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diff --git a/old/53766-0.txt b/old/53766-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a534dce..0000000 --- a/old/53766-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4468 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Merry Tales, by Eleanor L. Skinner and Ada M. Skinner - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Merry Tales - -Author: Eleanor L. Skinner - Ada M. Skinner - -Release Date: December 18, 2016 [EBook #53766] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MERRY TALES *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - - MERRY TALES - - - BY - - ELEANOR L. SKINNER - - TEACHER OF ENGLISH, NORTH HIGH SCHOOL - COLUMBUS, OHIO - - AND - - ADA M. SKINNER - - ST. AGATHA SCHOOL, CITY OF NEW YORK - -[Illustration] - - AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY - - NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY - - ELEANOR L. SKINNER - - AND - - ADA M. SKINNER. - - - E. P. I. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - FOREWORD - - -From a knowledge and love of children both extending through many years, -I wish to speak of the pleasure and profit they will derive from reading -and possessing _Merry Tales_. - -To keep children sane and sweet they must be given bright and cheery -stories to read. They will find them in _Merry Tales_. Early in life -they should learn something of myths and folklore. These tales are -founded on these old treasures, but are charmingly adapted to the -understanding of present-day children. I have read few books for -children possessing such literary value and yet using words that -children can master without difficulty, thereby being able to enjoy -their own reading. - -I hope that _Merry Tales_ will find a place not only in the schoolroom -for that time of delight in a well-taught school,—“the period for -supplementary reading,”—but that parents may find the book out to place -it in the child’s own library, a thing that a child must have if it is -ever to have in later life the joys of a genuine booklover. - - MARGARET W. SUTHERLAND, - _Principal of the Columbus Normal School_. - - - - - PREFACE - - -The stories in this collection have been chosen, first, because they are -stories children have always loved, and second, because they are free -from much of the grewsome or grotesque which figures in so many of the -folk tales and fables of the past. Although there are elements of -surprise and danger in the adventures of the various characters, yet -each story ends happily. The little book is intended as a supplementary -reader for children in the third or fourth year of school and the -vocabulary has been carefully graded to meet that need. Some of the -stories have dramatic qualities and will be found to lend themselves -readily to dramatization. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - THE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE _Jataka Tale_ 11 - - THE HILLMAN AND THE HOUSEWIFE _Juliana H. Ewing_ 15 - - THE FISHING PARTY _Southern Folk Tale_ 18 - - THE FOREST BAILIFF _Russian Legend_ 27 - - BRUIN AND REYNARD PARTNERS _Scandinavian Folk Tale_ 35 - - THE THREE WISHES _Swedish Legend_ 39 - - THE PIGTAIL (POEM) _Translated by William Makepeace 46 - Thackeray_ - - THE STONE LION _Captain W. P. O’Connor_ 48 - - THE STORY THAT HAD NO END _Old Folk Tale_ 54 - - THE KING’S RABBIT KEEPER _Norse Legend_ 62 - - THE LEAPING MATCH _H. C. Andersen_ 72 - - THE CLEVER TURTLE _East Indian Tale_ 79 - - ROBIN GOODFELLOW (POEM) _Percy’s Reliques_ 83 - - MERLIN’S CRAG _Irish Folk Tale_ 86 - - THE STORY OF LI’L’ HANNIBAL _Carolyn Sherwin Bailey_ 97 - - HOW TIMOTHY WON THE PRINCESS _Irish Fairy Tale_ 106 - - THE OVERTURNED CART _Agnes C. Herbertson_ 123 - - CHANTICLEER _Chaucer_ 138 - - THE JACKAL AND THE ALLIGATOR _East Indian Tale_ 149 - - FINN AND THE FAIRY SHOEMAKER _Irish Legend_ 158 - - MAKING THE BEST OF IT _Frances Fox_ 173 - - THE BROWNIE OF BLEDNOCK _Elizabeth Grierson_ 178 - - HOW OLAF BROUGHT THE BROWNIE BACK _Old English Tale_ 189 - - THE POOR LITTLE TURKEY GIRL _F. Cushing_ 197 - - MEADOW FIDDLERS (POEM) _Agnes McLellan Daulton_ 211 - - CASTLE FORTUNE _German Legend_ 213 - - A LITTLE DUTCH GARDEN (POEM) _Harriet Durban_ 222 - - TRUE FRIENDSHIP _Translated from the Greek by 224 - Mrs. Symonds_ - - - - - ACKNOWLEDGMENTS - - -For permission to reprint, or to use in adapted form, certain -copyrighted and valuable material in this volume, the following -acknowledgments are made: - -To Sturgis and Walton Company, for “The Stone Lion,” by Captain W. P. -O’Connor, from _Story Telling in School and Home_, copyright, 1912, by -Sturgis and Walton Company; - -To Carolyn Sherwin Bailey and the publishers of _Good Housekeeping_, for -“The Story of Li’l’ Hannibal,” reprinted by permission of _Good -Housekeeping_; - -To the Grolier Society, publishers of _The Book of Knowledge_, for “How -Olaf Brought the Brownie Back”; - -To George H. Doran Company, for “The Overturned Cart” from _Cap -O’Yellow_, by Agnes Crozier Herbertson; - -To Frances Fox and The Outlook Company, for “Making the Best of It”; - -To Elizabeth Grierson and Frederick A. Stokes Company, publishers of -_Scottish Fairy Tales_, for “The Brownie of Blednock”; - -To F. Cushing and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for “The Poor Little Turkey Girl” -from _Zuñi Folk Tales_; and - -To T. Fisher Unwin for “True Friendship.” - -[Illustration] - - - - - THE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE - - -“It is no use trying to live here any longer,” thought the monkey, -looking down, from his home in the tree, at a big crocodile sleeping on -the sunlit bank of the river. “Whenever that creature opens his great -mouth, I shudder to think what might happen if I were near.” - -Just then the crocodile yawned. Wider and wider and wider he opened his -mouth. Away whisked the monkey to the topmost branch of the tree. - -“This very day I shall move farther down the river!” he said. - -So the monkey slipped away to a tree about half a mile distant. There he -lived peaceably for some time. He was delighted with his new home. The -water was cool and clear. In the middle of the stream was an island -covered with fruit trees. - -It was very easy to reach the little island. One leap from his tree -brought the monkey to the end of a large rock which jutted out into the -river; another leap brought him to the island, where he could get a fine -feast and frisk about all the day long. In the evening he went back to -his home in the great tree on the river’s bank. - -One day he stayed later than usual on the island. When he came to the -water’s edge, he looked and blinked and looked and blinked! “How strange -that rock looks!” he said to himself. “Surely it was never so high -before! What can be the matter with it?” Suddenly the monkey’s heart -beat very fast. The crocodile was lying on the top of that rock! - -“Oho! Mr. Crocodile,” thought the monkey, “I see I must put my wits to -work very, very quickly indeed if I am to escape from you!” - -“Good evening, Big Rock,” he called. - -The crocodile lay very still. - -“This is a fine evening, Big Rock!” called the monkey. - -The crocodile lay very, very still. - -“What is the matter, Big Rock? You have always been a good friend of -mine. Why are you so silent this evening?” - -Then the crocodile thought, “Now I see I must pretend to be the rock, or -the monkey may not come this way to-night.” So with his mouth shut he -mumbled as best he could, “Good evening, Mr. Monkey.” - -“Oh! Is that you, Mr. Crocodile?” said the monkey, pleasantly. “I’m -afraid I have awakened you!” - -“Never mind that,” said the crocodile, raising his head. “Come, make -your leap! You cannot escape me this time.” - -“No, I’m afraid not,” said the monkey, meekly. - -And all the time he was thinking, “Crocodiles shut their eyes when they -open their mouths wide.” - -“Come along and make haste, Monkey,” said the crocodile. - -“I’m caught, that is sure, for I must leap your way. Well, as you say, I -cannot escape you, Crocodile. Open your mouth. Oh, wider than that, -please, if I am to leap into it. Wider! There! Here I go! Ready!” - -Before the crocodile knew what was happening, the monkey gave three -bounds—first to the top of the crocodile’s head,—then to the bank,—then -to his tree. Away he whisked to the topmost branch. - -“Thank you, Mr. Crocodile,” he called. - - - - - THE HILLMAN AND THE HOUSEWIFE - - -One day a hillman knocked at the door of a selfish housewife. - -“Can you lend me a saucepan, good mother?” said he. “There’s a wedding -in the hill, and all the pots are in use.” - -“Is he to have one?” asked the servant girl who had opened the door. - -“Ay, to be sure,” said the housewife. But when the maid was taking a -saucepan from the shelf, the housewife whispered slyly to her, “Do not -lend him a good pan; get the old one out of the cupboard. It leaks, and -the hillmen are so neat and such nimble workers that they are sure to -mend it before they send it home. So one does a good turn and saves -sixpence from the tinker.” - -The maid fetched the old saucepan which had been laid by till the -tinker’s next visit and gave it to the dwarf, who thanked her and went -away. - -The saucepan was soon returned neatly mended and ready for use. At -supper time the maid filled the pan with milk and set it on the fire for -the children’s supper, but in a few minutes the milk was so burned and -smoked that no one could touch it. Even the pigs would not drink the -wash into which the milk was thrown. - -“Ah, you good-for-nothing girl!” cried the housewife as this time she -filled the pan herself. “Your careless ways would ruin the richest. -There’s a whole quart of milk spoiled at once.” - -“A quart of milk costs twopence!” cried a queer small voice from the -chimney corner. - -The housewife had not left the saucepan for two minutes when the milk -boiled over and was all burned and smoked as before. - -“The pan must be dirty,” cried the housewife in a rage; “and there are -two full quarts of milk as good as thrown to the dogs. Oh, what dreadful -waste!” - -“Two quarts of milk cost fourpence!” cried the queer small voice. - -After a long scrubbing, the saucepan was once more filled with milk and -set on the fire, but in a little while the milk was burned and smoked -again. - -The housewife burst into tears at the waste, and cried out, “Never -before did such a thing happen to me since I kept house! Three quarts of -milk burned for one meal.” - -“Three quarts of milk cost sixpence!” cried the queer small voice. “You -didn’t save the tinker after all!” - -Then the hillman himself came tumbling down the chimney and went off -laughing through the door. But from that time the saucepan was as good -as any other. - - - - - THE FISHING PARTY - - -One clear, warm evening about sunset Brother Rabbit was walking down a -road which led to the old mill. He was saying to himself: “It has been a -week or more since I have had any fun. I do wish something would happen -to make times a little livelier. I’m—” - -“A fine sunset, Brother Rabbit! A penny for your thoughts. I do believe -you would have passed me without speaking.” - -“Good evening, Brother Terrapin,” said the rabbit, stopping and holding -out his hand in a most cordial way. “I am very glad to see you, for I -like your opinion immensely. I’ll tell you what I was thinking about, my -friend. I was planning a little fishing party. Come, let us sit down -here on the roadside and talk it over.” - -[Illustration] - -Brother Terrapin replied: “A fishing party! That will be fine sport. We -should become very dull indeed in this neighborhood, Brother Rabbit, if -it were not for your plans. Have you decided whom to invite?” - -“Well,” said Brother Rabbit, “I think it unwise to invite too many. -Perhaps five, including ourselves, are enough, because, you see, we must -keep very quiet, and if the party is large, there is danger of too much -merriment. Have you any particular friend who enjoys fishing?” - -“Oh, yes, indeed. Brother Bear is very quiet and sensible, and he loves -to fish for mud turtles,” replied Brother Terrapin. - -“Well, I have in mind Brother Fox and Brother Wolf. Look, here they -come! What good luck! Let us see what they think about the plan.” And -the rabbit danced away up the road to meet his friends and tell them -about the fishing party. - -“Exactly the kind of sport I enjoy most,” said Brother Wolf, -interrupting Brother Rabbit. “I’ll fish for hornyheads. Come, Brother -Fox, what do you say?” - -“First, I wish to thank Brother Rabbit for his kind invitation,” said -Brother Fox, politely. “Of course, you all know that I shall fish for -perch, and I think I shall use a dip net. Good evening, Brother -Terrapin. What an interesting party ours will be. What will you fish -for?” - -“Oh,” laughed Brother Terrapin, “minnows suit my taste very well.” - -“All right,” said Brother Rabbit. “Now let us meet at the mill pond -about eight o’clock this evening. Brother Terrapin, may I trouble you to -bring the bait? The others will each bring a hook and line, and, Brother -Fox, please do not forget your fine dip net. About twelve o’clock you -are all invited to a fish supper at my house. Don’t forget the time and -place of meeting. Farewell.” - -All hurried away to prepare for the evening’s amusement, and, at the -appointed time, the five merry brothers met at the mill pond. - -Brother Rabbit was very anxious to begin; so he baited his hook and -stepped up to the very edge of the water. Then he stopped suddenly, -looked straight down into the pond, dropped his fishing pole, and -scratched his head. - -“Mercy!” said Brother Fox. “What in the world is the matter with Brother -Rabbit? Let us slip up to him and see what is the trouble. Come, all -together.” - -But Brother Rabbit turned and walked toward them, shook his head -seriously, and said: “No fishing to-night, my friends. We might as well -go home.” - -“What is it? What did you see?” began the bear, the fox, and the wolf. -Brother Terrapin crept up to the edge of the pond, looked straight into -the water, jumped back, and said, “Tut, tut, tut! To be sure! To be -sure!” - -“Come, come, tell us. We cannot bear this suspense,” snapped the fox. - -Then Brother Rabbit said slowly, “The moon has dropped into the mill -pond, and if you don’t believe me, go and look for yourselves.” - -“Impossible!” cried Brother Bear. - -They all crept up to the edge of the pond and looked in and there they -saw the golden moon right down in the clear water. - -“Isn’t that too bad?” said Brother Wolf. - -“Well, well, well,” sighed Brother Fox; and Brother Bear shook his head -slowly and said, “The impossible has happened!” - -“Now, I’ll tell you something,” began the rabbit, who was not to be -easily daunted, “we must get that moon out of the water before we begin -to fish. I tell you truly no fish will bite while that great golden ball -is near.” - -“Well, Brother Rabbit,” said the wolf, “can’t you make a suggestion in -this matter? You usually know what to do.” - -“I have it, my friends,” said the rabbit jumping up and down. “I have -it! I know where I can borrow a sieve. I’ll run and get it and then we -can dip up the moon in no time. We’ll have our fishing party yet!” and -off he ran. - -Brother Terrapin was thinking. In a little while he looked up and said, -“My friends, I have often heard that there is a pot of gold in the -moon.” - -“What’s that?” said Brother Fox, quickly. - -“I was saying that my grandmother has often told me that there is a pot -of gold in the moon. But here comes Brother Rabbit with the sieve.” - -“My good friend,” said Brother Fox, “you were kind enough to go after -that sieve and now you must let Brother Bear, Brother Wolf, and myself -do the work. No, don’t take off your coat. You are such a little fellow -that it would be dangerous for you to go into the water. You and Brother -Terrapin stand here on the bank and watch us. Come, give me the sieve.” - -So Brother Terrapin and Brother Rabbit stood on the bank and watched the -others wade into the pond. - -They dipped the sieve down once. “No moon,” said Brother Bear. - -Again they dipped. “No moon,” said Brother Wolf. - -“Come,” said Brother Fox, “we must go farther in.” - -“Oh, do be careful, my friends,” called the rabbit, “you are near a very -deep hole.” - -Buzz, buzz! The water was roaring in Brother Bear’s ears and he shook -his head violently. Down went the sieve again. - -“No moon,” sighed Brother Fox. “A little farther out, friends. Now, down -again with the sieve.” - -Splash! Splash! Splash! Down they all went with the sieve. They kicked -and tumbled and splashed as if they would throw all the water out of the -mill pond. Then they swam for the shore and all came out dripping wet. -“No moon,” said Brother Fox, sulkily. “What! No moon? Well, well, well!” -said Brother Rabbit. - -“Too bad! Too bad!” said Brother Terrapin. - -“My friends,” said the rabbit, seriously, “I think you ought to go home -and put on some dry clothes. I do, indeed. And I hope we shall have -better luck next time. Good night.” - - - - - THE FOREST BAILIFF - - -Once upon a time a peasant owned a cat which was so disagreeable and -mischievous that all the neighbors complained about him. Finally the -peasant became impatient and said to his wife, “I have decided to get -rid of our cat. He is such a nuisance that I feel we ought not to keep -him any longer.” - -“I do not blame you,” replied his wife. “My patience, too, is worn out -listening to the stories told about that mischievous animal.” - -In a few days the peasant put the cat into a large sack and walked far -into a leafy forest. Then he opened the sack and let the cat bound away. -How many interesting things there were in the depths of the beautiful -wood! After wandering about for a few hours the cat began to feel quite -at home, especially when he found a little deserted cabin where he took -up his abode and dined bountifully on mice and birds. - -One day when Master Cat was walking proudly along a path which led to a -pond, he met Miss Fox, who looked at him with great interest and -curiosity. When she came close enough to be heard, she said, “Your -pardon, good sir, but may I ask who you are, and why you are walking in -the forest?” - -Master Cat raised his head very high and replied proudly: “I am the -bailiff of the forest. My name is Ivan, and I have been sent from -Siberia to become governor of this vast wood.” - -“Oh, indeed,” said Miss Fox. “Dear Master Bailiff, will you not honor me -with your presence at dinner? I shall be most proud to entertain such a -distinguished guest.” - -“Lady, I accept your invitation,” replied Master Cat, making a profound -bow. - -Now Miss Fox knew well how to entertain. She not only provided the -greatest delicacies for her table, but she chatted in the merriest -fashion and told the bailiff many interesting things about life in the -forest. - -“My dear Sir Bailiff, do have another serving of this savory pie. The -forest, you know, gives one a good appetite,” said she, with a side -glance at her visitor. - -“Thank you, dear lady,” returned Master Ivan. “It is indeed delicious. I -have tasted nothing so good for weeks. What a cozy home you have here.” - -“It is very comfortable,” replied Miss Fox. “But I am often a little -lonely. May I ask, sir, are you married or single?” - -“I am single,” replied Mr. Bailiff. - -“Why, so am I,” said his companion, dropping her eyes shyly. “Master -Ivan, the Bailiff, will you not marry me?” - -The guest was a little astonished, but he finally consented to marry -Miss Fox. Their wedding was attended with much ceremony, and the bailiff -came to live in his wife’s cozy home. - -A few days after their marriage Ivan said: “Madam, I am very hungry. Go -on a little hunting trip and bring me home a fine dinner.” Away went the -wife toward a deep hollow. She had not gone very far when she met her -old friend the wolf. - -“Good morning, my dear friend,” he began. “I have been looking in vain -for you in the forest. Do tell me where you have been.” - -Madam Fox replied coyly: “Oh, I am married, you know. My husband is the -bailiff of the forest.” - -“Indeed,” said the wolf. “How I should like to see his honor, your -husband.” - -“That can be managed if you will follow my advice closely. You see, my -husband is very ferocious, and unless you do as I say he might devour -you. However, I’ll see what can be done. Let me see. You had better get -a lamb and place it on our doorstep. Then hide in the bushes which grow -near. When my husband opens the door, you can get a very good look at -him,” said Madam Fox, proudly. - -The wolf ran away in search of a lamb, and Madam continued on her way. -In a short time she met a bear. “Good day, my good friend,” he said. “I -have missed you for some time. May I ask where you have been?” - -“Oh,” said Madam, “is it possible you have not heard of my marriage with -Ivan, the bailiff of the forest?” - -“Is it true? Then I offer you my sincere congratulations! The bailiff of -the forest, you say?” said the bear, in a puzzled tone. “Madam, it would -give me the greatest pleasure to see his honor, your husband.” - -“Yes,” said Madam, “that would be a great privilege, but I must tell you -that the bailiff is very fierce. In fact, he is likely to devour anyone -who does not please him. But perhaps I can help you out a little. Let me -see. You had better procure an ox. And be sure to offer your gift very -humbly. The wolf, who is also most anxious to see my husband, is going -to bring a lamb for a present.” - -Away went the bear in search of his gift, which he soon found; then he -hurried clumsily along, and in a little while he met the wolf with a -lamb. - -“Good day to you, my friend,” began the wolf. “May I ask where you are -going with such a burden?” - -“I am going to see the husband of Madam Fox, to whom I shall give this -ox. Will you tell me where you are going?” said the bear. - -“Why, I am bound for the same place, my friend. Madam Fox told me her -husband is terrible. He devours anyone who displeases him, so I am -taking a lamb for a present.” The wolf’s voice trembled a little as he -continued, “I do hope he will take kindly to me.” - -The friends went on their way, and in a