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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3752c20 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66303 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66303) diff --git a/old/66303-0.txt b/old/66303-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4557090..0000000 --- a/old/66303-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6563 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Art of Story-Telling, by Julia Darrow -Cowles - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Art of Story-Telling - With nearly half a hundred stories - -Author: Julia Darrow Cowles - -Release Date: September 14, 2021 [eBook #66303] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: MFR and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ART OF STORY-TELLING *** - - - - - -THE ART OF STORY-TELLING - - - - - THE ART OF - STORY-TELLING - - With Nearly Half a Hundred Stories - - BY - JULIA DARROW COWLES - Author of “Stories to Tell” - - [Illustration] - - CHICAGO - A. C. McCLURG & CO. - 1914 - - Copyright by - Julia Darrow Cowles - 1914 - - Published March, 1914 - - W. F. HALL PRINTING COMPANY, CHICAGO - - - - -PREFACE - - -In preparing this book the author has sought to awaken a keener -perception and a higher appreciation of the artistic and ethical value of -story-telling; to simplify some of its problems; to emphasize the true -delight which the story-teller may share with her hearers; and to present -fresh material which answers to the test of being good in substance as -well as in literary form. - -Grateful acknowledgment is made to Miss Mabel Bartleson, children’s -librarian, and to Miss Ida May Ferguson, of the children’s department -of the Minneapolis Public Library, for their thoughtful assistance, and -to the authors and publishers of copyrighted stories included in this -volume, for their generous aid. Specific credit is given in connection -with each story. - - J. D. C. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - PART I - - I. STORY-TELLING IN THE HOME 1 - - II. WHY TELL STORIES IN SCHOOL? 16 - - III. HOW TO CHOOSE STORIES FOR TELLING 22 - - IV. THE TELLING OF THE STORY 32 - - V. USE OF THE STORY IN PRIMARY GRADES 41 - - VI. JINGLES, FABLES, AND FOLK-LORE 52 - - VII. MYTH AND HERO TALE 67 - - VIII. HOLIDAY AND VACATION STORIES 84 - - IX. BIBLE STORIES 89 - - X. SYSTEMATIC STORY-TELLING 94 - - XI. THE JOY OF STORY-TELLING 100 - - XII. STORY-TELLING AS AN ART 104 - - PART II - - SELECTED STORIES TO TELL 113 - - INDEX OF SELECTED STORIES 263 - - TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES 265 - - BOOKS FOR THE STORY-TELLER 267 - - - - -“_The Word Painter is the Greatest Human Artist_” - - - - -PART I - -THE ART OF STORY-TELLING - - - - -CHAPTER I - -Story-Telling in the Home - - -The home, the school, and the library have each a distinct purpose in -story-telling. These purposes may be more or less complex, they may in -some instances coincide, yet the fields are separate, and each has its -own fundamental reason for presenting the oral story to the child. - -In the home, the chief object in story-telling is to give content, to -satisfy. The child, becoming tired of his toys or of his games, comes -to his mother and begs for a story. He wants to be taken into her -lap, cuddled within her arms, and entertained. Oh, the wonderful, the -far-reaching opportunities held by the mother in such moments as these! -The child is in a quiet, receptive mood, and the stories told him at such -times will never be forgotten; their influence will follow him as long -as he lives. Nothing that he can learn in school in the after years -will abide and enter into the essence of his being as will the stories -which his mother tells him. Strength of character, purity of life, -truthfulness, unselfishness, obedience, faith—all may be made beautiful -and attractive by means of stories. - -Nor is the directly ethical training the greatest good achieved by -story-telling in the home. Nothing else so closely links mother and -child in a sweet fellowship and communion of thought. Nothing else so -intimately binds them together, nor so fully secures the confidence of -the child. When they enter together the enchanted realm of story-land, -mother and child are in a region apart, a region from which others are -excluded. The companionship of story-land belongs only to congenial -souls. And so the mother, by means of stories, becomes the intimate -companion, the loving and wise guide, the dearest confidant of her child. - -Not all the stories of the home need be ethical in their teaching, though -all stories worth telling have a foundation of truth. There should be a -wise blending of fairy stories, mythological tales, fables, nonsense -verses, and true nature stories; and the advantage of story-telling -is that it may be carried on in connection with many of the household -duties, with no diminishing of the story’s charm. While the mother sews -or embroiders or mends, while she stirs a cake, or washes dishes, she can -tell a story which will not only entertain or influence the child, but -will carry her own thoughts away from the ofttimes dullness of her task -into realms of beauty and delight. Then, too, many a childish task may -be robbed of its seemingly tedious character by the telling of a story -during its progress, or as a reward when the task is completed. - -Let me beg of you, mothers, do not think that you cannot tell stories. -Try; try; keep on trying; and ease in telling is bound to come. Do not -think of yourself in the telling; think of the story and of the child who -listens. Nothing else matters. - -It takes time to search out and familiarize oneself with just the stories -that are best worth telling, but surely no mother can find a more -important or more worthy object upon which to expend the time. Librarians -and story-tellers within the past few years have prepared lists which -make such selection, comparatively easy, mid classified lists are -included in the present volume. - -The very little child can grasp only the simplest story, but the -essential facts of any story which he can comprehend, can be simply -told. A story for a little child should have few characters, little if -any plot, and a familiarity of action or place. Mother Goose and similar -nursery rhymes naturally come first for little children in the home. The -kindergarten collections of stories contain good material, and these can -be followed by or interspersed with the simplest myths and fairy tales. - -Just as children love the companionship of animals, so do they love -stories of animals; and when these animals do the things that children -do, an element of surprise and new delight is added. Children intuitively -want the right to prevail. They love the old tales wherein animals talk, -and the crafty old fox is always beaten by the good little hen. - -Bible stories should be told to children day by day. They can be made -very simple in outline, but they should be told over and over, with -a distinction made between them and the fables and folk tales. The -latter may teach a true lesson, but the former teach _The Truth_. And -not only should we tell the Old Testament stories of heroes and of great -wonders, but the story of Christ’s birth, of his life, his death, and his -resurrection, should be made a part of every child’s early teaching in -the form of stories reverently told. They will make a lasting impression; -an impression deeper than the most eloquent sermon heard in maturer years. - -A careful choice of the kind of stories told to little children lays not -only a sound moral foundation, but a foundation for good literary taste. - -A child brought up from its earliest years on stories from the Bible, -Anderson, Aesop, Stevenson, and Field, will instinctively detect and -reject trash when he begins to read for himself. But the supply of good -literature must be kept at hand, for children _will_ read _something_. - -What sweeter bit of verse can a mother repeat to the child she is hushing -to sleep than this: - - Sleep, little pigeon, and fold your wings— - Little blue pigeon with velvet eyes; - Sleep to the singing of motherbird swinging— - Swinging her nest where her little one lies. - - In through the window a moonbeam comes— - Little gold moonbeam with misty wings; - All silently creeping, it asks: “Is he sleeping— - Sleeping and dreaming while mother sings?” - -The stanzas are from “A Japanese Lullaby,” and are selected from a host -of similarly dainty verses in _Lullaby Land_, by Eugene Field (Charles -Scribner’s Sons). - -Robert Louis Stevenson’s _Child’s Garden of Verse_ is another storehouse -of treasure for mothers. Some of his rhymes, such as “Good and Bad -Children,” are quite equal to Mother Goose in their good advice -administered in quaintly merry form, while his “Foreign Lands” and “My -Shadow” teach children to idealize the everyday happenings of the home -life. - -How could a mother better remind her small boy or girl that it is time to -waken than by repeating his lines: - - A birdie with a yellow bill - Hopped upon the window-sill, - Cocked his shining eye and said: - “Ain’t you ’shamed, you sleepy-head!” - -When a mother habitually repeats to her child stories and verses of the -character outlined, she is not only forming his taste in literature -along right lines, but she is helping to enlarge his vocabulary. - -“What does ‘embark’ mean, Mamma?” is sure to follow the first or second -recital of Stevenson’s “My Bed Is a Boat”: - - My bed is like a little boat; - Nurse helps me in when I embark; - She girds me in my sailor coat - And starts me in the dark. - -And “gird” will also need interpreting. These words will soon become -a part of his normal vocabulary. He may not use them in his everyday -speech, but he will not need to have them explained to him when he -comes upon them in his later reading. Teachers invariably know when a -child comes from a home of culture and of good literary taste, by the -foundation already laid. The child’s own forms of expression and the -range of his vocabulary are unmistakable evidence of the home influence -and teaching. - -A literary sequence which will give the child a knowledge of literature -as a development or a growth—not as a vast accumulation of unrelated -parts—can be carried through his reading and study. This subject is -taken up in the chapter upon “Systematic Story-Telling,” and while it is -essentially the work of a teacher, the foundation for it may be laid by -the wise mother who starts her child along right lines through the medium -of her story-telling. - -It has already been said that all stories worth the telling have a -foundation of truth. The story with which this chapter closes is a -beautiful example of a nature story which embodies a higher truth. It is -found in Mrs. Gatty’s _Parables from Nature_ (The Macmillan Company): - - -A Lesson of Faith[1] - -A mild, green caterpillar was one day strolling about on a cabbage leaf, -when there settled beside her a beautiful Butterfly. - -The Butterfly fluttered her wings feebly, and seemed very ill. - -“I feel very strange and dizzy,” said the Butterfly, addressing the -Caterpillar, “and I am sure that I have but a little while to live. But -I have just laid some butterfly eggs on this cabbage leaf, and if I die -there will be no one to care for my baby butterflies. I must hire a -nurse for them at once, but I cannot go far to seek for one. May I hire -you as nurse, kind Caterpillar? I will pay you with gold dust from my -wings.” - -Then, before the surprised Caterpillar could reply, the Butterfly went -on, “Of course you must not feed them on the coarse cabbage leaves which -are your food. Young butterflies must be fed upon early dew and the honey -of flowers. And at first, oh, good Caterpillar, they must not be allowed -to fly far, for their wings will not be strong. It is sad that you cannot -fly yourself. But I am sure you will be kind, and will do the best you -can.” - -With that the poor Butterfly drooped her wings and died, and the -Caterpillar had no chance to so much as say “Yes,” or “No.” - -“Dear me!” she exclaimed, as she looked at the butterfly eggs beside her, -“what sort of a nurse will I make for a group of gay young butterflies? -Much attention they will pay to the advice of a plain caterpillar like -me. But I shall have to do the best that I can,” she added. And all that -night she walked around and around the butterfly eggs to see that no harm -came to them. - -“I wish that I had someone wiser than myself to consult with,” she said -to herself next morning. “I might talk it over with the house dog. But, -no,” she added hastily, “he is kind, but big and rough, and one brush of -his tail would whisk all the eggs off the cabbage leaf. - -“There is Tom Cat,” she went on, after thinking a few moments, “but he -is lazy and selfish, and he would not give himself the trouble to think -about butterfly eggs. - -“Ah, but there’s the Lark!” she exclaimed at length. “He flies far up -into the heavens and perhaps he knows more than we creatures that live -upon the earth. I’ll ask him.” - -So the Caterpillar sent a message to the Lark, who lived in a neighboring -cornfield, and she told him all her troubles. - -“And I want to know how I, a poor crawling Caterpillar, am to feed and -care for a family of beautiful young butterflies. Could you find out for -me the next time you fly away up into the blue heavens?” - -“Perhaps I can,” said the Lark, and off he flew. - -Higher and higher he winged his way until the poor, crawling Caterpillar -could not even hear his song, to say nothing of seeing him. - -After a very long time—at least it seemed so to the Caterpillar, who, -in her odd, lumbering way, kept walking around and around the butterfly -eggs—the Lark came back. - -First, she could hear his song away up in the heavens. Then it sounded -nearer and nearer, till he alighted close beside her and began to speak. - -“I found out many wonderful things,” he said. “But if I tell them to you, -you will not believe me.” - -“Oh, yes I will,” answered the Caterpillar hastily, “I believe everything -I am told.” - -“Well, then,” said the Lark, “the first thing I found out was that the -butterfly eggs will turn into little green caterpillars, just like -yourself, and that they will eat cabbage leaves just as you do.” - -“Wretch!” exclaimed the Caterpillar, bristling with indignation. “Why do -you come and mock me with such a story as that? I thought you would be -kind, and would try to help me.” - -“So I would,” answered the Lark, “but I told you, you would not believe -me,” and with that he flew away to the cornfield. - -“Dear me,” said the Caterpillar, sorrowfully. “When the Lark flies so -far up into the heavens I should not think he would come back to us poor -creatures with such a silly tale. And I needed help so badly.” - -“I would help you if you would only believe me,” said the Lark, flying -down to the cabbage patch once more. “I have wonderful things to tell -you, if you would only have faith in me and trust in what I say.” - -“And you are not making fun of me?” asked the Caterpillar. - -“Of course not,” answered the Lark. - -“But you tell me such impossible things!” - -“If you could fly with me and see the wonders that I see, here on earth, -and away up in the blue sky, you would not say that _anything_ was -_impossible_,” replied the Lark. - -“But,” said the Caterpillar, “you tell me that these eggs will hatch out -into caterpillars, and I _know_ that their mother was a butterfly, for I -saw her with my own eyes; and so of course they will be butterflies. How -could they be anything else? I am sure I can reason that far, if I cannot -fly.” - -“Very well,” answered the Lark, “then I must leave you, though I have -even more wonderful things that I could tell. But what comes to you from -the heavens, you can only receive by faith, as I do. You cannot crawl -around on your cabbage leaf and reason these things out.” - -“Oh, I do believe what I am told,” repeated the Caterpillar—although she -had just proved that it was not true—“at least,” she added, “everything -that is _reasonable_ to believe. Pray tell me what else you learned.” - -“I learned,” said the Lark, impressively, “that you will be a butterfly, -yourself, some day.” - -“Now, indeed, you are making fun of me,” exclaimed the Caterpillar, ready -to cry with vexation and disappointment. But just at that moment she -felt something brush against her side, and, turning her head, she looked -in amazement at the cabbage leaf, for there, just coming out of the -butterfly eggs, were eight or ten little green caterpillars—and they were -no more than out of the eggs before they began eating the juicy leaf. - -Oh, how astonished and how ashamed the Caterpillar felt. What the Lark -had said was true! - -And then a very wonderful thought came to the poor, green Caterpillar. -“If this part is true, it must all be true, and some day _I_ shall be a -_butterfly_.” - -She was so delighted that she began telling all her caterpillar friends -about it—but they did not believe her any more than she had believed the -Lark. - -“But I know, I _know_,” she kept saying to herself. And she never tired -of hearing the Lark sing of the wonders of the earth below, and of the -heavens above. - -And all the time, the little green caterpillars on the leaf grew and -thrived wonderfully, and the big green Caterpillar watched them and cared -for them carefully every hour. - -One day the Caterpillar’s friends gathered around her and said, very -sorrowfully, “It is time for you to spin your chrysalis and die.” - -But the Caterpillar replied, “You mean that I shall soon be changed into -a beautiful butterfly. How wonderful it will be.” - -And her friends looked at one another sadly and said, “She is quite out -of her mind.” - -Then the Caterpillar spun her chrysalis and went to sleep. - -And by and by, when she wakened, oh, then she _knew_ that what the Lark -had learned in the heavens was true—for she was a beautiful butterfly, -with gold dust on her wings. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Adapted for telling. By permission of the publishers. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -Why Tell Stories in School? - - -Every lover of children knows that a good story, well told, is a source -of the purest joy; but while this of itself is sufficient reason for -story-telling in the home and in the nursery, it is not sufficient reason -for general story-telling in the school. Happiness is a powerful ally of -successful work, but it never should be substituted for the work itself; -it may well be made one of the means of attainment, but never the object -to be attained. Useful service is a far higher ideal than personal -happiness, and it should be the ideal held before the child who enters -school. - -As all educational methods have for their ultimate object that of making -the child of today the good neighbor, the true friend, the useful citizen -of tomorrow, so we have a right to question the recent and growing demand -for story-telling in our schools. What is its object? Does this object -aid in the ultimate end to be attained? - -First of all let us consider the well-recognized fact that through -story-telling a teacher may come into so close and happy a relationship -with her pupils that they will respond to her suggestions and be molded -by her influence to a degree not easily attainable by any other means. A -story may be told as a means of restoring order in a roomful of restless -children, or when some untoward occurrence has brought the tension of -school discipline dangerously near to the breaking point. This use of the -timely, the appropriate, story is worthy of consideration by teachers far -beyond the primary grades. - -Stories may be used as an aid to language work. The diffident, -self-conscious child who cannot be induced to talk upon the ordinary -topics of school work, can be aroused into forgetfulness of self and made -to respond with growing animation to questions regarding a story that has -awakened his interest. A “point of contact” may be established with even -the dullest child if his interests are studied and the right story chosen -for telling. Sometimes the story may need to be improvised to fit the -occasion. A story chosen, or especially written to meet the need of some -particular child, has in more than one instance influenced his whole -after life. - -Lessons of unselfishness, of thoughtfulness, of cleanliness, of -patriotism, of obedience—of all the characteristics which we wish to -cultivate in the children—may be impressed by means of stories. This -field of story-telling should begin in the home, but it may well extend -on into the school room. - -A love of nature and of out-door life may be strengthened by stories of -birds and animals, of trees and of plant life, thus leading naturally to -essays and poems upon the same subjects for later reading. - -The funny story has its legitimate place in the school room, although -there are teachers who would as soon think of introducing a bit of fun -into a church service as into a school session. But fun is a wonderful -lubricant, and there are times when a funny story will oil up the -pedagogical machinery as nothing else could. - -In the more advanced grades stories may be used to awaken an interest -in history, both local and general, ancient and modern. Nothing better -can be devised for making the dry bones of names and dates take on life, -than the telling of an interesting story of the time and the characters -of the lesson. Such stories should not be told as an end in themselves, -but as a means to an end—the awakening of interest in historical subjects -by giving life and reality to historical characters. - -In the same manner an interest in the works of the best authors may be -aroused by telling the story of one character in a book, or by telling -part of the story of a book and leaving it at an interesting point. -There are many children, boys especially, who leave school after passing -through the seventh or eighth grade. If they have not formed a taste -for good literature, their reading after leaving school is likely to be -without value if it is not positively injurious. One of the surest means -of leading such boys to read and enjoy good books lies in the hands of -the teachers of these grades. Let her tell stories from Dickens, from -Scott, from Cooper, from Stevenson; let her tell stories from local -history, general history; stories of discovery, of science, and of art. -Let her make these things attractive, and show her pupils where more of -the same fascinating material may be found. - -So thoroughly is the value of this class of story-telling understood that -progressive librarians throughout the country are having “story hours” at -the libraries for the purpose of reaching boys of this age and bringing -them into closer touch with the treasures of the library shelves. -Teachers in districts having any large percentage of boys of this class -can accomplish far-reaching results by devoting some portion of each -week, at least, to telling stories having this special end in view. - -With the foregoing objects—a sympathetic understanding between teacher -and pupils, better discipline, help for the self-conscious and the -“dull” pupil, character lessons, the development of a love of nature, -an interest in history and in good literature—all attainable through -story-telling, there remains little ground for question as to the -work coinciding in its results with the ultimate object of our common -school education. But let the teacher have a definite object in her -story-telling. Let her use this new-old art as a means of arousing her -pupils to action, to achievement. A story told in school should not be -offered as a sugary, educational confection which will destroy the taste -for solid food, but as a spicy condiment to whet the appetite for a -substantial feast. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -How to Choose Stories for Telling - - -There are certain subtle qualities which a story must possess in order -to give pleasure through its telling, which are not necessary in the -story which is to be read. These qualities are of form rather than of -substance. They are those qualities which permit of the personality of -the speaker entering into the narrative to such an extent that the story -becomes a recounting of something _known to her_. No matter how remote -in point of time or place, the story must be of a character which can be -personally set forth. I do not mean by this that the one who tells the -story should be thrown into the foreground, or that there should be any -use of the pronoun “I”; but simply that the teller of the story should be -able to set it forth with all the earnestness and intimacy of a personal -narrative, and the story itself must therefore possess the form which -makes this possible. - -A story of this character may be so told to a roomful of small children -that it will hold them breathless with interest even at the close of a -hard day’s work, and _when the dismissal bell is ringing_, as the writer -has inadvertently proved. - -To some, the story that is adapted in substance and in form for telling, -makes instant appeal. Its possibilities are intuitively recognized. To -others, only a critical examination and analysis will show whether the -story is one to which children will listen with delight. Of course, after -all is said and done, the true test of the story lies in telling it. - -What, then, are the essential requirements in the form of the story? - -The story must begin in an interesting way. The first sentence, or at -most the first paragraph, should locate the story and introduce its hero. -To be sure the “location” may be that delightfully indefinite past from -which so many of childhood’s stories emanate—the “Once upon a time” of -the fairy tale or of the “little small Rid Hin”; or it may be “many years -ago”; or “in ancient times,” as in the story of “Why the Cat and Dog Are -Enemies”; or simply “once”—“There was once a shepherd boy who called -‘Wolf,’” or “The Sun and the Wind once had a quarrel.” - -Of course the time may, on the other hand, be very definite—“’Twas -the night before Christmas”—but in either case the story starts out -positively, the place or time is assigned, the subject of the story is -introduced. Then you will see the children, their expectation aroused, -settle themselves for the delightful developments which are to be -unfolded, for the denouement which is sure to follow, and their eager -faces are all the incentive needed to arouse the story-teller to her best -endeavor. - -The story, properly introduced, should move forward clearly, somewhat -concisely, toward a well-defined end or climax. The form should be mainly -narrative or conversational, with vivid touches of description never -prolonged. There should be life, action, dramatic action, but very little -of explanation. The incidents of the story should be so arranged as to be -self-explanatory in their sequence. - -For small children, repetition has a special charm—repetition such as is -to be found in “The Three Bears,” or “The Cock and the Mouse.” - -For older children there may be introduced a little more of the -descriptive form, but it is well to beware of adding much of either -description or explanation. Even “grown-ups” enjoy the straightforward -narrative that delights the child, and the introduction of detail soon -grows irksome and uninteresting, even to the most conscientious listener. -And no child is a “conscientious listener.” He listens for love of the -story. If it does not interest him he stops listening and does something -else. - -The story must reach a climax and stop there. Many a good story has -been spoiled by its ending. Story-tellers sometimes remind one of a man -holding the handles of an electric battery. The current is so strong -that he cannot let go. The story-teller must know when and how to “let -go.” Let us suppose that, in telling Hans Christian Anderson’s story of -“The Nightingale,” the story-teller—after the delightful denouement of -the supposedly dead Emperor’s greeting to his attendants, where he “to -their astonishment said ‘Good morning!’”—were to add an explanation of -the effect of the nightingale’s song in restoring the Emperor to health! -It would be like offering a glass of “plain soda” from which all the -effervescence had departed. - -Bring the story to its self-wrought denouement and—let go. Do not -apologize for the ending, do not explain it, do not tack on a moral—just -“let go,” and you will leave all the tingle and exhilaration of the -magnetic current still in the veins of your listeners. - -So much for the structural form of the story. Next let us consider its - - -_Point of Contact_ - -Has the story something which is in common with the life and experience -of the listeners? Has it a familiar groundwork? Does it deal with -familiar objects or actions? In other words, is it “understandable” -from the child’s point of view? Not that all the characters nor all -the adjustments of the story need to be those which the child already -knows by experience, but there must be some common ground from which a -start may be made. Then the story may lead on into wonderful regions -of fancy or into remote times and places which only the imagination -can trace. For instance, of what value or interest would the story of -“Toads and Diamonds” be to a child who never had seen a toad and who -had no knowledge of what a diamond was like? And does not the boy’s -understanding of “How Thor Went Fishing” lie in the fact that _he_ has -fished? - -Little children love to be told stories of the life which they know by -daily contact; stories of the home and of the home industries, of school, -of children, of pets and animals. They live in “a daily fellowship -with nature and all creatures.” Fairy tales and stories of animals are -doubly delightful when the fairies and the animals do the things which -children do. This does not imply that the story be commonplace, for the -normal activities of children are far removed from the commonplace, and -the story, having its point of contact established, should, through its -imaginative or its moral influence, carry the child into quite unexplored -regions of beauty and truth. - -This leads us to another determining factor—_the_ determining factor—in -choosing a story. - - -_Is It Worth Telling?_ - -The structural form of a story may be changed; with more difficulty a -point of contact may be established by a bit of suggestive explanation, -but if the story content is not good, no amount of “doctoring” will make -it worth the telling. - -Suppose we apply these tests: Is the effect of the story helpful? Does it -strengthen the imagination? Does it teach a right principle of action? -Does it inspire a love for the beautiful and the true? Does it inspire -reverence for the Creator and appreciation of the works of His hand? Does -it exemplify sane and happy living? Does it teach neighborly kindness? -Will its telling make a child better and happier? If the story calls for -an affirmative answer to any of these questions, if, in other words, its -teaching is simple, pure, and true, then it is by all means worthy of -telling. - -It is not necessary that the story should make no mention of selfishness, -of craftiness, of evil temper, or of disobedience to laws moral or -physical; but no story in which evil is rewarded or in which the -wrongdoer triumphs should ever be told to children, for in its essence -such a story is not true, its teaching is not true; it is not in accord -with God’s eternal laws. Children assimilate long before they analyze. - -At first glance it may seem easy to decide as to the moral influence -of a story, but there are differences of opinion even here, and some -writers condemn unsparingly that old acquaintance of our childhood, -Jack, of Bean-stalk fame, and set him down as an arrant thief and -murderer whose crimes brought him riches and comfort in his old age. -And the tale of Cinderella, while it can be said to cast no stain upon -the character of its heroine, is condemned as leaving an impression, -upon the impressionable mind of childhood, that all step-mothers are -hard and cruel and unjust. As the Mother Goose stories are dealt with at -greater length in a later chapter, I will make no comment now upon these -criticisms. But they are worthy of due consideration, and go to show that -it is not always as easy as it may at first appear, to judge the exact -influence of a story, and some of our old acquaintances which have been -accepted simply because they are old acquaintances, may really need to -be given the “cut direct.” - -This much is safe to say: If you have any doubts about the influence of a -story being wholly good, leave it untold. There are so many good stories, -so many whose teaching is wholly and positively helpful, that there is no -need of hesitating over one which presents a doubt. - -There is one more qualification which should be required of the story -told to children. It should be written in - - -_Good Literary Form_ - -Since one of the objects of story-telling is to cultivate a taste for -good literature, the story chosen should not only be tellable in its form -and true in its essence, but it should be artistic in its workmanship. -It should be written in pure, simple English, fitted to the thought -expressed. But, it may be objected, few story-tellers ever give a story -in the exact language in which it is written. This is true, for if -the story is learned word for word, the narrator is very apt to give -a recitation, rather than to tell a story. At the same time the true -story-teller will learn her story so thoroughly, will become so at home -in every essential detail, that the spirit and style of the writer will -be assimilated and so bound up with the story itself that the literary -qualities will be retained and their essence imparted to the orally -reproduced story. So, only, can appreciation and love for the beauty of -literary forms be imparted to the children by means of the verbal story. -Herein lies the _art_ of the story-teller. