time,\nas usual, and got to the fair, and bought a butter-churn, which he was\ngoing home with when he saw the wolf coming. Then he could not tell what\nto do. So he got into the churn to hide, and by so doing it turned\nround, and rolled down the hill with him inside, which frightened the\nwolf so much that he ran home without going to the fair. He went to the\nlittle pig\u2019s house, and told him how frightened he had been by a great\nround thing which came down the hill past him. Then the little pig said:\n\n\u201cHah, I frightened you then. I had been to the fair and bought a\nbutter-churn, and when I saw you, I got into it, and rolled down the\nhill.\u201d\n\nThen the wolf was very angry indeed, and declared he _would_ eat up the\nlittle pig, and that he would get down the chimney after him. When the\nlittle pig saw what he was about, he hung on the pot full of water, and\nmade up a blazing fire, and, just as the wolf was coming down, took off\nthe cover, and in fell the wolf; so the little pig put on the cover\nagain in an instant, boiled him up, and ate him for supper, and lived\nhappy ever afterward.\n\n\n\n\n _The Three Sillies_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a farmer and his wife who had one daughter,\nand she was courted by a gentleman. Every evening he used to come and\nsee her, and stop to supper at the farmhouse, and the daughter used to\nbe sent down into the cellar to draw the beer for supper. So one evening\nshe had gone down to draw the beer, and she happened to look up at the\nceiling while she was drawing, and she saw a mallet stuck in one of the\nbeams. It must have been there a long, long time, but somehow or other\nshe had never noticed it before, and she began a-thinking. And she\nthought it was very dangerous to have that mallet there, for she said to\nherself: \u201cSuppose him and me was to be married, and we was to have a\nson, and he was to grow up to be a man, and come down into the cellar to\ndraw the beer, like as I\u2019m doing now, and the mallet was to fall on his\nhead and kill him, what a dreadful thing it would be!\u201d And she put down\nthe candle and the jug, and sat herself down and began a-crying.\n\nWell, they began to wonder up-stairs how it was that she was so long\ndrawing the beer, and her mother went down to see after her, and she\nfound her sitting on the settle crying, and the beer running over the\nfloor. \u201cWhy, whatever is the matter?\u201d said her mother. \u201cOh, mother!\u201d\nsays she, \u201clook at that horrid mallet! Suppose we was to be married, and\nwas to have a son, and he was to grow up, and was to come down to the\ncellar to draw the beer, and the mallet was to fall on his head and kill\nhim, what a dreadful thing it would be!\u201d \u201cDear, dear! what a dreadful\nthing it would be!\u201d said the mother, and she sat her down aside of the\ndaughter and started a-crying too. Then after a bit the father began to\nwonder that they didn\u2019t come back, and he went down into the cellar to\nlook after them himself, and there they two sat a-crying, and the beer\nrunning all over the floor. \u201cWhatever is the matter?\u201d says he. \u201cWhy,\u201d\nsays the mother, \u201clook at that horrid mallet. Just suppose, if our\ndaughter and her sweetheart was to be married, and was to have a son,\nand he was to grow up, and was to come down into the cellar to draw the\nbeer, and the mallet was to fall on his head and kill him, what a\ndreadful thing it would be!\u201d \u201cDear, dear, dear! so it would!\u201d said the\nfather, and he sat himself down aside of the other two, and started\na-crying.\n\nNow the gentleman got tired of stopping up in the kitchen by himself,\nand at last he went down into the cellar too, to see what they were\nafter; and there they three sat a-crying side by side, and the beer\nrunning all over the floor. And he ran straight and turned the tap. Then\nhe said: \u201cWhatever are you three doing, sitting there crying, and\nletting the beer run all over the floor?\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d says the father, \u201clook\nat that horrid mallet! Suppose you and our daughter was to be married,\nand was to have a son, and he was to grow up, and was to come down into\nthe cellar to draw the beer, and the mallet was to fall on his head and\nkill him!\u201d And then they all started a-crying worse than before. But the\ngentleman burst out a-laughing, and reached up and pulled out the\nmallet, and then he said: \u201cI\u2019ve traveled many miles, and I never met\nthree such big sillies as you three before; and now I shall start out on\nmy travels again, and when I can find three bigger sillies than you\nthree, then I\u2019ll come back and marry your daughter.\u201d So he wished them\ngood-by and started off on his travels, and left them all crying because\nthe girl had lost her sweetheart.\n\nWell, he set out, and he traveled a long way, and at last he came to a\nwoman\u2019s cottage that had some grass growing on the roof. And the woman\nwas trying to get her cow to go up a ladder to the grass, and the poor\nthing durst not go. So the gentleman asked the woman what she was doing.\n\u201cWhy, look-ye,\u201d she said, \u201clook at all that beautiful grass. I\u2019m going\nto get the cow on to the roof to eat it. She\u2019ll be quite safe, for I\nshall tie a string round her neck, and pass it down the chimney, and tie\nit to my wrist as I go about the house, so she can\u2019t fall off without my\nknowing it.\u201d \u201cOh, you poor silly!\u201d said the gentleman, \u201cyou should cut\nthe grass and throw it down to the cow!\u201d But the woman thought it was\neasier to get the cow up the ladder than to get the grass down, so she\npushed her and coaxed her and got her up, and tied a string round her\nneck, and passed it down the chimney, and fastened it to her own wrist.\nAnd the gentleman went on his way, but he hadn\u2019t gone far when the cow\ntumbled off the roof, and hung by the string tied round her neck, and it\nstrangled her. And the weight of the cow tied to her wrist pulled the\nwoman up the chimney, and she stuck fast half-way and was smothered in\nthe soot.\n\nWell, that was one big silly.\n\nAnd the gentleman went on and on, and he went to an inn to stop the\nnight, and they were so full at the inn that they had to put him in a\ndouble-bedded room, and another traveler was to sleep in the other bed.\nThe other man was a very pleasant fellow, and they got very friendly\ntogether; but in the morning, when they were both getting up, the\ngentleman was surprised to see the other hang his trousers on the knobs\nof the chest of drawers and run across the room and try to jump into\nthem, and he tried over and over again, and couldn\u2019t manage it; and the\ngentleman wondered whatever he was doing it for. At last he stopped and\nwiped his face with his handkerchief. \u201cOh, dear,\u201d he says, \u201cI do think\ntrousers are the most awkwardest kind of clothes that ever were. I can\u2019t\nthink who could have invented such things. It takes me the best part of\nan hour to get into mine every morning, and I get so hot! How do you\nmanage yours?\u201d So the gentleman burst out a-laughing, and showed him how\nto put them on; and he was very much obliged to him, and said he never\nshould have thought of doing it that way.\n\nSo that was another big silly.\n\nThen the gentleman went on his travels again; and he came to a village,\nand outside the village there was a pond, and round the pond was a crowd\nof people. And they had got rakes, and brooms, and pitchforks, reaching\ninto the pond; and the gentleman asked what was the matter. \u201cWhy,\u201d they\nsaid, \u201cmatter enough! Moon\u2019s tumbled into the pond, and we can\u2019t rake\nher out anyhow!\u201d So the gentleman burst out a-laughing, and told them to\nlook up into the sky, and that it was only the shadow in the water. But\nthey wouldn\u2019t listen to him, and abused him shamefully, and he got away\nas quick as he could.\n\nSo there was a whole lot of sillies bigger than those three sillies at\nhome. So the gentleman turned back home again and married the farmer\u2019s\ndaughter, and if they didn\u2019t live happy forever after, that\u2019s nothing to\ndo with you or me.\n\n\n\n\n _The Cat and the Mouse_\n\n The Cat and the Mouse\n Played in the malt-house.\n The Cat bit the Mouse\u2019s tail off.\n\n\n\u201cPray, puss,\u201d said the Mouse, \u201cgive me my long tail again.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the Cat, \u201cI\u2019ll not give you your tail again till you go to\nthe cow and fetch me some milk.\u201d\n\n First she leaped, and then she ran,\n Till she came to the cow, and thus began:\n\n\u201cPray, cow, give me some milk that I may give to the Cat, so she may\ngive me my long tail again.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the cow, \u201cI will give you no milk till you go to the farmer\nand get me some hay.\u201d\n\n First she leaped, and then she ran,\n Till she came to the farmer, and thus began:\n\n\u201cPray, farmer, give me some hay that I may give to the cow, so she may\ngive me some milk that I may give to the Cat, so she may give me my long\ntail again.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d says the farmer, \u201cI\u2019ll give you no hay till you go to the butcher\nand fetch me some meat.\u201d\n\n First she leaped, and then she ran,\n Till she came to the butcher, and thus began:\n\n\u201cPray butcher, give me some meat that I may give to the farmer, so he\nmay give me some hay that I may give to the cow, so she may give me some\nmilk that I may give to the Cat, so she may give me my long tail again.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the butcher, \u201cI\u2019ll give you no meat till you go to the baker\nand fetch me some bread.\u201d\n\n First she leaped, and then she ran,\n Till she came to the baker, and thus began:\n\n\u201cPray, baker, give me some bread that I may give to the butcher, so he\nmay give me some meat that I may give to the farmer, so he may give me\nsome hay that I may give to the cow, so she may give me some milk that I\nmay give to the Cat, so she may give me my long tail again.\u201d\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d said the baker, \u201cI\u2019ll give you some bread,\n But if you eat my meal, I\u2019ll cut off your head.\u201d\n\nThe baker gave the Mouse bread, which she brought to the butcher; the\nbutcher gave the Mouse meat, which she brought to the farmer; the farmer\ngave the Mouse hay, which she brought to the cow; the cow gave the Mouse\nmilk, which she brought to the Cat; and the Cat gave to the Mouse her\nlong tail again.\n\n\n\n\n _Hereafterthis_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a farmer called Jan, and he lived all alone\nby himself in a little farmhouse.\n\nBy and by he thought that he would like to have a wife to keep it all\nvitty for him.\n\nSo he went a-courting a fine maid, and he said to her: \u201cWill you marry\nme?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat I will, to be sure,\u201d said she.\n\nSo they went to church and were wed. After the wedding was over, she got\nup on his horse behind him, and he brought her home. And they lived as\nhappy as the day was long.\n\nOne day Jan said to his wife: \u201cWife, can you milk-y?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes, Jan, I can milk-y. Mother used to milk-y when I lived home.\u201d\n\nSo he went to market and bought her ten red cows. All went well till one\nday when she had driven them to the pond to drink, she thought they did\nnot drink fast enough. So she drove them right into the pond to make\nthem drink faster, and they were all drowned.\n\nWhen Jan came home she up and told him what she had done, and he said:\n\u201cOh, well, there, never mind, my dear; better luck next time.\u201d\n\nSo they went on for a bit, and then one day Jan said to his wife: \u201cWife,\ncan you serve pigs?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes, Jan, I can serve pigs. Mother used to serve pigs when I lived\nhome.\u201d\n\nSo Jan went to market and bought her some pigs. All went well till one\nday, when she had put their food into the trough, she thought they did\nnot eat fast enough, and she pushed their heads into the trough to make\nthem eat faster, and they were all choked.\n\nWhen Jan came home she up and told him what she had done, and he said:\n\u201cOh, well, there, never mind, my dear; better luck next time.\u201d\n\nSo they went on for a bit, and then one day Jan said to his wife: \u201cWife,\ncan you bake-y?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes, Jan, I can bake-y. Mother used to bake-y when I lived home.\u201d\n\nSo he bought everything for his wife so that she could bake bread. All\nwent well for a bit, till one day she thought she would bake white bread\nfor a treat for Jan. So she carried her meal to the top of a high hill,\nand let the wind blow on it, for she thought to herself that the wind\nwould blow out all the bran. But the wind blew away meal and bran and\nall\u2014so there was an end of it.\n\nWhen Jan came home, she up and told him what she had done, and he said:\n\u201cOh, well, there, never mind, my dear; better luck next time.\u201d\n\nSo they went on for a bit, and then one day Jan said to his wife: \u201cWife,\ncan you brew-y?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes, Jan, I can brew-y. Mother used to brew-y when I lived home.\u201d\n\nSo he bought everything proper for his wife to brew ale with. All went\nwell for a bit, till one day when she had brewed her ale and put it in\nthe barrel, a big black dog came in and looked up in her face. She drove\nhim out of the house, but he stayed outside the door and still looked up\nin her face. And she got so angry that she pulled out the plug of the\nbarrel, threw it at the dog, and said: \u201cWhat dost look at me for? I be\nJan\u2019s wife.\u201d Then the dog ran down the road, and she ran after him to\nchase him right away. When she came back again, she found that the ale\nhad all run out of the barrel, and so there was an end of it.\n\nWhen Jan came home, she up and told him what she had done, and he said:\n\u201cOh, well, there, never mind, my dear; better luck next time.\u201d\n\nSo they went on for a bit, and then one day she thought to herself,\n\u201c\u2019Tis time to clean up my house.\u201d When she was taking down her big bed\nshe found a bag of groats on the tester. So when Jan came home, she up\nand said to him: \u201cJan, what is that bag of groats on the tester for?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is for Hereafterthis, my dear.\u201d\n\nNow, there was a robber outside the window, and he heard what Jan said.\nNext day, he waited till Jan had gone to market, and then he came and\nknocked at the door. \u201cWhat do you please to want?\u201d said Mally.\n\n\u201cI am Hereafterthis,\u201d said the robber. \u201cI have come for the bag of\ngroats.\u201d\n\nNow the robber was dressed like a fine gentleman, so she thought to\nherself it was very kind of so fine a man to come for the bag of groats,\nso she ran up-stairs and fetched the bag of groats, and gave it to the\nrobber and he went away with it.\n\nWhen Jan came home she said to him: \u201cJan, Hereafterthis has been for the\nbag of groats.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean, wife?\u201d said Jan.\n\nSo she up and told him, and he said: \u201cThen I\u2019m a ruined man, for that\nmoney was to pay our rent with. The only thing we can do is to roam the\nworld over till we find the bag of groats.\u201d Then Jan took the house-door\noff its hinges, \u201cThat\u2019s all we shall have to lie on,\u201d he said. So Jan\nput the door on his back, and they both set out to look for\nHereafterthis. Many a long day they went, and in the night Jan used to\nput the door on the branches of a tree, and they would sleep on it. One\nnight they came to a big hill, and there was a high tree at the foot. So\nJan put the door up in it, and they got up in the tree and went to\nsleep. By and by Jan\u2019s wife heard a noise, and she looked to see what it\nwas. It was an opening of a door in the side of the hill. Out came two\ngentlemen with a long table, and behind them fine ladies and lords, each\ncarrying a bag, and one of them was Hereafterthis with the bag of\ngroats. They sat round the table, and began to drink and talk and count\nup all the money in the bags. So then Jan\u2019s wife woke him up, and asked\nwhat they should do.\n\n\u201cNow\u2019s our time,\u201d said Jan, and he pushed the door off the branches, and\nit fell right in the very middle of the table, and frightened the\nrobbers so that they all ran away. Then Jan and his wife got down from\nthe tree, took as many moneybags as they could carry on the door, and\nwent straight home. And Jan bought his wife more cows, and more pigs,\nand they lived happy ever after.\n\n\n\n\n _Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse_\n\n\n Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse both lived in a house,\n Titty Mouse went a-leasing and Tatty Mouse went a-leasing,\n So they both went a-leasing.\n Titty Mouse leased an ear of corn, and Tatty Mouse leased an ear of\n corn,\n So they both leased an ear of corn.\n Titty Mouse made a pudding, and Tatty Mouse made a pudding,\n So they both made a pudding.\n And Tatty Mouse put her pudding into the pot to boil,\n But when Titty went to put hers in, the pot tumbled over, and scalded\n her to death.\n\nThen Tatty sat down and wept, and a three-legged stool said: \u201cTatty, why\ndo you weep?\u201d \u201cTitty\u2019s dead,\u201d said Tatty, \u201cand so I weep.\u201d \u201cThen,\u201d said\nthe stool, \u201cI\u2019ll hop.\u201d So the stool hopped.\n\nThen a broom in the corner of the room said: \u201cStool, why do you hop?\u201d\n\u201cOh!\u201d said the stool, \u201cTitty\u2019s dead, and Tatty weeps, and so I hop.\u201d\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the broom, \u201cI\u2019ll sweep.\u201d So the broom began to sweep.\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the door, \u201cBroom, why do you sweep?\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d said the broom,\n\u201cTitty\u2019s dead, and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and so I sweep.\u201d\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the door, \u201cI\u2019ll jar.\u201d So the door jarred.\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the window, \u201cDoor, why do you jar?\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d said the door,\n\u201cTitty\u2019s dead, and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and the broom\nsweeps, and so I jar.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the window, \u201cI\u2019ll creak.\u201d So the window creaked. Now there\nwas an old form outside the house, and when the window creaked, the form\nsaid: \u201cWindow, why do you creak?\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d said the window, \u201cTitty\u2019s dead,\nand Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, the door\njars, and so I creak.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the old form, \u201cI\u2019ll run round the house.\u201d Then the old form\nran round the house. Now there was a fine large walnut-tree growing by\nthe cottage, and the tree said to the form: \u201cForm, why do you run round\nthe house?\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d said the form, \u201cTitty\u2019s dead, and Tatty weeps, and the\nstool hops, and the broom sweeps, the door jars, and the window creaks,\nand so I run round the house.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the walnut-tree, \u201cI\u2019ll shed my leaves.\u201d So the walnut-tree\nshed all its beautiful green leaves. Now there was a little bird perched\non one of the boughs of the tree, and when all the leaves fell, it said:\n\u201cWalnut-tree, why do you shed your leaves?\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d said the tree,\n\u201cTitty\u2019s dead, and Tatty weeps, the stool hops, and the broom sweeps,\nthe door jars, and the window creaks, the old form runs round the house,\nand so I shed my leaves.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the little bird, \u201cI\u2019ll moult all my feathers.\u201d So he\nmoulted all his pretty feathers. Now there was a little girl walking\nbelow, carrying a jug of milk for her brothers\u2019 and sisters\u2019 supper, and\nwhen she saw the poor little bird moult all its feathers, she said:\n\u201cLittle bird, why do you moult all your feathers?\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d said the little\nbird, \u201cTitty\u2019s dead, and Tatty weeps, the stool hops, and the broom\nsweeps, the door jars, and the window creaks, the old form runs round\nthe house, the walnut-tree sheds its leaves, and so I moult all my\nfeathers.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the little girl, \u201cI\u2019ll spill the milk.\u201d So she dropped the\npitcher and spilt the milk. Now there was an old man just by on the top\nof a ladder thatching a rick, and when he saw the little girl spill the\nmilk, he said: \u201cLittle girl, what do you mean by spilling the milk? Your\nlittle brothers and sisters must go without their supper.\u201d Then said the\nlittle girl: \u201cTitty\u2019s dead, and Tatty weeps, the stool hops, and the\nbroom sweeps, the door jars, and the window creaks, the old form runs\nround the house, the walnut-tree sheds all its leaves, the little bird\nmoults all its feathers, and so I spill the milk.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d said the old man, \u201cthen I\u2019ll tumble off the ladder and break my\nneck.\u201d So he tumbled off the ladder and broke his neck; and when the old\nman broke his neck, the great walnut-tree fell down with a crash, and\nupset the old form and house, and the house falling knocked the window\nout, and the window knocked the door down, and the door upset the broom,\nand the broom upset the stool, and poor little Tatty Mouse was buried\nbeneath the ruins.\n\n\n\n\n _The Magpie\u2019s Nest_\n\n\nOnce upon a time all the birds of the air came to the Magpie and asked\nher to teach them how to build nests, for the Magpie is the cleverest of\nall at building. So she put them all around her and began to show them\nhow to do it. First of all she took some mud and made a sort of round\ncake with it.\n\n\u201cOh, that\u2019s how it\u2019s done,\u201d said the thrush; and away it flew, and so\nthat\u2019s how thrushes build their nests.\n\nThen the Magpie took some twigs and arranged them around in the mud.\n\n\u201cNow I know all about it,\u201d said the blackbird, and off he flew; and\nthat\u2019s how the blackbirds make their nests to this very day.\n\nThen the Magpie put another layer of mud over the twigs.\n\n\u201cOh, that\u2019s quite obvious,\u201d said the wise owl, and away he flew; and\nowls have never made better nests since.\n\nAfter this the Magpie took some twigs and twined them around the\noutside.\n\n\u201cThe very thing!\u201d said the sparrow, and off he went; so sparrows make\nrather slovenly nests to this day.\n\nWell, then Madge Magpie took some feathers and stuff and lined the nest\nvery comfortably with it.\n\n\u201cThat suits me,\u201d cried the starling, and off he flew; and very\ncomfortable nests have starlings.\n\nSo it went on, every bird taking away some knowledge of how to build\nnests, but none of them waiting to the end. Meanwhile Madge Magpie went\non working and working without looking up till the only bird that\nremained was the turtle-dove, and that hadn\u2019t paid any attention all\nalong, but only kept on saying its silly cry: \u201cTake two, Taffy, take\ntwo-o-o-o.\u201d\n\nAt last the Magpie heard this just as she was putting a twig across. So\nshe said: \u201cOne\u2019s enough.\u201d\n\nBut the turtle-dove kept on saying: \u201cTake two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o.\u201d\n\nThen the Magpie grew angry and said: \u201cOne\u2019s enough, I tell you.\u201d\n\nStill the turtle-dove cried: \u201cTake two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o.\u201d\n\nAt last, and at last, the Magpie looked up and saw nobody near her but\nthe silly turtle-dove, and then she grew very angry and refused to teach\nany more.\n\nAnd that is why all the birds build their nests in different ways up to\nthis day. Each one made off, you see, as soon as he thought he had\nlearned the Magpie\u2019s secret, and each is perfectly contented with his\nown way.\n\n\n\n\n _Scrapefoot_\n\n\nOnce upon a time, there were three bears who lived in a castle in a\ngreat wood. One of them was a great big bear, and one was a middling\nbear, and one was a little bear. And in the same wood there was a fox\nwho lived all alone. His name was Scrapefoot. Scrapefoot was very much\nafraid of the bears, but for all that he wanted very much to know about\nthem. And one day as he went through the wood he found himself near the\nbears\u2019 castle, and he wondered whether he could get into the castle. He\nlooked all about him everywhere, and he could not see any one. So he\ncame on very quietly, till at last he came up to the door of the castle,\nand he tried whether he could open it. Yes! the door was not locked, and\nhe opened it just a little way, and put his nose in and looked, and he\ncould not see any one. So then he opened it a little way farther, and\nput one paw in, and then another paw, and another, and another, and then\nhe was all in the bears\u2019 castle. He found he was in a great hall with\nthree chairs in it\u2014one big, one middling, and one little chair; and he\nthought he would like to sit down and rest and look about him; so he sat\ndown on the big chair. But he found it so hard and uncomfortable that it\nmade his bones ache, and he jumped down at once and got into the\nmiddling chair, and he turned round and round in it, but he couldn\u2019t\nmake himself comfortable. So then he went to the little chair and sat\ndown in it, and it was so soft and warm and comfortable that Scrapefoot\nwas quite happy; but all at once it broke to pieces under him and he\ncouldn\u2019t put it together again! So he got up and began to look about him\nagain, and on one table he saw three saucers, of which one was very big,\none was middling, and one was quite a little saucer. Scrapefoot was very\nthirsty, and he began to drink out of the big saucer. But he only just\ntasted the milk in the big saucer, which was so sour and so horrid that\nhe would not taste another drop of it. Then he tried the middling\nsaucer, and he drank a little of that. He tried two or three mouthfuls,\nbut it was not nice, and then he left it and went to the little saucer,\nand the milk in the little saucer was so sweet and so nice that he went\non drinking it till it was all gone.\n\nThen Scrapefoot thought he would like to go up-stairs; and he listened\nand he could not hear any one. So up-stairs he went, and he found a\ngreat room with three beds in it; one was a big bed, and one was a\nmiddling bed, and one was a little white bed; and he climbed up into the\nbig bed, but it was so hard and lumpy and uncomfortable that he jumped\ndown again at once, and tried the middling bed. That was rather better,\nbut he could not lie comfortably in it, so after turning about a little\nwhile he got up and went to the little bed; and that was so soft and so\nwarm and so nice that he fell fast asleep at once.\n\nAnd after a time the bears came home, and when they got into the hall\nthe big bear went to his chair and said: \u201cWHO\u2019S BEEN SITTING IN MY\nCHAIR?\u201d and the middling bear said: \u201cWHO\u2019S BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR?\u201d\nand the little bear said: \u201c_Who\u2019s been sitting in my chair and has\nbroken it all to pieces?_\u201d And then they went to have their milk, and\nthe big bear said: \u201cWHO\u2019S BEEN DRINKING MY MILK?\u201d and the middling bear\nsaid: \u201cWHO\u2019S BEEN DRINKING MY MILK?\u201d and the little bear said: \u201c_Who\u2019s\nbeen drinking my milk and has drunk it all up?_\u201d Then they went\nup-stairs and into the bedroom, and the big bear said: \u201cWHO\u2019S BEEN\nSLEEPING IN MY BED?\u201d and the middling bear said: \u201cWHO\u2019S BEEN SLEEPING IN\nMY BED?\u201d and the little bear said: \u201c_Who\u2019s been sleeping in my bed?\u2014and\nsee, here he is!_\u201d So then the bears came and wondered what they should\ndo with him; and the big bear said: \u201cLet\u2019s hang him!\u201d and then the\nmiddling bear said: \u201cLet\u2019s drown him!\u201d and then the little bear said:\n\u201cLet\u2019s throw him out of the window.\u201d And then the bears took him to the\nwindow, and the big bear took two legs on one side and the middling bear\ntook two legs on the other side, and they swung him backward and\nforward, backward and forward, and out of the window. Poor Scrapefoot\nwas so frightened, and he thought every bone in his body must be broken.\nBut he got up and first shook one leg\u2014no, that was not broken; and then\nanother, and that was not broken; and another and another, and then he\nwagged his tail and found there were no bones broken. So then he\ngalloped off home as fast as he could go, and never went near the bears\u2019\ncastle again.\n\n\n\n\n _The Wise Men of Gotham_\n\n\n OF BUYING OF SHEEP\n\nThere were two men of Gotham, and one of them was going to market to\nNottingham to buy sheep, and the other came from the market, and they\nboth met together upon Nottingham bridge.\n\n\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d said the one who came from Nottingham.\n\n\u201cMarry,\u201d said he that was going to Nottingham, \u201cI am going to buy\nsheep.\u201d\n\n\u201cBuy sheep?\u201d said the other, \u201cand which way will you bring them home?\u201d\n\n\u201cMarry,\u201d said the other, \u201cI will bring them over this bridge.\u201d\n\n\u201cBy Robin Hood,\u201d said he that came from Nottingham, \u201cbut thou shalt\nnot.\u201d\n\n\u201cBy Maid Marian,\u201d said he that was going thither, \u201cbut I will.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou will not,\u201d said the one.\n\n\u201cI will,\u201d said the other.\n\nThen they beat their staves against the ground one against the other, as\nif there had been a hundred sheep between them.\n\n\u201cHold in,\u201d said one; \u201cbeware lest my sheep leap over the bridge.\u201d\n\n\u201cI care not,\u201d said the other; \u201cthey shall not come this way.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut they shall,\u201d said the other.\n\nThen the other said: \u201cIf that thou make much to do, I will put my\nfingers in thy mouth.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you?\u201d said the other.\n\nNow, as they were at their contention, another man of Gotham came from\nthe market with a sack of meal upon a horse, and seeing and hearing his\nneighbors at strife about sheep, though there were none between them,\nsaid:\n\n\u201cAh, fools! will you ever learn wisdom? Help me, and lay my sack upon my\nshoulders.\u201d\n\nThey did so, and he went to the side of the bridge, unloosened the mouth\nof the sack, and shook all his meal out into the river.\n\n\u201cNow, neighbors,\u201d he said, \u201chow much meal is there in my sack?\u201d\n\n\u201cMarry,\u201d said they, \u201cthere is none at all.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow, by my faith,\u201d said he, \u201ceven as much wit as is in your two heads\nto stir up strife about a thing you have not.\u201d\n\nWhich was the wisest of these three persons, judge yourself.\n\n\n OF HEDGING A CUCKOO\n\nOnce upon a time the men of Gotham would have kept the cuckoo so that\nshe might sing all the year, and in the midst of their town they made a\nhedge round in compass, and they got a cuckoo, and put her into it, and\nsaid: \u201cSing there all through the year, or thou shalt have neither meat\nnor water.\u201d The cuckoo, as soon as she perceived herself within the\nhedge, flew away. \u201cA vengeance on her!\u201d said they. \u201cWe did not make our\nhedge high enough.\u201d\n\n\n OF SENDING CHEESES\n\nThere was a man of Gotham who went to the market at Nottingham to sell\ncheese, and as he was going down the hill to Nottingham bridge, one of\nhis cheeses fell out of his wallet and rolled down the hill. \u201cAh,\ngaffer,\u201d said the fellow, \u201ccan you run to market alone? I will send one\nafter another after you.\u201d Then he laid down his wallet and took out the\ncheeses, and rolled them down the hill. Some went into one bush, and\nsome went into another.\n\n\u201cI charge you all to meet me near the marketplace\u201d; and when the fellow\ncame to the market to meet his cheeses, he stayed there till the market\nwas nearly done. Then he went about to inquire of his friends and\nneighbors, and other men, if they did see his cheeses come to the\nmarket.\n\n\u201cWho should bring them?\u201d said one of the market-men.\n\n\u201cMarry, themselves,\u201d said the fellow; \u201cthey know the way well enough.\u201d\n\nAnd then he said: \u201cA vengeance on them all. I did fear to see them run\nso fast that they would run beyond the market. I am now fully persuaded\nthat they must be now almost at York.\u201d Thereupon he forthwith hired a\nhorse to ride to York, to seek his cheeses where they were not, but to\nthis day no man can tell him of his cheeses.\n\n\n OF DROWNING EELS\n\nWhen Good Friday came, the men of Gotham cast their heads together what\nto do with their white herrings, their red herrings, their sprats, and\nother salt fish. One consulted with the other, and agreed that such fish\nshould be cast into their pond (which was in the middle of the town),\nthat they might breed against the next year, and every man that had salt\nfish left, cast them into the pool.\n\n\u201cI have many white herrings,\u201d said one.\n\n\u201cI have many sprats,\u201d said another.\n\n\u201cI have many red herrings,\u201d said the other.\n\n\u201cI have much salt fish. Let all go into the pond or pool, and we shall\nfare like lords next year.\u201d\n\nAt the beginning of next year following, the men drew near the pond to\nhave their fish, and there was nothing but a great eel. \u201cAh,\u201d said they\nall, \u201ca mischief on this eel, for he has eaten up all our fish.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat shall we do to him?\u201d said one to the others.\n\n\u201cKill him,\u201d said one.\n\n\u201cChop him into pieces,\u201d said another. \u201cNot so,\u201d said another; \u201clet us\ndrown him.\u201d\n\n\u201cBe it so,\u201d said all. And they went to another pond, and cast the eel\ninto the pond. \u201cLie there and shift for yourself, for no help thou shalt\nhave from us\u201d; and they left the eel to drown.\n\n\n OF SENDING RENT\n\nOnce on a time the men of Gotham had forgotten to pay their landlord.\nOne said to the other: \u201cTo-morrow is our pay-day, and whom shall we find\nto send our money to our landlord?\u201d\n\nThe one said: \u201cThis day I have caught a hare, and he shall carry it, for\nhe is light of foot.\u201d\n\n\u201cBe it so,\u201d said all; \u201che shall have a letter and a purse to put our\nmoney in, and we shall direct him the right way.\u201d So when the letters\nwere written and the money put in a purse, they tied it round the hare\u2019s\nneck, saying: \u201cFirst you go to Lancaster, then you must go to\nLoughborough, and Newarke is our landlord, and commend us to him, and\nthere are his dues.\u201d\n\nThe hare, as soon as he was out of their hands, ran on along the country\nway. Some cried: \u201cYou must go to Lancaster first.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet the hare alone,\u201d said another; \u201che can tell a nearer way than the\nbest of us all. Let him go.\u201d\n\nAnother said: \u201cIt is a subtle hare, let him alone; he will not keep the\nhighway for fear of dogs.\u201d\n\n\n OF COUNTING\n\nOn a certain time there were twelve men of Gotham who went fishing, and\nsome went into the water and some on dry ground; and, as they were\ncoming back, one of them said: \u201cWe have ventured much this day wading; I\npray God that none of us that did come from home be drowned.\u201d\n\n\u201cMarry,\u201d said one, \u201clet us see about that. Twelve of us came out,\u201d and\nevery man did count eleven, and the twelfth man did never count himself.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said one to another, \u201cone of us is drowned.\u201d They went back to\nthe brook where they had been fishing, and looked up and down for him\nthat was drowned, and made great lamentation. A courtier came riding by,\nand he did ask what they were seeking, and why they were so sorrowful.\n\u201cOh,\u201d said they, \u201cthis day we came to fish in this brook, and there were\ntwelve of us, and one is drowned.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy,\u201d said the courtier, \u201ccount me how many of you there be,\u201d and one\ncounted eleven and did not count himself. \u201cWell,\u201d said the courtier,\n\u201cwhat will you give me if I find the twelfth man?\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said they, \u201call the money we have.\u201d\n\n\u201cGive me the money,\u201d said the courtier; and he began with the first, and\ngave him a whack over the shoulders that he groaned, and said, \u201cThere is\none,\u201d and he served all of them that they groaned; but when he came to\nthe last he gave him a good blow, saying, \u201cHere is the twelfth man.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod bless you on your heart,\u201d said all the company; \u201cyou have found our\nneighbor.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _Henny-Penny_\n\n\nOne day Henny-penny was picking up corn in the corn-yard\nwhen\u2014whack!\u2014something hit her upon the head.\n\n\u201cGoodness gracious me!\u201d says Henny-penny; \u201cthe sky\u2019s a-going to fall; I\nmust go and tell the king.\u201d\n\nSo she went along, and she went along, and she went along till she met\nCocky-locky. \u201cWhere are you going, Henny-penny?\u201d says Cocky-locky. \u201cOh!\nI\u2019m going to tell the king the sky\u2019s a-falling,\u201d says Henny-penny. \u201cMay\nI come with you?\u201d says Cocky-locky. \u201cCertainly,\u201d says Henny-penny. So\nHenny-penny and Cocky-locky went to tell the king the sky was falling.\n\nThey went along, and they went along, and they went along till they met\nDucky-daddles. \u201cWhere are you going to, Henny-penny and Cocky-locky?\u201d\nsays Ducky-daddles. \u201cOh! we\u2019re going to tell the king the sky\u2019s\na-falling,\u201d says Henny-penny and Cocky-locky. \u201cMay I come with you?\u201d\nsays Ducky-daddles. \u201cCertainly,\u201d says Henny-penny and Cocky-locky. So\nHenny-penny, Cocky-locky, and Ducky-daddles went to tell the king the\nsky was a-falling.\n\nSo they went along, and they went along, and they went along till they\nmet Goosey-poosey. \u201cWhere are you going to, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky,\nand Ducky-daddles?\u201d says Goosey-poosey. \u201cOh! we\u2019re going to tell the\nking the sky\u2019s a-falling,\u201d says Henny-penny and Cocky-locky and\nDucky-daddles. \u201cMay I come with you?\u201d says Goosey-poosey. \u201cCertainly,\u201d\nsays Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, and Ducky-daddles. So Henny-penny,\nCocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey went to tell the king the\nsky was a-falling.\n\nSo they went along, and they went along, and they went along till they\nmet Turkey-lurkey. \u201cWhere are you going, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky,\nDucky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey?\u201d says Turkey-lurkey. \u201cOh! we\u2019re going\nto tell the king the sky\u2019s a-falling,\u201d says Henny-penny, Cocky-locky,\nDucky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey. \u201cMay I come with you, Henny-penny,\nCocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey?\u201d says Turkey-lurkey. \u201cOh,\ncertainly, Turkey-lurkey,\u201d says Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles,\nand Goosey-poosey. So Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles,\nGoosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey all went to tell the king the sky was\na-falling.\n\nSo they went along, and they went along, and they went along till they\nmet Foxy-woxy, and Foxy-woxy says to Henny-penny, Cocky-locky,\nDucky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey: \u201cWhere are you going,\nHenny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and\nTurkey-lurkey?\u201d And Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles,\nGoosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey says to Foxy-woxey: \u201cWe\u2019re going to\ntell the king the sky\u2019s a-falling.\u201d \u201cOh! but this is not the way to the\nking, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and\nTurkey-lurkey,\u201d says Foxy-woxy; \u201cI know the proper way; shall I show it\nyou?\u201d \u201cOh, certainly, Foxy-woxy,\u201d says Henny-penny, Cocky-locky,\nDucky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey. So Henny-penny,\nCocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, Turkey-lurkey, and Foxy-woxy\nall went to tell the king the sky was a-falling.\n\nSo they went along, and they went along, and they went along till they\ncame to a narrow and dark hole. Now this was the door of Foxy-woxy\u2019s\ncave. But Foxy-woxy says to Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles,\nGoosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey: \u201cThis is the short way to the king\u2019s\npalace: you\u2019ll soon get there if you follow me. I will go first and you\ncome after, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and\nTurkey-lurkey.\u201d \u201cWhy, of course, certainly, without doubt, why not?\u201d\nsays Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and\nTurkey-lurkey.\n\nSo Foxy-woxy went into his cave, and he didn\u2019t go very far, but turned\nround to wait for Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles,\nGoosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey. So at last Turkey-lurkey went through\nthe dark hole into the cave. He hadn\u2019t got far when \u201cHrumph!\u201d Foxy-woxy\nsnapped off Turkey-lurkey\u2019s head and threw his body over his left\nshoulder. Then Goosey-poosey went in, and \u201cHrumph!\u201d off went her head\nand Goosey-poosey was thrown beside Turkey-lurkey. Then Ducky-daddles\nwaddled down, and \u201cHrumph!\u201d snapped Foxy-woxy, and Ducky-daddles\u2019s head\nwas off, and Ducky-daddles was thrown alongside Turkey-lurkey and\nGoosey-poosey. Then Cocky-locky strutted down into the cave, and he\nhadn\u2019t gone far when \u201cSnap, Hrumph!\u201d went Foxy-woxy, and Cocky-locky was\nthrown alongside of Turkey-lurkey, Goosey-poosey, and Ducky-daddles.\n\nBut Foxy-woxy had made two bites at Cocky-locky, and when the first snap\nonly hurt Cocky-locky, but didn\u2019t kill him, he called out to\nHenny-penny. So she turned tail and off she ran home, and she never told\nthe king the sky was a-falling.\n\n\n\n\n _A Son of Adam_\n\n\nA man was working one day. It was very hot, and he was digging. By and\nby he stopped to rest and wipe his face; and he grew very angry to think\nhe had to work so hard just because of Adam\u2019s sin. So he complained\nbitterly, and said some very hard words about Adam.\n\nIt happened that his master heard him, and he asked: \u201cWhy do you blame\nAdam? You\u2019d ha\u2019 done just like Adam, if you\u2019d a-been in his place.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I shouldn\u2019t,\u201d says the man. \u201cI should ha\u2019 know\u2019d better.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I\u2019ll try you,\u201d says his master. \u201cCome to me at dinner-time.\u201d\n\nSo come dinner-time, the man came, and his master took him into a room\nwhere the table was a-set with good things of all sorts. And he said:\n\u201cNow, you can eat as much as ever you like from any of the dishes on the\ntable; but don\u2019t touch the covered dish in the middle till I come back.\u201d\nAnd with that the master went out of the room and left the man there all\nby himself. So the man began to taste some o\u2019 this dish and some o\u2019\nthat, and enjoyed himself finely. But after a while, as his master\ndidn\u2019t come back, he began to look at the covered dish, and to wonder\nwhatever was in it. And he wondered more and more, and he says to\nhimself: \u201cIt must be something very nice. Why shouldn\u2019t I just look at\nit? I won\u2019t touch it. There can\u2019t be any harm in just peeping.\u201d So at\nlast he could hold back no longer, and he lifted up the cover a tiny\nbit; but he couldn\u2019t see anything. Then he lifted it up a bit more, and\nout popped a mouse. The man tried to catch it; but it ran away and\njumped off the table and he ran after it. It ran first into one corner,\nand then, just as he thought he\u2019d got it, into another, and under the\ntable, and all about the room. And the man made such a clatter, jumping\nand banging and running round after the mouse, a-trying to catch it,\nthat at last his master came in.\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d he said; \u201cnever you blame Adam again, my man!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Happy Family_\n\n\nThe largest green leaf in this country is certainly the burdock leaf. If\nyou hold it in front of you, it is large enough for an apron; and if you\nhold it over your head, it is almost as good as an umbrella, it is so\nwonderfully large. A burdock never grows alone; where it grows, there\nare many more, and it is a splendid sight; and all this splendor is good\nfor snails. Grand people in olden times used to have the great white\nsnails made into fricassees; and when they had eaten them, they would\nsay: \u201cOh, what a delicious dish!\u201d for these people really thought them\ngood. Such snails lived on burdock leaves, and for them the burdock was\nplanted.\n\nThere was once an old estate where no one now lived to require snails;\nindeed, the owners had all died out, but the burdock still flourished;\nit grew over all the beds and walks of the garden\u2014its growth had no\ncheck\u2014till it became at last quite a forest of burdocks. Here and there\nstood an apple- or a plum-tree; but for this, nobody would have thought\nthe place had ever been a garden. It was burdock from one end to the\nother; and here lived the last two surviving snails. They knew not\nthemselves how old they were; but they could remember the time when\nthere were a great many more of them, and that they were descended from\na family which came from foreign lands, and that the whole forest had\nbeen planted for them and theirs. They had never been away from the\ngarden; but they knew that another place once existed in the world,\ncalled the Duke\u2019s Palace Castle, in which some of their relations had\nbeen boiled till they became black, and were then laid on a silver dish;\nbut what was done afterward they did not know. Besides, they could not\nimagine exactly how it felt to be boiled and placed on a silver dish;\nbut no doubt it was something very fine and highly genteel. Neither the\ncockchafer, nor the toad, nor the earthworm, whom they questioned about\nit, could give them the least information; for none of their relations\nhad ever been cooked or served on a silver dish. The old white snails\nwere the most aristocratic race in the world\u2014they knew that. The forest\nhad been planted for them, and the nobleman\u2019s castle had been built\nsolely that they might be cooked and laid on silver dishes.\n\nThey lived quite retired and very happily; and as they had no children\nof their own, they had adopted a little common snail, which they brought\nup as their own child. The little one would not grow, for he was only a\ncommon snail; but the old people, particularly the mother snail,\ndeclared that she could easily see how he grew; and when the father said\nhe could not perceive it, she begged him to feel the little snail\u2019s\nshell, and he did so, and found that the mother was right.\n\nOne day it rained very fast. \u201cListen, what a drumming there is on the\nburdock leaves; tum, tum, tum; tum, tum, tum,\u201d said the father snail.\n\n\u201cThere come the drops,\u201d said the mother; \u201cthey are trickling down the\nstalks. We shall have it very wet here presently. I am very glad we have\nsuch good houses, and that the little one has one of his own. There has\nbeen really more done for us than for any other creature; it is quite\nplain that we are the most noble people in the world. We have houses\nfrom our birth, and the burdock forest has been planted for us. I should\nvery much like to know how far it extends, and what lies beyond it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere can be nothing better than we have here,\u201d said the father snail;\n\u201cI wish for nothing more.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but I do,\u201d said the mother; \u201cI should like to be taken to the\npalace, and boiled, and laid upon a silver dish, as was done to all our\nancestors; and you may be sure it must be something very uncommon.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe nobleman\u2019s castle, perhaps, has fallen to decay,\u201d said the snail\nfather, \u201cor the burdock wood may have grown over it, so that those who\nlive there cannot get out. You need not be in a hurry; you are always so\nimpatient, and the youngster is getting just the same. He has been three\ndays creeping to the top of that stalk. I feel quite giddy when I look\nat him.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou must not scold him,\u201d said the mother snail; \u201che creeps so very\ncarefully. He will be the joy of our home; and we old folks have nothing\nelse to live for. But have you ever thought where we are to get a wife\nfor him? Do you think that farther out in the wood there may be others\nof our race?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere may be black snails, no doubt,\u201d said the old snail; \u201cblack snails\nwithout houses; though they are vulgar and conceited too. But we can\ngive the ants a commission; they run here and there, as if they all had\nmuch business to get through. They, most likely, will know of a wife for\nour youngster.\u201d\n\n\u201cI certainly know a most beautiful bride,\u201d said one of the ants; \u201cbut I\nfear it would not do, for she is a queen.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat does not matter,\u201d said the old snail. \u201cHas she a house?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe has a palace,\u201d replied the ant, \u201ca most beautiful ant-palace with\nseven hundred passages.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you,\u201d said the mother snail; \u201cbut our boy shall not go to live in\nan ant-hill. If you know of nothing better, we will give the commission\nto the white gnats; they fly about in rain and sunshine; they know the\nburdock wood from one end to the other.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have a wife for him,\u201d said the gnats; \u201ca hundred man-steps from\nhere, there is a little snail with a house, sitting on a\ngooseberry-bush; she is quite alone, and old enough to be married. It is\nonly a hundred man-steps from here.