short time they came to the -house of the cat. The wolf pushed the bear a little ahead and whispered, -“Go, my good comrade, knock on the door and say to the husband of Madam -Fox that we have brought an ox and a lamb as gifts.” - -“Oh,” shivered the bear, “I dare not! I am so filled with fear. Indeed, -indeed, I cannot. You go, good wolf! Do.” - -“Impossible,” returned the wolf, in a quaking voice. “I am trembling all -over. I haven’t strength enough to walk there much less to rap on the -door. Come, let us hide ourselves and bide our time.” - -So the wolf hid himself under some dry leaves, and the bear jumped into -a tree and carefully hid himself among the branches. In a few moments -Madam Fox and her husband, who had been walking in the forest, came -home. - -“How very small the bailiff is,” whispered the wolf. - -“He is, indeed,” gasped the bear, a little scornfully. - -The cat now saw the ox and leaped to the step saying, “Oh, a small meal -for me.” - -“A _small_ meal,” said the bear, with surprise. “How very, very hungry -the bailiff must be! And he is so small, too. Why, a bull is a good meal -for four bears. What an immense appetite he must have!” - -The wolf was too much frightened to answer. There was a slight rustling -sound in the dry leaves and, thinking a mouse was hidden there, the cat -gave a bound and fastened his claws in the snout of the wolf. With a -gasp of fear the wolf leaped up and ran away as fast as he could go. -Now, the cat was very much afraid of a wolf, and so he gave one leap -into the tree where the bear lay hidden. “Oh, mercy, mercy!” cried the -bear. “The cat is after me. He will devour me. Oh, help, help!” and down -the tree scrambled the bear. Off he ran, as fast as he could go, after -the wolf. Madam Fox screamed out: “My husband is terrible! He will -devour you! He will devour you!” - -Away sped the wolf and the bear, and they told their adventure to the -other animals of the forest, who took good care to stay far away from -the terrible bailiff. Meanwhile the cat and the fox were very happy, and -they had plenty to eat for a long time. - - - - - BRUIN AND REYNARD PARTNERS - - -Once upon a time Bruin and Reynard were to plant a field in common and -to share the crops in a fair way. “If you’ll have the root, I’ll take -the top,” said Reynard. Bruin thought that plan would do very well. - -The first year they sowed rye. But when they had thrashed out the crop, -Reynard got all the grain and Bruin got nothing but roots and rubbish. -He did not like that at all, but Reynard said that was how they had -agreed to share the crop, and it was fair and right. - -“The tops come to me this year,” said Reynard, “but next year it will be -your turn. Then you will have the tops and I shall have to put up with -the roots.” - -Spring came and it was time to sow again. Sly Reynard asked Bruin what -he thought of sowing turnip seed for the second year’s crop. - -“Yes, yes,” said Bruin, “we will have turnips. Turnips are better food -than rye.” - -Reynard agreed with him. Harvest time came. “We will divide the crops as -is fair and right,” said Reynard. “I get the roots this time and you get -the tops.” So Reynard got all the turnip roots and Bruin the turnip -tops. When Bruin saw what Reynard had done, he was very angry, and he -put an end to his partnership with him at once. - -[Illustration] - - - - - THE THREE WISHES - - -Once upon a time in the heart of a forest lived a woodcutter and his -wife. They were very poor indeed. Their little cabin, built of -rough-hewn logs, had only one room, which was very scantily and poorly -furnished. One day the woodcutter said to his wife, - -“How miserable we are! We work all day, and we have barely enough food -to keep life in our bodies! Surely there are few who work as hard as we -do and have so little!” - -The housewife replied, “Yes, indeed, we are very miserable.” - -“Well, I’m off for another day’s work,” sighed the husband. “My lot is -too hard.” - -He picked up his ax and made his way to the place in the forest where he -was to perform his task. Suddenly, a dear little fairy whose face was -wreathed in smiles danced into the path and stood before him. - -“I am the wishing fairy,” she began. “I heard what you said about your -work and your life, and my heart aches for you. Now, because I am a -fairy, it is in my power to grant you three wishes. Ask for any three -things you desire and your wishes shall be granted.” The fairy -disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, and the woodcutter was left -standing alone in the forest. Was he dreaming? He couldn’t believe his -own senses! He thought of a thousand wishes all in an instant. He would -go home and talk the matter over with his wife. He turned in his path -and retraced his steps to the cabin. - -“Art thou ill?” demanded his wife, who came to the door. - -“Oh, no, indeed, I am not ill; I am very, very happy!” he burst forth. -“I met a fairy in the forest. She told me that she was very, very sorry -for me, and that she would help me by granting three wishes. Think of -it! Any three wishes in the world will be granted by the charming -fairy.” - -“Wonderful!” responded the housewife. - -“Oh, how happy the very thought of it makes me! Come, let us sit down -and talk the matter over; for I assure you it is not easy to come to a -decision. I am indeed, very, very happy.” - -They drew up their chairs to the little table and sat down. - -“I am _so_ hungry,” began the woodcutter. “Let us have dinner, and then, -while we are eating, we can talk about our wishes and see which three -are nearest our hearts’ desires.” - -They began their humble meal immediately, and the husband continued: “Of -course one of our wishes must be great riches. What do you say?” - -“Oh, yes, indeed,” said his wife. “I should love a beautiful house to -live in, also carriages and fine clothes, and servants and—” - -“Oh, for that matter,” said the husband, “we could wish for an empire.” - -“Or rich jewels, such as great numbers of pearls and diamonds! What a -wish that would be,” said the wife, whose face was all aglow. - -“I have it,” burst forth the woodman, “let us wish for a fine large -family, five sons and five daughters, What say you to that?” - -“Oh!” returned his wife, “I think I prefer six sons and four daughters.” - -So they continued weighing one wish with another until they seemed -almost in despair about coming to a decision regarding which three -wishes would be the wisest and best. They finally stopped talking and -ate their simple food in silence. The woodcutter did not seem to relish -his soup and dry bread. - -“Oh,” he cried out suddenly, “how I wish I had some nice savory sausage -for dinner!” No sooner had the words fallen from his lips than a large -dish of fine sausages appeared on the table. What a surprise! The two -were so astonished that for a few moments they could not speak. Then the -wife said impatiently: - -“What do you mean by making such a foolish wish? Do you not see that -this dish of sausage means that one wish has been granted and that there -are but two left? How could you make such a stupid, stupid wish?” - -“Well,” replied the husband, “to be sure I have been foolish. I really -did not think what I was saying. However, we may still wish for great -riches and an empire.” - -“Humph!” grumbled the wife, “we may wish for riches and an empire, but -what about a fine large family? You have certainly been foolish in -wishing for that horrid sausage. I suppose, however, you prefer sausage -to a fine family;” and she burst out into tears of lamentation, crying: -“How could you? How could you be so foolish? Oh, dear! Oh, dear! How -very foolish and stupid you have been.” - -Finally her husband lost all patience and cried out: “I’m tired of your -grumbling! I wish the sausage were on the end of your nose!” - -In an instant the sausage was fastened to the end of the poor woman’s -nose. How comical she did look! The husband and wife were so astonished -that they could not speak. The poor woman again burst into tears. - -“Oh!” she cried. “How could you? How could you? First, you wished for -sausage, and second, you wished that the sausage were fastened to my -poor nose. It is terrible. It is cruel. Two wishes have been granted. -There remains but one! Oh, dear, dear!” - -The husband, who now saw what a dreadful mistake he had made, said -meekly, - -“We may still wish for great riches.” - -“Riches indeed!” snapped his wife. “Here I am with this great sausage -fastened to the end of my nose. What good would riches do me? How -ridiculous I am. It is all your fault. I was so happy at the thought of -great riches, beautiful jewels, and a fine family, and now I am sad and -miserable.” She continued to weep so pitifully that her husband’s heart -was touched. - -“I wish with all my heart that the sausage were not on your nose,” he -said. In an instant the sausage disappeared. There the two sat -lamenting; but as the three wishes had been granted there is nothing -further to be said. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - - - - - THE PIGTAIL - - - There lived a sage in days of yore, - And he a handsome pigtail wore; - But wondered much and sorrowed more - Because it hung behind him. - - He mused upon the curious case, - And vowed he’d change the pigtail’s place, - And have it hanging at his face, - Not dangling there behind him. - - Says he, “The mystery I’ve found. - I’ll turn me round,”—He turned him round,— - But still it hung behind him. - - Then round and round and out and in, - All day the puzzled sage did spin - In vain; it mattered not a pin, - The pigtail hung behind him. - - And up and down and in and out - He turned, but still the pigtail stout - Hung dangling there behind him; - And though his efforts never slack, - And though he twist and twirl and tack, - Alas! still faithful to his back - The pigtail hangs behind him. - -[Illustration] - - - - - THE STONE LION - - -Once there were two brothers who lived with their mother in a large -house on a farm. Their father was dead. The older brother was clever and -selfish, but the younger was kind and gentle. The older brother did not -like the younger because he was so honest that he never could get the -best of a bargain. One day he said to him: “You must go away. I cannot -afford to support you any longer.” - -So the younger brother packed all his belongings, and went to bid his -mother good-by. When she heard what the older brother had done, she -said, “I will go with you, my son. I will not live here any longer with -so hard-hearted a man as your brother.” - -The next morning the mother and the younger brother started out -together. Toward night when they reached the foot of the hill, they came -to a hut with nothing in it except an ax which stood behind the door. -But they managed to get their supper and stayed in the hut all night. - -In the morning they saw that on the side of the hill near the hut was a -great forest. The son took the ax, went up on the hillside and chopped -enough wood for a load to carry to the town on the other side of the -hill. He easily sold it, and with a happy heart brought back food and -some clothing to make his mother and himself comfortable. - -“Now, mother,” he said, “I can earn enough to keep us both, and we shall -be happy here together.” - -One day, in search of timber, the boy went farther up the hill than he -had ever gone before. As he climbed up the steep hillside, he suddenly -came upon a lion carved from stone. - -“Oh,” thought the boy, “this must be the guardian spirit of the -mountain. I will make him some offering to-morrow morning without fail.” - -That night he bought two candles and carried them to the lion. He -lighted them, put one on each side of the lion, and asked that his own -good fortune might continue. - -As he stood there, suddenly, the lion opened his great stone mouth and -said: - -“What are you doing here?” - -The boy told him how cruel the elder brother had been; how the mother -and himself had been obliged to leave home and live in a hut at the foot -of the hill. When he had heard all of the story, the lion said: - -“If you will bring a bucket here to-morrow and put it under my mouth, I -will fill it with gold for you.” - -The next day the boy brought the bucket. - -“You must be very careful to tell me when it is nearly full,” said the -lion, “for if even one piece of gold should fall to the ground, great -trouble would be in store for you.” - -The boy was very careful to do exactly as the lion told him, and soon he -was on his way home to his mother with a bucketful of gold. They were so -rich now that they bought a beautiful farm and went there to live. - -At last the hard-hearted brother heard of their good fortune. He had -married since his mother and brother had gone away, so he took his wife -and went to pay a visit to his younger brother. It was not long before -he had heard the whole story of their good fortune, and how the lion had -given them all the gold. - -“I will try that, too,” he said. - -He and his wife went to the same hut his brother had lived in, and there -they passed the night. - -The next morning he started out with a bucket to visit the stone lion. -When he had told the lion his errand, the lion said: - -“I will grant your wish, but you must be very careful to tell me when -the bucket is nearly full; for if even one little piece of gold touches -the ground, great misery will surely fall upon you.” - -Now the elder brother was so greedy that he kept shaking the bucket to -get the gold pieces closer together. And when the bucket was full he did -not tell the lion, as the younger brother had done, for he wanted all he -could possibly get. - -Suddenly one of the gold pieces fell upon the ground. - -“Oh,” cried the lion, “a big piece of gold is stuck in my throat. Put -your hand in and get it out. It is the largest piece of all.” - -The greedy man thrust his hand at once into the lion’s mouth and the -lion snapped his jaws together! And there the man stayed, for the lion -would not let him go. And the gold in the bucket turned into earth and -stones. - -When night came and the husband did not return, the wife became anxious -and went out to search for him. At last she found him with his arm held -fast in the lion’s mouth. He was tired and cold and hungry. - -“Alas!” she said, “I wish we had not tried to get the gold. There is no -food in the hut for us and we shall have to die.” - -The lion was listening to all that was said, and he was so pleased at -their misfortune that he began to laugh at them, “Ha, ha, ha!” As he -laughed, _he opened his mouth_ and the greedy man _quickly_ drew out his -hand, before the lion had a chance to close his jaws again. They were -glad enough to get away, and they went to their brother’s house once -more. The brother was sorry for them and gave them enough money to buy a -home. - -The younger brother and his mother lived very happily in their beautiful -home, but they always remembered the Stone Lion on the hillside, who -gave them their good fortune. - - - - - THE STORY THAT HAD NO END - - -Once upon a time there was a king who was so fond of hearing stories -told that he would listen to them all day long. He cared for no other -kind of amusement and he was always angry when the story came to an end. -“Your stories are too short,” he said to the many story-tellers who -tried to amuse him. Indeed no one had ever been found who was able to -tell him a story that lasted long enough. - -All the people of his court had tried again and again to please him. -Some had told stories that lasted three months, some had told stories -that lasted six months, and a few courtiers had been able to carry on -their stories for one whole year. Still the king complained, for sooner -or later the story was sure to come to an end. - -[Illustration] - -At last he sent out the following proclamation to all the people of his -kingdom: - - PROCLAMATION - - TO THE MAN WHO WILL TELL ME A STORY WHICH SHALL LAST FOREVER, I - WILL GIVE THE PRINCESS, MY DAUGHTER, IN MARRIAGE; ALSO, I WILL - MAKE THE SUCCESSFUL ONE MY HEIR AND HE SHALL BE KING AFTER ME. - BUT MARK, LET NO MAN PRETEND THAT HE CAN DO SO, AND FAIL; FOR, - IF THE STORY COMES TO AN END, THE STORY-TELLER SHALL BE THROWN - INTO PRISON. THE KING. - -The king’s daughter was a very beautiful princess, and there were many -suitors in the kingdom who came to the court in hope of winning such a -prize. But it was all of no use. Each tried as hard as he could to spin -the story out, but sooner or later it came to an end and the unfortunate -one met the fate the king had threatened. - -This grieved the princess very much, and each time she begged the king -to lighten the punishment of the poor story-teller who had risked so -much for her sake. - -At last one man sent word to the king that he had a story which would -last forever and ever, and that he was ready to come to the court at -once. On hearing this the princess sent for the man and warned him of -his danger. She begged him not to be so rash as to try the king’s -patience, for no one had ever pleased his majesty, and she feared he -would meet the fate of all those who had tried and failed. But he said -he was not afraid, and he asked to be taken at once before the king. - -“So you are the man who is to tell me a story that will have no end?” -said the king. - -“If it please your majesty,” answered the man. - -“If you can do this, you shall be king after me, and you shall marry the -princess, my daughter. But if you fail, you shall be cast into prison.” - -“I understand, O king. I have a story about locusts which I shall be -pleased to tell you.” - -“Very well. Begin the story.” - -The story-teller began his tale. - -“O king, there was once a ruler who was a great tyrant. He wished to be -the richest in the land, so he seized all the corn and grain in his -kingdom and had it stored away. Year after year he did this until all -his granaries were filled full. But one year there came a swarm of -locusts and they discovered where all the grain had been stored. After a -long search, they found near the top of the granary a very small hole -that was just large enough for one locust at a time to pass through. So -one locust went in and carried off one grain of corn; then another -locust went in and carried off one grain of corn; then another locust -went in and carried off one grain of corn; then another locust went in -and carried off one grain of corn—” - -Thus the story-teller went on day after day, week after week, from -morning till night. After hearing about the locusts for nearly a year -the king became rather tired of them, patient though he was, and one day -he interrupted the story-teller with: - -“Yes, yes, we’ve had enough of those locusts. Let us take for granted -that they got all the grain they wanted. Now go on with the story. What -happened afterwards?” - -“If it please your majesty, I cannot tell you what happened afterwards -until I have told you all that took place in the beginning. I go on with -the story. Then another locust went in and carried off one grain of -corn; then another locust went in and carried off one grain of corn.” - -Another month passed by. At the end of this time the king asked -impatiently, “Come, sir, how long will it take those locusts to carry -away all the corn?” - -“O king, I cannot tell. They have cleared away but a small space round -the inside of the hole, and there are still thousands and thousands of -locusts on the outside. Have patience, O king, there are enough grains -for each locust to have one, and in time they, no doubt, will all pass -in and each in turn carry away one grain of corn. Permit me, O king, to -go on with my story. Then another locust went in and carried off one -grain of corn; then another locust went in and carried off one grain of -corn—” - -“Stop, stop,” called out the king at last. “I cannot stand those locusts -any longer. Take my kingdom, be king after me, marry my daughter, take -everything, only never let me hear about those ridiculous locusts -again.” - -So the story-teller married the princess and succeeded to the throne -upon the death of the king. - - - - - THE KING’S RABBIT KEEPER - - -Once upon a time a king wanted a good rabbit keeper. He made it known -throughout the country that he would give not only good pay, but also -the hand of the princess, to any youth who could take good care of his -wonderful rabbits. - -Now it happened that an old farmer had three very lazy sons, Jan, Hans, -and Olaf. They disliked the work on the farm and spent most of their -time amusing themselves, or doing as they pleased. When Jan heard that -the king wanted a rabbit keeper, he told his father he would go to the -palace and try to get the place. - -“What!” cried the old man. “The king does not want an idler. The rabbits -are brisk and lively and need care every moment. A lazybones like you -could never be His Majesty’s rabbit keeper.” - -“Well, I am determined to go. I should like the work better than the -farm drudgery,” replied Jan. He filled a bag with things to eat, and a -few clothes, and started to the palace of the king. After he had -traveled a few miles he heard a voice calling him: “Help! Help!” Jan -hurried toward the sound and came to a deep pit. He looked down into it, -and there was a shriveled old woman. She spoke very sharply to him. -“Pull me up! Pull me up!” she cried. “I have been here for one year, and -have had no food in all that time. Pull me up!” - -“Not I,” replied Jan. “Only a witch could live a year in such a place -without food. I’ll have nothing to do with you,” and on he went. - -At length he came to the palace of the king and asked to serve as rabbit -keeper. The delighted king said, “He who guards the rabbits well and -lets none escape shall have fine food, good pay, and perhaps the hand of -a beautiful princess.” - -The next day Jan took the rabbits into a large field to browse. During -the daytime they nibbled the tender grass and stayed together, but when -the sun began to set, they darted toward a wood which bordered a meadow -and they soon became lost in the shadows of the trees. Jan called to -them and ran after them until he was out of breath, but he could not -bring them together. He rested awhile and tried again. It