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -The Telling of the Story - - -Having chosen the right story for telling, the next consideration is how -to tell it in the best manner possible. - -Aside from all question of voice, enunciation, ease of manner—which, -though important, are more or less matters of personal habit or physical -endowment—there are two absolute essentials to successful story-telling: -a thorough knowledge of the story, and forgetfulness of self. - -The best story may be spoiled by the manner of telling. A good story -told by a master of the art will be a source of delight, while the same -story told by a self-conscious, poorly prepared novice will be annoyingly -tiresome. - -The first step in the preparation, then, must be a thorough assimilation -of the story. This does not involve memorizing, but the substance of the -story must be made your own. Formulate in your own mind its plan or -outline. What is its climax? What are the essential facts leading to this -climax? How do they follow, in order to bring about the final surprise or -culmination? - -Having this outline well fixed in mind, begin to fill in details. Note -the bits of wit or of wisdom which strengthen the story; the apt phrases -or happy turns of expression which exactly fit the thought. Memorize -these, and these only. Think the story over, again and again, until it -becomes a personal possession—something which you _know_. Then begin -formulating it. You can do this mentally, inaudibly at first, following -the general mode of expression of the written story, so that you will -tell it in a manner which conforms to the literary style of the author. -This is not difficult, for if you have selected a well-written story, -the style in which it is written will be in keeping with its character -and will seem the natural mode of expression. This assimilation of style -as well as of substance takes the place of literal memorizing. It allows -full liberty in the telling, while memorizing only cramps and hampers. - -Repeat the story mentally until you not only know its substance as a -personal experience, but until you are so familiar with its literary -style that you could scarcely tell that particular story in any other -form. This assimilation of style as well as of substance takes time, but -the ability to learn a story readily will come with practice. After you -have mastered the _method_ of learning, you will be able to acquire new -stories with little difficulty. - -You are now ready to tell the story orally; not at once to an audience—at -least not until you have gained sufficient experience to know to just -what extent you can depend upon yourself—but to an imaginary assembly. -A doll makes a very good “practice auditor,” and is not inclined to -encourage you overmuch by her responsiveness. If your imagination is -good, a sofa pillow or a chair will do as well. You will probably make -your first audible effort at an opportune moment when you are left quite -alone in the house, and the first opening door will bring the rehearsal -to a definite close. But in time, if you persevere, the family will -become used to it. As for yourself, however, you will probably find that -an amused audience of one, even though unseen, is more conducive to -self-consciousness than an interested audience of one hundred. - -A teacher presenting a story to her own class of pupils will not, of -course, have so many difficulties to overcome. She and the children -are on a familiar footing; she talks to them every day; she knows the -number and responsiveness of her audience, the size of the room, the -carrying power of her own voice. She is scarcely conscious that these -factors enter into the success of story-telling. But when a story-teller -addresses an unknown audience, these factors assume unexpected importance. - -I have in mind an early experience when a story hour was arranged at one -of the branch libraries of a large city. I knew that the “fifty-seven -varieties” of childhood were accustomed to assemble there and that the -room was not large, but I was not prepared to find two hundred children -compressed within little more than two hundred square feet of space. My -natural voice proved wholly inadequate. I began, but saw at once that the -children at the farther end of the room could not hear, and I stopped. -Taking a more central position, I found an entirely new voice—one so -much higher pitched that I am sure I should never have recognized it as -my own, elsewhere—and I told the stories. The new voice carried, and -under the conditions sounded wholly normal. The children grew quiet, -and for nearly an hour we traveled together through fairy-land, across -western prairies, along the streets of Hamelin town, into the Empire of -Japan, and among the Korean folk. How we did enjoy it! - -The incident taught me two things at least: one, the value of having an -intimate knowledge of the stories to be told, so that no unexpectedness -of conditions could cause them to take flight; the other, the necessity -of being able to adapt oneself to unexpected conditions. - -The need of adapting the story, or the mode of telling, to the -requirements of the immediate occasion, can only be learned by watching -your audience. - -Be sure your voice reaches the farthest child in the room. You need -not use a loud tone, but a little difference in the pitch will make a -great difference in the carrying quality. If the children must exert -themselves, hold themselves tense, in order to hear, they will soon -relax the effort and become restless and indifferent. - -If a child becomes inattentive, address your story to him for a time, and -turn to him frequently afterward. Each child loves to feel that the story -is being told to _him_. For this reason, the story and the children are -the only things to be taken account of. The story should be told directly -to the _individual_ children, not to the _mass_ of children. - -At a recent story hour the children were grouped upon the left hand -side of the large audience room, and the older people, of whom there -were a goodly number, upon the right hand side. A small cousin of the -story-teller—aged three—who had heard the stories until he could tell -them himself, sat upon his grandfather’s lap on the “grown-up” side of -the room. - -The story-teller devoted her attention to the children’s side of the -room exclusively. She began with the story of “Raggylug,” by Ernest -Thompson-Seton. The moment the story was finished, a small voice from the -neglected side of the room demanded, “Now tell it to _me_!” - -The incident is used to show that each child wants to feel that the -story is being told to him, and emphasizes the need of telling stories -with a personal directness of appeal. - -I have said that the story and the children should be the only things of -which the story-teller takes note. A consciousness of one’s own self as -the actor upon the boards, spoils all. - -This self-consciousness may be betrayed by a nervous twirling of a -handkerchief, a twisting of rings or bracelet, by an arranging of the -hair or the dress. It may be but a slight action in itself, but it -betrays the fault which will be felt, though probably not defined. - -Forget yourself. Become so interested in your story that you can think of -nothing else—except the children who are drinking it in. - -You may safely use as much dramatic action as springs spontaneously -from a vivid telling of the story, but it must never be a conscious -effort for dramatic effect. Give yourself perfect liberty. As you watch -your audience, interpolate, enlarge, omit, explain briefly, as you see -the need arise—but you can only do this if you _know_ your story. The -changes made should all be kept in harmony with the style of the original -narrative, and used only in order to stimulate or to arouse your hearers -to a quicker perception or a better understanding. - -Take time to bring out the essence of the tale, to impress the beauty -of the description, to enhance the humor of a situation. A story should -never be hurriedly told, any more than it should be hurriedly prepared. - -It is quite possible for the same story to be so told as to teach exactly -opposite lessons, and yet without any alteration of the essential facts. -This point is well illustrated by the story of “Robin Hood and Sir -Richard-at-the-Lea,” taken as an example. In this story it would be easy -to call undue attention to Robin Hood as the “robber outlaw.” On the -other hand, it is equally easy, by a few wise omissions, or a difference -in handling, to make prominent the characteristics which caused him to -be loved by all his “merrie men,” trusted by the poor and helpless, and -worshipped as a hero by the boys of all succeeding generations. This -difference in handling applies to nearly all of the Robin Hood stories, -and to many of the old nursery tales as well. They illustrate the point -which I have made, that the same story may be so written, or so told, as -to leave entirely different impressions upon the mind. - -The story-teller may not as a rule require special training in the use -of the speaking voice, but it is essential that she enunciate easily, -clearly, and agreeably. A well modulated voice tires neither speaker nor -hearer. - -To summarize— - -Know your story; know it so thoroughly that it is flexible under your -handling, yielding easily to the varying conditions under which it -is told while retaining all its essential qualities of style and of -substance: - -See that your voice carries: - -Forget yourself: - -Do not hurry: - -Bring out the true essence of the tale: - -Tell it with directness of appeal to your immediate audience: - -Carry it to its climax: - -“Let go.” - - - - -CHAPTER V - -Use of the Story in Primary Grades - - -In the primary grades of the schools, stories may be told as a -relaxation, as an incentive to learning to read, and as a means of -enlarging the vocabulary of the little people and thereby giving them -greater freedom of self-expression. In the more advanced grades the story -is used to awaken interest in new subjects, to fix the essentials of a -lesson, and to cultivate a taste for the best in literature. But in all -the grades, as well as in the home, it may be made the means of carrying -home a lesson or of clinching a truth. - -The use of the story in the primary grades coincides in some degree with -its use in the home, but it goes much further. The old method of primary -teaching whereby a child was made by laborious exercises to _learn -to read_ in order that he might be able in later years to enjoy the -treasures of literature, has undergone a radical and healthful change. -Under the former method, the child, through the barrenness of his labor, -was often discouraged in his attempt to master reading, and he had but a -dim idea at best of the benefit which was to accrue to him from learning. - -Under present methods, the child, before he is given any of the laborious -drill work—which is as essential as ever to his learning to read for -himself—is told stories, is led into the beautiful realms of literature, -and is made to realize what is in store for him when he has mastered -the technical difficulties of reading. After that, the drills and the -oral stories are carried on together, and the stories form a tempting -incentive to hard work upon the drills. Children are willing to work, and -to work hard, if they see a desirable object to be attained. - -The primary teacher who makes judicious use of stories in her class room -lays hold upon one of the most efficient aids to successful work. But -when a story has been told to the children, it has but half served its -purpose. If it was worth telling, it is worth remembering; and there is -no means by which the story may be so thoroughly impressed upon the -child’s mind as by his telling it himself. - -The first advantage gained lies in the fact that if the child knows that -he is likely to be called upon to re-tell the story, he will listen more -intently, more acutely. This in itself helps him, because he learns to -be attentive, and to concentrate his thoughts. When he tries to re-tell -the story, if he has not grasped the essentials or cannot follow the -sequence, then he will have to listen again—more carefully, this time—and -he will have shown wherein he needs help. - -With very young children, it is a good plan to talk the story over, after -it has been told, bringing out the essential facts, and so forming a -framework or outline upon which the child can more readily rebuild the -story. - -The opportunity which the reproduction of a story affords of helping the -child to express himself in clear, correct English, and to enlarge his -vocabulary, is of exceptional value. At the same time his absorption -in the story itself overcomes his timidity or self-consciousness to a -wonderful degree, and often arouses a child from a dull lethargy of -indifference. - -Again, no reading lesson will admit of the freedom of expression in face, -tone, and general attitude which the telling of a story permits. Why? -Because the child enjoys it. It is a natural thing to him, while reading, -in the early grades, is unnatural. - -Teachers should be careful not to let the children who are eager to -re-tell the story, monopolize the time. It is those who are shy and -backward who need the exercise most. The eager ones may lead the way, but -the shy ones should be encouraged to follow. - -Dramatization goes a step farther than reproduction. The dramatizing or -playing of a story makes it take on life and reality for the child. When -he hears a story read or told he forms a mental picture which is more or -less hazy and easily dispelled. When he has for himself played the story, -assumed one of the characters, and acted its part, then the thought of -the story becomes crystallized. He grasps its meaning, sees its beauty, -understands its truth, and _remembers_ it. This intensifying of his -mental pictures results in more expressive reading as well as in better -language work and in greater power of self-expression. - -Another distinct advantage gained through dramatizing is the bringing of -the life of literature into direct contact with the child’s life, and so -causing all literature to become more real and vital. - -The play—for so it seems to the child—forms a connecting link between -the home or play-life to which he has been accustomed, and the new -and strange life of the school. It helps to banish diffidence, and to -establish a familiar atmosphere and a spirit of fellowship with the -teacher and the other pupils. It is also a source of pure joy to the -child, and “the education that brings joy along with careful and exact -training is better than the kind that omits the joy.” Would that every -teacher might remember this! - -It need hardly be said that while dramatizing in the schoolroom may be -helpful and vitalizing when under the control of a teacher who recognizes -its educational value, it may, on the other hand, become inane and even -silly if used simply as an amusement or as a time-filler. - -While much of the value of dramatizing must depend upon the insight -and oversight of the teacher, much also depends upon the selection of -material. “Not what _may_ be dramatized, but what _should_ be.” - -If a teacher has clearly before her the thought of _why_ we dramatize, -then the question of _what_ to dramatize will be more readily determined. - -Stories of nature, in which the children represent birds, bees, flowers, -the wind, the seasons, are all useful for the purpose. Such stories -quicken the imagination and bring the child into closer relationship with -out-door life. - -An especially good example of a story to dramatize is the “Lesson of -Faith,” in the first chapter of this book. Teachers will find this story -especially appropriate to their Easter exercises. - -After the story has been told often enough for the children to become -familiar with its thought and outline, let some little girl represent the -Caterpillar, and another the Butterfly. Have a boy represent the Lark, -and eight or ten other children the butterfly eggs. - -Begin the dramatizing by having this last group of children curl -themselves down quietly together, while the little girl who represents -the Caterpillar moves slowly about near them. Then let the Butterfly, -slowly moving her wings, settle beside the Caterpillar and address her, -telling her of the little eggs, and asking her to care for them. Then -have the Butterfly droop her wings and become quiet, as though dead. It -is best, then, to allow this child to resume her seat while the others -carry on the little play. - -Next have the Caterpillar indulge in her soliloquy, and presently the -Lark should come flying to her side. Then follows the dialogue between -the two, the Lark flying away and returning as described in the story. - -As the Caterpillar declares that the Lark is making fun of her when he -tells her that she will one day be a butterfly herself, have the little -butterfly eggs—now caterpillars—begin to move about, one brushing against -her, and let them begin to nibble as though eating. - -After the Caterpillar has shown her great surprise, have her show -her great joy at learning that the Lark’s message is true. Then she -should go to one or two of the children in the seats, who represent the -Caterpillar’s friends, and tell them the great good news which she has -learned. - -They are to show their unbelief of what she has said. - -Next have these friends come to her and tell her that it is time for her -to form her chrysalis and die. - -Then the Caterpillar becomes very still, the little green caterpillars, -meanwhile, eating and moving about very quietly. - -As the final act of the little drama, have the Butterfly emerge from her -chrysalis, spread her wings, and fly away. - -This story answers perfectly to the requirements of dramatization, and -it is clearly not one which _may_ be dramatized, but one which _should_ -be. The children who take part, and those who look on at the little play, -will have their mental conception of the story, which was first given in -words only, intensified; made real and lasting. - -When children imitate, say, the robin or the crow, see that their -motions accord with those of the bird represented—have them hop like the -robin, or walk like the crow. The eagle and the swallow fly poised on -outstretched wing, while the humming bird’s wings move rapidly. All these -differences, if noted, teach the children to observe. If a child makes -a mistake, such as hopping when representing the crow, do not tell him -what his mistake is, but have him find out before the next day how the -crow moves when on the ground. This is of especial value if he can have -an opportunity of watching a crow for himself, since it teaches him to -observe closely; to use his own eyes. - -Fairy and folk tales afford excellent material for dramatizing, as do -some of the familiar mythological stories. They quicken the child’s -imagination by helping him to understand the personification of the -forces of nature, and this understanding is greatly helped if he not only -hears and reads the stories, but plays them as well. - -The story of Midas is well adapted for dramatizing. Choose a boy to -represent the avaricious king, and another boy for Bacchus, who bestows -upon him the golden touch. Other children, either boys or girls, may be -selected to typify the apple tree and the rose bush—moving their leaves -in the breeze till stiffened by Midas’ touch. A little girl must, of -course, personify Midas’ little daughter. - -After all these have been turned to gold, Midas visits Bacchus and -implores his aid in getting rid of the fatal power which has been given -to him. Then he returns with joy and restores the apple tree, the rose, -and, best of all, his own little daughter, to life. The details of the -story will have to be worked out according to the version chosen, but the -story is too well known and too readily found, to make it worth while to -give it in detail here. - -The reproduction of a story also through constructive mediums—clay -modeling, painting, or paper cutting—helps the child to a physical -application of the knowledge which he has gained, and so strengthens the -impression which has been made. - -A little further on, when lessons in nature study, geography, and history -are about to be introduced, the child can be led into them almost -unconsciously, through talks and stories of nature, of travel, of foreign -countries, and of biography and history. Under this method of teaching, -children are made to realize that history is a narrative of real events, -directed by people who did great things, great enough for the whole -country or the whole world to be interested in, and the men of history -become heroes of flesh and blood; geography steps out from between the -covers of a book and becomes a multiplied home, the home of many people -and of many races, each home possessing characteristics which interest -and appeal to the child; nature study becomes an introduction to new -friends clothed in feathers and fur. - -When stories are reproduced in the school room the work should not be -undertaken as a formal language drill. The story should be left to make -its appeal to the childish imagination and should then be expressed in -his own words. Let the exact drill upon words be done with sentences -which are designed for that purpose, but let the reproduction of -any story which is worthy of a place in literature be a spontaneous -expression upon the part of the child, so that the life and beauty of the -story may be preserved to him. A story loses its grace and its ethical -value when hammered into a rigid form of words. Word drill is right and -proper in its place, but the reproduction of a worth-while story demands -that the thought be kept living and active, and the form of expression -free. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -Jingles, Fables, and Folk-Lore - - -The first stories told to a child are almost invariably the Mother Goose -rhymes and jingles, beginning perhaps with: - - Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man! - So I will, master, as fast as I can: - Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with T, - And toss in the oven for Tommy and me. - -Or this, from the _Chinese Mother Goose_ (Fleming H. Revell Company): - - Pat, pat, - A swallow’s nest we’ll make, - And if we pat some money out - We’ll buy ourselves a cake. - -These are usually accompanied by appropriate finger plays. - -Can we give a tangible reason for this choice? Why do all mothers turn to -them with unwavering fidelity? Why do all children love them? - -There can be but one answer. Before a child is able to follow the thread -of the simplest story, he can enjoy the musical cadence of these rhymes. -There is rhythm in their measure, an allurement of sound in their words -and phrases which pleases his ear and satisfies his senses long before -their words carry any intelligent thought to his mind. - -Why are “memory gems” taught in the primary grades of the schools? The -children understand but little of their true beauty of thought, but the -cadence of the lines fixes them in the memory, and the deeper meaning -comes with later years. - -It is because this is so, because the children love musical cadence -before they understand words, that mothers can follow or mingle the -Mother Goose melodies with more modern verses such as those of Field or -Stevenson. The little child will love such lines as these, by Henry van -Dyke: - - I guess the pussy-willows now - Are creeping out on every bough - Along the brook; and robins look - For early worms behind the plough. - -Or the introduction to “The Fountain,” in James Russell Lowell’s _Poems_ -(Houghton, Mifflin Company): - - Into the sunshine, - Full of the light, - Leaping and flashing - From morn till night. - - Into the moonlight, - Whiter than snow, - Waving so flower-like - When the winds blow. - - Into the star-light - Rushing in spray, - Happy at midnight, - Happy by day. - -The true poetry of these lines will not appeal to him in the beginning, -but the cadence of the lines will, and they will become fixed in his -mind. The beauty of the poems will be his in later years. - -As soon as a child is old enough to follow the thread of a simple -story, fables and folk-lore will lead him into the realm of the world’s -earliest literature. These are the stories which delighted the race -in its childhood, and they have delighted childhood in all succeeding -generations. These old fables are so familiar that they are incorporated -into our everyday conversation. How often do we refer to “The Hare and -the Tortoise,” to the “Dog in the Manger,” or to “The Goose That Laid the -Golden Egg?” How frequently do we illustrate a point by a reference to -“Sour Grapes,” or to “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?” Yet probably not one -in twenty knows that all these familiar illustrations find their origin -in the fables of Aesop or La Fontaine. - -These old classic fables are a part of the literature “which the world -has chosen to remember.” They have become a part of the literary coin of -the realm. In his introduction to Aesop’s Fables, Joseph Jacobs says: -“In their grotesque grace, in their quaint humor, in their trust in -the simpler virtues, in their insight into the cruder vices, in their -innocence of the fact of sex, Aesop’s Fables are as little children.” As -an example: - - It happened that a fisher, after fishing all day, caught only - a little fish. “Pray, let me go, master,” said the fish. “I am - much too small for your eating just now. If you put me back - into the river I shall soon grow, then you can make a fine meal - off me.” - - “Nay, nay, my little fish,” said the fisher, “I have you now. I - may not catch you hereafter.” - -It has been well said that the fables are the child’s best introduction -to the study of human nature. They are “an interpretation of life.” That -animals are made to talk, and to exhibit human traits, only adds to the -charm of the story without lessening its ethical value. The child applies -to all nature his own standard of ethics. - -The child’s ability to understand is far in advance of his ability to -read, and the old folk-tales which have been handed down orally from -generation to generation, and later gathered into volumes for the -children of all nations to enjoy together, are a veritable mine of -delight to both story-teller and listener. - -Folk tales and fairy tales are so interwoven that it is difficult to -separate them. That some of both are open to criticism is conceded, but -with such abundance of supply there is no need of telling a story which -presents even a doubt as to its value. - -In her introduction to “The Story Hour,” Kate Douglas Wiggin says: -“Some universal spiritual truth underlies the really fine old fairy -tale; but there can be no educational influence in the so-called fairy -stories, which are merely jumbles of impossible incidents, and which not -infrequently present dishonesty, deceit, and cruelty in attractive or -amusing guise.” Here we have the true test which anyone may apply: an -underlying “universal spiritual truth.” Does our story contain such? - -Two very familiar nursery tales which owe their origin to the folk-lore -of old—namely, “Jack, the Giant Killer,” and “Cinderella”—have recently -been brought into question upon the ground of their moral teaching. -The critics in question look upon Jack as a thief and a murderer, who -“lived happily ever after” upon his ill-gotten gains. For my own part, -I find less to condemn in Jack’s treatment of the Giant, than in making -a hero of a boy who was lazy and disobedient. The Giant had robbed and -killed Jack’s father, and he was wicked and cruel to all, and Jack could -scarcely be blamed for trying to regain his father’s stolen wealth, or -for cutting down the bean-stalk when the Giant was descending for the -purpose of killing him and, in all probability, his mother. But the false -note in the story, to my mind, lies in selecting a boy who was avowedly -lazy, idle, disobedient, and neglectful of his mother, for the hero of -a tale of such marvelous deeds. The tale of Jack, the Giant Killer, -however, has many versions, and there is no need whatever, when telling -the story, of giving to Jack any of these undesirable traits. Rather, -picture him as a boy capable of performing heroic deeds. The change is -easily made. - -On the other hand, I would champion the story of “Cinderella.” The recent -criticism brought against this story is that it leads boys and girls to -believe that all step-mothers are cruel. I do not think so. The stories -of “The Babes in the Woods,” and of “The Princes in the Tower,” do not -teach that all uncles are cruel. Of course the fact that Cinderella’s -step-mother was a _step_-mother might be so emphasized in the telling -as to give this impression, but it is not emphasized in the story—not, -at least, in most of the versions which I have read. Selfishness and -pride are set forth in the half-sisters in all their unattractiveness; -while Cinderella’s final triumph serves as a means of showing her gentle -and forgiving nature. These are the points to be brought out in the -story-telling, and it would seem to me to be an unjustifiable robbery -to take the story of Cinderella from the child’s early store of fairy -tales. What a thrill of exquisite delight is felt by the child when the -magic of the god-mother’s wand turns Cinderella’s rags into the robe -of a princess and she is whirled away in her golden chariot to meet the -prince. It is a story of goodness rewarded and of evil punished, but all -in such a magical and wonderful way! I can feel the early thrill of it -yet—and so can you. - -There are different versions of both these stories, and it is not a -difficult matter to tell either one in such a way as to do away with all -objectionable features. As was shown in a previous chapter, much of the -impression which a story leaves is due to the manner of its telling. -The story of Cinderella certainly contains the “underlying universal, -spiritual truth,” and so answers to the test of a truly “fine old fairy -tale.” - -American story tellers should not go far afield for their tales of folk -lore, and overlook the two distinctive sources afforded by our own -country. The stories of the North American Indian, told by camp fire or -in tepee, are full of poetic imagery, of symbolic truth, and of heroic -valor. They form the original legendary lore of our land, and they should -be told to the children, preparing them for a later reading of the poets -and authors who have shown us the picturesque as well as the tragic side -of the history of the Red Man. - -The other American source of folk lore tales is found in the south, and -is typified at its best in “Uncle Remus,” though not confined to him. As -has been said, the dialect story is difficult for a child to read, and -Uncle Remus is undoubtedly most thoroughly appreciated by children of a -larger growth. But no child can resist the drollery or the rollicking fun -of the true darkey story when it is _told_ to him. - -The following story of “Ithenthiela” which closes this chapter is a good -example of the folk lore tales of the Indian. Only a portion of the -original story is here given, but it is to be found, with other good -stories for telling, in _Tales of the Red Children_, by Abbie F. Brown, -and James M. Bell (D. Appleton and Company). - - -“The Story of Ithenthiela”[2] - -Many years ago there was a brave Indian boy named Ithenthiela, the -Caribou-Footed, who lived far away in the great northwest. - -One day, as Ithenthiela went through the woods, he saw a squirrel in -the branches of a tall red spruce tree, and, raising his bow, he shot an -arrow at it. Down fell the squirrel, but the arrow lodged in the branches. - -Then Ithenthiela started to climb after the arrow, but he had not climbed -far when he heard a great pack of wolves howling at the foot of the tree. -So he climbed higher, and as he mounted, the arrow went up, too. - -Up, up, it went, until at last it came to the sky itself. The arrow -passed through the thin blue, and Ithenthiela wriggled after it. - -Great was Ithenthiela’s surprise when he entered the Sky Country; it -was so different from what he had expected. He had imagined a glorious -country where the sun always shone, and where huge herds of musk-oxen, -caribou, and moose roamed at large. He had expected to find many of his -own people camped in wigwams here and there, preparing to fight with -other tribes. But instead, the air was damp, dreary, and cold; no trees -or flowers grew; no herds of animals ran on the silent plains; the smoke -of no wigwam greeted his anxious eyes; no war-whoop or hunting cry was -heard. But far in the distance against the sky shimmered a great white -mass, like a pile of snow when the sun shines upon it in the early -summer. Toward this great white wonder ran a winding path from the very -spot where Ithenthiela stood. - -“I will follow it,” thought he, “and see what I find in that shining -wigwam over there.” - -As he passed along he met an old woman who said to him: “Who are you, and -where are you going?” - -“I have come from far,” said Ithenthiela. “I am the Caribou-Footed. Can -you tell me who lives over there in that big white wigwam?” - -“Ah,” said Capoteka—for that was the old woman’s name—“I know you, -Ithenthiela! Long have I known that sometime you would come here. But -you have done wrong; this is no country for man. In that great wigwam -over there lives Itakempka; and he is unhappy because he has lost his -great medicine belt. Until he gets it again, no one will be happy in the -Sky Country. The belt is at the tepee of the two blind women who live -far beyond the wigwam which shines so white, and no one has been able to -get it from them. But whoever captures it, and takes it from the blind -women, will have the daughter of Itakempka, the beautiful Etanda, for his -wife.” - -At these words off started Ithenthiela, and, traveling hard, he soon came -to a tepee which stood alone; the home of the two old blind women. - -Dull and gloomy was the covering of the wigwam; but from the tiny hole -in the smoke-begrimed moose skins came a strange, bright light at which -Ithenthiela marveled. - -But when he entered he saw what it was that gave the mysterious light. -It came from the great medicine belt which hung upon the wall, and -surrounding the belt were the skulls of many men. - -The belt was studded with gems. From great rubies sparkled the rays -of crimson; from huge amethysts shone streams of purple; from mighty -sapphires came the deepest blue, and gorgeous emeralds shot rays of -green; while great cairngorms scintillated with yellow glow. The lights -changed from blood-red to purple, from purple to blue, from blue to -green, from green to yellow, and ever and anon faded altogether, to be -succeeded by the mixed rainbow of color from fair opals or by the pure -white light of great diamonds. This was the magic belt of Itakempka. - -The blind women bade Ithenthiela welcome and said to him: - -“Tell us, Ithenthiela, when you are about to leave, so that we may bid -you good-by.” - -Now, Ithenthiela had noticed that each of the old women had behind her -back a knife of copper, long and sharp and gleaming; and that one sat on -either side of the door, waiting. - -“Ah!” thought he, “when I leave they mean to kill me. But, I shall fool -them.” - -In one part of the wigwam lay a muskamoot, or bag, of bones and feathers. -To this he tied a string, which he pulled over the pole above the door. -Then, said he: - -“I am going now, Blind Women. Remember that I am old and fat, and when I -leave I make much noise.” - -With this he pulled the string, whereat the bag of bones and feathers -trundled toward the door. Immediately the two old hags stabbed; but -striking only feathers, the long knife of each passed through the bag -into the body of the other, and both were killed. - -Then Ithenthiela took the precious belt and hastened with all speed -toward the wigwam of Itakempka. As he neared the great Chief’s home he -heard no sound of man or beast. Entering, he saw that all the camp was -sleeping. Around the long-cold fire lay the warriors and maidens, the -old men and women, and in their midst the tall Chief, decked with faded -plumes. - -Then for the first time, Ithenthiela drew from beneath his leathern -shirt the belt of medicine. Around the wigwam flashed the rays of red, -purple, green, and gold. Instantly the warriors and maidens, the old men -and women, awoke. Up rose the Chief, fine and stately among them, as the -color came back to his gorgeous head-dress, and as the fire on the hearth -sparkled into life. - -Then said Ithenthiela: “Great Chief, be you happy now. I have brought you -back your healing belt, the band of life, of hope, of war, and of peace. -Henceforth it shall abide here in its true place with you.” - -Then said Itakempka: “Greatly I rejoice, O Ithenthiela! You have saved -my people. Now shall the sun shine again. Now shall musk-oxen, caribou, -moose, and bears live once more in our country. Again shall we see the -smoke of many wigwams. Once more shall we hear the voice of many hunters, -and ever and anon the war-whoop of the warriors. You have wakened us from -our long winter sleep. Take you now my daughter, the fair Etanda, for -your wife. But leave me not. You shall stay with me, and be a great chief -after me.” So Ithenthiela remained in the shining white home of Itakempka. - -And still the Red Children in the distant northern lands tell of -Ithenthiela when the northern lights flit across the sky. - -“Ah!” they cry, with their faces bowed before that splendid light, which -is to them the most mysterious thing of nature. “See the fingers of -Ithenthiela are beckoning us to the home which he found for us beyond the -sky.” - - -FOOTNOTES - -[2] Adapted for telling. By permission of the publishers. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -Myth and Hero Tale - - -The world is a wonder-palace to the child. “Everything hints at something -more magical and more marvelous which is to come.” The inanimate objects -about him are given living attributes; animals and flowers are endowed by -his fancy with human thought and feeling. He talks to the clouds and the -stars; he peoples the sky with living inhabitants; to him the winds are -not “forces of nature”; they are boisterous companions or gentle friends. - -This applies to the imaginative child, and there are more imaginative -children than the most of us suspect. The imagination may be -suppressed by older and “wiser” companions, or natural shyness may -cause the imaginative fancies to remain unvoiced; but the fancies are -there—bubbling over in fantastic follies or childish imagery, or kept -in those hidden chambers of the soul to which grown-ups are forbidden -entrance. - -Because of this mental attitude, children are inherent myth-makers. And -to the same mental attitude upon the part of the children of the race, -is due the fund of mythological lore which has enriched the world’s -literature and inspired much of its art. - -To this rich store, then, the child may be introduced by means of -mythological stories. Their appeal is strong because they are in harmony -with his own spontaneous interests. Froebel says: “Would’st thou know how -to teach the child? Observe him, and he will show you what to do.” If, -then, the child so loves the myth, let us hold him and help him by means -of the mythological story. Those which contain an objectionable element -may readily be withheld; there are plenty which are beautiful in their -form and true in their teaching. - -The myth, strictly speaking, differs from the fairy story in that it -personifies the forces and manifestations of nature: Aurora awakening -the sleeping world with her shafts of light; Ceres presiding over the -harvests of golden grain; Jove hurling the dreadful thunderbolts; and -Narcissus living in the beautiful blossom which bears his name. - -Few children will accept these stories as absolute statements of fact, -nor need they be so presented. Whatever this personification of the -universal elements may have meant to the ancient Greeks, to us it is -purely imaginary; it is the fairy-land of nature. Children love to “make -believe,” and their own personifications of the forces of nature, while -spontaneous and vivid, are a part of their imaginative world—a part of -their “make believe.” So, mythological stories are never accepted by -them upon the literal plane of the true nature story, nor should they -ever be so presented. When stories of the ancient gods and goddesses are -told, they may be very briefly outlined as the imaginative stories of an -ancient race. This will give them their true place, without in the least -detracting from their charm. - -The child who is made familiar with the old mythology by means of stories -and verse, holds the key of understanding to the countless allusions of -the world’s best literature. He may not comprehend the deeper meaning, -nor understand that they were the religion of an ancient people, but when -in his later reading of some masterpiece of poetry or prose he finds an -allusion to Phaeton, to Apollo, or to Neptune, he will experience the -same delight that comes to one who meets an old playfellow in a foreign -land. - - -_The Hero-Tale_ - -As the child creates a world of fancy and, when left to himself, lives -within it, so marvelous deeds and achievements are to him as the daily -breath of our own lives. He imagines himself the hero of such wonderful -and impossible adventures that when he is told of Phaeton and his mad -ride, he accepts it with the same calm appreciation which is accorded the -imaginings of his own creative moods. The slaying of the Gorgon is fully -in harmony with his own future plans. Not that he believes in these hero -tales literally, or comprehends their deeper significance, but they fit -in so perfectly with his normal habit of creative fancy that they seem to -him as his very own, and he loves them. - -The hero-tale appeals as strongly to the child as does the myth—probably -more strongly to the boy. Indeed, the myth and hero-tale are often one, -for Greek and Norse mythology abound in heroes and heroic adventures, -and the lad who pores breathlessly over the thrilling experiences of a -Captain Kidd, would find equal delight in the story of the Wooden Horse -and the Fall of Troy, were it told him in a manner suited to his age and -understanding. - -The story of Arion, returning victorious from the great musical contest, -and threatened by the mutinous seamen of his vessel, stirs any boy to -enthusiasm, as do the adventures of Perseus, who, helped by Minerva and -Mercury, slew the Gorgon, Medusa. - -In another field there are the merry tales of Robin Hood, the outlaw -beloved of boys, with his host of adventurous followers; and the -chivalrous deeds of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. -Stories of the knights appeal to universal boyhood. Well do I remember -a story hour in which the compact body of the audience was fringed all -about with boys under whose arms were shoe-blacking kits, or bundles of -newspapers. They dodged in for a story, and out again for a customer, -but with one voice they demanded—it was not a request—“Give us a knight -story! Give us a knight story!” - -Boys can be kept from reading worthless fiction if books and stories -of the right sort are placed in their hands, and the surest way to make -these attractive is to give them the contents or a part of the contents -in story form first. Make the stories vivid, give them plenty of life and -action, and Captain Kidd or Bunco Bill will pale before King Arthur and -Ulysses. - -The younger children will listen with greatest delight to stories of -imaginary heroes, such as abound in folk-lore and myth—Jack the Giant -Killer easily leading in favor, as has been proven by statistics. - -Children demand definite aims, swift action, prompt reward of the good, -and punishment of the evil. They do not understand complex motives nor -the slow working out of nature’s retribution. This comes with later -years. The story-teller must choose her subjects in accordance with the -age of the child. The world of fancy gradually gives way before the -world of fact, and there comes a time when the heroes of the myth and -the fairy tale are received with a certain degree of scorn. They are -“out-grown.” At this period the boy and girl demand heroes of flesh and -blood; men who “do and dare” especially appeal to them. There must still -be rapid action and swift retribution or reward, but motives begin to be -understood more fully, and little by little these motives begin to be -less self-centered; they touch an ever-broadening circle. - -To follow this circle and select stories which fit its circumference -should be the aim of mother and teacher. Here, as everywhere in teaching, -the “spontaneous interests” furnish the key for selection. - -The range of hero-tales is wide. Among them are the mythological and -folk-lore tales previously suggested; the legendary hero-tales which are -partly fact and partly fancy, such as the _Knights of the Round Table_, -_Robin Hood_, and most of the medieval stories; and Bible stories, among -which there are a host of heroic characters, whose _moral_ heroism should -be made the dominant note. - -There are also the heroes who have traveled, explored, and dared in the -interests of science, and those who have endured hardship and privation -in order to carry civilization to the dark corners of the globe. There -are heroes also, often unknown, who risk their lives almost daily to -carry on the mechanical processes of modern civilization. Any of these -will form the nucleus of stories of thrilling interest to the growing -boy and girl. Let the motive for the heroic deed be felt throughout the -story. Do not tack it on as a moral; let it permeate the whole narrative. -It has been truly said that “To add a moral application to a story is as -complete a confession of failure as to append an explanation to a joke.” - -The material for hero-tales lies all about us—upon the pages of the -newspaper and the magazine, as well as between the covers of the Iliad -and the Odyssey. - -Give the boy and girl stories “clean in the warp and woof”; stories of -brave, noble men and women, worthy of emulation, for “with the great, -one’s thoughts and manners easily become great.” - -The following story of “The Coming of Arthur” from _Some Great Stories -and How to Tell Them_ (Newson and Company), by Richard Thomas Wyche, -founder of The Story-Tellers’ League, is one of the best examples -known to the author of the sort of hero or knight story which all boys -love, and which will lead them into the realms of the best and purest -literature. - - -The Coming of Arthur[3] - -One dark stormy night a long time ago, in a land beyond the seas, old -King Uther lay upon his bed dying. He was weeping and lamenting, not -so much because he was leaving this world, as because he had no son or -daughter to come after him and rule England. There were two old men who -stood near the king, whose names were Bleys and Merlin. When they saw -that their king was silent in death, they passed out into the black night -and walked down toward the ocean where the great waves came rolling in -from the deep. - -The night was stormy, and they noticed that the waves grew larger and -larger. They counted them—one, two, three, up to the ninth—which seemed -to gather half the sea. Suddenly, on the highest crest of this wave, -they saw a shining ship in the form of a dragon, and all from stem to -stern the deck was covered with shining people. No sooner had they seen -the ship than it disappeared. But nevertheless this great wave came -rolling in and tumbled at their feet. Strange to say out of this wave -there rolled a little naked child, and Merlin picked it up and cried, -“The King! The King! An heir for Uther!” Then the long wave swept up the -beach, wrapped about the old man and flashed like fire. After which there -was a calm, and the stars came out, and the elves and fairies blew their -horns from cliff to cliff. - -Merlin gave the little child to an old woman to nurse. He was given the -name of Arthur, and as the years passed by he grew into a beautiful boy -with blue eyes and golden hair. Merlin, who was a very wise old man, -became the boy’s teacher. - -But let me tell you a story about the boy. One day, as Arthur was walking -out all alone in the sunny fields, he came upon a little girl sitting -upon a bank of heath, weeping as if her heart would break, and saying: -“I hate this fair world and all that’s in it.” She had been beaten for -a fault of which she was not guilty. When she looked up there stood the -boy, Arthur. Whether he could walk unseen like his old teacher Merlin, -who was something of a wizard, she did not know, but there he stood -smiling at her. He dried her tears, comforted her heart, and was a -child with her. But one day after that when she saw him again he was so -dignified and cold she was afraid of him. But again when she saw him his -ways were sweet and they played as children together. They were golden -hours for her and for him. She said then, “Some day he will be King.” - -As Arthur grew into manhood he wanted a sword, as all boys did in those -days. One summer day he was in his boat on the lake. All around him -spread the shining water, above him bent the sky, soft and blue. He moved -to the center of the lake and stopped. It was noon, and he sat thinking. -Perhaps he was wondering what he would do when he became a man. Suddenly -he heard the water ripple, and near by he saw, rising from the lake a -white arm and hand holding a sword. Arthur reached out and took the sword -and then the hand disappeared. - -The hilt of the sword was in the shape of a cross, studded with jewels -that sparkled and flashed. He pulled it from the scabbard and the blade -was so bright that it hurt his eye to look at it. On one side of the -blade he saw cut in the steel in the oldest language of all the world, -the words, “Take me,” but on the other side, in the language of the -people, “Cast me away.” It made him sad to think he must cast it away. -He took it to his old teacher Merlin, who was then a hundred winters -old. Merlin said: “‘Take me’ means that you must take the sword, clear -the forest, let in the light and make broad pathways for the hunter and -the knight; break up the robber bands and bandit holds; drive back the -heathen that come swarming over the seas, burning the houses and killing -the people.” Then he whispered into Arthur’s ear and said: “Some day you -may be king. After you have ruled the land and made it better, the time -will come when you may cast the sword away, but that is a long way off.” - -The years passed. Not since the dark stormy night on which King Uther -died had there been a strong ruler in England. The people fought among -themselves. The heathen came swarming over the seas; the wild animals -came from the woods and carried off the children. The land was going to -ruin. One day the people came together and said: “We must make one man -king.” Whom do you suppose they crowned? Merlin, with his knowledge -and power, had Arthur lifted up and put on the throne. Many believed he -was the rightful king, but others said: “Away with him, he is no king -of ours, he is base-born.” But then Arthur spoke to the people in the -hall, and asked all the young men who would help him rule the land to -come forward. Many heard his manly voice and came and stood before him. -He said to them: “Will you speak the truth; be pure; right the wrong; be -strong, yet gentle; be true in love; obey the king and your conscience?” -When they said “yes,” they kneeled before him, and he made them his -knights. When they arose from the knighting, he spoke to them in a low -deep voice of authority and told them that he wished to make a good king, -and that he wanted them to rule the land and make the world better, and -the people happier. - -While he stood speaking to them, for a moment every man seemed to favor -the king; their faces were radiant. Then suddenly three rays of light -fell as if from heaven, and lit up the faces of three tall queens, who -stood near the throne to help the king at his need. Near him stood his -old teacher Merlin, and the Lady of the Lake who, it was said, made and -gave him Excalibur, the wonderful sword. After that, other young men came -and took the vows of knighthood, until there were hundreds of knights. -They were called Knights of the Round Table. - -Then King Arthur went against the heathen, and in twelve great battles -drove the last one from the country. One day, as he was passing with -his army through the streets of a village, he saw, standing by a castle -wall, a beautiful young woman. He did not know her, nor did she know him; -for Arthur was clad simply as one of his knights, and not in his kingly -robes. Arthur could not forget the face. He was in love with the young -woman, and wanted to make her his wife and queen. When he returned to his -palace, he called Sir Bedivere and two other knights, and sent them to -search for the young woman. - -The young woman’s name was Guinevere, called the pearl of beauty, and her -father was an old king, Leodogran, King of Camelaird. When the knights -stood before him, and said, “King Arthur wishes Guinevere to be his wife -and queen,” the old man spoke roughly to them, and said, “Who is Arthur, -that I should give my daughter in marriage to him? He is base-born, and -not the son of a king. Even though he has helped me in battle, how can I, -being a king, give my daughter in marriage to a man that is not a king, -or the son of a king?” - -When Leodogran was persuaded to make further inquiries, and heard of -Arthur’s birth and boyhood, of the wonderful sword Excalibur, of the -three rays of light at his coronation, and of his pure life and great -deeds, he still doubted. - -He sat upon his seat and actually nodded, napped, and kept the knights -waiting. But while he napped, he dreamed, and in his dream saw a great -battlefield starting at his feet and sloping away as far as the eye could -reach. On this field armies were passing and moving. Arthur, the newly -crowned king, with his army, was victorious and glorious. When Leodogran -woke up, he called the knights and said: “Yes, Guinevere, my daughter, -may go.” - -Some time after that, King Arthur called Sir Lancelot, his best knight -and warrior, and sent him to bring the Queen-to-be to his palace. Sir -Lancelot and the other knights with him rode away on horseback, while -King Arthur stood and watched them from the gates as they disappeared. -Guinevere was ready and came with Sir Lancelot. It was the first of -May, when the earth was white with hyacinths. The woods were all abloom -and seemed full of singing birds. Guinevere rode on horseback by Sir -Lancelot. Each day couriers went before and pitched a tent where the -Queen-to-be might rest at noon. The journey was soon at an end. Sir -Lancelot had entertained Guinevere with talk of the tourney, the chase, -the hunt, and of King Arthur and his noble deeds. Sir Lancelot was so -strong, yet gentle and tender, that she could not help but like him, -and love him. When King Arthur came out to meet her, clad in his kingly -robes, he seemed so tall and dignified that she felt a little afraid of -him. But she knew that she was to be his wife and queen. Straightway -they went to the church, and there before the highest of altar shrines, -the bishop made them man and wife, and blessed them. Then as they went -from the church King Arthur’s Knights, clad in stainless white, marched -before him with trumpets and a song: - - Blow trumpet, for the world is white with May! - Blow trumpet, the long night hath rolled away! - Blow thro’ the living world, “Let the King reign!” - -And that was the coming of King Arthur. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[3] By permission of the author, and publishers. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -Holiday and Vacation Stories - - -Stories fitted to the holiday seasons, and the out-door stories of -vacation time are always a source of delight to both story-teller and -listeners. Each holiday has its quota of timely stories; and by no other -means can the spirit and the lesson of a special day or season be more -vividly impressed upon a child’s mind than by a well-chosen, well-told -story. Many mothers and teachers understand this, and a still larger -number would find undreamed-of pleasure and resultant good in a practical -test of the statement. - -The spirit of Thanksgiving may be made active in the child and a lasting -impetus for good imparted through stories which are strong, and full of -the Thanksgiving atmosphere. - -The same is true of stories pertaining to Christmas, to New Year’s, to -Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthdays, to Memorial Day, and to all other -days that are generally observed, and whose lessons teachers are expected -to impress. - -In making up special day programs, if teachers will devote one number -to a good, strong story, appropriate to the occasion, it will prove -not only one of the most interesting features of the day, but the one -which will make the most lasting impression. This applies to the higher -grades even more emphatically than to the lower grades where stories are -more frequently told, and are, in consequence, less of a treat and an -innovation. - - -_Vacation Stories_ - -After the first few blissful days of vacation idleness, children of -school age begin to grow restless, and are ready for occupation or -entertainment. This natural desire opens up a useful and delightful -occupation for teachers, or for others who are interested in children and -capable of telling them stories in a fascinating way. This consists of a -series of “story hours in the open” which may be arranged for the summer -months. The work should be planned systematically, with a definite -object in view for each series, and with special regard to grouping -children of the same approximate age. - -One series may be made up of stories of out-door mythology, or fairy -tales dealing with out-door life. They may be told upon a lawn or in some -park, with the children seated upon the grass in informal groups, and -the story-teller in their midst. The out-door environment will give the -children a sense of participation in the events of the story which cannot -be gained within four walls. - -A park or a bit of natural woods makes an ideal setting for a series -of Robin Hood tales, or for tales of chivalry. The boys and girls will -people the woods about them with the characters of the story, and the -tales they hear under such conditions will not be easily effaced. - -Excursions to parks, or near-by lakes, or woods, seem an almost necessary -accompaniment to stories of the trees, the birds, the wild life of the -floral and the animal world. Material for such stories is abundant. There -are the works of John Burroughs, Olive Thorne Miller, Dr. Long, Kipling, -Thompson-Seton, and Charles G. D. Roberts, with a host of others which -any library or book store can furnish. - -Boys and girls will show a vital interest in stories of local history, if -the stories are not thus labeled. - -The early history of the region in which they live, the struggles, -experiences, and adventures of the early explorers of the territory -surrounding their own home, may be made intensely interesting; and if the -group of listeners can be taken to the spot which forms the setting of -the story, the bit of history becomes most vital and real. - -This plan of out-door story-telling combines the benefits of the usual -vacation activities with the legitimate good of the story hour as -conducted in our libraries during the winter months. - -Stories of industry, and of the development of a given line of commerce -or manufacture are full of interest for boys especially. These may be -told in connection with the leading business interests of the city or -community in which the stories are given. - -Every state, every city, affords story material which may be so cast -as to rival the wonders of Aladdin’s lamp. These stories are not, as -a rule, ready-made. They require study, research, preparation, but the -warp and the woof are there, ready at hand in the records which any -state or city library holds, and it remains for the story-teller so to -weave the fabric of her story that it shall attract the fancy and stir -the imagination. It need not be a literary masterpiece, but it must have -life and action; it must tell of difficulties overcome, with a triumphant -ending of final achievement. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -Bible Stories - - -Of all the stories that we may tell our children, first in importance are -the stories of the Bible. During the early years, when the most lasting -impressions are made, when faith is simple, when the thought of God’s -presence and love is natural, the Bible stories should be told over and -over again. - -There should be no attempt at this time to interpret the stories or to -bring out theological questions. The stories should be told in all their -original simplicity, using as far as possible the Bible language, which -is brief, strong, picturesque. No possible improvement could be made over -the wording of the Creation Story as told in the first chapter of Genesis -and the first three verses of the second chapter. The children will not -tire of its telling, and it should become as familiar to them as are -their nursery rhymes. The shame is upon us as fathers and mothers that -this is so seldom the case. - -The story of the flood, divided into its four parts, as given in the -collected stories of this book, should be made equally familiar to the -children. A comparison of these stories with the Bible narrative will -show that the original language has been retained, and only such detail -and repetition as would confuse the little child, have been omitted. The -literary style is unchanged. - -In these stories there is all the charm of the folk-tale with its simple -directness of style, its rapid action, its repetition of words and -phrases, such as “every living thing, of fowl, and of cattle, and of -every creeping thing,” yet it is lifted far above the folk-tale by the -all-pervading thought of God acting in righteousness. - -No Bible story is worthily told which does not touch the underlying truth -of the beauty of holiness, and the folly and inevitable consequences of -sin. In preparing Bible stories for telling, the story-teller should have -always in mind what has been called the “basic principle of both Old and -New Testaments”—the perfect God desiring to restore man “to holiness and -true communion with Himself.” But this truth should be inherent in the -story, and not presented in the form of an appended moral. - -As to the manner of telling: a Bible story should be narrated with the -spontaneous life that is accorded the telling of any other story. Too -often, through an effort upon the part of the conscientious story-teller -to impress their religious nature, to communicate to the child a feeling -of awe, the Bible stories are told in a truly _awful_ manner, and the -child, without knowing why, learns to dread them. They have been made -to him something unreal, something which he cannot understand, which he -fears. This is the last result that the story-teller has desired, but it -is the inevitable result when sanctimoniousness is substituted for the -“love, joy, and gentleness” which are among the fruits of the Spirit, and -which must fashion the telling of the Bible stories. - -Rightly told, the Bible stories arouse in the child the keenest -interest and the deepest pleasure. What child, after hearing the story -of Joseph—the child who dreamed dreams and who wore the marvelous -coat of many colors—being sold into bondage to the Midianites by his -brethren, will not want to hear “what happened next?” And what story -is more beautiful, more filled with wonders and marvels, with love, and -forgiveness, and moral steadfastness, than the story of Joseph? It is -quite as fascinating as any tale from the Arabian Nights, and it excels -the latter a thousand-fold in its fundamental value, for these Old -Testament stories eclipse the myth and the hero-tale not only in their -genuine interest for the child, but because they bring him into conscious -relationship with God—the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; the God -whose throne is for ever and ever, and the sceptre of whose kingdom is -the sceptre of _righteousness_. - -It is possible here to give only the briefest outline of the various -kinds of stories which one may choose from this wealth of material. There -are the wonder stories of the creation, the Garden of Eden, the flood, in -the first part of the book of Genesis; the patriarch stories of Abraham, -Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, in the latter part of the same book; the story -of Moses, and all the wonders of the Exodus; the stories of the prophets, -of Joshua, Samuel, Daniel; the hero-stories of Samson, of David’s -encounter with Goliath; of Gideon; the pastoral story of Ruth. In the -New Testament are the stories of Christ’s birth, His life, with all its -boyhood incidents, its parables, and its wonders, closing with His death -and resurrection. The question is not, “What can I tell?” but, “Which -shall I tell?” The fund is practically inexhaustible. - -I have a word of caution to offer to the one—be she mother, Sunday School -teacher, or story-teller, who presents Bible stories to children: put -nothing into the stories by way of explanation which the Bible does not -put there, and which will have to be recalled or modified when the child -grows older and begins to ask questions, and to this end do not make the -mistake of confounding the truth taught, with the literal form of its -teaching. - -As the child grows older and begins to analyze, to reason, and to ask -questions, then must the story-teller—and let us hope that the chief -Bible story-teller may be the mother—be ready to guide surely and unfold -wisely the deeper and higher meaning of the stories of the Book of Books. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -Systematic Story-Telling - - -The thought that literature is a growth; that it had its infancy, and -its periods of development through succeeding ages; that the different -periods are related to each other and spring from one another, is too -often ignored in the study and in the teaching of the subject. - -Not only the average child, but the great majority of children—if not -of adults—look upon literature as a great heap of miscellany; a vast -array of unrelated writings. Few grasp the idea that “literature is the -evolution of the thought of humanity”; that it had its beginning in the -myth-making ages, was further developed by the Greeks and then by the -Latin races; that after the time of Christ there was the distinctive -literature of the chivalric period, followed by the development of -Chaucer’s time, of Shakespeare’s, up to and including that of the present -age. Each of these periods has its many subdivisions, but each is the -outgrowth of the preceding. - -The story-teller who has grasped even the simplest outlines of literary -development will be able to present to the children a sequence of stories -which shall, dimly at first, but more and more clearly as time goes on, -enable them to look at the literature of the world as a related whole. -This is, of course, the privilege only of the mother, or of the teacher -who is in daily contact with the same pupils for an extended length of -time. It cannot be done by the occasional story-teller. - -As ocular demonstration produces the most lasting impression, the best -method of fixing this idea of development is by means of diagrams made -up in the simplest manner possible. If no blackboard is available, a -paper chain will answer the purpose, its few, large links representing -the literary periods. Suggestions for diagrams or charts suited to all -grades, and to children of all ages, are given in Miss M. E. Burt’s -concise but comprehensive book _Literary Landmarks_ (Houghton, Mifflin -Company)—a book which every teacher should read. - -The simplest chart of all consists of a straight line drawn -horizontally, in the middle of which is a cross, representing the time -of Christ. The portion of the line to the left indicates the time before -Christ; that to the right, the time since Christ. Present day stories -may be shown as belonging to the right hand portion of the chart, New -Testament stories to the middle portion, and the myth to the left hand. A -very few words of explanation will suffice to make plain the meaning of -the chart as giving the relative time of the story’s origin. Then proceed -to tell the story as usual. - -The first story in a series planned along these lines, may well be one -of the earliest myths, that of Phaeton, or of Vulcan, illustrating the -earliest conception of the phenomenon of light and of fire. The Indian -myth, giving the origin of fire as conceived by the North American -Indian, should also be told, and located on the right hand side of the -chart. - -The story of Cupid can be traced from its origin in the old time myth, -through Greek literature and on into modern poems and prose, thus showing -how the original thought of the myth-making period grows into new forms -and new beauty in the literature of later periods. - -Miss Burt sets forth clearly the use of the diagram or chart in the -teaching of literature. It can be used with equal success and to as great -advantage by the story-teller who gives a related series of stories from -different periods of time. Grade teachers can make the chart serve its -original purpose in the teaching of literature, and in story-telling -can place the story in a brief word or two which shall give it a place, -or a relationship to literature. This makes the story of greater value, -through helping the child to assemble his literary landmarks. - -The mother who follows this method of story-telling in the home, -selecting her stories from the best that literature affords, and grouping -or placing them according to the period to which each belongs, will find -as great delight and profit in the task, as will the children in the -stories themselves. To many a mother, and teacher as well, it will prove -a new viewpoint from which to study literature, while meeting the child’s -desire for stories in more than aimless fashion. - -The historical outline of a nation’s progress can be given by means of -stories told in sequence. These stories should follow a chronological -plan which can be as readily developed by means of a chart as can the -periods of literature. The outline should be a very simple one at first, -dividing the history into a few main periods of development, and telling -stories characteristic of the divisions of time. Later these main periods -may be subdivided, and new stories told of prominent characters or -events, until a fairly comprehensive view of the history as a whole has -been acquired. - -Mothers who fear that the home duties and the rearing of children will -cause them to drop behind the times, or to become out of date in their -mental equipment, need have no fear of the children outstripping them if -they will prepare themselves with a good outline of literature and of -history, and follow these in the stories they tell their children. Such -outlines may be found at any good library. - -Mythology and chivalry may be knitted into the hose and mittens of the -little people; fairy tales may be hemmed into the dainty garments; and -deeds of heroism mixed with the custard and the rolls, thus clothing and -building up discriminating minds to fit strong and rugged bodies. - -To mothers, as to teachers, I would most heartily recommend Miss Burt’s -book already mentioned, for it is full of suggestive outlines which may -be simplified or modified to meet any existing need, while it gives a -wide range of books from which stories may be chosen to fill the outlines. - -Another source of help to which too few mothers have recourse is to be -found in the modern “children’s librarian.” Since story-telling has been -made so important a feature of library work in the children’s department, -the subject has been given close study, lists have been compiled, and -special outlines prepared. Librarians are eager to extend these helps to -mothers who may thus be saved the time which would otherwise be required -for individual research. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -The Joy of Story-Telling - - -Did you ever drop down upon a somewhat sleepy village where recreations -and amusements are almost unknown, and there gather the children together -and give them a story hour? - -They come with wonder, even with suspicion that you have some ulterior -object as yet undisclosed, and they file in and eye you askance. - -And then you begin to tell the stories—animal stories, for all children -love those; a story from the Bible which reveals to them the fact that -there are as great heroes among the Bible characters as are to be found -in secular history; a tale of chivalry which stirs the boys; and then -perhaps a dialect story from Uncle Remus;—and as you tell the stories the -suspicious look vanishes; the clear eyes before you look straight into -yours; then there creeps into them a brightness, an eagerness for more; -then comes the ripple of merriment; a spontaneous ring of laughter; and -then the plea, “One more, oh, please, _one more_!” - -When you have done this; when you have won to you the shy children of a -whole village, then you know the pure joy of story-telling. - -There is nothing better worth winning than the love of a child, and there -is no surer way of reaching a child’s heart than through the story. - - -_The Story Hour_ - -Story-telling may be made a serious matter as to its purpose, but it -should never be a serious matter as to its presentation. Whatever its -purpose, the story itself must be a source of joy to the hearer, or its -purpose fails. The lesson to be taught, whether moral or educational, -fails in its object if the story itself be irksome or stupid. - -Conscientious teachers, feeling the weight of argument against them, -and taking up the _task_ of story-telling as an added obligation of -schoolroom duty, wonder why the results are not what the evidence of -other story-tellers had led them to believe. Story-telling, as a duty, -unlightened and unbrightened by a genuine love of the story and an -eagerness for the joy it is to bring to the listeners, can never prove a -success. - -The story-teller must enter with all her heart and all her enthusiasm -into the life and beauty of the story she is telling, in order to achieve -the best results. Without this she cannot win the response of her -hearers, nor reap the reward which should be her own. - -It is in the story hour that the true story-teller comes into her -kingdom. Here she is free to give to the expectant hearers just the tale -which they love to hear. She is not bound by rules or regulations, by -systems or courses, but may follow the promptings of her intuition and -sway her small auditors at her will. - -Here the rig-ma-role story may find its proper place and delight by its -whimsical nonsense; the tale of chivalry, the story of brave achievement, -or of loyalty of purpose, may be made to stir her hearers; the dialect -story—which the children seldom read but love to hear—may lend its quaint -charm; or the nonsense tale may be used as the safety valve for bubbling -emotions. Varied in character as the stories may be, each is permeated by -the truest, purest joy in the telling—be it the classical story of the -“Wooden Horse” and the “Fall of Troy,” or the nursery tale of the “Little -Small Rid Hin” and the fall of “Reynard the Fox.” - -Thus may we win the hearts and the confidence of the children, and -having won these, we may lead them whithersoever we will. And so, with -Kate Douglas Wiggin, I can truly say: “I would rather be the children’s -story-teller than the queen’s favorite or the king’s counsellor.” - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -Story-Telling as an Art - - -The artist in colors works out his conception of a picture upon canvas. -It is finished, and he steps aside. Personally he has nothing further to -do with the presentation of that picture. But if his own individuality -has not entered into the work, if something of himself has not permeated -it, it can never be a work of true art. - -The story-teller also presents a picture—a word picture—and, like that of -the artist of the brush, if her own individuality has not entered into -it, if something of herself has not permeated it, it can not be true art. -But, unlike the painter, her picture is never completed; she is never -able to step aside and say, “It is finished.” And here the story-teller -has the advantage of the painter, for each re-telling of her story is a -new presentation, and in each re-telling her own personality may lend a -deeper pathos, a rarer glint of humor, a more searching vision of truth. - -The story itself is the picture; its theme forms the subject; its -literary quality corresponds to canvas and color. Hence a story, to be -artistically told, must be well chosen. In its inherent character it -must awaken the imagination; it must satisfy the love of beauty; it must -mirror truth; and it must appeal to both the intellect and the emotion. - -Art’s chief charm lies in its power to awaken the imagination, to stir -the fancy, to suggest something above and beyond the actual portrayal. -The subject of artistic story-telling must always be beautiful, but -there are many types of beauty, many forms and fancies which appeal to -our aesthetic sense. Again, no story which is not painted against “a -universal background of truth” can be artistic, for truth, not error, is -beautiful. Finally, a story, to be great, must of necessity appeal to the -intellect; but if its appeal be to the intellect alone, it is cold and -formal. It must touch the emotions as well: it must have a human interest. - -Every well-told story, as every gem from the artist’s brush, must have -atmosphere—that indefinable something which casts its glamour over the -whole. In story-telling, this sense of atmosphere must come from the -personality of the teller. That is why there is such a variety of charm -in hearing the same story told by different persons. This sense of -atmosphere is created by the story-teller’s losing herself wholly in the -story. She completely absorbs the story, its setting, its characters, -its ideals, and when she gives it forth again, it takes op something -of herself. This cannot be the case if the story is told as something -assumed, external, or borrowed. In the latter, no matter how good the -technique, the art is lost. Perhaps this point, which is most essential -to artistic story-telling, may be more deeply impressed by a concrete -example: - -The story-lovers of one of our large cities recently had the pleasure -of listening to two well-known story-tellers, each giving an hour with -Uncle Remus. Only a few days elapsed between the two presentations. In -the first instance the story-teller had scarcely more than commenced when -we felt that we were sitting in Uncle Remus’ cabin, away down South, -listening to the adventures of Brer Wolf, Brer Fox, and Brer Rabbit, told -by the old man who loved them as his own brothers of the woods. _We were_ -the little boy, to whom Uncle Remus was telling the stories in his own -inimitable way. - -In the second instance we were an audience in the North, listening to a -well-told—a thoroughly well-told—account of Uncle Remus’ telling to a -little boy the adventures of Brer Wolf, Brer Fox, and Brer Rabbit. We -laughed with the little boy; we enjoyed it with the little boy, but we -ourselves were not that little boy sitting at the feet of Uncle Remus. - -Do you see the contrast? The first story-teller created the true “Uncle -Remus atmosphere”; his story-telling was an art. - -What was the difference in the telling? It was very simple. The one -became Uncle Remus in spirit. In all conscious simplicity he _was_ the -old colored story-teller whom Joel Chandler Harris created, and he was -telling his story to the little boy—not to an “audience.” The other told -us—most delightfully—_about_ the old colored story-teller, and reproduced -for us his stories. His technique was above reproach, and he satisfied -the intellect. The first also satisfied the intellect, but he reached far -beyond it and touched the heart. - -The artistic story must have perspective. One which lacks this quality -is like a diagram; it is not a picture. There must be relative values, -and the “witching glamour of the past.” Give the old stories their -appropriate setting in time and place. Let the modern story be the -central figure against the universal background of truth—a background -which will soften its sharper outlines, and mellow its cruder tones. -Preserve in the classic the classical spirit, as well as the classical -form—that classical spirit which kindles the fancy and stirs the -imagination. Let the hearers see their heroes through the vista of -vanishing years. - -Technique is a necessary part of any artistic production. Note how -carefully the artist selects his brushes and prepares his palette. -The story-teller should do no less. As the brush of the artist must, -to a certain extent, influence the effect of his colors, so the voice -and manner of the story-teller must, to a certain degree, affect the -presentation of the story. Even the manner of dress has its influence. -And so, with the example of the artist before us, let us choose these -minor tools of our art with the single purpose of their suitability. -Let them be natural, simple, harmonious. No judge of a picture thinks of -the canvas or the pigments. They are wholly lost sight of. So will it be -with the elements of the story-teller’s equipment if they are suitable; -in other words, if they are in harmony with her real purpose. But let us -also bear in mind the fact that a true artist can do much with a poor -brush, and the true story-teller can achieve good results even though the -details of her equipment are not at their best. - -There must be variety in the story-pictures. No one cares to look -continually at the paintings of even the greatest master, be he a Michael -Angelo, or a Velasquez. The water colors of a Turner, or even the -vagaries of a Whistler afford needed change and variety—each arousing -our admiration, each presenting its own phase of art. So we need not -always tell the stories of a Homer or a Shakespeare. These may well be -interspersed with the tales of an Anderson, a Dickens, or a Joel Chandler -Harris. - -There is an “indefinite something” about art which raises it above -the commonplace. Perfection of craftsmanship does not produce this -indescribable charm. It must emanate from the personality of the worker. - -Let us never confuse art with artificiality. Art is nothing assumed; it -is something felt. Until we feel our story we can never tell it at its -best. - -Not all are artists, few are great artists; but you and I may do our -best toward artistic attainment, and comfort ourselves over any lack -of achievement by the reflection that while only the favored few see -the great masterpieces of painting, the lives of the multitude are made -brighter and happier by the work of the lesser artists, who, striving -against their limitations, have yet given to the world their best. - - - - -PART II - -SELECTED STORIES TO TELL - - - - -Selected Stories to Tell - - -The following stories are selected with a view to fulfilling various -purposes, to meeting varied needs. Though not all are _great_ stories, -yet the object to be attained by telling them is great; for the work of -molding the mind of a child can be nothing less. Each story is worth -while: most of them lie outside the beaten path. - - -The Robin’s Carol[4] - - This is the carol the robin throws - Over the edge of the valley; - Listen how boldly it flows, - Sally on sally: - - Tirra-lirra, - Down the river, - Laughing water - All a quiver. - Day is near, - Clear, clear, - Fish are breaking, - Time for waking. - Tup, tup, tup! - Do you hear? - All clear— - Wake up! - - -The Little Baldhead[5] - - You dear little baby, - Don’t you cry; - Your father’s drawing water - In the south, near by. - A red tasseled hat - He wears on his head; - Your mother’s in the kitchen - Making up bread. - Walk a step, walk a step, - Off he goes, - See from his shoe-tips - Peep three toes. - - -Why the Bear Sleeps All Winter[6] - -Once upon a time, little Brother Rabbit lived, quite sober and -industrious, in the woods, and just close by lived a big, brown Bear. - -Now little Brother Rabbit never troubled his neighbors in those days, nor -meddled with their housekeeping, nor played any tricks the way he does -now. In the fall, he gathered his acorns, and his pignuts, and his rabbit -tobacco. On a frosty morning, he would set out with Brother Fox for the -farmer’s; and while Brother Fox looked after the chicken yards, little -Brother Rabbit picked cabbage, and pulled turnips, and gathered carrots -and parsnips for his cellar. When the winter came, he never failed to -share his store with a wandering chipmunk. - -Now, in those days, old Bear was not content to do his own housekeeping, -and doze in the sun, and gather wild honey in the summer, and fish -through the ice in the winter. He was full of mischief, and was always -playing tricks. Of all the beasts of the wood, the one he loved best to -trouble was sober little Brother Rabbit. - -Just as soon as Brother Rabbit moved to a new tree stump, and filled his -bins with vegetables, and his pantry with salad, along came old Bear and -carried off all his stores. - -Just as soon as Brother Rabbit filled his house with dry, warm leaves for -a bed, along came old Bear, and tried to squeeze himself into the bed, -too, and of course he was too big. - -At last, Brother Rabbit could stand it no longer, and he went to all the -beasts in the wood to ask their advice. - -The first one he met was Brother Frog, sitting on the edge of the pond, -and sticking his feet in the nice, cool mud. - -“What shall I do, Brother Frog?” asked Brother Rabbit; “Brother Bear will -not leave me alone.” - -“Let us ask Brother Squirrel,” said Brother Frog. - -So the two went to Brother Squirrel, cracking nuts in the hickory tree. - -“What shall we do, Brother Squirrel?” asked Brother Frog; “Brother Bear -will not leave Brother Rabbit alone.” - -“Let us ask Brother Mole,” said Brother Squirrel, dropping his nuts. - -So the three went to where Brother Mole was digging the cellar for a new -house, and they said: - -“What shall we do, Brother Mole? Brother Bear will not leave Brother -Rabbit alone.” - -“Let us ask Brother Fox,” said Brother Mole. - -So Brother Mole, Brother Squirrel, Brother Frog, and Brother Rabbit went -to where Brother Fox was combing his brush behind a bush, and they said -to him: - -“What shall we do, Brother Fox? Brother Bear will not leave Brother -Rabbit alone.” - -“Let us go to Brother Bear,” said Brother Fox. - -So they all went along with little Brother Rabbit, and they hunted and -hunted for old Bear, but they could not find him anywhere. They hunted -and hunted some more, and at last they peeped into a hollow tree. There -lay old Bear, fast asleep. - -“Hush,” said Brother Fox. - -Then he whispered to Brother Frog, “Bring a little mud.” - -And he whispered to Brother Squirrel, “Bring some leaves.” - -And he whispered to Brother Mole, “Bring some dirt, little brother.” - -And to Brother Rabbit he said, “Stand ready to do what I tell you.” - -So Brother Frog brought mud, Brother Squirrel brought leaves, Brother -Mole brought dirt, and Brother Rabbit stood ready to do what Brother Fox -told him. - -Then Brother Fox said to Brother Rabbit, “Stop up the ends of Brother -Bear’s log.” - -So Brother Rabbit took the mud and the leaves and the dirt, and he -stopped up the ends of the log. Then he hammered hard with his two back -feet, which are good for hammering. And they all went home, for they -thought that old Bear would never, never get out of the log. - -Well, old Bear slept and slept, but after a while he awoke, and he opened -one eye. He saw no sunshine, so he thought it was still night, and he -went to sleep again. - -After another while, he awoke again, but he heard the rain and sleet -beating outside, and it was very warm and dry inside. - -“What a very long night,” said old Bear, and he curled up his paws, and -he went to sleep again. - -This time, he just slept, and slept, until it began to be very warm -inside the log, and he heard in his dreams the footsteps of birds outside. - -Then he awoke, and he stretched himself, and he shook himself. He rubbed -his eyes with his paws, and he poked away the mud, and the leaves, and -the dirt, and he went outside. - -But was he not surprised? - -It had been a frosty night when he had gone to sleep, and now the woods -were green. Old Bear had slept all winter. - -“That was a fine long sleep,” said old Bear, as he set out for little -Brother Rabbit’s house to see if he had anything good for breakfast; “and -I shall go to sleep again, next fall.” - -So every summer, old Bear plays tricks on little Brother Rabbit, but when -fall comes, he creeps away to a warm, dark place to sleep until spring. - -And so have his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren, and his -great-great-grandchildren ever since. - - -The Little Boy Who Forgot to Wash His Hands[7] - -Once upon a time, so very long ago that of course there are no children -like that now, there was a little boy who almost _never_ washed his -hands. He wrote with ink and got ink on his fat little fore-finger; he -made pictures with his paints and daubed his thumbs with red and yellow -and blue color; he made mud pies and splashed mud all over his chubby -palms and he never washed off the ink or the paint or the mud. - -And when anyone spoke of his dirty hands, Bobby—that was the little -boy’s name—would say, “Oh, I forgot.” And then he would keep right on -forgetting all about nice warm soap and soft dry towels, and pretty, -clean, pink hands. - -One day, Bobby decided that he wanted to play, very hard. The sun was up, -there was a soft, singing wind out in the garden, and the whole world -looked clean and happy. So Bobby put on his cap, and because it is always -better to play with someone than to play alone, Bobby called his big -white pussy cat who often loved to chase up and down the path that ran -between the hedges. - -“Come, pussy, pussy dear!” called Bobby, “come and play with me.” - -Then, because the white cat did not seem to hear, Bobby stooped over and -picked her up in his arms. But the white cat wriggled and scratched and -spit at Bobby and jumped out of his arms. She ran away from him and hid -beneath a chair. - -“I wonder why she will not play with me,” Bobby said as he went out -into the garden. There, on the door-step, stood Bobby’s white dove with -the pink, pink toes. Bobby loved the white dove, who was very tame and -often flew to his shoulder, cooing gently in his ear. He put his hand in -his pocket and pulled out a handful of grain which he scattered on the -door-step for the dove—pretty yellow grain it was. But the white dove -would not eat it, and when Bobby called her, she flew away from him, as -far as the green gables at the very top of the house. - -“I wonder why she will not play with me,” said Bobby, as he ran down -the garden path to the little round pond where his six yellow gold fish -lived. The six yellow gold fish were Bobby’s friends and they often -played with him as well as they knew how. When he threw crumbs into the -pond they would come to the top with their little mouths wide open, and -would dart about in the shining water as if they wanted Bobby to jump in -and swim about and enjoy the feast with them. - -But today, when Bobby gave them some crumbs which he had in his pocket, -they did not come up to eat them. They stayed deep, deep down in the pond. - -“I wonder why—” Bobby began, and then he happened to look down at the -water. The top of the pond was a shining mirror and in it Bobby saw a -picture of two little black hands. - -The crumbs that he had thrown to the six yellow gold fish were black, -too. The pretty yellow grain that he gave the dove had been black, and -when he had lifted the white pussy cat, his hands had left two big, black -smudges upon her beautiful white fur. - -“Why, my hands are dirty,” exclaimed Bobby. - -You see, he had never really thought about his hands before. So he went -right into the house to wash them and he never, _never_ forgot to wash -them again. - - -The Honest Woodman[8] - -Once upon a time a poor woodman lived with his family near a great -forest. Every week day he shouldered his ax very early in the morning, -and bidding his wife and children good-by, went out to cut wood for his -master. - -One day when he was chopping at the trunk of a great tree growing near -a stream, his ax suddenly slipped out of his hands and dropped with a -splash into the water. - -Oh, how troubled the poor man was! He couldn’t earn a penny without an -ax, and he was too poor to buy one. He sat down on the bank and wept as -though his heart would break. - -“What is the trouble, my good man?” asked a voice at his side. It was a -fairy! And such a jolly-looking fairy, too. He had wings on his cap, and -wings on his shoes, and even on his staff! - -“I dropped my ax in the stream, and I can’t chop wood any more, and my -family will starve,” sobbed the man. - -Instantly Mercury, for that was the fairy’s name, dived down into the -water, and came up, dripping wet, holding a beautiful golden ax in his -hand. - -“Is this your ax?” he asked. - -“No, that is not mine.” - -The good fairy dived into the stream again, and this time brought up a -silver ax. - -“Is this yours?” - -“No, that isn’t mine, either.” The poor man needed an ax very much, but -he would not claim one that did not belong to him, of course. - -Once more Mercury plunged into the water, but this time he came up with a -common ax in his hand. - -“Is this your ax?” he asked. - -“Yes! Oh, yes! that is mine!” cried the man, joyfully. “Thank you so much -for your kindness. I am sorry you are so wet.” - -“I don’t mind that,” said Mercury. “It is indeed a pleasure to meet such -an honest man. I will give you both the gold and the silver axes as well -as your own, and you can sell them for much gold, and you shall never be -poor again.” And he was gone before the woodcutter had time to thank him. - -The woodcutter went home a very happy man, for now he would always have -plenty for his family. When his neighbors heard about his good fortune, -one of them who was a lazy, good-for-nothing fellow decided to try his -luck in the same way. He went to the stream, threw his ax in, and sitting -down on the bank, wept aloud as the honest woodman had done. - -Suddenly Mercury appeared to him. - -“What is the trouble, my good man?” he asked, as before. - -“I dropped my ax in the river,” sobbed the man. - -Instantly the fairy dived into the water, and in a moment came up with a -golden ax in his hand. - -“Is this your ax?” - -“Yes! Oh, yes! that is mine,” the dishonest man cried, reaching out -eagerly for the beautiful golden tool. - -But Mercury knew he was not speaking the truth, and was very angry with -him. Instead of giving him the golden ax, he dropped it into the stream -and disappeared without trying to find the man’s own ax. So, instead of -going home a rich man, as he had expected, he went home poorer than he -had come. - - -Tabby and the Mice[9] - -Three little mice once lived in an old box. - -“I am going to make a new house,” said the largest mouse, whose name was -Rus. - -“_I_ am going to make a new house,” said the next mouse, whose name was -Fus. - -“_I_ am going to make a new house,” said the third mouse, who name was -Mus. - -“My house shall be made of hay,” said Rus, who did not like to be cold. - -“My house shall be made of paper,” said Fus, who was fond of books. - -“My house shall be made of bricks,” said Mus, who was as wise as he could -be. - -So the three little mice made their homes. - -One day Tabby Cat came along. She saw the three houses that the little -mice had made. - -She was a very polite old cat, so she knocked at the door of the first -house. - -“Come, Mr. Rus; please let me in!” said she. - -“Oh, no,” said Rus; “you can’t come in.” - -Tabby was a wise old cat. She put her soft paw into the hay and caught -poor Rus. - -Then she went to the next house. “Come, Mr. Fus; let me in,” she said. - -“Oh, no!” said Fus, “you can’t come in.” - -But Tabby knew better than that. She put her paw through the paper door -and caught poor Fus. Then she went to the next house. - -“Come, Mr. Mus; let me in!” said she. - -“Oh, yes!” said Mus; “when I am ready.” - -So Tabby sat down to wait. She laughed when she thought what a nice -supper Mus would make. - -When she had waited a long time, she grew tired. - -“Are you ready now, Mr. Mus?” she asked. - -“Not yet,” said Mus. - -By and by Tabby knocked loudly on the door. - -“I am coming in now, Mr. Mus,” said she. - -“Very well; come in if you like,” said Mus; but he did not open the door. - -So Tabby tried and tried to open the door. - -Then she tried to push down the house. Then she tried to make Mus come -out. At last she told Mus just what she thought of him. - -This did not trouble Mus at all. He had curled himself up in a snug -corner of his house and was fast asleep. - - -The Gold Bugs[10] - -Once upon a time there were two green and glittering gold bugs, and one -said to the other: - -“The day is warm and sunny; let us go out and play.” - -“We will,” said the second gold bug, and they decided to play at dancing. - -So the two green, glittering gold bugs went down to a brook near by, and -there, shining and floating above the water, they saw two glorious dragon -flies, one green, and one blue. - -“We will dance with these dragon flies,” said one gold bug. “I choose -the blue one.” - -“You cannot have her,” said the other gold bug, “I choose her.” - -“I will dance with the blue dragon fly,” said the second gold bug. - -So they quarreled until two other gold bugs came along, and asked the -dragon flies to dance with them, so that was an end of the matter. - -The two green and glittering gold bugs then said they would play at -something else. - -“We will play hide and seek,” said the first gold bug. - -“No, we will play tag,” said the second gold bug. - -“I will play nothing but hide and seek,” said the first gold bug. - -“And I will play nothing but tag,” said the second gold bug. - -“I am going to hide,” said the first gold bug; so he went away and hid -himself beneath a clover leaf, but, ah, there was no one to blind, and -then go and look for him. - -“I will run,” said the second gold bug; so he ran, but, ah, there was no -one to catch him. It was not fun to play that way, and there was an end -of the matter. - -The two green and glittering gold bugs then said they would play at -something else, so they went to a tall bell flower to swing. - -“I will sit inside, and you shall rock me,” said the first gold bug. - -“No, I will sit inside first, and you shall rock me,” said the second -gold bug. - -So they quarreled as to which should swing first, and in their quarreling -they tore a petal of the beautiful bell flower, so they could not swing -at all, and there was an end of the matter. - -“Tut, tut, what is the meaning of this?” asked an old gold bug who came -crawling along just then. “Why do you two green and glittering young -things quarrel this bright morning?” - -“We cannot play, and we are very unhappy, grandfather,” said the two gold -bugs. “We do not both wish to play at the same games.” - -“Silly, silly,” said the old gold bug, and as he crawled away, he turned -his head about, and he said, “Take turns, take turns. Turn about is fair -play.” - -Now it had never occurred to the two green and glittering gold bugs that -to take turns is the best way to play, and they decided to try. - -They went back to the brook, and there were the two beautiful dragon -flies, again floating over the water. So the first gold bug danced with -the green dragon fly, and the second gold bug danced with the blue dragon -fly; and then they changed about until they could dance no longer. - -After that they played tag, and the first gold bug chased the second gold -bug until they were tired. Then the first gold bug hid himself, and the -second gold bug tried to find him, which was very good fun indeed. - -And last of all they found another bell flower, and they rocked each -other all the afternoon, until it was time to go home. - -So they had a very good day after all, did those green and glittering -gold bugs, for they had learned that to take turns is the best way to -play. - - -The History of Tip-Top[11] - -Under the window of a certain pretty cottage there grew a great old apple -tree, which in the spring had thousands and thousands of lovely pink -blossoms on it, and in the autumn had many bright red apples. - -The nursery of this cottage was a little bower of a room, and here five -little children used to come to be dressed and have their hair brushed -and curled every morning. - -Now it used to happen, every morning, that the five little heads would be -peeping out of the window, together, into the flowery boughs of the apple -tree; and the reason was this. A pair of robins had built a very pretty, -smooth-lined nest directly under the window. The robins, at first, had -been rather shy of this inspection; but, as they got better acquainted, -they seemed to think no more of the little curly heads in the window than -of the pink blossoms about them, or the daisies and buttercups at the -foot of the tree. - -When the little nest was finished, it was so neat, and workmanlike, that -the children all exulted over it, and called it “our nest,” and the two -robins they called “our birds.” But wonderful was the joy when the little -eyes, opening one morning, saw in the nest a beautiful pale-green egg; -and the joy grew from day to day, for every day there came another egg, -and so on till there were five little eggs. - -After that the mother bird began to sit on the eggs, and then it seemed -a very long time for the children to wait. But one morning, when they -pushed their five curly heads out of the window, the patient little bird -was gone and there seemed to be nothing left in the little nest but a -bunch of something hairy. - -“O, mamma, do come here!” they cried, “the bird has gone and left her -nest!” But at that five little red mouths opened wide, and then they saw -that the hairy bunch of stuff was five little birds. - -“They are dreadful looking things,” said one of the children; “I didn’t -know that little birds began by looking so bad.” - -But after this it was great fun to watch the parent birds feed this -nestful of little red mouths, until it became a nestful of little, fat, -speckled robins. - -Then, as there were five children, and five robins, they each chose one -bird for his own, and they named them Brown-Eyes, Tip-Top, Singer, Toddy, -and Speckle. - -Time went on, and as Brown-Eyes, Tip-Top, Singer, Toddy, and Speckle -grew bigger, they began to make a very crowded nestful of birds. - -Now the children had been taught a little verse which said: - - Birds in their little nests agree, - And ’tis a shameful sight - When children of one family - Fall out, and chide, and fight; - -and they thought anything really written and printed must be true; -therefore they were very much astonished to see, from day to day, that -_their_ little birds in their nest did _not_ agree. - -Tip-Top was the biggest and strongest bird, and he was always shuffling -and crowding the others, and clamoring for the most food. Speckle was a -bird of spirit, and he used to peck at Tip-Top, while Brown-Eyes was a -meek, tender little fellow. As for Toddy and Singer, they turned out to -be sister birds, and showed quite a feminine talent for chattering. - -“I say,” said Tip-Top one day, “this old nest is a dull, crowded hole, -and it’s quite time some of us were out of it.” - -“My dear boy,” said Mother Robin, “we shall teach you to fly as soon as -your wings are strong enough.” - -“Humbug!” cried Tip-Top, balancing with his short little tail on the edge -of the nest. “Look at those swallows, skimming and diving through the -blue air! That’s the way I want to do.” - -“My dear boy,” said his mother, “do go into the nest and be a good little -bird, and then you will be happy.” - -“I’m too big for the nest,” said Tip-Top, “and I want to see the world. -It’s full of beautiful things, I know. Now there’s the most lovely -creature with bright eyes, that comes under the tree every day, and wants -me to come down in the grass and play with her.” - -“My son, my son, beware!” said the frightened mother; “that seemingly -lovely creature is our dreadful enemy, the cat—a horrid monster, with -teeth and claws.” - -At this all the little birds shuddered and cuddled deeper into the -nest—all but Tip-Top, who _didn’t believe it_. - -So the next morning, after the father and mother were gone, Tip-Top got -on the edge of the nest again, and looked over and saw lovely Miss Pussy -washing her face among the daisies under the tree, and her hair was -smooth and white as the daisies, and her eyes were yellow and beautiful -to behold, and she looked up to the tree bewitchingly and said, “Little -birds, little birds, come down. Pussy wants to play with you.” - -“Only look at her!” said Tip-Top; “her eyes are like gold.” - -“No, don’t look,” said Singer and Speckle. “She will bewitch you and then -eat you up; mother said so.” - -“I’d like to see her try to eat me up,” said Tip-Top, again balancing his -short tail over the edge of the nest. “Her paws are as white as velvet, -and so soft! I don’t believe she has any claws.” - -“Don’t go, brother, don’t!” screamed both sisters. - -A moment after, a dreadful scream was heard from the nursery window. “O, -mamma, mamma, do come here! Tip-Top’s fallen out of the nest, and the cat -has got him!” - -Poor, foolish Tip-Top! - -But in another moment the children were in the yard, and Jamie plunged -under a bush and caught the cat, with luckless Tip-Top in her mouth. - -Tip-Top was not dead, but some of his pretty feathers were gone, and one -of his wings was broken. - -“Oh, what _shall_ we do for him!” cried the children. “Poor Tip-Top!” - -“We will put him back into the nest, children,” said mamma. “His mother -will know best what to do for him.” - -So a ladder was brought, and papa climbed up and put poor Tip-Top safely -into the nest. The cat had shaken all the nonsense well out of him, and -he was a dreadfully humbled young robin. - -And when the time came for all the other little birds to learn to fly, -poor Tip-Top was still confined to the nest with his broken wing. - - -The Good King[12] - -Once upon a time there was a King in Spain who had only one leg. He was a -Good King, and he had a big Animal Farm where he kept all the animals who -had lost one or more of their legs. - -In another part of Spain there was a Little Half Chick with only one eye, -one wing, and one leg. The other chickens with two eyes and two legs -gobbled up the corn so fast that Little Half Chick was nearly starved. - -One day a Donkey told Little Half Chick about the Good King and his -Animal Farm. Little Half Chick at once started hoppity-hop for Mother Hen -and said: - -“Mother Hen, I am going to Madrid to see the Good King.” - -“All right,” said Mother Hen, “good luck to you.” - -So Little Half Chick started off, hoppity-hop, hoppity-hop, along the -road to Madrid to see the Good King. - -Soon she met a Two-legged Cat going along hippity-hip, hippity-hip, on -her leg and crutch. The Cat said: - -“Hello, Little Half Chick, where are you going so fast?” - -Little Half Chick said, “I am going to Madrid to see the Good King.” - -“May I go too?” said the Two-legged Cat. - -“Yes,” said Little Half Chick, “fall in behind.” - -So the Cat fell in behind. Hoppity-hop, hoppity-hop, went Little Half -Chick. Hippity-hip, hippity-hip, went the Two-legged Cat. - -Soon they met a Three-legged Dog going along humpity-hump, humpity-hump. -The Dog said: - -“Hello, Little Half Chick, where are you going so fast?” - -Little Half Chick said, “I am going to Madrid to see the Good King.” - -“May I go too?” said the Three-legged Dog. - -“Yes,” said Little Half Chick, “fall in behind.” - -So the Dog fell in behind. Hoppity-hop, hoppity-hop, went Little Half -Chick. Hippity-hip, hippity-hip, went the Two-legged Cat. - -Humpity-hump, humpity-hump, went the Three-legged Dog. - -Soon they met a One-legged Crow going along jumpity-jump, jumpity-jump. -The Crow said: - -“Hello, Little Half Chick, where are you going so fast?” - -Little Half Chick said, “I am going to Madrid to see the Good King.” - -“May I go too?” said the One-legged Crow. - -“Yes,” said Little Half Chick, “fall in behind.” - -So the Crow fell in behind. Hoppity-hop, hoppity-hop, went Little Half -Chick. Hippity-hip, hippity-hip, went the Two-legged Cat. Humpity-hump, -humpity-hump, went the Three-legged Dog. Jumpity-jump, jumpity-jump, went -the One-legged Crow. - -Soon they met a Snake with no legs at all. He had caught his tail in his -teeth, and was rolling along, loopity-loop, loopity-loop. The Snake said: - -“Hello, Little Half Chick, where are you going so fast?” - -“I am going to Madrid to see the Good King,” said Little Half Chick. - -“May I go too?” said the Snake. - -“Yes,” said Little Half Chick, “fall in behind.” - -So the Snake fell in behind. Hoppity-hop, hoppity-hop, went Little Half -Chick. Hippity-hip, hippity-hip, went the Two-legged Cat. Humpity-hump, -humpity-hump, went the Three-legged Dog. Jumpity-jump, jumpity-jump, went -the One-legged Crow. Loopity-loop, loopity-loop, went the Snake with no -legs at all. - -Soon they came to Madrid and saw the Good King. With the King was his -little daughter Margaret. They both laughed as all these funny animals -came up. The King said to Little Margaret: - -“Do you want to see us all go out to the Animal Farm?” - -“Yes,” said Little Margaret, “I will lead the way.” - -So she led the way along the street to the Animal Farm. Behind Margaret -came the One-legged King. Next came Little Half Chick, next the -Two-legged Cat, next the Three-legged Dog, next the One-legged Crow, and -last of all the Snake with no legs at all. So they all went out to the -Animal Farm. And there they lived happily ever after. - - -The Plowman Who Found Content[13] - -A plowman paused in his work one day to rest. As he sat on the handle of -his plow he fell a-thinking. The world had not been going well with him -of late, and he could not help feeling downhearted. Just then he saw an -old woman looking at him over the hedge. - -“Good-morning!” she said. “If you are wise you will take my advice.” - -“And what is your advice?” he asked. - -“Leave your plow, and walk straight on for two days. At the end of that -time you will find yourself in the middle of a forest, and in front of -you there will be a tree towering high above the others. Cut it down, and -your fortune will be made.” - -With these words the old woman hobbled down the road, leaving the plowman -wondering. He unharnessed his horses, drove them home, and said good-by -to his wife; and then taking his ax, started out. - -At the end of two days he came to the tree, and set to work to cut it -down. As it crashed to the ground a nest containing two eggs fell from -its topmost branches. The shells of the eggs were smashed, and out of one -came a young eagle, while from the other rolled a small gold ring. - -The eagle rapidly became larger and larger, till it was of full size; -then, flapping its wings, it flew up. - -“I thank you, honest man, for giving me my freedom,” it called out. -“In token of my gratitude take the ring—it is a wishing ring. If you -wish anything as you turn it round on your finger, your wish will be -fulfilled. But remember this—the ring contains but one wish, so think -well before you use it.” - -The man put the ring on his finger, and set off on his homeward journey. -Night was coming on when he entered a town. Almost the first person he -saw was a goldsmith standing at the door of his shop. So he went up to -him, and asked him what the ring was worth. - -The goldsmith looked at it carefully, and handed it back to the man with -a smile. - -“It is of very little value,” he said. - -The plowman laughed. - -“Ah, Mr. Goldsmith,” he cried, “you have made a mistake this time. My -ring is worth more than all you have in your shop; it’s a wishing-ring, -and will give me anything I care to wish for.” - -The goldsmith felt annoyed and asked to see it again. - -“Well, my good man,” he said, “never mind about the ring. I dare say you -are far from home, and are in want of some supper and a bed for the -night. Come in and spend the night in my house.” - -The man gladly accepted the offer, and was soon sound asleep. In the -middle of the night the goldsmith took the ring from his finger, and put -another just like it in its place without disturbing him in the least. - -Next morning the countryman went on his way, all unconscious of the trick -that had been played on him. When he had gone the goldsmith closed the -shutters of his shop, and bolted the door; then turning the ring on his -finger he said, “I wish for a hundred thousand sovereigns!” - -Scarcely had the sound of his voice died away than there fell about him a -shower of hard, bright, golden sovereigns. They struck him on the head, -on the shoulders, on the hands. They covered the floor. Presently the -floor gave way beneath the weight, and the goldsmith and his gold fell -into the cellar beneath. - -Next morning, when the goldsmith did not open the shop as usual, the -neighbors forced open the door, and found him buried beneath the pile. - -Meanwhile the countryman reached his home, and