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen let her come to him,\u201d said the old people. \u201cHe has the whole\nburdock forest; she has only a bush.\u201d\n\nSo they brought the little lady-snail. She took eight days to perform\nthe journey; but that was just as it ought to be, for it showed her to\nbe one of the right breeding. And then they had a wedding. Six glowworms\ngave as much light as they could; but in other respects it was all very\nquiet; for the old snails could not bear festivities or a crowd. But a\nbeautiful speech was made by the mother snail. The father could not\nspeak; he was too much overcome. Then they gave the whole burdock forest\nto the young snails as an inheritance, and repeated what they had so\noften said, that it was the finest place in the world, and that if they\nled upright and honorable lives, and their family increased, they and\ntheir children might some day be taken to the nobleman\u2019s palace, to be\nboiled black, and laid on a silver dish. And when they had finished\nspeaking, the old couple crept into their houses, and came out no more;\nfor they slept.\n\nThe young snail pair now ruled in the forest, and had a numerous\nprogeny. But as the young ones were never boiled or laid in silver\ndishes, they concluded that the castle had fallen into decay, and that\nall the people in the world were dead; and as nobody contradicted them,\nthey thought they must be right. And the rain fell upon the burdock\nleaves, to play the drum for them, and the sun shone to paint colors on\nthe burdock forest for them, and they were very happy; the whole family\nwas entirely and perfectly happy.\n\n HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.\n\n\n\n\n _The Blind Man, the Deaf Man, and the Donkey_\n\n\nA blind Man and a Deaf Man once entered into partnership. The Deaf Man\nwas to see for the Blind Man, and the Blind Man was to hear for the Deaf\nMan.\n\nOne day both went to a nautch[6] together. The Deaf Man said: \u201cThe\ndancing is very good, but the music is not worth listening to\u201d; and the\nBlind Man said: \u201cOn the contrary, I think the music very good, but the\ndancing is not worth looking at.\u201d\n\nFootnote 6:\n\n Musical and dancing entertainment.\n\nAfter this they went together for a walk in the jungle, and there found\na Dhobee\u2019s Donkey that had strayed away from its owner, and a great big\nchattee (such as Dhobees boil clothes in), which the Donkey was carrying\nwith him.\n\nThe Deaf Man said to the Blind Man: \u201cBrother, here are a Donkey and a\nDhobee\u2019s great big chattee, with nobody to own them! Let us take them\nwith us\u2014they may be useful to us some day.\u201d \u201cVery well,\u201d said the Blind\nMan; \u201cwe will take them with us.\u201d So the Blind Man and the Deaf Man went\non their way, taking the Donkey and the great big chattee with them. A\nlittle farther on they came to an ant\u2019s nest, and the Deaf Man said to\nthe Blind Man: \u201cHere are a number of very fine black ants, much larger\nthan any I ever saw before. Let us take some of them home to show our\nfriends.\u201d \u201cVery well,\u201d answered the Blind Man; \u201cwe will take them as a\npresent to our friends.\u201d So the Deaf Man took a silver snuff-box out of\nhis pocket, and put four or five of the finest black ants into it; which\ndone, they continued their journey.\n\nBut before they had gone very far a terrible storm came on. It thundered\nand lightened and rained and blew with such fury that it seemed as if\nthe whole heavens and earth were at war. \u201cOh dear! oh dear!\u201d cried the\nDeaf Man, \u201chow dreadful this lightning is! Let us make haste and get to\nsome place of shelter.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t see that it\u2019s dreadful at all,\u201d\nanswered the Blind Man; \u201cbut the thunder is very terrible; we had better\ncertainly seek some place of shelter.\u201d\n\nNow, not far off was a lofty building, which looked exactly like a fine\ntemple. The Deaf Man saw it, and he and the Blind Man resolved to spend\nthe night there; and having reached the place, they went in and shut the\ndoor, taking the Donkey and the great big chattee with them. But this\nbuilding, which they mistook for a temple, was in truth no temple at\nall, but the house of a very powerful Rakshas;[7] and hardly had the\nBlind Man, the Deaf Man, and the Donkey got inside and fastened the\ndoor, than the Rakshas, who had been out, returned home. To his\nsurprise, he found the door fastened and heard people moving about\ninside his house. \u201cHo! ho!\u201d cried he to himself, \u201csome men have got in\nhere, have they? I\u2019ll soon make mince-meat of them.\u201d So he began to roar\nin a voice louder than the thunder, and to cry: \u201cLet me into my house\nthis minute, you wretches; let me in, let me in, I say,\u201d and to kick the\ndoor and batter it with his great fists. But though his voice was very\npowerful, his appearance was still more alarming, insomuch that the Deaf\nMan, who was peeping at him through a chink in the wall, felt so\nfrightened that he did not know what to do. But the Blind Man was very\nbrave (because he couldn\u2019t see), and went up to the door and called out:\n\u201cWho are you, and what do you mean by coming battering at the door in\nthis way and at this time of night?\u201d\n\nFootnote 7:\n\n A kind of ogre.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m a Rakshas,\u201d answered the Rakshas angrily, \u201cand this is my house.\nLet me in this instant or I\u2019ll kill you.\u201d All this time the Deaf Man,\nwho was watching the Rakshas, was shivering and shaking in a terrible\nfright, but the Blind Man was very brave (because he couldn\u2019t see), and\nhe called out again: \u201cOh, you\u2019re a Rakshas, are you? Well, if you\u2019re\nRakshas, I\u2019m Bakshas; and Bakshas is as good as Rakshas.\u201d \u201cBakshas!\u201d\nroared the Rakshas. \u201cBakshas! Bakshas! What nonsense is this? There is\nno such creature as a Bakshas!\u201d \u201cGo away,\u201d replied the Blind Man, \u201cand\ndon\u2019t dare to make any further disturbance, lest I punish you with a\nvengeance; for know that I\u2019m Bakshas, and Bakshas is Rakshas\u2019s father.\u201d\n\u201cMy father?\u201d answered the Rakshas. \u201cHeavens and earth! Bakshas, and my\nfather! I never heard such an extraordinary thing in my life. You my\nfather; and in there! I never knew my father was called Bakshas!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d replied the Blind Man; \u201cgo away instantly, I command you, for I\nam your father Bakshas.\u201d \u201cVery well,\u201d answered the Rakshas (for he began\nto get puzzled and frightened); \u201cbut if you are my father, let me first\nsee your face.\u201d (For he thought: \u201cPerhaps they are deceiving me.\u201d) The\nBlind Man and the Deaf Man didn\u2019t know what to do; but at last they\nopened the door a very tiny chink and poked the Donkey\u2019s nose out. When\nthe Rakshas saw it he thought to himself: \u201cBless me, what a terribly\nugly face my father Bakshas has!\u201d He then called out: \u201cO father Bakshas,\nyou have a very big, fierce face; but people have sometimes very big\nheads and very little bodies. Pray let me see your body as well as head\nbefore I go away.\u201d Then the Blind Man and the Deaf Man rolled the great,\nbig Dhobee\u2019s chattee with a thundering noise past the chink in the door,\nand the Rakshas, who was watching attentively, was very much surprised\nwhen he saw this great black thing rolling along the floor, and he\nthought: \u201cIn truth, my father Bakshas has a very big body as well as a\nbig head. He\u2019s big enough to eat me up altogether. I\u2019d better go away.\u201d\nBut still he could not help being a little doubtful, so he cried: \u201cO\nBakshas, father Bakshas! you have indeed got a very big head and a very\nbig body; but do, before I go away, let me hear you scream,\u201d for all\nRakshas scream fearfully. Then the cunning Deaf Man (who was getting\nless frightened) pulled the silver snuff-box out of his pocket, and took\nthe black ants out of it, and put one black ant in the Donkey\u2019s right\near, and another black ant in the Donkey\u2019s left ear, and another and\nanother. The ants pinched the poor Donkey\u2019s ears dreadfully, and the\nDonkey was so hurt and frightened he began to bellow as loud as he\ncould: \u201cEh augh! eh augh! eh augh! augh! augh!\u201d and at this terrible\nnoise the Rakshas fled away in a great fright, saying: \u201cEnough, enough,\nfather Bakshas! the sound of your voice would make the most refractory\nobedient.\u201d And no sooner had he gone than the Deaf Man took the ants out\nof the Donkey\u2019s ears, and he and the Blind Man spent the rest of the\nnight in peace and comfort.\n\nNext morning the Deaf Man woke the Blind Man early, saying: \u201cAwake,\nbrother, awake; here we are indeed in luck! The whole floor is covered\nwith heaps of gold and silver and precious stones.\u201d And so it was, for\nthe Rakshas owned a vast amount of treasure, and the whole house was\nfull of it. \u201cThat is a good thing,\u201d said the Blind Man. \u201cShow me where\nit is and I will help you to collect it.\u201d So they collected as much\ntreasure as possible and made four great bundles of it. The Blind Man\ntook one great bundle, the Deaf Man took another, and, putting the other\ntwo great bundles on the Donkey, they started off to return home. But\nthe Rakshas, whom they had frightened away the night before, had not\ngone very far off, and was waiting to see what his father Bakshas might\nlook like by daylight. He saw the door of his house open and watched\nattentively, when out walked\u2014only a Blind Man, a Deaf Man, and a Donkey,\nwho were all three laden with large bundles of his treasure. The Blind\nMan carried one bundle, the Deaf Man carried another bundle, and two\nbundles were on the Donkey.\n\nThe Rakshas was extremely angry, and immediately called six of his\nfriends to help him kill the Blind Man, the Deaf Man, and the Donkey,\nand recover the treasure.\n\nThe Deaf Man saw them coming (seven great Rakshas, with hair a yard long\nand tusks like an elephant\u2019s), and was dreadfully frightened; but the\nBlind Man was very brave (because he couldn\u2019t see), and said: \u201cBrother,\nwhy do you lag behind in that way?\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d answered the Deaf Man, \u201cthere\nare seven great Rakshas with tusks like an elephant\u2019s coming to kill us!\nWhat can we do?\u201d \u201cLet us hide the treasure in the bushes,\u201d said the\nBlind Man; \u201cand do you lead me to a tree; then I will climb up first,\nand you shall climb up afterward, and so we shall be out of their way.\u201d\nThe Deaf Man thought this good advice; so he pushed the Donkey and the\nbundles of treasure into the bushes, and led the Blind Man to a high\nsoparee-tree that grew close by; but he was a very cunning man, this\nDeaf Man, and instead of letting the Blind Man climb up first and\nfollowing him, he got up first and let the Blind Man clamber after, so\nthat he was farther out of harm\u2019s way than his friend.\n\nWhen the Rakshas arrived at the place and saw them both perched out of\nreach in the soparee-tree, he said to his friends: \u201cLet us get on each\nother\u2019s shoulders; we shall then be high enough to pull them down.\u201d So\none Rakshas stooped down, and the second got on his shoulders, and the\nthird on his, and the fourth on his, and the fifth on his, and the sixth\non his; and the seventh and the last Rakshas (who had invited all the\nothers) was just climbing up when the Deaf Man (who was looking over the\nBlind Man\u2019s shoulder) got so frightened that in his alarm he caught hold\nof his friend\u2019s arm, crying: \u201cThey\u2019re coming, they\u2019re coming!\u201d The Blind\nMan was not in a very secure position, and was sitting at his ease, not\nknowing how close the Rakshas were. The consequence was, that when the\nDeaf Man gave him this unexpected push, he lost his balance and tumbled\ndown on to the neck of the seventh Rakshas, who was just then climbing\nup. The Blind Man had no idea where he was, but thought he had got on to\nthe branch of some other tree; and, stretching out his hand for\nsomething to catch hold of, caught hold of the Rakshas\u2019s two great ears,\nand pinched them very hard in his surprise and fright. The Rakshas\ncouldn\u2019t think what it was that had come tumbling down upon him; and the\nweight of the Blind Man upsetting his balance, down he also fell to the\nground, knocking down in their turn the sixth, fifth, fourth, third,\nsecond, and first Rakshas, who all rolled one over another, and lay in a\nconfused heap at the foot of the tree together.\n\nMeanwhile the Blind Man called out to his friend: \u201cWhere am I? What has\nhappened? Where am I? Where am I?\u201d The Deaf Man (who was safe up in the\ntree) answered: \u201cWell done, brother! never fear! never fear! You\u2019re all\nright, only hold on tight. I\u2019m coming down to help you.\u201d But he had not\nthe least intention of leaving his place of safety. However, he\ncontinued to call out: \u201cNever mind, brother; hold on as tight as you\ncan. I\u2019m coming, I\u2019m coming,\u201d and the more he called out, the harder the\nBlind Man pinched the Rakshas\u2019s ears, which he mistook for some kind of\npalm branches.\n\nThe six other Rakshas, who had succeeded, after a good deal of kicking,\nin extricating themselves from their unpleasant position, thought they\nhad had quite enough of helping their friend, and ran away as fast as\nthey could; and the seventh, thinking from their going that the danger\nmust be greater than he imagined, and being, moreover, very much afraid\nof the mysterious creature that sat on his shoulders, put his hands to\nthe back of his ears and pushed off the Blind Man, and then (without\nstaying to see who or what he was) followed his six companions as fast\nas he could.\n\nAs soon as all the Rakshas were out of sight, the Deaf Man came down\nfrom the tree, and, picking up the Blind Man, embraced him, saying: \u201cI\ncould not have done better myself. You have frightened away all our\nenemies, but you see I came to help you as fast as possible.\u201d He then\ndragged the Donkey and the bundles of treasure out of the bushes, gave\nthe Blind Man one bundle to carry, took the second himself, and put the\nremaining two on the Donkey, as before. This done, the whole party set\noff to return home. But when they had got nearly out of the jungle the\nDeaf Man said to the Blind Man: \u201cWe are now close to the village; but if\nwe take all this treasure home with us, we shall run great risk of being\nrobbed. I think our best plan would be to divide it equally; then you\ncan take care of your half, and I will take care of mine, and each one\ncan hide his share here in the jungle, or wherever pleases him best.\u201d\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said the Blind Man; \u201cdo you divide what we have in the\nbundles into two equal portions, keeping one half yourself and giving me\nthe other.\u201d The cunning Deaf Man, however, had no intention of giving up\nhalf of the treasure to the Blind Man; so he first took his own bundle\nof treasure and hid it in the bushes, and then he took the two bundles\noff the Donkey and hid them in the bushes; and he took a good deal of\ntreasure out of the Blind Man\u2019s bundle, which he also hid. Then, taking\nthe small quantity that remained, he divided it into two equal portions,\nand placing half before the Blind Man and half in front of himself,\nsaid: \u201cThere, brother, is your share to do what you please with.\u201d The\nBlind Man put out his hand, but when he felt what a very little heap of\ntreasure it was, he got very angry, and cried: \u201cThis is not fair\u2014you are\ndeceiving me; you have kept almost all the treasure for yourself and\nonly given me a very little.\u201d \u201cOh, oh! how can you think so?\u201d answered\nthe Deaf Man; \u201cbut if you will not believe me, feel for yourself. See,\nmy heap of treasure is no larger than yours.\u201d\n\nThe Blind Man put out his hands again to feel how much his friend had\nkept; but in front of the Deaf Man lay only a very small heap, no larger\nthan what he had himself received. At this he got very cross, and said:\n\u201cCome, come, this won\u2019t do. You think you can cheat me in this way\nbecause I am blind; but I\u2019m not so stupid as all that. I carried a great\nbundle of treasure, you carried a great bundle of treasure, and there\nwere two great bundles on the Donkey. Do you mean to pretend that all\nthat made no more treasure than these two little heaps! No, indeed; I\nknow better than that.\u201d \u201cStuff and nonsense!\u201d answered the Deaf Man.\n\u201cStuff or no stuff,\u201d continued the other, \u201cyou are trying to take me in,\nand I won\u2019t be taken in by you.\u201d \u201cNo, I\u2019m not,\u201d said the Deaf Man. \u201cYes,\nyou are,\u201d said the Blind Man; and so they went on bickering, scolding,\ngrowling, contradicting, until the Blind Man got so enraged that he gave\nthe Deaf Man a tremendous box on the ear. The blow was so violent that\nit made the Deaf Man hear! The Deaf Man, very angry, gave his neighbor\nin return so hard a blow in the face that it opened the Blind Man\u2019s\neyes!\n\nSo the Deaf Man could hear as well as see, and the Blind Man could see\nas well as hear! This astonished them both so much that they became good\nfriends at once. The Deaf Man confessed to having hidden the bulk of the\ntreasure, which he thereupon dragged forth from its place of\nconcealment, and, having divided it equally, they went home and enjoyed\nthemselves.\n\n\n\n\n _The Alligator and the Jackal_\n\n\nA hungry Jackal once went down to the riverside in search of little\ncrabs, bits of fish, and whatever else he could find for his dinner. Now\nit chanced that in this river there lived a great big Alligator, who,\nbeing also very hungry, would have been extremely glad to eat the\nJackal.\n\nThe Jackal ran up and down, here and there, but for a long time could\nfind nothing to eat. At last, close to where the Alligator was lying\namong some tall bulrushes under the clear, shallow water, he saw a\nlittle crab sidling along as fast as his legs could carry him. The\nJackal was so hungry that when he saw this he poked his paw into the\nwater to try and catch the crab, when snap! the old Alligator caught\nhold of him. \u201cOh dear!\u201d thought the Jackal to himself, \u201cwhat can I do?\nThis great, big Alligator has caught my paw in his mouth, and in another\nminute he will drag me down by it under the water and kill me. My only\nchance is to make him think he has made a mistake.\u201d So he called out in\na cheerful voice: \u201cClever Alligator, clever Alligator, to catch hold of\na bulrush root instead of my paw! I hope you find it very tender.\u201d The\nAlligator, who was so buried among the bulrushes that he could hardly\nsee, thought, on hearing this: \u201cDear me, how tiresome! I fancied I had\ncaught hold of the Jackal\u2019s paw; but there he is, calling out in a\ncheerful voice. I suppose I must have seized a bulrush root instead, as\nhe says,\u201d and he let the Jackal go.\n\nThe Jackal ran away as fast as he could, crying: \u201cO wise Alligator, wise\nAlligator! So you let me go again!\u201d Then the Alligator was very much\nvexed, but the Jackal had run away too far to be caught. Next day the\nJackal returned to the riverside to get his dinner as before; but\nbecause he was very much afraid of the Alligator he called out:\n\u201cWhenever I go to look for my dinner, I see the nice little crabs\npeeping up through the mud; then I catch them and eat them. I wish I\ncould see one now.\u201d\n\nThe Alligator, who was buried in the mud at the bottom of the river,\nheard every word. So he popped the little point of his snout above it,\nthinking: \u201cIf I do but just show the tip of my nose, the Jackal will\ntake me for a crab and put in his paw to catch me, and as soon as ever\nhe does I\u2019ll gobble him up.\u201d\n\nBut no sooner did the Jackal see the little tip of the Alligator\u2019s nose\nthan he called out: \u201cAha, my friend! there you are. No dinner for me in\nthis part of the river, then, I think.\u201d And so saying, he ran farther on\nand fished for his dinner a long way from that place. The Alligator was\nvery angry at missing his prey a second time, and determined not to let\nhim escape again.\n\nSo on the following day, when his little tormentor returned to the\nwaterside, the Alligator hid himself close to the bank, in order to\ncatch him if he could. Now the Jackal was rather afraid of going near\nthe river, for he thought: \u201cPerhaps the Alligator will catch me to-day.\u201d\nBut yet, being hungry, he did not wish to go without his dinner; so to\nmake all as safe as he could, he cried: \u201cWhere are all the little crabs\ngone? There is not one here and I am so hungry; and generally, even when\nthey are under water, one can see them going bubble, bubble, bubble, and\nall the little bubbles go pop! pop! pop!\u201d On hearing this the Alligator,\nwho was buried in the mud under the river bank, thought: \u201cI will pretend\nto be a little crab.\u201d And he began to blow, \u201cPuff, puff, puff! Bubble,\nbubble, bubble!\u201d and all the great bubbles rushed to the surface of the\nriver and burst there, and the waters eddied round and round like a\nwhirlpool; and there was such a commotion when the huge monster began to\nblow bubbles in this way that the Jackal saw very well who must be\nthere, and he ran away as fast as he could, saying: \u201cThank you, kind\nAlligator, thank you; thank you! Indeed, I would not have come here had\nI known you were so close.\u201d\n\nThis enraged the Alligator extremely; it made him quite cross to think\nof being so often deceived by a little Jackal, and he said to himself:\n\u201cI will be taken in no more. Next time I will be very cunning.\u201d So for a\nlong time he waited and waited for the Jackal to return to the\nriverside; but the Jackal did not come, for he had thought to himself:\n\u201cIf matters go on in this way, I shall some day be caught and eaten by\nthe wicked old Alligator. I had better content myself with living on\nwild figs,\u201d and he went no more near the river, but stayed in the\njungles and ate wild figs, and roots which he dug up with his paws.\n\nWhen the Alligator found this out, he determined to try and catch the\nJackal on land; so, going under the largest of the wild fig-trees, where\nthe ground was covered with the fallen fruit, he collected a quantity of\nit together, and, burying himself under the great heap, waited for the\nJackal to appear. But no sooner did the cunning little animal see this\ngreat heap of wild figs all collected together than he thought: \u201cThat\nlooks very like my friend the Alligator.\u201d And to discover if it were so\nor not, he called out: \u201cThe juicy little wild figs I love to eat always\ntumble down from the tree, and roll here and there as the wind drives\nthem; but this great heap of figs is quite still; these cannot be good\nfigs; I will not eat any of them.\u201d \u201cHo, ho!\u201d thought the Alligator, \u201cis\nthat all? How suspicious this Jackal is! I will make the figs roll about\na little, then, and when he sees that, he will doubtless come and eat\nthem.\u201d\n\nSo the great beast shook himself, and all the heap of little figs went\nroll, roll, roll\u2014some a mile this way, some a mile that, farther than\nthey had ever rolled before or than the most blustering wind could have\ndriven them.\n\nSeeing this, the Jackal scampered away, saying: \u201cI am so much obliged to\nyou, Alligator, for letting me know you are there, for indeed I should\nhardly have guessed it. You were so buried under that heap of figs.\u201d The\nAlligator, hearing this, was so angry that he ran after the Jackal, but\nthe latter ran very, very fast away, too quickly to be caught.\n\nThen the Alligator said to himself: \u201cI will not allow that little wretch\nto make fun of me another time and then run away out of reach; I will\nshow him that I can be more cunning than he fancies.\u201d And early the next\nmorning he crawled as fast as he could to the Jackal\u2019s den (which was a\nhole in the side of a hill) and crept into it, and hid himself, waiting\nfor the Jackal, who was out, to return home. But when the Jackal got\nnear the place, he looked about him and thought: \u201cDear me! the ground\nlooks as if some heavy creature had been walking over it, and here are\ngreat clods of earth knocked down from each side of the door of my den,\nas if a very big animal had been trying to squeeze himself through it. I\ncertainly will not go inside until I know that all is safe there.\u201d So he\ncalled out: \u201cLittle house, pretty house, my sweet little house, why do\nyou not give an answer when I call? If I come, and all is safe and\nright, you always call out to me. Is anything wrong, that you do not\nspeak?\u201d\n\nThen the Alligator, who was inside, thought: \u201cIf that is the case I had\nbetter call out, that he may fancy all is right in his house.\u201d And in as\ngentle a voice as he could, he said: \u201cSweet little Jackal.\u201d\n\nAt hearing these words the Jackal felt quite frightened, and thought to\nhimself: \u201cSo the dreadful old Alligator is there. I must try to kill him\nif I can, for if I do not he will certainly catch and kill me some day.\u201d\nHe therefore answered: \u201cThank you, my dear little house. I like to hear\nyour pretty voice. I am coming in in a minute, but first I must collect\nfirewood to cook my dinner.\u201d And he ran as fast as he could, and dragged\nall the dry branches and bits of stick he could find close up to the\nmouth of the den. Meantime, the Alligator inside kept as quiet as a\nmouse, but he could not help laughing a little to himself as he thought:\n\u201cSo I have deceived this tiresome little Jackal at last. In a few\nminutes he will run in here, and then won\u2019t I snap him up!\u201d\n\nWhen the Jackal had gathered together all the sticks he could find and\nput them round the mouth of his den, he set them on fire and pushed them\nas far into it as possible. There was such a quantity of them that they\nsoon blazed up into a great fire, and the smoke and flames filled the\nden and smothered the wicked old Alligator and burned him to death,\nwhile the little Jackal ran up and down outside dancing for joy and\nsinging:\n\n\u201cHow do you like my house, my friend? Is it nice and warm? Ding-dong!\nding-dong! The Alligator is dying! ding-dong, ding-dong! He will trouble\nme no more. I have defeated my enemy! Ring-a-ting! ding-a-ting!\nding-ding-dong!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _Why the Fish Laughed_\n\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\nshe-fish.\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 her\nin 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 have\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 months, on pain of death. The vizier\npromised to do his best, though he felt almost certain of failure. For\nfive months he labored indefatigably to find a reason for the laughter\nof the fish. He sought everywhere and from every one. 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; and\nso he returned broken-hearted to his house, and began to arrange his\naffairs 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. Among other things, he advised his son to travel for a time,\nuntil 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 he\nfell 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 you think it would be pleasanter if you and I sometimes gave each\nother 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 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 trying 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. They walked about the bazaar and went to the mosque, but nobody\nsaluted them 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 graveyard where a few people\nwere praying beside a tomb and distributing _chapatis_ 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 when 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,\u201d\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 he\nhad occasion to remain in the village.\n\n\u201cThank you very much,\u201d the young man replied; \u201cbut let me first inquire,\nif 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. But\nthe fellow is such a fool that I cannot make anything out of him. He\nwants to know if the beam of this house is all right. The man must be\nmad!\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 thought\nthat would be a pleasanter mode of proceeding.\u201d\n\n\u201cMost assuredly,\u201d said the girl; \u201che meant that one of you should tell a\nstory to beguile the time.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes. Well, we were passing through a corn-field, 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 on\nthe road? He only asked you to cut a couple of sticks and be careful not\nto lose his knife.\u201d\n\n\u201cI see,\u201d said the 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 anything\nto eat, till we were passing the cemetery; but there some people called\nto us and put into our hands some _chapatis_ and _kulchas_; so my\ncompanion 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 the\nplace where everything is to be obtained, and of inhospitable people as\nworse than the dead. The city, though crowded with people, was as if\ndead, as far as you were concerned; while, in the cemetery, which is\ncrowded with the dead, you were saluted by kind friends and provided\nwith 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 the 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 the 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 _chapatis_, and a jar of milk, and\nthe following message: \u201cO friend, the moon is full; twelve months make a\nyear, and the sea is overflowing with water.\u201d\n\nHalf-way the bearer of this present and message met his little son, who,\nseeing what was in the basket, begged his father to give him some of the\nfood. His father foolishly complied. Presently he saw the young man, and\ngave 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 find only eleven months 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 theft\nwas discovered, and he was severely punished. After a little while the\nyoung man appeared with the old farmer. Great attention was shown to\nhim, and he was treated in every way as if he were the son of a great\nman, although his humble host knew nothing of his origin. At length he\ntold them everything\u2014about the laughing of the fish, his father\u2019s\nthreatened execution, and his own banishment\u2014and asked their advice as\nto 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 to call together all\nthe maids in your palace and order them to jump over a pit, which must\nbe dug. We\u2019ll soon find out whether there is any man there.\u201d\n\nThe king had the 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\n _The Selfish Sparrow and the Houseless Crows_\n\n\nA sparrow once built a nice little house for herself, and lined it well\nwith wool and protected it with sticks, so that it resisted equally the\nsummer sun and the winter rains. A Crow who lived close by had also\nbuilt a house, but it was not such a good one, being only made of a few\nsticks laid one above another on the top of a prickly-pear hedge. The\nconsequence was that one day, when there was an unusually heavy shower,\nthe Crow\u2019s nest was washed away, while the Sparrow\u2019s was not at all\ninjured.\n\nIn this extremity the Crow and her mate went to the Sparrow, and said:\n\u201cSparrow, Sparrow, have pity on us and give us shelter, for the wind\nblows and the rain beats, and the prickly-pear hedge-thorns stick into\nour eyes.\u201d But the Sparrow answered: \u201cI\u2019m cooking the dinner; I cannot\nlet you in now; come again presently.\u201d\n\nIn a little while the Crows returned and said: \u201cSparrow, Sparrow, have\npity on us and give us shelter, for the wind blows and the rain beats,\nand the prickly-pear hedge-thorns stick into our eyes.\u201d The Sparrow\nanswered: \u201cI\u2019m eating my dinner; I cannot let you in now; come again\npresently.\u201d\n\nThe Crows flew away, but in a little while returned, and cried once\nmore: \u201cSparrow, Sparrow, have pity on us and give us shelter, for the\nwind blows and the rain beats, and the prickly-pear hedge-thorns stick\ninto our eyes.\u201d The Sparrow replied: \u201cI\u2019m washing the dishes; I cannot\nlet you in now; come again presently.\u201d\n\nThe Crows waited a while and then called out: \u201cSparrow, Sparrow, have\npity on us and give us shelter, for the wind blows and the rain beats,\nand the prickly-pear hedge-thorns stick into our eyes.\u201d But the Sparrow\nwould not let them in; she only answered: \u201cI\u2019m sweeping the floor; I\ncannot let you in now; come again presently.\u201d\n\nNext time the Crows came and cried: \u201cSparrow, Sparrow, have pity on us\nand give us shelter, for the wind blows and the rain beats, and the\nprickly-pear hedge-thorns stick into our eyes.\u201d She answered: \u201cI\u2019m\nmaking the beds; I cannot let you in now; come again presently.\u201d\n\nSo, on one pretense or another she refused to help the poor birds. At\nlast, when she and her children had had their dinner, and she had\nprepared and put away the dinner for next day, and had put all the\nchildren to bed and gone to bed herself, she cried to the Crows: \u201cYou\nmay come in now and take shelter for the night.\u201d The Crows came in, but\nthey were much vexed at having been kept out so long in the wind and the\nrain, and when the Sparrow and all her family were asleep, the one said\nto the other: \u201cThis selfish Sparrow had no pity on us; she gave us no\ndinner, and would not let us in till she and all her children were\ncomfortably in bed; let us punish her.\u201d So the two Crows took all the\nnice dinner the Sparrow had prepared for herself and her children to eat\nthe next day, and flew away with it.\n\n\n\n\n _The Lambikin_\n\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 whom 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,\n Where I shall fatter grow,\n Then you can eat me so.\u201d\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,\n Where I shall fatter grow,\n Then you can eat me so.\u201d\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, and an eagle;\nand all these, when they saw the tender little morsel, said: \u201cLambikin!\nLambikin! 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,\n Where I shall fatter grow,\n Then you can eat me so.\u201d\n\nAt last he reached his granny\u2019s house, and said, all in a hurry: \u201cGranny\ndear, I\u2019ve promised to get very fat; so, as people ought to keep their\npromises, 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, and\nthere the greedy little Lambikin stayed for seven days, and ate, and\nate, and ate, until he could scarcely waddle, and his granny said he was\nfat enough for anything, and must go home. But cunning little Lambikin\nsaid that would never do, for some animal would be sure to eat him on\nthe 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 a\nlittle drumikin out of the skin of my little brother who died, and then\nI can sit inside and trundle along nicely, for I\u2019m as tight as a drum\nmyself.\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 gaily. Soon he met the eagle, who called\nout:\n\n \u201cDrumikin! Drumikin!\n Have you seen Lambikin?\u201d\n\nAnd Mr. Lambikin, curled up in his soft warm nest, replied:\n\n \u201cFallen into the fire, and so will you\n On, little Drumikin. Tum-pa, tum-too!\u201d\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;\n Tum-pa, tum-too!\u201d\n\nEvery animal and bird he met asked him the same question:\n\n \u201cDrumikin! Drumikin!\n Have you seen Lambikin?\u201d\n\nAnd to each of them the little slyboots replied:\n\n \u201cFallen into the fire, and so will you\n On, little Drumikin. Tum-pa, tum-too;\n Tum-pa, tum-too; tum-pa, tum-too!\u201d\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:\n\n \u201cDrumikin! Drumikin!\n Have you seen Lambikin?\u201d\n\nAnd Lambikin, curled up in his snug little nest, replied gaily:\n\n \u201cFallen into the fire, and so will you\n On, little Drumikin. Tum-pa\u2014\u2014\u201d\n\nBut he never got any farther, for the jackal recognized his voice at\nonce, and 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\n _The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse_\n\n\nOnce upon a time a Town Mouse met a Country Mouse on the outskirts of a\nwood. The Country Mouse was sitting under a hazel thicket plucking nuts.\n\n\u201cBusy harvesting, I see,\u201d said the Town Mouse. \u201cWho would think of our\nmeeting in this out-of-the-way part of the world?\u201d\n\n\u201cJust so,\u201d said the Country Mouse.\n\n\u201cYou are gathering nuts for your winter store?\u201d said the Town Mouse.\n\n\u201cI am obliged to do so if we intend having anything to live upon during\nthe winter,\u201d said the Country Mouse.\n\n\u201cThe husk is big and the nut full this year, enough to satisfy any\nhungry body,\u201d said the Town Mouse.\n\n\u201cYes, you are right there,\u201d said the Country Mouse; and then she related\nhow well she lived and how comfortable she was at home.\n\nThe Town Mouse maintained that she was the better off, but the Country\nMouse said that nowhere could one be so well off as in the woods and\nhills. The Town Mouse, however, declared she was best off; and as they\ncould not agree on this point they promised to visit each other at\nChristmas; then they could see for themselves which was really the more\ncomfortable.\n\nThe first visit was to be paid by the Town Mouse.\n\nNow, although the Country Mouse had moved down from the mountains for\nthe winter, the road to her house was long and tiring, and one had to\ntravel up hill and down dale; the snow lay thick and deep, so the Town\nMouse found it hard work to get on, and she became both tired and hungry\nbefore she reached the end of her journey.\n\n\u201cHow nice it will be to get some food,\u201d she thought.\n\nThe Country Mouse had scraped together the best she had. There were nut\nkernels, polypody, and other sorts of roots, and many other good things\nwhich grow in woods and fields. She kept it all in a hole far under\nground, so the frost could not reach it, and close by was a running\nspring, open all the winter, so she could drink as much water as she\nliked. There was an abundance of all she had, and they ate both well and\nheartily; but the Town Mouse thought it was very poor fare indeed.\n\n\u201cOne can, of course, keep body and soul together on this,\u201d said she;\n\u201cbut I don\u2019t think much of it. Now you must be good enough to visit me\nand taste what we have.\u201d\n\nYes, that her hostess would, and before long she set out. The Town Mouse\nhad gathered together all the scraps from the Christmas fare which the\nwoman of the house had dropped on the floor during the holidays\u2014bits of\ncheese, butter, and tallow ends, cake-crumbs, pastry, and many other\ngood things. In the dish under the ale-tap she had drink enough; in\nfact, the place was full of all kinds of dainties.\n\nThey ate and fared well; the Country Mouse seemed never to have enough;\nshe had never tasted such delicacies. But then she became thirsty, for\nshe found the food both strong and rich, and now she wanted something to\ndrink.\n\n\u201cWe haven\u2019t far to go for the beer we shall drink,\u201d said the Town Mouse,\nand jumped upon the edge of the dish and drank till she was no longer\nthirsty; she did not drink too much, for she knew the Christmas beer was\nstrong. The Country Mouse, however, thought the beer a splendid drink;\nshe had never tasted anything but water, so she took one sip after\nanother, but as she could not stand strong drink she became dizzy before\nshe left the dish.\n\nThe drink got into her head and down into her toes and she began running\nand jumping about from one beer-barrel to the other, and to dance and\ntumble about on the shelves among the cups and mugs; she squeaked and\nsquealed as if she were intoxicated.\n\n\u201cYou must not carry on as if you had just come from the backwoods and\nmake such a row and noise,\u201d said the Town Mouse; \u201cthe master of the\nhouse is a bailiff, and he is very strict indeed,\u201d she said.\n\nThe Country Mouse said she didn\u2019t care either for bailiffs or beggars.\nBut the cat sat at the top of the cellar steps, lying in wait, and heard\nall the chatter and noise. When the woman of the house went down to draw\nsome beer and lifted the trap-door the cat slipped by into the cellar\nand struck its claws into the Country Mouse. Then there was quite\nanother sort of dance.\n\nThe Town Mouse slid back into her hole and sat in safety looking on,\nwhile the Country Mouse suddenly became sober when she felt the claws of\nthe cat in her back.\n\n\u201cOh, my dear bailiff, oh, dearest bailiff, be merciful and spare my life\nand I will tell you a fairy tale,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cWell, go on,\u201d said the cat.\n\n\u201cOnce upon a time there were two little mice,\u201d said the Country Mouse,\nsqueaking slowly and pitifully, for she wanted to make the story last as\nlong as she could.\n\n\u201cThen they were not lonely,\u201d said the cat dryly and curtly.\n\n\u201cAnd they had a steak which they were going to fry.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen they could not starve,\u201d said the cat.\n\n\u201cAnd they put it out on the roof to cool,\u201d said the Country Mouse.\n\n\u201cThen they did not burn themselves,\u201d said the cat.\n\n\u201cBut there came a fox and a crow and ate it all up,\u201d said the Country\nMouse.\n\n\u201cThen I\u2019ll eat you,\u201d said the cat. But just at that moment the woman\nshut the trap-door with a slam, which so startled the cat that she let\ngo her hold of the mouse. One bound and the Country Mouse found herself\nin the hole with the Town Mouse.\n\nFrom there a passage led out into the snow, and you may be sure the\nCountry Mouse did not wait long before she set out homeward.\n\n\u201cAnd this is what you call living at ease and being well off,\u201d she said\nto the Town Mouse. \u201cHeaven preserve me from having such a fine place and\nsuch a master! Why, I only just got away with my life!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Greedy Cat_\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a man who had a Cat, and she was so awfully\nbig, and such a beast to eat, he couldn\u2019t keep her any longer. So she\nwas to go down to the river with a stone round her neck, but before she\nstarted she was to have a meal of meat. So the goody set before her a\nbowl of porridge and a little trough of fat. That the creature crammed\ninto her, and ran off and jumped through the window. Outside stood the\ngoodman by the barndoor threshing.\n\n\u201cGood day, goodman,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, pussy,\u201d said the goodman; \u201chave you had any food to-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge and a trough of fat\u2014and, now I think of it, I\u2019ll\ntake you too,\u201d and so she took the goodman and gobbled him up.\n\nWhen she had done that, she went into the byre, and there sat the goody\nmilking.\n\n\u201cGood day, goody,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, pussy,\u201d said the goody; \u201care you here, and have you eaten up\nyour food yet?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve eaten a little to-day, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said pussy; \u201cit\nwas only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman\u2014and,\nnow I think of it, I\u2019ll take you too,\u201d and so she took the goody and\ngobbled her up.\n\n\u201cGood day, you cow at the manger,\u201d said the Cat to Daisy the cow.\n\n\u201cGood day, pussy,\u201d said the bell-cow; \u201chave you had any food to-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cI\u2019ve only\nhad a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody\u2014and, now I think of it, I\u2019ll take you too,\u201d and so she took the\ncow and gobbled her up.\n\nThen off she set into the home-field, and there stood a man picking up\nleaves.\n\n\u201cGood day, you leaf-picker in the field,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?\u201d said the\nleaf-picker.\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and Daisy the cow\u2014and, now I think of it, I\u2019ll take you too.\u201d So\nshe took the leaf-picker and gobbled him up.\n\nThen she came to a heap of stones, and there stood a stoat and peeped\nout.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mr. Stoat of Stoneheap,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker\u2014and, now I think of it, I\u2019ll\ntake you too.\u201d So she took the stoat and gobbled him up.\n\nWhen she had gone a bit farther, she came to a hazel-brake, and there\nsat a squirrel gathering nuts.\n\n\u201cGood day, Sir Squirrel of the Brake,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat\u2014and, now I think\nof it, I\u2019ll take you too.\u201d So she took the squirrel and gobbled him up.\n\nWhen she had gone a little farther, she saw Reynard the fox, who was\nprowling about by the woodside.\n\n\u201cGood day, Reynard Slyboots,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the\nsquirrel\u2014and, now I think of it, I\u2019ll take you too.\u201d So she took Reynard\nand gobbled him up.\n\nWhen she had gone a little farther she met Long Ears, the hare.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mr. Hopper the hare,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat today?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the\nsquirrel, and the fox\u2014and, now I think of it, I\u2019ll take you too.\u201d So she\ntook the hare and gobbled him up.\n\nWhen she had gone a bit farther she met a wolf.\n\n\u201cGood day, you Greedy Graylegs,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the\nsquirrel, and the fox, and the hare\u2014and, now I think of it, I may as\nwell take you too.\u201d So she took and gobbled up Graylegs too.\n\nSo she went on into the wood, and when she had gone far and farther than\nfar, o\u2019er hill and dale, she met a bear-cub.\n\n\u201cGood day, you bare-breeched bear,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy,\u201d said the bear-cub; \u201chave you had anything to eat\nto-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the\nsquirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf\u2014and, now I think of\nit, I may as well take you too.\u201d And so she took the bear-cub and\ngobbled him up.\n\nWhen the Cat had gone a bit farther, she met a she-bear, who was tearing\naway at a stump till the splinters flew, so angry was she at having lost\nher cub.\n\n\u201cGood day, you Mrs. Bruin,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the\nsquirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the bear-cub\u2014and,\nnow I think of it, I\u2019ll take you too,\u201d and so she took Mrs. Bruin and\ngobbled her up too.\n\nWhen the Cat got still farther on, she met Baron Bruin himself.\n\n\u201cGood day, you Baron Bruin,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy,\u201d said Bruin; \u201chave you had anything to eat\nto-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the\nsquirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the bear-cub, and\nthe she-bear\u2014and, now I think of it, I\u2019ll take you too,\u201d and so she took\nBruin and ate him up too.\n\nSo the Cat went on and on, and farther than far, till she came to the\nabodes of men again, and there she met a bridal train on the road.\n\n\u201cGood day, you bridal train on the king\u2019s highway,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the\nsquirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the bear-cub, and\nthe she-bear, and the he-bear\u2014and, now I think of it, I\u2019ll take you\ntoo,\u201d and so she rushed at them, and gobbled up both the bride and\nbridegroom, and the whole train, with the cook and the fiddler, and the\nhorses and all.\n\nWhen she had gone still farther, she came to a church, and there she met\na funeral.\n\n\u201cGood day, you funeral train,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the\nsquirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the bear-cub, and\nthe she-bear, and the he-bear, and the bride and bridegroom, and the\nwhole train\u2014and, now, I don\u2019t mind if I take you too,\u201d and so she fell\non the funeral train and gobbled up both the body and the bearers.\n\nNow when the Cat had got the body in her, she was taken up to the sky,\nand when she had gone a long, long way, she met the moon.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Moon,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the\nsquirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the bear-cub, and\nthe she-bear, and the he-bear, and the bride and bridegroom, and the\nwhole train, and the funeral train\u2014and, now I think of it, I don\u2019t mind\nif I take you too,\u201d and so she seized hold of the moon, and gobbled her\nup, both new and full.\n\nSo the Cat went a long way still, and then she met the sun.\n\n\u201cGood day, you sun in heaven.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy,\u201d said the sun; \u201chave you had anything to eat\nto-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting,\u201d said the Cat; \u201cit was\nonly a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the\ngoody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the\nsquirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the bear-cub, and\nthe she-bear, and the he-bear, and the bride and bridegroom, and the\nwhole train, and the funeral train, and the moon\u2014and, now I think of it,\nI don\u2019t mind if I take you too,\u201d and so she rushed at the sun in heaven\nand gobbled him up.\n\nSo the cat went far and farther than far, till she came to a bridge, and\non it she met a big billy-goat.\n\n\u201cGood day, you Billy-goat on Broad-bridge,\u201d said the Cat.\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?\u201d said the\nbilly-goat.\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve had a little, but I\u2019m \u2018most fasting; I\u2019ve only had a bowl of\nporridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the goody in the\nbyre, and Daisy the cow at the manger, and the leaf-picker in the\nhome-field, and Mr. Stoat of Stoneheap, and Sir Squirrel of the Brake,\nand Reynard Slyboots, and Mr. Hopper the hare, and Greedy Graylegs the\nwolf, and Bare-breech the bear-cub, and Mrs. Bruin, and Baron Bruin, and\na bridal train on the king\u2019s highway, and a funeral at the church, and\nLady Moon in the sky, and Lord Sun in heaven\u2014and, now I think of it,\nI\u2019ll take you too.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat we\u2019ll fight about,\u201d said the billy-goat, and butted at the Cat\ntill she fell right over the bridge into the river, and there she burst.