was of no use; -they had scattered in every direction. Surely they were playing hide and -seek, and Jan was not in the game. When he reached the palace, he told -his story to the king, who burst into a rage and banished Jan from the -country. - -In a short time the king got another warren of rabbits and again made it -known that he wanted a keeper. Jan’s brother, Hans, now determined that -he would try to serve the king and perhaps gain the rich reward. Off he -walked. He passed the pit and heard the old woman calling for help, but -he hurried on without even stopping to see what was the matter with her. - -The king made him keeper of the rabbits, but the first time he took them -out to browse he failed in his work. All was well during the day, but -when the sun sank, the rabbits scurried away to the woods, and no matter -what he did, Hans could not gather them together again. When he returned -to the palace without a single rabbit, the furious king banished him, -too, from the country. - -A third time the king got beautiful rabbits and made it known that he -wanted a keeper. “Father,” said Olaf, the youngest of the three -brothers, “it is my turn to try. I am sure I could guard the king’s -rabbits.” - -“It will be the same old story,” said the farmer. “If you take no better -care of the rabbits than you do of the calves, you will share your -brothers’ fate.” - -“At any rate I mean to try,” replied Olaf. Throwing his bag over his -shoulder, he set out for the palace of the king. - -“Help! Help!” called a voice from the field near the road. Olaf ran in -the direction of the sound and saw the old woman in the pit. - -“What can I do for you, my good woman?” he asked. - -“Please reach me your hand and help me out. I’ve had nothing to eat for -a year and I can’t get out without help.” - -Olaf willingly reached down and pulled the old woman up. Then he gave -her food from his bag and brought her water from a spring. She ate a -large share of Olaf’s store while he good-naturedly looked on. When she -had finished, she drew from her pocket a magic horn. - -“Take this for your pains,” said she. “It is a wonderful horn and will -help you in many ways. If you blow into the small end of it, you will -scatter to the four winds whatever you wish away from you. If you blow -into the large end of it, you will bring near you whatever you wish. If -you should lose it, or if by chance it should be stolen from you, a wish -will bring it back again.” - -“A wonderful help it will be to me,” said Olaf, as he took it eagerly -from the old woman’s hand. - -He sauntered on again, and after some time he came to the palace of the -king. The rabbits were put into his charge, and Olaf’s heart beat high -when he thought of the princess he might win. - -The next morning he took the rabbits out into the meadow. They danced -about in high glee for several hours. But about noon, Olaf noticed two -of them scamper away to the woods. These two were soon followed by -others. “Very well,” said Olaf, “go away from me if you like.” He blew -into the small end of the magic horn, and then cried out, “Be off, every -one of you!” and away they scattered in every direction. - -Olaf then ate his noonday lunch and stretched himself out for a nap on -the soft green bank. When he awoke, the sun was low in the west. He took -up the magic horn and blew into the large end of it. From every -direction came the frisky rabbits dancing and hopping about him. Olaf -counted them and was well pleased to find exactly the right number. When -he reached the palace with the rabbits, he saw that the king, the queen, -and the princess were on the lookout for him. Also he noticed that each -one counted the rabbits and then glanced at the others in wonder. - -“Alas!” sighed the princess, “how I wish he were of noble birth! But a -farmer’s lad! Dear me!” - -Day after day Olaf took the rabbits out to browse in the meadow. At noon -he scattered them in the deep wood, and when the sun began to sink -behind a distant hill, he gathered them together and led them back to -the palace. - -The king was very much puzzled and determined to send a servant to spy -upon Olaf. With greatest care the servant slipped into the field and -noticed Olaf asleep on the soft green bank near the edge of the wood. -The servant hid himself in the low underbrush of the wood and waited -until evening. At sunset, Olaf awoke, drew out his magic horn, gathered -together the rabbits, and led them back to the palace. The servant -explained to the king what he had seen, and the king told his queen and -the princess. “I shall steal his horn while he is asleep in the meadow,” -said the princess, “for I am determined not to marry a common farmer’s -son.” - -The next day she stole carefully to Olaf’s side while he lay asleep and -took the magic horn from his pocket. She had not reached the palace -before Olaf awoke and thought of his rabbits. But where was his horn? He -searched about the banks in vain. “Oh, how I wish I had my magic horn!” -he cried. No sooner had he made his wish than he found the horn in his -hands. He blew into the larger end of it and again the rabbits danced -and frisked about him ready to return. - -Now the queen thought she would try her skill in getting Olaf’s horn. -She had no trouble in getting it from his pocket, but as she neared the -palace, the horn slipped away from her. In the evening, Olaf returned -with his flock as usual. - -“I see that I must do the thing myself,” muttered the king. “That -farmer’s lad shall not outwit me. I’ll tie the horn in one of my hunting -bags to make sure of it.” - -Anxiously the queen and princess awaited the king’s return. At last he -came, untied the bag, and reached in for the horn. Alas! it had -disappeared. And there in the distance came Olaf and the rabbits. The -king sent word for Olaf to appear before the royal family. “Tell me -about that horn of yours. Where did you get it? Hasn’t it magic power?” -said the king, impatiently. - -“Sire, it is a magic horn,” began Olaf. - -“Prove it,” said the king. - -“I would rather not,” said Olaf. - -“Do as I bid you, without a word!” roared the king, becoming red with -anger. - -Olaf raised the little end of his horn to his lips and blew a strong -blast, while secretly he made a wish. In a moment the royal family -scattered in all directions. - -“Bring us back! Bring us back! How dare you? I’ll have you punished for -this!” roared the king, as he tumbled into the distance. - -Olaf blew into the big end of his horn and instantly the royal family -were back at the palace. The king, in a rage, tried to seize Olaf, but -just then the rabbit keeper raised the small end of the horn to his -lips. - -“Hold, hold!” cried the king. “I will do you no harm if you will keep -that wicked horn from your lips. I would rather give up half my kingdom -than take another flighty trip. You are a wonderful lad and the best of -rabbit keepers. The reward is yours.” - -In a short time there was a beautiful wedding at the palace. Olaf had -won the princess. - - - - - THE LEAPING MATCH - - -A flea, a grasshopper, and a frog once wanted to see which one of them -could jump the highest. So they made a festival and invited the whole -world and everybody else besides, who would like to come, to see the -frolic. When the people assembled to see the contest they all admitted -that these three famous jumpers were indeed well worth seeing. - -“I will give the princess, my daughter, to the one who can jump the -highest,” said the king. “The champion in such a trial of skill must be -rewarded.” - -The flea was the first to come forward. His manners were perfect and he -bowed to the company on every side, for noble blood flowed in his veins; -and, besides, he had been accustomed to associating with human beings, -which was much to his advantage. - -[Illustration] - -The grasshopper came next. The green uniform, which he always wore, set -off his figure very well. He carried himself with great dignity, for he -belonged to a very old Egyptian family, he said, and was highly thought -of in the house in which he lived. - -In fact when he was brought out of the fields he was put into a card -house, three stories high. The colored sides of the cards were turned in -and the doors and windows were cut out of the Queen of Hearts. “It was -built on purpose for me,” he said, “and I sing so well that sixteen -crickets who had chirped all their life, and still had no card house to -live in, were so angry at hearing me that they grew thinner than they -ever had been before.” - -In this way the flea and the grasshopper went on with their long -praises, each thinking himself quite an excellent match for the -princess. - -The frog said nothing, but his silence only made the people think he -knew a great deal, and the house dog who sniffed at him walked away with -an air of approval. - -The old counselor who had issued three orders for keeping quiet, said at -last, that the frog was a prophet, for one could tell from his back -whether the coming winter would be severe or mild. Such wisdom could -never be gained from the back of the man who writes almanacs. - -“I shall say nothing,” said the king, “but I have my own opinion; for I -see everything.” - -And now the leaping match began. The flea jumped first. He jumped so -high that no one could see what had become of him. So the people said he -did not jump at all. How shameful it was of him after all his boasting! - -The grasshopper jumped only half as high; but he jumped right into the -king’s face. This act the king thought extremely rude. - -The frog stood still for a long time; some began to think that he did -not mean to jump at all. - -“Perhaps he’s ill,” said the house dog; so he went up to sniff at the -frog again; when “pop” he made a side jump which landed him right into -the lap of the princess, who was sitting on a little golden stool. - -“There is nothing in the world higher than my daughter,” called out the -king. “The frog has made the highest jump that can be made. Only one who -has a good mind could have done anything so clever as that.” And so the -leaping frog won the princess. - -“I jumped the highest,” said the flea, “in spite of what the king said, -but the decision does not matter to me. The princess may have that -heavy, stiff-legged, ugly creature if he’s to her taste. Dullness and -heaviness win in this stupid world. I’m too light and airy.” So the flea -went into foreign lands. - -The grasshopper sat down upon a green bank and thought about the world -and its ways. “Yes,” he said to himself, “dullness and heaviness do win -in this stupid world. People care most about fine looks nowadays.” Then -he began to sing in the grasshopper way; and from his song we have taken -this little story. - -[Illustration] - - - - - THE CLEVER TURTLE - - -A turtle lay upon a large rock sunning himself. His eyes were turned -toward the palace of the king which overlooked the beautiful river. He -could hear the merry voices of the little princes playing in the royal -courtyard. - -“What happy times they have!” thought the turtle. “I have heard that -there is a lovely little lake in the princes’ playground, where they -have fine fun, swimming and sailing tiny boats. How dull it is living -out here on the rocks! I’m sure I should be happier if I lived in a -royal courtyard.” - -At that moment the turtle was startled by the voices of two men who were -carrying fishing nets and large buckets to the river. He slipped under -the rock and lay very still and listened. - -“You see,” said one of the men, “we are to put the fishes into the -courtyard lake and surprise the young princes. His majesty, the king, -heard them wish that fishes swam in their lake, and he decided to -surprise them.” - -“How happy they will be in the morning!” replied the other man. “Come, -let us climb to the edge of these rocks and throw our nets into the -river. Then we will draw them in, empty the fishes into those buckets, -and carry them to the courtyard lake this evening.” - -When the turtle heard that some of his neighbors were to live in the -royal courtyard, he was very jealous indeed! - -“Fishes are such stupid creatures!” he said to himself. “How much more -delight a turtle would give those young princes. I’ll not live on this -rock any longer. I’ll slip very quietly into one of those buckets, and -the men will carry me into the royal courtyard. They will never notice -me. Fishes for the delight of royalty! It is absurd!” - -The next morning the little princes took their sailboats and ran to the -lake in the courtyard. - -“See, see!” cried one of them. “Our wish has come true! There are fishes -swimming about in the water. Oh, what fun?” - -“Come away! Come, come, brother!” shouted the other little prince in -terror. “See, there is a demon on the bank! Perhaps the fishes belong to -him! Come!” - -To the turtle’s great surprise off ran the lads, crying out, “A demon -has come to live on the bank of our lake!” - -When the king saw how frightened the princes were, he ordered an -attendant to capture the demon and bring him to the palace. So, before -the poor turtle could make up his mind what to do, he was caught and -brought before the king. - -“How shall we kill him?” asked an attendant. - -“Throw him into the fire,” said one. - -“Drop a large rock on his head and crush him,” said another. - -“Oh, that would not do,” said one of the princes. “See! He has pulled -his head inside that shell back of his. Perhaps his back is too strong -to be crushed by a rock.” - -“I have it,” said an old servant who was afraid of the water, “let us -fling him over the rocks into the river. Then he will be swept away into -the sea and drowned.” - -In a twinkling out came the turtle’s head. - -“My friends,” he said, “pray do not throw me into the river that flows -to the great wide sea! Of all your plans to punish me, that is the -worst! Burn me, or crush me if you will, but do not throw me into the -river that flows to the great wide sea! I shudder at the thought of it.” - -“Take the demon to the rocks and throw him into the river,” said the -king. - -“Ha! ha! ha!” laughed the turtle when he whirled about in the water and -swam back to the friendly rocks where he had lived so long. - - - - - ROBIN GOODFELLOW - - -[Illustration] - - From Oberon, in fairy land, - The king of ghosts and shadows there, - Mad Robin, I, at his command, - Am sent to view the night sports here. - What revel rout - Is kept about - In every corner where I go, - I will o’ersee - And merry be, - And make good sport, with ho, ho, ho! - - More swift than lightning can I fly - About this airy welkin soon; - And, in a minute’s space, descry - Each thing that’s done below the moon. - There’s not a hag - Or ghost shall wag - Or cry, ‘ware goblins! where I go; - But, Robin, I, - Their feats will spy - And send them home with ho, ho, ho! - - Whene’er such wanderers I meet, - As from their night sports they trudge home, - With counterfeiting voice I greet, - And call them on with me to roam; - Through woods, through lakes, - Through bogs, through brakes, - Or else, unseen, with them I go, - All in the nick - To play some trick, - And frolic it, with ho, ho, ho! - - Sometimes I meet them like a man, - Sometimes an ox, sometimes a hound; - And to a horse I turn me can, - To trip and trot about them round. - But if to ride, - My back they stride, - More swift than wind away I go, - O’er hedge and lands - Through pools and ponds - I hurry laughing, ho, ho, ho! - - By wells and rills in meadows green - We nightly dance our heyday guise; - And to our fairy King and Queen - We chant our moonlight minstrelsies. - When larks ‘gin sing - Away we fling; - And babes new born steal as we go; - And elf in bed, - We leave instead, - And wend us, laughing ho, ho, ho! - - From hag-bred Merlin’s time have I - Thus nightly revel’d to and fro; - And for my pranks men call me by - The name of Robin Goodfellow. - Fiends, ghosts, and sprites - Who haunt the nights, - The hags and goblins do me know; - And beldames old - My feats have told, - So _vale, vale_, ho, ho, ho! - - - - - MERLIN’S CRAG - - -One evening the master of a fine estate and a farm laborer were walking -over the fields. The master said, “To-morrow I want the peat cut from -yonder crag, which rises at the end of the moorland.” - -“Do you mean Merlin’s Crag, master?” asked the laborer. - -“You have been here but a short time. How did you learn that name?” said -the master in surprise. - -“One of the old servants told me about it, sir. He said that long, long -ago an enchanter named Merlin lived there. And, master, there is a -haunted cave under the crag where—” - -“Nonsense! Pay no attention to the stories servants tell, but see to it -that the peat is cut to-morrow,” said the owner impatiently. - -The next afternoon the laborer began to cut the peat which covered the -curiously shaped crag. He was about to lift up a piece of turf when, -suddenly, there appeared before him the daintiest little creature he had -ever seen. She was twelve inches tall and was dressed in a gown of -sparkling green. She wore red stockings and dainty red sandals with -jeweled buckles. On her head was a tiny, dazzling coronet. Her lovely -golden hair rippled down under the crown and over her shoulders. - -The laborer stopped his work and in amazement gazed silently at this -exquisite little queen. She raised her tiny wand in warning and said in -a silvery small voice: - -“Now tell me, pray, what would you think if I should send one of my -people to unroof your home? I am out of patience with you mortals! I am, -indeed. You are selfish creatures. You do anything that pleases you and -you consider no one but yourselves.” Here she stamped her tiny sandaled -foot and continued, “Now listen to me! Put back that turf this instant, -or I declare you shall rue the day that you disturbed the roof of -Merlin’s Crag.” Then she vanished. - -The poor bewildered laborer could hardly believe his senses. He put back -the turf exactly where it belonged, took up his spade, and went back to -his master. - -“Why, where is the peat?” began the landlord. - -“O master,” said the poor man, “the fairies live in Merlin’s Crag! I -have seen the queen, and she warned me not to take the turf from the -top. May I cut the peat from the other side of the moor?” - -“What do you mean? I believe your senses are wandering, or you would not -say such stupid things,” replied the master. “Go back immediately and -cut all the peat from Merlin’s Crag. Even if the old wizard himself -appears, you must do as I command.” - -The poor laborer was obliged to obey, so he went back to the crag and -cut the peat. His heart beat very fast, for every minute he expected the -fairy to reappear and upbraid him, but strange to say, nothing of the -kind happened. - -Exactly one year from the day when the peat was cut from the top of -Merlin’s Crag, the laborer started on his way home across the fields. -The master had given him a present of a can of milk and some cheese for -his wife and children; so he whistled a merry tune as he hurried along. -In the distance he noticed the queerly-shaped outline of Merlin’s Crag -against a pale amber sky and his thoughts wandered back to the day one -year ago. How strange that he had never again seen the exquisite little -fairy! What a funny threat she had made! As he drew near the crag he -began to feel strangely tired. He seemed to drag his leaden feet, and -his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. - -“I must rest a bit,” he thought. “How long the road seems this evening!” -So he sat down in a shadow near the crag and fell into a deep sleep. - -When he awoke, the soft silvery moonlight flooded the fields, and he -heard distinctly the village bell striking the midnight hour. Then there -floated to his ears the happiest ripple of laughter. He rubbed his eyes -and aroused himself. He heard a sweet, small voice singing: - - “Come, follow, follow me - Ye fairy elves that be, - Which circle on the green, - Come follow Mab, your queen; - Hand in hand, let’s dance around, - For the place is fairy ground.” - -And a fairy chorus answered: - - “O’er tops of dewy grass - So nimbly do we pass, - The young and tender stalk - Ne’er bends when we do walk; - Yet in the morning may be seen - Where we the night before have been.” - -Ringed about him was a host of dainty fairies singing and dancing, and -laughing and pointing wee elfin fingers at him as if he were the -funniest object in the whole world. What could it all mean? - -[Illustration] - -He determined to break through their circle and make for home, but, when -he rose and tried to walk away, the magic green ring and the dancing -fairies accompanied him and held him prisoner. How the wee folks enjoyed -his dilemma! They fairly shrieked with laughter. In a little while the -queen, whom he had met before, danced forward and said slyly, “Wilt thou -not tread a measure, O mortal? Come, thou mayest have our loveliest -maiden for a partner. Join our sport, do. Then thou wilt not be so eager -to depart.” - -She waved her wand to the circle of fairies, and a charming little -creature flitted up to him. Before the poor man realized what was -happening the wee dancer took one of his fingers in each of her tiny -hands and away they went, swinging, whirling, waltzing about in the -gayest manner. The little people shrieked again and again with elfin -laughter at the sight of this strange couple treading a measure. All -night long the merriment continued. - -Finally the moon set behind the dark crag, and rosy streaks broke -through the gray curtain in the east. Then the queen held up her tiny -wand and said, “Come, the cock is welcoming the dawn.” She led the way -and the other fairies forced our friend to accompany them. As she drew -near the crag a mysterious door opened and the fairies trooped through -into a beautiful hall carpeted with velvet moss and dimly lighted by -glow-worms. On tiny couches the wee people soon fell asleep. Our friend -the countryman sat on a fragment of rock in the corner of the hall. - -When the fairies woke each went, about some special task. Some mixed -wonderful colors for flower petals, birds’ eggs, and delicate shells, -others powdered gold dust for pollen and spun gossamer threads, while -still