told his wife of the ring. - -“Now, good wife,” said he, “here is the ring; our fortune is made. Of -course we must consider the matter well; then, when we have made up our -minds as to what is best, we can express some very big wish as I turn the -ring on my finger.” - -“Suppose,” said the woman, “we were to wish for a nice farm; the land we -have now is so small as to be almost useless.” - -“Yes,” said the husband; “but, on the other hand, if we work hard and -spend little for a year or two we might be able to buy as much as we -want. Then we could get something else with the wishing-ring.” - -So it was agreed. For a year the man and his wife worked hard. Harvest -came, and the crops were splendid. At the end of the year they were able -to buy a nice farm, and still had some money left. - -“There,” said the man, “we have the land, and we still have our wish.” - -“Well,” said his wife, “we could do very well with a horse and a cow.” - -“They are not worth wishing for,” said he; “we can get them as we got the -land.” - -So they went on working steadily and spending wisely for another year. At -the end of that time they bought both a horse and a cow. Husband and wife -were greatly pleased with their good fortune, for, said they, “We have -got the things we wanted and we have still our wish.” - -As time went on everything prospered with the worthy couple. They worked -hard, and were happy. Indeed, the husband would probably have forgotten -all about the ring had not his wife constantly asked him to wish for -something. - -“Let us work while we are young,” her husband would answer. “Life is -still before us, and who can say how badly we may need our wish some day.” - -So the years passed away. Every season saw the bounds of the farm -increase and the granaries grow fuller. All day long the farmer was about -in the fields, while his wife looked after the house and the dairy. -Sometimes, as they sat alone of an evening, she would remind him of the -unused wishing-ring, and would talk of things she would like to have for -the house. But he always replied that there was still plenty of time for -that. - -The man and his wife grew old and gray. Then came a day when they both -died—and the wishing-ring had not been used. It was still on his finger -as he had worn it for forty years. One of his sons was going to take it -off, but the oldest said: - -“Do not disturb it; there has been some secret in connection with it. -Perhaps our mother gave it to him, for I have often seen her look -longingly at it.” - -Thus the old man was buried with the ring, which was supposed to be a -wishing-ring, but which, as we know, was not, though it brought the old -couple more good fortune and happiness than all the wishing in the world -could ever have given them. - - -King of the Frogs[14] - -Once upon a time—so long ago that the oldest frog now living does not -remember it—all the frogs of a far-away country came together in solemn -council. - -“I propose,” said a big green fellow with a very deep voice, “that we ask -to have a king appointed to rule over us.” - -“What do we want of a king?” asked a small and inquisitive frog. - -But his voice was hardly heard, for all the other frogs shouted together, -“Yes, let us have a king. Let us have a king.” - -“Haven’t we all we need, now, to make us happy?” asked the little, -inquisitive frog again. But nobody paid the slightest attention to him. - -So the other frogs sent a request to the Great Ruler of the land, asking -that he appoint a king to rule over them. - -“A king of the frogs!” said the Great Ruler, when he heard their request. -And then he knit his brows and thought for a very long time. - -But nobody knew that his thoughts were the same as those of the little, -inquisitive frog to whom nobody had paid any attention. - -At last the Great Ruler spoke. - -“Why do you want a king?” he asked. “Have you not, now, everything you -need to make you happy?” - -But all the frogs shouted in chorus, “Give us a king. Give us a king.” - -So the Great Ruler knit his brows and thought again for a very long time. - -At length he spoke. “I will give you a great log for a king. It will bear -you upon the water and the sun will shine upon you as you rest on its -broad surface.” - -But the frogs were angry at this. “The idea!” they shouted. “We want a -living king; we want no dead log for a king.” - -So the Great Ruler knit his brows and thought again for a very long time. - -At length he spoke. “Since you insist upon it, I will give you the stork -for your king.” - -Then all the frogs sang joyfully, “Yes, we will have the stork for our -king. The stork is our king! The stork is our king!” - -So the stork was sent to rule over them, and as soon as he came among -them he began to eat. And he ate and ate—till he had swallowed _every -frog in the land_. - - -The Adder That Did Not Hear[15] - -Away in the midst of the forest, there lived a tiny adder. He was so -very little that the great beasts never thought of talking to him. But -the spiders and the wasps and the frogs often stopped to visit at his -doorway. - -One morning, as a frog hopped down the path, he stopped and called “Good -morning. I’ve a bit of news for you.” - -“Good morning,” replied the adder. “I hope it is good news, I am sure.” - -“What’s good news to one person may be bad news to another,” croaked the -frog. “But listen! As I came along through the forest I heard a great -chattering among the monkeys, and I stopped to hear what it was all about. - -“One little monkey sat crying in the midst of them, and the others were -all saying, ‘You know you tried to steal—’” - -But the adder had rolled over so that one ear lay close to the ground, -and he had stuck the end of his tail in the other ear. Of course he -couldn’t hear another word of what the frog was saying. - -“Dear me!” said the frog, looking very much offended. “That is a great -way to treat a friend, I am sure.” And he hopped off into the rushes. - -Presently a wasp flew down by the adder’s home and settled upon a leaf -near by. - -“Good morning,” said the adder politely. “What a beautiful day this is.” - -“Yes,” buzzed the wasp, “it’s nice today, but there’s sure to be a storm—” - -But the adder had rolled over so that one ear lay close to the ground, -and he had stuck the end of his tail into the other ear. - -“Well, I declare,” buzzed the wasp angrily. “What an impertinent fellow.” -And she flew away as fast as ever she could. - -The adder straightened himself out and went about his work once more, -thinking as he did so how bright the sunlight was, and how soft and warm -the air felt, and how beautifully the birds were singing. - -Presently a little brown spider dropped a thread from her web and ran -down to the adder’s doorway. - -“Good morning,” she said. “I have come to invite you to a forest revel. -Why are you always so quiet? You should come with us and not mind what -the sober workers tell you. We will have music and dancing and wine and -song—” - -But the adder had rolled over so that one ear lay close to the ground and -he had stuck the end of his tail into the other ear. - -“Such manners!” exclaimed the spider, and she climbed the thread back to -her web. - -And so it came about that the small people of the forest began to have -this saying amongst them, “He’s as deaf as an adder.” - - -The North Star[16] - -Three Ojibway hunters had been out hunting for meat many days; it was in -a new place. The woods were very thick, but there were no deer in them. -The hunters had nothing to eat; they had no water, for there was none; -they were lost in the thick forest. - -The hunters sat down and smoked the pipe of peace. They offered the smoke -to the Manitous who might live in the woods. They asked the Manitous to -help them. The day sun was gone and there was no night sun. - -The chief covered his head with his blanket and chanted: “Our wigwams -will see us no more. We will stay here forever. We can go no further.” - -A little Pukwudjinnie came out of a hollow tree when the chief had -chanted his story. The Little One was like a little papoose, but he was -very old and knew very much. - -He said: “I will help the hunters. I will show you the trail.” - -He pulled the thick bushes apart, and the hunters followed. He found the -trail and soon came upon a herd of deer feeding in the bush. The hunters -shot two deer and ate much meat; they were stronger after they had eaten -the meat. The Little One did not eat; he was not hungry. - -There was no rain, and the hunters had no water; they lost their strength -and could not walk on the trail. The Pukwudjinnie left them; then the -hunters put their blankets over their heads and sat down. They said no -words. They could not smoke the pipe of peace, for their strength was all -gone. - -The Little One came back with a deer-skin full of drink for them; he -poured it into their mouths; it was not water; it was like no drink they -ever had before. They became very strong and wanted nothing more to eat -or drink for more than one moon. - -He led them on a long trail, to the land of his Little People; he took -them to his own chief. The chief was like a little papoose, but he knew -all the trails in the forest. He knew all the trails in the sky. - -The little chief showed the Ojibway chief the star in the north, the star -that never moves. The little chief showed them how to watch this star and -not lose their trail. He found their lost trail for them and sent them -home. - -The three hunters came back to their own wigwams. They talked in the -council and showed their people the star that never moves. - -Other nations and tribes know this star now, but the Ojibways believe -that their people were the first to know where to find it in the Great -Blue Wigwam. - - -The Cobbler[17] - -Once upon a time there lived a cobbler who sat day after day in his shop, -working away at his cobbler’s last—just making shoes. - -After a time he came to think that because he had made so very many pairs -of shoes, he knew more about them than anybody else in the world. - -He grew quite puffed up with pride, and was always looking for some way -of showing his knowledge. - -One day as he was walking in the public square of the town, -he saw a statue which had been made by a great artist. And he -discovered—ha-ha-ha—he discovered that the shoe-latchet of the statue was -not made just right. - -“Aha, aha!” he said, and his chest swelled with pride and delight. -“Here is a statue made by a great artist—but he does not know how a -shoe-latchet is made. Surely, I am greater than he!” - -Then he began to look the statue over to see what other mistakes he might -find. And after a while it seemed to him that the legs of the statue were -not shaped just right, either. - -“I will go to the Lord Mayor of the town,” he said to himself, “and order -the statue removed from our public square.” - -So he went to the Lord Mayor’s palace, and when he came into the Lord -Mayor’s presence, he said, “May it please your Honor, I have discovered -great errors in the statue which is in our public square, and I have come -to petition your Honor to have it removed.” - -Then the Lord Mayor looked the cobbler over gravely, and asked, “Can you -make a better statue to put in its place?” - -At that the cobbler turned quite red and stammered, “Oh, no, your Honor; -but I can make a better shoe-latchet.” - -“Then, Sir Cobbler,” replied the Lord Mayor, “I would advise you to stick -to your last.” - - -Opechee the Robin Redbreast[18] - -A great hunter among the Chippewas, or Ojibways, wanted his son to secure -a powerful spirit to protect him in war and all danger. To gain the help -of the strong Manitou the boy must fast twelve days. - -Many Indian boys can do this, but not all. Many try and fail. - -The boy did as his father commanded, for when the time came he went into -the secret lodge in the deep forest and laid himself down alone on the -mat his mother had woven for him. He did not fear, but his strength was -weak. All night he lay there alone. - -In the morning his father came and asked him if the strong spirit had -come to him in his dreams. The boy shook his head. No dreams had come to -him. - -Each day for ten days the father came to the little lodge in the -wilderness and asked his son if the strong Manitou had come to him. - -“It is not for me to have such dreams, my father, I am not brave. The -strong Manitou will not come to me. Let me give up my fast.” - -“If you give up now, the Manitou will never come. Hunger makes my son -weak, but his heart is strong. It is only a short time more to wait. Then -my son shall be the strongest of all.” - -The Indian boy covered his face and lay still upon the mat. He would obey -his father. - -On the morning of the eleventh day the boy saw his father enter the -wigwam. He slowly turned his face toward him and whispered: “Let me break -my fast; I have no dreams.” - -“Tomorrow I will bring you food. Tomorrow you shall come to the lodge of -your father.” - -The boy closed his eyes and said no more. He was very weak and faint. - -The next morning the father went with the earliest morning light to -the little lodge in the forest. Peeping through the door he saw his -son sitting up. Beside his mat were brushes and paint. He was painting -himself red and brown. - -“The Manitou will free me, but it is not the spirit my father wanted,” he -heard the boy say. - -The father rushed into the lodge, but as he touched his boy the lad -changed into a bird and flew out of the open doorway. Sitting on the top -of the lodge he sang these words: - -“Do not mourn for me, my father, for I am happy. I did not want to be a -warrior. I wanted only to be free. I shall find food upon the fields and -the hills. I will comfort you.” Then he flew away. - -Opechee lives near the homes of men. He loves to comfort them when they -are sad. He is happy when they are happy. - -His songs are for the little children and for the fathers and mothers who -want their little ones to be brave. Opechee is not afraid in the storm, -and many have heard him singing just after the great thunder-birds had -called to each other and the water was coming fast from the sky to find a -place to hide in the ground. Opechee is brave, but not strong. - - -The Country Cat[19] - -The big white cat trotting across the lawn with a rat in his mouth -started Meriky on a story this afternoon. - -“Huh!” exclaimed Meriky, “cats and mouses didn’t used to be sich bad -friends as dey is now. - -“Once upon a time dey visited back an’ forth like yo’ ma an’ Miz -Paterson.” - -“What made them fall out?” - -“Hit come ’bout dis-er-way. Ol’ Miz Cat live in de country, but she -mighty hongry to know ’bout town doin’s. She tell round ’mongst her -friends ’bout greatly she’s honin’ to see de sights. - -“Middle of de night come little Mr. Gray Mouse knockin’ on de door, and -say he got a cousin goin’ up to town, an’ if Miz Cat still wantin’ to -see de sights, dis hyer cousin be proud to give her a lift. - -“Den Miz Pussy Cat put on her bonnet an’ put on her shawl, an’ tuck her -a poke full o’ victuals an’ started out wid Mr. Mouse. Mouses does dey -travelin’ by night an’ de cat an’ mouse travel all night and git to town -de next day. - -“When dey come where all de people was, Mr. Mouse pick up his foot and -run in a rat hole; but Miz Cat set down by de side de road for to eat the -snack. - -“She was a-sittin’ dar, spreadin’ out all dat good country sassige, and -good country ham and sich truck, when a town cat come along past. - -“Dis hyer town cat was hongry; he was all raggety same as de beggar man -what yo’ ma give a dinner to yisstiddy. He want Miz Cat’s victuals mighty -bad. ‘M’lan’!’ he say, ‘whar you git dat pig mess?’ - -“‘Dat my snack,’ say Miz Cat, mighty polite. ‘I brung hit wid me from -home. Won’t you jine, sir?’ - -“Now, dat dar ol’ hungry town cat want every bit of Miz Pussy Cat’s -snack. He never want to jine; so he say, ‘Does dey really eat sich a -mess as dat in de country whar you come from?’ - -“‘Yes, indeed,’ say de country cat, mighty glad to meet up wid town -folks, an’ larn town ways. ‘Don’t you eat sich in town? What you eat in -town, anyhow?’ - -“De town cat look all ’bout. He boun’ to sen’ Miz Pussy Cat on a arrant -dat’ll take her ’way from dem good victuals. Right den he see Mr. Mouse -peep out a hole to ax Miz Cat how she come on. He boun’ if Miz Cat git to -runnin’ after Mr. Swif’ Foot Mouse he have time to steal her dinner. - -“‘We eats mices,’ he say, in de grandest way imaginable. ‘You never will -larn town ways tell you larn to eat mices!’ - -“I done told you dat Miz Pussy Cat plumb crazy ’bout larnin’ to do like -town folks does. She hop up and leave dat lunch, quick as you could -wink—an’ dat ol’ hongry town cat grab hit des’ as quick. She ran dat -mouse plumb down all de way to de Co’t House. Dar she ketch him, an’ -right dar she eat him—all but de squeak an’ de teef. - -“Den, by dat, she got de taste; and all cats been eatin’ rats and mouses -to dis good day.” - - -Legend of the Arbutus[20] - -An old tepee stood by a frozen river in the forest where there are many -pine trees. The tops of the trees were white with snow. The tepee was -almost covered with the snow. An old chief sat in this tepee; his hair -was like the icicles that hang from dead pine-tree branches; he was very -old. - -He was covered with furs. The floor of his tepee was covered with the -skins of the bear and the elk. He had been a great hunter. His name -was Peboan. Peboan was faint with hunger, and he was cold. He had been -hunting for three days. He had killed nothing. All the moose, deer, and -bear had gone. They had left no trail. Wabasso, the rabbit, had hidden in -the bushes. There was no food, no meat, for Peboan. - -He called upon the great Menabozho for help. - -“Come, Menabozho, come help Peboan, the chief of the winter Manitous. -Come, for Mukwa, the bear, has gone from me. Come, or Peboan must go to -the far north to find Mahto, the white bear. Peboan is old, and his feet -are weary.” - -Peboan crawled on his knees over the furs to the little fire in the -middle of the tepee. He blew on the coals with his faint breath, and the -coals grew very red. His breath was like a wind; the coals made the wind -warm like a south wind. The deerskins that covered the tepee trembled -like leaves, for the warm wind blew them. - -Peboan sat on the furs on the floor of his tepee and waited. He knew -Menabozho would hear him. - -Peboan heard no sound, but he looked toward the door of his tepee. It was -lifted back, and he saw a beautiful Indian maiden. - -She carried a great bundle of willow buds in her arms. Her dress was of -sweet grass and early maple leaves. Her eyes were like a young deer. Her -hair was like the blackest feathers of a crow, and it was so long that -it was like a blanket over her shoulders. She was small; her feet were -hidden in two moccasin flowers. - -“Menabozho heard Peboan, the winter Manitou. He has sent me. I am Segun.” - -“You are welcome, Segun. Sit by my fire; it is warm. I have no meat. Sit -down and tell me what you can do.” - -“Peboan may tell first,” said Segun. - -Peboan said: “I am a winter Manitou; I blow my breath, and the flowers -die. The waters stand still; the leaves fall and die.” - -Segun said: “I am a summer Manitou; I blow my breath, and the flowers -open their eyes. The waters follow me on my trail.” - -Peboan said: “I shake my hair, and the snow falls on the mountains, like -the feathers of Waubese, the great white swan.” - -Segun said: “I shake my hair, and warm rain falls from the clouds. I -call, and the birds answer me. The trees put on their leaves, and the -grass grows thick like the fur of the bear. The summer sky is my tepee. -Menabozho has said that the time has come for you to go.” - -Peboan’s head bent over on his shoulder. The sun melted the snow on the -pine trees; it melted the snow on the tepee. Segun waved her hands over -Peboan, and a strange thing happened. - -Peboan grew smaller and smaller. His deer-skin clothes turned to leaves -and covered Peboan on the ground. - -Segun looked, but Peboan was gone. She took some flowers from her hair -and hid them under the leaves on the ground. There was ice on the leaves, -but it did not hurt the pink flowers. Segun breathed on the flowers, and -they became sweet. - -She said: “I go, but the flowers shall stay to tell of Segun’s visit to -Peboan. The children shall find them and know that Segun has sent Peboan -away. It shall be so each time the snows melt and the rivers begin to -run. This flower shall tell that spring has come.” - -Peboan’s tepee was sweet with the breath of the flowers, but Segun was -gone. - - -Why the Dog Cannot Endure the Cat, Nor the Cat the Mouse[21] - -Long years ago it was the custom to give the dog all the meat that fell -from the master’s table. But one day when all the dogs met in council, -one of them said, “It might be a wise plan to have an agreement drawn up -for the dogs and their masters to sign. - -“Some time,” said he, “one of our masters might drink too much wine, or -get into a rage, and forbid us to have the meat. And then what could we -do? It is best to be on the safe side,” and he shook his head sagely. - -“That is a very good plan,” agreed the other dogs. “Let us carry it out -at once.” - -So the secretary of the dogs’ council drew up a document and wrote -it upon parchment. It stated that all the dogs of every country were -entitled to the meat that fell from their masters’ tables. It was a very -carefully worded document, and it was written out in the most learned -form by the lawyer of the council. - -Then the secretary took the parchment, rolled it up and went about the -whole land until it had been signed by all the masters of dogs. - -The parchment was then given to the King of the Dogs, to be carefully -kept. - -The King of the Dogs gave the parchment to his private secretary, the -Tomcat, telling him that it was a very important document, and must be -put away with the greatest care. - -Tomcat took the parchment and went softly away to the garret, where he -hid the precious document behind a beam. - -For a long time there was no need of bringing out the parchment, for all -the masters did as they had agreed, and the dogs fared well. - -But one day it happened that Master Miller had a new cook who was very -careless, and when this cook brought in a prime roast of beef, he let it -slip from the platter to the floor. - -Instantly it was seized upon by Dog Trophy, who started off with it. - -But Master Miller was in no mood to lose his dinner, and he snatched the -roast from Dog Trophy, telling him that he was a thief. Then he rubbed -Dog Trophy’s paw with hot ashes to teach him not to steal. - -Dog Trophy’s heart burned with indignation, and his paw burned with the -hot ashes, and he went away on three legs as fast as ever he could to the -King of the Dogs. - -When he reached the King’s house, he set forth his case. - -“Bring out the official parchment,” called the King, when Dog Trophy had -told his story. - -Tomcat ran quickly to the garret, sprang to the beam where he had tucked -the precious document, and then set up a “maou” of anger and dismay. The -mice had nibbled the valuable parchment into tiny scraps! - -Tomcat vowed, then and there, that no mouse should escape his claws from -that day on. - -The King of the Dogs sent Tomcat away in disgrace, and the dogs agreed -that thereafter they would chase a cat whenever they should see one. - -But, Dog Trophy lost his roast of beef. - - -The Miser of Takhoma[22] - -Long, long ago, Miser lived near the foot of Takhoma. He never was happy. -When food was scarce and the tribe were starving, Miser could find -fish in secret places in the streams. When the snows were deep and the -black-necked elk hid in the dark places of the forest, he could still -secure meat. His skill as a hunter and fisherman was known to all his -tribe. But Miser cared only for hiaqua, or shell money. Now Moosmoos, the -elk, was Miser’s tomanowos, or guardian spirit. Therefore, he tried to -talk with the elk, even while hunting them. He wanted more hiaqua. - - * * * * * - -One night Moosmoos whispered to Miser the secret hiding-place of the -hiaqua of the tomanowos. The hiding-place was high up on Takhoma. Early -in the morning, Miser began to make ready for his search. He sent his -klootchman, or squaw, to dig camas roots. Thus he could work secretly. -He made two elk-horn picks by taking off all the prongs except the upper -ones. He filled his ikta, or bag, with kinnikinnick, and with dried -salmon. At sunset Miser began to climb the mountain. - -All night he climbed the trail. All the next day he climbed. By night -again he was above the snow line, cold and tired and hungry. When the -moon arose, he climbed again. Over vast snow fields, across wide cracks -in the ice, over the slippery shoulders of the lower peaks he climbed. At -sunrise he reached the top. Now Takhoma was the home of the tomanowos, -therefore, Miser was afraid. But Moosmoos had told him where the hiaqua -was hidden. - -In the white snow field which covered the crater was a black lake. Beyond -it were three stones of equal height, all as tall as a giant. The top of -the first was shaped like a salmon’s head, the top of the second was like -a camas root, and the third like an elk’s head. Then Miser believed the -voice of Moosmoos. - -Miser threw down his ikta. He unwrapped his elk-horn pick. Then he began -to dig in the snow at the foot of the elk’s head. - -Miser struck the first blow. As an echo he heard a sudden puff. Startled, -he turned to see a huge otter climbing out of the black waters of the -lake. Big Otter struck his tail with a loud thump on the snow. Another -otter appeared, then another. At last twelve otters gathered in a circle -around their huge leader. They formed a circle around Miser, digging with -his pick at the foot of the elk’s head. Then Big Otter leaped to the top -of the elk’s head. All the others gave a loud puff. - -Miser kept digging. At every thirteenth blow of the pick Big Otter -thumped with his tail on the elk’s head. Then the circle of twelve -thumped with theirs on the snow. - -Miser became tired and stopped digging for a moment. Big Otter turned on -the elk’s head. With his tail he struck Miser on the shoulder. Then the -twelve turned, walked backward, and struck him with their tails. Miser -began to dig again. - -As he dug in the rock, his pick broke. Big Otter jumped from the elk’s -head. He seized the second pick in his mouth and gave it to him. - -Miser dared not stop. With each thirteenth blow of the pick and the thump -of the tails, the otters came nearer. He could feel their breath as he -lifted the last stone. Beneath lay a great hole, filled with hiaqua. As -he lifted out the shells, the otters returned to their larger circle. - -Miser lifted out handful after handful of the shell money. He strung the -hiaqua on elk sinews, twenty strings in all. The rest he covered again. -He hurried, for it was after noon and he must return below the snow line. -Then Miser left the elk’s head. He offered no shells to Moosmoos or to -Sahale. He had forgotten the tomanowos. - -As he crossed the crater, the otters, one by one, with a loud puff, -jumped into the black lake. They began to beat the black water with their -tails. He heard them beat the water as he plunged through the snow to the -edge of the crater. Miser felt that the shells were very heavy. - -As he stepped over the edge of the crater, he glanced hack. The three -stones had vanished. A thick mist rose from the black waters of the -lake. Under the mist was a black cloud, hiding the water. Miser feared -tomanowos in the clouds. - -Then the storm seized him. It flung him over an ice bank. The blackness -of all darkness lay around him. Colenass, the storm god, came down upon -the mountain. Tootah, the thunder, deafened him with its roar. The storm -crashed about him. Fiery blasts melted the snow into great torrents. Icy -winds froze them solid again. In the roar and thunder, Miser heard the -voices of all the tomanowos, “Ha, ha, hiaqua! Ha, ha, hiaqua!” - -Miser threw away a string of hiaqua. The storm slackened for a moment. -Then all began louder than ever. Kakahete screamed, “Ha, ha, hiaqua! Ha, -ha, hiaqua!” - -One by one Miser threw away the strings of hiaqua, strung on the sinews -of Moosmoos, the elk. Always the tomanowos screamed after him. Then when -the last string was gone, with a last gust the storm blew him down, flat -upon the ground. - -Miser slept a long time. When he awoke, Takhoma glistened above him, -shining white in the sunlight. All around him grew camas roots. Rocky -ridges lay where once the forest had stretched. Sunny meadows lay around -him. Miser stretched himself and arose. Only dry leaves and dead grass -remained in the rotted ikta. Miser wondered. Then he went down the -mountain side. He ate berries for food until he came to a cabin in the -valley. There lived a very old woman. He talked with her and found she -was his klootchman. Klootchman said he had slept thirty snows. Miser -looked at himself in a pool. He was very old. His hair was white. Many, -many snows had the angry tomanowos made him sleep. But Miser was happy. -He no longer cared for hiaqua. - - -Little Sister Kindness and the Loving Stitches[23] - -Once, when the world was new, there lived a beautiful princess whose -father was the King of Forgotten Land. The King loved his daughter very -much, but he was a very wise King; the more he loved the Princess, the -more he realized that she must learn obedience, and many other hard -lessons. - -The King knew that if he allowed his little daughter to be worshipped as -many Princesses are, her face would grow hard and full of ugly lines, -so the wee Princess was taught to divide her treasures, and to care for -the poor in her father’s kingdom. And so, instead of growing hard and -selfish, the King’s daughter grew lovelier every day, and she was known -as Princess Tender-heart. - -At last, when the Princess had grown, there came a Prince from the land -of Bye-and-Bye, to marry the Princess Tender-heart. For a wedding gift -he presented her with five hundred and forty-three mansions, surrounding -his palace. And the Princess was to give these mansions to the friends -she loved best, so that she should not be lonely when she went with the -Prince to live in the land of Bye-and-Bye. - -But one day the King found his daughter very unhappy, and when he begged -her to tell him why she was in tears, she said that she had given away -five hundred and forty-two mansions, but she still had many friends, and -she did not know what to do with the one mansion that remained. It was -the one which stood the very nearest to the palace of the Prince. - -Then the wise King said, “There, there! We’ll settle this matter easily. -That one home shall go to the one who loves you best.” - -“But how—,” began the Princess. - -“Never mind how,” interrupted her father, and then they both laughed so -merrily that all the canary birds in the kingdom began to sing. - -The very next day the King of Forgotten Land issued a proclamation which -set all the people to talking. - -Among those who read the copy that was posted outside the palace gates -was a maiden known as Little Sister Kindness. - -“So the Princess is to be married one month from today,” she exclaimed. -Then, turning, she saw a blind man standing by, who had no one with him -to tell him what the King’s message contained. - -Little Sister Kindness stepped to his side, and explained to him the -contents of the proclamation. - -“The Princess Tender-heart is to be married,” she said, “and instead of -having her wedding garments made by the court dressmaker, the King wishes -everyone who loves the Princess to come to the palace and help make her -clothes. To the one whose work proves that she loves the Princess best, -shall be given the finest gift house of the five hundred and forty-three -presented by the Prince of Bye-and-Bye.” - -“I beg you to tell me more,” urged the blind man. “My daughter is a -dressmaker. How shall it be known who best loves the Princess?” - -“How fortunate that your daughter is a dressmaker!” exclaimed Little -Sister Kindness. “I wish that I were a dressmaker, too. The King -announces that by examining the wardrobe when it is completed he will -know at a glance who best loves Her Royal Highness. Everyone adores the -Princess, so only by magic will the King know who loves her best.” - -“I thank you,” the blind man said with a low bow. “I must hasten now to -tell my daughter this good news.” - -“And I must hasten, too,” agreed Little Sister Kindness, “for I have many -friends who are skillful with the needle, and I must carry the news to -each one.” - -From that hour the sewing room of the palace became a busy, bustling -place. For the seamstresses, and the embroiderers, and the lace-makers -came from all parts of the kingdom, to sew upon the wardrobe of the -Princess Tender-heart. - -One day, a week later, Little Sister Kindness called at the palace with -a message for a friend who was a noted lace-maker. And while she waited -she watched the busy workers, and heard them talking. It did not take her -long to discover that each worker was striving to make some great piece -of work which should attract the attention of the King, and that each -was eager to secure the most showy garment to work upon. She saw, too, -that the lace-makers used knots in the end of the threads, and that the -stitches which would not show, were carelessly made and finished. - -Finally, Little Sister Kindness became so distressed by what she saw in -the workroom that she begged to stay. - -“But, what can you do?” inquired the manager of the wardrobe. - -“Nothing that will count,” replied Little Sister Kindness, “but I can tie -loose ends of threads, and darn little holes neatly, and finish seams -inside and—” - -“There, there!” exclaimed the manager of the wardrobe. “Do get a needle -and begin. I have been so worried lest the Princess should not have one -perfect garment.” - -So Little Sister Kindness began her work and was soon the busiest maiden -in the palace. Scarcely a garment escaped her loving fingers. Everything -needed a little stitch here and a little stitch there; a button and -button-hole in place of a pin; a bit of trimming to be firmly fastened; -a bow to be sewed securely in place; always a stitch here and a stitch -there; never a piece of work that would show; not so much as a collar -or a belt that the King might say, “Ah! This was made by Little Sister -Kindness.” - -There were days when the maiden felt discouraged and wished that she, -too, might be doing something worth while for love of the beautiful -Princess. But the unfinished seams and the hastily caught bows kept her -too busy to grow dissatisfied, and she knew that she was not skillful -enough to fashion beautiful garments, or make filmy bits of lace. - -At last, when the wardrobe was completed, the King gave a banquet to -which all in the kingdom were invited. Then, in the presence of his -subjects, he walked into the great hall where all the wardrobe was -displayed. Some of the garments were of linen, some of silk, some of -satin, and others of lace; and when the King appeared each robe began to -glow with a soft light, and to shine with a hundred little stars; here a -star and there a star. - -“Oh, oh!” exclaimed all the people, “oh, oh, oh! There are tiny gold -stitches shining like stars on every garment. Why do those stitches shine -like golden stars? Who put them there? Whose are the golden stitches?” - -“Those are the stitches of the one who loves the Princess best!” the King -made answer. - -Then came a low wondering murmur from all who had worked upon the royal -wardrobe, and the murmur sounded like sweet music that sang over and over: - -“Little Sister Kindness! It is Little Sister Kindness!” - -So it came about that Little Sister Kindness and her family went to live -in the home that was nearest the palace of the Prince and Princess in -Bye-and-Bye, and there they all lived happily ever after. - - -The Queen’s Necklace[24] - -Once upon a time there lived an old king whom you could not very well -call good, in fact he was very disagreeable and horrid. - -Now, in his old age, the king had a fancy for marrying and he cast his -eye over his many kingdoms to spy out a suitable wife for himself. - -In this way his eye fell upon quite a young princess who was called -Blanzeflor. - -“She is as fair as a sunny day, as mild as a dove, and as meek as a lamb, -and she is only seventeen years old, too! She will suit me admirably,” -said the king. - -But when her father came to her and said: - -“Blanzeflor, our sovereign lord, the king, would have you for his queen,” -she wept and said she would rather sit upon a stone and spin goats’ wool, -than sit as queen at _that_ king’s side. - -But when her father said that she must realize that if she refused the -king he would come and hang both her father and mother and all the family -upon a tree like so many bunches of onions, then the princess bowed her -head and said, “Then I will marry him.” - -So they clad her in silk and in gold, and set a crown