\n\nSo they all crept out one after the other, and went about their\nbusiness, and were just as good as ever, all that the Cat had gobbled\nup. The goodman of the house, and the goody in the byre, and Daisy the\ncow at the manger, and the leaf-picker in the home-field, and Mr. Stoat\nof Stoneheap, and Sir Squirrel of the Brake, and Reynard Slyboots, and\nMr. Hopper the hare, and Greedy Graylegs the wolf, and Bare-breech the\nbear-cub, and Mrs. Bruin, and Baron Bruin, and the bridal train on the\nhighway, and the funeral train at the church, and Lady Moon in the sky,\nand Lord Sun in heaven.\n\n\n\n\n _Well Done: Ill Paid_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a man who had to drive his sledge to the wood\nfor fuel, and a bear met him on the way.\n\n\u201cHand over your horse,\u201d growled the bear, \u201cor I\u2019ll kill all your sheep\nby summer.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, Heaven help me!\u201d said the man. \u201cThere\u2019s not a stick of firewood in\nthe house; you must let me drive home a load of fuel, else we shall be\nfrozen to death. I\u2019ll bring the horse to you to-morrow morning.\u201d\n\nYes; on these terms he might drive the wood home, that was a bargain;\nbut Bruin said, if he didn\u2019t come back, he should lose all his sheep by\nsummer.\n\nSo the man got the wood on the sledge and rattled homeward, but he\nwasn\u2019t over-pleased with his bargain, you may fancy.\n\nSo just then a fox met him. \u201cWhy, what\u2019s the matter?\u201d said the fox. \u201cWhy\nare you so down in the mouth?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, if you want to know,\u201d said the man, \u201cI met a bear up yonder in the\nwood, and I had to give my word to him to bring Dobbin back to-morrow,\nat this very hour; for if he didn\u2019t get him, he said he would tear all\nmy sheep to death by summer.\u201d\n\n\u201cStuff! Nothing worse than that?\u201d said the fox. \u201cIf you\u2019ll give me your\nfattest wether I\u2019ll soon set you free; see if I don\u2019t.\u201d\n\nYes, the man gave his word, and swore he would keep it true.\n\n\u201cWell, when you come with Dobbin, to-morrow, for the bear,\u201d said the\nfox, \u201cI\u2019ll make a clatter up in the heap of stones yonder, and so, when\nthe bear asks what that noise is, you must say it is Peter the Marksman,\nwho is the best shot in the world. And after that you must help\nyourself.\u201d\n\nNow, next day, off set the man, and when he met the bear something began\nto make a clatter up in the heap of stones.\n\n\u201cHist, hist! what\u2019s that?\u201d said the bear.\n\n\u201cOh, that\u2019s Peter the Marksman, to be sure,\u201d said the man. \u201cHe\u2019s the\nbest shot in the world; I know him by his voice.\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you seen any bear about here, Eric?\u201d shouted out a voice in the\nwood.\n\n\u201cSay no,\u201d said the bear.\n\n\u201cNo, I haven\u2019t seen any,\u201d said Eric.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that, then, that stands alongside your sledge?\u201d bawled out the\nvoice in the wood.\n\n\u201cSay it\u2019s an old fir-stump,\u201d said the bear.\n\n\u201cOh, it\u2019s only an old fir-stump,\u201d said the man.\n\n\u201cSuch fir-stumps we take in our country and roll them on our sledges,\u201d\nbawled out the voice. \u201cIf you can\u2019t do it yourself, I\u2019ll come and help\nyou.\u201d\n\n\u201cSay you can help yourself, and roll me up on the sledge,\u201d said the\nbear.\n\n\u201cNo, thank ye, I can help myself well enough,\u201d said the man, and rolled\nthe bear on the sledge.\n\n\u201cSuch fir-stumps we always bind fast on our sledges in our part of the\nworld,\u201d bawled out the voice. \u201cShall I come and help you?\u201d\n\n\u201cSay you can help yourself, and bind me fast, do,\u201d said the bear.\n\n\u201cNo, thanks, I can help myself well enough,\u201d said the man, who set to\nbinding Bruin fast with all the ropes he had, so that at last the bear\ncouldn\u2019t stir a paw.\n\n\u201cSuch fir-stumps we always drive our ax into, in our part of the world,\u201d\nbawled out the voice, \u201cfor then we guide them better going down steep\npitches.\u201d\n\n\u201cPretend to drive the ax into me, do now,\u201d said the bear.\n\nThen the man took up his ax, and at one blow split the bear\u2019s skull, so\nthat Bruin lay dead in a trice; and so the man and the fox were great\nfriends, and on the best of terms.\n\nBut when they came near the farm, the fox said: \u201cI\u2019ve no mind to go\nright home with you, for I can\u2019t say I like your dogs; so I\u2019ll just wait\nhere, and you can bring the wether to me; but mind you pick out one nice\nand fat.\u201d\n\nYes, the man would be sure to do that, and thanked the fox much for his\nhelp. So when he had put the horse into the stable he went across to the\nsheep-pen.\n\n\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d asked his wife.\n\n\u201cOh, I am only going over to the sheep-pen to fetch a fat ram for that\ngood fox who saved our horse,\u201d said the man, \u201cas I have promised him\none.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy on earth give that thief of a fox any ram?\u201d said the woman. \u201cWe\nhave got the horse quite safe and the bear besides, and the fox has\nstolen more geese from us than the ram is worth; or, if he hasn\u2019t\nalready taken them, he is sure to do so some time. No, take the most\nsavage pair of those dogs of yours and let them loose on him, then\nperhaps we\u2019ll get rid of that thieving old rascal,\u201d said the woman.\n\nThe man thought this was sensible advice and took two of his savage red\ndogs, put them in a bag and set out with them.\n\n\u201cHave you got the ram?\u201d said the fox.\n\n\u201cYes, come and fetch it,\u201d said the man, undoing the string round the bag\nand setting the dogs at the fox.\n\n\u201cUgh!\u201d said the fox, bounding away, \u201cthe old saying: \u2018Well done: ill\npaid,\u2019 is only too true; and now I find it is also true that one\u2019s\nrelations are one\u2019s worst enemies,\u201d and he panted as he saw the red dogs\nat his heels.\n\n\n\n\n _Reynard and Chanticleer_\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a cock who stood on a dungheap and crew and\nflapped his wings. Then the fox came by.\n\n\u201cGood day,\u201d said Reynard. \u201cI heard you crowing so nicely; but you can\nstand on one leg and crow, and wink your eyes?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes,\u201d said Chanticleer, \u201cI can do that very well.\u201d So he stood on\none leg and crew; but he winked only with one eye, and when he had done\nthat he made himself big and flapped his wings, as though he had done a\ngreat thing.\n\n\u201cVery pretty, to be sure,\u201d said Reynard. \u201cAlmost as pretty as when the\nparson preaches in church; but can you stand on one leg and wink both\nyour eyes at once? I hardly think you can.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t I, though!\u201d said Chanticleer, and stood on one leg, and winked\nboth his eyes and crew. But Reynard caught hold of him, took him by the\nthroat, and threw him over his back, so that he was off to the wood\nbefore he had crowed his crow out, as fast as Reynard could lay legs to\nthe ground.\n\nWhen they had come under an old spruce fir, Reynard threw Chanticleer on\nthe ground, and set his paw on his breast, and was going to take a bite.\n\n\u201cYou are a heathen, Reynard!\u201d said Chanticleer. \u201cGood Christians say\ngrace, and ask a blessing before they eat.\u201d\n\nBut Reynard would be no heathen. God forbid it! So he let go his hold,\nand was about to fold his paws over his breast and say grace\u2014when pop!\nup flew Chanticleer into a tree.\n\n\u201cYou sha\u2019n\u2019t get off, for all that,\u201d said Reynard to himself. So he went\naway, and came again with a few chips which the woodcutters had left.\nChanticleer peeped and peered to see what they could be.\n\n\u201cWhat in the world have you there?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cThese are letters I have just got,\u201d said Reynard. \u201cWon\u2019t you help me to\nread them, for I don\u2019t know how to read writing?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019d be so happy, but I dare not read them now,\u201d said Chanticleer, \u201cfor\nhere comes a hunter. I see him, I see him, as I sit by the tree-trunk.\u201d\n\nWhen Reynard heard Chanticleer chattering about a hunter, he took to his\nheels as quick as he could.\n\nSo this time Reynard was made game of again!\n\n\n\n\n _Father Bruin in the Corner_\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a man who lived far, far away in the wood. He\nhad many, many goats and sheep, but never a one could he keep for fear\nof Graylegs, the wolf.\n\nAt last he said: \u201cI\u2019ll soon trap Grayboots,\u201d and so he set to work\ndigging a pitfall. When he had dug it deep enough, he put a pole down in\nthe midst of the pit, and on the top of the pole he set a board, and on\nthe board he put a little dog. Over the pit itself he spread boughs and\nbranches and leaves, and other rubbish, and a-top of all he strewed\nsnow, so that Graylegs might not see there was a pit underneath.\n\nSo when it got on in the night, the little dog grew weary of sitting\nthere. \u201cBow-wow, bow-wow,\u201d it said, and bayed at the moon. Just then up\ncame a fox, slouching and sneaking, and thought here was a fine time for\nmarketing, and with that gave a jump\u2014head over heels down into the\npitfall.\n\nAnd when it got a little farther on in the night, the little dog got so\nweary and hungry, and it fell to yelping and howling. \u201cBow-wow,\nbow-wow,\u201d it cried out. Just at that very moment up came Graylegs,\ntrotting and trotting. He, too, thought he should get a fat steak, and\nhe, too, made a spring\u2014head over heels down into the pitfall.\n\nWhen it was getting on toward gray dawn in the morning, down fell snow,\nwith a north wind, and it grew so cold that the little dog stood and\nfroze, and shivered and shook; it was so weary and so hungry. \u201cBow-wow,\nbow-wow, bow-wow,\u201d it called out, and barked and yelped and howled. Then\nup came a bear, tramping and tramping along, and thought to himself how\nhe could get a morsel for breakfast at the very top of the morning, and\nso he thought and thought among the boughs and branches till he too went\nbump\u2014head over heels down into the pitfall.\n\nSo when it got a little farther on in the morning, an old beggar wife\ncame walking by, who toddled from farm to farm with a bag on her back.\nWhen she set eyes on the little dog that stood there and howled, she\ncouldn\u2019t help going near to look and see if any wild beasts had fallen\ninto the pit during the night. So she crawled up on her knees and peeped\ndown into it.\n\n\u201cArt thou come into the pit at last, Reynard?\u201d she said to the fox, for\nhe was the first she saw; \u201ca very good place, too, for such a hen-roost\nrobber as thou. And thou, too, Graypaw,\u201d she said to the wolf; \u201cmany a\ngoat and sheep hast thou torn and rent, and now thou shalt be plagued\nand punished to death. Bless my heart! Thou, too, Bruin! Art thou, too,\nsitting in this room, thou mare-flayer? Thee, too, will we strip, and\nthee shall we flay, and thy skull shall be nailed up on the wall.\u201d All\nthis the old lass screeched out as she bent over toward the bear. But\njust then her bag fell over her ears, and dragged her down, and slap!\ndown went the old crone\u2014head over heels into the pitfall.\n\nSo there they all four sat and glared at one another, each in a\ncorner\u2014the fox in one, Graylegs in another, Bruin in a third, and the\nold crone in a fourth.\n\nBut as soon as it was broad daylight, Reynard began to peep and peer,\nand to twist and turn about, for he thought he might as well try to get\nout.\n\nBut the old lass cried out: \u201cCanst thou not sit still, thou whirligig\nthief, and not go twisting and turning? Only look at Father Bruin\nhimself in the corner, how he sits as grave as a judge,\u201d for now she\nthought she might as well make friends with the bear. But just then up\ncame the man who owned the pitfall. First he drew up the old wife, and\nafter that he slew all the beasts, and spared neither Father Bruin\nhimself in the corner, nor Graylegs, nor Reynard the whirligig thief.\nThat night, at least, he thought he had made a good haul.\n\n\n\n\n _Why the Sea is Salt_\n\n\nOnce upon a time, long, long ago, there were two brothers, the one rich\nand the other poor. When Christmas eve came the poor one had not a bite\nin the house, either of meat or bread; so he went to his brother and\nbegged him, in Heaven\u2019s name, to give him something for Christmas Day.\nIt was by no means the first time that the brother had been forced to\ngive something to him, and he was not better pleased at being asked now\nthan he generally was.\n\n\u201cIf you will do what I ask you, you shall have a whole ham,\u201d said he.\nThe poor one immediately thanked him and promised this.\n\n\u201cWell, here is the ham, and now you must go straight to Dead Man\u2019s\nHall,\u201d said the rich brother, throwing the ham to him.\n\n\u201cWell, I will do what I have promised,\u201d said the other, and he took the\nham and set off. He went on and on for the livelong day, and at\nnightfall he came to a place where there was a bright light.\n\n\u201cI have no doubt this is the place,\u201d thought the man with the ham, and\nhe drew near an old man with a long white beard who was standing in the\nouthouse chopping Yule-logs.\n\n\u201cGood evening,\u201d said the man with the ham.\n\n\u201cGood evening to you. Where are you going at this late hour?\u201d said the\nman.\n\n\u201cI am going to Dead Man\u2019s Hall, if only I am in the right track,\u201d\nanswered the poor man.\n\n\u201cOh, yes, you are right enough, for it is here,\u201d said the old man. \u201cWhen\nyou get inside they will all want to buy your ham, for they don\u2019t get\nmuch meat to eat there. But you must not sell it unless you can get for\nit the hand-mill which stands behind the door. When you come out again I\nwill teach you how to stop the hand-mill, which is useful for almost\neverything.\u201d\n\nSo the man with the ham thanked the other for his good advice and rapped\nat the door.\n\nWhen he got in, everything happened just as the old man had said it\nwould: all the people, great and small, came round him like ants on an\nant-hill, and each tried to outbid the other for the ham.\n\n\u201cBy rights my old woman and I ought to have it for our Christmas dinner,\nbut since you have set your hearts upon it I must just give it up to\nyou,\u201d said the man. \u201cBut if I sell it I will have the hand-mill which is\nstanding there behind the door.\u201d\n\nAt first they would not hear to this, and haggled and bargained with the\nman, but he stuck to what he had said, and the people were forced to\ngive him the hand-mill. When the man came out again into the yard he\nasked the old wood-cutter how he was to stop the hand-mill, and when he\nhad learned that, he thanked him and set off home with all the speed he\ncould, but did not get there until after the clock had struck twelve on\nChristmas eve.\n\n\u201cBut where in the world have you been?\u201d said the old woman. \u201cHere I have\nsat waiting hour after hour, and have not even two sticks to lay across\neach other under the Christmas porridge-pot.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I could not come before. I had something of importance to see\nabout, and a long way to go, too; but now you shall just see!\u201d said the\nman, and then he set the hand-mill on the table and bade it first grind\nlight, then a tablecloth, and then meat, and beer, and everything else\nthat was good for a Christmas eve\u2019s supper; and the mill ground all that\nhe ordered. \u201cBless me!\u201d said the old woman as one thing after another\nappeared; and she wanted to know where her husband had got the mill\nfrom, but he would not tell her that.\n\n\u201cNever mind where I got it. You can see that it is a good one, and the\nwater that turns it will never freeze,\u201d said the man. So he ground meat\nand drink and all kinds of good things to last all Christmastide, and on\nthe third day he invited all his friends to come to a feast.\n\nNow, when the rich brother saw all that there was at the banquet, and in\nthe house, he was both vexed and angry, for he grudged everything his\nbrother had. \u201cOn Christmas eve he was so poor that he came to me and\nbegged for a trifle, for Heaven\u2019s sake, and now he gives a feast as if\nhe were both a count and a king!\u201d thought he. \u201cBut tell me, I pray you,\nwhere you got your riches from?\u201d said he to his brother.\n\n\u201cFrom behind the door,\u201d said he who owned the mill, for he did not\nchoose to satisfy his brother on that point; but later in the evening,\nwhen he had taken a drop too much, he could not refrain from telling how\nhe had come by the hand-mill. \u201cThere you see what has brought me all my\nwealth!\u201d said he, and brought out the mill and made it grind first one\nthing and then another. When the brother saw that, he insisted on having\nthe mill, and after a great deal of persuasion got it; but he had to\ngive three hundred dollars for it, and the poor brother was to keep it\ntill the haymaking was over, for he thought: \u201cIf I keep it as long as\nthat, I can make it grind meat and drink that will last many a long\nyear.\u201d During that time you may imagine that the mill did not grow\nrusty, and when hay-harvest came the rich brother got it, but the other\nhad taken good care not to teach him how to stop it. It was evening when\nthe rich man got the mill home, and in the morning he bade his wife go\nout and spread the hay after the mowers, and he would attend to the\nhouse himself that day.\n\nSo when dinner-time drew near he set the mill on the kitchen table and\nsaid: \u201cGrind herrings and milk pottage, and do it both quickly and\nwell.\u201d\n\nSo the mill began to grind herrings and milk pottage, and first all the\ndishes and tubs were filled, and then the food came out all over the\nkitchen floor. The man twisted and turned the mill and did all he could\nto make it stop, but howsoever he turned and screwed, it went on\ngrinding, and in a short time the pottage rose so high that the man was\nlike to be drowned. So he threw open the parlor door, but it was not\nlong before the mill had ground the parlor full too, and it was with\ndifficulty and danger that the man could go through the stream of\npottage and get hold of the door-latch. When he had the door open he did\nnot stay long in the room, but ran out, and the herrings and pottage\ncame after him, and streamed out over both farm and field. Now, the\nwife, who was out spreading the hay, began to think dinner was long in\ncoming, and said to the women and the mowers: \u201cThough the master does\nnot call us home, we may as well go. It may be that he finds he is not\ngood at making pottage, and I should do well to help him.\u201d So they began\nto straggle homeward, but when they had got a little way up the hill\nthey met the herrings and pottage and bread, all pouring forth and\nwinding about one over the other, and the man himself in front of the\nflood. \u201cWould to Heaven that each of you had a hundred stomachs! Take\ncare that you are not drowned in the pottage,\u201d he cried as he went by\nthem as if mischief were at his heels, down to where his brother dwelt.\nThen he begged him, for pity\u2019s sake, to take the mill back again, and\nthat in an instant, \u201cfor,\u201d said he, \u201cif it grind one hour more the whole\ndistrict will be destroyed by herrings and pottage.\u201d But the brother\nwould not take it until the other paid him three hundred dollars, and\nthat he was obliged to do. Now the poor brother had both the money and\nthe mill again. So it was not long before he had a farmhouse much finer\nthan that in which his brother lived, but the mill ground him so much\nmoney that he covered it with plates of gold; and the farmhouse lay\nclose by the seashore, so it shone and glittered far out to sea. Every\none who sailed by there now had to put in to visit the rich man in the\ngold farmhouse, and every one wanted to see the wonderful mill, for the\nreport of it spread far and wide, and there was no one who had not heard\ntell of it.\n\nAfter a long, long time a skipper came who wished to see the mill. He\nasked if it could make salt. \u201cYes, it could make salt,\u201d said he who\nowned it, and when the skipper heard that he wished with all his might\nand main to have the mill, let it cost what it might, for, he thought,\nif he had it he would get off having to sail far away over the perilous\nsea for freights of salt. At first the man would not hear of parting\nwith it, but the skipper begged and prayed, and at last the man sold it\nto him, and got many, many thousand dollars for it. When the skipper had\nthe mill on his back he did not long stay there, for he was so afraid\nthat the man would change his mind, and he had no time to ask how he was\nto stop its grinding, but got on board his ship as fast as he could.\n\nWhen he had gone a little way out to sea he took the mill on deck.\n\u201cGrind salt, and grind both quickly and well,\u201d said the skipper. So the\nmill began to grind salt till it spouted out like water, and when the\nskipper had the ship filled he wanted to stop the mill, but whichever\nway he turned it and howsoever much he tried it went on grinding, and\nthe heap of salt grew higher and higher, until at last the ship sank.\nThere lies the mill at the bottom of the sea, and still, day by day, it\ngrinds on; and that is why the sea is salt.\n\n\n\n\n _Gudbrand on the Hillside_\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a man whose name was Gudbrand. He had a farm\nwhich lay far away up on the side of a hill, and therefore they called\nhim Gudbrand on the hillside.\n\nHe and his wife lived so happily together, and agreed so well, that\nwhatever the man did the wife thought it so well done that no one could\ndo it better. No matter what he did, she thought it was always the right\nthing.\n\nThey lived on their own farm, and had a hundred dollars at the bottom of\ntheir chest and two cows in their cow-shed. One day the woman said to\nGudbrand:\n\n\u201cI think we ought to go to town with one of the cows and sell it, so\nthat we may have some ready money by us. We are pretty well off, and\nought to have a few shillings in our pocket like other people. The\nhundred dollars in the chest we mustn\u2019t touch, but I can\u2019t see what we\nwant with more than one cow, and it will be much better for us, as I\nshall have only one to look after instead of the two I have now to mind\nand feed.\u201d\n\nYes, Gudbrand thought, that was well and sensibly spoken. He took the\ncow at once and went to town to sell it; but when he got there no one\nwould buy the cow.\n\n\u201cAh, well!\u201d thought Gudbrand, \u201cI may as well take the cow home again. I\nknow I have both stall and food for it, and the way home is no longer\nthan it was here.\u201d So he strolled homeward again with the cow.\n\nWhen he had got a bit on the way he met a man who had a horse to sell,\nand Gudbrand thought it was better to have a horse than a cow, and so he\nchanged the cow for the horse.\n\nWhen he had gone a bit farther he met a man who was driving a fat pig\nbefore him, and then he thought it would be better to have a fat pig\nthan a horse, and so he changed with the man.\n\nHe now went a bit farther, and then he met a man with a goat, and so he\nthought it was surely better to have a goat than a pig, and changed with\nthe man who had the goat.\n\nThen he went a long way, till he met a man who had a sheep. He changed\nwith him, for he thought it was always better to have a sheep than a\ngoat.\n\nWhen he had got a bit farther he met a man with a goose, and so he\nchanged the sheep for the goose. And when he had gone a long, long way\nhe met a man with a cock. He changed the goose with him, for he thought\nthis wise: \u201cIt is surely better to have a cock than a goose.\u201d\n\nHe walked on till late in the day, when he began to feel hungry. So he\nsold the cock for sixpence and bought some food for himself. \u201cFor it is\nalways better to keep body and soul together than to have a cock,\u201d\nthought Gudbrand.\n\nHe then set off again homeward till he came to his neighbor\u2019s farm, and\nthere he went in.\n\n\u201cHow did you get on in town?\u201d asked the people.\n\n\u201cOh, only so-so,\u201d said the man. \u201cI can\u2019t boast of my luck, nor can I\ngrumble at it either.\u201d And then he told them how it had gone with him\nfrom first to last.\n\n\u201cWell, you\u2019ll have a fine reception when you get home to your wife,\u201d\nsaid the man. \u201cHeaven help you! I should not like to be in your place.\u201d\n\n\u201cI think I might have fared much worse,\u201d said Gudbrand; \u201cbut whether I\nhave fared well or ill, I have such a kind wife that she never says\nanything, no matter what I do.\u201d\n\n\u201cAye, so you say; but you won\u2019t get me to believe it,\u201d said the\nneighbor.\n\n\u201cShall we have a wager on it?\u201d said Gudbrand. \u201cI have a hundred dollars\nin my chest at home. Will you lay the same?\u201d\n\nSo they made the wager and Gudbrand remained there till the evening,\nwhen it began to get dark, and then they went together to the farm.\n\nThe neighbor was to remain outside the door and listen while Gudbrand\nwent in to his wife.\n\n\u201cGood evening!\u201d said Gudbrand when he came in.\n\n\u201cGood evening!\u201d said the wife. \u201cHeaven be praised you are back again.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, here I am!\u201d said the man. And then the wife asked him how he had\ngot on in town.\n\n\u201cOh, so-so,\u201d answered Gudbrand. \u201cNot much to brag of. When I came to\ntown no one would buy the cow, so I changed it for a horse.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019m so glad of that,\u201d said the woman. \u201cWe are pretty well off and\nwe ought to drive to church like other people, and when we can afford to\nkeep a horse I don\u2019t see why we should not have one. Run out, children,\nand put the horse in the stable.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I haven\u2019t got the horse, after all,\u201d said Gudbrand; \u201cfor when I\nhad got a bit on the way I changed it for a pig.\u201d\n\n\u201cDear me!\u201d cried the woman, \u201cthat\u2019s the very thing I should have done\nmyself. I\u2019m so glad of that, for now we can have some bacon in the house\nand something to offer people when they come to see us. What do we want\nwith a horse? People would only say we had become so grand that we could\nno longer walk to church. Run out, children, and let the pig in.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I haven\u2019t got the pig either,\u201d said Gudbrand, \u201cfor when I had got a\nbit farther on the road I changed it into a milch goat.\u201d\n\n\u201cDear! dear! how well you manage everything!\u201d cried the wife. \u201cWhen I\nreally come to think of it, what do I want with the pig? People would\nonly say: \u2018Over yonder they eat up everything they have.\u2019 No, now I have\na goat I can have both milk and cheese and keep the goat into the\nbargain. Let in the goat, children.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I haven\u2019t got the goat either,\u201d said Gudbrand. \u201cWhen I got a bit on\nthe way I changed the goat and got a fine sheep for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell!\u201d returned the woman, \u201cyou do everything just as I should wish\nit\u2014just as if I had been there myself. What do we want with a goat? I\nshould have to climb up hill and down dale to get it home at night. No,\nwhen I have a sheep I can have wool and clothes in the house and food as\nwell. Run out, children, and let in the sheep.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I haven\u2019t got the sheep any longer,\u201d said Gudbrand, \u201cfor when I had\ngot a bit on the way I changed it for a goose.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, thank you for that!\u201d said the woman; \u201cand many thanks, too! What\ndo I want with a sheep? I have neither wheel nor spindle, and I do not\ncare either to toil and drudge making clothes; we can buy clothes now as\nbefore. Now I can have goose-fat, which I have so long been wishing for,\nand some feathers to stuff that little pillow of mine. Run, children,\nand let in the goose.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I haven\u2019t got the goose either,\u201d said Gudbrand. \u201cWhen I had got a\nbit farther on the way I changed it for a cock.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I don\u2019t know how you can think of it all!\u201d cried the woman. \u201cIt\u2019s\njust as if I had done it all myself. A cock! Why, it\u2019s just the same as\nif you\u2019d bought an eight-day clock, for every morning the cock will crow\nat four, so we can be up in good time. What do we want with a goose? I\ncan\u2019t make goose-fat and I can easily fill my pillow with some soft\ngrass. Run, children, and let in the cock.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I haven\u2019t the cock either,\u201d said Gudbrand; \u201cfor when I had got a\nbit farther I became so terribly hungry I had to sell the cock for\nsixpence and get some food to keep body and soul together.\u201d\n\n\u201cHeaven be praised you did that!\u201d cried the woman. \u201cWhatever you do, you\nalways do the very thing I could have wished. Besides, what did we want\nwith the cock? We are our own masters and can lie as long as we like in\nthe mornings. Heaven be praised! As long as I have got you back again,\nwho manage everything so well, I shall neither want cock, nor goose, nor\npig, nor cows.\u201d\n\nGudbrand then opened the door. \u201cHave I won the hundred dollars now?\u201d he\nasked. And the neighbor was obliged to confess that he had.\n\n\n\n\n _The Pancake_\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a goody who had seven hungry bairns, and she\nwas frying a Pancake for them. It was a sweet-milk Pancake, and there it\nlay in the pan bubbling and frizzling so thick and good, it was a sight\nfor sore eyes to look at. And the bairns stood round about, and the\ngoodman sat by and looked on.\n\n\u201cOh, give me a bit of Pancake, mother, dear; I am so hungry,\u201d said one\nbairn.\n\n\u201cOh, darling mother,\u201d said the second.\n\n\u201cOh, darling, good mother,\u201d said the third.\n\n\u201cOh, darling, good, nice mother,\u201d said the fourth.\n\n\u201cOh, darling, pretty, good, nice mother,\u201d said the fifth.\n\n\u201cOh, darling, pretty, good, nice, clever mother,\u201d said the sixth.\n\n\u201cOh, darling, pretty, good, nice, clever, sweet mother,\u201d said the\nseventh.\n\nSo they begged for the Pancake all round, the one more prettily than the\nother; for they were so hungry and so good.\n\n\u201cYes, yes, bairns, only bide a bit till it turns itself\u201d\u2014she ought to\nhave said, \u201ctill I can get it turned\u201d\u2014\u201cand then you shall all have\nsome\u2014a lovely sweet-milk Pancake; only look how fat and happy it lies\nthere.\u201d\n\nWhen the Pancake heard that it got afraid, and in a trice it turned\nitself all of itself, and tried to jump out of the pan; but it fell back\ninto it again t\u2019other side up, and so when it had been fried a little on\nthe other side, too, till it got firmer in its flesh, it sprang out on\nthe floor, and rolled off like a wheel through the door and down the\nhill.\n\n\u201cHolloa! Stop, Pancake!\u201d and away went the goody after it, with the\nfrying-pan in one hand and the ladle in the other, as fast as she could,\nand her bairns behind her, while the goodman limped after them last of\nall.\n\n\u201cHi! won\u2019t you stop? Seize it. Stop, Pancake,\u201d they all screamed out,\none after the other, and tried to catch it on the run and hold it; but\nthe Pancake rolled on and on, and in the twinkling of an eye it was so\nfar ahead that they couldn\u2019t see it, for the Pancake was faster on its\nfeet than any of them.\n\nSo when it had rolled a while it met a man.\n\n\u201cGood day, Pancake,\u201d said the man.\n\n\u201cGod bless you, Manny-panny!\u201d said the Pancake.\n\n\u201cDear Pancake,\u201d said the man, \u201cdon\u2019t roll so fast; stop a little and let\nme eat you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen I have given the slip to Goody-poody, and the goodman, and seven\nsqualling children, I may well slip through your fingers, Manny-panny,\u201d\nsaid the Pancake, and rolled on and on till it met a hen.\n\n\u201cGood day, Pancake,\u201d said the hen.\n\n\u201cThe same to you, Henny-penny,\u201d said the Pancake.\n\n\u201cPancake, dear, don\u2019t roll so fast; bide a bit and let me eat you up,\u201d\nsaid the hen.\n\n\u201cWhen I have given the slip to Goody-poody, and the goodman, and seven\nsqualling children, and Manny-panny, I may well slip through your claws,\nHenny-penny,\u201d said the Pancake, and so it rolled on like a wheel down\nthe road.\n\nJust then it met a cock.\n\n\u201cGood day, Pancake,\u201d said the cock.\n\n\u201cThe same to you, Cocky-locky,\u201d said the Pancake.\n\n\u201cPancake, dear, don\u2019t roll so fast, but bide a bit and let me eat you\nup.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen I have given the slip to Goody-poody, and the goodman, and seven\nsqualling children, and to Manny-panny, and Henny-penny, I may well slip\nthrough your claws, Cocky-locky,\u201d said the Pancake, and off it set\nrolling away as fast as it could; and when it had rolled a long way it\nmet a duck.\n\n\u201cGood day, Pancake,\u201d said the duck.\n\n\u201cThe same to you, Ducky-lucky.\u201d\n\n\u201cPancake, dear, don\u2019t roll away so fast; bide a bit and let me eat you\nup.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen I have given the slip to Goody-poody, and the goodman, and seven\nsqualling children, and Manny-panny, and Henny-penny, and Cocky-locky, I\nmay well slip through your fingers, Ducky-lucky,\u201d said the Pancake, and\nwith that it took to rolling and rolling faster than ever; and when it\nhad rolled a long, long while, it met a goose.\n\n\u201cGood day, Pancake,\u201d said the goose.\n\n\u201cThe same to you, Goosey-poosey.\u201d\n\n\u201cPancake, dear, don\u2019t roll so fast; bide a bit and let me eat you up.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen I have given the slip to Goody-poody, and the goodman, and seven\nsqualling children, and Manny-panny, and Henny-penny, and Cocky-locky,\nand Ducky-lucky, I can well slip through your feet, Goosey-poosey,\u201d said\nthe Pancake, and off it rolled.\n\nSo when it had rolled a long, long way farther, it met a gander.\n\n\u201cGood day, Pancake,\u201d said the gander.\n\n\u201cThe same to you, Gander-pander,\u201d said the Pancake.\n\n\u201cPancake, dear, don\u2019t roll so fast; bide a bit and let me eat you up.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen I have given the slip to Goody-poody, and the goodman, and seven\nsqualling children, and Manny-panny, and Henny-penny, and Cocky-locky,\nand Ducky-lucky, and Goosey-poosey, I may well slip through your feet,\nGander-pander,\u201d said the Pancake, and it rolled off as fast as ever.\n\nSo when it had rolled a long, long time, it met a pig.\n\n\u201cGood day, Pancake,\u201d said the pig.\n\n\u201cThe same to you, Piggy-wiggy,\u201d said the Pancake, which, without a word\nmore, began to roll and roll like mad.\n\n\u201cNay, nay,\u201d said the pig, \u201cyou needn\u2019t be in such a hurry; we two can\nthen go side by side and see each other over the wood; they say it is\nnot too safe in there.\u201d\n\nThe Pancake thought there might be something in that, and so they kept\ncompany. But when they had gone awhile, they came to a brook. As for\nPiggy, he was so fat he swam safely across, it was nothing to him; but\nthe poor Pancake couldn\u2019t get over.\n\n\u201cSeat yourself on my snout,\u201d said the pig, \u201cand I\u2019ll carry you over.\u201d\n\nSo the Pancake did that.\n\n\u201cOuf, ouf,\u201d said the pig, and swallowed the Pancake at one gulp; and\nthen, as the poor Pancake could go no farther, why\u2014this story can go no\nfarther either.\n\n\n\n\n _The Death of Chanticleer_\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a cock and a hen, who walked out into the field\nand scratched, and scraped, and scrabbled. All at once Chanticleer found\na burr of hop, and Partlet found a barley-corn; and they said they would\nmake malt and brew Yule ale.\n\n\u201cOh, I pluck barley, and I malt malt, and I brew ale, and the ale is\ngood,\u201d cackled Dame Partlet.\n\n\u201cIs the wort strong enough?\u201d crew Chanticleer; and as he crowed he flew\nup on the edge of the cask, and tried to have a taste; but just as he\nbent over to drink a drop he took to flapping his wings, and so he fell\nhead over heels into the cask and was drowned. When Dame Partlet saw\nthat, she clean lost her wits, and flew up into the chimney-corner, and\nfell a-screaming and screeching out. \u201cHarm in the house! harm in the\nhouse!\u201d she screeched out all in a breath, and there was no stopping\nher.\n\n\u201cWhat ails you, Dame Partlet, that you sit there sobbing and sighing?\u201d\nsaid the handquern.\n\n\u201cWhy not,\u201d said Dame Partlet, \u201cwhen Goodman Chanticleer has fallen into\nthe cask and drowned himself, and lies dead? That\u2019s why I sigh and sob.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, if I can do naught else, I will grind and groan,\u201d said the\nhandquern; and so it fell to grinding as fast as it could.\n\nWhen the chair heard that it said:\n\n\u201cWhat ails you, handquern, that you grind and groan so fast and oft?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy not, when Goodman Chanticleer has fallen into the cask and drowned\nhimself, and Dame Partlet sits in the ingle and sighs and sobs? That\u2019s\nwhy I grind and groan,\u201d said the handquern.\n\n\u201cIf I can do naught else I will crack,\u201d said the chair; and with that he\nfell to creaking and cracking.\n\nWhen the door heard that it said:\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter? Why do you creak and crack so, Mr. Chair?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d said the chair. \u201cGoodman Chanticleer has fallen into the cask\nand drowned himself; Dame Partlet sits in the ingle sighing and sobbing,\nand the handquern grinds and groans. That\u2019s why I creak and crackle, and\ncroak and crack.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the door, \u201cif I can do naught else, I can rattle and bang,\nand whistle and slam\u201d; and with that it began to open and shut, and bang\nand slam; it deaved one to hear, and all one\u2019s teeth chattered.\n\nAll this the stove heard, and it opened its mouth and called out:\n\n\u201cDoor! door! why all this slamming and banging?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy not,\u201d said the door, \u201cwhen Goodman Chanticleer has fallen into the\ncask and drowned himself; Dame Partlet sits in the ingle sighing and\nsobbing; the handquern grinds and groans, and the chair creaks and\ncracks. That\u2019s why I bang and slam.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the stove, \u201cif I can do naught else, I can smolder and\nsmoke\u201d; and so it fell a-smoking and steaming till the room was all in a\ncloud.\n\nThe ax saw this as it stood outside, and peeped with its shaft through\nthe window.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s all this smoke about, Mrs. Stove?\u201d said the ax in a sharp voice.\n\n\u201cWhy not,\u201d said the stove, \u201cwhen Goodman Chanticleer has fallen into the\ncask and drowned himself; Dame Partlet sits in the ingle sighing and\nsobbing; the handquern grinds and groans; the chair creaks and cracks,\nand the door bangs and slams. That\u2019s why I smoke and steam.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, if I can do naught else, I can rive and rend,\u201d said the ax; and\nwith that it fell to riving and rending all around about.\n\nThis the aspen stood by and saw.\n\n\u201cWhy do you rive and rend everything so, Mr. Ax?\u201d said the aspen.\n\n\u201cGoodman Chanticleer has fallen into the ale-cask and drowned himself,\u201d\nsaid the ax; \u201cDame Partlet sits in the ingle sighing and sobbing; the\nhandquern grinds and groans; the chair creaks and cracks; the door slams\nand bangs, and the stove smokes and steams. That\u2019s why I rive and rend\nall about.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, if I can do naught else,\u201d said the aspen, \u201cI can quiver and quake\nin all my leaves\u201d; so it grew all of a quake.\n\nThe birds saw this, and twittered out:\n\n\u201cWhy do you quiver and quake, Miss Aspen?\u201d\n\n\u201cGoodman Chanticleer has fallen into the ale-cask and drowned himself,\u201d\nsaid the aspen, with a trembling voice; \u201cDame Partlet sits in the ingle\nsighing and sobbing; the handquern grinds and groans; the chair creaks\nand cracks; the door slams and bangs; the stove steams and smokes, and\nthe ax rives and rends. That\u2019s why I quiver and quake.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, if we can do naught else, we will pluck off all our feathers,\u201d\nsaid the birds; and with that they fell a-pilling and plucking\nthemselves till the room was full of feathers.\n\nThis the master stood by and saw; and, when the feathers flew about like\nfun, he asked the birds:\n\n\u201cWhy do you pluck off all your feathers, you birds?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, Goodman Chanticleer has fallen into the ale-cask and drowned\nhimself,\u201d twittered out the birds; \u201cDame Partlet sits sighing and\nsobbing in the ingle; the handquern grinds and groans; the chair creaks\nand cracks; the door slams and bangs; the stove smokes and steams; the\nax rives and rends, and the aspen quivers and quakes. That\u2019s why we are\npilling and plucking all our feathers off.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, if I can do nothing else, I can tear the brooms asunder,\u201d said\nthe man; and with that he fell tearing and tossing the brooms till the\nbirch-twigs flew about east and west.\n\nThe goody stood cooking porridge for supper, and saw all this.\n\n\u201cWhy, man!\u201d she called out, \u201cwhat are you tearing the brooms to bits\nfor?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d said the man, \u201cGoodman Chanticleer has fallen into the ale-vat and\ndrowned himself; Dame Partlet sits sighing and sobbing in the ingle; the\nhandquern grinds and groans; the chair cracks and creaks; the door slams\nand bangs; the stove smokes and steams; the ax rives and rends; the\naspen quivers and quakes; the birds are pilling and plucking all their\nfeathers off, and that\u2019s why I am tearing the besoms to bits.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo, so!\u201d said the goody; \u201cthen I\u2019ll dash the porridge over all the\nwalls,\u201d and she did it; for she took one spoonful after the other, and\ndashed it against the walls, so that no one could see what they were\nmade of for very porridge.\n\nThat was how they drank the burial ale after Goodman Chanticleer, who\nfell into the brewing-vat and was drowned; and, if you don\u2019t believe it,\nyou may set off thither and have a taste both of the ale and the\nporridge.\n\n\n\n\n _Reynard Wants to Taste Horse-flesh_\n\n\nOne day as Bruin lay by a horse which he had slain, and was hard at work\neating it, Reynard came along that way, and came up spying about and\nlicking his lips, to see if he might get a taste of the horse-flesh. So\nhe doubled and turned till he got just behind Bruin\u2019s back, and then he\njumped on the other side of the carcass and snapped a mouthful as he ran\nby. Bruin was not slow either, for he made a grab at Reynard and caught\nthe tip of his red brush in his paw; and ever since then Reynard\u2019s brush\nis white at the tip, as any one may see.\n\nBut that day Bruin was merry, and called out:\n\n\u201cBide a bit, Reynard, and come hither, and I\u2019ll tell you how to catch a\nhorse for yourself.\u201d\n\nYes, Reynard was ready enough to learn, but he did not for all that\ntrust himself to go very close to Bruin.\n\n\u201cListen,\u201d said Bruin. \u201cWhen you see a horse asleep, basking in the\nsunshine, you must mind and bind yourself fast by the hair of his tail\nto your brush, and then you must make your teeth meet in the flesh of\nhis thigh.\u201d\n\nAs you may fancy, it was not long before Reynard found out a horse that\nlay asleep in the sunshine, and then he did as Bruin had told him; for\nhe knotted and bound himself well into the hair of his tail, and made\nhis teeth meet in the horse\u2019s thigh.\n\nUp sprang the horse, and began to kick and rear and gallop, so that\nReynard was dashed against stock and stone, and got battered black and\nblue, so that he was not far off losing both wit and sense. And while\nthe horse galloped, they passed Jack Longears, the hare.\n\n\u201cWhither away so fast, Reynard?\u201d cried Jack Longears.\n\n\u201cPost-haste, on business of life and death, dear Jack,\u201d cried Reynard.\n\nAnd with that Jack stood upon his hind-legs, and laughed till his sides\nached and his jaws split right up to his ears. It was so funny to see\nReynard ride post-haste.\n\nBut you must know, since that ride Reynard has never thought of catching\na horse for himself. For that once at least it was Bruin who had the\nbest of it in wit, though they do say he is nearly always as\nsimple-minded as the trolls.\n\n\n\n\n _Bruin and Reynard Partners_\n\n\nOnce on a time Bruin and Reynard were to own a field in common. They had\na little clearing up in the wood, and the first year they sowed rye.\n\n\u201cNow we must share the crop as is fair and right,\u201d said Reynard. \u201cIf you\nlike to have the root, I\u2019ll take the top.\u201d\n\nYes, Bruin was ready to do that; but when they had threshed out the\ncrop, Reynard got all the corn, but Bruin got nothing but roots and\nrubbish. He did not like that at all, but Reynard said it was how they\nhad agreed to share it.\n\n\u201cThis year I have the gain,\u201d said Reynard; \u201cnext year it will be your\nturn. Then you shall have the top, and I shall have to put up with the\nroot.\u201d\n\nBut when the spring came, and it was time to sow, Reynard asked Bruin\nwhat he thought of turnips.\n\n\u201cAye, aye!\u201d said Bruin, \u201cthat\u2019s better food than corn\u201d; and so Reynard\nthought also. But when harvest came Reynard got the roots, while Bruin\ngot the turnip-tops. And then Bruin was so angry with Reynard that he\nput an end at once to his partnership with him.\n\n\n\n\n _Pork and Honey_\n\n\nAt dawn the other day, when Bruin came tramping over the bog with a fat\npig, Reynard sat up on a stone by the moor-side.\n\n\u201cGood day, grandsire,\u201d said the fox. \u201cWhat\u2019s that so nice that you have\nthere?\u201d\n\n\u201cPork,\u201d said Bruin.\n\n\u201cWell, I have got a dainty bit too,\u201d said Reynard.\n\n\u201cWhat is that?\u201d asked the bear.\n\n\u201cThe biggest wild bee\u2019s comb I ever saw in my life,\u201d said Reynard.\n\n\u201cIndeed, you don\u2019t say so,\u201d said Bruin, who grinned and licked his lips,\nhe thought it would be so nice to taste a little honey. At last he said:\n\u201cShall we swap our fare?\u201d\n\n\u201cNay, nay!\u201d said Reynard, \u201cI can\u2019t do that.\u201d\n\nThe end was that they made a bet, and agreed to name three trees. If the\nfox could say them off faster than the bear, he was to have leave to\ntake one bite of the bacon; but if the bear could say them faster, he\nwas to have leave to take one sup out of the comb. Greedy Bruin thought\nhe was sure to sup out all the honey at one breath.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Reynard, \u201cit\u2019s all fair and right, no doubt, but all I say\nis, if I win, you shall be bound to tear off the bristles where I am to\nbite.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course,\u201d said Bruin, \u201cI\u2019ll help you, as you can\u2019t help yourself.\u201d\n\nSo they were to begin and name the trees.\n\n\u201cFIR, SCOTCH FIR, SPRUCE,\u201d growled out Bruin, for he was gruff in his\ntongue, that he was. But for all that he only named two trees, for fir\nand Scotch fir are both the same.\n\n\u201c_Ash_, _Aspen_, _Oak_,\u201d screamed Reynard, so that the wood rang again.\n\nSo he had won the wager, and down he ran and took the heart out of the\npig at one bite, and was just running off with it. But Bruin was angry\nbecause Reynard had taken the best bit out of the whole pig, and so he\nlaid hold of his tail and held him fast.\n\n\u201cStop a bit, stop a bit,\u201d he said, and was wild with rage.\n\n\u201cNever mind,\u201d said the fox, \u201cit\u2019s all right; let me go, grandsire, and\nI\u2019ll give you a taste of my honey.\u201d\n\nWhen Bruin heard that, he let go his hold, and away went Reynard after\nthe honey.\n\n\u201cHere, on this honeycomb,\u201d said Reynard, \u201clies a leaf, and under this\nleaf is a hole, and that hole you are to suck.\u201d\n\nAs he said this he held up the comb under the bear\u2019s nose, took off the\nleaf, jumped up on a stone, and began to gibber and laugh, for there was\nneither honey nor honeycomb, but a wasp\u2019s nest, as big as a man\u2019s head,\nfull of wasps, and out swarmed the wasps and settled on Bruin\u2019s head,\nand stung him in his eyes and ears, and mouth and snout. And he had such\nhard work to rid himself of them that he had no time to think of\nReynard.\n\nAnd that\u2019s why, ever since that day, Bruin is so afraid of wasps.\n\n\n\n\n _How Reynard Outwitted Bruin_\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a bear, who sat on a hillside in the sun and\nslept. Just then Reynard came slouching by and caught sight of him.\n\n\u201cThere you sit taking your ease, grandsire,\u201d said the fox. \u201cNow, see if\nI don\u2019t play you a trick.\u201d So he went and caught three field-mice and\nlaid them on a stump close under Bruin\u2019s nose, and then he bawled out\ninto his ear, \u201cBo! Bruin, here\u2019s Peter the Hunter, just behind this\nstump\u201d; and as he bawled this out he ran off through the wood as fast as\never he could.\n\nBruin woke up with a start, and when he saw the three little mice, he\nwas as mad as a March hare, and was going to lift up his paw and crush\nthem, for he thought it was they who had bellowed in his ear.\n\nBut just as he lifted it he caught sight of Reynard\u2019s tail among the\nbushes by the woodside, and away he set after him, so that the underwood\ncrackled as he went, and, to tell the truth, Bruin was so close upon\nReynard that he caught hold of his off hind-foot just as he was crawling\ninto an earth under a pine-root. So there was Reynard in a pinch; but\nfor all that he had his wits about him, for he screeched out, \u201cSLIP THE\nPINE-ROOT AND CATCH REYNARD\u2019S FOOT,\u201d and so the silly bear let his foot\nslip and laid hold of the root instead. But by that time Reynard was\nsafe inside the earth, and called out:\n\n\u201cI cheated you that time, too, didn\u2019t I, grandsire?\u201d\n\n\u201cOut of sight isn\u2019t out of mind,\u201d growled Bruin down the earth, and was\nwild with rage.