others mixed the most delicious odors for violets, wild roses, and -hyacinths. - -The countryman was so charmed with the sight that he desired nothing -more than the joy of watching these elfin people forever. Toward evening -the queen touched his arm with her wand and said, - -“Your punishment is over.” - -“What do you mean?” asked our friend. - -She replied, “The turf you cut from the roof of Merlin’s Crag has grown -again. Once more the roof of our hall is whole. You may go back to your -friends now. But first you must take a solemn oath that you will never -disclose to mortal ears where you have been, or what you have seen. Do -you promise?” - -“I promise,” said the countryman. - -Then the fairy led the way to the cave’s door which opened of its own -accord, and he passed out into the fields. - -As he made his way to the village, he noticed that the people looked at -him in astonishment. When he reached his cottage his wife, who came to -the door, drew back in fear and wonder. - -“Is it indeed you, my husband?” she cried out. “Where have you been so -long?” - -“So long?” the dazed countryman echoed. “So long? What do you mean? I -don’t understand. Where are the children?” - -“There they are,” said his wife, pointing to a well-grown boy and girl. -“You have been gone from us seven years. No wonder you do not know us.” - -“Seven years!” he exclaimed. “Seven years do you say? Let me think.” - -Then suddenly he knew what the fairy queen meant by his punishment. He -had been imprisoned seven long years by the wee folk of fairyland. - -He was besieged with questions when the village people learned about his -return, but he shook his head and said nothing. - -He never explained the mystery of his long absence, but many noticed -that there was one name which always made him hasten to change the -subject, and that name was—Merlin’s Crag. - - - - - THE STORY OF LI’L’ HANNIBAL - - -Once on a time, ‘way down South, there lived a little boy named -Hannibal, Li’l’ Hannibal. He lived along with his gran’mammy and his -gran’daddy in a li’l’ one-story log cabin that was set right down in a -cotton field. Well, from morning until night, Li’l’ Hannibal’s -gran’mammy kept him toting things. As soon as he woke up in the morning -it was: - -“Oh, Li’l’ Hannibal, fetch a pine knot and light the kitchen fire.” - -“Oh, Li’l’ Hannibal, fetch the teakettle to the well and get some water -for the tea.” - -“Oh, Li’l’ Hannibal, mix a li’l’ hoecake for your gran’daddy’s -brea’fus’.” - -“Oh, Li’l’ Hannibal, take the bunch of turkeys’ feathers and dust the -ashes off the hearth.” - -And from morning until night, Li’l’ Hannibal’s gran’daddy kept him -toting things, too. - -“Oh, Li’l’ Hannibal,” his gran’daddy would say, “fetch the corn and feed -the turkeys.” - -“Oh, Li’l’ Hannibal, take your li’l’ ax and chop some lightwood for -gran’mammy’s fire.” - -“Oh, Li’l’ Hannibal, run ‘round to the store and buy a bag of flour.” - -“Oh, Li’l’ Hannibal, fetch your basket and pick a li’l’ cotton off the -edge of the field.” - -So they kept poor little Hannibal toting ‘most all day long, and he had -only four or five hours to play. - -Well, one morning when Li’l’ Hannibal woke up, he made up his mind to -something. Before they could ask him to light the kitchen fire, or fill -the teakettle, or mix the hoecake, or dust the hearth, or feed the -turkeys, or chop any wood, or go to the store, or pick any cotton, he -had made up his mind that he was not going to tote for his gran’mammy -and his gran’daddy any longer. He was going to run away! - -So Li’l’ Hannibal got out of bed very quietly. He put on his li’l’ -trousers, and his li’l’ shirt, and his li’l’ suspenders, and his li’l’ -shoes—he never wore stockings. He pulled his li’l’ straw hat down tight -over his ears, and then Li’l’ Hannibal ran away! - -He went down the road past all the cabins. He went under the fence and -across the cotton fields. He went through the pine grove past the -schoolhouse, stooping down low—so the schoolmistress couldn’t see -him—and then he went ‘way, ‘way off into the country. - -When he was a long way from town, Li’l’ Hannibal met a possum loping -along by the edge of the road, and the possum stopped and looked at -Li’l’ Hannibal. - -“How do? Where you goin’, Li’l’ Hannibal?” asked the possum. - -Li’l’ Hannibal sat down by the side of the road and took off his straw -hat to fan himself, for he felt quite warm, and he said, - -“I done run away, Br’er Possum, my gran’mammy and my gran’daddy kept me -totin’, totin’ for them all the time. I don’t like to work, Br’er -Possum.” - -“Po’ Li’l’ Hannibal!” said the possum, sitting up and scratching -himself. “Any special place you bound for?” - -“I don’t reckon so,” said Li’l’ Hannibal, for he was getting tired, and -he had come away without any breakfast. - -“You come along with me, Li’l’ Hannibal,” said the possum; “I reckon I -kin take you somewhere.” - -So the possum and Li’l’ Hannibal went along together, the possum loping -along by the side of the road and Li’l’ Hannibal going very slowly in -the middle of the road, for his shoes were full of sand and it hurt his -toes. They went on and on until they came, all at once, to a sort of -open space in the woods and then they stopped. There was a big company -there—Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Partridge, and Br’er Jay Bird and Br’er -Robin, and Ol’ Miss Guinea Hen. - -“Here’s po’ Li’l’ Hannibal come to see you,” said the possum. “Li’l’ -Hannibal done run away from his gran’mammy and gran’daddy.” - -Li’l’ Hannibal hung his head as if he was ashamed, but nobody noticed -him. They were all as busy as they could be, and so he just sat down on -a pine stump and watched them. - -Each one had his own special work and he was keeping at it right smart. -Br’er Robin was gathering all the holly berries from the south side of -the holly tree and singing as he worked: - - “Cheer up, cheer-u-up!” - -Br’er Partridge was building a new house down low in the bushes. As he -hurried back and forth with twigs, he would stop and drum a little, he -felt so happy to be busy. - -Br’er Jay Bird was taking corn down below. You know that is what Br’er -Jay Bird does all the time. He takes one kernel of corn in his bill to -the people down below and then comes back for another. It is a very long -trip to take with one kernel of corn, but Br’er Jay Bird doesn’t seem to -mind how hard he works. - -Ol’ Miss Guinea Hen was almost the busiest of the whole company, for she -was laying eggs. As soon as ever she laid one she would get up on a low -branch and screech, “Catch it! Catch it! Catch it!” like to deafen -everybody. - -But Li’l’ Hannibal was most interested to see what Br’er Rabbit was -doing. Br’er Rabbit had on a li’l’ apron, and he kept bringing things in -his market basket. Then he cooked the things over a fire back in the -bushes, and when it got to be late in the afternoon, he spread a -tablecloth on a big stump and then he pounded on his stewpan with his -soup ladle. “Supper’s ready,” said Br’er Rabbit. - -Then Br’er Robin, and Br’er Partridge, and Br’er Jay Bird, and Br’er -Possum, and Ol’ Miss Guinea Hen all scrambled to their places at the -table and Li’l’ Hannibal tried to find a place to sit at, but there -wasn’t any. - -“Po’ Li’l’ Hannibal!” said Br’er Rabbit as he poured the soup. “Doesn’t -like work! Doesn’t like to tote for his gran’mammy. Can’t have no -supper!” - -“Catch him! Catch him!” said Ol’ Miss Guinea Hen, but no one did it. -They were all too busy eating. - -They had a grand supper. There was breakfast strip, and roast turkey, -and fried chicken, and mutton and rice, and hominy and sweet potatoes, -and peas and beans, and baked apples, and cabbage, and hoe cake, and hot -biscuits, and corn muffins, and butter cakes and waffles and maple -syrup. - -When they were through eating, it was dark, and they all went home, and -they left Li’l’ Hannibal all by himself. - -Well, after a while it began to get darker. Br’er Mocking Bird came out, -and he looked at Li’l’ Hannibal and then he began to scream, just like -Ol’ Miss Guinea Hen, - -“Catch him! Catch him! Catch him!” Br’er Screech Owl looked down from a -tree and he said very hoarsely: - - “Who! Who! Who-oo!” - -Then all the frogs began to say, loud and shrill, “Li’l’ Hannibal! Li’l’ -Hannibal!” like they thought he was deaf. - -So Li’l’ Hannibal got up from his pine stump and he said, “I reckon I -better go home to my gran’mammy.” - -Well, Li’l’ Hannibal started for home slowly, because his feet hurt and -he was hungry. When he came to the pine grove by the schoolhouse the -shadows came out from behind the trees and followed him, and that was -much worse than seeing the schoolmistress. But Li’l’ Hannibal got away -from them all right. He crawled under the fence and ran across the -cotton field, and there in the door of the cabin was his gran’daddy with -a lantern. His gran’daddy had been out looking for Li’l’ Hannibal. - -“Why, Li’l’ Hannibal, where you been all day?” asked his gran’daddy. - -“Oh, Li’l’ Han’,” said his gran’mammy, “here’s your corn mush. I kep’ it -warm on the hearth, but afore you eat your supper, Li’l’ Han, jus’ take -your li’l’ basket and run ‘round to the chicken house for a couple of -eggs.” - -So Li’l’ Hannibal took his li’l’ basket, and he started for those eggs -singing all the way. You see, he reckoned he was mighty glad to be at -home, and toting again. - -[Illustration] - - - - - HOW TIMOTHY WON THE PRINCESS - - -Once upon a time a poor widow and her son Timothy lived in a little -cottage near a village. One day Tim’s mother said: “Tim, my boy, the -landlord’s rent must be paid and I haven’t a bit of money in the house. -I’ve made up my mind to sell one of our three cows.” - -Tim replied: “All right! I’ll take the old red cow to the fair in the -morning, and sell her for a good price, mother mine.” - -Bright and early Tim was ready. It was a fine spring morning, and the -birds sang merrily in the trees. The hedgerows were white with May -blossoms. Tim drove the old cow along the mossy green lanes until he -came to the village, where a fair was being held. - -A great crowd had gathered in a ring near the main road, and Timothy -hurried there to see what caused the excitement. In the middle of this -ring, on a tiny platform, was a little man with a tiny harp and a tiny -stool. The dwarf reached down deep into his pocket and brought out a -bee, all dressed up in a blue suit of clothes with bright buttons and -gold braid. Perched on one side of his head was a cunning little cap -which matched his suit. Again the little man reached down into his -pocket and drew out a cockroach and a tiny mouse. - -The cockroach was dressed in a very full skirt of flowered silk, a lace -bodice, and bright panniers of velvet. On her head was a dainty bit of a -hat wreathed with flowers. - -The little mouse wore a dress suit and a tall silk hat. At a sign from -the little man, the bee jumped on the stool and began to play a tune on -the harp. Then Mr. Mouse bowed to Miss Cockroach. She courtesied -gracefully, and the two began to waltz to the music. - -Now the moment they began to dance every man and woman, youth and maid, -joined them. Soon everything in sight, pots and pans, pigs and cows, -ducks and hens, began to reel about as if they had all gone mad! The old -cow began to whirl round and round, and then Timothy started. His feet -kept time to the music which grew louder and faster as the sport -proceeded. In a short time the little man picked up the harp, stool, and -animals and put them back into his pocket. - -Instantly, everybody and everything came to a standstill! Then such a -roar of laughter burst forth as was never heard before. The people -laughed until their sides ached, and Timothy’s voice was heard above all -the others. The little man walked up to him. - -“What do you think of that for sport?” he asked. - -“Oh, indeed, it was fine fun, sir,” answered Tim. - -“And how would you like to own my little animals?” - -[Illustration] - -“Like to own them, sir? Indeed I should, but I have no money, nor have I -any way of getting it.” - -“I’ll tell you how to make a good bargain though,” said the little man, -coming closer. “I’ll trade you the harp and my musician, the bee, for -the cow you’ve brought to the fair to sell. Come, what do you say to -that?” - -“Oh, how I should like to have them, sir! But mother must have money for -the landlord. She is very sad and downhearted because we cannot pay the -rent.” - -“Yes, yes, but think how the tiny musician will make her laugh, my boy. -She needs cheering,” persuaded the little man. - -“So she does, sir,” said Tim. “I’ll trade with you.” - -The little man took the cow and disappeared, and Timothy put the harp, -the stool, and the bee into his pocket and went home. - -“You’ve sold the cow, my boy?” said his mother, anxiously. “How much -money did you get for her?” - -“Money, mother! I got something much better than money,” said Tim, -excitedly. - -Then out of his pocket he took the harp, the stool, and the bee, and set -them on the floor. After a deep bow the bee seated himself on the stool, -cocked his head on one side, and began to play a lively tune. The little -fellow looked so comical that Timothy’s mother couldn’t keep a straight -face. She burst into a peal of laughter. The lad joined her, and then -the pots and the pans, the table and chairs, everything in the house -began to reel and jig. Tim and his mother began to hop up and down in -the funniest manner. This kept on for some time, and then Tim took up -the harp, the stool, and the bee, and put them into his pocket. In a -second, everything quieted down. Tim’s mother, however, kept on laughing -for some minutes. Finally she stopped, and then she grew very angry. - -“What a foolish bargain you’ve made!” she cried. “Here we are without -food or money, and you have traded the red cow for such worthless toys! -Oh, what shall I do? You must go back to the fair and sell the white -cow, I suppose. See that you keep your wits about you this time.” - -Early next morning Timothy started to the fair, driving the white cow. -They soon arrived, and there in the main road he saw a big crowd -gathered. He pushed forward to see what was going on. In the middle of -the ring stood the little man with twinkling eyes. His mouth was screwed -up in a very queer way, and he was whistling. The mouse and the -cockroach were dancing an Irish jig; bowing, reeling, scraping, -courtesying in the finest manner. Tim’s heart beat fast at the sight. -Soon everybody and everything in the fair began to imitate the movements -of the queer little creatures. Men and women, youths and maidens, pots -and pans, carts and gigs, all hopped about and jigged exactly like the -mouse and the cockroach; even the stalls and the buildings seemed to hop -up and down in time with the music. In a little while the tiny man -stopped whistling, picked up the little animals, and put them into his -pocket. Then there was no more dancing, but everybody burst into a -hearty roar of laughter. How they did laugh! The little man now spied -Tim. - -“Ah, my lad,” he said, “wouldn’t you like to own those wonderful little -creatures?” - -“Indeed I should, sir, but I have no money,” said Tim, shaking his head. - -“Oh! that makes no difference, I’ll trade with you again. Give me the -old white cow, and I’ll give you the mouse.” - -“Indeed I can’t, sir. Mother is so sad because we can’t pay our rent or -buy any food. I must get money to pay the landlord,” replied Tim, -looking longingly at the little man’s pocket. - -“Oh, stuff and nonsense! Better be lighthearted than rich! What will -cheer her like the sight of my little gentleman mouse dancing to the -music of your musician, the bee?” - -“All right, sir,” answered Tim, meekly, and he traded the white cow for -the mouse. - -When he reached home, his mother cried out, “You’ve sold the cow, my -boy?” - -“Yes, mother.” - -“How much money did you get?” - -Timothy said not one word, but took the mouse, the harp, and the bee out -of his pocket and put them on the floor. Tim began to whistle. The bee -accompanied him with beautiful chords on the harp. After a grand -sweeping bow the mouse fell into a gay Irish jig. Soon everything in the -house seemed to be hopping and jigging about. Even Tim and his mother -could not hold their feet still. In a little while Tim took up the -mouse, the bee, and the harp and put them into his pocket. Then -everything quieted down except the peals of laughter which his mother -could not stop. She laughed and laughed until her sides ached. After -some time she began to look serious; then she grew very, very angry. - -“Tim, you are the most foolish boy in the whole world,” she began. “How -could you take such worthless toys for our fine old white cow? Oh, dear. -What shall I do? There is no money, and the landlord will turn us out. -The old spotted cow must go, I see. Take her to the fair to-morrow and -see you bring back _nothing_ but money.” - -“I’ll do that mother,” said Tim. His intentions were good, but alas! -when he reached the fair, there was the little man again with the -cockroach. He was whistling merrily and the whole fair went jigging and -dancing about, all led by the lively cockroach. Soon the little man put -the tiny, graceful dancer into his pocket. Then, as before, the dancing -stopped. But the laughter! You should have heard the merry peals in -every direction. - -“Ha, my boy! Here again! You’ve brought me the spotted cow, I see! Good! -You ought to have the cockroach to complete your wonders. Take her -along.” - -“But, sir, I promised mother,” began Tim, “that——” - -“See her pretty bright dress. Master Mouse and she make a charming -couple. How your mother will be cheered when she sees them dancing -together. There is no sight like it. Here you are.” Carefully he lifted -the cockroach, and Tim could not resist the offer of such a wonderful -little creature. He put her into his pocket, and the little man -disappeared with the spotted cow. - -Tim hurried home. He slipped into the house. He took out of his pocket -Miss Cockroach, Master Mouse, Musician Bee, the harp, and the stool, and -arranged them in a corner of the room, telling them to remain quiet -until he came back. Then he went into the kitchen. - -“Tim, my boy,” cried the mother, “how much money did you get?” - -“Mother,” replied Tim, “don’t talk about money. Come with me.” - -He led her into the next room. The minute they entered, Tim began to -whistle. The bee joined him with a lively tune on the harp; the mouse -made a deep bow, hat in hand, and the cockroach courtesied most -gracefully. Then the two danced toward each other and began a real Irish -jig, keeping excellent time to the music. Everything in the house joined -in the merriment, pots and pans, chairs and tables, forks and spoons, -all went hopping and jigging about in the most comical way. Tim clapped -his hands. His mother nodded her head in time with the music and a broad -smile spread over her face, although she tried and tried to frown. -Finally Tim took up the tiny dancers, the musician, and the harp, and -put them into his pocket. In an instant everything quieted down. Then -how Tim’s mother did laugh! She laughed until the tears streamed down -her cheeks. After some time she quieted herself; then she frowned and -grew very angry. - -“Oh! you foolish, foolish boy,” she began; “you’ve traded away all my -cows for those worthless things. Where shall I get money to pay the -rent? We are much worse off than before. Oh, dear! Oh, dear!” - -Tim couldn’t bear to hear her cry, and so he took his hat and hastened -out of doors. He was strolling down the lane toward the distant hills -when suddenly he saw a tiny woman who held up her finger in a very -mysterious way. Tim politely raised his hat and bowed. - -“Good morning!” she said pleasantly. “I thought all gallant youths were -at the palace of the king.” - -“And why should they be there?” asked Tim astonished. - -“Oh, haven’t you heard that the king is in great trouble about his -beautiful daughter, the princess? She is so sad and downhearted that the -court physicians fear she will die. She hasn’t laughed for years, and -the king has sent word throughout the land that he will give the -princess in marriage to any youth who can make her laugh three times.” - -Tim didn’t wait to hear another word. He darted away and ran as fast as -he could to the palace. After a time he reached the outer gates, and -told the guards who were stationed there why he had come. - -“You had better think twice before you try,” said one of them, “for the -king casts all who fail into a dungeon.” - -“No matter, I shall try,” said Timothy. - -Word was sent to the king that a new suitor had arrived at the palace. -The king commanded the newcomer to appear immediately. - -“You know the penalty if you fail to make the princess laugh three -times?” said his majesty. - -“I do, most gracious sire,” replied Tim, bowing very humbly. - -“Then, in a short time, be ready to make your trial.” With a gesture the -king dismissed him. - -In a few minutes a messenger brought word that the king, the queen, the -sad princess, and attendants were ready for the trial. Tim took out of -his pocket the mouse, the cockroach, the bee, the harp, and the stool. -He tied them all together with a long string. Then he marched into the -king’s room, holding the end of the string in his hand. All the queer -menagerie followed after him. He looked so comical as he approached that -the king, the queen, and the courtiers burst into a hearty laugh. This -made the princess lift her bowed head and look. When her eyes fell on -Tim and his string of queer little followers, she threw back her head -and laughed heartily. - -“That’s once,” nodded Tim. - -Then he untied the string. Musician Bee at once took his place on the -stool near the harp. Mr. Mouse made his deepest bow. Miss Cockroach -courtesied deep and long. Tim began to whistle. The bee tuned the harp -and joined him with silvery chords. The mouse and the cockroach stepped -gracefully in time to the music until they came near each other. Then -they began to perform their merry Irish jig. The sight was too much for -the king and queen and courtiers. They all burst into such a merry laugh -that the castle walls rang. The princess tried to look serious but she -couldn’t! She joined the others and they all laughed heartily. - -“That’s twice,” said Tim smiling. - -Then he began to whistle faster; the bee followed him in time. The mouse -and the cockroach bowed and jigged and reeled and whirled,—all to no -purpose. The king, queen, and courtiers laughed heartily, but the -princess kept a grave expression. Finally the mouse whirled around on -one heel three times, and on the last turn his tail swept right into the -cockroach’s mouth. The cockroach started to cough violently. She coughed -and coughed, and took out her tiny bit of a handkerchief to hold to her -mouth. When the princess and her ladies saw this, they threw back their -heads and shrieked with laughter. - -“That’s thrice,” said Timothy. “I’ve won the Princess.” - -The king now ordered the courtiers to take Timothy to a royal dressing -room. There he was dressed in a satin suit with gold lace trimmings and -beautiful ornaments. He looked so handsome in his new clothes that the -Princess fell in love with him. A glorious wedding feast was prepared. -Timothy’s mother came in a wonderful coach drawn by six beautiful white -horses. At the wedding, the bee furnished the music; the mouse and the -cockroach led the dancing; and such was the merriment that the peals of -laughter are still ringing in the valley around the palace. - - - - - THE OVERTURNED CART - - -One day, as Oh-I-Am, the wizard, went over Three-Tree Common, his shoe -became untied, and he bent down to refasten it. Then he saw Wry-Face, -the gnome, hiding among the bracken and looking as mischievous as -anything. In one hand he held a white fluff-feather. Now these feathers -are as light as anything, and will blow in the wind; and whatever they -are placed under, whether light or heavy, they are bound to topple over -as soon as the wind blows. - -As Oh-I-Am tied his shoe he saw Wry-Face place his fluff-feather -carefully in the roadway, and at the same moment there came along -One-Eye, the potato wife, with her cart full of potatoes. The cart went -rumble, crumble, crack, crack, crack, over the leaves and twigs, and -One-Eye sang to her donkey: - - “Steady, steady, - We’re always ready,—” - -in a most cheerful voice. - -Then the cart came to the fluff-feather, and over it went—crash, bang, -splutter; and the potatoes flew everywhere, like rain. - -Wry-Face, the gnome, laughed to himself so that he ached, and he rolled -over the ground with mirth. Then he flew away, laughing as he went. - -But One-Eye, the potato wife, was not laughing. Her tears went drip-drip -as she started to gather her potatoes together. And as to getting her -cart straight again, she did not know how she was to do it. - -But, when she turned round from gathering together the potatoes, she -found that the cart was all right again, since Oh-I-Am the wizard had -straightened it for her, and the donkey was standing on his legs, none -the worse for his fall. - -Oh-I-Am looked stern and straight in his brown robe which trailed behind -him. He said, - -“One-Eye, have you got all your potatoes together?” - -One-Eye still wept. She said, “No, I have not found all of them, for -some have wandered far. And I must not seek further, for this is market -day, and I must away to the town.” - -And she began to gather up the potatoes, and drop them into the cart, -thud, thud, thud. - -Oh-I-Am stooped then, and he, too, gathered up the potatoes; and he -threw them into the cart, splish, splash, splutter! - -“Alas!” said One-Eye, “if you throw them into the cart, splish, splash, -splutter, you will bruise and break them. You must throw them in gently, -thud, thud, thud.” - -So Oh-I-Am held back his anger, and he threw the potatoes in gently, -thud, thud, thud. But, when the potato wife had gone on her way, he flew -to his Brown House by the Brown Bramble; and he began to weave a spell. - -He put into it a potato, and a grain of earth, and a down from a pillow, -and a pearl and an apple pip from a pie. And when the spell was ready, -he lay down, and fell asleep. - -Wry-Face had gone round to all the neighbors to tell them the grand joke -about One-Eye, the potato wife. Sometimes he told it through the window, -and sometimes he stood at the door. Sometimes he told it to a gnome who -was fine and feathery, and sometimes to one who was making bread. But -all the time he laughed, laughed, laughed, till he was scarcely fit to -stand. - -Now he did not call at Oh-I-Am’s fine house to tell _him_, not he! And -it was quite unnecessary, since Oh-I-Am knew the joke already, every -bit. - -Oh-I-Am had hidden the spell in his cupboard. When it was evening time, -he stole out and laid it by Wry-Face’s door. Then he went home, and went -to bed. - -Wry-Face was making a pie for his supper. Suddenly the room became as -dark as dark. The darkness was not night coming on, for this was summer -time and night never came on as quickly as all that. - -[Illustration] - -“Dear me, what can be the matter?” thought Wry-Face; for he could barely -see to finish making his pie. - -Then he heard a little voice from his window, crying, “Here I am, -Wry-Face, here I am!” But he could not go out to see what it was yet -awhile. - -When the apple pie was finished and in the oven, Wry-Face ran outside as -fast as he could. But he did not see the spell which Oh-I-Am had placed -by his door. - -What he did see was a great potato plant which had sprung up suddenly -close to his window, and was springing up further still, high, high, and -higher. - -“Good gracious me!” cried Wry-Face in a rage, “I never planted a potato -plant there, not in my whole life! Now I should just like to know what -you are doing by my window?” - -The potato plant took no notice, but went on climbing high, high, and -higher, and, ever so far above, he heard a tiny faint voice crying, - -“Here I am, Wry-Face, here I am!” - -“Well, I never did!” cried Wry-Face, and he began to weep; for he saw -that the potato plant would climb up to his roof and round his chimney -and he would never be able to get rid of it. - -And he wept and wept. - -At last he went in, and took his pie out of the oven, and set it in the -pantry, for it was quite done. And he found a spade, and went out, and -began to dig and dig at the root of the potato plant. But his digging -did not seem to make any difference, and the evening began to grow -darker. - -Wry-Face fetched his little lamp, which is named Bright Beauty and which -always burns without flickering. Then he went on digging, and he dug and -dug and dug. - -And when he had dug for hours and hours, so that he was very, very -tired, the potato plant began suddenly to dwindle and dwindle. It -dwindled as fast as anything, the leaves disappeared and the stem -disappeared and all the horrid stretching arms. They sank down, down, -and down, till at last there was nothing left at all but—a big brown -potato! - -“Well, I do declare!” cried Wry-Face. “I should like to know what _you_ -have to do with my fine garden.” - -The potato replied, “I jumped here from the cart of One-Eye, the potato -wife, and it is quite certain that unless I am taken back to her -immediately, I shall start again, growing and growing and growing.” - -“Dear potato, you must not start growing again,” cried Wry-Face, in a -great way. “To-night I am so tired, I cannot do anything, but if you -will but wait till to-morrow I will take you back to One-Eye, the potato -wife—I will, indeed.” - -At first the potato would not listen to this at all; but after a while -it said, “Well, well, I will wait till to-morrow. But remember, if you -do not carry me home to One-Eye, the potato wife, to-morrow, I shall -grow into a potato _tree_, without a doubt.” - -So Wry-Face carried the potato into his house, and stored it in his bin. -But he never noticed the spell which Oh-I-Am had placed by his door. - -“I am so tired, I can scarcely yawn,” said Wry-Face. “It is quite time -for me to have my supper and go to bed.” - -So he fetched the apple pie from the pantry and set it upon the table, -and presently he sat down to his meal. - -And he forgot for a moment how tired he was, thinking how delightful it -was to sit down to a supper of apple pie. - -Then he lifted his knife and fork to cut off a large piece, but alas, -the fork stuck fast. As for the knife, it would not move either, not an -inch. Wry-Face began to weep. - -“Alack, what has happened to my apple pie?” cried he, and his tears -fell, round as round. - -Then he got upon his feet, and he caught hold of the knife and fork and -pulled and pulled and pulled. And with the last pull the top of the -apple pie came off, sticking to the knife and fork, and Wry-Face saw -that within the pie there was not one piece of apple, but—a big brown -potato! - -Wry-Face wept again with horror at the sight. - -“I should like to know,” cried he, “what _you_ are doing in my fine -apple pie?” - -The brown potato replied, as cool as cool, “I am one of the potatoes -belonging to One-Eye, the potato wife, and I turned the apples out, that -I might hide here awhile. But this I must tell you, Wry-Face, unless you -take me home to the potato wife immediately, here, in this pie dish, I -intend to remain.” - -“Alas!” cried Wry-Face, “to-night I am so tired I could never find -One-Eye; but if you will but wait till to-morrow, I will carry you home -to the potato wife—I will, indeed.” - -At first the potato would not agree to this at all, but after a while it -said, “Very well, I will wait till to-morrow. But remember, my Wry-Face, -if you do not carry me home to One-Eye to-morrow, I will creep into -every pie you make; and you will die at last of starvation without a -doubt.” - -So Wry-Face stored the potato in the potato bin and went supperless to -bed. And he knew nothing of the spell which Oh-I-Am had placed by his -door. - -Now he got into bed, and thought he would go to sleep; but oh, how hard -the mattress was! Wry-Face lay this way, then that, but no matter which -way he lay, he found a great hump just beneath him which was as hard as -hard, and as nobbly as could be. - -Wry-Face tossed and tossed till it was nearly morning; and his bones -were so sore that he could lie no longer. - -Then he pulled the mattress from the bed and cut a great hole in it, and -when he had searched and searched he found in the middle of the -mattress—a big brown potato! - -“This,” cried Wry-Face, “is why I have not slept the whole night -through!” And he wept like anything. - -But the potato was as cool as cool. - -“I belong,” it said, “to One-Eye, the potato wife; and let me tell you, -my little gnome, unless you take me to her immediately, I shall climb -into your mattress again, and there I shall remain.” - -“Alas,” cried Wry-Face, “I have tossed about for hours and hours and am -too tired to do anything. But if you will wait till to-morrow, dear -potato, I will carry you to One-Eye, the potato wife—I will, indeed.” - -At first the potato was unwilling to listen to this, but after a while -it said, “Very well, then, I will wait till the morning. But this much I -know, my Wry-Face, if you do not carry me then to One-Eye, the potato -wife, I shall get into your mattress and you shall roll again _every -night_.” - -So Wry-Face put the potato in the bin. When he had done that he went to -bed, and slept and slept. - -When the sun was shining he awoke, and he remembered that he had to -carry the potatoes back to One-Eye, the potato wife; and he was as cross -as anything. - -“Well, I suppose I must,” he said. And when he had had his breakfast, he -went to his cupboard to get a sack. - -Then he found that his sack was full of pearls which he had gathered -together for Heigh-Heavy, the giant, whose daughter, So-Small, he wished -to marry. - -So he thought, “First of all I will carry the pearls to Heigh-Heavy, for -that is more important.” And away he went with the sack upon his back. -And he never saw the spell which Oh-I-Am had placed beside his door. - -When he reached the Most Enormous House of Heigh-Heavy, the Giant, there -the giant was sitting in his parlor lacing his shoes. - -So Wry-Face cried out in a gay little voice, “Here I am, Heigh-Heavy, -here I am. And here is a bag of pearls which I have brought you in -exchange for your beautiful daughter, So-Small.” - -When Heigh-Heavy heard this, he stopped lacing his shoes, and said, “You -must bring me in exchange for my daughter So-Small as many pearls as -will cover my palm.” - -Then Wry-Face ran forward and he tipped up the sack; and, standing high -upon his toes, he shook out all that it held into the hand of -Heigh-Heavy, the Giant. - -Now all that it held was—one brown potato! - -Wry-Face the gnome stared and stared and stared, his eyes growing -rounder and rounder; but he had no time to weep, on account of -Heigh-Heavy the giant who had fallen into a rage terrible to see. - -“Now there is one thing quite certain,” said Heigh-Heavy, “and that is -that you shall never marry my daughter So-Small, for, my Wry-Face, I -will turn you into a brown potato, and a brown potato you shall remain -your whole life through.” - -When Wry-Face heard this terrible threat he took to his heels, and ran -from the Most Enormous House of Heigh-Heavy, the giant. He ran, and ran, -till his coat was torn and his ears were red; and he never rested till -he reached his cottage door, and got inside. - -Heigh-Heavy laughed till he cried to see the little gnome run. “He will -play no tricks on _me_!” said he. And he went in and shut the door. - -But Wry-Face said to himself, as he carried the potatoes, weeping, to -the potato-wife: - -“I will never play a trick on _anyone_ again, not as long as I live!” - - - - - CHANTICLEER - - -Once upon a time a widow and her two daughters lived in a little cottage -near a grove. They were so poor that it took the most careful managing -to earn a humble living. Their meals were very simple; indeed, they -often had nothing but milk and brown bread, and once in a while a bit of -bacon and an egg or two. - -Around the cottage was a henyard, fenced in with sticks and a dry ditch, -and here the old widow kept a handsome rooster called Chanticleer. His -match for crowing could not be found; his voice was merrier than the -merry organ heard in the church on Mass days, and the wonder of it was -one could tell the hour of the day by his crowing! His comb was redder -than fine coral, and all notched like a castle wall. His bill was black -and shone like jet, his legs and his toes were like azure, his nails -whiter than the lily flower, and his feathers the color of burnished -gold. - -Chanticleer lived a happy life. He had with him seven plump wives, all -very much like him in color, but by far the cheeriest companion among -them was Demoiselle Partlet, who was not only beautiful but also wise -and courteous. Chanticleer loved her dearly. What joy it was to hear -them sing together at sunrise, - - “My love is far away.” - -Early one morning when Chanticleer and his seven hens sat on the perch, -Partlet, who was beside her lord, heard a loud groan. “My dear,” she -said, astonished and alarmed, “what can be the matter with you? For -shame, to wake us all up in this way!” - -“Madam,” replied the rooster, “do not be anxious about me. It was only a -dream, but it has frightened me almost beyond words. I thought I was -roaming up and down the yard, when suddenly I saw a beast somewhat like -a hound ready to spring at me. He was between yellow and red in color, -his tail and ears were tipped with black, his nose was small and his -eyes glowed like fire. I almost died of fright! That is what made me -groan.” - -“Fie for shame!” retorted Partlet. “Do you admit to your love that -anything could fill your heart with fear? Alas! Alas! You know that -dreams mean nothing. Let me explain what causes them. Overeating creates -too much black humor, and in consequence one is likely to dream that -black bears, or black bulls, or even _devils_ will catch him. Then -again, if one has too much red humor he may dream of arrows, of fire -with red blazes, or of great and small whelps that will bite. I could go -on, but further talk is unnecessary. Dearest, when we fly down from -these rafters I will point out to you herbs and berries that will cure -you; also for a day or two you shall have a light diet of worms. Cheer -up, I say, and in a little while all will be well. Should this occur -again, remember the words of the wise Cato: ‘Take no heed of dreams!’” - -“Thank you for your excellent advice, my dear,” replied Chanticleer. “I -know that Cato had much wisdom, but I can give you examples of other -very wise men who did not agree with him. Do you not remember the story -of Daniel in the Old Testament? Did he think dreams mean nothing? Also -read the story of Joseph and you will see that a dream held warnings of -future things. Recall for a moment Pharaoh, King of Egypt, his baker and -his butler! See what they thought about the meaning of dreams. Wonderful -stories on this subject I could point out to you, so do not be surprised -that this dream of mine makes me anxious. But now, my dearest Partlet, -let us talk about merrier things, for, when I see the beauty of your -face and the lovely scarlet hue about your eyes, all my fears leave me. -I am so full of joy and comfort in your company that I forget dreams.” - -Daybreak had come and the rooster and his seven wives flew down from the -perch. “Cluck! Cluck!” he called gayly when he found a tidbit in the -yard. Behold Chanticleer in all his glory! Brave as a lion, he roamed -proudly on his tiptoes up and down the henyard, never dreaming that an -enemy was watching him with cunning interest. - -Now it happened that a wicked fox had lived for three years in the grove -near the cottage. All this time he had been watching his chance to fall -upon the handsome rooster. During the night of Chanticleer’s dream, the -fox had pushed slyly through the hedge into the garden and had carefully -hidden himself among the vegetables. - -The sun was shining gloriously! Partlet and her sisters were bathing -merrily in the warm sand! Gallant Chanticleer, singing merrier than a -mermaid, was watching a butterfly flitting about in the sunshine among -the herbs when suddenly his eye caught sight of the fox lying low among -the leaves! Terror seized him. The song died in his throat. “Cok! Cok!” -he gasped. In a moment he would have fled, but the fox began right away -to speak to him in a very persuasive tone. - -“Gentle sir, I hope you are not afraid of me, your own good friend. -Certainly I should be worse than a fiend if I harmed you. Indeed I did -not come here to spy upon you, but, pardon me, to hear your glorious -voice. No angel in heaven could sing sweeter than you do. How well I -remember my lord, your father, and my lady, your honorable mother. They -have been guests at my house many times. Shall I ever again hear a voice -as beautiful as your father’s when he greeted the sunrise! I remember -exactly how he looked. He stood on his tiptoes, shut his eyes tightly, -stretched out his long slender neck and then poured forth his glorious -song. He was indeed a wonder. Also, he was very wise and careful. I have -heard it said that no one could surpass him in song or wisdom. I wonder, -kind sir, if your voice is as beautiful as your father’s. For sweet -charity’s sake, will you not sing one song for me and let me compare the -two voices?” - -How could Chanticleer refuse one so kind and courteous? He began to flap -his wings. He stood on tiptoe. He closed his eyes. He stretched his -long, slender neck and began to crow. Snap! In a twinkling the fox -seized Chanticleer by the throat, swung him across his back, and was off -to the woods with him. - -Never was there such a commotion! The hens screamed and cried pitifully. -Partlet shrieked at the top of her voice. This brought the widow and her -daughters to the door, and then they saw the wicked fox with Chanticleer -across his back making for the wood. “Help! Help! A fox! A fox!” they -cried, and started after him as fast as they could go. Men snatched up -sticks and joined them. The dog Coll ran yelping and barking. Malkin -started with the distaff in her hand. The cow and the calf ran. The -hogs, frightened at the loud barking of the dogs and the screaming of -the people, set up a squealing like fiends and followed in the chase. -The ducks quacked as if they were being murdered, the geese in terror -took flight over the tree tops. The hideous deafening noise started a -swarm of bees forth from their hive. Soon other people followed with -horns of brass, wood, and bone. They blew, they bellowed, they cried, -they screamed, they whooped, they shrieked, and made such a bedlam that -it seemed the very heavens would fall. And on ran the fox with the -rooster on his back. - -[Illustration] - -Now Chanticleer in all his breathless terror was rapidly turning over in -his mind how he could help his friends to rescue him. Controlling his -fright as best he could, he said, - -“Sir, if I were you, I’d scoff at these followers. Say to them, ‘Turn -back you proud churls! A plague upon you! The rooster is mine and I’ll -soon be where I can eat him.’” - -“In faith,” replied the fox, “I’ll do what you say.” As soon as the fox -opened his mouth, Chanticleer flew high up into a tree which stood near. -Now the fox saw his mistake, but was not ready to give up. - -“Alas, alas, Chanticleer,” he began, “I’ve done you a great wrong. I -seized you and carried you entirely too roughly. Forgive me for -frightening you. Come now, fly down a moment and let me explain.” - -“No thank you,” crowed Chanticleer. “Your flattery will not catch me a -second time, and make me sing again with my eyes closed. For no good can -come to anyone who closes his eyes when they should be open.” - -“Bad luck to the one who talks when he should hold his peace,” grumbled -the fox. - - - - - THE JACKAL AND THE ALLIGATOR - - -A little Jackal, who was very fond of crabs and bits of fish and -whatever else he could find, went down to the riverside one morning in -search of something for his dinner. He ran up and down the bank, here -and there, but he could find nothing to eat. At last, near some tall -bulrushes and under clear, shallow