upon her head and -combed her long golden hair over her shoulders, then they lifted her upon -a white palfrey and rode forth with her to the king, and thus the wedding -took place. - -On her wedding day the king hung a necklace of pearls around her neck. - -“I threaded them myself on this silken cord,” said the king. “These are -pearls of the East and there are three hundred and sixty-five of them, -the smallest being a little crooked; and I warn you,” he added, “take -great care of them, for on the day you lose the necklace, I warrant you -will not care to look me in the eyes;” and the king began to roll his -eyes so horribly that the young queen felt cold shivers all down her -spine. Thus Blanzeflor became queen. - -Every morning the king ate porridge and cream in bed, and the queen -carried it to him in a golden bowl and fed him like a baby, for such -was his command. Every evening the king and queen would play chess, and -then the queen always had to let the king win, otherwise he would get -bad-tempered. - -But the very worst was at mealtime, for the king was so proud he would -not let anyone sit at table with the queen and himself. The young queen -would sit with downcast eyes, scarcely daring to swallow a morsel, so -greatly did she tremble for fear lest something should displease the -king, for then he became quite terrible. - -The only pleasure the court had was to stand and stare at Blanzeflor, for -she glowed with a beauty more bright and radiant than all the torchlights -in the banqueting hall, and when she bowed and smiled it warmed the heart -like the sun in summer. - -Now, dreadful stories came to the queen’s ears of how the king would -fling people into prison for the smallest offence, or wring their necks -like chickens; but alas! what could she do in the matter? She, herself, -sat like a prisoner in the royal castle, and never was she allowed to go -out on foot but only on horseback followed by a royal retinue and closely -guarded. - -It happened one day, however, that the queen was in church—there at least -the king could not prevent her from going—and as she knelt in prayer -before the high altar, she noticed how meanly and poorly God’s holy altar -was adorned. - -Then the queen wept bitterly and said to herself: “I drink out of golden -goblets, and silver torches are lighted on my table, but upon God’s -altar the candlesticks are of pewter and the velvet cloth which covers -the Lord’s table is all faded and patched. I cannot bear to see it.” And -thereupon she slowly and carefully unclasped her necklace, drew off seven -of the largest pearls and laid them upon the altar. - -That evening she had her hair combed back and fastened in a knot upon her -neck, so that the king might not see that the pearls were missing. - -Now it happened one night that the queen lay awake. She could not sleep -because she thought she heard strange sounds of sighing and sobbing out -in the night. It all sounded so piteous and heartrending that the queen -wept upon her silken pillow. “Here I lie upon my bed of satin,” she -sighed, “whilst outside, perhaps little children go barefooted in the -snow. I cannot bear to think of it.” - -There was a sound of twittering and chirping, and now she saw how one -little half-frozen bird after another flew up and tapped upon the -window-pane with its beak, in search of a chance grain of corn. - -“Alas, alas!” sighed the queen, “I eat roast venison out of a golden dish -and drink mulled wine, and there outside the poor little birds starve to -death in the cold. I cannot bear to think of it;” and the next day she -begged leave of the king to collect the crumbs after meals and to place -them in a basket outside her window for the birds. - -Well, of course the king thought it was asking a good deal, but as the -queen never begged for anything for herself, and the crumbs were, after -all, of not much use for anything else, he allowed her to take them, and -from that day the queen always sat and rolled bread between her white -fingers during meals, and crumbled one little piece after another into -little bits, whilst she chatted and jested with the king, so that he -might not pay any heed to what she was doing, and when she rose from the -table she would sign to her page, and then he would brush all the crumbs -into a small basket which was hung outside the queen’s chamber window, -and at sunrise she was always awakened by the chirping of the small -hungry birds when they came to empty her basket. - -Now it happened one morning when the queen took in her basket to have it -refilled, that she thought she saw a large snowflake lying at the bottom, -but it was really a little piece of paper which had been folded around -a small stone and thrown up at the window, and on it was written an -appealing tale of misery. - -“The queen who takes pity upon the starving birds of the air,” it said, -“will surely take pity upon the starving children upon earth;” and the -queen read it over and over again, whilst her tears fell like rain in -spring. - -But, how could she help them? At last she hit upon a plan. - -The king had given the queen a page, who was as young and beautiful as -herself. He carried her long velvet train embroidered with golden crowns, -he filled her goblet with wine, and lit the torch which was to light her -upon her way through the dark passages of the castle, and he slept on a -bear skin outside her door with his drawn sword beside him to protect her -from all harm and danger. - -Now when the page came to carry the train of her sky-blue velvet gown, -the queen bent down as if to adjust it, and at the same time she slipped -a little piece of paper into the page’s hand. In it she had placed one of -the pearls from off her necklace, and had written down where she wished -him to carry it. - -Away he flew as swiftly as a swallow, and when he took up the queen’s -train again that evening, he placed his hands upon his breast and bowed -in silence, but the queen could read in his face that his errand had well -sped. - -From that day prayers and petitions simply rained down upon the queen’s -window-sill. - -What could she do but take the pearls from her necklace? And so with -trembling hands she drew off one pearl after another, and finally one -morning there was not a single pearl left. - -The king was not in a good temper at dinner that day, and he saw that the -necklace was missing! - -“Where is the necklace?” he shrieked. His voice sounded like the caw of a -hoarse old crow. “Where is the necklace?” - -The queen looked confused. - -“Oh, I have not got it on today,” she said. But the king had her eight -tire-women and her eight ladies-in-waiting called up, and they had to -search over and over through all the queen’s drawers and presses, till -they were as red as cranberries, but the necklace was not to be found. - -“Have you lost the necklace?” roared the king. - -“No,” said the queen, timidly. - -“Have you given it away?” shouted the king. “To whom have you given it?” - -The queen dropped her eyelids and said nothing. - -Then the king had the queen thrown into prison; there she was to remain -until the necklace was found. - -Now you can imagine what a hurly-burly there was after this. The king in -front, with six attendants at his heels, searched the whole castle from -garret to cellar. But still the necklace was not to be found. - -Alas for the queen, poor young Blanzeflor! She sat in the darkest of -dungeons. No one could get to her. - -She fell on her knees upon the straw lying on the prison floor, and -prayed to God that he might perform a miracle and set the guiltless free. - -“Thou, O God, canst break through prison walls as easily as the sun -breaks through the mists,” she said. “Thou canst also set an innocent -prisoner free.” - -But scarcely had she ended her prayer when she saw in the pale morning -light how the thick prison walls fell apart, and between them came a -swallow flying, as easily and as quickly as if it were merely flying -through the air. - -In its beak it held a white pearl, which it dropped upon the queen’s -knees. - -“This is one of the tears you shed before the high altar,” twittered the -swallow, “God gives it you back in the likeness of a pearl.” - -At the same moment came another swallow through the wall, and another and -another, and in a twinkling the whole prison was filled with a flight of -birds. - -Each had a white pearl in its beak, which it laid upon Blanzeflor’s lap. - -“Here are the tears you shed for those who were poor and sad at heart,” -they chirped; “not one has fallen in vain.” - -At last came a little bird with a maimed wing; in its beak was the little -crooked pearl, for this, too, had been threaded on the necklace. - -Blanzeflor sat perfectly still and let the pearls lie upon her knees, for -she could not touch them with her fettered hands. Then the sun rose red -in the East and shone into the prison so that it streamed with light like -heaven itself. - -But just then the king came in with all his retinue. He had come to take -the queen away to be beheaded. But when he saw her sitting with a halo -of light around her and with the pearls in her lap, he stood stock-still -with amazement. Then he began to count the pearls, and every single one -was there, all three hundred and sixty-five, even to the little crooked -one! But the silken cord on which they had been strung was missing. - -Away went the king hobbling up the stairs to his own apartments to fetch -a new silken cord. He was afraid to ask anyone else to go for it because -he feared they would steal something. - -When the king had snipped off his cord he hurried back so quickly down to -the prison again, that he tripped over his own feet and fell and broke -his neck, and there he lay dead on his way down to the dungeons where he -had let so many innocent people suffer and pine to death. - -The king was buried, and the queen was proclaimed the only reigning -sovereign in all the land. - -And never was there a gentler queen than she. If any one was in any -trouble or distress they simply said: - -“We shall go to the queen, there is sure to be one more pearl left on -her Majesty’s necklace!” - - -Robin Hood and Sir Richard-at-the-Lee[25] - -Listen, and I will tell you about a good yeoman whose name was Robin -Hood. All his life he was a proud outlaw, but so courteous an outlaw as -he was never found, and he would never do any harm to a company in which -there was a woman, for he held all women in great respect and honor. - -Now one day Robin Hood stood in the forest of Barnsdale and leant against -a tree, and beside him stood his good yeoman, Little John, and Scarlet -also, and Much, the miller’s son. - -Then Little John spoke to Robin, saying: “Master, ’tis time to dine.” - -But Robin answered, “I will not dine till I have some bold baron or a -knight or a squire with me who will pay for his dinner.” - -Then Little John and Much and William Scarlet set out in search of a -guest, and after a time they saw a knight riding towards them with his -retinue. He made but a sorry appearance, and seemed to have lost his -pride, for he had but one foot in the stirrup, and his hood hung down -over his eyes, and his clothes and trappings were mean and old. - -But Little John showed him courtesy, and knelt before him saying: - -“Welcome, gentle knight; welcome to the greenwood. My master has been -waiting for you, fasting these three hours.” - -“Who is your master?” asked the knight; and John answered, “Robin Hood.” - -“He is a good yeoman,” said the knight, “and I have heard men speak well -of him.” - -So the knight, whose name was Sir Richard-at-the-Lee, rode on his way -with Little John, till they came to where Robin was waiting; and Robin -took off his hood and went on his knee, saying, courteously: - -“Welcome, Sir Knight. I have awaited thee these three hours.” - -And the gentle knight replied with fair words: - -“God save thee, good Robin, and all thy company.” - -When they had thus exchanged greetings, they washed and wiped their -hands, and sat them down to their dinner. They had bread and wine and -venison, with swans and pheasants and many other birds. And Robin bade -the knight make good cheer, and the knight thanked him heartily. - -“For,” said he, “I have not had such a dinner for three weeks; and if I -come this way again, Robin, I will give thee as good a dinner as thou -hast given me.” - -“I thank thee, knight,” said Robin; “but methinks it is right that thou -shouldst pay ere thou goest. It was never the custom, by Heaven, for a -yeoman to pay for a knight.” - -But Sir Richard answered, “I have naught in my coffers that I can offer -thee for very shame. I have but ten shillings.” - -To this Robin answered, “If thou hast no more, I will not take a penny; -and if thou hast need of more I will lend it to thee.” - -Then he called to Little John: - -“Go forth and see if there are but ten shillings in the knight’s mantle.” - -So Little John spread the mantle on the ground and searched in it; and he -found but ten shillings as the knight had said. - -Now Robin wondered at this, and said to Sir Richard: - -“Surely thou must have been made a knight against thy will, if thou art -so poor; or else thou hast been a bad husbandman, or a usurer, of hast -done some evil or other.” - -But the knight replied: - -“I am none of these. My ancestors have been knights before me for a -hundred years. But it has often happened that a knight has been disgraced -through no fault of his own. Two years ago, Robin, I could spend four -hundred pounds yearly, and my neighbors will bear me witness of this. But -now, alas! it has come to pass that I have no property whatsoever.” - -“And in what manner,” asked Robin, “didst thou lose thy riches?” - -Then Sir Richard told Robin how his son had slain a knight in a joust, -and how to save him he had put his lands in pawn to a rich abbot whose -abbey was near at hand. The sum he had to pay to redeem them was four -hundred pounds, and since he could not pay it, there was nothing left for -him to do but to forfeit his lands and go on a pilgrimage to the Holy -Land. For the men who had boasted of their friendship towards him when he -was rich had now deserted him, so that he could find no one who was now -willing to lend him any money. - -Robin and his followers were moved to great pity by this tale, and Robin -sent Little John to his treasury to fetch four hundred pounds to give to -the knight. Then Little John cried: - -“Master, his apparel is full thin. Ye must give the knight a suit of -clothes, for ye have scarlet and green-colored cloth in plenty, and there -is no merchant in merry England so rich as ye are!” - -“Give him three yards of each color,” said Robin, “and see you measure it -fairly.” - -So Little John took his bow as a measure and measured out the cloth, and -then he turned to Robin Hood, saying: - -“Master, ye must give the knight a horse to carry home all this cloth.” - -So Robin gave the knight a grey courser and a new saddle, and Much added -a good palfrey, and Scarlet a pair of boots, and Little John a pair of -gilt spurs. - -Then the knight asked what day he should come back to pay his debt, and -Robin appointed that day twelve-month. And as a last act of kindness, he -sent his trusty yeoman, Little John, to attend his guest on his journey. -So Sir Richard went on his way rejoicing and blessing Robin Hood; and he -redeemed his lands from the abbot’s hands, and then returned home to his -castle, and began to collect money against the day when he should return -to pay Robin Hood the four hundred pounds. - -Now the year went by and the appointed day came, but the knight did not -appear, because as he rode on his way to the trysting-place he had turned -aside for the love of Robin to help a poor yeoman who was not receiving -fair play in a wrestling match at some country games. When Robin found, -therefore, that the knight did not come, he sent forth Little John, -Scarlet, and Much, to seek another guest to dine with him, one who would -be able to pay him four hundred pounds; for though he would never rob a -poor man, he did not think it wrong to make the rich pay poor men’s debts. - -Before long the three trusty yeomen saw a monk riding towards them, -followed by a retinue of fifty men, with seven strong pack-horses bearing -his riches, and Little John cried: - -“Brethren, I dare lay my life that this is the man who shall pay our -master; and though we are but three against so many, we must bring him to -dinner, or we cannot go back to Robin Hood.” - -Then he called to the monk: - -“Abide, and come no farther, for if thou dost I shall slay thee. Thou -hast made our master wroth, because he has waited for thee fasting for so -long.” - -“Who is your master?” asked the monk. - -“Robin Hood.” - -“He is a thief,” said the monk, “and I have never heard aught good of -him.” - -But Little John answered: - -“Thou liest, and thou shalt repent it. He is a yeoman of the forest, and -has bidden thee to dine with him.” - -Then the yeomen drew their bows, and Much pointed his arrow straight at -the monk’s breast. - -At this all his followers turned and fled, save only a little page and a -groom, who led the pack-horses to Robin Hood, while Much and Little John -took the monk in custody between them to their master. - -When Robin saw the monk he raised his hood; but the monk was not so -courteous, and did not return the greeting. - -Then Robin summoned his yeomen, and they prepared the meal, and served -the monk with his dinner; and afterwards Robin asked, as was his custom, -how much his guest had in his coffers. - -“Sir,” said the monk, “but twenty pounds, as I hope to prosper.” - -“If there is no more,” said Robin, “I will not take a penny; and if thou -hast need of more I will lend it thee. But if I find more than twenty -pounds thou wilt have to give it up.” - -So Robin sent Little John to search the monk’s mantle and there he found -over eight hundred pounds. At this Robin rejoiced, for it was twice the -sum that he needed to repay him for what he had generously lent the -knight. - -But the monk was very wroth, and cried: - -“By Heaven, ’tis no courtesy to bid a man to dinner and then treat him so -ill.” - -“Nevertheless it is an old custom of ours to leave but little behind for -our guests to take away with them,” said Robin. - -Then the monk put spurs to his horse, for he feared to stay longer. But -Robin cried after him: - -“Will you not have a drink of wine before you go?” - -“Nay,” said the monk, “I would I had never come near you, for I should -have dined far more cheaply at Blyth or Doncaster.” - -“Greet well your abbot and your prior for me,” Robin called back, “and -bid them send me such a monk as you to dinner every day.” - -So the monk rode away, leaving all his riches behind him; and now at last -the knight came riding into the greenwood, with all his merry company. -When he saw Robin he alighted from his palfrey, doffed his hood, and fell -on his knee, saying: - -“God save thee, Robin Hood, and all this company.” - -“Welcome be thou, gentle knight,” Robin answered. “Hast thou thy land -again?” - -“Yea,” said the knight, “and I thank Heaven and thee for it. But take it -not amiss that I am come so late, for I have been at a wrestling match, -where I helped a poor yeoman who was not getting fair play in the game.” - -“Sir knight,” Robin answered, “I thank thee. Whoever helps a good yeoman -will always be my friend.” - -Now, when they had thus greeted each other the knight said: - -“Here is thy four hundred pounds which thou didst lend me, and twenty -pounds more for thy courtesy.” - -“Nay, by Heaven,” cried Robin, “thou shalt keep it for thyself, for I -have already received the money for the debt, and it would be a disgrace -to take it twice.” And he told the knight the story of the monk, and they -laughed together over it and made good cheer. - -Thus Robin Hood helped the knight out of all his troubles and they were -friends from that time to the end of their days. - - -How the Queen of the Sky Gave Gifts to Men[26] - -By the side of All-Father Odin, upon his high seat in Asgard, sat Frigga, -his wife, the Queen of the Asas. Sometimes she would be dressed in -snow-white garments, bound at the waist by a golden girdle, from which -hung a great bunch of golden keys. And the earth-dwellers, gazing into -the sky, would admire the great white clouds as they floated across the -blue, not perceiving that these clouds were really the folds of Frigga’s -flowing white robe, as it waved in the wind. - -At other times she would wear dark gray or purple garments; and then the -earth-dwellers made haste into their houses, for they said, “The sky is -lowering today, and a storm is nigh at hand.” - -Frigga had a palace of her own called Fensalir, or the Hall of Mists, -where she spent much of her time at her wheel spinning golden thread, or -weaving web after web of many-colored clouds. All night long she sat at -this golden wheel, and if you look at the sky on a starry night you may -chance to see it set up where the men of the South show a constellation -called the Girdle of Orion. - -Frigga was especially interested in all good housewives, and she herself -set them an excellent example in Fensalir. When the snow-flakes fell, the -earth-dwellers knew it was Frigga shaking her great feather bed, and when -it rained they said it was her washing day. It was she who first gave to -them the gift of flax that the women upon earth might spin, and weave, -and bleach their linen as white as the clouds of her own white robe. - -And this is how it came about: - -There was once a shepherd who lived among the mountains with his wife and -children; and so very poor was he that he often found it hard to give his -family enough to satisfy their hunger. But he did not grumble; he only -worked the harder; and his wife, though she had scarcely any furniture, -and never a chance of a new dress, kept the house so clean, and the old -clothes so well mended, that, all unknown to herself, she rose high in -the favor of the all-seeing Frigga. - -Now one day, when the shepherd had driven his few poor sheep up the -mountain to pasture, a fine reindeer sprang from the rocks above him and -began to leap upward along the steep slope. The shepherd snatched up his -crossbow and pursued the animal, thinking to himself: “Now we shall have -a better meal than we have had for many a long day.” - -Up and up leaped the reindeer, always just out of reach, and at length -disappeared behind a great boulder just as the shepherd breathless and -weary, reached the spot. No sign of the reindeer was to be seen, but, on -looking around, the shepherd saw that he was among the snowy heights of -the mountains, and almost at the top of a great glacier. - -Presently, as he pursued his vain search for the animal, he saw to his -amazement an open door, leading apparently into the heart of the glacier. -He was a fearless man, and so, without hesitation, he passed boldly -through the doorway and found himself standing in a marvelous cavern, lit -up by blazing torches which gleamed upon rich jewels hanging from the -roof and walls. And in the midst stood a woman, most fair to behold, clad -in snow-white robes and surrounded by a group of lovely maidens. - -The shepherd’s boldness gave way at this awesome sight, and he sank to -his knees before the Asa, Frigga, for she it was. But Frigga bade him be -of good cheer, and said: “Choose now whatsoever you will to carry away -with you as a remembrance of this place.” - -The shepherd’s eyes wandered over the glittering jewels on the walls and -roof, but they came back to a little bunch of blue flowers which Frigga -held in her hand. They alone looked homelike to him; the rest were hard -and cold; so he asked timidly that he might be given the little nosegay. - -Then Frigga smiled kindly upon him. - -“Most wise has been your choice,” said she. “Take with the flowers this -measure of seed and sow it in your field, and you shall grow flowers of -your own. They shall bring prosperity to you and yours.” - -So the shepherd took the flowers and the seed, and scarcely had he done -so when a mighty peal of thunder, followed by the shock of an earthquake, -rent the cavern, and when he had collected his sense he found himself -once more upon the mountain side. - -When he reached home and had told his tale, his wife scolded him roundly -for not bringing home a jewel which would have made them rich forever. -But when she would have thrown the flowers away he prevented her. Next -day he sowed the seed in his field, and was surprised to find how far it -went. - -Very soon after this the field was thick with tiny green shoots; and -though his wife reproached him for wasting good ground upon useless -flowers, he watched and waited in hope until the field was blue with the -starry flax blooms. - -Then one night, when the flowers had withered and the seed was ripe, -Frigga, in the disguise of an old woman, visited the lowly hut and showed -the shepherd and his astonished wife how to use the flax stalks; how to -spin them into thread, and how to weave the thread into linen. - -It was not long before all the dwellers in that part of the earth had -heard of the wonderful material, and were hurrying to the shepherd’s hut -to buy the bleached linen or the seed from which it was obtained. And so -the shepherd and his family were soon among the richest people in the -land; and the promise of Frigga was amply fulfilled. - - -King Midas’ Ears[27] - -Once upon a time King Midas—the very same King Midas who had been cured -of his hated golden touch—was invited to hear some very wonderful music. -It came about in this wise: - -After King Midas had been cured of his golden touch, he loved to wander -in the woods and fields, away from all sight of the wealth of men, and of -the splendors that wealth could buy. In this way he became a great friend -of Pan, who ruled over the woods and fields, and over the shepherds and -their flocks. - -Now Pan had invented the shepherd’s flute, which was made from a reed, -and upon which he could play better than could anyone else. It was a very -simple instrument: one that could produce only simple melodies. But after -Pan had learned to play upon it well, he began to think that his pastoral -tunes were wonderfully fine, and at last he imagined that they were quite -equal to the harmonies even of Apollo, who was master of the art of -music, and a matchless player upon a stringed instrument called the lyre. - -King Midas, as he walked about the groves and pastures with Pan, listened -with pleasure to the music of his pipe, and praised him so warmly that -Pan’s self-conceit grew beyond all bounds. He thought his simple music -equal to that of the gods. - -At length Pan sent a challenge to Apollo, asking him to meet him and let -it be decided by the listeners who was the greater musician of the two. - -Apollo accepted the challenge, and at the appointed time the people -gathered in great numbers, for such a meeting had never been heard of -before. - -Among the listeners was King Midas. - -Pan was the first to play. He stepped forth, clad all in green to match -the verdure of the meadows and of the trees, over which he ruled. - -He put his simple pipe of reeds to his lips and began playing, and the -people listened with great interest and pleasure, for surely no one -dreamed that such music could come from the shepherd’s pipe. - -But when Pan had finished, Apollo stepped forth. He was clad in royal -purple, and his cloak was thrown back that his right arm might be free. - -He struck the strings of the lyre, and the music that fell upon the air -was so marvelously sweet, so full of pathos, so full of ravishing beauty, -that all the people were moved by the sound. Then they applauded Apollo, -and laughed to scorn the boastful challenge of Pan. - -“Ho, ho,” they cried, “does Pan think that he can match such melody as -this?” - -But King Midas was faithful to his friend, and, unconvinced by Apollo’s -wondrous music, he declared that Pan was the better player of the two. - -Apollo, wearing the laurel wreath as his crown of victory, declared that -the ears of King Midas must be depraved, and, that they should thereafter -take on a form more in keeping with the taste of their owner. - -King Midas had no sooner reached his castle than he felt a strange -sensation about his ears; and the strange feeling increased until at -length, putting his hands to the sides of his head, he found with terror -that his ears had grown long and were covered inside and outside with -hair, and he could move them about, just as a donkey moves his. In fact, -he found that they had become exactly like the ears of a donkey, or an -ass. - -King Midas was overcome with shame and rage, and he kept himself hidden -from all the people. - -After a time it occurred to him that he could have a turban or head-dress -made which would cover his monstrous deformity. So he summoned a -hair-dresser, of great skill in his trade, and when the hair-dresser had -finished his task, King Midas was ready to go forth among his people -again, for his ears were quite hidden from sight under the ample folds of -his head-dress. - -Only the hair-dresser knew his secret, and he had promised never to tell -it to a living being. - -But as the days went by, the secret began to burn in the hair-dresser’s -mind, and it was with the greatest difficulty that he kept from repeating -it. At last he could keep still no longer, yet he dared not disobey the -King and break his promise. So he went into a vacant field and dug a deep -hole in the ground. Then, kneeling down, he breathed into the hole these -words: “King Midas has the ears of an ass; King Midas has the ears of an -ass.” - -Rising, he covered the hole with earth and hastened away. - -But what do you suppose happened? - -The next spring the field produced a great crop of rushes, and when the -rushes had grown quite tall a wind passed over them, and the rushes -murmured, “King Midas has the ears of an ass. King Midas has the ears of -an ass.” - -And all summer long, whenever a breeze swept over the field, the rushes -murmured, “King Midas has the ears of an ass.” - -And when the hair-dresser heard it, he wrung his hands in despair, and -said, “Not even the rushes of the field can keep a secret.” - - -Hold Fast, Tom[28] - -The sun was setting over the island of St. Helena on a spring evening in -1673, and in its red glow the vast black cliffs stood out like the walls -of a fortress above the great waste of lonely sea that lay around them as -far as the eye could reach. Very quiet and very lonesome did it appear, -that tiny islet of St. Helena, far away in the heart of the boundless -ocean. - -But there was _one_ part of the island that was busy and noisy enough, -and that was the spot where the low white houses and single church-spire -of Jamestown, half buried in clustering leaves, nestled in a deep gully -close to the water’s edge, walled in by two mighty precipices nearly a -thousand feet in height. All along the line of forts and batteries, -perched like birds’ nests among the frowning crags that overhung the sea, -there was an unwonted stir and bustle. Cannon were rumbling to and fro, -rusty pikes and muskets were being dragged forth and laid in readiness, -soldiers in buff jackets and big looped-up hats were clustering along the -ramparts, while hoarse words of command, clanking swords, the ceaseless -tramp of feet, and the clatter of gun-stocks and pike-staves made every -cranny of the surrounding cliffs echo again. What could it all mean? - -It meant that the stout-hearted Dutchmen who had taken the island from -England a few months before were about to have their courage again put to -the proof. Those five ships of war in the offing, coming down before the -wind under a full press of sail, had just hoisted the red cross of St. -George (not yet changed into the Union Jack), and Englishman and Dutchman -alike were eager to try - - Whether John or Jan - Be the better man, - -as one of their favorite songs worded it. - -Neither side, certainly, lost any time in beginning. The sturdy -Hollanders did not wait even for a summons to surrender. The foremost -English ship had barely dropped her anchor in front of the Zwart Steen -Battery, when there was a red flash from the old gray wall, a loud bang, -and then a cannon-ball came tearing through the foretopsail, and splashed -into the water far beyond. Bang went the Englishman’s whole broadside in -return, and the balls were heard rattling among the rocks, or crashing -into the front of the breastwork; and now the fight began in earnest. - -Fire, smoke, flying shot, crashing timbers, deafening uproar, multiplied -a thousand-fold by the echoes of the surrounding hills—it was a hard -fight, for there were Dutchmen behind those batteries who had swept the -Channel with Van Tromp, and there were Englishmen aboard those ships -who had fought him and his men, yardarm to yardarm, under Robert Blake; -and it would have been hard to tell which were the braver or the more -stubborn of the two. - -“Fire away, boys, for the honor of Old England!” shouted Captain Richard -Munden, pacing up and down the quarter-deck of the British flagship amid -a hail of shot. - -“Stand to it, my sons, as if Father Van Tromp were with you still!” cried -the brave old Dutch commandant, Pieter Van Gebhardt, as he leveled a gun -with his own hands over the fast-crumbling parapet. “Fear not for the -fire and smoke; it is but the Englishman lighting his pipe.” - -Both sides fought stoutly, and men began to fall fast; but it seemed as -if on the whole the Dutch were getting the best of it. The ships, lying -out upon the smooth water, made an excellent mark, while the rock-cut -batteries could hardly be distinguished from the cliff itself. - -But just at that moment a very unexpected turn of fortune changed the -whole face of the battle. - -To explain clearly how this happened we must go back a little way. - -The Dutch garrison had given their whole attention to the attack in -front, feeling sure that this was the only point from which they could -be assailed. And they reasoned well; for everywhere else the coast was -merely one great precipice of several hundred feet, rising so sheer out -of the sea that it seemed as if nothing without wings could possibly -scale it. - -But they might, perhaps, have been less confident had they seen what was -going on just then at the opposite side of the island. - -When the English ships first advanced to the attack, the hindmost of -them, while still hidden from the Dutch by the huge black pyramid of -Sugar-loaf Point, had lowered several large boats filled with armed men, -which instantly shot away round the great rocky bluff of “the Barn” as -fast as eight oars apiece could carry them. - -Away they went, past headland after headland, while every eye was fixed -upon the rocky shore, as if seeking something which was not easily to be -found. - -At length, just when they rounded the bold, craggy promontory of King -and Queen point, a dull boom reached their ears, followed instantly by -the thunder of a sustained cannonade. At that familiar sound the sailors -clenched their teeth savagely, as they looked up at the tremendous -precipices that seemed to shut them out from all hope of taking part in -the battle. - -“Can’t we get up anywhere?” growled the captain, of the frigate, who was -in the foremost boat. “We’re disgraced forever if they do the job without -us.” - -“With your honor’s leave,” broke in a stalwart young topman, touching -his thick brown forelock, “I think I could get up that rock yonder, and -fasten a rope for the rest to climb by.” - -“What! up there?” cried the captain, glancing doubtfully from the young -sailor’s bright, fearless face to the tremendous height above. “Well, my -lad, if you can do it, I’ll give you fifty guineas!” - -“It’s for the honor of the flag, not for the money, sir!” answered the -seaman, springing from the boat to the lowest ledge of the terrible rock. - -Up, up, up, ever higher he clambered, with the rising wind flinging his -loose hair to and fro, and the startled sea-birds whirling around him -with hoarse screams of mingled fear and rage. To the watching eyes far -below, the tiny points of rock to which he clung were quite invisible, -and he seemed to be hanging in mid-air, like a fly on the side of a wall. - -And now he was two-thirds of the way up the precipice; and now he was -within a few yards of the top; and now his hand almost touched the -highest ledge, when suddenly his feet were seen to slide from under him, -and in a moment he was swinging in the empty air, grasping a projecting -crag with the strength of desperation. - -“Hold fast, Tom!” yelled his comrades, as they saw him. - -Tom did hold fast, and the strong hands that had defied the full fury of -an Atlantic gale to loosen them from the slippery rigging did him good -service once more. He regained his footing, and the indrawn breath of -the anxious gazers below sounded like a hiss in the grim silence as they -watched the final effort that brought him safely to the top. - -The rope was soon fixed, and the last man had scarcely mounted when the -daring band were