\n\n\n\n\n _Nanny Who Wouldn\u2019t Go Home to Supper_\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a woman who had a son and a goat. The son was\ncalled Espen and the goat was called Nanny. But they were not good\nfriends, and did not get on together, for the goat was perverse and\nwayward, as goats will be, and she would never go home at the right time\nfor her supper. So it happened one evening that Espen went out to fetch\nher home, and when he had been looking for her awhile, he saw Nanny\nhigh, high up on a crag.\n\n\u201cMy dear Nanny, you must not stay any longer up there; you must come\nhome now, it is just supper-time. I am so hungry and want my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I sha\u2019n\u2019t,\u201d said Nanny, \u201cnot before I have finished the grass on\nthis tussock, and that tussock\u2014and this and that tussock.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen I\u2019ll go and tell mother,\u201d said the lad.\n\n\u201cThat you may, and then I shall be left to eat in peace,\u201d said Nanny.\n\nSo Espen went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cGo to the fox and ask him to bite Nanny,\u201d said his mother.\n\nThe lad went to the fox. \u201cMy dear fox, bite Nanny, for Nanny won\u2019t come\nhome in time. I am so hungry, and I want my supper,\u201d said Espen.\n\n\u201cNo, I don\u2019t want to spoil my snout on pig\u2019s bristles and goat\u2019s beard,\u201d\nsaid the fox.\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the wolf,\u201d said his mother.\n\nThe lad went to the wolf. \u201cMy dear wolf, tear the fox, for the fox won\u2019t\nbite Nanny, and Nanny won\u2019t come home in time. I am so hungry, and I\nwant my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the wolf, \u201cI won\u2019t wear out my paws and teeth on a skinny\nfox.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the bear and ask him to slay the wolf,\u201d said the mother.\n\nThe lad went to the bear. \u201cMy dear bear, slay the wolf, for the wolf\nwon\u2019t tear the fox, and the fox won\u2019t bite Nanny, and Nanny won\u2019t come\nhome in time. I am so hungry and want my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, that I won\u2019t,\u201d said the bear; \u201cI don\u2019t want to wear out my claws\nfor that.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the Finn and ask him to shoot the bear.\u201d\n\nThe lad went to the Finn. \u201cMy dear Finn, shoot the bear, for the bear\nwon\u2019t slay the wolf, the wolf won\u2019t tear the fox, the fox won\u2019t bite\nNanny, and Nanny won\u2019t come home in time. I am so hungry and want my\nsupper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I will not,\u201d said the Finn; \u201cI am not going to shoot away my\nbullets for that.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the fir,\u201d said his mother, \u201cand ask it to crush the Finn.\u201d\n\nThe lad went to the fir-tree. \u201cMy dear fir, crush the Finn, for the Finn\nwon\u2019t shoot the bear, the bear won\u2019t slay the wolf, the wolf won\u2019t tear\nthe fox, the fox won\u2019t bite Nanny, and Nanny won\u2019t come home in time. I\nam so hungry and want my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I will not,\u201d said the fir; \u201cI am not going to break my boughs for\nthat.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the fire,\u201d said his mother, \u201cand ask it to burn the fir.\u201d\n\nThe lad went to the fire. \u201cMy dear fire, burn the fir, for the fir won\u2019t\ncrush the Finn, the Finn won\u2019t shoot the bear, the bear won\u2019t slay the\nwolf, the wolf won\u2019t tear the fox, the fox won\u2019t bite Nanny, and Nanny\nwon\u2019t come home in time. I am so hungry and want my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I will not,\u201d said the fire; \u201cI am not going to burn myself out for\nthat.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the water, and ask it to quench the fire,\u201d she said.\n\nThe lad went to the water. \u201cMy dear water, quench the fire, for the fire\nwon\u2019t burn the fir, the fir won\u2019t crush the Finn, the Finn won\u2019t shoot\nthe bear, the bear won\u2019t slay the wolf, the wolf won\u2019t tear the fox, the\nfox won\u2019t bite Nanny, and Nanny won\u2019t come home in time. I am so hungry\nand want my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I will not,\u201d said the water; \u201cI am not going to waste myself for\nthat.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the ox,\u201d said she, \u201cand ask him to drink up the water.\u201d\n\nThe lad went to the ox. \u201cMy dear ox, drink up the water, for the water\nwon\u2019t quench the fire, the fire won\u2019t burn the fir, the fir won\u2019t crush\nthe Finn, the Finn won\u2019t shoot the bear, the bear won\u2019t slay the wolf,\nthe wolf won\u2019t tear the fox, the fox won\u2019t bite Nanny, and Nanny won\u2019t\ncome home in time. I am so hungry and want my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I will not,\u201d said the ox; \u201cI am not going to burst myself for\nthat.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the yoke,\u201d said she, \u201cand ask it to throttle the ox.\u201d\n\nThe lad went to the yoke. \u201cMy dear yoke, throttle the ox, for the ox\nwon\u2019t drink the water, the water won\u2019t quench the fire, the fire won\u2019t\nburn the fir, the fir won\u2019t crush the Finn, the Finn won\u2019t shoot the\nbear, the bear won\u2019t slay the wolf, the wolf won\u2019t tear the fox, the fox\nwon\u2019t bite Nanny, and Nanny won\u2019t come home in time. I am so hungry and\nwant my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I will not,\u201d said the yoke; \u201cI am not going to break myself in two\nfor that.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the ax,\u201d said she, \u201cand tell it to split the yoke.\u201d\n\nThe lad went to the ax. \u201cMy dear ax, split the yoke, for the yoke won\u2019t\nthrottle the ox, the ox won\u2019t drink the water, the water won\u2019t quench\nthe fire, the fire won\u2019t burn the fir, the fir won\u2019t crush the Finn, the\nFinn won\u2019t shoot the bear, the bear won\u2019t slay the wolf, the wolf won\u2019t\ntear the fox, the fox won\u2019t bite Nanny, and Nanny won\u2019t come home in\ntime, I am so hungry and want my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I will not,\u201d said the ax; \u201cI am not going to blunt my edge for\nthat.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the smith,\u201d said she, \u201cand ask him to hammer the ax.\u201d\n\nThe lad went to the smith. \u201cMy dear smith, hammer the ax, for the ax\nwon\u2019t split the yoke, the yoke won\u2019t throttle the ox, the ox won\u2019t drink\nthe water, the water won\u2019t quench the fire, the fire won\u2019t burn the fir,\nthe fir won\u2019t crush the Finn, the Finn won\u2019t shoot the bear, the bear\nwon\u2019t slay the wolf, the wolf won\u2019t tear the fox, the fox won\u2019t bite\nNanny, and Nanny won\u2019t come home in time. I am so hungry and want my\nsupper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I will not,\u201d said the smith; \u201cI\u2019ll not burn my coals and wear out\nmy sledge-hammers for that.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the rope,\u201d said she, \u201cand ask it to hang the smith.\u201d\n\nThe lad went to the rope. \u201cMy dear rope, hang the smith, for the smith\nwon\u2019t hammer the ax, the ax won\u2019t split the yoke, the yoke won\u2019t\nthrottle the ox, the ox won\u2019t drink the water, the water won\u2019t quench\nthe fire, the fire won\u2019t burn the fir, the fir won\u2019t crush the Finn, the\nFinn won\u2019t shoot the bear, the bear won\u2019t slay the wolf, the wolf won\u2019t\ntear the fox, the fox won\u2019t bite Nanny, and Nanny won\u2019t come home in\ntime. I am so hungry and want my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I will not,\u201d said the rope; \u201cI am not going to break in two for\nthat.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the mouse,\u201d said she, \u201cand ask her to gnaw the rope.\u201d\n\nThe lad went to the mouse. \u201cMy dear mouse, gnaw the rope, for the rope\nwon\u2019t hang the smith, the smith won\u2019t hammer the ax, the ax won\u2019t split\nthe yoke, the yoke won\u2019t throttle the ox, the ox won\u2019t drink the water,\nthe water won\u2019t quench the fire, the fire won\u2019t burn the fir, the fir\nwon\u2019t crush the Finn, the Finn won\u2019t shoot the bear, the bear won\u2019t slay\nthe wolf, the wolf won\u2019t tear the fox, the fox won\u2019t bite Nanny, and\nNanny won\u2019t come home in time. I am so hungry and want my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I will not,\u201d said the mouse; \u201cI am not going to wear out my teeth\nfor that.\u201d\n\nSo the lad went and told his mother.\n\n\u201cWell, go to the cat,\u201d said she, \u201cand ask her to catch the mouse.\u201d\n\nThe lad went to the cat. \u201cMy dear cat, catch the mouse, for the mouse\nwon\u2019t gnaw the rope, the rope won\u2019t hang the smith, the smith won\u2019t\nhammer the ax, the ax won\u2019t split the yoke, the yoke won\u2019t throttle the\nox, the ox won\u2019t drink the water, the water won\u2019t quench the fire, the\nfire won\u2019t burn the fir, the fir won\u2019t crush the Finn, the Finn won\u2019t\nshoot the bear, the bear won\u2019t slay the wolf, the wolf won\u2019t tear the\nfox, the fox won\u2019t bite Nanny, and Nanny won\u2019t come home in time. I am\nso hungry and want my supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but give me a drop of milk for my kittens and then\u2014\u201d said the cat.\n\nYes, that she should have. So the cat caught the mouse, and the mouse\ngnawed the rope, and the rope hanged the smith, and the smith hammered\nthe ax, and the ax split the yoke, and the yoke throttled the ox, and\nthe ox drank the water, and the water quenched the fire, and the fire\nburned the fir, and the fir crushed the Finn, and the Finn shot the\nbear, and the bear slew the wolf, and the wolf tore the fox, and the fox\nbit Nanny, and Nanny took to her heels, scampered home, and ran against\nthe barn wall and broke one of her legs.\n\n\u201cM\u2014a\u2014h\u2014a\u2014h!\u201d bleated the goat. There she lay, and if she isn\u2019t dead she\nis still limping about on three legs. But Espen said it served her\nright, because she would not come home in time for supper that day.\n\n\n\n\n _The Box With Something Pretty In It_\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a little boy who was out walking on the road,\nand when he had walked a bit he found a box.\n\n\u201cI am sure there must be something pretty in this box,\u201d he said to\nhimself; but however much he turned it, and however much he twisted it,\nhe was not able to get it open.\n\nBut when he had walked a bit farther, he found a little tiny key. Then\nhe grew tired and sat down, and all at once he thought what fun it would\nbe if the key fitted the box, for it had a little keyhole in it. So he\ntook the little key out of his pocket, and then he blew first into the\npipe of the key, and afterward into the keyhole, and then he put the key\ninto the keyhole and turned it. \u201cSnap!\u201d it went within the lock; and\nwhen he tried the hasp, the box was open.\n\nBut can you guess what there was in the box? Why, a cow\u2019s tail; and if\nthe cow\u2019s tail had been longer, this story would have been longer too.\n\n\n\n\n _The Farmer and the Troll_\n\n\nA troll once lived in a little hill that stood in the corner of a farm.\nThinking that the ground should not lie idle the Farmer came one day and\nbegan to plow it up. He had hardly begun, when the Troll appeared and\nasked:\n\n\u201cHow dare you plow in the roof of my house?\u201d\n\n\u201cI did not know it was the roof of your house,\u201d returned the Farmer. \u201cI\nthought it a pity to let such a good piece of land lie idle, and I think\nso still. Let me make an agreement with you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is your agreement?\u201d said the Troll.\n\n\u201cWell, let me see. I will plow, sow, and reap the ground every year, and\nwe will take the produce year and year about. One year you will take\nwhat grows above ground, and I will take what grows below. Then we can\nchange around, and I will take what grows above ground, and you, what\ngrows below. What do you say?\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d answered the Troll; \u201cthat will satisfy me.\u201d\n\nThe agreement was then made; but the crafty Farmer took care to sow\ncarrots the year the Troll was to have what grew above ground, and corn\nthe year the Troll was to have what grew below. So the poor elf got only\ncarrot-tops and corn-roots. However, he was content, and the Farmer and\nhe lived for years amicably under this arrangement.\n\n\n\n\n _One\u2019s Own Children Always Prettiest_\n\n\nOnce upon a time a man went out shooting in a forest, and there he met a\nwoodcock.\n\n\u201cPray, don\u2019t shoot my children,\u201d cried the woodcock.\n\n\u201cWhat are your children like?\u201d asked the man.\n\n\u201cMine are the prettiest children in the forest,\u201d answered the woodcock.\n\n\u201cI suppose I mustn\u2019t shoot them, then,\u201d said the man.\n\nWhen he came back he carried in his hand a whole string of young\nwoodcocks which he had shot.\n\n\u201cOh, dear, oh, dear! Why, you have shot my children after all!\u201d wept the\nwoodcock.\n\n\u201cAre these yours?\u201d said the man. \u201cWhy, I shot the ugliest I could find.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, yes,\u201d answered the woodcock; \u201cbut don\u2019t you know that every one\nthinks his own children the prettiest?\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Princess Whom Nobody Could Silence_\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a king, and he had a daughter who would\nalways have the last word; she was so perverse and contrary in her\nspeech that no one could silence her. So the king therefore promised\nthat he who could outwit the Princess should have her in marriage and\nhalf the kingdom besides. There were plenty of those who wanted to try,\nI can assure you; for it isn\u2019t every day that a princess and half a\nkingdom are to be had.\n\nThe gate to the palace hardly ever stood still. The suitors came in\nswarms and flocks from east and west, both riding and walking. But there\nwas no one who could silence the Princess. At last the king announced\nthat those who tried and did not succeed should be branded on both ears\nwith a large iron; he would not have all this running about the palace\nfor nothing.\n\nSo there were three brothers who had also heard about the Princess, and\nas they were rather badly off at home, they thought they would try their\nluck and see if they could win the Princess and half the kingdom. They\nwere good friends, and so they agreed to set out together.\n\nWhen they had got a bit on the way Ashiepattle found a dead magpie.\n\n\u201cI have found something! I have found something!\u201d cried he.\n\n\u201cWhat have you found?\u201d asked the brothers.\n\n\u201cI have found a dead magpie,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cFaugh! throw it away; what can you do with that?\u201d said the other two,\nwho always believed they were the wisest.\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve nothing else to do. I can easily carry it,\u201d said Ashiepattle.\n\nWhen they had gone on a bit farther Ashiepattle found an old willow\ntwig, which he picked up.\n\n\u201cI have found something! I have found something!\u201d he cried.\n\n\u201cWhat have you found now?\u201d said the brothers.\n\n\u201cI have found a willow twig,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cPooh! what are you going to do with that? Throw it away,\u201d said the two.\n\n\u201cI have nothing else to do. I can easily carry it with me,\u201d said\nAshiepattle.\n\nWhen they had gone still farther he found a broken saucer, which he also\npicked up.\n\n\u201cHere lads, I have found something! I have found something!\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cWell, what have you found now?\u201d asked the brothers.\n\n\u201cA broken saucer,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cPshaw! Is it worth while dragging that along with you too? Throw it\naway!\u201d said the brothers.\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve nothing else to do. I can easily carry it with me,\u201d said\nAshiepattle.\n\nWhen they had gone a little bit farther he found a crooked goat-horn,\nand soon after he found the fellow to it.\n\n\u201cI have found something! I have found something, lads!\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cWhat have you found now?\u201d said the others.\n\n\u201cTwo goat-horns,\u201d answered Ashiepattle.\n\n\u201cUgh! Throw them away! What are you going to do with them?\u201d said they.\n\n\u201cOh, I have nothing else to do. I can easily carry them with me,\u201d said\nAshiepattle.\n\nIn a little while he found a wedge.\n\n\u201cI say, lads, I have found something! I have found something!\u201d he cried.\n\n\u201cYou are everlastingly finding something! What have you found now?\u201d\nasked the two eldest.\n\n\u201cI have found a wedge,\u201d he answered.\n\n\u201cOh, throw it away! What are you going to do with it?\u201d said they.\n\n\u201cOh, I have nothing else to do. I can easily carry it with me,\u201d said\nAshiepattle.\n\nAs he went across the king\u2019s fields, which had been freshly manured, he\nstooped down and took up an old boot-sole.\n\n\u201cHullo, lads! I have found something! I have found something!\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cHeaven grant you may find a little sense before you get to the palace!\u201d\nsaid the two. \u201cWhat is it you have found now?\u201d\n\n\u201cAn old boot-sole,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cIs that anything worth picking up? Throw it away! What are you going to\ndo with it?\u201d said the brothers.\n\n\u201cOh, I have nothing else to do. I can easily carry it with me, and\u2014who\nknows?\u2014it may help me to win the Princess and half the kingdom,\u201d said\nAshiepattle.\n\n\u201cYes, you look a likely one, don\u2019t you?\u201d said the other two. So they\nwent in to the Princess, the eldest first.\n\n\u201cGood day!\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cGood day to you!\u201d answered she, with a shrug.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s terribly hot here,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s hotter in the fire,\u201d said the Princess. The branding-iron was\nlying waiting in the fire.\n\nWhen he saw this he was struck speechless, and so it was all over with\nhim.\n\nThe second brother fared no better.\n\n\u201cGood day!\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cGood day to you,\u201d said she, with a wriggle.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s terribly hot here!\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s hotter in the fire,\u201d said she. With that he lost both speech and\nwits, and so the iron had to be brought out.\n\nThen came Ashiepattle\u2019s turn.\n\n\u201cGood day!\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cGood day to you!\u201d said she, with a shrug and a wriggle.\n\n\u201cIt is very nice and warm here!\u201d said Ashiepattle.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s warmer in the fire,\u201d she answered. She was in no better humor now\nshe saw the third suitor.\n\n\u201cThen there\u2019s a chance for me to roast my magpie on it,\u201d said he,\nbringing it out.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m afraid it will sputter,\u201d said the Princess.\n\n\u201cNo fear of that! I\u2019ll tie this willow twig round it,\u201d said the lad.\n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t tie it tight enough,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cThen I\u2019ll drive in a wedge,\u201d said the lad, and brought out the wedge.\n\n\u201cThe fat will be running off it,\u201d said the Princess.\n\n\u201cThen I\u2019ll hold this under it,\u201d said the lad, and showed her the broken\nsaucer.\n\n\u201cYou are so crooked in your speech,\u201d said the Princess.\n\n\u201cNo, I am not crooked,\u201d answered the lad; \u201cbut this is crooked\u201d; and he\nbrought out one of the goat-horns.\n\n\u201cWell, I\u2019ve never seen the like!\u201d cried the Princess.\n\n\u201cHere you see the like,\u201d said he, and brought out the other horn.\n\n\u201cIt seems you have come here to wear out my soul!\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cNo, I have not come here to wear out your soul, for I have one here\nwhich is already worn out,\u201d answered the lad, and brought out the old\nboot-sole.\n\nThe Princess was so dumfounded at this that she was completely silenced.\n\n\u201cNow you are mine!\u201d said Ashiepattle, and so he got her and half the\nkingdom into the bargain.\n\n\n\n\n _The Money-box_\n\n\nIn a nursery where a number of toys lay scattered about, a Money-box\nstood on the top of a very high wardrobe. It was made of clay in the\nshape of a pig, and had been bought of the potter. In the back of the\npig was a slit, and this slit had been enlarged with a knife, so that\ndollars, or crown pieces, might slip through; and, indeed, there were\ntwo crown pieces in the box, besides a number of pence. The money-pig\nwas stuffed so full that it could no longer rattle, which is the highest\nstate of perfection to which a money-pig can attain. There he stood upon\nthe cupboard, high and lofty, looking down upon everything else in the\nroom. He knew very well that he had enough inside him to buy up all the\nother toys, and this gave him a very good opinion of his own value. The\nrest thought of this fact also, although they did not speak of it, for\nthere were so many other things to talk about. A large doll, still\nhandsome, though rather old, for her neck had been mended, lay inside\none of the drawers which was partly open. She called out to the others:\n\u201cLet us have a game at being men and women; that is worth playing at.\u201d\n\nUpon this there was a great uproar; even the engravings, which hung in\nframes on the wall, turned round in their excitement, and showed that\nthey had a wrong side to them, although they had not the least intention\nto expose themselves in this way, or to object to the game. It was late\nat night, but as the moon shone through the windows, they had light at a\ncheap rate, and as the game was now to begin, all were invited to take\npart in it, even the children\u2019s wagon, which certainly belonged to the\ncoarser playthings. \u201cEach has its own value,\u201d said the wagon; \u201cwe cannot\nall be noblemen; there must be some to do the work.\u201d\n\nThe money-pig was the only one who received a written invitation. He\nstood so high that they were afraid he would not accept a verbal\nmessage. But in his reply he said that, if he had to take a part, he\nmust enjoy the sport from his own home; they were to arrange for him to\ndo so; and so they did. The little toy theater was therefore put up in\nsuch a way that the money-pig could look directly into it. Some wanted\nto begin with a comedy, and afterward to have a tea-party and a\ndiscussion for mental improvement, but they commenced with the latter\nfirst. The rocking-horse spoke of training and races; the wagon, of\nrailways and steam-power, for these subjects belonged to each of their\nprofessions, and it was right they should talk of them. The clock talked\npolitics\u2014\u201ctick, tick\u201d; he professed to know what was the time of day,\nbut there was a whisper that he did not go correctly. The bamboo cane\nstood by, looking stiff and proud\u2014he was vain of his brass ferrule and\nsilver top; and on the sofa lay two worked cushions, pretty but stupid.\nWhen the play at the little theater began, the rest sat and looked on;\nthey were requested to applaud and stamp, and the whip to crack, when\nthey felt gratified with what they saw. But the riding-whip said he\nnever cracked for old people, only for the young who were not yet\nmarried. \u201cI crack for everybody,\u201d said the cracker.\n\n\u201cYes, and a fine noise you make,\u201d thought the audience, as the play went\non.\n\nIt was not worth much, but it was very well played, and all the\ncharacters turned their painted sides to the audience, for they were\nmade only to be seen on one side. The acting was wonderful, excepting\nthat sometimes they came out beyond the lamps, because the wires were a\nlittle too long. The doll, whose neck had been darned, was so excited\nthat the place in her neck burst, and the money-pig declared he must do\nsomething for one of the players, as they had all pleased him so much.\nSo he made up his mind to mention one of them in his will, as the one to\nbe buried with him in the family vault, whenever that event should\nhappen. They all enjoyed the comedy so much that they gave up all\nthoughts of the teaparty, and only carried out their idea of\nintellectual amusement, which they called playing at men and women; and\nthere was nothing wrong about it, for it was only play. All the while,\neach one thought most of himself, or of what the money-pig could be\nthinking. His thoughts were on (as he supposed) a very distant time\u2014of\nmaking his will, and of his burial, and of when it might all come to\npass. Certainly sooner than he expected\u2014for all at once down he came\nfrom the top of the press, fell on the ground, and was broken to pieces.\nThen the pennies hopped and danced about in the most amusing manner. The\nlittle ones twirled round like tops, and the large ones rolled away as\nfar as they could, especially one of the great silver crown pieces who\nhad often wanted to go out into the world, and now he had his wish as\nwell as all the rest of the money. The pieces of the money-pig were\nthrown into the dust-bin, and the next day there stood a new money-pig\non the cupboard, but it had not a farthing in its inside yet, and\ntherefore it could not rattle like the old one. This was the beginning\nwith him, and we will make it the end of our story.\n\n HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.\n\n\n\n\n _The Darning-Needle_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a Darning-needle which thought itself so fine\nand grand it ought to have been a sewing-needle.\n\n\u201cBe careful,\u201d it said to the fingers which held it. \u201cBe sure you don\u2019t\nlet me fall, for I am so thin you will never find me again.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s what you think,\u201d said the fingers, as they closed firmly round\nits body.\n\n\u201cLook out! I am followed by my train,\u201d said the Darning-needle, and a\nlong thread came trailing behind it; but the thread had no knot in it.\n\nThe fingers guided the needle straight toward the cook\u2019s slipper.\n\nThere was a little tear in the leather, and it must be mended.\n\n\u201cThis sort of work is quite beneath me,\u201d said the Needle; \u201cI can never\ndo it. I shall break\u2014I know I shall!\u201d And break it did. \u201cDid not I tell\nyou I was too slender for such a task?\u201d asked the Darning-needle.\n\n\u201cThere, now you are good for nothing,\u201d said the fingers; but they still\nheld the needle firmly, and soon they had fixed a ball of sealing-wax on\nthe top.\n\nThe cook now used it as a pin to fasten her scarf.\n\n\u201cHo, ho! So I\u2019m a scarf-pin now! I always knew I should make my way in\nthe world. Worth always tells in the end,\u201d said the Needle. And it\nchuckled to itself, although you could not see it do so. A\ndarning-needle never lets you see it laugh.\n\nThis one sat bolt upright and gazed in all directions, just as if it\nwere riding in a state carriage.\n\n\u201cMight I be allowed to inquire if you are made of gold?\u201d it asked of its\nneighbor\u2014a pin. \u201cYou have a very bright look, and a head of your own,\nthough it is ridiculously small. You must do your best to grow a bit. Of\ncourse, it is not every one who is decorated with a ball of red\nsealing-wax!\u201d\n\nThe Darning-needle drew itself up so proudly as it said this, that it\noverbalanced and fell out of the scarf into the sink, which the cook at\nthat moment was rinsing down.\n\n\u201cNow I am going to see the world,\u201d thought the Needle. \u201cI hope I shall\nnot lose myself.\u201d But lose itself it did. And as it was washed through a\nlong, greasy pipe and carried away into the gutter, it said: \u201cI am not\ncoarse and strong enough to hold my own in this world, but I know who\nand what I am, and that\u2019s a great comfort.\u201d\n\nAnd the Darning-needle kept its proud bearing, and did not lose its\nbright way of looking at things, although all sorts of objects passed\nover it\u2014chips of wood, and pieces of straw, and old newspaper.\n\n\u201cLook how they sail!\u201d it said. \u201cBut they little know what lies beneath\nthem. I stick fast here, and there goes a chip, a mere chip, looking as\nif it thought it was all the world. And there\u2019s a straw floating by,\ntoo. How it whirls round and round; it had better take care lest it run\nagainst a stone. Ah! and now there is a piece of newspaper. Giving\nitself such airs, too! as if all that was printed on it was not\nforgotten long ago. I have to sit still, patiently and alone; but I know\nwho I am, and that I shall continue still to be, and that is a great\ncomfort.\u201d\n\nOne day a piece of glass bottle lay beside the Darning-needle, and\nbecause it glittered so splendidly the needle thought it must certainly\nbe a diamond; so it spoke and introduced itself.\n\n\u201cGood morning,\u201d it said. \u201cI am a scarf-pin. I believe I have the\npleasure of speaking to a diamond?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I am a member of that family, I believe,\u201d was the answer.\n\nAnd thus they both thought each other very superior, and spoke together\nof the vanity and pride of the world.\n\n\u201cI lived in a girl\u2019s work-box,\u201d the Darning-needle said. \u201cShe was a\ncook, and had five fingers on each hand; but I never saw anything so\nconceited as those fingers in my life! And after all is said and done,\nthey were only there to take me out and put me back into the box again.\u201d\n\n\u201cWere they very aristocratic, then?\u201d the piece of glass asked.\n\n\u201cAristocratic? No; but very proud. They were brothers, all born fingers,\nand they kept to themselves. They were various heights, too. The\nfirst\u2014named the Thumb\u2014was short and broad, and held himself rather aloof\nfrom the others. He only had one joint in his back, so could only make\none bow; but he said a man could not be a soldier unless he possessed\none like him on his hand. The second was called Sweet-tooth, and was\nused to put into sweet and sour dishes, to point to the sky and the\nstars, and to make the down-strokes of the pen when the fingers wrote a\nletter. Long-one was the third, and could look over all the heads of the\nothers. Ringold, the fourth, wore a golden belt round his waist; and the\nlast one of all was Playboy, who never did a stroke of work, and was\nproud of it. But I had to leave them,\u201d said the Needle; \u201cthey could do\nnothing but boast.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd now here we sit and glitter,\u201d murmured the piece of glass.\n\nBut at that moment the water came rushing along the gutter and carried\noff the piece of glass in its arms.\n\n\u201cHe has received promotion already,\u201d said the Darning-needle. \u201cIt is my\npride that stands in my way. I am so very fine, and I am quite right to\nkeep myself to myself,\u201d and it sat up erect and proud, and was filled\nwith great thoughts. \u201cI surely must be the child of some sunbeam,\u201d it\nthought. \u201cI am so very fine, and the sunbeams always seem to me to be\ntrying to find me beneath the water. Perhaps I am too slender for my\nmother to be able to see me. I\u2019m sure if I had my old eye that was\nbroken off I should cry. But I won\u2019t; it\u2019s not well-bred to cry.\u201d\n\nThen one day some ragamuffins came poking in the gutter to find\nfarthings and old nails, and other such precious things. It was very\nmuddy and dirty, but they only enjoyed it the better for that.\n\n\u201cUgh!\u201d cried one, as the Darning-needle ran into his finger. \u201cUgh! you\ngreat ugly fellow!\u201d\n\n\u201cI am a miss, and not a fellow!\u201d shrieked the Darning-needle; but no one\nheard it.\n\nThe ball of sealing-wax had fallen off, and the needle had turned quite\nblack, but it felt more pleased with itself than ever, for one looks so\nmuch slimmer in black.\n\n\u201cHere, let us stick it into this egg-shell!\u201d they called, and the\nDarning-needle was fixed firmly.\n\n\u201cThese white walls must be very becoming to me,\u201d the Darning-needle\nthought. \u201cI shall show up well against them, and shall certainly be seen\nat last. I hope I shall not become seasick or break.\u201d\n\nBut the Darning-needle became neither seasick, nor did it break. A steel\nstomach is a good preventive against seasickness; and it did not forget\nthat it was something better than a mere man.\n\n\u201cReally, the finer one is, the more one can bear,\u201d it thought.\n\n\u201cC-r-r-rack!\u201d groaned the egg-shell, as the wheels of a cart passed over\nit.\n\n\u201cGracious heavens! how it presses!\u201d gasped the Darning-needle. \u201cI do\nbelieve I am going to be seasick, after all. I shall break!\u201d\n\nBut, although the heavy cart rolled over it, it did not break, only lay\nstretched full length in the mud, and there it may stay, for there is no\nmore of its story worth listening to.\n\n HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.\n\n\n\n\n _Master of All Masters_\n\n\nA girl once went to the fair to hire herself for a servant. At last a\nfunny-looking old gentleman engaged her, and took her home to his house.\nWhen she got there, he told her that he had something to teach her, for\nthat in his house he had his own names for things.\n\nHe said to her: \u201cWhat will you call me?\u201d\n\n\u201cMaster or mister, or whatever you please, sir,\u201d says she.\n\nHe said: \u201cYou must call me \u2018Master of all Masters.\u2019 And what would you\ncall this?\u201d pointing to his bed.\n\n\u201cBed or couch, or whatever you please, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, that\u2019s my \u2018barnacle.\u2019 And what do you call these?\u201d said he,\npointing to his pantaloons.\n\n\u201cBreeches or trousers, or whatever you please, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou must call them \u2018squibs and crackers.\u2019 And what would you call her?\u201d\npointing to the cat.\n\n\u201cCat or kit, or whatever you please, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou must call her \u2018white-faced simminy.\u2019 And this, now,\u201d showing the\nfire, \u201cwhat would you call this?\u201d\n\n\u201cFire or flame, or whatever you please, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou must call it \u2018hot cockalorum.\u2019 And what, this?\u201d he went on,\npointing to the water.\n\n\u201cWater or wet, or whatever you please, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, \u2018pondalorum\u2019 is its name. And what do you call all this?\u201d asked he,\nas he pointed to the house.\n\n\u201cHouse or cottage, or whatever you please, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou must call it \u2018high topper mountain.\u2019\u201d\n\nThat very night the servant woke her master up in a fright and said:\n\u201cMaster of all Masters, get out of your barnacle and put on your squibs\nand crackers. For white-faced simminy has got a spark of hot cockalorum\non its tail, and unless you get some pondalorum, high topper mountain\nwill be all on hot cockalorum.\u201d ... That\u2019s all.\n\n\n\n\n _Belling the Cat_\n\n\nOnce upon a time the mice sat in council and talked of how they might\noutwit their enemy, the Cat. But good advice was scarce, and in vain the\npresident called upon all the most experienced mice present to find a\nway.\n\nAt last a very young mouse held up two fingers and asked to be allowed\nto speak, and as soon as he could get permission he said:\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve been thinking for a long time why the Cat is such a dangerous\nenemy. Now, it\u2019s not so much because of her quickness, though people\nmake so much fuss about that. If we could only _notice_ her in time,\nI\u2019ve no doubt we\u2019re nimble enough to jump into our holes before she\ncould do us any harm. It\u2019s in her velvet paws, there\u2019s where she hides\nher cruel claws till she gets us in her clutches\u2014that\u2019s where her power\nlies. With those paws she can tread so lightly that we can\u2019t hear her\ncoming. And so, while _we_ are still dancing heedlessly about the place,\nshe creeps close up, and before we know where we are she pounces down on\nus and has us in her clutches. Well, then, it\u2019s my opinion we ought to\nhang a bell round her neck to warn us of her coming while there\u2019s yet\ntime.\u201d\n\nEvery one applauded this proposal, and the council decided that it\nshould be carried out.\n\nNow the question to be settled was, who should undertake to fasten the\nbell round the Cat\u2019s neck?\n\nThe president declared that no one could be better fitted for the task\nthan he who had given such excellent advice.\n\nBut at that the young mouse became quite confused and stammered an\nexcuse. He was too young for the deed, he said. He didn\u2019t know the Cat\nwell enough. His grandfather, who knew her better, would be more suited\nto the job.\n\nBut the grandfather declared that just because he knew the Cat very well\nhe would take good care not to attempt such a task.\n\nAnd the long and the short of it was that no other mouse would undertake\nthe duty; and so this clever proposal was never carried out, and the Cat\nremained mistress of the situation.\n\n\n\n\n _The Magpie and her Children_\n\n\nSaid a Magpie to her children: \u201cIt\u2019s high time you learned to look for\nyour own food; it is indeed.\u201d\n\nAnd with that she turned the whole lot of them out of their nest and\ntook them into the fields.\n\nBut the Magpie\u2019s children didn\u2019t care about that.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019d rather go back to our nest!\u201d they cried. \u201cIt\u2019s so comfortable to\nhave you bringing our food to us in your beak!\u201d\n\n\u201cI dare say!\u201d said their mother. \u201cBut you\u2019re big enough to feed\nyourselves. I was turned out of the nest when I was much younger, I can\ntell you that!\u201d\n\n\u201cBut people will kill us with their bows and arrows,\u201d said the young\nmagpies.\n\n\u201cNo fear of that!\u201d replied their mother. \u201cPeople can\u2019t shoot without\ntaking aim, and that takes time. When you see them raising their bows to\ntheir faces, ready to draw, you must just fly away!\u201d\n\n\u201cWe might do that,\u201d said the children; \u201cbut if some one were to throw a\nstone at us, he wouldn\u2019t have to take aim.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you\u2019ll see him stooping down to pick up the stone,\u201d said the old\nMagpie.\n\n\u201cBut supposing he carries a stone in his hand, ready?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, if you\u2019re sharp enough to think of that,\u201d said their mother,\n\u201cyou\u2019re sharp enough to take care of yourselves!\u201d\n\nAnd with that she flew away and left them.\n\n\n\n\n _The Cock, the Cuckoo, and the Black-cock_\n\n\nOnce upon a time the Cock, the Cuckoo, and the Black-cock bought a cow\nbetween them. But when they came to share it, and couldn\u2019t agree which\nshould buy the others out, they settled among them that he who woke\nfirst in the morning should have the cow.\n\nSo the Cock woke first.\n\n \u201cNow the cow\u2019s mine!\n Now the cow\u2019s mine!\n Hurrah! Hurrah!\u201d\n\nhe crew, and so pleased was he that in his excitement he awoke the\nCuckoo.\n\n \u201cHalf cow!\n Half cow!\u201d\n\nsang the Cuckoo, and woke up the Black-cock.\n\n \u201cA like share, a like share;\n Dear friends, that\u2019s only fair;\n Saw see, see saw!\u201d\n\nThat\u2019s what the Black-cock said.\n\nAnd now can you tell me which of them ought to have the cow?\n\n\n\n\n _The Race Between Hare and Hedgehog_\n\n\nIt was once upon a time on a Saturday morning in autumn, while the\nbarley-fields were still in bloom.\n\nThe sun was shining, the morning wind was blowing over the stubble, the\nlarks were singing high in the air, the bees were buzzing in the barley\nblossoms, and the people were going blithely about their day\u2019s work; in\nshort, all the world was happy, and the Hedgehog, too.\n\nThe Hedgehog stood in front of his door with folded arms, looked at the\nweather, and hummed a tune as only a hedgehog can hum on a Saturday\nmorning.\n\nNow, as he stood there humming, he thought to himself all at once that,\nwhile his wife was washing and dressing the children, he might as well\ngo for a little walk in the fields and see how his turnips were getting\non.\n\nThe turnips grew near his house, and he and his family ate as many of\nthem as ever they wanted, and so he looked upon them quite naturally as\nhis property.\n\nWell, the Hedgehog slammed his door and started for the turnip-field. He\nhadn\u2019t got very far, and was just sauntering round the brier-bush that\nstood outside the field, when he met the Hare, who was out on the same\nerrand\u2014namely, to look at his cabbages.\n\nWhen the Hedgehog caught sight of the Hare, he gave him a pleasant \u201cGood\nmorning.\u201d\n\nBut the Hare, who was a very aristocratic person in his own way, and\nvery high and mighty in his manner, didn\u2019t answer the Hedgehog\u2019s\ngreeting, but said, with a nasty sneer:\n\n\u201cWhat are you running about the fields for so early in the morning?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m out walking,\u201d said the Hedgehog.\n\n\u201cWalking?\u201d grinned the Hare. \u201cI should have thought you could use your\nlegs for something better!\u201d\n\nThis remark annoyed the Hedgehog, for, though he was a good-natured\nfellow enough, he was touchy on the subject of his legs, which were, by\nnature, bandy.\n\n\u201cI suppose,\u201d he said tartly, \u201cyou think your legs are better than mine?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat I do,\u201d said the Hare.\n\n\u201cIt remains to be seen,\u201d said the Hedgehog. \u201cI bet you that if we two\nwere to run a race I should outstrip you.\u201d\n\n\u201cAbsurd!\u201d cried the Hare. \u201cYou with your crooked legs! But if you\u2019re so\nanxious to try, I\u2019ve no objection. What do you wager?\u201d\n\n\u201cA golden guinea,\u201d said the Hedgehog.\n\n\u201cDone!\u201d said the Hare. \u201cWe\u2019ll start right away!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, don\u2019t be in such a hurry,\u201d said the Hedgehog. \u201cI haven\u2019t had my\nbreakfast yet, and I feel a bit faint. I\u2019ll come back here in an hour.\u201d\n\nSo away he trotted, for the Hare made no objection.\n\nThen he thought to himself:\n\n\u201cThe Hare thinks a lot of his long legs, but I\u2019ll get the better of him\nall the same. For all his haughty ways, he\u2019s not so very clever, and\nI\u2019ll make him pay; see if I don\u2019t.\u201d\n\nAs soon as he got home, he said to his wife:\n\n\u201cQuick! go and get dressed. You must come out with me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d said his wife.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve wagered the Hare a golden guinea. I\u2019m to run a race with him, and\nI want you to be there.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood gracious me!\u201d cried the Hedgehog\u2019s wife. \u201cHave you lost your\nsenses? How can you think of racing the Hare?\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t be so quick with your words, woman,\u201d said the Hedgehog. \u201cThat\u2019s\nmy affair; you mustn\u2019t meddle with what you don\u2019t understand. Look\nsharp; put on your things, and come along.\u201d\n\nWhat was the wife to do? She had to obey, whether she wanted to or not.\n\nOn the way to the field, the Hedgehog said:\n\n\u201cNow, listen to what I\u2019m going to tell you. In that plowed field over\nthere we\u2019re to run our race. The Hare will run in one furrow, and I in\nthe other. We begin at the top. Now, all you\u2019ve got to do is to stand at\nthe other end of my furrow, and directly the Hare arrives, you call out\nto him:\n\n\u201c\u2018Here I am already!\u2019\u201d\n\nWith that they reached the field. The Hedgehog told his wife where to\nstand, and went on to the other end.\n\nThe Hare was there waiting for him.\n\n\u201cShall we start?\u201d asked the Hare.\n\n\u201cRight,\u201d said the Hedgehog.\n\n\u201cNow then!\u201d\n\nEach took up his place.\n\nThe Hare counted:\n\n\u201cOne, two, three!\u201d\n\nAnd away he went like the wind.\n\nBut the Hedgehog took about three paces, then he went back, ducked down\nin his furrow, and stood there as comfortably as you please, and\nlaughing as if he would split his sides.\n\nNow, the moment the Hare came rushing up to the other end, the\nHedgehog\u2019s wife called out to him:\n\n\u201cHere I am already!\u201d\n\nThe Hare was quite taken aback, for he made sure it was the Hedgehog\nhimself who was sitting there calling to him, since, as every one knows,\na hedgehog\u2019s wife looks exactly like her husband.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s something not quite right here,\u201d said the Hare. \u201cWe must run\nagain back to the starting-point.\u201d\n\nAnd away he flew like the wind. But the Hedgehog\u2019s wife never moved.\n\nWhen the Hare got to the other end, the Hedgehog called out:\n\n\u201cHere I am already!\u201d\n\nBut the Hare, quite beside himself with jealousy, shouted:\n\n\u201cWe must run again!\u201d\n\n\u201cRight!\u201d said the Hedgehog. \u201cAs often as you like.\u201d\n\nAnd so the Hare went on, running backward and forward seventy-three\ntimes, and every time the Hedgehog got the better of him. Every time the\nHare arrived at one end or the other, the Hedgehog or his wife called\nout:\n\n\u201cHere I am already!\u201d\n\nBut the seventy-fourth time the Hare dropped down dead tired before he\ngot half-way. So the Hedgehog took his golden guinea, and he and his\nwife went home very well pleased with themselves. And so my tale is\nfinished.\n\n\n\n\n _Bruno\u2019s Story_\n\n [_From \u201cSylvie and Bruno.\u201d_]\n\n\n\u201cOnce there were a mouse and a crocodile and a man and a goat and a\nlion,\u201d said Bruno.\n\n\u201cAnd the mouse found a shoe, and it thought it were a mouse-trap. So it\ngot right in, and it stayed in ever so long.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy did it stay in?\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2018Cause it thought it couldn\u2019t get out again,\u201d Bruno explained. \u201cIt were\na clever mouse. It knew it couldn\u2019t get out of traps.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut why did it go in, then?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo matter why!\u201d said Bruno decisively; \u201cand it jamp, and it jamp, and\nat last it got right out again. And it looked at the mark in the shoe.\nAnd the man\u2019s name were in it. So it knew it wasn\u2019t its own shoe.\n\nSo the mouse gave the man his shoe. And the man were welly glad, \u2018cause\nhe hadn\u2019t got but one shoe, and he were hopping to get the other.\n\nAnd the man took the goat out of the sack.... No, I know oo hasn\u2019t heard\nof the sack before, and oo won\u2019t again.... And he said to the goat: \u2018Oo\nwill walk about here till I comes back.\u2019 And he went and he tumbled into\na deep hole. And the goat walked round and round. And it walked under\nthe tree. And it wug its tail. And it looked up in the tree. And it sang\na sad little song. Oo never heard such a sad little song!\n\nIt singed it right froo. I _sawed_ it singing with its long beard.\n\nAnd when it had singed all the song, it ran away\u2014for to get along to\nlook for the man, oo know. And the crocodile got along after it\u2014for to\nbite it, oo know. And the mouse got along after the crocodile.\u201d\n\n\u201cWasn\u2019t the crocodile running?\u201d\n\n\u201cHe wasn\u2019t running,\u201d said Bruno, \u201cand he wasn\u2019t crawling. He went\nstruggling along like a portmanteau. And he held his chin ever so high\nin the air\u2014\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat did he do that for?\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2018Cause he hadn\u2019t got a toofache!\u201d said Bruno. \u201cCan\u2019t oo make out\n_nuffin_ wizout I \u2018splain it? Why, if he\u2019d had a toofache, a course he\u2019d\nhave held his head down\u2014like this\u2014and he\u2019d have put a lot of warm\nblankets round it!\u201d\n\n\u201cDid he have any blankets?\u201d\n\n\u201cCourse he had blankets,\u201d said Bruno. \u201cDoes oo think crocodiles goes\nwalks wisout blankets? And he frowned with his eyebrows. And the goat\nwas welly flightened at his eyebrows.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019d never be afraid of eyebrows.\u201d\n\n\u201cI should think oo _would_, though, if they\u2019d got a crocodile fastened\nto them, like these had!\u201d\n\nAnd so the man jamp, and he jamp, and at last he got right out of the\nhole.\n\nAnd he runned away\u2014for to look for the goat, oo know. And he heard the\nlion grunting.\n\nAnd its mouth were like a large cupboard. And it had plenty of room in\nits mouth. And the lion runned after the man\u2014for to eat him, oo know.\nAnd the mouse runned after the lion.\n\n\u201cAnd first he caught the crocodile, and then he didn\u2019t catch the lion.\nAnd when he\u2019d caught the crocodile, what does oo think he did\u2014\u2018cause\nhe\u2019d got pincers in his pocket? Why, he wrenched out that crocodile\u2019s\ntoof!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhich tooth?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe toof he were going to bite the goat with, a course!\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd what became of the man?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, the lion springed at him. But it came so slow, it were three\nweeks in the air\u2014\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cDid the man wait for it all that time?\u201d\n\n\u201cCourse he didn\u2019t. He sold his house, and he packed up his things, while\nthe lion were coming. And he went and he lived in another town. So the\nlion ate the wrong man.\u201d\n\n LEWIS CARROLL.\n\n\n\n\n _The Bluebottle Who Went Courting_\n\n\nA gay young Bluebottle went out courting.\n\nAnd first he flew into the king\u2019s palace to woo the king\u2019s daughter.\n\nNow, she was the most beautiful princess in all the world, and had a\nthousand suitors at her feet.\n\nSo the Bluebottle came and settled on her hand, and sang:\n\n \u201cZum, zum, zoo,\n I want to marry you!\u201d\n\nBut the princess didn\u2019t understand the song. She only saw a great\nbluebottle fly, and she tried to flick it off her hand. But the\nBluebottle sat fast. Then the princess cried out:\n\n\u201cHere\u2019s a great horrid fly on my hand, and it won\u2019t move! Quick! some\none take it away!