water he saw a little crab who was -sidling along as fast as his legs could carry him. The little jackal was -so very hungry that, without looking, he put his paw into the water -after the crab. “Snap!” A great big alligator who lived in the river, -had the paw in his jaws. - -“Oh, dear,” thought the little jackal, “a big alligator has my paw in -his mouth. In another minute he will drag me down under the water and -swallow me. What can I do?” Then a thought came to the little jackal, -“I’ll fool that old alligator and get away from him.” So he called out -in a very cheerful voice, “Clever Alligator! Clever Alligator! To catch -hold of that bulrush root for my paw! I hope you will find it very -tender.” - -The old alligator was so hidden among the bulrushes that he could -scarcely see anything. On hearing the little jackal call out he said to -himself, “Dear me, I thought I had caught hold of the jackal’s paw; but -there he is calling out in a cheerful voice. I suppose I have made a -mistake.” So saying he opened his mouth and let the little jackal go. - -The jackal ran away as fast as he could. When he was at a safe distance -he called out, “O wise Alligator! O wise Alligator! So you let me go -again.” The alligator was very angry, but the little jackal had run too -far away to be caught. - -The next day the jackal returned to the riverside to get his dinner as -before. The old alligator was nowhere to be seen, but the little jackal -thought it best not to take any chances, so he called out, “Wherever I -go to look for my dinner, I search for the nice little fat crabs that -come peeping up through the mud. Then I put my paw down and catch them. -I wish I could see one now.” - -The old alligator was down in the mud at the bottom of the river, and he -heard every word the jackal said. He thought to himself, “Aha! I’ll just -show the tip of my nose up through the mud. He’ll take it for a little -fat crab and put his paw in to catch me. As soon as he does so, I’ll -gobble him up!” So he popped the little point of his nose out of the mud -and waited. No sooner did the jackal see the tip of the alligator’s nose -than he called out, “O Friend Alligator, so there you are. No dinner for -me here, thank you.” And off he ran and fished for his dinner a long, -long way from that place. The old alligator snapped his jaws again and -again. He was very angry at missing his dinner a second time, and he -made up his mind not to let the jackal escape again. - -The following day, the little jackal went down to the waterside as usual -to look for crabs. He was rather afraid to go too near the river’s edge, -for he felt sure the old enemy was hiding somewhere. So he stayed back -at a safe distance and called out, - -“Where are all the little crabs gone? There is not one here and I am -very hungry. When I don’t see them on the shore or peeping up through -the mud I see them blowing bubble, bubble, bubble, and all the little -bubbles go pop! pop! pop!” The old alligator lying low in the mud heard -this and he said to himself, “I can fool that little jackal easy enough -_this_ time. I’ll pretend to be a little crab.” Then he began to blow, -puff, puff! Bubble, bubble, bubble! And all the great bubbles rushed to -the top of the river, and burst there, and the water whirled and whirled -round and round just above the place where the old alligator lay hidden. -It didn’t take the jackal long to know who was underneath those bubbles, -and off he ran, as fast as he could go, calling out, - -“Thank you, kind Alligator, thank you, thank you! Indeed it is very kind -of you to show me just where you are.” - -The old alligator was furious at being deceived by the little jackal -once more. “Next time I will be very cunning,” he said. So, for a long -time he waited and waited for the jackal, to come to the riverside, but -the jackal never returned. - -“I shall be caught and eaten by that wicked old alligator some day if I -am not careful. I must content myself to do without crabs.” He went no -more to the river, but stayed in the jungle and ate wild figs and roots -which he dug up with his paws. - -When the alligator found this out he was angry again, and he determined -to try to catch the jackal on land. So he crawled over the ground to a -place where the largest of the wild fig trees grew. He made a great heap -of the fallen figs and hid himself under it, and there he waited for the -jackal. No sooner did the cunning little animal spy the great pile of -figs than he thought, “Oh, ho, that looks much like my friend the -alligator. I’ll see.” So he called out, - -“The little wild figs I like best always tumble down from the tree, and -roll here and there as the wind drives them. That great heap of figs is -quite still. They can not be good figs. I will not eat one of them.” - -The old alligator thought, “Oh, ho! How suspicious this jackal is. I -will make the figs roll about a little, then he will come and eat them.” - -So the great beast shook himself and all the little figs went roll, -roll, roll, this way and that, farther than the most blustering wind -could have driven them. The jackal knew who was under the heap. Away he -scampered, calling back, “Thank you, Mr. Alligator, for letting me know -you are there! I should scarcely have guessed it.” The alligator hearing -this was so angry that he ran after the jackal, but the jackal ran away -too quickly to be caught. - -The old alligator was now in a rage. “I will not let him make fun of me -another time and then run away out of my reach. I will show him I can be -more cunning than he thinks,” he declared. - -Early the next morning he crawled as fast as he could till he came to -the little jackal’s den. The jackal was away, and so he crept in and hid -himself to wait until the little animal should return. By and by the -jackal came home. He looked all about the place, for the ground around -his house was torn up as though some very heavy animal had been crawling -there. - -“Dear me,” he said. Then he saw that the earth on each side of the door -of his den had been knocked down as if something very big had tried to -squeeze through it. - -“I certainly will not go inside until I know who has gone in there.” So -he called out, “Little house, why do you not give me an answer when I -call? You always call out to me if all is safe and right. Is anything -wrong that you do not speak?” - -Then the alligator who was inside thought, “I must pretend to be the -little house and call out. He will not come in unless he thinks all is -right in here.” So he called out in as pleasant a voice as he could, -“Sweet little Jackal.” When the little jackal heard that he was -frightened indeed. - -“So that dreadful old alligator is in my house. I must try to kill him -if I can, or he will certainly make an end of me some day.” - -Then he answered, “Thank you, my dear little house. I like to hear your -pretty voice. I am coming in a minute, but first I must collect some -firewood to cook my dinner.” As fast as he could, he gathered all the -dry branches and bits of sticks and piled them up close to the mouth of -the den. The old alligator inside kept as quiet as a mouse, but he could -not help laughing a little to himself, “So I have deceived that little -jackal at last. In a few minutes he will run in here, and then, won’t I -snap him up!” - -When the jackal had gathered as many sticks as he could find, he ran -back and placed the sticks all round the outside of his den. Then he set -fire to them. The great fire blazed up, and the smoke filled the den and -smothered that wicked old alligator. - - - - - FINN AND THE FAIRY SHOEMAKER - - -Finn O’Shea’s grandmother knew more about fairies than anyone else in -the village. One afternoon when the sun was shining on the tops of the -Nine Hills, which rose up a few fields beyond the edge of the village, -Finn and his grandmother were coming home from a walk. Suddenly the old -woman darted forward and picked up the tiniest bit of a gray feather. -Her sharp eyes had spied it under the shadow of a foxglove. - -“What is it, Granny?” asked Finn. - -“An owl’s feather, lad. It fell out of one of their wee red caps,” said -she, laughing quietly. “They had a fine revel in the fields last night, -my boy, for it was Midsummer Eve. That is the time when the wee folks -are gayest, you know.” - -“I wish I could see them dancing,” said Finn. - -“Ah, my lad, no mortal can see them so long as they keep their wee red -caps on,” said grandmother. “Sometimes in their revels they toss their -caps aside, but you see the frogs are always on the lookout to warn the -fairies if mortal steps are near. These tiny elves are very clever. Do -you see those three circles of green which are a little lighter in color -than the rest of the grass? That is where they danced until the village -cocks began to crow. Then they made off to the Nine Hills. Ah! It would -be a wonderful sight to see the wee folks whirling and gliding about in -the white moonlight to the sweetest fairy music. But as I said, few -mortals have ever seen them.” - -“Do they dance every night, grandmother?” - -“Every night, Finn. If the weather is fine they frolic on the green, -especially if the moon is bright. When the nights are wet and stormy -they keep inside the hills, where there is an elfin village.” - -Finn look very serious. “Grandmother,” he said, “these wee folks must -wear out a good many pairs of shoes.” - -“That they do, my lad. I’m sure I don’t know what they would do without -little Leprechaun, the Fairy Shoemaker. He is the only industrious one -among them.” - -“Tell me about him, Granny,” said Finn. - -Grandmother sat down on a large stone and looked toward the Nine Hills. - -“The Fairy Shoemaker is very rich, Finn, richer than my lord O’Toole who -lives in the castle by the sea. Indeed, there is no one in all Ireland -who has as much gold as this elfin shoemaker who spends his days working -for the fairies. All kinds of shoes he makes,—stout little brogans and -buskins, high hunting boots, bits of satin slippers that you could stand -on a penny, tiny sandals with silver laces and diamond buckles,—all -kinds of shoes. O Finn, my lad, he is a wonderful wee old man.” - -“Where does he keep his money, Granny?” - -“Why, what a question, my lad! Do you think this sly little Elf would -let any mortal know that secret? Not he!” - -“I wonder if anyone has ever seen him,” said Finn. - -“My lad, your great-grandmother O’Shea knew a poor farmer who found a -pot of gold buried in one of his fields. The villagers always believed -that the man had in some way caught little Leprechaun, and made him -point out the spot where his gold was hidden.” - -“Granny,” said Finn, “I’d like to catch the Fairy Shoemaker. One pot of -his gold would make us very rich, wouldn’t it?” - -“Catch little Leprechaun, Finn! My lad, you couldn’t do it.” - -“He is very tiny, grandmother. I’m sure I could hold him easily.” - -“You would have to catch him, first, Finn. He is the trickiest Elf of -all. No one can see him as long as he wears his wee red cap! And if you -should chance to find him without it, you wouldn’t dare take your eyes -off him for one second or away he would go. Some people say bad luck is -sure to come to mortals who meddle with the fairies,” said grandmother, -looking about cautiously. “It is better to earn your pot of gold, my -lad. But come, the sun has gone behind the hills.” - -Finn was very quiet all the way home. He was wondering how he could -catch the Fairy Shoemaker and make the little Elf tell where his -treasure crocks were hidden. He would begin the search in good earnest -the very next day. - -In the morning when Finn drove the cow to the pasture, he peeped -carefully among the low willows that bordered the brook. He looked all -around the big stones in the meadow. Several times he stopped and -listened! Once he felt sure he caught the clicking sound of an elfin -hammer. It seemed to come from the direction of a tall ragweed, but when -Finn drew near, the sound stopped suddenly and he could see nothing. -Patiently each day he searched for the little Leprechaun. One afternoon -when he was sauntering through a shady glen near the Nine Hills he -stooped down to quench his thirst at a tiny spring of clear water. He -fancied he heard a faint clicking sound! “Tip-tap, tip-tap.” Finn raised -his head quickly and listened! - -[Illustration] - - “Rip-rap-tip-tap - Tick-a-tack-too; - Tip-tap-tip, - Rip-rap-rip, - Tick-tack-too.” - -The sound came from behind a large stone near the spring. Soon the -tapping stopped and the shrill voice sang out: - - “Tip-a tap-tip - And tick-a-tack-too, - Every stitch helps - To finish a shoe.” - -Finn could hear his heart beat. He crept cautiously along and peeped -around the stone. There, on a tiny stool, sat the Fairy Shoemaker -hammering away at a wee hunting boot of scarlet leather, which he held -between his knees. _And his bit of a red cap was hanging on a spear of -tall grass!_ Finn leaped to his feet, faced little Leprechaun, seized -the red cap, and said, “Good day, sir.” - -Instantly the little Elf jumped up and looked sharply through his -spectacles at Finn. He was about twelve inches tall and his queer little -face was full of wrinkles. A long gray beard reached to the top of a -leathern apron which almost covered his brown suit. - -“Good day, sir,” repeated Finn. - -“Humph!” grunted Leprechaun. - -Finn went closer, grasped the little Elf’s shoulder, held him tightly, -and stared sharply at him. - -“You’d better be off,” said the Fairy Shoemaker; “I have work to do.” - -Finn kept his eyes fixed on the wee man, and said, “Come, now, where do -you keep your treasure crocks? I shall not let you go until you tell -me.” - -“Oh! Is that all you want?” laughed the Elf. “Well, come along with me.” - -Finn was delighted. The old man seemed very easy to manage. Leprechaun -looked up pleasantly and said, “Your pardon, sir.” He pulled out a tiny -gold snuffbox, took a pinch and offered some to Finn. “Snuff, sir?” he -said with a smile. - -“Why, how friendly he seems,” thought Finn, taking a pinch. - -“Pouf-f!!” The Fairy Shoemaker blew all the snuff right into Finn’s -face. - -“Tshoo-oo!—Tshoo-oo! A-a-a-tshoo-oo-oo!” sneezed Finn, _shutting his -eyes_! In a twinkling the wee man had snatched his red cap and was gone! - -Finn went home a little discouraged. “Why didn’t I remember what Granny -told me about his tricks?” he said to himself. “I’ll try again, and he -shall not catch me a second time.” - -One afternoon a few weeks later, Finn walked as far as the Nine Hills. -He was very tired, so he lay down on one of the grassy slopes to rest. -How quiet it was on the shady hillside! - - “Tip-a-tap-tip - And tick-a-tack-too, - Rip-rap-rip - Tick-tack-too.” - -The sound came from the crest of the hill. After a little pause a shrill -voice sang: - - “A wedding feast to-night - And dancing on the green! - In moonbeams’ silver light - Gay fairies will be seen! - Tiny satin sandals - To grace the dainty bride; - Stitch away Leprechaun - They must be your pride.” - -It was the voice of little Leprechaun! The Fairy Shoemaker was working -away near the crest of the hill. Finn crept up the grassy slope, and -there in the shadow of some low bushes sat the tiny Elf. He was putting -a high heel on the daintiest white satin sandal. And beside him lay his -wee red cap! - - “Tip-tap-rip-rap - Tick-a-tack-too.” - -The elfin hammer was working busily—busily! - -Finn slipped up quietly, and grasping the red cap in one hand laid hold -of the wee man’s shoulder with the other. Up jumped the Elf. He looked -round quickly for his cap. - -“Good day, sir,” said Finn. - -Leprechaun made a deep bow. - -“You are busy, I see.” - -“Always busy, sir,” answered the wee man. “Always busy.” - -“I suppose you like to make shoes, especially such dainty ones?” And all -the time Finn kept his eyes on the little Elf’s face and held him fast. - -“I like to _work_” said the Fairy Shoemaker slyly. “Come, now, do you?” - -Finn felt a little confused at this last question, but he answered, - -“You have plenty of gold and some to spare, I should think. Come, tell -me where you keep your treasure crocks.” - -“I will show you where I keep _one_ of them,” answered Leprechaun. - -“All right,” answered Finn. “If you’ll lead me to the spot where one -crock of gold is buried, I’ll not bother you again.” - -“Come, then,” said the Elf. - -“Mind that you keep your snuffbox in your pocket,” said Finn. “You -shan’t catch me that way again.” - -“This way,” laughed the wee man. - -Down the hillside and over the fields hurried the Fairy Shoemaker, -leading Finn along at a good pace. It was wonderful to see this queer -Elf skip across the ditches and hedges, and hop over the stones and -rough places in the meadow. Finn was becoming very tired. “How much -farther is it?” he asked. - -“Come along, come along,” laughed little Leprechaun. - -Finally they came to a field full of ragweed. The Fairy Shoemaker -stopped suddenly. Then pointing with his tiny finger, he said, “If you -dig deep under the roots of this weed, you’ll find one of my treasure -crocks filled to the brim with gold.” - -“But I can’t dig without a spade,” said Finn excitedly. - -“Of course not,” answered Leprechaun. “But now that you know the spot -you can get the gold whenever you like.” - -“I shall get it to-day,” said Finn. “I’ll run home now and get my spade. -But I’d better mark the weed, I think.” - -“That would be a good plan,” said the Shoemaker. “Here I have a bit of -bright red string in my pocket. Let us tie it around the stem near the -top.” - -How deftly the elfin fingers tied the mark! - -“Thank you very kindly,” said Finn. - -“Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?” asked Leprechaun. - -“You will promise not to touch the string?” - -“I promise not to touch it, sir. Also I assure you no one else shall -touch it,” said Leprechaun. - -“Well, then, you may go. Here is your red cap. I thank you very much for -your kindness. Good day!” said Finn pleasantly. - -“Good day, sir,” said the Fairy Shoemaker, and off he scampered, -chuckling to himself. - -You may be sure Finn hurried away to fetch his spade. How surprised -Granny would be to hear that he had caught the Fairy Shoemaker. He would -not tell her until he carried home the treasure. In breathless haste he -got his spade and hurried back to the field of ragweed. Then Finn stood -still and looked! A bit of bright red string was tied around every -ragweed in the field! The Fairy Shoemaker had tricked him again! He -thought he heard a low chuckling laugh. Finn listened carefully. From -among the weeds he heard a faint voice singing, - - “How does the little Leprechaun - Fill treasure crocks with gold? - The live long day he _works away_ - From far-off times of old.” - - - - - MAKING THE BEST OF IT - - -“What a pretty day this is!” said the old gray goose to the brown hen, -as they stood at the henhouse window and watched the falling snow which -covered every nook and corner of the farmyard. - -“Yes, indeed,” said the brown hen; “I would be almost willing to be made -into chicken pie on such a day.” - -She had scarcely stopped talking, when the Pekin duck said, fretfully, -“I am dreadfully hungry,” and a little flock of speckled chickens all -huddled together wailed in sad chorus, “And we’re so thirsty!” - -In fact, the feathered folks in the henhouse were very much inclined to -be cross and discontented. Since the farmer’s boy fed them, early in the -morning, they had been given nothing to eat or drink, and, as hour after -hour went by, and the cold winter wind howled around their house, it is -no wonder they felt deserted. - -The handsome white rooster, however, appeared quite as happy as usual, -and that is saying a great deal, for a jollier, better-natured old -fellow than he never graced a farmyard. Sunshine, rain, or snow were all -the same to him, and he crowed quite as lustily in stormy weather as in -fair. - -“Well,” he said, laughing heartily, as his bright eyes glanced about the -henhouse, “you all seem to be having a fit of the dumps.” - -Nobody answered the white rooster, but a faint cluck or two came from -some hens who immediately put their heads back under their wings, as if -ashamed of having spoken at all. - -This was quite too much for the white rooster, who, standing first on -one yellow foot and then on the other, said: “Well, we are a lively set! -Anyone would think, to look in here, that we were surrounded by a band -of hungry foxes.” - -Just then a daring little white bantam rooster hopped down from his -perch, and, strutting pompously over to the big rooster, created quite a -stir among the feathered folk by saying, - -“We’re all lively enough when our crops are full, but when we’re -starving the wonder is that we can hold our heads up at all. If I ever -see that farmer’s boy again, I’ll—I’ll peck his foot!” - -“You won’t see him until he feeds us,” said the white rooster, “and then -I think you will peck his corn.” - -“Oh, oh!” moaned the brown hen, “don’t mention a peck of corn.” - -“Madam,” remarked the white rooster, bowing politely, “your trouble is -my own—that is, I’m hungry, too. But we might be worse off; we might be -on our way to market in a box. Then, too, suppose we haven’t had enough -to eat to-day, at least we have room enough to stretch our wings and a -good, quiet place to sleep in.” - -“Why, that is a fact,” answered the brown hen; and all the feathered -family—the smallest chickens included—stretched their wings, preened -their feathers, and looked a trifle more animated. - -“Now then,” went on the rooster, “suppose we have a little music to -cheer us and help pass the hours until roosting time. We will all -crow—there, I beg your pardon, ladies; I am sorry you can’t crow—we will -sing a merry song. Will you be kind enough to start a lively tune, Mrs. -Brown Hen?” - -The brown hen shook herself proudly, tossed her head back, and began: -“Cut-cut-cut-ca-dak-cut,” and in less than two minutes every one in the -henhouse had joined her. - -Now the horses, cows, and sheep were not far away, and, hearing the -happy voices in the henhouse, they, too, joined in the grand chorus, -while the pigs did their best to sing louder than all the rest. Higher -and higher, stronger and stronger, rose the chorus; louder and louder -quacked the ducks, and shriller and shriller squealed the pigs. At -length even the dogs barked merrily. - -They were all so happy that they quite forgot their hunger until the -door of the henhouse burst open, and in came three chubby children, each -carrying a dish full of steaming chicken food. - -“Don’t stop your music, Mr. Rooster,” said the little girl, who was so -snugly bundled up that you could scarcely see her dear little face. “You -see, we were so lonesome that we didn’t know what to do; but when we -heard all you folks singing out here in your house, we laughed and -laughed until we almost cried. Then we went to tell Jack about you; he -was lonesome, too—poor Jack sick with a sore throat—and he said, ‘Why, -those poor hens; they haven’t been fed since morning!’” - -“Cock-a-doodle-do!” said the white rooster. “This comes of making the -best of things. Cock-a-doodle-do!” And nobody asked him to stop his -crowing. - - - - - THE BROWNIE OF BLEDNOCK - - -Did you ever hear how a Brownie came to the village of Blednock and was -frightened away again? - -It was one November evening, just when the milking was done and before -the children were put to bed. The people of the village were standing by -their doorsteps talking about their bad harvest and the turnips, and -what chances there were of a good price for their cattle at the coming -fair. - -All at once the queerest humming noise seemed to come up from the -riverside. It came nearer and nearer, and all the good people stopped -talking and began to look down the road. And, indeed, it was no wonder -that they stared, for there, coming up the middle of the highway, was -the strangest little creature that human eyes had ever seen. - -He looked like a wee, wee man. He had a long blue beard which almost -touched the ground. His legs were twisted, his knees knocked together as -he walked, and his arms were so long that his hands trailed in the mud -as he came along. He seemed to be humming something over and over. As he -came nearer, the good people of the village could make out the words: - - “Have ye work for Aiken-Drum? - Any work for Aiken-Drum?” - -Oh, how frightened the people were! The children screamed and hid their -faces in their mothers’ gowns and the milkmaids threw down the pails of -milk they were carrying. Even the dogs crept in behind the doors, -whining and hiding their tails between their legs. Some of the men who -were not too frightened to look the wee man in the face, laughed and -hooted at him. - -“Did you ever see such eyes?” cried one. - -“His mouth is so big he could swallow the moon and never even notice -it,” said the other. - -“Look at his long blue beard!” said a third. - -And still the poor little man came slowly up the road, crying: - - “Have ye work for Aiken-Drum? - Any work for Aiken-Drum?” - -Good Grannie Duncan, the kindest old woman in the village, called out at -last: “He’s just a Brownie, a simple, kindly Brownie. I’ve heard tell of -Brownies before. Many a long day’s work will they do for the people who -treat them well.” - -Gathering courage from her words, all the village folk crowded around -the little man. When they were close to him, they saw that his face was -kind and gentle and that his tiny eyes had a merry twinkle in them. - -“Strange little creature,” said an old man, “tell us what you want and -where you came from?” - -[Illustration] - -“I cannot well tell thee whence I came,” said the wee man. “My country -is a nameless land and is very different from this land of yours. For -there we all learn to serve, while here every one wishes to be served. -When there is no work for us to do at home, we sometimes set out to -visit thy land to see if there is any work we can do there. If thou -wilt, I will stay here awhile. I do not wish anyone to wait on me, for I -want no wages, nor clothes, nor bedding. All I ask for is a corner of -the barn to sleep in, and a bowl of broth set down on the floor at -bedtime. If no one meddles with me, I shall be ready to help any one who -needs me. I’ll gather your sheep on the hill. I’ll take in the harvest -by moonlight. I’ll sing your bairns to sleep in their cradles. You’ll -find that the bairns all love Aiken-Drum. And, good housewives, I’ll -churn for you and bake your bread on a busy day. The men folk, too, may -find me useful when there is corn to thrash, or untamed colts in the -stables, or when the waters are out in flood.” - -No one knew quite what to say in answer to the little creature’s strange -request. It was an unheard-of thing for anyone to come and offer his -services for nothing. Some thought it could not be true; others said it -were better to have nothing to do with the little creature. - -Then up spoke good Grannie Duncan again: - -“He’s but a Brownie, I tell you, a harmless Brownie. Many a story I’ve -heard in my young days about the work that a Brownie can do, if he be -treated well and let alone. Have we not all been complaining about bad -times, small wages, and the hard work we all have to do? And now, when a -workman comes ready to your hand, you will have nothing to do with him -just because he is strange looking. And I’ve heard that a Brownie can -stalk a whole ten-acre field in a single night! Shame on you, say I!” - -“A ten-acre field in a single night!” cried out all the men of the -village at once. “A ten-acre field!” repeated one. “And in a single -night!” added another. That settled the matter. The miller at once -offered the Brownie a corner of his barn to sleep in, and good Grannie -Duncan promised to make him some broth at bedtime and to send her -grandchild, wee Janie, down to the barn with it every evening. Then all -the people of the village said, “Good night,” and went to their homes. -But they were careful to look over their shoulders once in a while, for -fear that the strange little man was following them. - -But if they were afraid of him that night, they had a very different -story to tell about him before a week had passed. Whatever he was or -wherever he came from, he was the most wonderful little worker that -these people had ever known. And the strange thing was that he did most -of the work at night. Village folk came from all parts of the -countryside to catch a glimpse of this queer little worker, but they -were never successful, for he was never to be seen when one looked for -him. They might have gone to the miller’s barn twenty times a day, and -twenty times a day they would have found nothing but a heap of straw and -an empty broth bowl. - -But whenever there was work to be done, whether it was a tired child to -be sung to, or a house to be made tidy, or a batch of bread to be worked -up, or a flock of sheep to be gathered together on a stormy night, -Aiken-Drum always knew of it and appeared ready to help just at the -right time. - -Many a time some poor mother who had been up all night with a crying -child would sit down with it on her lap in front of the fire in the -morning and fall asleep. When she awoke she would find that Aiken-Drum -had made a visit to her house; for the floor would be scrubbed and the -dishes washed, the fire made up and the kettle put on to boil. But the -little Brownie would have slipped away as if he were afraid of being -thanked. - -The little children were the only ones who ever saw him when he was not -working, and, oh, how they loved him! When school was out you could see -them away down by the stream crowding around the little dark brown -figure, and you could hear the sound of low, sweet singing; for -Aiken-Drum knew all the songs that children love well. - -By and by the name of Aiken-Drum came to be a household word among the -good people of the village, for, although they seldom saw him near at -hand, they loved him like one of their own people. - -And he would never have gone away if every one in the village had -remembered what good Grannie Duncan told them about Brownies. “A Brownie -works for love,” she had said to them over and over again. “He will not -work for pay. If anyone tries to pay him, the wee creature’s feelings -will be hurt, and he will vanish in the night.” - -But a good man of the village and his wife forgot all that had been -said, and one day they planned to make something for Aiken-Drum. - -“He should not work for nothing,” said the good man. - -“He has already worn out his coat and trousers slaving for us,” said his -wife. - -So one day they made him a little pair of green trousers and a little -brown coat. That night the two good people laid a parcel by the side of -the bowl of broth in the miller’s barn. - -In the middle of the night some one heard the Brownie saying to himself, -“A nice pair of green trousers and a little brown coat for me. I can -come here no more till one of the children of this village travels the -world over and finds me first.” - -So this strange little creature had to go away. He vanished in the night -as any Brownie is sure to do if some one tries to pay him. - -And all the good people of Blednock talked of the kind deeds of the -little strange man who came one evening into their midst, and they -wondered and wondered if he would ever come back to them again. - - - - - HOW OLAF BROUGHT THE BROWNIE BACK - - -Did you ever hear how Olaf, one of the village children, went in search -of the Brownie and brought him back to the good people of Blednock? - -It came about in this way. - -Olaf’s father had often told him of the Brownie that had once lived in -the village and had helped all the village people to do their work. - -“The little lively thing would come night after night and clean the -floor, and scrub the table, and wash the dishes, and keep the whole -house as clean as a new pin. But one night he went away and he never -came back.” - -“Why did he go away, father?” asked Olaf. - -“Well,” said his father, “there’s great pride in Brownies. They’ll work -their fingers off for love, but you must never thank them, nor give them -anything, or away they will go. Good Grannie Duncan had told us that -over and over again, but your mother and I forgot all about her wise -words. We thought that the little thing ought not to work for nothing. -So we bought a piece of green cloth and a piece of brown cloth and your -mother sat up all night cutting and stitching. By morning she had made -as neat a pair of little trousers and as fine a coat as ever she made -for you. - -“That night we laid the clothes in a little parcel beside the bowl of -broth, and we heard the little thing saying to himself: - -“‘A nice pair of green trousers and a little brown coat for me. I can -come here no more—_no more_—till one of the children of the village -travels the world over and finds me first.’ - -“And the strange little creature vanished in the night and no one has -seen or heard of him since though we have missed him very, very much.” - -Olaf thought about the Brownie all day. He felt that, although the world -away from the village might be very dangerous, he was quite willing to -travel in it if, by so doing, he could bring the Brownie back to -Blednock. - -Olaf asked each person in the village where to find the Brownie. Also, -he asked the oldest apple tree in the orchard, but it said nothing. He -asked the cows, but they said nothing. He asked the dog, but he barked -about other things. Only the sheep helped him. They said nothing, but -they looked as if they knew. Olaf tended the sheep and the young lambs -throughout the year, and he wondered and wondered if the lambs learned -from the old sheep where the Brownie was hidden. - -“I will not come back until a child of this village travels the world -over and finds me first,—travels the world over and finds me first,” -Olaf kept saying to himself over and over. - -At last one summer evening, as he was coming home from the sheepfolds, -he heard the faint sound of bagpipes very near. He heard it again the -next night, and the next, and the night after that, and every night, -until, at last, he made up his mind to follow the sound and find out who -it was that played the pipes so sweetly. - -He left the sheep path and followed the music, walking carefully lest he -should lose it. The soft sweet notes seemed to come from a mass of rocks -which lay on the moor behind him. As he came near the rocks he knew the -music was directly above it, so he started to climb up. Halfway up the -path was easy to climb, and he soon won his way up to a little tree -which thrust itself out of the side of the pile. He twisted himself over -the tree and rested there, wondering how he could get up the rest of the -way, for he saw six feet of smooth rock up to the top. - -All the time the music of the bagpipes, scarcely louder than a concert -of bees and crickets, sounded close above his head. “Oho, there!” -shouted Olaf at last. The music stopped suddenly. A little brown face -with a long blue beard looked eagerly over the top of the rocks. - -“So it is you, is it?” said a voice. “Here, take hold of my wrist and -then pull.” - -Olaf caught sight of a long brown arm stretched down toward him. He -caught hold of the wrist and pulled, and the next moment Olaf found -himself scrambling over a thick mass of heather on to the top of the -rocks. He lay sprawling on the edge of a little cleft in the rock with -high walls on the sides. In one of these walls there was a little cave, -and just in front of the cave was a little three-legged stool that had -been upset, and a little set of bagpipes was lying on the ground beside -it. - -“So here you are!” said the little brown creature as he helped Olaf to -his feet. “I’ve been waiting for you a long time. Look!” He ran into the -cave and came out dragging a broom behind him, and holding a stone so -polished that even in the dim light Olaf could see his face in it. And -Olaf wondered and wondered. - -“Look! I’ve worn out two hundred and thirty of these brooms, and -polished that rough stone smooth—all for want of proper work, since I -had to leave the village.” - -“Are you the Brownie?” asked Olaf, joyfully. - -“Yes,” was the answer. - -“Are you Aiken-Drum?” - -“Yes,” came the answer again. - -“I’ve been looking for you ever since I can remember. That was why the -sheep knew,—because you live on the moor.” - -“Yes,” said the Brownie, “the sheep know me.” - -“Will you come back to the village, now?” asked Olaf. - -“Not yet,” said the Brownie. “You and I must travel the world together. -Then I’ll go back. Your father should have known better than to pay a -Brownie. He should have known that we work for love. Here I have been -all this time wearing out brooms on these rocks and polishing a stone, -waiting for the village child to find me. And you’ve come!” said the -Brownie, as he danced into the cave. He soon returned carrying a little -wooden cage with a big cockroach inside. He opened the cage and took the -cockroach on his finger. - -“You’ve found me,” he kept saying, “you’ve found me! Now there’s nothing -left but the travels. Fly, cockroach,” he cried, “fly fast and straight, -and tell my brothers that Olaf has come. Tell them to launch the boat. -Tell them we are coming—Olaf and I.” - -He let the cockroach fly from his hand and it boomed away in the still -air of the summer night. Olaf heard a kr-r-r-r-r-r in the pine woods. It -might, he thought, be the Brownies launching the little boat. - -And that is how Olaf found the Brownie and came to make his travels with -him. They sailed away—away to Glittering Harbor where great ships lay -close together in the golden sunset; they won the marvelous horse and -they found the white flower that can be bought only for love—like the -Brownies’ services. - -By and by their travels were over and Aiken-Drum returned with Olaf to -the village of Blednock. And that is why the kitchen floors of these -village people are so wonderfully scrubbed and why the pans shine -brighter than those in any other kitchens of the country side. And -Aiken-Drum has a merry life as he scrubs the pans and washes the dishes, -and he is very, very happy to know that he will _never_ be paid for it. - - - - - THE POOR LITTLE TURKEY GIRL - - -All alone in a very old cottage near the border of a village lived a -little girl who herded turkeys for a living. She was very, very poor. -Her clothes were patched and tattered. Little was ever given to her -except the food she lived on from day to day, and now and then a piece -of old worn-out clothing. - -But the child had a winning face and bright eyes. She had also a very -loving disposition. She was always kind to the turkeys which she drove -to and from the plains every day, giving to them the affection she -longed for but which she herself never received from anyone. The turkeys -loved their little mistress in return. They would come immediately at -her call and they would go willingly anywhere she wished to send them. - -One day as the little girl went along, driving her turkeys to the -plains, she heard a great commotion in the village. She stopped to see -the cause of the excitement and found it to be a herald who was -proclaiming from the house top, “The great festival will take place in -four days. Come youths and maidens. Come one, come all. Join in the -Dance of the Sacred Bird!” - -Now this child had never been permitted to join in or even watch this -great festivity of the people, and she longed with all her heart to see -it. - -“My dear turkeys, how I should love to watch this blessed festival, -particularly the Dance of the Sacred Bird!” It was her custom to talk -matters over with her turkeys, for they were the child’s only -companions. She told them day after day of the wonderful festival that -was to be, and how happy she would feel if she could join in the dance -with the others. “But it is impossible, my beloved turkeys, ugly and -ill-clad as I am,” she would say, when she saw the people of the village -busy in cleaning their houses and preparing their clothes, laughing and -talking as they made ready for the greatest holiday of the year. - -[Illustration] - -The poor child never dreamed that her turkeys understood every word she -said to them. But they did, and more. - -The fourth day came, and all the people of the village went to join in -the festivities. All but one, and that one was the poor little turkey -girl who wandered about alone with her beloved flock. Soon she sat down -upon a stone to rest, for she was sad at the thought of all the -merrymaking while she was alone on the plains. - -Suddenly it seemed to the little girl that one of her big gobblers, -making a fan of his tail, and skirts of his wings, strutted up to her -and, stretching out his neck said, “Little Mother, we know what your -thoughts and wishes are and we are truly sorry for you. We wish that -you, like all the other people of the village, might enjoy this holiday. -Many times we have said to ourselves at night, after you had safely -placed us in our house, that you are as worthy to enjoy these gayeties -as anyone in the village. Little Mother, would you like to see this -dance and even join in it and be merry with the rest?” - -The poor child was at first surprised, then it all seemed so very -natural that her turkeys should talk to her as she had always done to -them, that she looked up and said, “My dear Gobbler, how glad I am that -we may speak together. But tell me what it all means.” - -“Listen well, then, for I speak the speech of my people. If you will -drive us in early this afternoon, when the dance is most gay and the -people are happiest, we will help you to make yourself so pretty and so -beautifully dressed that no man, woman, or child among all those -assembled at the dance will know you. Are you willing to do as we -turkeys say?” - -“Oh, my dear turkeys, why should you tell me of things that you well -know I long to do but cannot by any possible means in the world?” - -“Trust in us,” said the old gobbler. “When we begin to call and gobble -and gobble and turn toward home, follow us and we will show you what we -can do for you: Only let me tell you one thing. Much happiness and good -fortune may come to you through the chance for pleasure which we turkeys -are going to give you. But if, through your own great happiness, you -forget us, who are your friends and who depend so much upon you, we -shall think that our Little Mother, though so humble and poor, deserves -her hard life. We shall think that, since good fortune came to her, she -does unto others as others now do to her.” - -“Come, then,” said the old gobbler, and the little girl followed him. -All the turkeys of their own accord followed the old gobbler and their -Little Mother homeward. They knew their places well and ran to them as -soon as they could. When they had all gone into their home the old -gobbler called out, “Come in.” The little girl went in. “Now sit down -and give me and my companions your articles of clothing one by one. You -will see what we can do with them.” - -The little girl took off the ragged old shawl that covered her shoulders -and laid it upon the ground in front of the old gobbler. He seized it in -his beak and spread it out. Then he picked and picked at it and trod -upon it, and, lowering his wings, strutted back and forth, back and -forth over the old worn-out garment. Once more he took it in his beak -and strutted and puffed and puffed and strutted, until he finally laid -it at the feet of the little girl—a beautiful white cloak, all -silk-embroidered. - -Then another gobbler came forward and took an article of the little -girl’s clothing which he made over into a beautiful gown of golden -cloth. Then another gobbler came, and another and another, until each -garment the little girl had worn was new and more beautiful than any -owned by the richest woman of the land. - -The little girl began to dress herself in the beautiful clothes, but -before she finished her turkeys circled around her, singing and singing -and clucking and clucking, and brushing her with their wings until she -was clean and her face was as smooth and bright as that of the fairest -maiden in the village. Her hair was soft and wavy and her cheeks were -full of dimples and her eyes danced with smiles, for now she knew how -true were the words of her beloved turkeys. At last one old turkey came -forward and said, “You