\u201d\n\nAt that, you may be sure, all the suitors came running up, and made\ngrabs at the Bluebottle; and the cleverest of them caught him between\nhis finger and thumb and nearly crushed the life out of him. But he\nmanaged to wriggle free, and in his flight he flew at the king himself\nand settled right on the tip of the royal nose.\n\nThen the king gave a terrific snort and hit the Bluebottle such a blow\nthat if it hadn\u2019t just missed him he would certainly have been killed.\n\nBy this time, I can tell you, the Bluebottle was in such a state that he\ndidn\u2019t know whether he was on his head or his heels. So he buzzed round\nand round the room, and was chased from one courtier to the other, and\ndashed his wings against the window-panes, and at last the king threw\nhis scepter at him, and the scepter hit the fattest duchess in the room,\nand bounded off and struck the Bluebottle on the head.\n\nYou may fancy how that confused the poor thing! And so he flew into the\nfireplace, and got his left wing scorched, and he only just managed to\ncrawl up the chimney by the skin of his teeth.\n\nBut a maiden bluebottle, who was distantly related to his family, nursed\nhis wing for him, and so pretty soon he was as gay as ever. Then he\nsaid:\n\n\u201cVery well, if I can\u2019t have the princess, I\u2019ll have the next best\nthing.\u201d\n\nAnd so he flew into the king\u2019s stable and sat himself down right on the\nback of the princess\u2019s favorite mare.\n\n \u201cZum, zum, zoo,\n I want to marry you!\u201d\n\nhe hummed.\n\nBut the mare took not the least notice of his song. She only shifted her\nfeet irritably, for the Bluebottle tickled her.\n\n \u201cZum, zum, zoo,\n I want to marry you!\u201d\n\nrepeated the Bluebottle, quite boldly.\n\nAt that the mare gave a flick of her tail and hit the Bluebottle slap!\nbang! right in the middle of his bright azure waistcoat, so that he was\nsent spinning in among the straw that littered the floor.\n\nSo there he lay, buzzing mournfully, till the maiden bluebottle came\nalong and rubbed him all over, and put him on his feet again.\n\nAnd pretty soon he was gayer than ever, and thought how he would go\ncourting once more.\n\n\u201cBetter stick to your own station,\u201d said his lady friend.\n\nBut he only tossed his head and sniffed scornfully.\n\nAnd then he put on a brand-new waistcoat and flew into the king\u2019s\nkitchen, where the princess\u2019s favorite cat lay purring on the hearth.\n\nAnd the Bluebottle lost no time at all, but crept straight into the\ncat\u2019s right ear and sang his song:\n\n \u201cZum, zum, zoo,\n I want to marry you!\u201d\n\nNow, the cat had just been dreaming the most delicious dream about the\nfattest mouse you can think of, and the buzzing in her ear just woke her\nup in the most exciting part.\n\nAnd so, you may guess, she wasn\u2019t in the best of tempers.\n\nWhether she heard the Bluebottle\u2019s proposal of marriage or not, I really\ncan\u2019t say. If she did, you may be sure it didn\u2019t please her, for she\njust made a snatch with her paw and grabbed him by the leg.\n\nNow, it would have been all up with him if the maiden relative hadn\u2019t\nflown up in the very nick of time and tickled the cat\u2019s nose.\n\nVery well, that made the cat sneeze so violently that she let go of the\nBluebottle\u2019s leg, and so he flew away. But his leg was broken; and the\ndoctor came every day for a week, and then he sent in his bill. And the\nmaiden friend brought all her savings rolled up in an old stocking of\nher mother\u2019s. And so the Bluebottle paid the doctor, and there was an\nend of that.\n\nNow, would you believe it, the Bluebottle was so young and giddy that\nhis leg was scarcely well before he began to wonder where he should go\ncourting next.\n\n\u201cWhen there are so many old maids in the world,\u201d said he, \u201cit\u2019s a\nbachelor\u2019s duty to look round for a wife. I do it out of charity.\u201d\n\n\u201cCharity begins at home,\u201d said his lady friend, and blushed in a modest\nway.\n\nBut the Bluebottle was not the kind of person to take a hint. So he just\nput on another new waistcoat, and away he flew into the woods.\n\nAnd there a fine young lady woodpecker was hopping about digging for\nworms in a ladylike manner.\n\n\u201cNow, here is a person after my own heart,\u201d said the Bluebottle. \u201cShe\ndoesn\u2019t wait for us men to bring her food; she just helps herself. I\nmight do worse than marry her.\u201d\n\nAnd without a minute\u2019s hesitation he began to buzz round and round the\nwoodpecker, singing his old song:\n\n \u201cZum, zum, zoo,\n I want to marry you!\u201d\n\nWhen the woodpecker caught sight of him, she cocked her tail in a\nknowing way.\n\n\u201cChange of food is as good as change of air,\u201d said she, and gave a peck\nthat nearly finished the Bluebottle there and then, and tore his right\nwing from end to end.\n\nSo there he was, sprawling on his back with his legs curled up in agony,\nfor a torn wing is no trifle. And now the woodpecker would certainly\nhave gobbled him up; but just then the faithful maiden friend, who had\nfollowed the Bluebottle because he was bound to get into mischief,\nhurried up. When she saw the state of things, she didn\u2019t stop twice to\nthink, but took a dead leaf and dropped it right over the Bluebottle.\n\nNow, when the woodpecker saw the maiden Bluebottle, she took her for the\nbachelor, and gave another peck. But the maiden flew away and hid behind\na fern, and so the woodpecker went back to her worms.\n\n\u201cOh! Oh! I\u2019m dead! I\u2019m dead!\u201d groaned the Bluebottle under the leaf.\n\n\u201cNonsense!\u201d said his lady friend. \u201cRubbish doesn\u2019t die so easily!\u201d\n\nYou see, she was severe because her pride had been hurt.\n\n\u201cOh, dear, kind friend, don\u2019t fly away and leave me!\u201d begged the\nBluebottle meekly.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ve flown away and left me often enough,\u201d said the lady friend.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll never do it again as long as I live!\u201d cried he.\n\n\u201cYou couldn\u2019t if you wanted to,\u201d said she, and stroked the broken wing.\n\n\u201cOh, why wasn\u2019t I content with a bluebottle bride?\u201d groaned he.\n\n\u201cNo lady bluebottle will look at you now,\u201d said she, \u201cfor you\u2019ll always\nfly lame as long as you live.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, won\u2019t you take pity on me?\u201d asked the poor Bluebottle, who felt\nthoroughly humble by this time.\n\nThen his lady friend put her own strong wing under his broken one.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll marry you\u2014out of charity,\u201d she said, and flew away with him.\n\n\n\n\n _How Two Beetles Took Lodgings_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a worthy set of ants, who lived together as\nhappily as possible in their little town at the foot of a fine old\noak-tree.\n\nThey were honest, peaceable folk, and always did as the three queen ants\nwho ruled over them told them to do.\n\nThe young men stayed quietly at home until it was time for them to get\nmarried, and the young ladies, who had nothing else to do, did the same.\n\nAs for the working people\u2014But here\u2019s a curious state of things! You\u2019ll\nnever find a working \u201cman\u201d in an ant city as long as you live, for all\nthe workers are females, even the soldiers, you may take my word for\nthat!\n\nWell, as for these, they were at it morning, noon, and night, digging\nand building and fetching food for the whole town, looking after the\neggs\u2014of which there were so many you could never have counted them\u2014and\nseeing that all the baby ants were quite happy and comfortable.\n\nNow, things would have gone on very well indeed if other people had only\nleft these worthy ants alone. But they did not\u2014and this is where my\nstory really begins.\n\nOne fine day a set of ants belonging to quite another tribe came to the\nforest, and built themselves a town not far from the first.\n\nAnd these ants\u2014it grieves me to write it\u2014were far from peaceful and\nhonest like their neighbors. To tell the truth, they were nothing more\nnor less than robbers.\n\nThey had not been very long in the place before their soldiers\u2014all\nwomenfolk, too!\u2014made a raid on the town of the mild and harmless ants,\nand carried off all the girl babies they could lay hands on. And the\nmoment the children were old enough to work, they were made into slaves,\nand had to do all the roughest and hardest work.\n\nWell, you may guess there was sorrow in the town of the peaceful ants.\nThey were too weak to fight their foes, and so they just had to sit down\nand bear it as best they could.\n\nNow, what happened once, happened again, and yet again, till at last the\nharmless ants made up their minds to move and build themselves a new\ncity in another part of the forest.\n\nAnd so they did. But it was all of no use, for the robbers followed\nthem, and then the same thing happened all over again. So soon as there\nwas a fine, fat, promising bunch of girl babies in the town, the robbers\ncame and carried them into slavery.\n\nOne misfortune followed fast upon another. Not long after the ants had\nmoved into their new town, a beetle and his wife came stalking in, and\ndemanded lodgings in the queen\u2019s palace.\n\nThey were smartly dressed in blue and green coats of the latest cut, but\nthey carried no baggage except a tooth-brush, that stuck out of the\nBeetle\u2019s wife\u2019s pocket. This was suspicious, and they looked so hungry\nand thirsty, into the bargain, that it was not to be wondered at that\nthe poor queen ant pulled a long face.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re traveling for pleasure,\u201d said the Beetle\u2019s wife, \u201cand we shall\nhave much pleasure in staying here as long as we like.\u201d\n\nWith that she walked straight up to the best bedroom, said she hoped the\nsheets were aired, and went to bed, while her husband talked pleasantly\nwith the three queens, and ate three dozen new-laid ants\u2019 eggs for his\nsupper.\n\nThe unhappy queens soon saw what kind of visitors they had got. The\nBeetles made themselves at home everywhere\u2014in the palace and out of\nit\u2014and called for whatever they wanted. The working ants had to wait on\nthem hand and foot. There was the Beetle\u2019s shaving water to be got first\nthing in the morning, and the Beetle\u2019s wife\u2019s cup of milk fresh from the\ncow. For ants, you must know, keep their cows, just as human beings do,\nthough the milk of the ant cow is more like sugar water than anything\nelse we have.\n\nThen there never was any one who could do with so many meals in the\ncourse of a single day as that Beetle and his wife. They just ate and\ndrank from morning to night, and it was all the ants could do to keep\nthe palace larder stocked.\n\nAll the choicest morsels, the finest seeds and salads the workers could\nbring fell to the Beetles\u2019 share, while the queens got what was left.\n\nThere was no peace and quiet in the town. The Beetles pried into every\nhole and corner, spread themselves in everybody\u2019s parlor, and paraded\nthe streets singing and whistling when quiet folks wanted to rest.\n\nBut, what was worst of all, they showed never a sign of moving on.\n\n\u201cI thought you said you were traveling,\u201d the bravest of the queens\nventured to remark at last.\n\n\u201cWhy, so we were!\u201d said the Beetles. \u201cBut one must settle down some time\nor other, and your air really suits us very well.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid you hear that?\u201d whispered one young working ant to another.\n\nThe two had come to the palace with a pitcher of milk just in time to\nlisten to the conversation.\n\n\u201cThey\u2019ll never leave us,\u201d said the second ant.\n\n\u201cNot unless some one takes steps,\u201d returned the first ant.\n\n\u201cAnd, pray, whose steps, and why?\u201d asked the second.\n\n\u201cYou always were stupid,\u201d said the first one, and gave her waist a\ntwitch\u2014which is a way ants have when they are put out. \u201cNow, if some one\nwere to take my advice,\u201d she went on, \u201cbut there\u2019s nobody in all the\ntown with two pennyworth of spirit. Nobody would take my advice.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose you couldn\u2019t take it yourself?\u201d asked the second ant, who\nreally was not quite as stupid as people thought.\n\n\u201cIt never occurred to me,\u201d said the first ant; \u201cbut now you mention it,\nperhaps I might.\u201d\n\nAnd then the first ant thought and thought, and the end of it was that\nshe slipped out of the town so soon as her day\u2019s work was finished and\nstrolled away toward the town where the robber ants lived.\n\nAnd presently a fierce old soldier-ant came marching out at the gate.\n\nThen the little worker\u2019s heart beat very fast, and she turned as pale as\nan ant can turn.\n\n\u201c\u2018Nothing venture, nothing win,\u2019\u201d she said to herself, and walked\nstraight up to the soldier.\n\n\u201cHallo! Who are you?\u201d said the soldier.\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019m a neighbor of yours, from Beechtown,\u201d said the little ant. \u201cI\u2019m\njust taking a stroll before supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cA stroll before supper!\u201d cried the soldier, staring very hard. \u201cYou\ndon\u2019t seem to have much work to do over there.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, no, I can\u2019t say I have,\u201d said the little ant.\n\n\u201cBut I can see by your dress you\u2019re a servant,\u201d said the soldier-woman.\n\n\u201cSo I am,\u201d said the little ant. \u201cBut we servants of Beechtown have an\neasy place. A bit of dusting now and then, and a little light\nneedlework; that\u2019s all.\u201d\n\n\u201cI heard a very different story only the other day,\u201d said the soldier.\n\n\u201cAh, but everything\u2019s changed since the Beetles came,\u201d said the little\nworker. \u201cThey do all the dirty work; and, my goodness! they can work,\nyou may take my word for that! It\u2019s worth something, I can tell you, to\nhave two fine Beetles like that in the town!\u201d\n\n\u201cAha!\u201d thought the soldier-woman to herself, \u201chere\u2019s something for us!\u201d\n\nAnd she was so taken up with thinking that she forgot to bid the little\nant good night, and there and then she marched straight back to her town\nto tell the general what she had heard.\n\nBut the little ant went home well pleased with herself. And, sure\nenough, what she expected would happen did happen.\n\nThe robber-ants, as soon as they heard the soldier\u2019s story, were as\neager as possible to carry off the two Beetles who could work so well.\n\nAnd to prevent any fuss and bother, this is what they did:\n\nThey took a great pitcher of ant-cow\u2019s milk and mixed with it a few\ndrops of the poison, which, as every one knows, an ant always carries\nabout with her in her poison-bag. Then twelve soldiers took the pitcher\nto Beechtown and waited outside the gate for the Beetles to come out.\nAnd directly they saw them coming they put down the pitcher and hid\nbehind a mountain of dead leaves.\n\nBut the Beetles drank up the sweet stuff till there was not a drop left\nat the bottom of the pail, and immediately the poison began to work, and\nboth the Beetle and his wife fell back in a heap on to the grass, and\nthere they lay, and could stir neither hand nor foot.\n\nThe robbers, you may fancy, lost no time, bundled the pair on to a stout\nrhubarb leaf, and dragged them away to their own city as fast as they\ncould go.\n\nNow, scarcely had they got them there when the poison began to wear\noff\u2014for ants\u2019 poison is not very strong, you see\u2014and pretty soon the\nBeetle\u2019s wife sat up and pinched her husband. It was not long before he\nsat up, too; and by and by those two were as clear in their heads and as\nfirm on their legs as any two beetles ever were.\n\nAnd now there was an unpleasant surprise in store for the robber-ants.\nWhen the Beetle\u2019s wife had looked round a bit, she said to her husband:\n\n\u201cWhy, it seems comfortable enough here. I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll trouble to\ngo back to Beechtown. I think this will suit us very well.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, well, we\u2019ll just see what the cooking\u2019s like,\u201d said he, and went\nstraight to the palace where the six queen-ants who ruled over the\nrobbers lived. He just said: \u201cHow-d\u2019ye-do?\u201d to the queens in an off-hand\nway, and then he sat down and helped himself to all the dishes he could\nfind in the larder.\n\nHis wife, she did the same, and between them they finished all the food\nthere was.\n\nAnd so they went on, just as they were used to doing in Beechtown, and\nit did not take the robbers long to find out the mistake they had made.\n\nThe Beetles had never done a day\u2019s work in their lives, and they had no\nnotion of beginning now, just because the robbers expected it.\n\nWhen they heard how they had been carried off, and why, they thought the\nwhole affair a very good joke, and laughed and laughed till they grew\npurple in the face, and had to slap each other on the back to keep from\nchoking.\n\nThe robbers, you may believe me, were as angry as angry could be. They\ncoaxed and they threatened, but neither the Beetle nor his wife would do\na stroke of work. On the contrary, they took such a deal of waiting upon\nthat the robbers were driven well-nigh crazy, and racked their brains\nfor a way to get rid of them.\n\nBut the Beetles liked their new quarters very well, and there they\nstopped.\n\nSo things went on, till at last the robbers made up their minds to give\nthe Beetles the slip. And one dark night, while they were asleep, they\npacked their trunks and left the town. But the gate wanted oiling, and\ncreaked so as they swung it open that the Beetle\u2019s wife got nightmare\nand woke up.\n\nIn a minute, you may be sure, she had found out what was going on, and\nhad wakened her husband. Then the two crept very softly out at the gate\nand kept the ants at a comfortable distance.\n\nSo the end of it all was that, though the robbers went far into the\nforest, many leagues from their old town, they had no sooner finished\nbuilding the new one than in marched the Beetles, and went on in their\nold way as though nothing had happened.\n\nNow, the robbers had settled so far away from Beechtown that it was not\nworth their while to come and steal the children of the harmless ants,\nfor they found another town nearer to hand.\n\nAnd so the harmless ants lived together quite happily and peacefully\nonce more, and the clever little worker, to whom they owed their good\nfortune, was raised to great honor and glory.\n\nBut the robbers had to make the best of the Beetles, for get rid of them\nthey never could. And if ever you should be passing that way, why, I\nmake no doubt you\u2019ll find them there still.\n\n\n\n\n _Little Tuppen_\n\n\nOne day an old hen whose name was Cluck-cluck went into the woods with\nher little chick Tuppen to get some blueberries to eat. But a berry\nstuck fast in the little one\u2019s throat, and he fell upon the ground,\nchoking and gasping. Cluck-cluck, in great fright, ran to fetch some\nwater for him.\n\nShe ran to the Spring and said: \u201cMy dear Spring, please give me some\nwater. I want it for my little chick Tuppen, who lies choking and\ngasping under the blueberry-bush in the green woods.\u201d\n\nThe Spring said: \u201cI will give you some water if you will bring me a\ncup.\u201d\n\nThen Cluck-cluck ran to the Oak-tree and said: \u201cDear Oak-tree, please\ngive me a cup. I want it for the Spring; and then the Spring will give\nme water for my little chick Tuppen, who lies choking and gasping under\nthe blueberry-bush in the green woods.\u201d\n\nThe Oak-tree said: \u201cI will give you a cup if some one will shake my\nbranches.\u201d\n\nThen Cluck-cluck ran to Maid Marian, the wood-cutter\u2019s child, and said:\n\u201cDear Maid Marian, please shake the Oak-tree\u2019s branches; and then the\nOak-tree will give me a cup, and I will give the cup to the Spring, and\nthe Spring will give me water for my little chick Tuppen, who lies\nchoking and gasping under the blueberry-bush in the green woods.\u201d\n\nThe wood-cutter\u2019s child, Maid Marian, said: \u201cI will shake the Oak-tree\u2019s\nbranches if you will give me some shoes.\u201d\n\nThen Cluck-cluck ran to the Shoemaker and said: \u201cDear Shoemaker, please\ngive me some shoes. I want them for Maid Marian, the wood-cutter\u2019s\nchild; for then Maid Marian will shake the Oak-tree\u2019s branches, and the\nOak-tree will give me a cup, and I will give the cup to the Spring, and\nthe Spring will give me water for my little chick Tuppen, who lies\nchoking and gasping under the blueberry-bush in the green woods.\u201d\n\nThe Shoemaker said: \u201cI will give you some shoes if you will give me some\nleather.\u201d\n\nThen Cluck-cluck ran to Moo-moo, the ox, and said: \u201cDear Moo-moo, please\ngive me some leather. I want it for the Shoemaker; for then the\nShoemaker will give me some shoes, and I will give the shoes to Maid\nMarian, and Maid Marian will shake the Oak-tree\u2019s branches, and the\nOak-tree will give me a cup, and I will give the cup to the Spring, and\nthe Spring will give me water for my little chick Tuppen, who lies\nchoking and gasping under the blueberry-bush in the green woods.\u201d\n\nThe ox, Moo-moo, said: \u201cI will give you some leather if you will give me\nsome corn.\u201d\n\nThen Cluck-cluck ran to the Farmer and said: \u201cDear Farmer, please give\nme some corn. I want it for Moo-moo, the ox; for then the ox will give\nme some leather, and I will give the leather to the Shoemaker, and the\nShoemaker will give me shoes, and I will give the shoes to Maid Marian,\nand Maid Marian will shake the Oak-tree\u2019s branches, and the Oak-tree\nwill give me a cup, and I will give the cup to the Spring, and the\nSpring will give me water for my little chick Tuppen, who lies choking\nand gasping under the blueberry-bush in the green woods.\u201d\n\nThe Farmer said: \u201cI will give you some corn if you will give me a plow.\u201d\n\nThen Cluck-cluck ran to the Blacksmith and said: \u201cDear Blacksmith,\nplease give me a plow. I want it for the Farmer; for then the Farmer\nwill give me some corn, and I will give the corn to the ox, and the ox\nwill give me leather, and I will give the leather to the Shoemaker, and\nthe Shoemaker will give me shoes, and I will give the shoes to Maid\nMarian, and Maid Marian will shake the Oak-tree\u2019s branches, and the\nOak-tree will give me a cup, and I will give the cup to the Spring, and\nthe Spring will give me water for my little chick Tuppen, who lies\nchoking and gasping under the blueberry-bush in the green woods.\u201d\n\nThe Blacksmith said: \u201cI will give you a plow if you will give me some\niron.\u201d\n\nThen Cluck-cluck ran to the busy little dwarfs who live under the\nmountains, and have all the iron that is found in the mines. \u201cDear, dear\ndwarfs,\u201d she said, \u201cplease give me some of your iron. I want it for the\nBlacksmith; for then the Blacksmith will give me a plow, and I will give\nthe plow to the Farmer, and the Farmer will give me corn, and I will\ngive the corn to the ox, and the ox will give me leather, and I will\ngive the leather to the Shoemaker, and the Shoemaker will give me shoes,\nand I will give the shoes to Maid Marian, and Maid Marian will shake the\nOak-tree\u2019s branches, and the Oak-tree will give me a cup, and I will\ngive the cup to the Spring, and the Spring will give me water for my\nlittle chick Tuppen, who lies choking and gasping under the\nblueberry-bush in the green woods.\u201d\n\nThe little dwarfs who live under the mountains had pity on poor\nCluck-cluck, and they gave her a great heap of red iron-ore from their\nmines.\n\nThen she gave the iron to the Blacksmith, and the plow to the Farmer,\nand the corn to the ox, and the leather to the Shoemaker, and the shoes\nto Maid Marian; and Maid Marian shook the Oak-tree, and the Spring got\nthe acorn cup, and Cluck-cluck carried it full of water to her little\nchick Tuppen.\n\nThen little Tuppen drank the water, and was well again, and ran chirping\nand singing in the long grass as if nothing had happened to him.\n\n\n\n\n _The Story of the Four Little Children Who Went Round the World_\n\n [_From \u201cNonsense Stories.\u201d_]\n\n\nOnce upon a time, a long while ago, there were four little people whose\nnames were Violet, Slingsby, Guy, and Lionel; and they all thought they\nshould like to see the world. So they bought a large boat to sail quite\nround the world by sea, and then they were to come back on the other\nside by land. The boat was painted blue with green spots, and the sail\nwas yellow with red stripes; and, when they set off, they only took a\nsmall cat to steer and look after the boat, besides an elderly\nquangle-wangle, who had to cook the dinner and make the tea; for which\npurposes they took a large kettle.\n\nFor the first ten days they sailed on beautifully, and found plenty to\neat, as there were lots of fish; and they had only to take them out of\nthe sea with a long spoon, when the quangle-wangle instantly cooked\nthem; and the pussy-cat was fed with the bones, with which she expressed\nherself pleased on the whole; so that all the party was very happy.\n\nDuring the daytime Violet chiefly occupied herself in putting salt water\ninto a churn, while her three brothers churned it violently in the hope\nthat it would turn into butter, which it seldom, if ever, did; and in\nthe evening they all retired into the tea-kettle, where they all managed\nto sleep very comfortably, while pussy and the quangle-wangle managed\nthe boat.\n\nAfter a time they saw some land at a distance; and, when they came to\nit, they found it was an island made of water quite surrounded by earth.\nBesides that, it was bordered by evanescent isthmuses, with a great\ngulf-stream running about all over it; so that it was perfectly\nbeautiful, and contained only a single tree, five hundred and three feet\nhigh.\n\nWhen they had landed, they walked about, but found, to their great\nsurprise, that the island was quite full of veal-cutlets and\nchocolate-drops, and nothing else. So they all climbed up the single\nhigh tree to discover, if possible, if there were any people; but having\nremained on the top of the tree for a week, and not seeing anybody, they\nnaturally concluded that there were no inhabitants; and accordingly,\nwhen they came down, they loaded the boat with two thousand veal-cutlets\nand a million of chocolate-drops; and these afforded them sustenance for\nmore than a month, during which time they pursued their voyage with the\nutmost delight and apathy.\n\nAfter this they came to a shore where there were no less than sixty-five\ngreat red parrots with blue tails, sitting on a rail all of a row, and\nall fast asleep. And I am sorry to say that the pussy-cat and the\nquangle-wangle crept softly, and bit off the tail-feathers of all the\nsixty-five parrots, for which Violet reproved them both severely.\n\nNotwithstanding which, she proceeded to insert all the feathers\u2014two\nhundred and sixty in number\u2014in her bonnet; thereby causing it to have a\nlovely and glittering appearance, highly prepossessing and efficacious.\n\nThe next thing that happened to them was in a narrow part of the sea,\nwhich was so entirely full of fishes that the boat could go on no\nfarther; so they remained there about six weeks, till they had eaten\nnearly all the fishes, which were soles, and all ready cooked, and\ncovered with shrimp-sauce, so that there was no trouble whatever. And as\nthe few fishes who remained uneaten complained of the cold, as well as\nof the difficulty they had in getting any sleep on account of the\nextreme noise made by the arctic bears and the tropical turnspits, which\nfrequented the neighborhood in great numbers, Violet most amiably\nknitted a small woolen frock for several of the fishes, and Slingsby\nadministered some opium-drops to them; through which kindness they\nbecame quite warm, and slept soundly.\n\nThen they came to a country which was wholly covered with immense\norange-trees of a vast size, and quite full of fruit. So they all\nlanded, taking with them the tea-kettle, intending to gather some of the\noranges and place them in it. But, while they were busy about this, a\nmost dreadfully high wind rose, and blew out most of the parrot-tail\nfeathers from Violet\u2019s bonnet. That, however, was nothing compared with\nthe calamity of the oranges falling down on their heads by millions and\nmillions, which thumped and bumped and bumped and thumped them all so\nseriously that they were obliged to run as hard as they could for their\nlives; besides that, the sound of the oranges rattling on the tea-kettle\nwas of the most fearful and amazing nature.\n\nNevertheless, they got safely to the boat, although considerably vexed\nand hurt; and the quangle-wangle\u2019s right foot was so knocked about that\nhe had to sit with his head in his slipper for at least a week.\n\nThis event made them all for a time rather melancholy, and perhaps they\nmight never have become less so had not Lionel, with a most praiseworthy\ndevotion and perseverance, continued to stand on one leg, and whistle to\nthem in a loud and lively manner; which diverted the whole party so\nextremely that they gradually recovered their spirits, and agreed that,\nwhenever they should reach home, they would subscribe toward a\ntestimonial to Lionel, entirely made of gingerbread and raspberries, as\nan earnest token of their sincere and grateful infection.\n\nAfter sailing on calmly for several more days they came to another\ncountry, where they were much pleased and surprised to see a countless\nmultitude of white mice with red eyes, all sitting in a great circle,\nslowly eating custard-pudding with the most satisfactory and polite\ndemeanor.\n\nAnd as the four travelers were rather hungry, being tired of eating\nnothing but soles and oranges for so long a period, they held a council\nas to the propriety of asking the mice for some of their pudding in a\nhumble and affecting manner, by which they could hardly be otherwise\nthan gratified. It was agreed, therefore, that Guy should go and ask the\nmice, which he immediately did; and the result was, that they gave a\nwalnut-shell only half full of custard diluted with water. Now, this\ndispleased Guy, who said: \u201cOut of such a lot of pudding as you have got,\nI must say, you might have spared a somewhat larger quantity.\u201d But no\nsooner had he finished speaking than the mice turned round at once, and\nsneezed at him in an appalling and vindictive manner (and it is\nimpossible to imagine a more scroobious and unpleasant sound than that\ncaused by the simultaneous sneezing of many millions of angry mice); so\nthat Guy rushed back to the boat, having first shied his cap into the\nmiddle of the custard-pudding, by which means he completely spoiled the\nmice\u2019s dinner.\n\nBy and by the four children came to a country where there were no\nhouses, but only an incredibly innumerable number of large bottles\nwithout corks, and of a dazzling and sweetly susceptible blue color.\nEach of these blue bottles contained a bluebottle fly; and all these\ninteresting animals live continually together in the most copious and\nrural harmony; nor perhaps in many parts of the world is such perfect\nand abject happiness to be found. Violet and Slingsby and Guy and Lionel\nwere greatly struck with this singular and instructive settlement; and,\nhaving previously asked permission of the bluebottle flies (which was\nmost courteously granted), the boat was drawn up to the shore, and they\nproceeded to make tea in front of the bottles; but, as they had no\ntea-leaves, they merely placed some pebbles in the hot water; and the\nquangle-wangle played some tunes over it on an accordion, by which, of\ncourse, tea was made directly, and of the very best quality.\n\nThe four children then entered into conversation with the bluebottle\nflies, who discoursed in a placid and genteel manner, though with a\nslightly buzzing accent, chiefly owing to the fact that they each held a\nsmall clothes-brush between their teeth, which naturally occasioned a\nfizzy, extraneous utterance.\n\n\u201cWhy,\u201d said Violet, \u201cwould you kindly inform us, do you reside in\nbottles; and, if in bottles at all, why not, rather, in green or purple,\nor, indeed, in yellow bottles?\u201d\n\nTo which questions a very aged bluebottle fly answered: \u201cWe found\nthe bottles here all ready to live in; that is to say, our\ngreat-great-great-great-great-grandfathers did, so we occupied them\nat once. And, when the winter comes on, we turn the bottles upside\ndown, and consequently rarely feel the cold at all; and you know\nvery well that this could not be the case with bottles of any other\ncolor than blue.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course it could not,\u201d said Slingsby. \u201cBut, if we may take the\nliberty of inquiring, on what do you chiefly subsist?\u201d\n\n\u201cMainly on oyster-patties,\u201d said the bluebottle fly; \u201cand, when these\nare scarce, on raspberry vinegar and Russian leather boiled down to a\njelly.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow delicious!\u201d said Guy.\n\nTo which Lionel added, \u201cHuzz!\u201d And all the bluebottle flies said,\n\u201cBuzz!\u201d\n\nAt this time an elderly fly said it was the hour for the evening song to\nbe sung; and, on a signal being given, all the bluebottle flies began to\nbuzz at once in a sumptuous and sonorous manner, the melodious and\nmucilaginous sounds echoing all over the waters, and resounding across\nthe tumultuous tops of the transitory titmice upon the intervening and\nverdant mountains with a serene and sickly suavity only known to the\ntruly virtuous. The moon was shining slobaciously from the\nstar-bespangled sky, while her light irrigated the smooth and shiny\nsides and wings and backs of the bluebottle flies with a peculiar and\ntrivial splendor, while all nature cheerfully responded to the cerulean\nand conspicuous circumstances.\n\nIn many long-after years the four little travelers looked back to that\nevening as one of the happiest in all their lives; and it was already\npast midnight when\u2014the sail of the boat having been set up by the\nquangle-wangle, the tea-kettle and churn placed in their respective\npositions, and the pussy-cat stationed at the helm\u2014the children each\ntook a last and affectionate farewell of the bluebottle flies, who\nwalked down in a body to the water\u2019s edge to see the travelers embark.\n\nAs a token of parting respect and esteem, Violet made a courtesy quite\ndown to the ground, and stuck one of her few remaining parrot-tail\nfeathers into the back hair of the most pleasing of the bluebottle\nflies; while Slingsby, Guy, and Lionel offered them three small boxes,\ncontaining, respectively, black pins, dried figs, and Epsom salts; and\nthus they left that happy shore forever.\n\nOvercome by their feelings, the four little travelers instantly jumped\ninto the tea-kettle and fell fast asleep. But all along the shore, for\nmany hours, there was distinctly heard a sound of severely suppressed\nsobs, and of a vague multitude of living creatures using their\npocket-handkerchiefs in a subdued simultaneous snuffle, lingering sadly\nalong the walloping waves as the boat sailed farther and farther away\nfrom the land of the happy bluebottle flies.\n\nNothing particular occurred for some days after these events, except\nthat, as the travelers were passing a low tract of sand, they perceived\nan unusual and gratifying spectacle; namely, a large number of crabs and\ncrawfish\u2014perhaps six or seven hundred\u2014sitting by the waterside, and\nendeavoring to disentangle a vast heap of pale pink worsted, which they\nmoistened at intervals with a fluid composed of lavender-water and\nwhite-wine negus.\n\n\u201cCan we be of any service to you, oh, crusty crabbies?\u201d said the four\nchildren.\n\n\u201cThank you kindly,\u201d said the crabs consecutively. \u201cWe are trying to make\nsome worsted mittens, but do not know how.\u201d\n\nOn which Violet, who was perfectly acquainted with the art of\nmitten-making, said to the crabs, \u201cDo your claws unscrew, or are they\nfixtures?\u201d\n\n\u201cThey are all made to unscrew,\u201d said the crabs; and forthwith they\ndeposited a great pile of claws close to the boat, with which Violet\nuncombed all the pale pink worsted, and then made the loveliest mittens\nwith it you can imagine. These the crabs, having resumed and screwed on\ntheir claws, placed cheerfully upon their wrists and walked away rapidly\non their hind-legs, warbling songs with a silvery voice and in a minor\nkey.\n\nAfter this the four little people sailed on again till they came to a\nvast and wide plain of astonishing dimensions, on which nothing whatever\ncould be discovered at first; but, as the travelers walked onward, there\nappeared in the extreme and dim distance a single object, which on a\nnearer approach, and on an accurately cutaneous inspection, seemed to be\nsomebody in a large white wig, sitting on an arm-chair made of\nsponge-cakes and oyster-shells. \u201cIt does not quite look like a human\nbeing,\u201d said Violet doubtfully; nor could they make out what it really\nwas till the quangle-wangle (who had previously been round the world)\nexclaimed softly in a loud voice, \u201cIt is the co\u00f6perative cauliflower!\u201d\n\nAnd so, in truth, it was; and they soon found that what they had taken\nfor an immense wig was in reality the top of the cauliflower, and that\nhe had no feet at all, being able to walk tolerably well with a\nfluctuating and graceful movement on a single cabbage-stalk\u2014an\naccomplishment which naturally saved him the expense of stockings and\nshoes.\n\nPresently, while the whole party from the boat was gazing at him with\nmingled affection and disgust, he suddenly arose, and, in a somewhat\nplumdomphious manner, hurried off toward the setting sun\u2014his steps\nsupported by two superincumbent confidential cucumbers, and a large\nnumber of water-wagtails proceeding in advance of him by three and three\nin a row\u2014till he finally disappeared on the brink of the western sky in\na crystal cloud of sudorific sand.\n\nSo remarkable a sight, of course, impressed the four children very\ndeeply; and they returned immediately to their boat with a strong sense\nof undeveloped asthma and a great appetite.\n\nShortly after this the travelers were obliged to sail directly below\nsome high overhanging rocks, from the top of one of which a particularly\nodious little boy, dressed in rose-colored knickerbockers, and with a\npewter plate upon his head, threw an enormous pumpkin at the boat, by\nwhich it was instantly upset.\n\nBut this upsetting was of no consequence, because all the party knew how\nto swim very well; and, in fact, they preferred swimming about till\nafter the moon rose, when, the water growing chilly, they\nsponge-taneously entered the boat. Meanwhile the quangle-wangle threw\nback the pumpkin with immense force, so that it hit the rocks where the\nmalicious little boy in rose-colored knickerbockers was sitting, when,\nbeing quite full of lucifer-matches, the pumpkin exploded\nsurreptitiously into a thousand bits; whereon the rocks instantly took\nfire, and the odious little boy became unpleasantly hotter and hotter\nand hotter, till his knickerbockers were turned quite green, and his\nnose was burned off.\n\nTwo or three days after this had happened they came to another place,\nwhere they found nothing at all except some wide and deep pits full of\nmulberry-jam. This is the property of the tiny, yellow-nosed apes who\nabound in these districts, and who store up the mulberry-jam for their\nfood in winter, when they mix it with pellucid pale periwinkle-soup, and\nserve it out in Wedgwood china bowls, which grow freely all over that\npart of the country. Only one of the yellow-nosed apes was on the spot,\nand he was fast asleep; yet the four travelers and the quangle-wangle\nand pussy were so terrified by the violence and sanguinary sound of his\nsnoring that they merely took a small cupful of the jam, and returned to\nre\u00ebmbark in their boat without delay.\n\nWhat was their horror on seeing the boat (including the churn and the\ntea-kettle) in the mouth of an enormous seeze pyder, an aquatic and\nferocious creature truly dreadful to behold, and, happily, only met with\nin those excessive longitudes! In a moment the beautiful boat was bitten\ninto fifty-five thousand million hundred billion bits; and it instantly\nbecame quite clear that Violet, Slingsby, Guy, and Lionel could no\nlonger preliminate their voyage by sea.\n\nThe four travelers were therefore obliged to resolve on pursuing their\nwanderings by land; and, very fortunately, there happened to pass by at\nthat moment an elderly rhinoceros, on which they seized; and, all four\nmounting on his back\u2014the quangle-wangle sitting on his horn, and holding\non by his ears, and the pussy-cat swinging at the end of his tail\u2014they\nset off, having only four small beans and three pounds of mashed\npotatoes to last through their whole journey.\n\nThey were, however, able to catch numbers of the chickens and turkeys\nand other birds who incessantly alighted on the head of the rhinoceros\nfor the purpose of gathering the seeds of the rhododendron plants which\ngrew there; and these creatures they cooked in the most translucent and\nsatisfactory manner by means of a fire lighted on the end of the\nrhinoceros\u2019s back. A crowd of kangaroos and gigantic cranes accompanied\nthem, from feelings of curiosity and complacency; so that they were\nnever at a loss for company, and went onward, as it were, in a sort of\nprofuse and triumphant procession.\n\nThus in less than eighteen weeks they all arrived safely at home, where\nthey were received by their admiring relatives with joy tempered with\ncontempt, and where they finally resolved to carry out the rest of their\ntraveling plans at some more favorable opportunity.\n\nAs for the rhinoceros, in token of their grateful adherence, they had\nhim killed and stuffed directly, and then set him up outside the door of\ntheir father\u2019s house as a diaphanous door-scraper.\n\n EDWARD LEAR.\n\n\n\n\n _The History of the Seven Families of the Lake Pipple-Popple_\n\n [_From \u201cNonsense Stories.\u201d_]\n\n\n CHAPTER I\n INTRODUCTORY\n\nIn former days\u2014that is to say, once upon a time\u2014there lived in the Land\nof Gramble-blamble seven families. They lived by the side of the great\nLake Pipple-popple (one of the seven families, indeed, lived _in_ the\nlake), and on the outskirts of the city of Tosh, which, excepting when\nit was quite dark, they could see plainly. The names of all these places\nyou have probably heard of; and you have only not to look in your\ngeography books to find out all about them.\n\nNow, the seven families who lived on the borders of the great Lake\nPipple-popple were as follows in the next chapter.\n\n\n CHAPTER II\n THE SEVEN FAMILIES\n\nThere was a family of two old parrots and seven young parrots.\n\nThere was a family of two old storks and seven young storks.\n\nThere was a family of two old geese and seven young geese.\n\nThere was a family of two old owls and seven young owls.\n\nThere was a family of two old guinea-pigs and seven young guinea-pigs.\n\nThere was a family of two old cats and seven young cats.\n\nAnd there was a family of two old fishes and seven young fishes.\n\n\n CHAPTER III\n THE HABITS OF THE SEVEN FAMILIES\n\nThe parrots lived upon the soffsky-poffsky trees, which were beautiful\nto behold, and covered with blue leaves; and they fed upon fruit,\nartichokes, and striped beetles.\n\nThe storks walked in and out of the Lake Pipple-popple, and ate frogs\nfor breakfast, and buttered toast for tea; but on account of the extreme\nlength of their legs they could not sit down, and so they walked about\ncontinually.\n\nThe geese, having webs to their feet, caught quantities of flies, which\nthey ate for dinner.\n\nThe owls anxiously looked after mice, which they caught and made into\nsago-puddings.\n\nThe guinea-pigs toddled about the gardens, and ate lettuces and Cheshire\ncheese.\n\nThe cats sat still in the sunshine, and fed upon sponge biscuits.\n\nThe fishes lived in the lake, and fed chiefly on boiled periwinkles.\n\nAnd all these seven families lived together in the utmost fun and\nfelicity.\n\n\n CHAPTER IV\n THE CHILDREN OF THE SEVEN FAMILIES ARE SENT AWAY\n\nOne day all the seven fathers and the seven mothers of the seven\nfamilies agreed that they would send their children out to see the\nworld.\n\nSo they called them all together, and gave them each eight shillings and\nsome good advice, some chocolate-drops, and a small green morocco\npocket-book to set down their expenses in.\n\nThey then particularly entreated them not to quarrel; and all the\nparents sent off their children with a parting injunction.\n\n\u201cIf,\u201d said the old parrots, \u201cyou find a cherry, do not fight about who\nshould have it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd,\u201d said the old storks, \u201cif you find a frog, divide it carefully\ninto seven bits, but on no account quarrel about it.\u201d\n\nAnd the old geese said to the seven young geese: \u201cWhatever you do, be\nsure you do not touch a plum-pudding flea.\u201d\n\nAnd the old owls said: \u201cIf you find a mouse, tear him up into seven\nslices, and eat him cheerfully, but without quarreling.\u201d\n\nAnd the old guinea-pigs said: \u201cHave a care that you eat your lettuces,\nshould you find any, not greedily, but calmly.\u201d\n\nAnd the old cats said: \u201cBe particularly careful not to meddle with a\nclangle-wangle if you should see one.\u201d\n\nAnd the old fishes said: \u201cAbove all things, avoid eating a blue\nboss-woss, for they do not agree with fishes, and give them a pain in\ntheir toes.\u201d\n\nSo all the children of each family thanked their parents, and, making in\nall forty-nine polite bows, they went into the wide world.\n\n\n CHAPTER V\n THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG PARROTS\n\nThe seven young parrots had not gone far when they saw a tree with a\nsingle cherry on it, which the oldest parrot picked instantly; but the\nother six, being extremely hungry, tried to get it also. On which all\nthe seven began to fight; and they\n\n scuffled,\n and huffled,\n and ruffled,\n and shuffled,\n and puffled,\n and muffled,\n and buffled,\n and duffled,\n and fluffled,\n and guffled,\n and bruffled, and\n\n screamed, and shrieked, and squealed, and\nsqueaked, and clawed, and snapped, and bit, and bumped, and thumped, and\ndumped, and flumped each other, till they were all torn into little\nbits; and at last there was nothing left to record this painful incident\nexcept the cherry and seven small green feathers.\n\nAnd that was the vicious and voluble end of the seven young parrots.\n\n\n CHAPTER VI\n THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG STORKS\n\nWhen the seven young storks set out, they walked or flew for fourteen\nweeks in a straight line, and for six weeks more in a crooked one; and\nafter that they ran as hard as they could for one hundred and eight\nmiles; and after that they stood still, and made a himmeltanious\nchatter-clatter-blattery noise with their bills.\n\nAbout the same time they perceived a large frog, spotted with green, and\nwith a sky-blue stripe under each ear.\n\nSo, being hungry, they immediately flew at him, and were going to divide\nhim into seven pieces when they began to quarrel as to which of his legs\nshould be taken off first. One said this, and another said that; and\nwhile they were all quarreling, the frog hopped away. And when they saw\nthat he was gone they began to\n\n chatter-clatter,\n blatter-platter,\n patter-blatter,\n matter-clatter,\n flatter-quatter,\n\n more violently than ever; and after they had fought for a\nweek they pecked each other all to little pieces, so that at last\nnothing was left of any of them except their bills.\n\nAnd that was the end of the seven young storks.\n\n\n CHAPTER VII\n THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG GEESE\n\nWhen the seven young geese began to travel, they went over a large\nplain, on which there was but one tree, and that was a very bad one.\n\nSo four of them went up to the top of it, and looked about them; while\nthe other three waddled up and down, and repeated poetry, and their last\nsix lessons in arithmetic, geography, and cookery.\n\nPresently they perceived, a long way off, an object of the most\ninteresting and obese appearance, having a perfectly round body exactly\nresembling a boiled plum-pudding, with two little wings and a beak, and\nthree feathers growing out of his head, and only one leg.\n\nSo, after a time, all the seven young geese said to each other: \u201cBeyond\nall doubt this beast must be a plum-pudding flea!\u201d\n\nOn which they incautiously began to sing aloud:\n\n \u201cPlum-pudding flea,\n Plum-pudding flea,\n Wherever you be,\n Oh! come to our tree,\n And listen, oh! listen, oh! listen to me!\u201d\n\nAnd no sooner had they sung this verse than the plum-pudding flea began\nto hop and skip on his one leg with the most dreadful velocity, and came\nstraight to the tree, where he stopped, and looked about him in a vacant\nand voluminous manner.\n\nOn which the seven young geese were greatly alarmed, and all of a\ntremble-bemble; so one of them put out his long neck and just touched\nhim with the tip of his bill; but no sooner had he done this than the\nplum-pudding flea skipped and hopped about more and more, and higher and\nhigher; after which he opened his mouth, and, to the great surprise and\nindignation of the seven geese, began to bark so loudly, and furiously,\nand terribly that they were totally unable to bear the noise; and by\ndegrees every one of them suddenly tumbled down quite dead.\n\nSo that was the end of the seven young geese.\n\n\n CHAPTER VIII\n THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG OWLS\n\nWhen the seven young owls set out, they sat every now and then on the\nbranches of old trees, and never went far at one time.\n\nAnd one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse;\nbut, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.\n\nSo they called out, \u201cIs that a mouse?\u201d\n\nOn which a mouse answered, \u201cSqueaky-peeky-weeky! yes, it is!\u201d\n\nAnd immediately all the young owls threw themselves off the tree,\nmeaning to alight on the ground; but they did not perceive that there\nwas a large well below them, into which they all fell superficially, and\nwere every one of them drowned in less than half a minute.\n\nSo that was the end of the seven young owls.