shall have rich jewels, Little Mother; we turkeys -have keen eyes and have picked up many valuable things in our -wanderings. Wait a moment.” He spread out his wings and strutted off, -but he soon returned with a beautiful necklace in his beak. “See, this -is for you.” The little girl could scarcely believe her own eyes. “And -this, too,” said another turkey, as he came up and laid a pair of -earrings in her hand. - -With these beautiful things the Little Mother decorated herself and, -after thanking her beloved turkeys again and again, she started to go. -As she did so all the turkeys seemed to call out in one voice: “Oh, -Little Mother, we love you and we would bring you to good fortune. Leave -our door open, for who knows whether you will remember your turkeys when -your fortunes are changed. Perhaps you will grow ashamed that you have -been our Little Mother. Remember us and do not tarry too long.” - -“I will surely remember, O my turkeys,” and with that she was on her way -to the great festival. Hastily she ran down the river path toward the -village until she came to a long covered way that led into the great -dance court. When she came just inside the court she could see the crowd -of villagers making merry in the great dance. She drew nearer as if to -join the others, when every eye at once seemed to catch sight of her -beauty and the richness of her dress. “Who is this beautiful maiden?” -they asked one another. “Where did she come from?” - -“She is the most beautiful maiden I have ever seen,” said a prince. “She -shall lead the dance with me.” - -With a smile and a toss of her hair over her eyes the little girl -accepted the prince’s invitation and stepped forward into the circle. -Her heart became light and her feet merry, and she danced and danced -until the sun sank low in the west. But alas! so great was her own -happiness that she thought little about her turkeys at home and her -promise to them. “Why should I go away from all this pleasure, to my -flock of gobbling turkeys?” she said to herself. “I will stay a little -longer at least. Just before the sun sets I’ll run back to them. Then -these people will never know who I am, and I shall like to hear them -talk day after day and wonder who the little girl was who joined in -their dance.” - -So the time sped on and another dance was called, and another, and never -a moment did the little girl stop. At last she noticed that the sun had -set. Then, suddenly breaking away, she ran out of the dance court down -the long covered way, up the river path toward home, before any one -could see where she had gone or which path she had taken. All -breathless, she arrived at the door of the turkeys’ house and looked in. -Not one turkey was there. The little girl called and called them. She -ran into their house, she looked around, but not one of her beloved -turkeys was to be seen. “Where are they?” she kept saying to herself, at -the same time calling them with all the voice she had, “Come my turkeys, -come, come.” But there was no answer. “I must trail them. Perhaps they -have gone back to the plains.” She ran to the plains, then on to the -valley, but her flock of turkeys was far, far away. - -After a long, long trail over the plains, up and down the valleys, she -came within sound of their voices. “I hear them, I hear my turkeys.” -Faster and faster ran the little girl until she caught sight of her -beloved flock hurrying away toward the woods, round the mountain and on -up the valley. She could hear them saying something over and over again. -As she drew nearer she called and called to them, but it was all of no -use. They only quickened their steps and spread their wings to help them -along. “She has forgotten us,” they kept saying. “She is not worthy of -better things than those she has been accustomed to. Let us go to the -mountains. Our Little Mother is not as good and true as we once thought -her.” Then they spread their wings and fluttered away over the plains -above and were soon lost from sight. The poor little turkey girl put her -hands over her face, then she looked down at her dress. Alas! what did -she see? Her old clothes, patched and tattered. She was a poor little -turkey girl again. Sad at heart she looked toward the valley and gave -one loud call, “Oh, my turkeys come back to me, come back.” - -“Gobble, gobble, gobble,” she heard beside her. The poor little girl sat -up, rubbed her eyes and looked about her. There were her beloved turkeys -gathered around her calling “Gobble, gobble, gobble!” They wanted to go -home, for the sun was ready to set and the village people were returning -from the festival. - -“Oh, my beloved turkeys,” said the little girl, when she understood it -all. “I would not part with you for all the fine dresses and festivals -in the whole world. How glad I am it was only a dream!” - -[Illustration] - - - - - MEADOW FIDDLERS - - - The red-legged locust. Oh, my, oh, my! - He plays all day. But why? But why? - You rub your legs with your dusty wings; - Your fiddle shrieks till the welkin rings; - On meadow green, through the livelong day, - You saw and eat till they’re bare and gray - Zee-e-e, zee-e-, zee-e-e! - - The green katydid. Dear me, dear me! - The finest chap. Just see, just see; - You play so hard and you trill so long, - Your midget wife ne’er can sing a song, - Still you rub your wings in the drollest way - While dancing clover blossoms swing and sway - Zig, zig, z-i-g, zig, zig, z-i-g! - - Cone-headed grasshopper, zip-zee, zip-zee, - The insects’ clown is he, is he! - From Maine o’er plains to the Rockies found, - With foolscap forehead and shrilling sound, - From bush and bramble your roundelay - Comes sharp and clear through the summer day, - Z-szip-zee. Z-szip, z-szip-zee! - - The wee tree cricket. So free, so free! - Sings night and day! What glee, what glee! - Your high held wings make such presto fine - No human skill can compare with thine; - So fast, so shrill, and so wondrous gay, - Such tunes are joy to a dancing fay, - T-ree-ee, t-re-ee, t-re-ee! T-re-ee, t-re-ee, t-re-ee! - - Sweet meadow fiddlers, zip, zee, zip, zee! - They fill the earth with glee, with glee! - We greet your coming with fond delight - And gayly hie in the sunshine bright, - Where bees and blossoms and birds all day - Wing, swing, and sing to your joyful lay. - Zip-zip-z-ee! zip-zip-z-ee! - - - - - CASTLE FORTUNE - - -One fine morning at sunrise, two strong young men were sauntering along -through the fields. As they journeyed toward the east the gray morning -mist cleared away in the distance, and there on a very high hill stood a -beautiful castle with sparkling windows and glistening towers all bathed -in the morning light. - -“Come,” said one of the youths eagerly, “let us go over to it!” - -“What!” exclaimed the other, who was a lazy fellow, “do you not know -that it is miles away? I am sure I cannot walk so far.” - -“Try,” said a sweet strange voice. - -On turning about they saw a lovely fairy dressed in gauzy white, holding -a golden wand in her hand. She was standing on a magic crystal ball -which rolled along with her toward the distant castle. As she passed the -travelers, she pointed with her wand toward the east smilingly, and -said, “Follow me!” - -“That would be easy to do,” mumbled the lazy youth, “if one could roll -along as you do with no effort.” He then threw himself down on the grass -to rest. - -His companion, however, started off after the fairy as fast as he could -run, and catching hold of her floating robe he cried, “Who are you?” - -“I am Fortune,” she answered. “Yonder is my castle. Follow me there. -Waste no time, and if you reach the castle before midnight I’ll receive -you as a friend. But remember! If you come one moment after the last -stroke of midnight, the door will be closed against you.” - -With these words the fairy drew her robe about her and rolled swiftly on -in the morning breeze. And the crystal ball sparkled, sparkled in the -sunlight. - -The youth now hurried back to his companion and said breathlessly, -“Yonder is the Castle of Fortune. Come! Let us go!” - -“What nonsense!” said the lazy youth. “With a good horse one might get -there easily, but for my part I don’t intend to try to walk all that -way.” - -“Farewell, then,” said his friend, and away he started briskly with his -eyes fixed steadily on the distant towers. The lazy youth sighed wearily -and threw himself down on the soft grass. “If only good luck would show -me an easy way to get there,” he murmured. “How beautiful the castle -looks!” He then stretched himself out and fell fast asleep. In a little -while he was awakened by something like a warm breeze blowing in his -ear. He slowly rubbed his eyes and yawned aloud. Then he heard the -neighing of a horse, and turning, he saw standing near a beautiful milk -white steed all saddled and bridled! - -“Good luck,” he cried. “Come here, my fine friend. You and I will soon -reach the castle.” Then he jumped into the saddle and started off at a -fine gait. - -He soon passed his comrade and called out, “What do you think of my -steed?” - -The other did not speak, but nodded cheerily and kept on at a steady -pace. - -About midday the horse and rider reached the summit of a hill. In the -distance the castle towers shone brightly against the clear blue sky. -Presently the horse turned into a shady grove on the hillside and -stopped. - -“A very good idea!” exclaimed the lazy man. “‘Make haste slowly’ is good -wisdom. This shady slope is a fine place to rest awhile, and my appetite -is keen enough to enjoy the luncheon I have in my pocket.” So, jumping -off, he found a cool shady nook and stretched himself out on the grass. - -After he had eaten his savory sandwich he felt so drowsy that he soon -fell into a sound sleep. What a pleasant sleep he had! He dreamed he was -in Castle Fortune resting on downy cushions. Every wish he had was -granted! Soft strains of music soothed him, while brilliant fireworks -all crimson and gold were set off in his honor. This continued for some -time, when suddenly the explosion of a beautiful Roman candle awoke him. -He sat up rubbing his eyes. In the west the sun was sinking, and he -could hear the song of a traveler in the valley below! “I must have been -asleep a long while!” he murmured. “It is high time to be off. Ready, my -steed! Where are you?” - -He whistled and shouted again and again, but no steed came. An old bony -gray donkey browsing on the hilltop was the only creature in sight. -“Better a donkey than nothing,” the lazy man thought. So he walked -slowly over to the place where the beast was grazing, and mounted him. - -After some urging, the donkey set off at a slow jog. The lazy man soon -found that this kind of traveling was very uncomfortable. The donkey -trudged slowly on. Soon it began to grow dark. In the distance he could -see that the castle was being lighted up. How beautiful it looked. He -was becoming anxious. If only the donkey would move a little faster. But -instead he seemed to be going slower and slower, slower and slower, -until in the midst of a thick wood the beast stood still and refused to -move. The rider coaxed and threatened and urged and kicked. It was of no -use. The donkey refused to move. At last the lazy man was thoroughly -aroused. He struck the beast a hard blow with his fist, screaming, “Get -on, I say.” Up went the donkey’s heels and over his head into the briers -and stones went the rider. What a plight to be in! He was bruised and -sore and bewildered. He sat up and tried to collect his thoughts. Ah! -There in the distance the lights were shining in Castle Fortune. Oh, for -a soft comfortable couch on which to rest his aching bones. The stubborn -old donkey! Where could he be? - -He crept about in every direction, hoping to find his donkey, but after -tearing his clothes and bruising himself he gave up the search. Suddenly -his hand struck something that felt a little like a saddle. It was -mounted on something soft and slimy. - -He hesitated. Castle Fortune’s clock was striking. He counted the -strokes. “Eleven o’clock!” he exclaimed in amazement. He threw himself -into the queer saddle. “This is rather comfortable,” he exclaimed as he -leaned against a high back. How slowly the creature moved. At last they -reached a clearing, where a long straight road led directly to Castle -Fortune with its beautiful towers and its windows ablaze with lights. - -The sight of the castle filled him with longing. He turned his attention -for a minute to the strange creature he was riding. Horror! He was -mounted on a huge snail, quite as large as a calf. No wonder they had -crept along at a snail’s pace. - -One! The great clock struck the first stroke of the midnight hour. He -pushed both heels into his steed’s soft sides. In an instant the snail -drew his head into the shell and rolled over on the ground. - -Two! struck the great clock. Had the lazy man taken to his heels he -might even now have reached the castle before the last stroke of the -great clock. But no! There he stood filled with regret and fear. “A -beast! A beast!” he cried, “Oh, for any kind of a beast to carry me to -the castle!” - -Three! What was moving near him? Was it the long lost steed? Without -further thought he jumped into something like a low saddle. His heart -leaped as he looked up! There in the open door of Castle Fortune stood -his friend waving his cap and beckoning to him. - -Four! chimed the great clock. The queer steed began to rouse himself. - -Five! The creature moved slowly forward. - -Six! What an awkward steed it was. - -Seven! Which way were they going? - -Eight! What! Were they moving backward? Impossible! He would jump off -and run. - -Nine! To our rider’s great surprise he found he was held fast by the -creature’s claws which extended on all sides. Horror! He was riding on a -giant crab! - -Ten! Backward they moved! - -Eleven! Farther and farther they were going away from the castle. - -TWELVE! The castle doors shut with a clang. Castle Fortune’s doors were -closed forever to the lazy man. - - - - - A LITTLE DUTCH GARDEN - - -[Illustration] - - I passed by a garden, a little Dutch garden, - Where useful and pretty things grew; - Heartsease and tomatoes, and pinks and potatoes, - And lilies and onions and rue. - - I saw in that garden, that little Dutch garden, - A chubby Dutch man with a spade; - And a rosy Dutch frau with a shoe like a scow, - And a flaxen-haired little Dutch maid. - - There grew in that garden, that little Dutch garden, - Blue flag flowers lovely and tall; - And early blush roses, and little pink posies, - And Gretchen was fairer than all. - - My heart’s in that garden, that little Dutch garden, - It tumbled right in as I passed, - ‘Mid ‘wildering mazes of spinach and daisies, - And Gretchen is holding it fast. - -[Illustration] - - - - - TRUE FRIENDSHIP - - -Down yonder by the thrashing floors, where the husbandmen thrash out -their corn, some large black ants once established themselves and built -their nests. They settled themselves in that place in order to be near -good and wholesome food, such as wheat, barley, and maize, which they -carried off whether the farmers liked it or not. - -These ants prospered and became so numerous that they formed themselves -into a kingdom, and had their own king. - -The king, who was an old ant, was very wise and courageous. As he was a -real king, he wore a golden crown upon his head and held a golden -scepter in his hand. - -His crown was a small piece of round gold wire, which fitted his head -splendidly. His soldiers in one of their raids had found it in a country -maiden’s casket. They took possession of it, and presented it to their -sovereign. In the same way they had come across the scepter, which they -saw one day on the thrashing floor, and appropriated in like manner. It -was nothing more than a little gold watch key which had dropped off the -chain of the village steward, but that was of no consequence, because as -soon as the royal hand grasped it, it derived value from that -circumstance alone. - -The king had his own carriage. It was made out of a nutshell, and was -drawn by two swift and well-harnessed beetles, who, like all royal -horses, were well trained. The king generally drove out, because his -majesty was now so aged that he had become quite white and feeble. - -So you see that he had every blessing, and his people loved him very -much. But he was not happy for he was weary and no longer found pleasure -in anything. Perhaps this was because he had so much. - -One day there was a great tumult in the ant kingdom. A regiment of -soldiers, which had gone out upon an excursion, returned after a -brilliant victory, and brought back great spoils, and also four -prisoners. - -The king, from the balcony of his palace, with his crown on his head and -his scepter in his hand, greeted his army as it marched before him in -great order, saluting him with, “Long live the King!” Then he ordered -that the four prisoners should be brought before him, that he might try -them. - -The first captive was a spider. - -“What is your name?” asked the king. - -“Spider,” she answered humbly, and did homage with her two forelegs. - -“Where were you born?” said the king. - -“I was born in the mill’s dark cellar.” - -After many other questions the king again said, “What art do you know?” - -“I know how to weave,” said the spider. “No one can surpass me in -weaving. I am the very, very best weaver in the whole wide world.” - -“Good!” said the king. “You shall weave some cloth for my palace, and if -your work is satisfactory, I will set you free; if not, I shall hand you -over to my soldiers to be cut to pieces. Shut her up in prison and let -her begin at once.” - -As the king decreed this, he lowered his scepter and struck it on the -ground, when immediately soldiers dragged off the spider by her feet, -and put her in a cell. - -The second prisoner, which was a bee, was then brought forward. The king -in like manner questioned her. She said her name was “Bee,” and did him -obeisance. Upon his inquiring where she was born, she replied, “In a -hive, which was a house built for a number of bees to live in.” - -“Do you know any trade or profession?” inquired the king. - -“Certainly, your majesty, I know how to make a most delicious food. No -one can excel me.” - -“Good!” said the king. “You shall make all the sweetmeats that are -required at the forthcoming festival, when the peasants spread their -thrashing floors. If I am pleased with them, I shall release you; but if -not, I shall order my soldiers to cut off your head. Shut her up in -prison, and let her begin at once.” - -Again he knocked with his scepter, and the detachment of soldiers led -the bee off to prison. Then the king said: “Bring in the two other -prisoners together, that we may finish with them; for I have other -business of the kingdom on hand.” - -The third and fourth captives were brought in together. One was a -grasshopper, and the other a cricket. - -When they were asked the customary questions as to their places of -birth, the first replied, “At the roots of a bush of thyme.” And the -other, “In the air!” - -Then the king proceeded with: “And what arts do you know?” - -“I know how to sing,” cried the cricket. - -“And I, how to dance,” said the grasshopper. - -“Splendid arts, truly, both the one and the other,” called out the king -in a rage, and he knocked with his scepter so loudly that all his -courtiers and soldiers, as well as the two prisoners, were frightened. -“Since you know nothing, you are plainly of no use. I shall have you cut -up, the pair of you.” - -“Please, your majesty,” said the cricket boldly, while the grasshopper -trembled with fear, “can we do nothing? Do we know nothing? Because this -lady and myself cannot weave like the spider or make sweetmeats like the -bee? We are worthy people, and the whole world loves us. We amuse all -the insects on both hill and plain; we make life in the long summer days -when the sun is hot a little less wearisome; then I sing, and she -dances, and for those who see and hear us time soon passes. Allow us the -same privilege before your majesty, and you can then judge if we be -deserving of freedom or death.” - -The king was not hard-hearted, and after hearing this plea of the -cricket, he said, “I grant your request. I have a little time in which -to divert myself, and if you can succeed in giving me pleasure in a -short space of time, I will give you both your liberty, and grant you -each any favor that you may ask.” - -He gave orders to release them. The cricket then began to sing with all -the skill that she possessed, and the grasshopper danced at the same -time. Neither the king nor any of his courtiers or soldiers had ever -heard so sweet a voice, or seen so artistic a dance. His majesty was -delighted; his old face beamed all over, and he struck merrily with his -scepter, and shouted: “Well done! Bravo! I’ll free you—I’ll free you. I -only request that whenever you have the time or the inclination, you -will come and amuse me and my subjects a little. Labor is good, but life -wants some few pleasures also. I told you that I would grant you any -favor that you asked for. Ask now what you will.” Then the cricket said -pleadingly, “Your majesty, I ask this favor—that the poor spider may be -released.” - -“You have a good heart,” answered the king; “be it so.” And he turned to -the grasshopper. “And what favor do you ask, madam dancer?” - -“May it please your majesty to release the bee?” - -“And you, too, have a good heart; your wish is granted.” And the king -ordered the release of the prisoners. - -They were immediately set free, and all the ants conducted them out of -the ant hills, while the cricket, full of joy, sang along the road: - - “Zi zi zi and zi zi zi, - May our lord the king live joyfully, - And all his people as well as he.” - - Merry have we met, - And merry have we been; - Merry let us part, - And merry meet again. - - OLD RIME. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected typographical errors. - 2. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed. - 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Merry Tales, by -Eleanor L. Skinner and Ada M. 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