\n\n\n CHAPTER IX\n THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG GUINEA-PIGS\n\nThe seven young guinea-pigs went into a garden full of gooseberry-bushes\nand tiggory-trees, under one of which they fell asleep. When they awoke\nthey saw a large lettuce, which had grown out of the ground while they\nhad been sleeping, and which had an immense number of green leaves. At\nwhich they all exclaimed:\n\n \u201cLettuce! O lettuce\n Let us, O let us,\n O lettuce-leaves,\n O let us leave this tree, and eat\n Lettuce, O let us, lettuce-leaves!\u201d\n\nAnd instantly the seven young guinea-pigs rushed with such extreme force\nagainst the lettuce-plant, and hit their heads so vividly against its\nstalk, that the concussion brought on directly an incipient transitional\ninflammation of their noses, which grew worse and worse, and worse and\nworse, till it incidentally killed them\u2014all seven.\n\nAnd that was the end of the seven young guinea-pigs.\n\n\n CHAPTER X\n THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG CATS\n\nThe seven young cats set off on their travels with great delight and\nrapacity. But, on coming to the top of a high hill, they perceived at a\nlong distance off a clangle-wangle (or, as it is more properly written,\nclangel-wangel); and, in spite of the warning they had had, they ran\nstraight up to it.\n\n(Now, the clangle-wangles are most dangerous and delusive beasts, and by\nno means commonly to be met with. They live in the water as well as on\nland, using their long tails as a sail when in the former element. Their\nspeed is extreme, but their habits of life are domestic and superfluous,\nand their general demeanor pensive and pellucid. On summer evenings they\nmay sometimes be observed near the Lake Pipple-popple, standing on their\nheads, and humming their national melodies. They subsist entirely on\nvegetables, excepting when they eat veal or mutton, or pork or beef, or\nfish or saltpetre.)\n\nThe moment the clangle-wangle saw the seven young cats approach, he ran\naway; and as he ran straight on for four months, and the cats, though\nthey continued to run, could never overtake him, they all gradually\n_died_ of fatigue and exhaustion, and never afterward recovered.\n\nAnd this was the end of the seven young cats.\n\n\n CHAPTER XI\n THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG FISHES\n\nThe seven young fishes swam across the Lake Pipple-popple, and into the\nriver, and into the ocean, where, most unhappily for them, they saw on\nthe fifteenth day of their travels, a bright-blue boss-woss, and\ninstantly swam after him. But the blue boss-woss plunged into a\n\n perpendicular,\n spicular,\n orbicular,\n quadrangular,\n\n circular depth of soft mud; where, in fact, his house was.\n\nAnd the seven young fishes, swimming with great and uncomfortable\nvelocity, plunged also into the mud quite against their will, and, not\nbeing accustomed to it, were all suffocated in a very short period.\n\nAnd that was the end of the seven young fishes.\n\n\n CHAPTER XII\n OF WHAT OCCURRED SUBSEQUENTLY\n\n After it was known that the\n seven young parrots,\n and the seven young storks,\n and the seven young geese,\n and the seven young owls,\n and the seven young guinea-pigs,\n and the seven young cats,\n and the seven young fishes,\n\nwere all dead, then the frog, and the plum-pudding flea, and the mouse,\nand the clangle-wangle, and the blue boss-woss all met together to\nrejoice over their good fortune. And they collected the seven feathers\nof the seven young parrots, and the seven bills of the seven young\nstorks, and the lettuce, and the cherry; and having placed the latter on\nthe lettuce, and the other objects in a circular arrangement at their\nbase, they danced a hornpipe round all these memorials until they were\nquite tired, after which they gave a tea-party, and a garden-party, and\na ball, and a concert, and then returned to their respective homes full\nof joy and respect, sympathy, satisfaction, and disgust.\n\n\n CHAPTER XIII\n OF WHAT BECAME OF THE PARENTS OF THE FORTY-NINE CHILDREN\n\n But when the two old parrots,\n and the two old storks,\n and the two old geese,\n and the two old owls,\n and the two old guinea-pigs,\n and the two old cats,\n and the two old fishes\n\nbecame aware, by reading in the newspapers, of the calamitous extinction\nof the whole of their families, they refused all further sustenance;\nand, sending out to various shops, they purchased great quantities of\ncayenne pepper and brandy and vinegar and blue sealing-wax, besides\nseven immense glass bottles with air-tight stoppers. And, having done\nthis, they ate a light supper of brown bread and Jerusalem artichokes,\nand took an affecting and formal leave of the whole of their\nacquaintance, which was very numerous and distinguished and select and\nresponsible and ridiculous.\n\n\n CHAPTER XIV\n CONCLUSION\n\nAnd after this they filled the bottles with the ingredients for\npickling, and each couple jumped into a separate bottle; by which\neffort, of course, they all died immediately, and became thoroughly\npickled in a few minutes, having previously made their wills (by the\nassistance of the most eminent lawyers of the district), in which they\nleft strict orders that the stoppers of the seven bottles should be\ncarefully sealed up with the blue sealing-wax they had purchased; and\nthat they themselves, in the bottles, should be presented to the\nprincipal museum of the city of Tosh, to be labeled with parchment or\nany other anti-congenial succedaneum, and to be placed on a marble table\nwith silver-gilt legs, for the daily inspection and contemplation, and\nfor the perpetual benefit, of the pusillanimous public.\n\nAnd if you ever happen to go to Gramble-blamble, and visit that museum\nin the city of Tosh, look for them on the ninety-eighth table in the\nfour hundred and twenty-seventh room of the right-hand corridor of the\nleft wing of the central quadrangle of that magnificent building; for,\nif you do not, you certainly will not see them.\n\n EDWARD LEAR.\n\n\n\n\n _Wee Robin\u2019s Yule-Song_\n\n\nThere was an auld gray Pussie Baudrons, and she gaed awa\u2019 down by a\nwaterside, and there she saw a Wee Robin Redbreast hoppin\u2019 on a brier;\nand Pussie Baudrons says: \u201cWhere\u2019s tu gaun, Wee Robin?\u201d And Wee Robin\nsays: \u201cI\u2019m gaun awa\u2019 to the king to sing him a sang this guid Yule\nmorning.\u201d And Pussie Baudrons says: \u201cCome here, Wee Robin, and I\u2019ll let\nyou see a bonny white ring round my neck.\u201d But Wee Robin says: \u201cNa, na!\ngray Poussie Baudrons, na, na! Ye worry\u2019t the wee mousie, but ye\u2019se no\nworry me.\u201d So Wee Robin flew awa\u2019 till he came to a fail fauld-dike\n(_turf wall_), and there he saw a gray greedy gled (_hawk_) sitting. And\ngray greedy gled says: \u201cWhere\u2019s tu gaun, Wee Robin?\u201d And Wee Robin says:\n\u201cI\u2019m gaun awa\u2019 to the king to sing him a sang this guid Yule morning.\u201d\nAnd gray greedy gled says: \u201cCome here, Wee Robin, and I\u2019ll let ye see a\nbonny feather in my wing.\u201d But Wee Robin says: \u201cNa, na! gray greedy\ngled, na, na! Ye pookit (_pecked_) a\u2019 the wee lintie, but ye\u2019se no pook\nme.\u201d So Wee Robin flew awa\u2019 till he came to the cleuch (_hollow_) o\u2019 a\ncraig, and there he saw slee Tod Lowrie (_sly fox_) sitting. And slee\nTod Lowrie says: \u201cWhere\u2019s tu gaun, Wee Robin?\u201d And Wee Robin says: \u201cI\u2019m\ngaun awa\u2019 to the king to sing him a sang this guid Yule morning.\u201d And\nslee Tod Lowrie says: \u201cCome here, Wee Robin, and I\u2019ll let ye see a bonny\nspot on the tap o\u2019 my tail.\u201d But Wee Robin says: \u201cNa, na! slee Tod\nLowrie, na, na! Ye worry\u2019t the wee lammie, but ye\u2019se no worry me.\u201d So\nWee Robin flew awa\u2019 till he came to a bonny burn-side, and there he saw\na wee callant sitting. And the wee callant says: \u201cWhere\u2019s tu gaun, Wee\nRobin?\u201d And Wee Robin says: \u201cI\u2019m gaun awa\u2019 to the king to sing him a\nsang this guid Yule morning.\u201d And the wee callant says: \u201cCome here, Wee\nRobin, and I\u2019ll gie ye a wheen grand moolins (_crumbs_) out o\u2019 my\npooch.\u201d But Wee Robin says: \u201cNa, na! wee callant, na, na! Ye speldert\n(_knocked down_) the gowdspink (_goldfinch_), but ye\u2019se no spelder me.\u201d\nSo Wee Robin flew awa\u2019 till he came to the king; and there he sat on a\nwinnock sole (_plowshare_), and sang the king a bonny sang. And the king\nsays to the queen: \u201cWhat\u2019ll we gie to Wee Robin for singing us this\nbonny sang?\u201d And the queen says to the king: \u201cI think we\u2019ll gie him the\nwee wran to be his wife.\u201d So Wee Robin and the wee wran were married,\nand the king, and the queen, and a\u2019 the court danced at the waddin\u2019;\nsyne he flew awa\u2019 home to his ain waterside, and hoppit on a brier.\n\n _Attributed to_ ROBERT BURNS.\n\n\n\n\n _The Giant\u2019s Shoes_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a large giant who lived in a small castle; at\nleast he didn\u2019t all of him live there, but he managed things in this\nwise. From his earliest youth up, his legs had been of a surreptitiously\nsmall size, unsuited to the rest of his body; so he sat upon the\nsouthwest wall of the castle with his legs inside, and his right foot\ncame out of the east gate, and his left foot out of the north gate,\nwhile his gloomy but spacious coat tails covered up the south and the\nwest gates; and in this way the castle was defended against all comers,\nand was deemed impregnable by the military authorities. This, however,\nas we shall soon see, was not the case, for the giant\u2019s boots were\ninside as well as his legs, but, as he had neglected to put them on in\nthe giddy days of his youth, he was never afterward able to do so,\nbecause there was not enough room. And in this bootless but compact\nmanner he passed his time.\n\nThe giant slept for three weeks at a time, and two days after he woke\nhis breakfast was brought to him, consisting of bright brown horses\nsprinkled on his bread and butter. Besides his boots, the giant had a\npair of shoes, and in one of them his wife lived when she was at home;\non other occasions she lived in the other shoe. She was a sensible,\npractical kind of woman, with two wooden legs and a clothes-horse; but\nin other respects not rich. The wooden legs were kept pointed at the end\nin order that, if the giant were dissatisfied with his breakfast, he\nmight pick up any stray people that were within reach, using his wife as\na fork. This annoyed the inhabitants of the district, so that they built\ntheir church in a southwestern direction from the castle behind the\ngiant\u2019s back, that he might not be able to pick them up as they went in.\nBut those who stayed outside to play pitch-and-toss were exposed to\ngreat danger and sufferings.\n\nNow, in the village there were two brothers of altogether different\ntastes and dispositions, and talents, and peculiarities, and\naccomplishments, and in this way they were discovered not to be the same\nperson. The elder of them was most marvelously good at singing, and\ncould sing the Old Hundredth an old hundred times without stopping.\nWhenever he did this, he stood on one leg and tied the other round his\nneck to avoid catching cold and spoiling his voice, but the neighbors\nfled. And he was also a rare hand at making guava dumplings out of three\ncats and a shoe-horn, which is an accomplishment seldom met with. But\nhis brother was a more meager, magnanimous person, and his chief\naccomplishment was to eat a wagon-load of hay overnight, and wake up\nthatched in the morning.\n\nThe whole interest of this story depends upon the fact that the giant\u2019s\nwife\u2019s clothes-horse broke in consequence of a sudden thaw, being made\nof organ-pipes. So she took off her wooden legs and stuck them in the\nground, tying a string from the top of one to the top of the other, and\nhung out her clothes to dry on that. Now, this was astutely remarked by\nthe two brothers, who therefore went up in front of the giant after he\nhad had his breakfast. The giant called out, \u201cFork! fork!\u201d but his wife,\ntrembling, hid herself in the more recondite toe of the second shoe.\nThen the singing brother began to sing, but he had not taken into\naccount the pious disposition of the giant, who instantly joined in the\npsalm; and this caused the singing brother to burst his head off, but,\nas it was tied by the leg, he did not lose it altogether.\n\nBut the other brother, being well thatched on account of the quantity of\nhay he had eaten overnight, lay down between the great toe of the giant\nand the next, and wriggled. So the giant, being unable to bear tickling\nin the feet, kicked out in an orthop\u00e6dal manner; whereupon the castle\nbroke, and he fell backward, and was impaled upon the sharp steeple of\nthe church. So they put a label on him on which was written: \u201cNudipes\nGigantens.\u201d\n\nThat\u2019s all.\n\n WILLIAM KINGDON CLIFFORD.\n\n\n\n\n _The Farmer and the Money-Lender_\n\n\nThere was once a Farmer who suffered much at the hands of a\nMoney-lender. Good harvests or bad the Farmer was always poor, the\nMoney-lender rich. At the last, when he hadn\u2019t a farthing left, the\nFarmer went to the Money-lender\u2019s house and said: \u201cYou can\u2019t squeeze\nwater from a stone, and, as you have nothing to get by me now, you might\ntell me 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\ngirdle-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 yogi, 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 the\nkindly Farmer gave him his last cake, and, sitting down to rest beside\nhim, 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 go?\u201d\n\n\u201cPerhaps I can,\u201d said the poor man, smiling, \u201cfor _I_ am Ram! What do\nyou want of me?\u201d\n\nThen the Farmer told the whole story, and Ram, taking pity on him, gave\nhim a conch-shell, and showed him how to blow it in a particular way,\nsaying: \u201cRemember! whatever you wish for, you have only to blow the\nconch that way, and your wish will be fulfilled. Only, have a care of\nthat Money-lender, for even magic is not proof against his 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, pretending\nto have heard all about it, that before long the Farmer found himself\ntelling the whole story\u2014all except the secret of blowing the conch, for,\nwith all his simplicity, the Farmer was not quite such a fool as to tell\nthat.\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 condition,\nwhich 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 the wily Money-lender; \u201cyou will have your share!\nNow, don\u2019t be a dog in the manger, for, if _you_ get all you want, what\ncan 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 to\na Money-lender, the Farmer was forced to yield, and from that time, no\nmatter what he gained by the power of the conch, the Money-lender gained\ndouble. And the knowledge that this was so, preyed upon the Farmer\u2019s\nmind day and night, so that he had no satisfaction out of anything.\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 well\nto water them, and lo! there was the well, _but the Money-lender had\ntwo_!\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 last\na bright idea came into his head. He seized the conch, blew it loudly,\nand cried out: \u201cOh, Ram! I wish to be blind of one eye!\u201d And so he was,\nin a twinkling, but the Money-lender, of course, was blind of both, and\nin trying to steer his way between the two new wells he fell into one,\nand was drowned.\n\nNow, this true story shows that a Farmer once got the better of a\nMoney-lender\u2014but only by losing one of his eyes.\n\n\n\n\n _How the Sun, the Moon, and the Wind Went Out to Dinner_\n\n\nOne day the Sun, the Moon, and the Wind went out to dine with their\nuncle and aunt, the thunder and lightning. Their mother (one of the most\ndistant stars you see far up in the sky) waited alone for her children\u2019s\nreturn.\n\nNow both the Sun and the Wind were greedy and selfish. They enjoyed the\ngreat feast that had been prepared for them, without a thought of saving\nany of it to take home to their mother; but the gentle Moon did not\nforget her. Of every dainty dish that was brought round, she placed a\nsmall portion under one of her beautiful long finger-nails, that the\nStar might also 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 you\nbrought home for me?\u201d Then the Sun (who was the eldest) said: \u201cI have\nbrought nothing home for you. I went out to enjoy myself with my\nfriends, not to fetch a dinner for my mother!\u201d And the Wind said:\n\u201cNeither have I brought anything home for you, mother. You could hardly\nexpect me to bring a collection of good things for you when I merely\nwent out for my own pleasure.\u201d But the Moon said: \u201cMother, fetch a\nplate; see what I have brought you.\u201d And, shaking her hands, she\nshowered down such a choice dinner as never was seen before.\n\nThen the Star turned to the Sun and spoke thus: \u201cBecause you went out to\namuse yourself with your friends, and feasted and enjoyed yourself\nwithout any thought of your mother at home, you shall be cursed.\nHenceforth, your rays shall ever be hot and scorching, and shall burn\nall that they touch. And men shall hate you and cover their heads when\nyou appear.\u201d\n\n(And that is why the Sun is so hot to this day.)\n\nThen she turned to the Wind and said: \u201cYou also, who forgot your mother\nin the midst of your selfish pleasures, hear 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 the 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\n _Singh Rajah and the Cunning Little Jackals_\n\n\nOnce upon a time, in a great jungle, there lived a great lion. He was\nrajah of all the country round, and every day he used to leave his den,\nin the deepest shadow of the rocks, and roar with a loud, angry voice;\nand when he roared, the other animals in the jungle, who were all his\nsubjects, got very much frightened and ran here and there; and Singh\nRajah would pounce upon them and kill them, and gobble them up for his\ndinner.\n\nThis went on for a long, long time until, at last, there were no living\ncreatures left in the jungle but two little jackals\u2014a Rajah Jackal and a\nRanee Jackal\u2014husband and wife.\n\nA very hard time of it the poor little jackals had, running this way and\nthat to escape the terrible Singh Rajah; and every day the little Ranee\nJackal would say to her husband: \u201cI am afraid he will catch us to-day;\ndo you hear how he is roaring? Oh, dear! oh, dear!\u201d And he would answer\nher: \u201cNever fear; I will take care of you. Let us run on a mile or two.\nCome; come quick, quick, quick!\u201d And they would both run away as fast as\nthey could.\n\nAfter some time spent in this way, they found, however, one fine day,\nthat the lion was so close upon them that they could not escape. Then\nthe little Ranee Jackal said: \u201cHusband, husband, I feel much frightened.\nThe Singh Rajah is so angry he will certainly kill us at once. What can\nwe do?\u201d But he answered: \u201cCheer up; we can save ourselves yet. Come, and\nI\u2019ll show you how we may manage it.\u201d\n\nSo what did these cunning little jackals do but they went to the great\nlion\u2019s den; and, when he saw them coming, he began to roar and shake his\nmane, and he said: \u201cYou little wretches, come and be eaten at once! I\nhave had no dinner for three whole days, and all that time I have been\nrunning over hill and dale to find you. Ro-a-ar! Ro-a-ar! Come and be\neaten, I say!\u201d and he lashed his tail and gnashed his teeth, and looked\nvery terrible indeed. Then the Jackal Rajah, creeping quite close up to\nhim, said: \u201cOh, great Singh Rajah, we all know you are our master, and\nwe would have come at your bidding long ago; but, indeed, sir, there is\na much bigger rajah even than you in this jungle, and he tried to catch\nhold of us and eat us up, and frightened us so much that we were obliged\nto run away.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d growled Singh Rajah. \u201cThere is no king in this\njungle but me!\u201d \u201cAh, sire,\u201d answered the jackal, \u201cin truth one would\nthink so, for you are very dreadful. Your very voice is death. But it is\nas we say, for we, with our own eyes, have seen one with whom you could\nnot compete\u2014whose equal you can no more be than we are yours\u2014whose face\nis as flaming fire, his step as thunder, and his power supreme.\u201d \u201cIt is\nimpossible!\u201d interrupted the old lion; \u201cbut show me this rajah of whom\nyou speak so much, that I may destroy him instantly!\u201d\n\nThen the little jackals ran on before him until they reached a great\nwell, and, pointing down to his own reflection in the water, they\nsaid: \u201cSee, sire, there lives the terrible king of whom we spoke.\u201d\nWhen Singh Rajah looked down the well he became very angry, for he\nthought he saw another lion there. He roared and shook his great mane,\nand the shadow lion shook his and looked terribly defiant. At last,\nbeside himself with rage at the violence of his opponent, Singh Rajah\nsprang down to kill him at once, but no other lion was there\u2014only the\ntreacherous reflection\u2014and the sides of the well were so steep that he\ncould not get out again to punish the two jackals, who peeped over the\ntop. After struggling for some time in the deep water, he sank to rise\nno more. And the little jackals threw stones down upon him from above,\nand danced round and round the well, singing: \u201cAo! Ao! Ao! Ao! The\nking of the forest is dead, is dead! We have killed the great lion who\nwould have killed us! Ao! Ao! Ao! Ao! Ring-a-ting\u2014ding-a-ting!\nRing-a-ting\u2014ding-a-ting! Ao! Ao! Ao!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _Harisarman_\n\n\nThere was a certain Brahman in a certain village, named Harisarman. He\nwas poor and foolish and in evil case for want of employment, and he had\nvery many children, that he might reap the fruit of his misdeeds in a\nformer life. He wandered about begging with his family, and at last he\nreached a certain city, and entered the service of a rich householder\ncalled Sthuladatta. His sons became keepers of Sthuladatta\u2019s cows and\nother property, and his wife a servant to him, and he himself lived near\nhis house, performing the duty of an attendant. One day there was a\nfeast on account of the marriage of the daughter of Sthuladatta, largely\nattended by many friends of the bridegroom and merry-makers. Harisarman\nhoped that he would be able to fill himself up to the throat with ghee\nand flesh and other dainties, and get the same for his family, in the\nhouse of his patron. While he was anxiously expecting to be fed, no one\nthought of him.\n\nThen he was distressed at getting nothing to eat, and he said to his\nwife at night: \u201cIt is owing to my poverty and stupidity that I am\ntreated with such disrespect here; so I will pretend by means of an\nartifice to possess a knowledge of magic, so that I may become an object\nof respect to this Sthuladatta; so, when you get an opportunity, tell\nhim that I possess magical knowledge.\u201d He said this to her, and after\nturning the matter over in his mind, while people were asleep he took\naway from the house of Sthuladatta a horse on which his master\u2019s\nson-in-law rode. He placed it in concealment at some distance, and in\nthe morning the friends of the bridegroom could not find the horse,\nthough they searched in every direction. Then, while Sthuladatta was\ndistressed at the evil omen, and searching for the thieves who had\ncarried off the horse, the wife of Harisarman came and said to him: \u201cMy\nhusband is a wise man, skilled in astrology and magical sciences; he can\nget the horse back for you\u2014why do you not ask him?\u201d When Sthuladatta\nheard that, he called Harisarman, who said, \u201cYesterday I was forgotten,\nbut to-day, now the horse is stolen, I am called to mind,\u201d and\nSthuladatta then propitiated the Brahman with these words, \u201cI forgot\nyou, forgive me,\u201d and asked him to tell him who had taken away their\nhorse. Then Harisarman drew all kinds of pretended diagrams, and said:\n\u201cThe horse has been placed by thieves on the boundary line south from\nthis place. It is concealed there, and before it is carried off to a\ndistance, as it will be at close of day, go quickly and bring it.\u201d When\nthey heard that, many men ran and brought the horse quickly, praising\nthe discernment of Harisarman. Then Harisarman was honored by all men as\na sage, and dwelt there in happiness, honored by Sthuladatta.\n\nNow, as days went on, much treasure, both of gold and jewels, had been\nstolen by a thief from the palace of the king. As the thief was not\nknown, the king quickly summoned Harisarman on account of his reputation\nfor knowledge of magic. And he, when summoned, tried to gain time, and\nsaid, \u201cI will tell you to-morrow,\u201d and then he was placed in a chamber\nby the king and carefully guarded. And he was sad because he had\npretended to have knowledge. Now, in that palace there was a maid named\nJihva (which means Tongue), who, with the assistance of her brother, had\nstolen that treasure from the interior of the palace. She, being alarmed\nat Harisarman\u2019s knowledge, went at night and applied her ear to the door\nof that chamber in order to find out what he was about. And Harisarman,\nwho was alone inside, was at that very moment blaming his own tongue,\nthat had made a vain assumption of knowledge. He said: \u201cOh, tongue, what\nis this that you have done through your greediness? Wicked one, you will\nsoon receive punishment in full.\u201d When Jihva heard this, she thought, in\nher terror, that she had been discovered by this wise man, and she\nmanaged to get in where he was, and, falling at his feet, she said to\nthe supposed wizard: \u201cBrahman, here I am, that Jihva whom you have\ndiscovered to be the thief of the treasure, and after I took it I buried\nit in the earth in a garden behind the palace, under a pomegranate tree.\nSo spare me, and receive the small quantity of gold which is in my\npossession.\u201d\n\nWhen Harisarman heard that, he said to her proudly: \u201cDepart, I know all\nthis; I know the past, present, and future, but I will not denounce you,\nbeing a miserable creature that has implored my protection. But whatever\ngold is in your possession you must give back to me.\u201d When he said this\nto the maid, she consented, and departed quickly. But Harisarman\nreflected in his astonishment: \u201cFate brings about, as if in sport,\nthings impossible; for, when calamity was so near, who would have\nthought chance would have brought us success? While I was blaming my\njihva, the thief Jihva suddenly flung herself at my feet. Secret crimes\nmanifest themselves by means of fear.\u201d Thus thinking, he passed the\nnight happily in the chamber. And in the morning he brought the king, by\nsome skilful parade of pretended knowledge, into the garden and led him\nup to the treasure, which was buried under the pomegranate tree, and\nsaid that the thief had escaped with a part of it. Then the king was\npleased, and gave him the revenue of many villages.\n\nBut the minister, named Devajnanin, whispered in the king\u2019s ear: \u201cHow\ncan a man possess such knowledge unattainable by men without having\nstudied the books of magic? You may be certain that this is a specimen\nof the way he makes a dishonest livelihood, by having a secret\nintelligence with thieves. It will be much better to test him by some\nnew artifice.\u201d Then the king of his own accord brought a covered pitcher\ninto which he had thrown a frog, and said to Harisarman: \u201cBrahman, if\nyou can guess what there is in this pitcher, I will do you great honor\nto-day.\u201d When the Brahman Harisarman heard that, he thought that his\nlast hour had come, and he called to mind the pet name of \u201cFroggie,\u201d\nwhich his father had given him in his childhood in sport; and, impelled\nby luck, he called to himself by his pet name, lamenting his hard fate,\nand suddenly called out: \u201cThis is a fine pitcher for you, Froggie; it\nwill soon become the swift destroyer of your helpless self.\u201d The people\nthere, when they heard him say that, raised a shout of applause, because\nhis speech chimed in so well with the object presented to him, and\nmurmured: \u201cAh! a great sage; he knows even about the frog!\u201d Then the\nking, thinking that this was all due to knowledge of divination, was\nhighly delighted, and gave Harisarman the revenue of more villages, with\ngold, an umbrella, and state carriages of all kinds. So Harisarman\nprospered in the world.\n\n\n\n\n _It Is Quite True_\n\n\n\u201cWhat a dreadful story!\u201d exclaimed a hen; \u201cit so frightened me that I\ndid not dare to sleep alone in the hen-house all night. I was glad there\nwere so many of us.\u201d And she began to relate to the other hens who were\non the roosting-perch above, the story she had heard, till their\nfeathers stood on end, and even the cock let his comb droop, it was so\ndreadful.\n\nBut we will begin at the beginning, and discover what really had\nhappened in the hen-house on the other side of the town.\n\nOne evening just before sunset the hens as usual went early to roost,\nand among them was a pretty hen with white feathers and short legs, who\nlaid regularly such fine eggs that she was very valuable, and much\nesteemed by all her relations.\n\nAs this hen was flying up in the hen-house to the roosting-perch, she\neither pecked or scratched herself with her beak till one of her\nfeathers fell off.\n\n\u201cThere goes another,\u201d she said good humoredly; \u201chow beautiful I shall\nlook if one falls off every time I scratch myself.\u201d This white hen was\nnot only very much esteemed, but also the merriest of all the hens in\nthe hen-house.\n\nBut she forgot all about the fallen feather, and was soon asleep.\n\nIt became quite dark. The hens were seated side by side near each other\non the perch, but one of them could not sleep, for she had partly heard\nwhat the white hen said.\n\nThe wakeful hen stayed and thought, and then said to her next neighbor:\n\u201cHave you heard? I name no one, but a hen has plucked out all her\nfeathers, and is not fit to be seen. If I were the cock, I should\ndespise her.\u201d\n\nThe gossiping hen soon after left the hen-house, and went to visit an\nowl who lived just opposite with her husband and children. The owl\nfamilies have very sharp ears, and they heard every word that their\nneighbor the hen said, and the little ones rolled their eyes about while\nthe mother owl fanned herself with her wings.\n\n\u201cTo repeat just what you have been told is nothing,\u201d continued the hen,\n\u201cbut I really and truly heard what was said with my own ears, and people\nmust hear a great deal, even if they do disapprove. It is about a hen\nwho has forgotten what was due to herself in her high position; she has\npulled out all her feathers, and then allowed the world to see her in\nthat bare condition.\u201d\n\n\u201c_Prenez garde aux enfants_,\u201d said the owl father, \u201call this is not fit\nfor the children to hear.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will just fly over and tell my neighbor,\u201d said the mother owl; \u201cshe\nis a very highly esteemed owl, and worthy of our acquaintance.\u201d\n\n\u201cHu! hu! uhu!\u201d howled the children, as the mother flew away and passed\nby her neighbors, the pigeons, who were in the pigeon-house.\n\n\u201cHave you heard\u2014have you heard about the hen that has plucked off all\nher feathers, and is going about quite bare? She will freeze to death,\nif she is not dead already.\u201d\n\n\u201cOoo! Ooo!\u201d cooed the pigeons.\n\n\u201cI heard of it in the neighboring farm-yard,\u201d said another; \u201cI have as\ngood as seen it with my own eyes. The story is really so improper that\nno one cares to relate it, but it is certainly true.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe believe it, we believe every word,\u201d said the pigeons, and they flew\ndown cooing to the farm-yard, and exclaimed:\n\n\u201cHave you heard about the hen?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe hen! why, people now say there are two hens who have plucked off\nall their feathers; yet one of them is not like the first, who did not\nwish to be seen, for she has positively tried to attract the attention\nof everybody.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt was a daring game; however, they caught cold, and are both dead from\na fever.\u201d\n\n\u201cWake up! wake up!\u201d crowed the cock as he flew out of the hen-house to\nthe palings. Sleep was still in his eyes, yet he stood and crowed\nlustily.\n\n\u201cListen,\u201d said the hen. \u201cThere is a cock in the next farm who has\nunluckily lost three of his wives; they had plucked off all their\nfeathers, and died of cold.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo away!\u201d he exclaimed. \u201cI will not hear it\u2014it is an ugly story. Send\nit away!\u201d\n\n\u201cSend it away!\u201d hissed the bat, while the hens cackled and the cock\ncrowed.\n\n\u201cSend it away! send it away!\u201d and so the story flew from one farm-yard\nto another, until it came back at last to the place where the original\ncircumstance occurred.\n\n\u201cThere are five hens,\u201d thus _now_ ran the story, \u201cwho have plucked off\nall their feathers, at least so they say; and it made the cock so\nunhappy that he became quite thin. And he has pecked himself so\ndreadfully ever since from indignation and shame that at last he has\nfallen down and died, covered with blood. For these hens had not only\ndisgraced his family, but occasioned a great loss to his owner.\u201d\n\nAnd the hen who had really lost the one feather naturally could not\nrecognize her own story, but she was a sensible, worthy hen, and she\nsaid:\n\n\u201cI despise these cackling hens; however, there shall be no more\ntittle-tattle of this sort. When people have a secret among themselves\nto gossip about in future, I will find it out, and send it to the\nnewspapers, so that it may travel through the whole land and be heard of\nby everybody.\n\n\u201cThis will just serve these cackling hens and their families right.\u201d\n\nAnd the newspapers took it up and so altered the wonderful story that at\nthe last \u201cit _was_ actually true\u201d\u2014\u201cONE LITTLE FEATHER HAD BECOME FIVE\nHENS!\u201d\n\n HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.\n\n\n\n\n _Manabozho and his Toe_\n\n\nManabozho, the great wizard of the Indians, was so powerful that he\nbegan to think there was nothing he could not do. Very wonderful were\nmany of his feats, and he grew more conceited day by day. Now, it\nchanced that one day he was walking about amusing himself by exercising\nhis extraordinary powers, and at length he came to an encampment where\none of the first things he noticed was a child lying in the sunshine,\ncurled up with its toe in its mouth.\n\nManabozho looked at the child for some time, and wondered at its\nextraordinary posture.\n\n\u201cI have never seen a child before lie like that,\u201d said he to himself,\n\u201cbut I could lie like it.\u201d\n\nSo saying, he put himself down beside the child, and, taking his right\nfoot in his hand, drew it toward his mouth. When he had brought it as\nnear as he could, it was yet a considerable distance away from his lips.\n\n\u201cI will try the left foot,\u201d said Manabozho. He did so, and found that he\nwas no better off; neither of his feet could he get to his mouth. He\ncurled and twisted, and bent his large limbs, and gnashed his teeth in\nrage to find that he could not get his toe to his mouth. All, however,\nwas vain.\n\nAt length he rose, worn out with his exertions and passion, and walked\nslowly away in a very ill humor, which was not lessened by the sound of\nthe child\u2019s laughter, for Manabozho\u2019s efforts had awakened it.\n\n\u201cAh, ah!\u201d said Manabozho, \u201cshall I be mocked by a child?\u201d\n\nHe did not, however, revenge himself on his victor, but on his way\nhomeward, meeting a boy who did not treat him with proper respect, he\ntransformed him into a cedar-tree.\n\n\u201cAt least,\u201d said Manabozho, \u201cI can do something.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Most Frugal of Men_\n\n\nA man who was considered the most frugal of all the dwellers in a\ncertain kingdom heard of another man who was the most frugal in the\nwhole world. He said to his son thereupon: \u201cWe, indeed, live upon\nlittle, but if we were more frugal still, we might live upon nothing at\nall. It will be well worth while for us to get instructions in economy\nfrom the Most Frugal of Men.\u201d The son agreed, and the two decided that\nthe son should go and inquire whether the master in economic science\nwould take pupils. An exchange of presents being a necessary preliminary\nto closer intercourse, the father told the son to take the smallest of\ncoins, one farthing, and to buy a sheet of paper of the cheapest sort.\nThe boy, by bargaining, got two sheets of paper for the farthing. The\nfather put away one sheet, cut the other sheet in halves, and on one\nhalf drew a picture of a pig\u2019s head. This he put into a large covered\nbasket, as if it were the thing which it represented\u2014the usual gift sent\nin token of great respect. The son took the basket, and after a long\njourney reached the abode of the most frugal man in the world.\n\nThe master of the house was absent, but his son received the traveler,\nlearned his errand, and accepted the offering. Having taken from the\nbasket the picture of the pig\u2019s head, he said courteously to his\nvisitor: \u201cI am sorry that we have nothing in the house that is worthy to\ntake the place of the pig\u2019s head in your basket. I will, however,\nsignify our friendly reception of it by putting in four oranges for you\nto take home with you.\u201d\n\nThereupon the young man, without having any oranges at hand, made the\nmotions necessary for putting the fruit into the basket. The son of the\nmost frugal man in the kingdom then took the basket and went to his\nfather to tell of thrift surpassing his own.\n\nWhen the most frugal man in the world returned home, his son told him\nthat a visitor had been there, having come from a great distance to take\nlessons in economy. The father inquired what offering he brought as an\nintroduction, and the son showed the small outline of the pig\u2019s head on\nthin brown paper. The father looked at it, and then asked his son what\nhe had sent as a return present. The son told him he had merely made the\nmotions necessary for transferring four oranges, and showed how he had\nclasped the imaginary fruit and deposited it in the visitor\u2019s basket.\nThe father immediately flew into a terrible rage and boxed the boy\u2019s\nears, exclaiming: \u201cYou extravagant wretch! With your fingers thus far\napart you appeared to give him large oranges. Why didn\u2019t you measure out\nsmall ones?\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _The Moon-Cake_\n\n\nA little boy had a cake that a big boy coveted. Designing to get the\ncake without making the little boy cry so loud as to attract his\nmother\u2019s attention, the big boy remarked that the cake would be prettier\nif it were more like the moon. The little boy thought that a cake like\nthe moon must be desirable, and on being assured by the big boy that he\nhad made many such, he handed over his cake for manipulation. The big\nboy took out a mouthful, leaving a crescent with jagged edge. The little\nboy was not pleased by the change, and began to whimper; whereupon the\nbig boy pacified him by saying that he would make the cake into a\nhalf-moon. So he nibbled off the horns of the crescent, and gnawed the\nedge smooth; but when the half-moon was made, the little boy perceived\nthat there was hardly any cake left, and he again began to snivel. The\nbig boy again diverted him by telling him that, if he did not like so\nsmall a moon, he should have one that was just the size of the real orb.\nHe then took the cake, and explained that, just before the new moon is\nseen, the old moon disappears. Then he swallowed the rest of the cake\nand ran off, leaving the little boy waiting for the new moon.\n\n\n\n\n _The Ladle that Fell from the Moon_\n\n\nOnce there was an old woman who lived on what she got by wile from her\nrelatives and neighbors. Her husband\u2019s brother lived alone with his only\nson, in a house near hers, and when the son brought home a wife the old\nwoman went to call on the bride. During the call she inquired of the\nbride whether she had not, since her arrival in the house, heard a\nscratching at night among the boxes containing her wedding outfit. The\nbride said she had not. A few days later the old woman came again, and\nduring the visit the bride remarked that, before the matter was\nmentioned, she had heard no scratching among her boxes, but that since\nthat time she had listened for it, and had heard it every night. The old\nwoman advised her to look carefully after her clothing, saying that\nthere were evidently many mice in the house, and that she would be\nlikely at any time to find her best garments nibbled into shreds. The\nold woman knew there was no cat in the house, but she inquired whether\nthere was one, and on hearing that there was not, she offered to lend\nthe young woman her own black-and-white cat, saying that it would soon\nextirpate all the mice. The bride accepted the loan, and the old woman\nbrought the cat, and left it in the bride\u2019s apartment. After a few hours\nthe cat disappeared, and the bride, supposing it to have gone home, made\nno search for it. It did, indeed, go home, and the old woman secretly\ndisposed of it; but several days later she came to the young woman and\nsaid that, when she lent the cat, her house had been free from mice, but\nthat, as soon as the cat was gone, the mice came and multiplied so fast\nthat now everything was overrun by them, and she would be obliged to\ntake the cat home again. The young woman told her that the cat went away\nthe same day that it came, and she had supposed it had gone home. The\nold woman said it had not, and that nothing could compensate her for the\nloss of it, for she had reared it herself; that there was never before\nseen such a cat for catching mice; that a cat, spotted as that one was,\nwas seldom found; and that it was of the rare breed which gave rise to\nthe common saying:\n\n A coal-black cat, with snowy loins,\n Is worth its weight in silver coins.\n\nand that the weight of her cat was two hundred ounces.\n\nThe young woman was greatly surprised by this estimate of the value of\nthe lost cat, and went to her father-in-law and related all that had\noccurred. The father-in-law, knowing the character of the old woman,\ncould neither eat nor sleep, so harassed was he by the expectation that\nshe would worry his daughter-in-law till the two hundred ounces of\nsilver should be paid. The young woman, being a new-comer, thought but\nlightly of the matter, till the old woman came again and again to make\nmention of the cat. When it became apparent that she must defend\nherself, the young woman asked her father-in-law if he had ever lent\nanything to the old woman; and when he said he could not remember having\nlent anything, she begged him to think carefully, and see if he could\nnot recall the loan of a tool, a dish, or a fagot. He finally\nrecollected that he had lent to her an old wooden ladle, but he said it\noriginally cost but a few farthings, and was certainly not worth\nspeaking about.\n\nThe next time the old woman came to dun for the amount due for her cat,\nthe young woman asked her to return the borrowed ladle. The old woman\nsaid that the ladle was old and valueless; that she had allowed the\nchildren to play with it, and that they had dropped it in the dirt,\nwhere it had lain until she had picked it up and used it for kindlings.\nThe bride responded: \u201cYou expect to enrich yourself and your family by\nmeans of your cat. I and my family also want money. Since you cannot\ngive back the ladle, we will both go before the magistrate and present\nour cases. If your cat is adjudged to be worth more than my ladle, I\nwill pay you the excess; and if my ladle be worth more than your cat,\nthen you must pay me.\u201d Being sure that the cat would, by any judge, be\nconsidered of greater value than the ladle, the old woman agreed to the\nproposition, and the two went before the magistrate. The young woman\ncourteously gave precedence to the elder, and allowed her to make the\naccusation. The old woman set forth her case, and claimed two hundred\nounces of silver as a compensation for the loss of the cat. When she had\nconcluded her statement, the judge called on the young woman for her\ndefense. She said she could not disprove the statement, but that the\nclaim was offset by a ladle that had been borrowed by the plaintiff.\nThere was a common saying:\n\n In the moon overhead, at its full, you can see\n The trunk, branch, and leaf of a cinnamon tree.\n\nA branch from this tree had one night been blown down before her\nfather-in-law\u2019s door, and he had had a ladle made from the wood.\nWhatever the ladle was put into never diminished by use. Whether wine,\noil, rice, or money, the bulk remained the same if no ladle beside this\none were used in dipping it. A foreign innkeeper, hearing of this ladle,\ncame and offered her father-in-law three thousand ounces of silver for\nit, but the offer was refused. And this ladle was the one that the\nplaintiff had borrowed and destroyed.\n\nThe magistrate, on hearing this defense, understood that the cat had\nbeen a pretext for extortion, and decided that the two claims offset\neach other, so that no payment was due from either one.\n\n\n\n\n _The Young Head of the Family_\n\n\nThere was once a family consisting of a father, his three sons, and his\ntwo daughters-in-law. The two daughters-in-law, wives of the two elder\nsons, had but recently been brought into the house, and were both from\none village a few miles away. Having no mother-in-law living, they were\nobliged to appeal to their father-in-law whenever they wished to visit\ntheir former homes, and as they were lonesome and homesick they\nperpetually bothered the old man by asking leave of absence.\n\nVexed by these constant petitions, he set himself to invent a method of\nputting an end to them, and at last gave them leave in this wise: \u201cYou\nare always begging me to allow you to go and visit your mothers, and\nthinking that I am very hard-hearted because I do not let you go. Now\nyou may go, but only upon condition that when you come back you will\neach bring me something I want. The one shall bring me some fire wrapped\nin paper, and the other some wind in a paper. Unless you promise to\nbring me these, you are never to ask me to let you go home; and if you\ngo, and fail to get these for me, you are never to come back.\u201d\n\nThe old man did not suppose that these conditions would be accepted, but\nthe girls were young and thoughtless, and in their anxiety to get away\ndid not consider the impossibility of obtaining the articles required.\nSo they made ready with speed, and in great glee started off on foot to\nvisit their mothers. After they had walked a long distance, chatting\nabout what they should do and whom they should see in their native\nvillage, the high heel of one of them slipped from under her foot, and\nshe fell down. Owing to this mishap both stopped to adjust the misplaced\nfootgear, and while doing this the conditions under which alone they\ncould return to their husbands came to mind, and they began to cry.\n\nWhile they sat there crying by the roadside a young girl came riding\nalong from the fields on a water buffalo. She stopped and asked them\nwhat was the matter, and whether she could help them. They told her she\ncould do them no good; but she persisted in offering her sympathy and\ninviting their confidence, till they told her their story, and then she\nat once said that if they would go home with her she would show them a\nway out of their trouble. Their case seemed so hopeless to themselves,\nand the child was so sure of her own power to help them, that they\nfinally accompanied her to her father\u2019s house, where she showed them how\nto comply with their father-in-law\u2019s demand.\n\nFor the first a paper lantern only would be needed. When lighted it\nwould be a fire, and its paper surface would compass the blaze, so that\nit would truly be \u201csome fire wrapped in paper.\u201d For the second a paper\nfan would suffice. When flapped, wind would issue from it, and the \u201cwind\nwrapped in paper\u201d could thus be carried to the old man.\n\nThe two young women thanked the wise child, and went on their way\nrejoicing. After a pleasant visit to their old homes, they took a\nlantern and a fan, and returned to their father-in-law\u2019s house. As soon\nas he saw them he began to vent his anger at their light regard for his\ncommands, but they assured him that they had perfectly obeyed him, and\nshowed him that what they had brought fulfilled the conditions\nprescribed. Much astonished, he inquired how it was that they had\nsuddenly become so astute, and they told him the story of their journey,\nand of the little girl who had so opportunely come to their relief. He\ninquired whether the little girl was already betrothed, and, finding\nthat she was not, engaged a go-between to see if he could get her for a\nwife for his youngest son.\n\nHaving succeeded in securing the girl as a daughter-in-law, he brought\nher home, and told all the rest of the family that as there was no\nmother in the house, and as this girl had shown herself to be possessed\nof extraordinary wisdom, she should be the head of the household.\n\nThe wedding festivities being over, the sons of the old man made ready\nto return to their usual occupations on the farm; but, according to\ntheir father\u2019s order, they came to the young bride for instructions. She\ntold them that they were never to go to or from the fields empty-handed.\nWhen they went they must carry fertilizers of some sort for the land,\nand when they returned they must bring bundles of sticks for fuel. They\nobeyed, and soon had the land in fine condition, and so much fuel\ngathered that none need be bought. When there were no more sticks,\nroots, or weeds to bring, she told them to bring stones instead; and\nthey soon accumulated an immense pile of stones, which were heaped in a\nyard near their house.\n\nOne day an expert in the discovery of precious stones came along, and\nsaw in this pile a block of jade of great value. In order to get\npossession of this stone at a small cost, he undertook to buy the whole\nheap, pretending that he wished to use them in building. The little head\nof the family asked an exorbitant price for them, and, as he could not\ninduce her to take less, he promised to pay her the sum she asked, and\nto come two days later to bring the money and to remove the stones. That\nnight the girl thought about the reason for the buyer\u2019s being willing to\npay so large a sum for the stones, and concluded that the heap must\ncontain a gem. The next morning she sent her father-in-law to invite the\nbuyer to supper, and she instructed the men of her family in regard to\nhis entertainment. The best of wine was to be provided, and the\nfather-in-law was to induce him to talk of precious stones, and to\ncajole him into telling in what way they were to be distinguished from\nother stones.\n\nThe head of the family, listening behind a curtain, heard how the\nvaluable stone in her heap could be discovered. She hastened to find and\nremove it from the pile; and, when her guest had recovered from the\neffect of the banquet, he saw that the value had departed from his\npurchase. He went to negotiate again with the seller, and she conducted\nthe conference with such skill that she obtained the price originally\nagreed upon for the heap of stones, and a large sum besides for the one\nin her possession.\n\nThe family, having become wealthy, built an ancestral hall of fine\ndesign and elaborate workmanship, and put the words \u201cNo Sorrow\u201d as an\ninscription over the entrance. Soon after, a mandarin passed that way,\nand, noticing this remarkable inscription, had his sedan-chair set down,\nthat he might inquire who were the people that professed to have no\nsorrow. He sent for the head of the family, was much surprised on seeing\nso young a woman thus appear, and remarked: \u201cYours is a singular family.\nI have never before seen one without sorrow, nor one with so young a\nhead. I will fine you for your impudence. Go and weave me a piece of\ncloth as long as this road.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d responded the little woman; \u201cso soon as your Excellency\nshall have found the two ends of the road, and informed me as to the\nnumber of feet in its length, I will at once begin the weaving.\u201d\n\nFinding himself at fault, the mandarin added, \u201cAnd I also fine you as\nmuch oil as there is water in the sea.\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d responded the woman; \u201cas soon as you shall have measured\nthe sea, and sent me correct information as to the number of gallons, I\nwill at once begin to press out the oil from my beans.\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed,\u201d said the mandarin, \u201csince you are so sharp, perhaps you can\npenetrate my thoughts. If you can, I will fine you no more. I hold this\npet quail in my hand; now tell me whether I mean to squeeze it to death,\nor to let it fly in the air.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the woman, \u201cI am an obscure commoner, and you are a famed\nmagistrate; if you are no more knowing than I, you have no right to fine\nme at all. Now I stand with one foot on one side my threshold and the\nother foot on the other side; tell me whether I mean to go in or come\nout. If you cannot guess my riddle, you should not require me to guess\nyours.\u201d\n\nBeing unable to guess her intention the mandarin took his departure, and\nthe family lived long in opulence and good repute under its chosen head.\n\n\n\n\n _A Dreadful Boar_\n\n\nA poor old woman who lived with her one little granddaughter in a wood\nwas 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, but she declined\ngiving it to him, saying that, at her age, to stoop and to rise again\nwas to earn what she picked up, and that she was going to take the cane\nhome, and let her little granddaughter suck its sap. The Boar, angry at\nher refusal, said that he would, during the coming night, eat her\ngranddaughter instead of the cane, and went off into the wood.\n\nWhen the old woman reached her cabin she sat down by the door and\nwailed, for she knew she had no means of defending herself against the\nBoar. While she sat crying, a vender of needles came along and asked her\nwhat was the matter. She told him, and he said that all he could do for\nher was to give her a box of needles. This he did, and went on his way.\nThe old woman stuck the needles thickly over the lower half of her door,\non its outer side, and then she went on crying. Just then a man came\nalong with a basket of crabs, heard her lamentations, and stopped to\ninquire what ailed her. She told him, and he said he knew no help for\nher, but he would do the best he could for her by giving her half his\ncrabs. The old woman put the crabs in her water-jar, behind her door,\nand again sat down and cried. A farmer soon came along from the fields,\nleading his ox, and he also asked the cause of her distress and heard\nher sad story. He said he was sorry he could not think of any way of\npreventing the evil she expected, but that he would leave his ox to stay\nall night with her, as it might be a sort of company for her in her\nloneliness. She led the ox into her cabin, tied it to the head of her\nbedstead, gave it some straw, and then cried again.\n\nA courier, returning on horseback from a neighboring town, next passed\nher door, and dismounted to inquire what troubled her. Having heard her\ntale, he said he would leave his horse to stay with her, and make the ox\nmore contented. So she tied the horse to the foot of her bed, and,\nthinking how surely evil was coming upon her with the night, she burst\nout crying anew. A boy just then came along with a snapping-turtle that\nhe had caught, and stopped to ask what had happened to her. On learning\nthe cause of her weeping, he said it was of no use to contend against\nsprites, but that he would give her his snapping-turtle as a proof of\nhis sympathy. She took the turtle, tied it in front of her bedstead, and\ncontinued to cry.\n\nSome men who were carrying mill-stones then came along, inquired into\nher trouble, and expressed their compassion by giving her a mill-stone,\nwhich they rolled into her back yard. A little later a man arrived\ncarrying hoes and pickax, and asked her why she was crying so hard. She\ntold him her grief, and he said he would gladly help her if he could,\nbut he was only a well-digger, and could do nothing for her other than\nto dig her a well. She pointed out a place in the middle of her back\nyard, 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 had told him, he gave her a\nlarge sheet of white paper, as a token of pity, and she laid it smoothly\nover the 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.\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\ndisencumber himself. Then in a rage he approached the front of the bed,\nbut the snapping-turtle nipped his tail, and made him retreat under the\nfeet of the horse, who kicked him over to the ox, who tossed him back to\nthe horse; and thus beset, he was glad to escape to the back yard to\ntake a rest, and to consider the situation. Seeing a clean paper spread\non the ground, he went to lie upon it, and fell into the well. The old\nwoman heard the fall, rushed out, rolled the mill-stone down on him, and\ncrushed him.\n\n\n\n\n _The Old Man and the Devils_\n\n\nA long time ago there was an old man who had a big lump on the right\nside of his face. One day he went into the mountain to cut wood, when\nthe rain began to pour and the wind to blow so very hard that, finding\nit impossible to return home, and filled with fear, he took refuge in\nthe hollow of an old tree. While sitting there doubled up and unable to\nsleep, he heard the confused sound of many voices in the distance\ngradually approaching to where he was. He said to himself: \u201cHow strange!\nI thought I was all alone in the mountain, but I hear the voices of many\npeople.\u201d So, taking courage, he peeped out, and saw a great crowd of\nstrange-looking beings. Some were red, and dressed in green clothes;\nothers were black, and dressed in red clothes; some had only one eye;\nothers had no mouth; indeed, it is quite impossible to describe their\nvaried and strange looks. They kindled a fire, so that it became as\nlight as day. They sat down in two cross-rows, and began to drink wine\nand make merry just like human beings. They passed the wine-cup around\nso often that many of them soon drank too much. One of the young devils\ngot up and began to sing a merry song and to dance; so also many others;\nsome danced well, others badly. One said: \u201cWe have had uncommon fun\ntonight, but I would like to see something new.\u201d\n\nThen the old man, losing all fear, thought he would like to dance, and\nsaying, \u201cLet come what will, if I die for it, I will have a dance, too,\u201d\ncrept out of the hollow tree and, with his cap slipped over his nose and\nhis ax sticking in his belt, began to dance. The devils in great\nsurprise jumped up, saying, \u201cWho is this?\u201d but the old man advancing and\nreceding, swaying to and fro, and posturing this way and that way, the\nwhole crowd laughed and enjoyed the fun, saying: \u201cHow well the old man\ndances! You must always come and join us in our sport; but, for fear you\nmight not come, you must give us a pledge that you will.\u201d So the devils\nconsulted together, and, agreeing that the lump on his face, which was a\ntoken of wealth, was what he valued most highly, demanded that it should\nbe taken. The old man replied: \u201cI have had this lump many years, and\nwould not without good reason part with it; but you may have it, or an\neye, or my nose either if you wish.\u201d So the devils laid hold of it,\ntwisting and pulling, and took it off without giving him any pain, and\nput it away as a pledge that he would come back. Just then the day began\nto dawn, and the birds to sing, so the devils hurried away.\n\nThe old man felt his face and found it quite smooth, and not a trace of\nthe lump left. He forgot all about cutting wood, and hastened home. His\nwife, seeing him, exclaimed in great surprise, \u201cWhat has happened to\nyou?\u201d So he told her all that had befallen him.\n\nNow, among the neighbors there was another old man who had a big lump on\nthe left side of his face. Hearing all about how the first old man had\ngot rid of his misfortune, he determined that he would also try the same\nplan. So he went and crept into the hollow tree, and waited for the\ndevils to come. Sure enough, they came just as he was told, and they sat\ndown, drank wine, and made merry just as they did before. The second old\nman, afraid and trembling, crept out of the hollow tree. The devils\nwelcomed him, saying: \u201cThe old man has come; now let us see him dance.\u201d\nThis old fellow was awkward, and did not dance as well as the other, so\nthe devils cried out: \u201cYou dance badly, and are getting worse and worse;\nwe will give you back the lump which we took from you as a pledge.\u201d Upon\nthis, one of the devils brought the lump, and stuck it on the other side\nof his face; so the poor old fellow returned home with a lump on each\nside.\n\n\n\n\n _The Wonderful Tea-Kettle_\n\n\nA long, long time ago, at the temple of Morinji, in the province of\nKotsuke, there lived an old priest.\n\nThis old priest was very fond of the ceremonial preparing and drinking\nof tea known as _Chanoyu_; indeed, it was his chief interest and\npleasure in life to conduct this ceremony.\n\nOne day he chanced to find in a second-hand shop a very nice-looking old\nTea-kettle, which he bought and took home with him, highly pleased by\nits fine shape and artistic appearance.\n\nNext day he brought out his new purchase, and sat for a long time\nturning it round on this side and on that, and admiring it.\n\n\u201cYou are a regular beauty, that\u2019s what you are,\u201d he said; \u201cI shall\ninvite all my friends to the _Chanoyu_, and how astonished they will be\nat finding such an exquisite kettle as this!\u201d\n\nHe placed his treasure on the top of a box where he could see it to the\nbest advantage, and sat admiring it and planning how he should invite\nhis guests. After a while he became drowsy and began to nod, and at last\nfell forward, his head on his desk, fast asleep.\n\nThen a wonderful transformation took place. The Tea-kettle began to\nmove. From its spout appeared a hairy head; at the other side out came a\nfine bushy tail; next, four feet made themselves visible, while fine fur\nseemed gradually to cover the surface of the kettle. At last, jumping\noff the box, it began capering about the room for all the world just\nlike a badger.\n\nThree young novices, pupils of the priest, who were at study in the next\nroom, heard the noise; and, when one of them peeped through the sliding\ndoors, what was his astonishment to see the Tea-kettle on four feet\ndancing up and down the room!\n\nHe cried out: \u201cOh! what a wonderful thing! The Tea-kettle is changed\ninto a badger!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d said the second novice. \u201cDo you mean to say that the Tea-kettle\nis turned into a badger? What nonsense!\u201d So saying, he pushed his\ncompanion to one side and peeped in, but he also was terrified by what\nhe saw, and screamed: \u201cIt\u2019s a goblin! It\u2019s coming at us; let us run\naway!\u201d\n\nThe third novice was not so easily frightened.\n\n\u201cCome, this is rather fun,\u201d said he; \u201chow the creature does jump, to be\nsure! I will rouse the master, and let him see, too.\u201d\n\nSo he went into the room and shook the priest, crying: \u201cWake! Master,\nwake! A strange thing has happened.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d said the old man, drowsily rubbing his eyes, \u201cwhat\na noisy fellow you are!\u201d\n\n\u201cAny one would be noisy when such a strange thing as this is going on,\u201d\nsaid the novice. \u201cOnly look, master, your Tea-kettle has got feet, and\nis running about.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat! what! what! What\u2019s that you say?\u201d asked the priest again. \u201cThe\nkettle got feet! What\u2019s this! Let me see!\u201d\n\nBut by the time the old man was thoroughly roused, the Tea-kettle had\nturned into its ordinary shape, and stood quietly on its box again.\n\n\u201cWhat foolish young fellows you are!\u201d said the priest. \u201cThere stands a\nkettle on the top of a box; surely there is nothing very strange in\nthat. No, no, I have heard of the rolling-pin that grew a pair of wings\nand flew away, but, long as I have lived, never have I heard before of a\ntea-kettle walking about on its own feet. You will never make me believe\nthat.\u201d\n\nBut for all that, the priest was a little uneasy in his mind, and kept\nthinking of the incident all that day. When evening came, and he was\nalone in his room, he took down the kettle, filled it with water, and\nset it upon the embers to boil, intending to make some tea. But, as soon\nas the water began to boil, \u201cHot! hot!\u201d cried the kettle, and jumped off\nthe fire.\n\n\u201cHelp! help!\u201d cried the priest, terrified out of his wits. But when the\nnovices rushed to his help, the kettle at once resumed its natural form;\nso one of them, seizing a stick, cried, \u201cWe\u2019ll soon find out whether\nit\u2019s alive or not,\u201d and began beating it with might and main. There was\nevidently no life in the thing, and only a metallic clang! clang!\nresponded to his lusty blows.\n\nThen the old priest heartily repented having bought the mischievous\nTea-kettle, and was debating in his own mind how he should get rid of it\nwhen who should drop in but the tinker?\n\n\u201cHere\u2019s the very man,\u201d thought the priest. A bargain was soon struck;\nthe tinker bought the Tea-kettle for a few coppers, and carried it home,\nwell pleased with his purchase.\n\nBefore going to bed he took another look at it, and found it still\nbetter than he had at first thought, so he went to sleep that night in\nthe best of spirits.\n\nIn the midst of a pleasant dream the tinker suddenly started up,\nthinking he heard somebody moving in the room, but, when he opened his\neyes and looked about, he could see nobody.\n\n\u201cIt was only a dream, I suppose,\u201d said he to himself as he turned over\nand went to sleep again.\n\nBut he was disturbed once more by some one calling: \u201cTinker! tinker! Get\nup! get up!\u201d\n\nThis time he sprang up, wide awake, and lo and behold! there was the\nTea-kettle, with the head, tail, feet, and fur of a badger strutting up\nand down the room!\n\n\u201cGoblin! goblin!\u201d shrieked the tinker. But the Tea-kettle laughed and\nsaid:\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t be frightened, my dear tinker. I am not a goblin, only a\nwonderful tea-kettle. My name is _Bumbuku-Chagama_, and I will bring\ngood luck to any one who treats me well; but, of course, I don\u2019t like to\nbe set on the fire, and then beaten with sticks, as happened to me up at\nthe temple yesterday.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow can I please you, then?\u201d asked the tinker. \u201cShall I keep you in a\nbox?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! no, no!\u201d answered the Tea-kettle; \u201cI like nice sweet things to eat,\nand sometimes a little wine to drink, just like yourself. Will you keep\nme in your house and feed me? And, as I would not be a burden upon you,\nI will work for you in any way you like.\u201d\n\nTo this the tinker agreed.\n\nNext morning he provided a good feast for _Bumbuku_, who then spoke:\n\n\u201cI certainly am a wonderful and accomplished Tea-kettle, and my advice\nis that you take me round the country as a show, with accompaniments of\nsinging and music.\u201d\n\nThe tinker, thinking well of this advice, at once started a show, which\nhe named the _Bumbuku-Chagama_. The lucky Tea-kettle at once made the\naffair a success, for not only did he walk about on four legs, but he\ndanced the tight rope, and went through all kinds of acrobatic\nperformances, ending by making a profound bow to the spectators, and\nbegging for their future patronage.\n\nThe fame of these performances soon spread abroad, and the theater was\nfilled daily to overflowing until, at length, even the princes of the\nland sent to order the tinker and his kettle to come to them, and the\nshow would take place, to the great delight of the princesses and ladies\nof the court.\n\nAt last the tinker grew so rich that he retired from business, and,\nwishing his faithful kettle also to be at rest, he took it back,\ntogether with a large share of his wealth, to the temple of Morinji,\nwhere it was laid up as a precious treasure and, some say, even\nworshiped as a saint.\n\n\n\n\n _The Wonderful Mallet_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there were two brothers. The elder was an honest and\ngood man, but he was very poor, while the younger, who was dishonest and\nstingy, had managed to pile up a large fortune. The name of the elder\nwas Kan\u00e9, and that of the younger was Ch\u00f4.\n\nNow, one day Kan\u00e9 went to Ch\u00f4\u2019s house, and begged for the loan of some\nseed-rice and some silkworms\u2019 eggs, for last season had been\nunfortunate, and he was in want of both.\n\nCh\u00f4 had plenty of good rice and excellent silkworms\u2019 eggs, but he was\nsuch a miser that he did not want to lend them. At the same time, he\nfelt ashamed to refuse his brother\u2019s request, so he gave him some\nworm-eaten musty rice and some dead eggs, which he felt sure would never\nhatch.\n\nKan\u00e9, never suspecting that his brother would play him such a shabby\ntrick, put plenty of mulberry leaves with the eggs, to be food for the\nsilkworms when they should appear. Appear they did, and throve and grew\nwonderfully, much better than those of the stingy brother, who was angry\nand jealous when he heard of it.\n\nGoing to Kan\u00e9\u2019s house one day, and finding his brother was out, Ch\u00f4 took\na knife and killed all the silkworms, cutting each poor little creature\nin two; then he went home without having been seen by anybody.\n\nWhen Kan\u00e9 came home he was dismayed to find his silkworms in this state,\nbut he did not suspect who had done him this bad trick, and tried to\nfeed them with mulberry leaves as before. The silkworms came to life\nagain, and doubled the number, for now each half was a living worm. They\ngrew and throve, and the silk they spun was twice as much as Kan\u00e9 had\nexpected. So now he began to prosper.\n\nThe envious Ch\u00f4, seeing this, cut all his own silkworms in half, but,\nalas! they did not come to life again, so he lost a great deal of money,\nand became more jealous than ever.\n\nKan\u00e9 also planted the rice-seed which he had borrowed from his brother,\nand it sprang up, and grew and flourished far better than Ch\u00f4\u2019s had\ndone.\n\nThe rice ripened well, and he was just intending to cut and harvest it\nwhen a flight of thousands upon thousands of swallows came and began to\ndevour it. Kan\u00e9 was much astonished, and shouted and made as much noise\nas he could in order to drive them away. They flew away, indeed, but\ncame back immediately, so that he kept driving them away, and they kept\nflying back again.\n\nAt last he pursued them into a distant field, where he lost sight of\nthem. He was by this time so hot and tired that he sat down to rest. By\nlittle and little his eyes closed, his head dropped upon a mossy bank,\nand he fell fast asleep.\n\nThen he dreamed that a merry band of children came into the field,\nlaughing and shouting. They sat down upon the ground in a ring, and one\nwho seemed the eldest, a boy of fourteen or fifteen, came close to the\nbank on which he lay asleep, and, raising a big stone near his head,\ndrew from under it a small wooden Mallet.\n\nThen in his dream Kan\u00e9 saw this big boy stand in the middle of the ring\nwith the Mallet in his hand, and ask the children each in turn, \u201cWhat\nwould you like the Mallet to bring you?\u201d The first child answered, \u201cA\nkite.\u201d The big boy shook the Mallet, upon which appeared immediately a\nfine kite with tail and string all complete. The next cried, \u201cA\nbattledore.\u201d Out sprang a splendid battledore and a shower of\nshuttlecocks. Then a little girl shyly whispered, \u201cA doll.\u201d The Mallet\nwas shaken, and there stood a beautifully dressed doll. \u201cI should like\nall the fairy-tale books that have ever been written in the whole\nworld,\u201d said a bright-eyed intelligent maiden, and no sooner had she\nspoken than piles upon piles of beautiful books appeared. And so at last\nthe wishes of all the children were granted, and they stayed a long time\nin the field with the things the Mallet had given them. At last they got\ntired, and prepared to go home; the big boy first carefully hiding the\nMallet under the stone from whence he had taken it. Then all the\nchildren went away.\n\nPresently Kan\u00e9 awoke, and gradually remembered his dream. In preparing\nto rise he turned round, and there, close to where his head had lain,\nwas the big stone he had seen in his dream. \u201cHow strange!\u201d he thought,\nexpecting he hardly knew what; he raised the stone, and there lay the\nMallet!\n\nHe took it home with him, and, following the example of the children he\nhad seen in his dream, shook it, at the same time calling out, \u201cGold\u201d or\n\u201cRice,\u201d \u201cSilk\u201d or \u201cSak\u00e9.\u201d Whatever he called for immediately flew out of\nthe Mallet, so that he could have everything he wanted, and as much of\nit as he liked.\n\nKan\u00e9 being now a rich and prosperous man, Ch\u00f4 was of course jealous of\nhim, and determined to find a magic mallet which would do as much for\nhim. He came, therefore, to Kan\u00e9 and borrowed seed-rice, which he\nplanted and tended with care, being impatient for it to grow and ripen\nsoon.\n\nIt grew well and ripened soon, and now Ch\u00f4 watched daily for the\nswallows to appear. And, to be sure, one day a flight of swallows came\nand began to eat up the rice.\n\nCh\u00f4 was delighted at this, and drove them away, pursuing them to the\ndistant field where Kan\u00e9 had followed them before. There he lay down,\nintending to go to sleep as his brother had done, but the more he tried\nto go to sleep the wider awake he seemed.\n\nPresently the band of children came skipping and jumping, so he shut his\neyes and pretended to be asleep, but all the time watched anxiously what\nthe children would do. They sat down in a ring, as before, and the big\nboy came close to Ch\u00f4\u2019s head and lifted the stone. He put down his hand\nto lift the Mallet, but no mallet was there.\n\nOne of the children said, \u201cPerhaps that lazy old farmer has taken our\nMallet.\u201d So the big boy laid hold of Ch\u00f4\u2019s nose, which was rather long,\nand gave it a good pinch, and all the other children ran up and pinched\nand pulled his nose, and the nose itself got longer and longer; first it\nhung down to his chin, then over his chest, next down to his knees, and\nat last to his very feet.\n\nIt was in vain that Ch\u00f4 protested his innocence; the children pinched\nand pummeled him to their hearts\u2019 content, then capered round him,\nshouting and laughing, and making game of him, and so at last went away.\n\nNow Ch\u00f4 was left alone, a sad and angry man. Holding his long nose\npainfully in both hands, he slowly took his way toward his brother\nKan\u00e9\u2019s house. Here he related all that had happened to him from the very\nday when he had behaved so badly about the seed-rice and silkworms\u2019\neggs. He humbly begged his brother to pardon him, and, if possible, do\nsomething to restore his unfortunate nose to its proper size.\n\nThe kind-hearted Kan\u00e9 pitied him, and said: \u201cYou have been dishonest and\nmean, and selfish and envious, and that is why you have got this\npunishment. If you promise to behave better for the future, I will try\nwhat can be done.\u201d\n\nSo saying, he took the Mallet and rubbed Ch\u00f4\u2019s nose with it gently, and\nthe nose gradually became shorter and shorter until at last it came back\nto its proper shape and size. But ever after, if at any time Ch\u00f4 felt\ninclined to be selfish and dishonest, as he did now and then, his nose\nbegan to smart and burn, and he fancied he felt it beginning to grow. So\ngreat was his terror of having a long nose again that these symptoms\nnever failed to bring him back to his good behavior.\n\n\n\n\n _The Tongue-Cut Sparrow_\n\n\nOnce upon a time a cross old woman laid some starch in a basin,\nintending to put it in the clothes in her washtub; but a Sparrow that a\nwoman, her neighbor, kept as a pet, ate it up. Seeing this, the cross\nold woman seized the Sparrow and, saying \u201cYou hateful thing!\u201d cut its\ntongue and let it go.\n\nWhen the neighbor woman heard that her pet Sparrow had got its tongue\ncut for its offense, she was greatly grieved, and set out with her\nhusband over mountains and plains to find where it had gone, crying:\n\u201cWhere does the tongue-cut Sparrow stay? Where does the tongue-cut\nSparrow stay?\u201d\n\nAt last they found its home. When the Sparrow saw that its old master\nand mistress had come to see it, it rejoiced, and brought them into its\nhouse and thanked them for their kindness in old times. It spread a\ntable for them, and loaded it with _sake_ and fish till there was no\nmore room, and made its wife and children and grandchildren all serve\nthe table.\n\nAt last, throwing away its drinking-cup, it danced a jig called the\nSparrow\u2019s dance, and thus they spent the day. When it began to grow\ndark, and there was talk of going home, the Sparrow brought out two\nwicker baskets and said: \u201cWill you take the heavy one, or shall I give\nyou the light one?\u201d The old people replied: \u201cWe are old, so give us the\nlight one; it will be easier to carry it.\u201d The Sparrow then gave them\nthe light basket, and they returned with it to their home. \u201cLet us open\nand see what is in it,\u201d they said. And when they had opened it and\nlooked, they found gold and silver and jewels and rolls of silk. They\nnever expected anything like this. The more they took out, the more they\nfound inside. The supply was inexhaustible, so that the house at once\nbecame rich and prosperous. When the cross old woman who had cut the\nSparrow\u2019s tongue saw this, she was filled with envy, and went and asked\nher neighbor where the Sparrow lived, and all about the way. \u201cI will go,\ntoo,\u201d she said, and at once set out on her search.\n\nAgain the Sparrow brought out two wicker baskets, and asked as before:\n\u201cWill you take the heavy one, or shall I give you the light one?\u201d\n\nThinking the treasure would be great in proportion to the weight of the\nbasket, the old woman replied, \u201cLet me have the heavy one.\u201d\n\nReceiving this, she started home with it on her back, the sparrows\nlaughing at her as she went. It was as heavy as a stone, and hard to\ncarry, but at last she got back with it to her house.\n\nThen, when she took off the lid and looked in, a whole troop of\nfrightful creatures came bouncing out from the inside, and at once they\ncaught her up and flew away with her.\n\n\n\n\n _Battle of the Monkey and the Crab_\n\n\nA Monkey and a Crab once met when going round a mountain.\n\nThe Monkey had picked up a persimmon-seed, and the Crab had a piece of\ntoasted rice-cake. The Monkey, seeing this, and wishing to get something\nthat could be turned to good account at once, said, \u201cPray, exchange that\nrice-cake for this persimmon-seed.\u201d The Crab, without a word, gave up\nhis cake, and took the persimmon-seed and planted it. At once it sprung\nup, and soon became a tree so high one had to look far up to see it. The\ntree was full of persimmons, but the Crab had no means of climbing it,\nso he asked the Monkey to scramble up and get the fruit for him. The\nMonkey got up on a limb of the tree and began to eat the persimmons. The\nunripe ones he threw at the Crab, but all the ripe and good ones he put\nin his pouch. The Crab under the tree thus got his shell badly bruised,\nand only by good luck escaped into his hole, where he lay distressed\nwith pain, and not able to get up. Now, when the relatives and household\nof the Crab heard how matters stood, they were surprised and angry, and\ndeclared war, and attacked the Monkey, who, leading forth a numerous\nfollowing, bade defiance to the other party. The crabs, finding\nthemselves unable to meet and cope with this force, became still more\nexasperated and enraged, and retreated into their hole and held a\ncouncil of war. Then came a rice-mortar, a pestle, a bee, and an egg,\nand together they devised a deep-laid plot to be avenged.\n\nFirst, they requested that peace be made with the crabs; and thus they\ninduced the king of the monkeys to enter their hole unattended, and\nseated him on the hearth. The Monkey, not suspecting any plot, took the\n_hibashi_, or poker, to stir up the slumbering fire, when bang! went the\negg, which was lying hidden in the ashes, and burned the Monkey\u2019s arm.\nSurprised and alarmed, he plunged his arm into the pickle-tub in the\nkitchen to relieve the pain of the burn. Then the bee which was hidden\nnear the tub stung him sharply in his face, already wet with tears.\nWithout waiting to brush off the bee, and howling bitterly, he rushed\nfor the back door; but just then some seaweed entangled his legs and\nmade him slip. Then down came the pestle, tumbling on him from a shelf,\nand the mortar, too, came rolling down on him from the roof of the porch\nand broke his back, and so weakened him that he was unable to rise up.\nThen out came the crabs in a crowd, and brandishing on high their\npinchers they pinched the Monkey so sorely that he begged them for\nforgiveness and promised never to repeat his meanness and treachery.\n\n\n\n\n _The Cub\u2019s Triumph_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived in a forest a badger and a mother fox with\none little Cub.\n\nThere were no other beasts in the wood, because the hunters had killed\nthem all with bows and arrows, or by setting snares. The deer, and the\nwild boar, the hares, the weasels, and the stoats\u2014even the bright little\nsquirrels\u2014had been shot, or had fallen into traps. At last, only the\nbadger and the fox, with her young one, were left, and they were\nstarving, for they dared not venture from their holes for fear of the\ntraps.\n\nThey did not know what to do, or where to turn for food. At last the\nbadger said:\n\n\u201cI have thought of a plan. I will pretend to be dead. You must change\nyourself into a man, and take me into the town and sell me. With the\nmoney you get for me, you must buy food and bring it into the forest.\nWhen I get a chance I will run away, and come back to you, and we will\neat our dinner together. Mind you wait for me, and don\u2019t eat any of it\nuntil I come. Next week it will be your turn to be dead, and my turn to\nsell\u2014do you see?\u201d\n\nThe fox thought this plan would do very well; so, as soon as the badger\nhad lain down and pretended to be dead, she said to her little Cub:\n\n\u201cBe sure not to come out of the hole until I come back. Be very good and\nquiet, and I will soon bring you some nice dinner.\u201d\n\nShe then changed herself into a wood-cutter, took the badger by the\nheels and swung him over her shoulders, and trudged off into the town.\nThere she sold the badger for a fair price, and with the money bought\nsome fish, some _tofu_,[8] and some vegetables. She then ran back to the\nforest as fast as she could, changed herself into a fox again, and crept\ninto her hole to see if little Cub was all right. Little Cub was there,\nsafe enough, but very hungry, and wanted to begin upon the _tofu_ at\nonce.\n\nFootnote 8:\n\n Curd made from white beans.\n\n\u201cNo, no,\u201d said the mother fox. \u201cFair play\u2019s a jewel. We must wait for\nthe badger.\u201d\n\nSoon the badger arrived, quite out of breath with running so fast.\n\n\u201cI hope you haven\u2019t been eating any of the dinner,\u201d he panted. \u201cI could\nnot get away sooner. The man you sold me to, brought his wife to look at\nme, and boasted how cheap he had bought me. You should have asked twice\nas much. At last they left me alone, and then I jumped up and ran away\nas fast as I could.\u201d\n\nThe badger, the fox, and the Cub now sat down to dinner, and had a fine\nfeast, the badger taking care to get the best bits for himself.\n\nSome days after, when all the food was finished, and they had begun to\nget hungry again, the badger said to the fox:\n\n\u201cNow it\u2019s your turn to die.\u201d So the fox pretended to be dead, and the\nbadger changed himself into a hunter, shouldered the fox, and went off\nto the town, where he made a good bargain, and sold her for a nice\nlittle sum of money.\n\nYou have seen already that the badger was greedy and selfish. What do\nyou think he did now? He wished to have all the money, and all the food\nit would buy for himself, so he whispered to the man who had bought the\nfox:\n\n\u201cThat fox is only pretending to be dead; take care he doesn\u2019t run away.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ll soon settle that,\u201d said the man, and he knocked the fox on the\nhead with a big stick, and killed her.\n\nThe badger next laid out the money in buying all the nice things he\ncould think of. He carried them off to the forest, and there ate them\nall up himself, without giving one bit to the poor little Cub, who was\nall alone, crying for its mother, very sad, and very hungry.\n\nPoor little motherless Cub! But, being a clever little fox, he soon\nbegan to put two and two together, and at last felt quite sure that the\nbadger had, in some way, caused the loss of his mother.\n\nHe made up his mind that he would punish the badger; and, as he was not\nbig enough or strong enough to do it by force, he was obliged to try\nanother plan.\n\nHe did not let the badger see how angry he was with him, but said in a\nfriendly way:\n\n\u201cLet us have a game of changing ourselves into men. If you can change\nyourself so cleverly that I cannot find you out, you will have won the\ngame; but, if I change myself so that you cannot find me out, then I\nshall have won the game. I will begin, if you like; and, you may be\nsure, I shall turn myself into somebody very grand while I am about it.\u201d\n\nThe badger agreed. So then, instead of changing himself at all, the\ncunning little Cub just went and hid himself behind a tree, and watched\nto see what would happen. Presently there came along the bridge leading\ninto the town a nobleman, seated in a sedan-chair, a great crowd of\nservants and men at arms following him.\n\nThe badger was quite sure that this must be the fox, so he ran up to the\nsedan-chair, put in his head, and cried:\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve found you out! I\u2019ve won the game!\u201d\n\n\u201cA badger! A badger! Off with his head,\u201d cried the nobleman.\n\nSo one of the retainers cut off the badger\u2019s head with one blow of his\nsharp sword, the little Cub all the time laughing unseen behind the\ntree.\n\n\n\n\n _The Silly Jelly-Fish_\n\n\nOnce upon a time the king of the dragons, who had till then lived as a\nbachelor, took it into his head to get married. His bride was a young\ndragonette just sixteen years old\u2014lovely enough, in very sooth, to\nbecome the wife of a king. Great were the rejoicings on the occasion.\nThe fishes, both great and small, came to pay their respects, and to\noffer gifts to the newly wedded pair; and for some days all was feasting\nand merriment.\n\nBut, alas! even dragons have their trials. Before a month had passed,\nthe young dragon queen fell ill. The doctors dosed her with every\nmedicine that was known to them, but all to no purpose. At last they\nshook their heads, declaring that there was nothing more to be done. The\nillness must take its course, and she would probably die. But the sick\nqueen said to her husband:\n\n\u201cI know of something that will cure me. Only fetch me a live monkey\u2019s\nliver to eat, and I shall get well at once.\u201d\n\n\u201cA live monkey\u2019s liver!\u201d exclaimed the king. \u201cWhat are you thinking of,\nmy dear? Why! you forget that we dragons live in the sea, while monkeys\nlive far away from here, among the forest trees on land. A monkey\u2019s\nliver! Why! darling, you must be mad.\u201d Hereupon the young dragon queen\nburst into tears. \u201cI only ask you for one small thing,\u201d whimpered she,\n\u201cand you won\u2019t get it for me. I always thought you didn\u2019t really love\nme. Oh! I wish I had stayed at home with my own m-m-m-mama and my own\npapa-a-a-a!\u201d Here her voice choked with sobs, and she could say no more.\n\nWell, of course the dragon king did not like to have it thought that he\nwas unkind to his beautiful young wife. So he sent for his trusty\nservant, the Jelly-fish, and said: \u201cIt is rather a difficult job, but\nwhat I want you to try to do is to swim across to the land, and persuade\na live monkey to come here with you. In order to make the monkey willing\nto come, you can tell him how much nicer everything is here in\ndragon-land than away where he lives. But what I really want him for is\nto cut out his liver, and use it as medicine for your young mistress,\nwho, as you know, is dangerously ill.\u201d\n\nSo the Jelly-fish went off on his strange errand. In those days he was\njust like any other fish, with eyes, and fins, and a tail. He even had\nlittle feet, which made him able to walk on the land as well as to swim\nin the water. It did not take him many hours to swim across to the\ncountry where the monkeys lived; and, fortunately, there just happened\nto be a fine monkey skipping about among the branches of the trees near\nthe place where he landed. So the Jelly-fish said: \u201cMr. Monkey, I have\ncome to tell you of a country far more beautiful than this. It lies\nbeyond the waves, and is called dragon-land. There is pleasant weather\nthere all the year round; there is always plenty of ripe fruit on the\ntrees, and there are none of those mischievous creatures called men. If\nyou will come with me, I will take you there. Just get on my back.\u201d\n\nThe monkey thought it would be fun to see a new country. So he leaped on\nto the Jelly-fish\u2019s back, and off they started across the water. But\nwhen they had gone about half-way, he began to fear that perhaps there\nmight be some hidden danger, for it seemed so odd to be fetched suddenly\nin that way by a stranger. So he said to the Jelly-fish: \u201cWhat made you\nthink of coming for me?\u201d The Jelly-fish answered: \u201cMy master, the king\nof the dragons, wants you in order to cut out your liver, and give it as\nmedicine to his wife, the queen, who is sick.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! that\u2019s your little game, is it?\u201d thought the monkey. But he kept\nhis thoughts to himself, and only said: \u201cNothing could please me better\nthan to be of service to their Majesties, but it so happens that I left\nmy liver hanging to a branch of that big chestnut-tree where you found\nme skipping about. A liver is a thing that weighs a good deal, so I\ngenerally take it out, and play about without it during the daytime. We\nmust go back for it.\u201d The Jelly-fish agreed that there was nothing else\nto be done under the circumstances; for, silly creature that he was, he\ndid not see that the monkey was telling a story in order to avoid\ngetting killed, and having his liver used as medicine for the fanciful\nyoung dragon queen.\n\nWhen they reached the shore of monkey-land again, the monkey bounded off\nthe Jelly-fish\u2019s back, and up to the topmost branch of the chestnut-tree\nin less than no time. Then he said: \u201cI do not see my liver here. Perhaps\nsomebody has taken it away. But I will look for it. You, meantime, had\nbetter go back and tell your master what has happened. He might be\nanxious about you if you did not get home before dark.\u201d\n\nSo the Jelly-fish started off a second time, and when he got home he\ntold the dragon king everything just as it had happened. But the king\nflew into a passion with him for his stupidity, and hallooed to his\nofficers, saying: \u201cAway with this fellow! Take him, and beat him to a\njelly! Don\u2019t let a single bone remain unbroken in his body!\u201d So the\nofficers seized him and beat him, as the king had commanded. That is the\nreason why, to this very day, jelly-fishes have no bones, but are just\nnothing more than a mass of pulp.\n\nAs for the dragon queen, when she found she could not have the monkey\u2019s\nliver, why, she made up her mind that the I only thing to do was to get\nwell without it.\n\n\n\n\n _Chin-Chin Kobakama_\n\n\nOnce there was a little girl who was very pretty, but also very lazy.\nHer parents were rich, and had a great many servants; and these servants\nwere very fond of the little girl, and did everything for her which she\nought to have been able to do for herself. Perhaps this was what made\nher so lazy. When she grew up into a beautiful woman she still remained\nlazy; but as the servants always dressed and undressed her, and arranged\nher hair, she looked very charming, and nobody thought about her faults.\n\nAt last she was married to a brave warrior, and went away with him to\nlive in another house where there were but few servants. She was sorry\nnot to have as many servants as she had had at home, because she was\nobliged to do several things for herself which other folks had always\ndone for her, and it was a great deal of trouble to her to dress\nherself, and take care of her own clothes, and keep herself looking neat\nand pretty to please her husband. But as he was a warrior, and often had\nto be far away from home with the army, she could sometimes be just as\nlazy as she wished, and her husband\u2019s parents were very old and\ngood-natured, and never scolded her.\n\nWell, one night while her husband was away with the army, she was\nawakened by queer little noises in her room. By the light of a big paper\nlantern she could see very well, and she saw strange things.\n\nHundreds of little men, dressed just like Japanese warriors, but only\nabout one inch high, were dancing all around her pillow. They wore the\nsame kind of dress her husband wore on holidays (_Kamishimo_, a long\nrobe with square shoulders), and their hair was tied up in knots, and\neach wore two tiny swords. They all looked at her as they danced, and\nlaughed, and they all sang the same song over and over again:\n\n Chin-chin Kobakama,\n Yomo fuk\u00e9 s\u014dro\u2014\n Oshizumare, Hime-gimi!\u2014\n Ya ton ton!\u2014\n\nWhich meant: \u201cWe are the Chin-chin Kobakama; the hour is late; sleep,\nhonorable, noble darling!\u201d\n\nThe words seemed very polite, but she soon saw that the little men were\nonly making cruel fun of her. They also made ugly faces at her.\n\nShe tried to catch some of them, but they jumped about so quickly that\nshe could not. Then she tried to drive them away, but they would not go,\nand they never stopped singing:\n\n Chin-chin Kobakama ...\n\nand laughing at her. Then she knew they were little fairies, and became\nso frightened that she could not even cry out. They danced around her\nuntil morning; then they all vanished suddenly.\n\nShe was ashamed to tell anybody what had happened, because, as she was\nthe wife of a warrior, she did not wish anybody to know how frightened\nshe had been.\n\nNext night, again, the little men came and danced; and they came also\nthe night after that, and every night, always at the same hour, which\nthe old Japanese used to call the \u201chour of the ox\u201d; that is, about two\no\u2019clock in the morning by our time. At last she became very sick,\nthrough want of sleep and through fright. But the little men would not\nleave her alone.\n\nWhen her husband came back home he was very sorry to find her sick in\nbed. At first she was afraid to tell him what had made her ill, for fear\nthat he would laugh at her. But he was so kind, and coaxed her so\ngently, that after a while she told him what happened every night.\n\nHe did not laugh at her at all, but looked very serious for a time. Then\nhe asked:\n\n\u201cAt what time do they come?\u201d\n\nShe answered, \u201cAlways at the same hour\u2014the \u2018hour of the ox.\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said her husband; \u201cto-night I shall hide, and watch for\nthem. Do not be frightened.\u201d\n\nSo that night the warrior hid himself in a closet in the sleeping-room,\nand kept watch through a chink between the sliding doors.\n\nHe waited and watched until the \u201chour of the ox.\u201d Then, all at once, the\nlittle men came up through the mats, and began their dance and their\nsong:\n\n Chin-chin Kobakama,\n Yomo fuk\u00e9 S\u014dro....\n\nThey looked so queer, and danced in such a funny way, that the warrior\ncould scarcely keep from laughing. But he saw his young wife\u2019s\nfrightened face; and then, remembering that nearly all Japanese ghosts\nand goblins are afraid of a sword, he drew his blade and rushed out of\nthe closet, and struck at the little dancers. Immediately they all\nturned into\u2014what do you think?\n\n _Toothpicks!_\n\nThere were no more little warriors\u2014only a lot of old toothpicks\nscattered over the mats.\n\nThe young wife had been too lazy to put her toothpicks away properly;\nand every day, after having used a new toothpick, she would stick it\ndown between the mats on the floor, to get rid of it. So the little\nfairies who take care of the floor-mats became angry with her, and\ntormented her.\n\nHer husband scolded her, and she was so ashamed that she did not know\nwhat to do. A servant was called, and the toothpicks were taken away and\nburned, and after that the little men never came back again.\n\n\n\n\n _The Old Woman who Lost her Dumplings_\n\n\nLong, long ago there was a funny old woman who liked to laugh and to\nmake dumplings of rice-flour.\n\nOne day, while she was preparing some dumplings for dinner, she let one\nfall, and it rolled into a hole in the earthen floor of her little\nkitchen and disappeared. The old woman tried to reach it by putting her\nhand down the hole, and all at once the earth gave way, and the old\nwoman fell in.\n\nShe fell quite a distance, but was not a bit hurt; and when she got up\non her feet again, she saw that she was standing on a road just like the\nroad before her house. It was quite light down there; and she could see\nplenty of rice-fields, but no one in them. How all this happened I\ncannot tell you, but it seems that the old woman had fallen into another\ncountry.\n\nThe road she had fallen upon sloped very much; so, after having looked\nfor her dumpling in vain, she thought that it must have rolled farther\naway down the hill. She ran down the road to look, crying: \u201cMy dumpling!\nmy dumpling! Where is that dumpling of mine?\u201d\n\nAfter a little while she saw a stone image standing by the roadside, and\nshe said, calling it by its name:\n\n\u201cO _Jiz\u014d San_, did you see my dumpling?\u201d\n\n_Jiz\u014d_ answered:\n\n\u201cYes, I saw your dumpling rolling by me down the road. But you had\nbetter not go any farther, because there is a wicked _oni_ living down\nthere who eats people.\u201d\n\nBut the old woman only laughed, and ran on farther down the road,\ncrying: \u201cMy dumpling! my dumpling! Where is that dumpling of mine?\u201d And\nshe came to another statue of _Jiz\u014d_, and asked it:\n\n\u201cO kind _Jiz\u014d_, did you see my dumpling?\u201d\n\nAnd _Jiz\u014d_ said:\n\n\u201cYes, I saw your dumpling go by a little while ago. But you must not run\nany farther, because there is a wicked _oni_ down there who eats\npeople.\u201d\n\nBut she only laughed and ran on, still crying out: \u201cMy dumpling! my\ndumpling! Where is that dumpling of mine?\u201d And she came to a third\n_Jiz\u014d_, and asked it:\n\n\u201cO dear _Jiz\u014d_, did you see my dumpling?\u201d\n\nBut _Jiz\u014d_ said:\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t talk about your dumpling now. Here is the _oni_ coming. Squat\ndown here behind my sleeve, and don\u2019t make any noise.\u201d\n\nPresently the _oni_ came very close, and stopped and bowed to _Jiz\u014d_,\nand said:\n\n\u201cGood day, _Jiz\u014d_ San!\u201d\n\n_Jiz\u014d_ said good day, too, very politely.\n\nThen the _oni_ suddenly snuffed the air two or three times in a\nsuspicious way, and cried out: \u201c_Jiz\u014d San, Jiz\u014d San!_ I smell a smell of\nmankind somewhere\u2014don\u2019t you?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d said _Jiz\u014d_, \u201cperhaps you are mistaken.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, no!\u201d said the _oni_ after snuffing the air again; \u201cI smell a smell\nof mankind.\u201d\n\nThen the old woman could not help laughing\u2014\u201c_Te-he-he!_\u201d\u2014and the oni\nimmediately reached down his big hairy hand behind _Jiz\u014d\u2019s_ sleeve, and\npulled her out\u2014still laughing, \u201c_Te-he-he!_\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! ha!\u201d cried the _oni_.\n\nThen _Jiz\u014d_ said:\n\n\u201cWhat are you going to do with that good old woman? You must not hurt\nher.\u201d\n\n\u201cI won\u2019t,\u201d said the _oni_; \u201cbut I will take her home with me to cook for\nus.\u201d\n\n\u201c_Te-he-he!_\u201d laughed the old woman.\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said _Jiz\u014d_, \u201cbut you must really be kind to her. If you\nare not, I shall be very angry.\u201d\n\n\u201cI won\u2019t hurt her at all,\u201d promised the _oni_; \u201cand she will only have\nto do a little work for us every day. Good-by, _Jiz\u014d San_.\u201d\n\nThen the _oni_ took the old woman far down the road till they came to a\nwide deep river, where there was a boat. He put her into the boat, and\ntook her across the river to his house. It was a very large house. He\nled her at once into the kitchen, and told her to cook some dinner for\nhimself and the other _oni_ who lived with him. And he gave her a small\nwooden rice-paddle, and said:\n\n\u201cYou must always put only one grain of rice into the pot, and, when you\nstir that one grain of rice in the water with this paddle, the grain\nwill multiply until the pot is full.\u201d\n\nSo the old woman put just one rice-grain into the pot, as the _oni_ told\nher, and began to stir it with the paddle; and, as she stirred, the one\ngrain became two, then four, then eight, then sixteen, thirty-two,\nsixty-four, and so on. Every time she moved the paddle the rice\nincreased in quantity, and in a few minutes the great pot was full.\n\nAfter that, the funny old woman stayed a long time in the house of the\n_oni_, and every day cooked food for him and for all his friends. The\n_oni_ never hurt or frightened her, and her work was made quite easy by\nthe magic paddle, although she had to cook a very, very great quantity\nof rice, because an oni eats much more than any human being eats.\n\nBut she felt lonely, and always wished very much to go back to her own\nlittle house, and make her dumplings; and one day, when the _oni_ were\nall out somewhere, she thought she would try to run away.\n\nShe first took the magic paddle and slipped it under her girdle, and\nthen she went down to the river. No one saw her, and the boat was there.\nShe got into it and pushed off, and, as she could row very well, she was\nsoon far away from the shore.\n\nBut the river was very wide, and she had not rowed more than one-fourth\nof the way across when the _oni_, all of them, came back to the house.\n\nThey found that their cook was gone, and the magic paddle, too. They ran\ndown to the river at once, and saw the old woman rowing away very fast.\n\nPerhaps they could not swim; at all events, they had no boat, and they\nthought the only way they could catch the funny old woman would be to\ndrink up all the water of the river before she got to the other bank. So\nthey knelt down, and began to drink so fast that, before the old woman\nhad got half-way over, the water had become quite low.\n\nBut the old woman kept on rowing until the water had got so shallow that\nthe _oni_ stopped drinking, and began to wade across. Then she dropped\nher oar, took the magic paddle from her girdle, and shook it at the\n_oni_, and made such funny faces that the _oni_ all burst out laughing.\n\nBut, the moment they laughed, all the water came up that they had drunk,\nand so the river became full again. The _oni_ could not cross, and the\nfunny old woman got safely over to the other side, and ran away up the\nroad as fast as she could. She never stopped running until she found\nherself at home again.\n\nAfter that she was very happy, for she could make dumplings whenever she\npleased. Besides, she had the magic paddle to make rice for her. She\nsold her dumplings to her neighbors and passengers, and in quite a short\ntime she became rich.\n\n\n\n\n _The Three Goats_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there were three goats that were sent to some\npasture-lands in order to be fattened, and all three happened to be\nnamed Brausewind. On their road to the pasture there was a bridge across\na river which they must pass, and under the bridge lived a gigantic and\nhorrible spirit, whose eyes were as large as two pewter plates, and\nwhose nose was as long as the handle of a hoe.\n\nThe youngest goat Brausewind first came along, and stepped upon the\nbridge.\n\n\u201cCreak, creak!\u201d complained the bridge.\n\n\u201cWho is tripping over my bridge?\u201d cried the elf underneath.\n\n\u201cOh! it is only the smallest of the goats named Brausewind,\u201d said the\ngoat in a very shrill voice.\n\n\u201cThen I shall come and fetch you,\u201d cried the elf.\n\n\u201cNay, do not come for me, for I am still so little,\u201d said the goat;\n\u201cwait a bit, till the second Brausewind comes, for he is much larger\nthan I am.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d quoth the elf.\n\nAfter a while the other goat Brausewind came along, and he began to go\nover the bridge.\n\n\u201c_Creaky creak!_\u201d cried the bridge again.\n\n\u201cWho is tramping over my bridge?\u201d cried the elf.\n\n\u201cOh! it is only the second goat Brausewind; I am going to the\npasture-lands to get a little fatter,\u201d answered the goat, but in a less\nsoft voice than the first.\n\n\u201cThen I shall come and fetch you,\u201d said the elf.\n\n\u201cNay, do not take me, but wait a bit till the large goat Brausewind\ncomes, for he is a great deal bigger than I am.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d replied the elf.\n\nIt was not long before the big goat Brausewind reached the same spot.\n\n\u201cCREAK, CREAK!\u201d went the bridge, as if it were going to split.\n\n\u201cWho comes thundering over my bridge?\u201d cried the elf.\n\n\u201cThe big goat Brausewind,\u201d said the goat in a gruff voice.\n\n\u201cThen I shall come and fetch you,\u201d cried the elf.\n\n \u201cWell, come if you like; I\u2019ve two spears in my head,\n With which I can easily strike you dead.\n Yes, come if you like; and with thundering stones\n I shiver to powder your brains and your bones,\u201d\n\nreplied the goat; and, butting at the elf, he easily broke every bone in\nhis body, after which he threw him into the river, and followed the\nother goats to the pastures.\n\nAnd here the goats grew so very, very, very fat that they were not able\nto come home again; and, unless they have grown thinner since, they are\nprobably there still.\n\n\n\n\n _The Fox Turned Shepherd_\n\n\nThere was once a farmer\u2019s wife who rode out to try and find a shepherd.\nShe happened to meet a bear on the way, and the bear inquired whither\nshe was going.\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019m going to hire a shepherd,\u201d answered she.\n\n\u201cWill you take me for a shepherd?\u201d asked the bear.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the woman, \u201cprovided you can call the sheep properly.\u201d\n\n\u201cHo\u2014o\u2014y!\u201d growled the bear.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the woman on hearing this, \u201cI can\u2019t hire you,\u201d and on she\nwent.\n\nSoon after she met a wolf. \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d asked the wolf.\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019m going to hire a shepherd,\u201d answered the woman.\n\n\u201cWill you take me for a shepherd?\u201d asked the wolf.\n\n\u201cYes, if you can call the sheep properly,\u201d replied the woman.\n\n\u201cUh\u2014uh!\u201d howled the wolf.\n\n\u201cNo, I can\u2019t hire you,\u201d said the woman.\n\nA little farther on she met a Fox. \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d asked he.\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019m only going to hire a shepherd,\u201d answered the woman.\n\n\u201cWill you take me for a shepherd?\u201d asked the Fox.\n\n\u201cYes, provided you can but call the sheep properly,\u201d replied the woman.\n\n\u201cDil\u2014dal\u2014holom!\u201d cried the Fox in a pretty, proper tone.\n\n\u201cYes, I will hire you,\u201d said the woman; and she took him for a shepherd\nto watch over the cattle.\n\nThe first day, on driving the cattle to the meadows, the Fox ate up all\nthe goats. On the second day he made a dainty meal upon the sheep, and\non the third day it was the turn for the cows to be eaten.\n\nOn returning home in the evening, the woman asked him where he had left\nthe cattle. \u201cTheir heads are in the brook, and their bones are in the\nbushes,\u201d replied the Fox. The farmer\u2019s wife was just then at the\nbutter-tub, busy making butter; still, she wanted to go and see for\nherself how things stood. While she went to look, the Fox put his head\ninto the butter-tub and drank up all the cream.\n\nWhen the woman came back and saw what he had done, she was so\nexasperated that she seized a clot of cream that still remained in the\ntub and flung it at the Fox, so that it made a spot upon his tail. And\nthis is the reason why the Fox\u2019s tail has a white tip.\n\n\n\n\n _The Seven Boys and the Monster_\n\n\nIt was Saturday afternoon, and Caspar, Michael, Fritz, and little Bessy\nwere playing before their house, when presently little Hans came running\ntoward them, and breathlessly cried:\n\n\u201cWhat have I seen? what have I seen?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat have you seen, then?\u201d exclaimed all the children with one voice,\ncollecting around him.\n\n\u201cA monster! a frightful monster!\u201d answered Hans, wiping the sweat from\nhis brow.\n\n\u201cYou are afraid of your own shadow, fearful Hans,\u201d said Caspar\nmockingly; \u201cperhaps your neighbor\u2019s black cat has turned her fiery eyes\non you again.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am not afraid of my shadow,\u201d answered Hans angrily; \u201chad you only\nbeen there, your ridicule would soon have vanished. A cat is not a bit\nlike a grasshopper\u2014a fearful great grasshopper, on which one could\nride!\u201d\n\nAt this the children wondered very much; and when Hans related that he\nhad seen the monster in the shepherd\u2019s hut in the field\u2014that it had\nhorns, and such a voice that the whole hut trembled\u2014they almost believed\nhim; and little Fritz thought: \u201cWho knows if it is not one of the\nrhinoceroses of which Herr Gulmann told us yesterday?\u201d\n\n\u201cHas the monster done you any harm?\u201d asked little Bessy.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d answered Hans; \u201cwhen I screamed, it shrank back into its house.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I must go and see it,\u201d said Caspar; \u201cand, if you will all follow, I\nwill go now.\u201d\n\nThe children determined to go, but little Hans said:\n\n\u201cI will not go unarmed!\u201d\n\nSo Caspar mounted his horse-stick, put on his helmet, and buckled his\nsaber to his side; Michael took his gun, Fritz the drum, and little Hans\nhis lance.\n\n\u201cYou must remain at home, little Bessy,\u201d said Hans; \u201cI won\u2019t bear the\nblame if the monster hurts you.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I want to go with you,\u201d answered little Bessy, almost crying; \u201cand,\nif you will not take me, I will tell my mother.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet her go, then,\u201d said Fritz; \u201cbut remember, Bessy, you must always\nkeep ten yards behind.\u201d\n\nThus, having armed themselves, they took courage, and Caspar thought:\n\u201cOh, if we could only catch the monster, dead or alive! Ah! here come\nPeter, and Frank, and George\u2014they can also go with us, but they must\ntake the great bean-pole out of the garden, that we may be able to\nattack the monster at a distance.\u201d\n\nNow the little army set itself in motion. Caspar on \u201cRoho\u201d (for so his\nhorse was named) came first, as commander; then came Hans with the\nspear, Fritz with the drum, Michael with the gun, and lastly, Peter,\nFrank, and George, with the pole. Little Bessy came ten yards behind\nthem. All were full of courage, and they sang:\n\n The general on his horse comes first,\n And next the spear and drum;\n The soldier, with his gun; and three\n Armed with a bean-pole come.\n But Bessy marches after all,\n That unto her no harm may fall.\n\nWhen they came to the little wood through which one must go in order to\nget to the great meadow where the shepherd\u2019s cot stands, Hans cried out\nall at once, his flag nearly falling from his hand:\n\n\u201cDid you not hear a noise?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes!\u201d cried all, trembling; but Fritz had still courage enough to say:\n\n\u201cBessy must remain behind.\u201d\n\nThen they whispered to one another, \u201cThe monster, perhaps, has hidden\nhere\u201d; but they dared not run away, for fear the monster should fall on\nthem from behind, and they resolved to lie on the ground and listen. So\nthey laid down all apart, and presently they whispered:\n\n\u201cHans trembles very much.\u201d\n\nAfter a long time Fritz asked:\n\n\u201cHave you heard nothing, Caspar?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said he, and the others also said \u201cno\u201d; and Frank thought,\nperhaps, it was only the wind. At this they took courage, and, in order\nto show they were not afraid, they sang:\n\n O wind, in the wood whistle all the day long,\n We\u2019ll whistle as boldly, we\u2019ll whistle as strong,\n\nand they began to whistle, with all their strength, against the wind.\n\nWhen they had come out of the wood they saw the shepherd\u2019s hut standing\nquite alone; in the distance the sheep were peacefully feeding, and\ntheir little bells sounded merrily along the meadows. Only an old ram\nsaw the young band of heroes, and it ventured nearer in order to look\nwonderingly. But Caspar rode against it, brandishing his sword, which\nmade the ram bleat and gallop away.\n\n\u201cNow is the time!\u201d said Caspar; \u201cwe will first walk three times round\nthe hut, but no one must make any noise!\u201d\n\n\u201cBessy still stops behind!\u201d cried Fritz, out of the strength of his\nlove.\n\n\u201cOnce more I say,\u201d exclaimed Caspar loudly and forcibly, \u201cno one must\nmake a noise. We will now walk around, and when we are about to attack,\nFritz shall give the signal with his drum.\u201d\n\nSo they began to walk round the hut, but they marched round much oftener\nthan three times, and each time they stopped at the same place.\n\n\u201cWe cannot go round any more,\u201d said Caspar, \u201cwe must attack the monster\nfrom some place. Do you hide first, behind the oak-tree, one behind\nanother, that the monster may not see you; I will step on to the wheel\nthere, and look in at the window, but\u2014mind you are all ready at the\nfirst call.\u201d\n\nAs they hid themselves behind the oak, he walked slowly with drawn sword\nto the hut, and little Hans whispered behind the tree:\n\n\u201cIf there should be a wolf in the hut! Do you remember the story of\n\u2018Little Red Riding-hood\u2019?\u201d\n\nThis made them very much afraid, and they held the faster to one\nanother. Only Frank dared look out to see how their captain got on.\n\nHe had arrived at the hut, and, having fastened his horse to a stake, he\nmounted the wheel in order to look through the window. But\u2014what a\nmonster!\u2014a great bearded beast with horns sprang with a loud cry at him;\nand Caspar, pale as death from terror, fell back, and could scarcely\ncry:\n\n\u201cHelp! help!\u2014the monster!\u201d\n\nAs he called out, Franz said, \u201cIt has a beard and horns, and such a\nvoice!\u201d and Hans, who stood next to the oak, fell back on the rest, and\none after the other fell to the ground.\n\nFritz picked himself up first, and called to Caspar from afar:\n\n\u201cHas he eaten you up yet, dear Caspar?\u201d\n\n\u201cWho?\u201d cried Caspar, springing up, \u201cwho?\u201d And out of the hut sounded\nagain the cry; it shook the door, and all fell back again. A goat came\nrunning up, with playful jumps, to our heroes.\n\n\u201cHerr Gulmann\u2019s sick goat!\u201d cried out all, \u201cwhich, since the day before\nyesterday, we have not seen in the schoolyard.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid I not say so?\u201d cried Caspar. \u201cBut, ah, fearful Hans! where is the\nmonster?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat must still be within,\u201d protested Hans. \u201cYou also have seen it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe will look again,\u201d cried the enraged Caspar, in anger; \u201cbut, as the\nmonster has not eaten the goat, it is no cannibal. Just come here, and\nstand around while Hans and I go in; and do you hold the bar of the\ndoor, that the monster may not come out.\u201d\n\nAll were, in spite of their former terror, become courageous; still,\nHans would willingly have gone back if he had not disliked to be called\n\u201cfearful Hans.\u201d He placed himself, therefore, at the door, behind\nCaspar, holding his banner before his eyes, and pressing it close to\nhim. But Caspar did not remark that Hans had placed himself behind him;\nand Hans, on the other hand, did not see Caspar turn himself angrily and\nquickly round, the hut being very dark; and it so happened that he\noverturned Hans and fell over him.\n\n\u201cThe monster! the monster!\u201d cried Hans; and Caspar exclaimed, too, \u201cThe\nmonster! the monster!\u201d for each thought that it had overthrown him. With\nthe quickness of lightning they sprang up again, in order to escape\nthrough the door, but those outside only held the bar faster from\nterror; and Hans and Caspar kicked with such violence against the wood\nthat the others cried, \u201cThe monster! the monster!\u201d\n\nBut this time it was not a goat, but the specter, which every one\nsometimes sees and feels. This our hero, Caspar, very soon found out;\nand springing up, he stamped thrice on the ground with his foot, and\nseizing poor Hans by the collar, he shook him angrily, and cried out in\na voice nearly choked with rage:\n\n\u201cYou are a coward! you are a coward!\u201d\n\n\u201cDear Caspar, let me go; I will not do it again!\u201d\n\n\u201cHans, you are a coward!\u201d replied Caspar, for the third time shaking\nhim.\n\nBut as little Hans said, \u201cI will certainly show you a monster!\u201d and as\nthe others begged for his life, he let him loose, stamped again on the\nground, and exclaimed:\n\n\u201cOh, I would have commanded a band of heroes; I would have caught the\nmonster, and led it in triumph home, but now it is gone, and you are the\ncause!\u201d\n\nBut meanwhile the goat, which at first had so frightened them,\napproached again, and performed various playful capers to induce them to\nplay with it. This increased Caspar\u2019s rage, who would have seized the\nanimal and beaten it; but it ran back, and then lowering its horns\nrushed against Caspar, not very softly. This excited him the more; he\nmade a bold spring, seized the brute by the hair, and mounted it, in\norder the better to hold it; but, lo! the goat ran wildly away with him,\nwith mad jumps through the wood, past shrieking Bessy, away into the\nvillage, where the people pointed their fingers at him mockingly.\n\nWhere did the goat stop?\u2014for Caspar, while he lives, will not forget\nthis! It easily found the way to the schoolhouse where it once joyfully\nfed, and flying to the yard, where the affrighted dog tried to seize it,\nit rushed into the school at the principal entrance, and stood suddenly\nin the schoolroom, where Herr Gulmann was correcting the exercises of\nhis scholars. He heard the tremendous noise and outcry, and putting on\nhis spectacles he discovered all!\n\nWhat further happened I will omit, out of pity for Caspar, who may read\nthis history some time. Only this must I mention: that Herr Gulmann made\nhim read and explain on Monday morning, for a religious exercise, the\nhistory of David and Goliath, and soon after he unwillingly related the\nstory of the Seven Suabians, who allowed themselves to be conquered by a\nhare, and at that seven little boys blushed very deeply. I believe,\nhowever, that seven times seven-and-seventy little boys would blush at\nthis story I have just told if it had happened to them!\n\n\n\n\n _The Story of Little Black Mingo_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a little black girl, and her name was Little\nBlack Mingo.\n\nShe had no father and mother, so she had to live with a horrid cross old\nwoman called Black Noggy, who used to scold her every day, and sometimes\nbeat her with a stick, even though she had done nothing naughty.\n\nOne day Black Noggy called her, and said: \u201cTake this chatty down to the\nriver and fill it with water, and come back as fast as you can\u2014_quick\nnow_!\u201d\n\nSo Little Black Mingo took the chatty and ran down to the river as fast\nas she could, and began to fill it with water, when cr-r-rrrack!!!\nbang!!! a horrible big mugger poked its nose up through the bottom of\nthe chatty and said: \u201cHa, ha! Little Mingo, I\u2019m going to eat you up!\u201d\n\nLittle Black Mingo did not say anything. She turned and ran away as fast\nas ever she could, and the mugger ran after her. But the broken chatty\nround his neck caught his paws, so he could not overtake her.\n\nBut when she got back to Black Noggy, and told her how the mugger had\nbroken the chatty, Black Noggy was fearfully angry. \u201cYou naughty girl,\u201d\nshe said, \u201cyou have broken the chatty yourself. I have a good mind to\nbeat you.\u201d And if she had not been in such a hurry for the water she\n_would_ have beaten her.\n\nThen she went and fetched the great big chatty that the dhobi used to\nboil the clothes in. \u201cTake this,\u201d said she, \u201cand mind you don\u2019t break\nit, or I _will_ beat you.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I can\u2019t carry that when it is full of water,\u201d said Little Black\nMingo.\n\n\u201cYou must go twice, and bring it half-full each time,\u201d said Black Noggy.\n\nSo Little Black Mingo took the dhobi\u2019s great big chatty, and started\nagain to go to the river. But first she went to a little bank above the\nriver, and peeped up and down to see if she could see the old mugger\nanywhere. But she could not see him, for he was hiding under the very\nbank she was standing on, and, though his tail stuck out a little, she\nnever saw him at all.\n\nShe would have liked to run home, but she was too much afraid that Black\nNoggy would beat her.\n\nSo Little Black Mingo crept down to the river, and began to fill the big\nchatty with water. And while she was filling it the mugger came creeping\nsoftly down behind her and caught her by the leg, saying: \u201cAha, Little\nBlack Mingo, now I\u2019ve got you.\u201d\n\nAnd Little Black Mingo said: \u201cOh! please don\u2019t eat me up, great big\nmugger!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat will you give me if I don\u2019t eat you up?\u201d said the mugger. But\nLittle Black Mingo was so poor she had nothing to give. So the mugger\ncaught her in his great cruel mouth and swam away with her to an island\nin the middle of the river, and set her down beside a huge pile of eggs.\n\n\u201cThose are my eggs,\u201d said he; \u201cto-morrow a little mugger will come out\nof each, and then we will have a great feast, and we will eat you up.\u201d\n\nThen he waddled off to catch fish for himself, and left Little Black\nMingo alone beside the big pile of eggs.\n\nAnd Little Black Mingo sat down on a big stone and hid her face in her\nhands, and cried bitterly, because she couldn\u2019t swim, and she didn\u2019t\nknow how to get away.\n\nPresently she heard a queer little squeaky noise that sounded like\n\u201cSqueak, squeak, squeak!!! Oh, Little Black Mingo, help me, or I shall\nbe drowned.\u201d She got up and looked to see what was calling, and she saw\na bush coming floating down the river with something wriggling and\nscrambling about in it, and as it came near she saw that it was a\nmongoose that was in the bush. So she waded out as far as she could, and\ncaught hold of the bush and pulled it in, and the poor mongoose crawled\nup her arm on to her shoulder, and she carried him to shore.\n\nWhen they got to shore the mongoose shook himself, and Little Black\nMingo wrung out her petticoat, and so they both very soon got dry.\n\nThe mongoose then began to poke about for something to eat, and very\nsoon he found the great big pile of muggers\u2019 eggs. \u201cOh, joy!\u201d said he,\n\u201cwhat\u2019s this?\u201d\n\n\u201cThose are muggers\u2019 eggs,\u201d said Little Black Mingo.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not afraid of muggers!\u201d said the mongoose; and he sat down and\nbegan to crack the eggs, and eat the little muggers as they came out.\nAnd he threw the shells into the water, so that the old mugger should\nnot see that any one had been eating them. But he was careless, and he\nleft one egg-shell on the edge, and he was hungry, and he ate so many\nthat the pile got much smaller, and when the old mugger came back he saw\nat once that some one had been meddling with them.\n\nSo he ran to Little Black Mingo, and said, \u201cHow dare you eat my eggs?\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed, indeed, I didn\u2019t,\u201d said Little Black Mingo.\n\n\u201cThen who could it have been?\u201d said the mugger, and he ran back to the\neggs as fast as he could, and, sure enough, when he got back he found\nthe mongoose had eaten a whole lot more!!\n\nThen he said to himself, \u201cI must stay beside my eggs till they are\nhatched into little muggers, or the mongoose will eat them all.\u201d So he\ncurled himself into a ring round the eggs and went to sleep.\n\nBut while he was asleep the mongoose came to eat some more of the eggs,\nand ate as many as he wanted, and when the mugger woke this time, oh!\n_what_ a rage he was in, for there were only six eggs left! He roared so\nloud that all the little muggers inside the shells gnashed their teeth,\nand tried to roar, too.\n\nThen he said: \u201cI know what I\u2019ll do. I\u2019ll fetch Little Black Mingo\u2019s big\nchatty, and cover my eggs with that; then the mongoose won\u2019t be able to\nget at them.\u201d So he swam across to the shore, and fetched the dhobi\u2019s\nbig chatty, and covered the eggs with it. \u201cNow, you wicked little\nmongoose, come and eat my eggs if you can,\u201d said he, and he went off\nquite proud and happy.\n\nBy and by the mongoose came back, and he was terribly disappointed when\nhe found the eggs all covered with the big chatty.\n\nSo he ran off to Little Black Mingo, and asked her to help him, and\nLittle Black Mingo came and took the big chatty off the eggs, and the\nmongoose ate them, every one.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d said he, \u201cthere will be no little muggers to make a feast for\nto-morrow.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Little Black Mingo, \u201cbut the mugger will eat me all by\nhimself, I am afraid.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, he won\u2019t,\u201d said the mongoose, \u201cfor we will sail away together in\nthe big chatty before he comes back.\u201d\n\nSo he climbed on to the edge of the chatty, and Little Black Mingo\npushed the chatty out into the water, and then she clambered into it and\npaddled with her two hands as hard as she could, and the big chatty just\nsailed beautifully.\n\nSo they got across safely, and Little Black Mingo filled the chatty\nhalf-full of water and took it on her head, and they went up the bank\ntogether.\n\nBut when the mugger came back, and found only empty egg-shells, he was\nfearfully angry. He roared and he raged, and he howled and he yelled,\ntill the whole island shook, and his tears ran down his cheeks and\npattered on the sand like rain.\n\nSo he started to chase Little Black Mingo and the mongoose, and he swam\nacross the river as fast as ever he could, and when he was half-way\nacross he saw them landing, and as he landed they hurried over the first\nridge.\n\nSo he raced after them, but they ran, and just before he caught them\nthey got into the house, and banged the door in his face. Then they shut\nall the windows, so he could not get in anywhere.\n\n\u201cAll right,\u201d said he, \u201cyou will have to come out some time, and then I\nwill catch you both, and eat you up.\u201d\n\nSo he hid behind the back of the house and waited.\n\nNow, Black Noggy was just coming home from the bazaar with a tin of\nkerosene on her head and a box of matches in her hand.\n\nAnd when he saw her the mugger rushed out and gobbled her up, kerosene\ntin, matches, and all!!!\n\nWhen Black Noggy found herself in the mugger\u2019s dark inside, she wanted\nto see where she was, so she felt for the match-box, and took out a\nmatch and lit it. But the mugger\u2019s teeth had made holes in the kerosene\ntin, so that the flame of the match caught the kerosene, and BANG!! the\nkerosene exploded, and blew the old mugger and Black Noggy into little\nbits.\n\nAt the fearful noise Little Black Mingo and the mongoose came running\nout, and there they found Black Noggy and the old mugger all blown to\nbits.\n\nSo Little Black Mingo and the mongoose got the nice little house for\ntheir very own, and there they lived happy ever after. And Little Black\nMingo got the mugger\u2019s head for her seat, and the mongoose got Black\nNoggy\u2019s handkerchief for his. But he was so wee he used to put it on the\nmugger\u2019s nose, and there they sat, and had their tea every evening.\n\n HELEN BANNERMAN.\n\n\n\n\n _The Cock and the Crested Hen_\n\n\nThere was once a Cock who had a whole farm-yard of hens to look after\nand manage; and among them was a tiny little Crested Hen. She thought\nshe was altogether too grand to be in company with the other hens, for\nthey looked so old and shabby; she wanted to go out and strut about all\nby herself, so that people could see how fine she was, and admire her\npretty crest and beautiful plumage.\n\nSo one day when all the hens were strutting about on the dust-heap and\nshowing themselves off, and picking and clucking, as they were wont to\ndo, this desire seized her, and she began to cry:\n\n\u201cCluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, over the fence! cluck, cluck, cluck, over\nthe fence!\u201d and wanted to get away.\n\nThe Cock stretched his neck and shook his comb and feathers, and cried:\n\n\u201cGo not there!\u201d And all the old hens cackled:\n\n\u201cGo-go-go-go not there!\u201d\n\nBut she set off for all that; and was not a little proud when she got\naway, and could go about pluming and showing herself off quite alone.\n\nJust then a hawk began to fly round in a circle above her, and all of a\nsudden he swooped down upon her. The Cock, as he stood on top of the\ndust-heap, stretching his neck and peering first with one eye and then\nwith the other, had long noticed him, and cried with all his might:\n\n\u201cCome, come, come and help! Come, come, come and help!\u201d till the people\ncame running to see what was the matter. They frightened the hawk so\nthat he let go the Hen, and had to be satisfied with her tuft and her\nfinest feathers, which he had plucked from her. And then, you may be\nsure, she lost no time in running home; she stretched her neck, and\ntripped along, crying:\n\n\u201cSee, see, see, see how I look! See, see, see, see how I look!\u201d\n\nThe Cock came up to her in his dignified way, drooped one of his wings,\nand said:\n\n\u201cDidn\u2019t I tell you?\u201d\n\nFrom that time the Hen did not consider herself too good to be in the\ncompany of the old hens on the dust-heap.\n\n\n\n\n _The Old Woman and the Fish_\n\n\nThere was once upon a time an old woman who lived in a miserable cottage\non the brow of a hill overlooking the town. Her husband had been dead\nfor many years, and her children were in service round about the parish,\nso she felt rather lonely and dreary by herself, and otherwise she was\nnot particularly well off either.\n\nBut when it has been ordained that one shall live, one cannot think of\none\u2019s funeral; and so one has to take the world as it is, and still be\nsatisfied; and that was about all the old woman could console herself\nwith. But that the road up which she had to carry the pails from the\nwell should be so heavy; and that the ax should have such a blunt and\nrusty edge, so that it was only with the greatest difficulty that she\ncould cut the little firewood she had; and that the stuff she was\nweaving was not sufficient\u2014all this grieved her greatly, and caused her\nto complain from time to time.\n\nSo one day, when she had pulled the bucket up from the well, she\nhappened to find a small pike in the bucket, which did not at all\ndisplease her.\n\n\u201cSuch fish does not come into my pot every day,\u201d she said; and now she\ncould have a really grand dish, she thought. But the fish that she had\ngot this time was no fool; it had the gift of speech, that it had.\n\n\u201cLet me go!\u201d said the fish.\n\nThe old woman began to stare, you may be sure. Such a fish she had never\nbefore seen in this world.\n\n\u201cAre you so much better than other fish, then?\u201d she said, \u201cand too good\nto be eaten?\u201d\n\n\u201cWise is he who does not eat all he gets hold of,\u201d said the fish; \u201conly\nlet me go, and you shall not remain without reward for your trouble.\u201d\n\n\u201cI like a fish in the bucket better than all those frisking about free\nand frolicsome in the lakes,\u201d said the old woman. \u201cAnd what one can\ncatch with one hand, one can also carry to one\u2019s mouth,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cThat may be,\u201d said the fish; \u201cbut if you do as I tell you, you shall\nhave three wishes.\u201d\n\n\u201cWish in one fist, and pour water in the other, and you\u2019ll soon see\nwhich you will get filled first,\u201d said the woman. \u201cPromises are well\nenough, but keeping them is better, and I sha\u2019n\u2019t believe much in you\ntill I have got you in the pot,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cYou should mind that tongue of yours,\u201d said the fish, \u201cand listen to my\nwords. Wish for three things, and then you\u2019ll see what will happen,\u201d he\nsaid.\n\nWell, the old woman knew well enough what she wanted to wish, and there\nmight not be so much danger in trying how far the fish would keep his\nword, she thought.\n\nShe then began thinking of the heavy hill up from the well.\n\n\u201cI would wish that the pails could go of themselves to the well and home\nagain,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cSo they shall,\u201d said the fish.\n\nThen she thought of the ax, and how blunt it was.\n\n\u201cI would wish that whatever I strike shall break right off,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cSo it shall,\u201d said the fish.\n\nAnd then she remembered that the stuff she was weaving was not long\nenough.\n\n\u201cI would wish that whatever I pull shall become long,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cThat it shall,\u201d said the fish. \u201cAnd now, let me down into the well\nagain.\u201d\n\nYes, that she would, and all at once the pails began to shamble up the\nhill.\n\n\u201cDear me, did you ever see anything like it?\u201d The old woman became so\nglad and pleased that she slapped herself across the knees.\n\nCrack, crack! it sounded; and then both her legs fell off, and she was\nleft sitting on the top of the lid over the well.\n\nNow came a change. She began to cry and wail, and the tears started from\nher eyes, whereupon she began blowing her nose with her apron, and as\nshe tugged at her nose it grew so long, so long, that it was terrible to\nsee.\n\nThat is what she got for her wishes! Well, there she sat, and there she\nno doubt still sits, on the lid of the well. And if you want to know\nwhat it is to have a long nose, you had better go there and ask her, for\nshe can tell you all about it, she can.\n\n\n\n\n _The Lad and the Fox_\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a little lad, who was on his way to church,\nand when he came to a clearing in the forest he caught sight of a fox,\nthat was lying on the top of a big stone so fast asleep that he did not\nknow the lad had seen him.\n\n\u201cIf I kill that fox,\u201d said the lad, taking a heavy stone in his fist,\n\u201cand sell the skin, I shall get money for it, and with that money I\nshall buy some rye, and that rye I shall sow in father\u2019s corn-field at\nhome. When the people who are on their way to church pass by my field of\nrye they\u2019ll say: \u2018Oh, what splendid rye that lad has got!\u2019 Then I shall\nsay to them: \u2018I say, keep away from my rye!\u2019 But they won\u2019t heed me.\nThen I shall shout to them: \u2018I say, keep away from my rye!\u2019 But still\nthey won\u2019t take any notice of me. Then I shall scream with all my might:\n\u2018Keep away from my rye!\u2019 and then they\u2019ll listen to me.\u201d\n\nBut the lad screamed so loudly that the fox woke up and made off at once\nfor the forest, so that the lad did not even get as much as a handful of\nhis hair.\n\nNo; it\u2019s best always to take what you can reach, for of undone deeds you\nshould never screech, as the saying goes.\n\n\n\n\n _The Old Woman and the Tramp_\n\n\nThere was once a tramp who went plodding his way through a forest. The\ndistance between the houses was so great that he had little hope of\nfinding a shelter before the night set in. But all of a sudden he saw\nsome lights between the trees. He then discovered a cottage, where there\nwas a fire burning on the hearth. How nice it would be to roast one\u2019s\nself before that fire, and to get a bite of something, he thought; and\nso he dragged himself toward the cottage.\n\nJust then an old woman came toward him.\n\n\u201cGood evening, and well met!\u201d said the tramp.\n\n\u201cGood evening,\u201d said the woman. \u201cWhere do you come from?\u201d\n\n\u201cSouth of the sun, and east of the moon,\u201d said the tramp; \u201cand now I am\non the way home again, for I have been all over the world with the\nexception of this parish,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cYou must be a great traveler, then,\u201d said the woman. \u201cWhat may be your\nbusiness here?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I want a shelter for the night,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cI thought as much,\u201d said the woman; \u201cbut you may as well get away from\nhere at once, for my husband is not at home, and my place is not an\ninn,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cMy good woman,\u201d said the tramp, \u201cyou must not be so cross and\nhard-hearted, for we are both human beings, and should help one another,\nas it is written.\u201d\n\n\u201cHelp one another?\u201d said the woman, \u201chelp? Did you ever hear such a\nthing? Who\u2019ll help me, do you think? I haven\u2019t got a morsel in the\nhouse! No, you\u2019ll have to look for quarters elsewhere,\u201d she said.\n\nBut the tramp was like the rest of his kind; he did not consider himself\nbeaten at the first rebuff. Although the old woman grumbled and\ncomplained as much as she could, he was just as persistent as ever, and\nwent on begging and praying like a starved dog, until at last she gave\nin, and he got permission to lie on the floor for the night.\n\nThat was very kind, he thought, and he thanked her for it.\n\n\u201cBetter on the floor without sleep, than suffer cold in the forest\ndeep,\u201d he said; for he was a merry fellow, this tramp, and was always\nready with a rhyme.\n\nWhen he came into the room he could see that the woman was not so badly\noff as she had pretended; but she was a greedy and stingy woman of the\nworst sort, and was always complaining and grumbling.\n\nHe now made himself very agreeable, of course, and asked her in his most\ninsinuating manner for something to eat.\n\n\u201cWhere am I to get it from?\u201d said the woman. \u201cI haven\u2019t tasted a morsel\nmyself the whole day.\u201d\n\nBut the tramp was a cunning fellow, he was.\n\n\u201cPoor old granny, you must be starving,\u201d he said. \u201cWell, well, I suppose\nI shall have to ask you to have something with me, then?\u201d\n\n\u201cHave something with you!\u201d said the woman. \u201cYou don\u2019t look as if you\ncould ask any one to have anything! What have you got to offer one, I\nshould like to know?\u201d\n\n\u201cHe who far and wide does roam sees many things not known at home; and\nhe who many things has seen has wits about him and senses keen,\u201d said\nthe tramp. \u201cBetter dead than lose one\u2019s head! Lend me a pot, granny!\u201d\n\nThe old woman now became very inquisitive, as you may guess, and so she\nlet him have a pot.\n\nHe filled it with water and put it on the fire, and then he blew with\nall his might till the fire was burning fiercely all round it. Then he\ntook a four-inch nail from his pocket, turned it three times in his\nhand, and put it into the pot.\n\nThe woman stared with all her might.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s this going to be?\u201d she asked.\n\n\u201cNail broth,\u201d said the tramp, and began to stir the water with the\nporridge-stick.\n\n\u201cNail broth?\u201d asked the woman.\n\n\u201cYes, nail broth,\u201d said the tramp.\n\nThe old woman had seen and heard a good deal in her time, but that\nanybody could have made broth with a nail, well, she had never heard the\nlike before.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s something for poor people to know,\u201d she said, \u201cand I should like\nto learn how to make it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat which is not worth having will always go a-begging,\u201d said the\ntramp, but if she wanted to learn how to make it she had only to watch\nhim, he said, and went on stirring the broth.\n\nThe old woman squatted on the ground, her hands clasping her knees, and\nher eyes following his hand as he stirred the broth.\n\n\u201cThis generally makes good broth,\u201d he said; \u201cbut this time it will very\nlikely be rather thin, for I have been making broth the whole week with\nthe same nail. If one only had a handful of sifted oatmeal to put in,\nthat would make it all right,\u201d he said. \u201cBut what one has to go without,\nit\u2019s no use thinking more about,\u201d and so he stirred the broth again.\n\n\u201cWell, I think I have a scrap of flour somewhere,\u201d said the old woman,\nand went out to fetch some, and it was both good and fine.\n\nThe tramp began putting the flour into the broth, and went on stirring,\nwhile the woman sat staring now at him and then at the pot until her\neyes nearly burst their sockets.\n\n\u201cThis broth would be good enough for company,\u201d he said, putting in one\nhandful of flour after another. \u201cIf I had only a bit of salted beef and\na few potatoes to put in, it would be fit for gentlefolks, however\nparticular they might be,\u201d he said. \u201cBut what one has to go without,\nit\u2019s no use thinking more about.\u201d\n\nWhen the old woman really began to think it over, she thought she had\nsome potatoes, and perhaps a bit of beef as well; and these she gave the\ntramp, who went on stirring, while she sat and stared as hard as ever.\n\n\u201cThis will be grand enough for the best in the land,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cWell, I never!\u201d said the woman; \u201cand just fancy\u2014all with a nail!\u201d\n\nHe was really a wonderful man, that tramp! He could do more than drink a\nsup and turn the tankard up, he could.\n\n\u201cIf one had only a little barley and a drop of milk, we could ask the\nking himself to have some of it,\u201d he said; \u201cfor this is what he has\nevery blessed evening\u2014that I know, for I have been in service under the\nking\u2019s cook,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cDear me! Ask the king to have some! Well, I never!\u201d exclaimed the\nwoman, slapping her knees. She was quite awestruck at the tramp and his\ngrand connections.\n\n\u201cBut what one has to go without, it\u2019s no use thinking more about,\u201d said\nthe tramp.\n\nAnd then she remembered she had a little barley; and as for milk, well,\nshe wasn\u2019t quite out of that, she said, for her best cow had just\ncalved. And then she went to fetch both the one and the other.\n\nThe tramp went on stirring, and the woman sat staring, one moment at him\nand the next at the pot.\n\nThen all at once the tramp took out the nail.\n\n\u201cNow it\u2019s ready, and now we\u2019ll have a real good feast,\u201d he said. \u201cBut to\nthis kind of soup the king and the queen always take a dram or two, and\none sandwich at least. And then they always have a cloth on the table\nwhen they eat,\u201d he said. \u201cBut what one has to go without, it\u2019s no use\nthinking more about.\u201d\n\nBut by this time the old woman herself had begun to feel quite grand and\nfine, I can tell you; and if that was all that was wanted to make it\njust as the king had it, she thought it would be nice to have it exactly\nthe same way for once, and play at being king and queen with the tramp.\nShe went straight to a cupboard and brought out the brandy bottle, dram\nglasses, butter and cheese, smoked beef and veal, until at last the\ntable looked as if it were decked out for company.\n\nNever in her life had the old woman had such a grand feast, and never\nhad she tasted such broth, and just fancy, made only with a nail!\n\nShe was in such a good and merry humor at having learned such an\neconomical way of making broth that she did not know how to make enough\nof the tramp who had taught her such a useful thing.\n\nSo they ate and drank, and drank and ate, until they became both tired\nand sleepy.\n\nThe tramp was now going to lie down on the floor. But that would never\ndo, thought the old woman; no, that was impossible. \u201cSuch a grand person\nmust have a bed to lie in,\u201d she said.\n\nHe did not need much pressing. \u201cIt\u2019s just like the sweet Christmas\ntime,\u201d he said, \u201cand a nicer woman I never came across. Ah, well! Happy\nare they who meet with such good people,\u201d said he; and he lay down on\nthe bed and went asleep.\n\nAnd next morning, when he woke, the first thing he got was coffee and a\ndram.\n\nWhen he was going, the old woman gave him a bright dollar piece.\n\n\u201cAnd thanks, many thanks, for what you have taught me,\u201d she said. \u201cNow I\nshall live in comfort, since I have learned how to make broth with a\nnail.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, it isn\u2019t very difficult if one only has something good to add to\nit,\u201d said the tramp as he went his way.\n\nThe woman stood at the door staring after him.\n\n\u201cSuch people don\u2019t grow on every bush,\u201d she said.\n\n\n THE END\n\n\n\n\n McCLURE\u2019S LIBRARY OF CHILDREN\u2019S CLASSICS\n\n \u201cTHE CRIMSON CLASSICS\u201d\n\n EDITED BY\n\n Kate Douglas Wiggin\n\n AND\n\n Nora Archibald Smith\n\n\nThe problem of children\u2019s reading is one of the greatest with which\nparents and teachers are confronted. It is the purpose of this series to\nprovide the very best literature in every field for the use of children\nand young people of all ages,\u2014poetry, fairy lore, fables, nursery\nrhymes, short entertaining stories, etc., etc. To accomplish this\npurpose the editors have spared no trouble and the publishers no\nexpense, to the end that this series may take its place permanently in\nthe home and in the school library, superseding all others less complete\nand less carefully selected with reference to the mental and spiritual\nneeds and the simple \u00e6sthetic tastes of children. A full description of\nthe five volumes already published will be found on the following pages.\n\n\n PINAFORE PALACE\n\n A BOOK OF RHYMES FOR THE NURSERY\n\nThis volume is absolutely unique in scope and conception. It is a\ncollection of all the best nursery rhymes, nonsense verses, guessing\ngames, lullabies and slumber songs for the delectation of the very\nlittlest readers, just as The Posy Ring was designed for children a\nlittle older, and GOLDEN NUMBERS for their brothers and sisters who are\nbeginning to grow up and to prepare for school and college. The editors\nhave, as in the case of the former volumes in the series, gone through\nthe entire field of available material, and drawn upon many sources that\nare remote or inaccessible for the general reader. In this way they have\nbeen able to recover many a veritable little masterpiece of nursery\nlore, as well as to bring together all the old favorites from Mother\nGoose and other collections in a form at once compact and comprehensive.\nTeachers of kindergartens everywhere, as well as mothers with children\nto entertain at home, will welcome this little book and keep it on the\nmost convenient shelf of the nursery bookcase. \u201cEvery home, large or\nsmall, poor or rich,\u201d writes Mrs. Wiggin in her delightful INTRODUCTION\nTO THE MOTHER IN PINAFORE PALACE; and, she adds later, \u201cno greater love\nfor a task nor happiness in doing it, no more ardent wish to please a\nchild or meet a mother\u2019s need, ever went into a book than has been\nbrought into this volume.\u201d\n\n _$1.50_\n\n\n MAGIC CASEMENTS\n\n A SECOND FAIRY BOOK\n\nThis volume, a companion to \u201cThe Fairy Ring,\u201d completes that volume and\nmakes, with it, the most exhaustive collection of fairy lore available\nfor young readers. The editors, with their unerring gift for selection\nwhich in itself amounts to genius, have gathered those stories which\nhave in them the greatest degree of that glamour which, in the language\nof Keats, opens \u201cmagic casements\u201d on the world of Fairyland. These\nstories are for the most part longer and more elaborate than those in\nthe preceding volume and are designed for slightly older readers.\n\n\n THE FAIRY RING\n\nDesigned by its editors to be the standard fairy book for children. The\neducational value of the fairy story cannot be denied in its healthy\nstimulation of the child\u2019s imaginative powers. Here the collections of\nGrimm, Andersen, Joseph Jacobs, Laboulaye, Perrault, and Dasent have\nyielded their richest stores, but the editors have not confined\nthemselves to these better-known sources. They have gone far afield,\nread and examined all existing books of fairy literature, sifting all\nthe material till they have made a generous selection which is inclusive\nof the very best that has ever been written.\n\n \u201cCan hardly fail to prove the most popular anthology of its kind\n ever published.\u201d _Boston Herald._\n\n _Each volume beautifully printed and bound; about 450 pages: Gilt\n top; postpaid, $1.50_\n\n\n GOLDEN NUMBERS\n\n A BOOK OF VERSE FOR YOUTH\n\nThe best anthology of English verse ever prepared for young people from\nthe ages of 12 to 17. It is composed entirely of the finest examples of\nEnglish poetical literature, selected with special reference to the\nrequirements of young people of the grammar and high school age.\n\n \u201cThe book will charm the child for the moment; it will educate his\n tastes without awakening the suspicion that he is at school, and\n it will enrich his memory for all time to come.\u201d _Outlook._\n\n _With an introduction by Kate Douglas Wiggin, and interleaves.\n Cloth, 500 pages; postpaid, $2.17; net, $2.00_\n\n\n THE POSY RING\n\n A BOOK OF VERSE FOR CHILDREN\n\nA companion volume to \u201cGolden Numbers,\u201d suitable for children from the\nages of 7 to 12. The compilers have drawn largely on the works of\nLongfellow, Stevenson, Lewis Carroll, Eugene Field, Mary Mapes Dodge and\nJames Whitcomb Riley. Every poem will give delight to the child, and\nalso to the mother who would read them to the little ones.\n\n \u201cInto its pages have been gathered the cream of poetry for\n children.\u201d _Boston Transcript._\n\n _Printed in very large, readable type. Cloth, postpaid, $1.37;\n net, $1.25_\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n TRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTES\n\n\n 1. Changed \u2018shall everything\u2019 to \u2018shall have everything\u2019 on p. 25.\n 2. Changed \u2018of in all\u2019 to \u2018of it all\u2019 on p. 93.\n 3. Silently corrected typographical errors.\n 4. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.\n 5. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.","title":"Tales of Laughter: A third fairy book","tradition":"folklore-oral-tradition","translated_text":null,"word_count":138895}