hurrying across the ridgy interior of the island toward -the spot whence the cannonade still boomed upon the evening air. And -there it was at last, as they crowned the farthest ridge, the tall masts -standing up through billowy smoke, and the batteries marked out amid -the gathering darkness by the flashes of their own cannon. A deadly -volley of English musketry cracked along the cliff, and several of the -Dutch were seen to fall while dismay and confusion spread fast among -the survivors. Thus, caught between two fires, with the British ships -thundering upon them from below, and the British marksmen shooting them -down from above, the defenders had no chance; and at length brave old Van -Gebhardt, with a look of bitter grief on his iron face, slowly hauled -down the Dutch flag in token of surrender. - -“Mynheer,” said he to the English captain, as the latter came marching -into the fort at the head of his men, “my followers have done all that -men could do; but yours have done more.” - -“And if we had not done more, we could never have beaten the gallant -Dutchmen,” answered the captain, taking off his battered cocked hat with -a polite bow. - -Thus it was that the English regained St. Helena, over which the -British flag flies to this day. Nor has the brave fellow who led that -daring attack been forgotten, for the crag which he scaled (and a very -grim-looking crag it is) still goes by the name of “Hold-Fast Tom.” - - -Nils and the Bear[29] - - [Nils Holgarsson, a young boy, has been traveling high over the - country in company with a wild goose. He is blown from her back - during a hard wind, and alights among the iron mines. He is - discovered by bears and taken to their cave.] - -Father Bear pushed Mother Bear aside. - -“Don’t meddle with what you don’t understand!” he roared. “Can’t you -scent that human odor about him from afar? I shall eat him at once, or he -will play us some mean trick.” - -He opened his jaws again; but meanwhile Nils had had time to think, -and, quick as a flash, he dug into his knapsack and brought forth some -matches—his sole weapon of defense—struck one on his leather breeches, -and stuck the burning match into the bear’s open mouth. - -Father Bear snorted when he smelled the burning sulphur, and with that -the flame went out. The boy was ready with another match, but, curiously -enough, Father Bear did not repeat his attack. - -“Can you light many of those little blue roses?” asked Father Bear. - -“I can light enough to put an end to the whole forest,” replied the boy, -for he thought that in this way he might be able to scare Father Bear. - -“Perhaps you could also set fire to houses and barns?” said Father Bear. - -“Oh, that would be no trick for me!” boasted the boy, hoping that this -would make the bear respect him. - -“Good!” exclaimed the bear. “You shall render me a service. Now, I’m very -glad that I did not eat you.” - -Father Bear carefully took the boy between his tusks and climbed up from -the pit. As soon as he was up he speedily made for the woods. It was -evident that Father Bear was created to squeeze through dense forests. -The heavy body pushed through the brushwood as a boat does through the -water. - -Father Bear ran along till he came to a hill at the skirt of the forest, -where he could see the big noise-shop. Here he lay down and placed the -boy in front of him, holding him securely between his forepaws. - -“Now look down at that big noise-shop!” he commanded. - -The great iron works, with many tall buildings, stood at the edge of -a waterfall. High chimneys sent forth dark clouds of smoke, blasting -furnaces were in full blaze, and light shone from all the windows and -apertures. Within, hammers and rolling mills were going with such force -that the air rang with their clatter and boom. Just beyond the workshops -were long rows of workingmen’s homes, pretty villas, schoolhouses, -assembly halls, and shops. But there all was quiet and apparently -everybody was asleep. The boy did not glance in that direction, but -gazed intently at the iron works. The earth around them was black; the -sky above them was like a great fiery dome; the rapids, white with foam, -rushed by; while the buildings themselves were sending out light and -smoke, fire and sparks. It was the grandest sight the boy had ever seen. - -“Surely you don’t mean to say you can set fire to a place like that?” -remarked the bear doubtingly. - -The boy, wedged between the beast’s paws, was thinking the only thing -that might save him would be that the bear should have a high opinion of -his capability and power. - -“It’s all the same to me,” he answered with a superior air. “Big or -little, I can burn it down.” - -“Then I’ll tell you something,” said Father Bear. “My forefathers lived -in this region from the time that the forests first sprang up. From them -I inherited hunting grounds and pastures, lairs and retreats, and have -lived here in peace all my life. In the beginning I wasn’t troubled much -by the human kind. They dug in the mountains and picked up a little ore -down here by the rapids; they had a forge and a furnace, but the hammers -sounded only a few hours during the day, and the furnace was not fired -more than two moons at a stretch. It wasn’t so bad but that I could -stand it; but these last years, since they have built this noise shop, -which keeps up the same racket both day and night, life here has become -intolerable. There are so many people that I never feel safe from them. I -thought that I should have to move away, but I have discovered something -better!” - -The boy wondered what Father Bear had hit upon, but no opportunity was -afforded him to ask, as the bear took him between his forepaws and held -him up. - -“Try to look into the house!” he commanded. A strong current of air -was forced into a big cylinder which was suspended from the ceiling -and filled with molten iron. As this current rushed into the mess of -iron with an awful roar, showers of sparks of all colours spurted up in -bunches, in sprays, in long clusters! They struck against the wall and -came splashing down over the whole big room. Father Bear let the boy -watch the gorgeous spectacle until the blowing was over and the flowing -and sparkling red steel had been poured into ingot moulds. - -The boy was completely charmed by the marvellous display and almost -forgot that he was imprisoned between a bear’s two paws. - -“I call that real man’s work!” the boy remarked to himself. - -The bear then let the boy have a peep at the furnace and the forge, and -he became more and more astonished as he saw how the blacksmiths handled -iron and fire. - -“Those men have no fear of heat and flames,” he thought. The workmen were -sooty and grimy. He fancied they were some sort of firefolk—that was why -they could bend and mould the iron as they wished. He could not believe -that they were just ordinary men, since they had such power! - -“They keep this up day after day, night after night,” said Father Bear, -as he dropped wearily down on the ground. “You can understand that one -gets rather tired of that kind of thing. I’m mighty glad that at last I -can put an end to it!” - -“Indeed!” said the boy. “How will you go about it?” - -“Oh, I thought that you were going to set fire to the buildings!” said -Father Bear. “That would put an end to all this work, and I could remain -in my old home.” - -The boy was all of a shiver. - -So, it was for this that Father Bear had brought him here! - -“If you will set fire to the noise-works I’ll promise to spare your -life,” said Father Bear. “But if you don’t do it, I’ll make short work of -you! Will you or won’t you?” - -The boy knew that he ought to answer promptly that he would not, but he -also knew that then the bear’s paws would squeeze him to death; therefore -he replied: - -“I shall have to think it over.” - -“Very well, do so,” assented Father Bear. “Let me say to you that iron -is the thing that has given men the advantage over us bears, which is -another reason for my wishing to put an end to the work here.” - -The boy thought he would use the delay to figure out a way of escape, -but instead he began to think of the great help that iron had been to -mankind. They needed iron for everything. There was iron in the plow -that broke up the field; in the axe that felled the tree for building -houses; in the scythe that mowed the grain; and in the knife, which would -be turned to all sorts of uses. There was iron in the horse’s bit, in -the lock on the door, in the nails that held furniture together. The -rifle that drove away wild beasts was made of iron; iron covered the -men-of-war; the locomotives steamed through the country on iron rails; -the needle that had stitched his coat was of iron; the shears that -clipped the sheep and the kettle that cooked the food. Father Bear was -perfectly right in saying that it was the iron that had given men their -mastery over the bears. - -“Now will you or won’t you?” Father Bear repeated. - -The boy was startled from his musing. - -“You mustn’t be so impatient,” he said. “This is a serious matter for me, -and I’ve got to have time to consider.” - -“I can wait a little longer,” said Father Bear. “But after that you’ll -get no more grace.” - -The boy swept his hand across his forehead. No plan of escape had as yet -come to his mind, but this much he knew—he did not wish to do any harm -to the iron, which was so useful to rich and poor alike, and which gave -bread to so many people in this land. - -“Come, come!” growled the bear. “Will you or won’t you?” - -“I won’t!” said the boy. - -Father Bear squeezed him a little harder, but said nothing. - -“You’ll not get me to destroy the iron works!” defied the boy. “The iron -is so great a blessing that it will never do to harm it.” - -“Then, of course, you don’t expect to be allowed to live very long?” said -the bear. - -“No, I don’t expect it,” returned the boy, looking the bear straight in -the eye. - -Father Bear gripped him a little harder. - -But just then the boy heard something click very close to them, and saw -the muzzle of a rifle two paces away. - -“Father Bear! Don’t you hear the clicking of a trigger?” cried the boy. -“Run, or you’ll be shot!” - -Father Bear grew terribly hurried. He thought he heard hounds and hunters -pursuing him. - -But the boy stood in the forest, free and unharmed, and could hardly -understand how it was possible. - - -Jericho Bob[30] - -Jericho Bob, when he was four years old, hoped that one day he might be -allowed to eat just as much turkey as he possibly could. He was eight -now, but that hope had not been realized. - -Mrs. Jericho Bob, his mother, kept hens for a living, and she expected -that they would lay enough eggs in the course of time to help her son to -an independent career as a boot-black. - -They lived in a tumbledown house in a waste of land near the steam cars, -and besides her hens, Mrs. Bob owned a goat. - -Our story has, however, nothing to do with the goat except to say he was -there, and that he was on nibbling terms, not only with Jericho Bob, but -with Bob’s bosom friend, Julius Caesar Fish, and it was surprising how -many old hat-brims and other tidbits of clothing he could swallow during -a day. - -As Mrs. Bob truly said, it was no earthly use to get something new for -Jericho, even if she could afford it; for the goat browsed all over him, -and had been known to carry away even a leg of his trousers. - -Jericho Bob was eight years old, and the friend of his bosom, Julius -Caesar Fish, was nine. They both, were of a lovely black; a tallow-dip -couldn’t take the kink out of their hair, and the hardest whipping did -not disturb the even cheerfulness of their spirits. They were so much -alike that if it hadn’t been for Jericho’s bow-legs and his turn-up nose, -you really could not have told them apart. - -A kindred taste for turkey also united them. - -In honor of Thanksgiving Day, Mrs. Bob always sacrificed a hen which -would, but for such blessed release, have died of old age. One drumstick -was given to Jericho, whose interior remained an unsatisfied void. - -Jericho Bob had heard of turkey as a fowl larger, sweeter, and more -tender than hen; and about Thanksgiving time he would linger around the -provision stores and gaze with open mouth at the noble array of turkeys -hanging, head downward, over bushels of cranberries, as if even at that -uncooked stage, they were destined for one another. And turkey was his -dream. - -It was springtime, and the hens were being a credit to themselves. Mrs. -Bob was laid up with rheumatism. - -“Jericho Bob!” she said to her son, shaking her red and yellow turban at -him, “Jericho Bob, you go down an’ fetch de eggs today. Ef I find yer -don’t bring me twenty-three, I’ll—well, never mind what I’ll do, but yer -won’t like it.” - -Now, Jericho Bob meant to be honest, but the fact was he found -twenty-four eggs, and the twenty-fourth was so big, so remarkably big! - -Twenty-three eggs he brought to Mrs. Bob, but the twenty-fourth he -sinfully left in charge of the discreet hen. - -On his return he met Julius Caesar Fish, with his hands in his pockets -and his head extinguished by his grandfather’s fur cap. - -Together they went toward the hen-coop and Julius Caesar Fish spoke, or -rather lisped (he had lost some of his front teeth): - -“Jericho Bobth, tha’th a turkey’th egg.” - -“Yer don’t say so?” - -“I think i’th a-goin’ ter hatch.” No sooner said than they heard a pick -and a peck in the shell. - -“Pick!” a tiny beak broke through the shell. “Peck!” more beak. “Crack!” -a funny little head, a long, bare neck, and then “Pick! Peck! Crack!” -before them stood the funniest, fluffiest brown ball resting on two weak -little legs. - -“Hooray!” shouted the woolly heads. - -“Peep!” said turkeykin. - -“It’s mine!” Jericho shouted excitedly. - -“Ith Marm Pitkin’th turkey’th; she laid it there.” - -“It’s mine, and I’m going to keep it, and next Thanksgiving I’m going ter -eat him.” - -“Think yer ma’ll let you feed him up for thath?” Julius Caesar asked, -grinning triumphantly. - -Jericho Bob’s next Thanksgiving dinner seemed destined to be a dream. His -face fell. - -“I’ll tell yer whath I’ll do,” his friend said, benevolently; “I’ll keep -’m for you, and Thanksgivin’ we’ll go halvth.” - -Jericho resigned himself to the inevitable, and the infant turkey was -borne home by his friend. - -Fish, Jr., lived next door, and the only difference in the premises was a -freight-car permanently switched off before the broken-down fence of the -Fish yard; and in this car turkeykin took up his abode. - -I will not tell you how he grew and more than realized the hopes of -his foster-fathers, nor with what impatience and anticipation they saw -spring, summer, and autumn pass, while they watched their Thanksgiving -dinner stalk proudly up the bare yard, and even hop across the railroad -tracks. - -But, alas! the possession of the turkey brought with it strife and -discord. - -Quarrels arose between the friends as to the prospective disposal of his -remains. We grieve to say that the question of who was to cook him led -to blows. - -It was the day before Thanksgiving. There was a coldness between the -friends which was not dispelled by the bringing of a pint of cranberries -to the common store by Jericho, and the contributing thereto of a couple -of cold boiled sweet potatoes by Julius Caesar Fish. - -The friends sat on an ancient wash-tub in the back yard, and there was -a momentary truce between them. Before them stood the freight-car, and -along the track beyond an occasional train tore down the road, which so -far excited their mutual sympathy that they rose and shouted as one man. - -At the open door of the freight-car stood the unsuspecting turkey, and -looked meditatively out on the landscape and at the two figures on the -wash-tub. - -One had bow-legs, a turn-up nose, and a huge straw hat. The other wore -a fur cap and a gentleman’s swallow-tail coat, with the tails caught up -because they were too long. - -The turkey hopped out of the car and gazed confidingly at his protectors. -In point of size he was altogether their superior. - -“I think,” said Jericho Bob, “we’d better ketch ’im; tomorrow’s -Thanksgiving. Yum!” - -And he looked with great joy at the innocent, the unsuspecting fowl. - -“Butcher Tham’th goin’ to kill ’im for uth,” Julius Caesar hastened to -say, “an’ I kin cook ’im.” - -“No, you ain’t. I’m going to cook ’im,” Jericho Bob cried, resentfully. -“He’s mine.” - -“He ain’th; he’th mine.” - -“He was my egg,” and Jericho Bob danced defiance at his friend. - -The turkey looked on with some surprise, and he became alarmed when he -saw his foster-fathers clasped in an embrace more of anger than of love. - -“I’ll eat ’im all alone!” Jericho Bob cried. - -“No, yes sha’n’t!” the other shouted. - -The turkey shrieked in terror, and fled in a circle about the yard. - -“Now, look yere,” said Julius Caesar, who had conquered. “We’re goin’ to -be squar’. He wath your egg, but who brought ’im up? Me! Who’th got a -friend to kill ’im? Me! Who’th got a fire to cook ’im? Me! Now you git -up and we’ll kitch ’im. Ef you thay another word about your egg I’ll jeth -eat ’im up all mythelf.” - -Jericho Bob was conquered. With mutual understanding they approached the -turkey. - -“Come yere; come yere,” Julius Caesar said, coaxingly. - -For a moment the bird gazed at both, uncertain what to do. - -“Come yere,” Julius Caesar repeated, and made a dive for him. The turkey -spread his tail. Oh, didn’t he run! - -“Now, I’ve got her!” the wicked Jericho Bob cried, and thought he had -captured the fowl; when, with a shriek from Jericho Bob, as the turkey -knocked him over, the Thanksgiving dinner spread his wings, rose in the -air, and alighted on the roof of the freight-car. - -The turkey looked down over the edge of the car at his enemies, and they -gazed up at him. Both parties surveyed the situation. - -“We’ve got him,” Julius Caesar cried at last, exultantly. “You git on the -roof, and ef you don’t kitch ’im up thar, I’ll kitch ’im down yere.” - -With the help of the wash-tub, an old chair, Julius Caesar’s back, and -much scrambling, Jericho Bob was boosted on top of the car. The turkey -was stalking solemnly up and down the roof with tail and wings half -spread. - -“I’ve got yer now,” Jericho Bob said, creeping softly after him. “I’ve -got yer now, sure,” he was just repeating, when, with a deafening roar -the express-train for New York came tearing down the road. - -For what possible reason it slowed up on approaching the freight-car -nobody ever knew; but the fact remains that it did, just as Jericho Bob -laid his wicked black, paw on the turkey’s tail. - -The turkey shrieked, spread his wings, shook the small black boy’s grasp -from his tail, and with a mighty swoop alighted on the roof of the very -last car as it passed; and in a moment more Jericho Bob’s Thanksgiving -dinner had vanished, like a beautiful dream, down the road! - - -Jerusalem Artie’s Christmas Dinner[31] - -Jerusalem Artie sat on the door-step of his mammy’s cabin, buried in -thought. It was a very unusual condition for Jerusalem Artie, but then, -the occasion was an unusual one. The next day would be Christmas. - -Presently he looked up. “Mammy,” he questioned, “what’s we-all a-gwine -hab fo’ Chris-mus dinnah?” - -“Lan’ sakes, chile,” his mammy answered, “how-all’s I a-gwine know dat? -Yo’ pappy ain’t got nuthin’ yit, an’ I ain’t a-reckonin’ he will git -nuthin’.” - -Jerusalem Artie looked down, and was once more lost in thought. - -He made a comical little figure there on the door-step, but to this fact -both he and his mammy were blissfully oblivious. On his head he wore an -old straw hat which his pappy had discarded for a fur cap at the approach -of winter weather. In the spring the exchange would be made again, and -Jerusalem Artie would wear the fur. But this did not trouble the boy. -When it grew too hot, he left off any sort of head covering; and when it -grew too cold, he wrapped one of mammy’s gay bandanas about his woolly -head, and set the battered straw on top of that. - -His shirt, and his one-sided suspenders, and even the trousers that he -wore, had also belonged to his pappy. As Jerusalem Artie was only eight -years old, the trousers were a trifle long. He had once suggested cutting -them off, but his mammy had objected. - -“Co’se yo’ cain’t, chile! Yo’ pappy might hab to weah dem pants some mo’ -hisself yit, an’ how-all’d he look den?” - -The question was unanswerable. - -“An’ what-all’d _I_ weah den?” he had queried, dismayed at the -possibility. - -“How-all yo’ s’pose I’s a-gwine know dat?” his mammy had responded. -“Maybe yo’ skin.” - -So Jerusalem Artie had rolled, and rolled, and rolled the bottom of the -trouser legs till his little black toes emerged from the openings. - -But now, as he sat on the door-step, his mind was not upon his clothes, -not even upon the offending trousers. It was upon the Christmas dinner -for which he was longing, but which did not exist. - -“All neighbo’ folks a-gwine hab Chris’mus dinnahs,” he was saying to -himself. “Boys done tol’ me so. An’ we’s gwine hab Chris’mus dinnah, -too,” he added, straightening up suddenly. - -He got up from the door-step and started slowly toward the bit of tangled -underbrush that grew back of the cabin. He did not know, yet, where the -Christmas dinner was coming from. He had gotten no further than the -resolve that there should be one. - -“Folks hab turkey, er goose,” he was saying to himself, “er chickun, -er—rabbit pie,” he ended with a sudden whoop, and made a dash toward the -tangled brush, for, at that very moment, a rabbit’s white flag of a tail -had flashed before his eyes. - -“Hi, yo’ Molly Cottontail, I git yo’ fo’ a pie!” yelled Jerusalem Artie, -and the chase was on. - -Into the brush dashed Molly, and after her came Jerusalem Artie; and, as -he ran, one leg of his trousers began to unroll. But there was no time to -stop. - -Molly Cottontail had the advantage, but Jerusalem Artie’s eyes were -sharp, and Molly’s white flag led him on. Molly slid beneath the tangled -brush, and Jerusalem Artie made desperate leaps above it, each leap -marked by a flying trouser leg. - -Suddenly Molly doubled on her tracks, for her pursuer was close at hand. -Jerusalem Artie attempted to do the same, but his free foot became -entangled with the elongated leg, and down went Jerusalem Artie—squarely -on top of Molly Cottontail. - -It pretty well knocked the breath out of both of them, but Jerusalem -Artie recovered first, naturally, for he was on top. - -“Chris’mus pie! Chris’mus pie!” he squealed, as he wriggled one hand -cautiously beneath him and got a good firm hold of Molly’s long ears. -Then carefully he got upon his feet. - -The rabbit hung limp from his hand. - -“Knocked yo’ breaf’ clean out fo’ suah!” he exclaimed, deliberately -surveying his prize. - -Then slowly he made his way to the road, for the chase had taken him -some distance from the cabin, and the dragging trouser leg made walking -difficult. - -Reaching the roadside, he held aloft the still limp rabbit surveying it -with a grin of satisfaction. - -“Reckon she’s done fo’ as suah as I’s a niggah chile,” he soliloquized; -and laying his Christmas dinner on the grass beside him, he proceeded to -roll up the entangling trouser leg. - -While he was in the midst of this occupation, there was a startling -“honk, honk,” close at hand and a big red motor car flashed into sight. - -The sudden noise startled Jerusalem Artie. It also startled Molly -Cottontail. Her limp, and apparently lifeless, body gathered itself, -leaped, and cleared the roadway, barely escaping the wheels of the big -red motor car as it flashed by. - -Jerusalem Artie rose to his feet, the trouser leg half rolled, and -shrieked: “M’ Chris’mus dinnah! M’ Chris’mus dinnah!” for Molly -Cottontail had disappeared. - -As he stood looking helplessly after the offending cause of his loss, a -man in the back seat turned, laughed, and, leaning over the side of the -car, threw something bright and shining back into the road. - -Jerusalem Artie pounced upon the spot, dug with his disentangled toes in -the dust, and brought to view a silver half-dollar. - -“Chris’mus dinnah yit,” he exclaimed, “as suah as I’se a niggah chile!” - -Then, with the half-dollar held hard between his teeth, he finished -rolling up the leg of his trousers. - -“Mammy,” he cried, a moment later, as, dusty and breathless, he -reappeared in the cabin doorway, “see what-all I foun’ in de road.” - -And Mammy’s look of dark suspicion faded as Jerusalem Artie recounted his -brief and tragic adventure with Molly Cottontail. - -“Yo-all’s a honey chile,” said Mammy, when he had concluded; “an we-all’s -a-gwine right now an’ git a plumb fat chickun.” - -The next day, as Mammy cleared away the remains of the Christmas dinner, -she said: “Now, chile, yo’ c’n tote dese yere chickun bones out on de -do’-step an’ gnaw ’em clean. An’, Jerus’lem Artie, yo’ pappy say yo’ c’n -cut off de laigs o’ dem pants, an’ hab ’em fo’ yo’self.” - - -Robin’s Christmas[32] - -When I was a little girl I used to look for Robin Redbreast perched -in the holly on my Christmas cards, and nearly always he was there, -fluttering about in the green, or singing a merry greeting from among -the red berries. Nowadays I do not see him so often, but I have heard the -story of how he came to be there. Listen, and you shall hear it, too. - -First, you must know that the English Robin Redbreast (which is the one -in my story) does not go South in the fall as our robin does. That is why -the little English children sing: - - The North wind doth blow, - And we shall have snow, - And what will the robin do then, poor thing? - He’ll stay in the barn, - And keep himself warm, - And tuck his head under his wing, poor thing. - -Generally Robin gets through the winter very well, but sometimes he has a -pretty hard time, and that is why this story came to be told. - -One year, about Christmas time, there came a long spell of cold, stormy -weather. It would snow, and all the children would shout for joy; then -it would rain, and they would almost cry from disappointment; then again -it would freeze, and they would run and slide and skate on the ice, only -to be driven in by more snow and wind. So Christmas eve found them all -snug in their houses, making the rooms gay with holly and evergreen, and -talking about Santa Claus and their Christmas stockings. - -But outdoors in the cold a poor little Robin Redbreast was far from being -snug and comfortable. It seemed to him that he hadn’t had anything to -eat for a month. Every grain of corn in the barnyard was under the snow, -no one threw out any crumbs, and the seed pods and berries that were -food in the coldest weather were so thickly coated with ice that it was -like pecking glass beads to try to eat one. The North wind seemed to be -everywhere. It drove him out of each corner in which he tried to nestle, -and Farmer Gray’s barn door was closed while he was busy in the hedge -trying to get a mouthful of seeds. When it came night, poor Robin felt so -chilled and hungry and miserable that he simply couldn’t “tuck his head -under his wing,” much less “keep himself warm.” - -Once, when the lamps were lighted, he fluttered up to a window and tried -to get behind the blind, but he could not squeeze in. Then he pecked at -the glass, for he was a friendly birdie, and had more than once been fed -from a window, but no one heard his little tap, tap, and away he flew, -trying once more to find shelter from the driving storm. - -Now, there was a church near by. People had been going in and out all -day, making it beautiful with Christmas greens, and preparing the -children’s Christmas tree. Robin finally perched himself in the ivy at -one window, though the North wind threatened to blow him off any moment. -There were lights within, and he could hear the happy children gathered -round the Christmas tree. After awhile every one went away, and the -lights were turned out. - -A half hour later the faithful sexton came back through the storm to -take one more look at his fires, and make sure that all was safe for the -night. Robin, just settling himself for a long, cold night, could see -his lantern swinging as he pushed his way through the snowdrifts. When -he opened the great church door, the wind and snow blew in—and something -else, too—a cold, hungry little robin. But the sexton never knew. He -banked his fires a little more and went home, leaving Robin alone. - -Oh, how warm and quiet and comfortable it was! Robin tucked his head -under his wing and was soon asleep on an oaken rafter. When he awoke in -the morning, his first thought was that he was in the forest. How big and -green and beautiful! Evergreen and holly were everywhere. Great festoons -were looped from chancel to window. A great mass of holly hid the choir -rail. Little Christmas trees were banked against the walls. Wreaths hung -from the arches, and the red and golden lights from the windows bathed -all in sunshine. Robin could hardly believe his eyes. - -“Chirp! Chirp!” he cried, and flew from rafter to rafter, and from there -to the organ loft. What a wonderful place to awaken in! Why had he never -found it before? And what were those little red berries? Were they really -good to eat? - -“Chirp! Chirp! I think I’ll try one!” said he. - -He hadn’t had a good meal for two days and a half, and if the ladies -could have seen him eating their lovely decorations, I am afraid they -would have been shocked. How good the holly berries tasted! And there -was such an abundance! No hunting and picking good from bad; no fuss of -any kind. Hungry Robin flew from festoon to wreath and enjoyed the best -breakfast he had known that winter. In fact, he ate till he was tired, -and then he had another little nap on the rafter. - -While he was sleeping the church bell rang, and the children began to -flock in again. They had come to sing their carols at early morning -service, and soon the church was filled with happy faces. Then the organ -played and they began to sing. Robin woke up and watched everything -quietly from his perch. He felt warm and happy, and he liked the music; -in fact, he began to feel like singing, too. In the middle of the second -verse he broke in. High and clear and sweet he sang, and the children -looked up amazed. Suddenly the minister held up his hand. Wonderingly the -organist and the children ceased. Robin was singing a solo, now. Perched -high on the rafter, he threw his little head back and sang and sang, -while the delighted children listened. When had they ever heard Robin -Redbreast sing in church? How did he get in? What a wonderful song! - -When Robin was through he flew to the top of the organ and looked down on -them with bright eyes, as if to say: “That is all I can do to thank you -for my breakfast and shelter!” - -“Children,” said the minister, “this little bird must have flown in -here last night from the storm. He sings because he is grateful to the -Heavenly Father who cares for all, and knows when even a sparrow falleth. -Let us lift our hearts and voices, and thank him in our carols for this -happy Christmas. Let our voices be as sweet as Robin Redbreast’s—our -little brother who is welcome to all the comfort our church can give him!” - -The children sang their carols as they never sang them before, and they -never forgot the Christmas day when they found Robin in church. That was -years ago, but that is why, for a long time, Robin Redbreast was on the -Christmas cards. Did you ever see him there? - - -A Tale of the Christ Child[33] - -It was Christmas eve. The soft snow fell in big flakes like white -blossoms from the trees of June. It covered the house roofs and -glorified the trees. It hung jewels above the windows of the poor, and -softened the lowliest hut to the white beauty of a palace. - -And through the beautiful white pathway of the snow a herald rode, and -cried that to-night the dear Christ Child would walk through the streets, -and even as the falling snow made all barren and ugly things lovely, so -would the Christ Child’s coming glorify the souls of them that met him -aright, and they would be forever blest who should gain speech with him. - -No wonder that a million candles lighted the streets. No wonder that -great and proud, rich and poor, the sick, the old, and the lame thronged -the white beauty of the streets and wandered up and down, wondering and -waiting. - -The King came forth in royal robes with a throng of courtiers at his -back. He bore himself proudly, and proudly he waited. - -The priest was there, bearing the blessed cross, and lifting prayerful -eyes to the white sky. - -The great singer came, singing his loveliest songs in tones so sweet that -all who heard him wondered, and said, “Surely he will have speech with -the Christ Child.” - -The poet came with his book, and soldiers with gleaming swords, boasting -of battles they had won, and all looked with eager eyes up and down the -streets, each longing to be the first to see the Christ Child in all his -beauty. - -So, in their eagerness they pressed now this way and now that, heeding -nothing but their one desire. The shivering beggar was jostled, the -lame man was trampled under foot, and lay moaning in a doorway, and -children were thrust aside from their eager gazing, and fell, weeping and -disappointed, or fled from the stern presence of some blustering soldier, -to hide in alleyways, praying that the little Christ Child would find -them there, waiting to worship him. - -Among the children was one braver than the others—little Karl. He had -gone out with a glad heart, saying to his mother, “I will not come back, -though I walk the streets all night, until I will see the Christ Child -and gain a blessing for you and for me.” But his mother kissed him -fondly, saying, “Go my son, but do not grieve if you do not see the -Christ Child, for there is blessing even in seeking him.” - -So little Karl, seeing so many crushed and crowded back, though fearing -that the Christ Child should pass while he spent the time, lifted the -lame man to a place of safety, apart from the crowd, followed the -shivering beggar and lent him his cloak, and comforted the weeping -children. - -And meanwhile the crowd pushed and jostled and threatened, and no one -gave heed to a ragged boy who pressed slowly through the throng, going -from street to street, and saying now and again, “I hunger. Will one give -me a crust of bread?” - -No one gave heed, save that the King drew back his royal robes and bade -his courtiers clear his pathway of beggars; the great singer asked -angrily who was this who dared to interrupt him in his singing, and -turned his back upon the child to begin his song anew; the poet saw -him not, because his eyes were not lifted from the book, while some, -impatient at the interrupted melody, or taking counsel from the king’s -frown, jostled him in rude malice. - -True, the priest turned on him a kindly glance and would have spoken, -but that a sudden movement in the crowd gave hope of the Christ Child’s -coming, and he forgot all else to press after the others. - -But little Karl, now shivering with cold, had pity, and crept to the -stranger boy’s side, and broke his one piece of bread with him and -offered him a place in his sheltered doorway. - -“It is cold,” Karl said, “and I have lent my cloak, or we could share it -with each other, and the bread is old, but it is all I have, and indeed -one feels hunger and cold but lightly who watches for the Christ Child -and hopes for his blessing.” - -When, lo! as the ragged boy broke the bread and ate with Karl, his face -became glorified, and a light like soft moonlight played about his fair -temples, and the eyes that looked into the very soul of Karl, as he rose -in glad amaze, were clear and wonderful as the winter stars, and yet -gentle as the eyes of a pet lamb. - -And suddenly, as he gazed, Karl fell, worshiping, for he knew that he had -had speech with the Christ Child. - -Then, while the crowd still surged and quarreled and waited, watching, -the Christ Child walked through the soft falling snows, where little Karl -led the way. And they sought out the beggar, and the lame man, and the -little children, and the great who were also good, and all whose smiles -were kindly and whose hearts were like those of little children. - - -Story of the Ark[34] - -Now God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and it -repented God that he had made man. But Noah was a just man and perfect in -his generation, and Noah walked with God. - -And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the -earth is filled with violence through them, and, behold, I will destroy -them with the earth. - -Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and -shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. A window shalt thou make to -the ark; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with -lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. - -And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to -destroy all flesh; and everything that is in the earth shall die. But -with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, -thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. - -And of every living thing, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the -ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of -fowls after their kind, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing of the -earth, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. - -And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten; and it shall be for -food for thee, and for them. - -Thus did Noah, according to all that God commanded him, so did he. - - -The Flood[35] - -And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; -for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. - -And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with -him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of clean beasts, -and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of everything that -creepeth upon the earth, there went in two and two unto Noah into the -ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. And the Lord -shut him in. - -And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were -upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second -month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the -fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were -opened. - -And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. And the -waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the -earth, and all flesh died that moved upon the earth. And every living -substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, -and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and Noah -only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark, and the ark -went upon the face of the waters. - -And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days. - - -The Olive Leaf[36] - -And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and the cattle that was -with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the -waters asswaged. The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven -were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; and the waters -returned from off the earth continually, and after the end of the hundred -and fifty days the waters were abated. - -And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the -month, upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually -until the tops of the mountains were seen. - -And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window -of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a raven, which went forth -to and fro, until the waters were dried up from the earth. - -Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from -off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for the sole of -her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on -the face of the whole earth; then he put forth his hand, and took her, -and pulled her in unto him into the ark. - -And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out -of the ark; and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her -mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were -abated from off the earth. - -And he stayed yet other seven days; and he sent forth the dove; which -returned not again unto him any more. And Noah removed the covering of -the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. - -And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy sons, -and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every -living thing of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every -creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, that they may be fruitful -and multiply upon the earth. - -And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with -him: every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, went forth out of -the ark. - -And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord. - - -The Rainbow of Promise[37] - -And the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any -more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his -youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have -done. - -While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and -summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. - -And God blessed Noah and his sons. And God spake unto Noah, and to his -sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, -and with your seed after you; and with every living creature that is with -you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with -you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. I will -establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any -more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to -destroy the earth. - -And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between -me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual -generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token -of covenant between me and the earth. - -And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the -bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember my covenant, which is -between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters -shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. - -And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the -days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years. - - -The Story of David[38] - -More than two thousand years ago, there was a great battle in the land -of Palestine. At that time, Saul was king of Israel, and the battle was -fought between the Israelites and the Philistines, their enemies. Now, -the Israelites worshiped God or Jehovah, while the Philistines worshiped -images of wood and stone. - -And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel -stood on the mountain on the other side; and the ravine was between them. - -And as the armies were drawn up for battle, there stepped out from -the ranks of the Philistines a champion named Goliath. He was a giant -in stature, and he was clothed in a corselet of scales, with a helmet -of bronze upon his head. His spear was like a weaver’s beam—and a -shield-bearer went before him. - -And Goliath stood and cried to the people of Israel, “I have come forth -to defy the army of Israel. Choose ye a man who shall come and fight with -me. If he slays me, then will the Philistines be your servants, but if I -slay him, then shall ye be the servants of the Philistines.” - -Then were the Israelites dismayed, and no man dared go forth to fight -with Goliath. - -Every night and every morning for forty days, Goliath came forth and -challenged the army of Israel, and no man dared go forth to fight him. - -At this same time, away off among the hills of Bethlehem, there was a -young man named David, who was tending his father’s sheep. He was a -shepherd lad, but ruddy, and of a beautiful appearance. His father’s -name was Jesse. Now, Jesse’s three older sons were in the army of Saul, -but David, the youngest, cared for the sheep. He loved the country about -Bethlehem, and he had many beautiful thoughts while watching over the -sheep that he loved. - -But one day his father called him away from the sheep pastures, and sent -him to see his brothers, and to bring back a message from them, for he -was anxious about their welfare. And he gave him parched corn and ten -loaves as a gift for them. - -So David journeyed to where his brothers were, and when he reached them, -the armies were drawn up, the Philistines on one mountain, and the -Israelites on the other, with the ravine between. And as David reached -the place, he saw Goliath, coming forth to challenge the army of Israel, -as he had done for forty days. - -And when David heard Goliath’s words, and saw that all the army of Israel -was dismayed, he was filled with indignation, and he asked, “Who is this -Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” - -And David’s words were repeated to Saul, and Saul sent for David, and -David told Saul that he would go forth and fight with Goliath. - -Then said Saul, “But thou art but a youth, and this is a man of war.” - -Then David answered, “I have slain with my hands both a lion and a bear, -when they came to destroy a lamb of my flock. And I can also slay this -Philistine, for Jehovah, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and -of the bear, will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” - -And Saul said to David, “Go, and Jehovah be with thee.” And he would have -put his armor upon David, but David refused it, and taking his staff in -his hand, he chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in -the pocket of the shepherd’s bag which he wore. Then with his sling in -his hand, he advanced to meet Goliath. - -But when Goliath saw David, he exclaimed, “Am I a dog, that thou comest -to me with a staff? Come on, then, and I will give thy flesh to the fowls -of the heavens and to the beasts of the field.” - -And David answered, “Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear, but -I come to thee in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the armies of -Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will Jehovah deliver thee into -my hand, and all the earth shall know that Israel has a God.” - -And David put his hand into his bag and drew forth a stone and put it -into his sling and he slung it; and it struck the Philistine in the -forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. - -And the army of Israel arose and shouted, and the Philistines became the -servants of Israel, and great honors were heaped upon David. - -Some years after this, at the death of Saul, David became king of Israel, -but he never forgot his days upon the hills of Bethlehem, when he tended -his father’s sheep; and he was called the “Shepherd King.” - -After he had become king, David wrote many beautiful songs or psalms, and -one of the most beautiful of them all is the twenty-third psalm, which -shows that even when all the glory and honor of being a king were his, he -loved to think of himself as one of the sheep over whom the Lord watched -as a shepherd. - - -The Twenty-third Psalm - -The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. - -He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the -still waters. - -He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his -name’s sake. - -Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear -no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. - -Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou -anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. - -Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I -will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[4] From _The Angler’s Reveille_, by Henry van Dyke.—By permission of -Charles Scribner’s Sons. - -[5] From _Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes_. Translated by Isaac T. Headland. -By permission of Fleming H. Revell Company. - -[6] From _Firelight Stories_, by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (Milton Bradley -Company). By permission of the author and publishers. - -[7] Jane Arnold, in _American Motherhood_. By permission of the -publishers. - -[8] From _Aesop’s Fables_; adapted by D. L. Graves in _American -Motherhood_. By permission of the author and publishers. - -[9] This story, reprinted by permission from the second book of the -series of _Jones Readers_ (Ginn and Company), is an especially good type -of story to tell to small children, since it is full of action and of -conversation, two features which they particularly enjoy, and its lesson -of forethought is made very plain through the development of the story -itself. - -[10] By Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, in _Firelight Stories_ (Milton Bradley -Company). By permission of the author and publishers. - -[11] From _Queer Little People_, by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Houghton, -Mifflin Company). By permission of the publishers. (Abridged.) - -[12] By Margaret and Clarence Weed, in _St. Nicholas_. By permission of -the authors and publishers. - -[13] English Folk-tale. - -[14] Original adaptation of an old legend. - -[15] Original adaptation of Old Folk-tale. - -[16] An Ojibway legend from _Wigwam Stories_, by Mary Catherine Judd -(Ginn and Company). By permission of the author and publishers. - -[17] Original adaptation of an old legend. - -[18] Schoolcraft. From _Wigwam Stories_, by Mary Catherine Judd (Ginn and -Company). By permission of the author and publishers. - -[19] By Grace MacGowan Cooke, in the _Delineator_. By permission of the -author and the publishers. - -[20] Chippewa. From _Wigwam Stories_, by Mary Catherine Judd (Ginn and -Company). By permission of author and publishers. - -[21] Original adaptation from the folk-lore of South Slavonia. There is -another and different version of “Why the Dog and Cat Are Enemies” under -the title, “The Enchanted Wine Jug,” in _Stories to Tell_ (A. Flanagan -Company), compiled by the author of this book. Stories of animals are -always of interest to children, and the more familiar the animals the -greater the child’s interest in the story. These two versions of the -above story, I have found are not generally known to either teachers or -children, for they seem to have been generally overlooked in the many -collections of folk-tales. - -[22] From _Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest_, by Katharine B. -Judson (A. C. McClurg & Co.). (Abridged.) - -[23] By Frances Margaret Fox in _Little Folks_ (S. E. Cassino Company). -By permission of the publishers. - -[24] Abridged from _Jolly Calle_, by Helena Nyblom (J. M. Dent and Sons, -London). - -[25] From _Stories from Old English Romance_, by Joyce Pollard (Frederick -A. Stokes Company). By permission of the publishers. (Abridged.) - -[26] From stories of _Norse Heroes_, by E. M. Wilmot-Buxton (Thomas Y. -Crowell Company). By permission of the publishers. (Abridged.) - -[27] Adapted from Greek mythology. - -[28] By David Ker, in _St. Nicholas_. By permission of the publishers. - -[29] Abridged from _Further Adventures of Nils_, by Selma Lagerlof -(Doubleday, Page and Company). By permission of the publishers. - -[30] By Mrs. John Lane, in _St. Nicholas_. By permission of the author -and publishers. - -[31] By Julia Darrow Cowles, in _St. Nicholas_. By permission of the -publishers. - -[32] By A. Gertrude Maynard, in _Kindergarten Review_. By permission of -the publishers. - -[33] By Phila Butler Bowman, in _Kindergarten Review_. By permission of -the publishers. - -[34] Genesis vi, 5-22. - -[35] Genesis vii. - -[36] Genesis viii. - -[37] Genesis viii, 21, 22; ix, 1, 8-15, 28, 29. - -[38] First Samuel xvii. (Adapted.) - - - - -INDEX OF SELECTED STORIES - - - PAGE - - ADDER THAT DID NOT HEAR, THE _Old Fable adapted_ 149 - - ARK, THE _Bible_ 251 - - BIRDIE WITH A YELLOW BILL _Robert Louis Stevenson_ 6 - - COBBLER, THE _Old Tale adapted_ 154 - - COMING OF ARTHUR, THE _Richard Thomas Wyche_ 75 - - COUNTRY CAT, THE _Grace MacGowan Cooke_ 159 - - DAVID _Bible_ 257 - - FISHERMAN, THE _Aesop Fable_ 55 - - FOUNTAIN, THE _James Russell Lowell_ 54 - - FLOOD, THE _Bible_ 252 - - GOLD BUGS, THE _Carolyn Sherwin Bailey_ 128 - - GOOD KING, THE _Margaret and Clarence Weed_ 137 - - HISTORY OF TIP-TOP, THE _Harriet Beecher Stowe_ 131 - - HOLD-FAST TOM _Daniel Ker_ 210 - - HONEST WOODMAN, THE _Aesop Fable_ 123 - - HOW THE QUEEN OF THE SKY GAVE GIFTS - TO MEN _E. M. Wilmot-Buxton_ 200 - - JAPANESE LULLABY 5 - - JERICHO BOB _Mrs. John Lane_ 226 - - JERUSALEM ARTIE’S CHRISTMAS DINNER _Julia Darrow Cowles_ 234 - - KING MIDAS’ EARS _Greek Myth adapted_ 205 - - KING OF THE FROGS _Old Tale adapted_ 147 - - LEGEND OF THE ARBUTUS _Mary Catherine Judd_ 162 - - LESSON OF FAITH, A _Mrs. Gatty_ 8 - - LITTLE BALDHEAD, THE _Chinese Mother Goose_ 114 - - LITTLE BOY WHO FORGOT TO WASH HIS - HANDS, THE _Jane Arnold_ 120 - - LITTLE SISTER KINDNESS AND THE - LOVING STITCHES _Margaret Fox_ 174 - - MY BED IS A BOAT _Robert Louis Stevenson_ 7 - - MISER OF TAKHOMA, THE _Katharine Berry Judson_ 168 - - NILS AND THE BEAR _Selma Lagerlof_ 218 - - NORTH STAR, THE _Mary Catherine Judd_ 152 - - OLIVE LEAF, THE _Bible_ 254 - - OPECHEE, THE ROBIN REDBREAST _Mary Catherine Judd_ 156 - - PAT-A-CAKE, PAT-A-CAKE _Mother Goose_ 52 - - PAT, PAT _Chinese Mother Goose_ 52 - - PLOWMAN WHO FOUND CONTENT, THE _Old Tale adapted_ 141 - - PUSSY WILLOWS _Henry van Dyke_ 53 - - QUEEN’S NECKLACE, THE _Helena Nyblom_ 180 - - RAINBOW OF PROMISE, THE _Bible_ 256 - - ROBIN’S CAROL, THE _Henry van Dyke_ 113 - - ROBIN HOOD AND SIR - RICHARD-AT-THE-LEE _Joyce Pollard_ 191 - - ROBIN’S CHRISTMAS _A. Gertrude Maynard (Old - legend retold)_ 240 - - SLEEP, LITTLE PIGEON _Eugene Field_ 5 - - STORY OF ITHENTHIELA _Abbie Farwell Brown and - James M. Bell_ 60 - - TABBY AND THE MICE _Old Tale adapted_ 126 - - TALE OF THE CHRIST CHILD _Phila Butler Bowman_ 246 - - TWENTY-THIRD PSALM _Bible_ 261 - - WHY THE BEAR SLEEPS ALL WINTER _Carolyn Sherwin Bailey_ 115 - - WHY THE DOG CANNOT ENDURE THE CAT _Old Tale adapted_ 165 - - - - -TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES - - - PAGE - - RHYMES FOR MOTHERS - - THE ROBIN’S CAROL 113 - - THE LITTLE BALDHEAD 114 - - JAPANESE LULLABY 5 - - BIRDIE WITH A YELLOW BILL 6 - - PAT, PAT 52 - - THE FOUNTAIN (introduction to) 54 - - PUSSY WILLOWS 53 - - PAT-A-CAKE, PAT-A-CAKE 52 - - FABLES AND FOLK-LORE - - THE FISHERMAN 55 - - LEGEND OF THE ARBUTUS 162 - - WHY THE BEAR SLEEPS ALL WINTER 115 - - THE COUNTRY CAT 159 - - THE HONEST WOODMAN 123 - - THE NORTH STAR 152 - - THE COBBLER 154 - - TABBY AND THE MICE 126 - - OPECHEE, THE ROBIN REDBREAST 156 - - KING OF THE FROGS 147 - - THE ADDER THAT DID NOT HEAR 149 - - WHY THE DOG CANNOT ENDURE THE CAT 165 - - THE MISER OF TAKHOMA 168 - - THE PLOWMAN WHO FOUND CONTENT 141 - - FAIRY STORIES - - LITTLE SISTER KINDNESS 174 - - THE QUEEN’S NECKLACE 180 - - ETHICAL STORIES - - THE GOLD BUGS 128 - - THE HISTORY OF TIP-TOP 131 - - THE LITTLE BOY WHO FORGOT TO WASH HIS HANDS 120 - - THE COUNTRY CAT 159 - - THE HONEST WOODMAN 123 - - THE ADDER THAT DID NOT HEAR 149 - - THE MISER OF TAKHOMA 168 - - THE PLOWMAN WHO FOUND CONTENT 141 - - LITTLE SISTER KINDNESS 174 - - THE QUEEN’S NECKLACE 180 - - MYTH AND HERO-TALE - - ROBIN HOOD AND SIR RICHARD-AT-THE-LEE 191 - - THE COMING OF ARTHUR 75 - - STORY OF ITHENTHIELA 60 - - HOW THE QUEEN OF THE ANT GAVE GIFTS TO MEN 200 - - KING MIDAS’ EARS 205 - - HOLD-FAST TOM (modern) 210 - - NILS AND THE BEAR (modern) 218 - - STORIES FOR SPECIAL DAYS - - A LESSON OF FAITH (Easter) 8 - - JERICHO BOB (Thanksgiving) 226 - - ROBIN’S CHRISTMAS 240 - - JERUSALEM ARTIE’S CHRISTMAS DINNER 234 - - A TALE OF THE CHRIST CHILD 246 - - BIBLE STORIES - - STORY OF DAVID 257 - - STORY OF THE ARK 251 - - STORY OF THE FLOOD 252 - - THE OLIVE LEAF 254 - - RAINBOW OF PROMISE 256 - - TWENTY-THIRD PSALM 261 - - - - -BOOKS FOR THE STORY-TELLER - - -All of the following books contain excellent material for the -story-teller. While some of the stories are not perfectly adapted in -form for telling, the best of them can be used with comparatively little -change. - -The list is not by any means comprehensive, but the books mentioned will -abundantly reward the story-teller’s search. - - -MELODIES AND FOLK TALES - - MOTHER GOOSE MELODIES—_edited by W. A. Wheeler_ - CHINESE MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES—_translated by Isaac T. Headland_ - ENGLISH FOLK TALES—_Jacobs_ - BOOK OF FOLK STORIES—_Scudder_ - LULLABY LAND—_Eugene Fields_ - CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSE—_R. L. Stevenson_ - NONSENSE RHYMES—_Edward Lear_ - - -ETHICAL STORIES - - PARABLES FROM NATURE—_Mrs. Gatty_ - FIRELIGHT STORIES—_Carolyn Sherwin Bailey_ - FOR THE CHILDREN’S HOUR—_Carolyn Sherwin Bailey_ - MURRAY’S STORY LAND - - -NATURE STORIES - - THE WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF NILS—_Selma Lagerlof_ - FURTHER ADVENTURES OF NILS—_Selma Lagerlof_ - TRUE BIRD STORIES—_Olive Thorne Miller_ - THE JUNGLE BOOK—_Kipling_ - SECRETS OF THE WOODS—_W. J. Long_ - TRUE TALES OF BIRDS AND BEASTS—_David Starr Jordan_ - - -TRUE HERO STORIES - - ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS—_Tappan_ - AMERICAN HERO STORIES—_Tappan_ - EUROPEAN HERO STORIES—_Tappan_ - HEROES EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW—_Mabie_ - ST. NICHOLAS—_in bound volumes_ - - -FAIRY TALES AND FOLK LORE - - HOUSEHOLD FAIRY TALES—_Grimm_ - ANDERSON’S FAIRY TALES—_translated by Mrs. E. Lucas_ - FAIRY TALES FROM PERRAULT—_translated by S. R. Littleton_ - AESOP’S FABLES—_Jacobs_ - THE GOLDEN SPEARS—_Edmund Leamy_ (Irish Fairy Tales) - IN FAIRY-LAND—_Louey Chisholm_ - JAPANESE FAIRY TALES—_Williston_ - UNCLE REMUS—_Joel Chandler Harris_ - TWILIGHT FAIRY TALES—_Maud Ballington Booth_ - BLUE FAIRY BOOK—_Lang_ - JOLLY CALLE—_Helena Nyblom_ (Swedish Fairy Tales) - - -HISTORY AND LEGEND - - BOYS’ KING ARTHUR—_Lanier_ - KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS—_M. L. Warren_ - MERRY ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD—_Howard Pyle_ - SOME GREAT STORIES AND HOW TO TELL THEM—_Wyche_ - HALF A HUNDRED HERO TALES—_Storr_ - STORY OF SIEGFRIED—_Baldwin_ - FIFTY FAMOUS STORIES RETOLD—_Baldwin_ - STORIES OF HEROIC DEEDS—_Johonnot_ - VIKING TALES—_Hall_ - WONDER TALES FROM WAGNER—_Anna Chapin_ - TRUE STORY BOOK—_Lang_ - STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE—_Joyce Pollard_ - - -MYTHOLOGICAL STORIES - - NORSE STORIES RETOLD—_Mabie_ - STORIES OF NORSE HEROES—_Wilmot-Buxton_ - AGE OF FABLE—_Bulfinch_ - THE WONDER BOOK—_Hawthorne_ - TANGLEWOOD TALES—_Hawthorne_ - STORY OF THE ILIAD—_Church_ - AENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS—_Church_ - NATURE MYTHS—_Holbrook_ - MYTHS OF NORTHERN LANDS—_Guerber_ - - -NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN STORIES - - WIGWAM STORIES—_Mary C. Judd_ - MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST—_Katharine B. Judson_ - INDIAN FAIRY TALES—_Mary Hazelton Wade_ - BEHIND THE DARK PINES—_Martha Young_ - TALES OF THE RED CHILDREN—_Brown and Bell_ - -In addition to the above, comprehensive lists of books for story-tellers -may be secured from the librarians of nearly all the large city libraries -for a merely nominal cost, and in some cases without charge except for -postage. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ART OF STORY-TELLING *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Art of Story-Telling</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0;'>With nearly half a hundred stories</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Julia Darrow Cowles</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: September 14, 2021 [eBook #66303]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: MFR and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ART OF STORY-TELLING ***</div> - -<h1>THE ART OF STORY-TELLING</h1> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p class="titlepage larger">THE ART OF<br /> -STORY-TELLING</p> - -<p class="titlepage">With Nearly Half a Hundred Stories</p> - -<p class="titlepage"><span class="smaller">BY</span><br /> -JULIA DARROW COWLES<br /> -<span class="smaller">Author of “Stories to Tell”</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter titlepage" style="width: 150px;"> -<img src="images/mcclurg.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="titlepage">CHICAGO<br /> -A. C. McCLURG & CO.<br /> -1914</p> - -<p class="titlepage">Copyright by<br /> -Julia Darrow Cowles<br /> -1914</p> - -<p class="center">Published March, 1914</p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller">W. F. HALL PRINTING COMPANY, CHICAGO</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak">PREFACE</h2> - -</div> - -<p>In preparing this book the author has -sought to awaken a keener perception and -a higher appreciation of the artistic and -ethical value of story-telling; to simplify -some of its problems; to emphasize the true -delight which the story-teller may share with -her hearers; and to present fresh material -which answers to the test of being good in -substance as well as in literary form.</p> - -<p>Grateful acknowledgment is made to Miss -Mabel Bartleson, children’s librarian, and to -Miss Ida May Ferguson, of the children’s -department of the Minneapolis Public -Library, for their thoughtful assistance, and -to the authors and publishers of copyrighted -stories included in this volume, for their generous -aid. Specific credit is given in -connection with each story.</p> - -<p class="right">J. D. C.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS</h2> - -</div> - -<table summary="Contents"> - <tr> - <td class="smaller" colspan="2">CHAPTER</td> - <td class="tdpg smaller">PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="3"><a href="#PART_I">PART I</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">I.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Story-Telling in the Home</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">II.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Why Tell Stories in School?</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">16</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">III.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">How to Choose Stories for Telling</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">22</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">IV.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">The Telling of the Story</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">32</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">V.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Use of the Story in Primary Grades</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">41</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VI.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Jingles, Fables, and Folk-Lore</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">52</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VII.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Myth and Hero Tale</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">67</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VIII.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Holiday and Vacation Stories</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">84</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">IX.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Bible Stories</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">89</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">X.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Systematic Story-Telling</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">94</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XI.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">The Joy of Story-Telling</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">100</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XII.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Story-Telling as an Art</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">104</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="3"><a href="#PART_II">PART II</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Selected Stories to Tell</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Selected_Stories_to_Tell">113</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Index of Selected Stories</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#INDEX_OF_SELECTED_STORIES">263</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Topical Index of Stories</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#TOPICAL_INDEX_OF_STORIES">265</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Books for the Story-Teller</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#BOOKS_FOR_THE_STORY-TELLER">267</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p class="center larger">“<i>The Word Painter is the Greatest Human Artist</i>”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_1"></a>[1]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="PART_I">PART I<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Art of Story-Telling</span></h2> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I<br /> -<span class="smaller">Story-Telling in the Home</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>The home, the school, and the library -have each a distinct purpose in story-telling. -These purposes may be more or less -complex, they may in some instances coincide, -yet the fields are separate, and each -has its own fundamental reason for presenting -the oral story to the child.</p> - -<p>In the home, the chief object in story-telling -is to give content, to satisfy. The -child, becoming tired of his toys or of his -games, comes to his mother and begs for a -story. He wants to be taken into her lap, -cuddled within her arms, and entertained. -Oh, the wonderful, the far-reaching opportunities -held by the mother in such moments -as these! The child is in a quiet, receptive -mood, and the stories told him at such times -will never be forgotten; their influence will -follow him as long as he lives. Nothing that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_2"></a>[2]</span> -he can learn in school in the after years will -abide and enter into the essence of his being -as will the stories which his mother tells him. -Strength of character, purity of life, truthfulness, -unselfishness, obedience, faith—all -may be made beautiful and attractive by -means of stories.</p> - -<p>Nor is the directly ethical training the -greatest good achieved by story-telling in the -home. Nothing else so closely links mother -and child in a sweet fellowship and communion -of thought. Nothing else so intimately -binds them together, nor so fully -secures the confidence of the child. When they -enter together the enchanted realm of story-land, -mother and child are in a region apart, -a region from which others are excluded. -The companionship of story-land belongs only -to congenial souls. And so the mother, by -means of stories, becomes the intimate companion, -the loving and wise guide, the dearest -confidant of her child.</p> - -<p>Not all the stories of the home need be -ethical in their teaching, though all stories -worth telling have a foundation of truth. -There should be a wise blending of fairy -stories, mythological tales, fables, nonsense<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_3"></a>[3]</span> -verses, and true nature stories; and the -advantage of story-telling is that it may be -carried on in connection with many of the -household duties, with no diminishing of the -story’s charm. While the mother sews or -embroiders or mends, while she stirs a cake, -or washes dishes, she can tell a story which -will not only entertain or influence the child, -but will carry her own thoughts away from -the ofttimes dullness of her task into realms -of beauty and delight. Then, too, many a -childish task may be robbed of its seemingly -tedious character by the telling of a story -during its progress, or as a reward when -the task is completed.</p> - -<p>Let me beg of you, mothers, do not think -that you cannot tell stories. Try; try; keep -on trying; and ease in telling is bound to -come. Do not think of yourself in the telling; -think of the story and of the child who -listens. Nothing else matters.</p> - -<p>It takes time to search out and familiarize -oneself with just the stories that are best -worth telling, but surely no mother can find -a more important or more worthy object upon -which to expend the time. Librarians and -story-tellers within the past few years have<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_4"></a>[4]</span> -prepared lists which make such selection, -comparatively easy, mid classified lists are -included in the present volume.</p> - -<p>The very little child can grasp only the -simplest story, but the essential facts of any -story which he can comprehend, can be simply -told. A story for a little child should -have few characters, little if any plot, and a -familiarity of action or place. Mother Goose -and similar nursery rhymes naturally come -first for little children in the home. The -kindergarten collections of stories contain -good material, and these can be followed by -or interspersed with the simplest myths and -fairy tales.</p> - -<p>Just as children love the companionship -of animals, so do they love stories of animals; -and when these animals do the things that -children do, an element of surprise and new -delight is added. Children intuitively want -the right to prevail. They love the old tales -wherein animals talk, and the crafty old fox -is always beaten by the good little hen.</p> - -<p>Bible stories should be told to children day -by day. They can be made very simple in -outline, but they should be told over and over, -with a distinction made between them and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5"></a>[5]</span> -the fables and folk tales. The latter may -teach a true lesson, but the former teach <i>The -Truth</i>. And not only should we tell the Old -Testament stories of heroes and of great -wonders, but the story of Christ’s birth, of -his life, his death, and his resurrection, should -be made a part of every child’s early teaching -in the form of stories reverently told. -They will make a lasting impression; an -impression deeper than the most eloquent -sermon heard in maturer years.</p> - -<p>A careful choice of the kind of stories told -to little children lays not only a sound moral -foundation, but a foundation for good literary -taste.</p> - -<p>A child brought up from its earliest years -on stories from the Bible, Anderson, Aesop, -Stevenson, and Field, will instinctively detect -and reject trash when he begins to read -for himself. But the supply of good literature -must be kept at hand, for children <i>will</i> -read <i>something</i>.</p> - -<p>What sweeter bit of verse can a mother -repeat to the child she is hushing to sleep -than this:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Sleep, little pigeon, and fold your wings—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Little blue pigeon with velvet eyes;</div><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6"></a>[6]</span> - <div class="verse indent0">Sleep to the singing of motherbird swinging—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Swinging her nest where her little one lies.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">In through the window a moonbeam comes—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Little gold moonbeam with misty wings;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">All silently creeping, it asks: “Is he sleeping—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Sleeping and dreaming while mother sings?”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The stanzas are from “A Japanese Lullaby,” -and are selected from a host of similarly -dainty verses in <i>Lullaby Land</i>, by -Eugene Field (Charles Scribner’s Sons).</p> - -<p>Robert Louis Stevenson’s <i>Child’s Garden -of Verse</i> is another storehouse of treasure -for mothers. Some of his rhymes, such as -“Good and Bad Children,” are quite equal -to Mother Goose in their good advice administered -in quaintly merry form, while his -“Foreign Lands” and “My Shadow” teach -children to idealize the everyday happenings -of the home life.</p> - -<p>How could a mother better remind her -small boy or girl that it is time to waken -than by repeating his lines:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">A birdie with a yellow bill</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Hopped upon the window-sill,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Cocked his shining eye and said:</div> - <div class="verse indent2">“Ain’t you ’shamed, you sleepy-head!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>When a mother habitually repeats to her -child stories and verses of the character outlined,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7"></a>[7]</span> -she is not only forming his taste in -literature along right lines, but she is helping -to enlarge his vocabulary.</p> - -<p>“What does ‘embark’ mean, Mamma?” -is sure to follow the first or second recital -of Stevenson’s “My Bed Is a Boat”:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">My bed is like a little boat;</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Nurse helps me in when I embark;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">She girds me in my sailor coat</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And starts me in the dark.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>And “gird” will also need interpreting. -These words will soon become a part of his -normal vocabulary. He may not use them in -his everyday speech, but he will not need to -have them explained to him when he comes -upon them in his later reading. Teachers -invariably know when a child comes from a -home of culture and of good literary taste, -by the foundation already laid. The child’s -own forms of expression and the range of his -vocabulary are unmistakable evidence of the -home influence and teaching.</p> - -<p>A literary sequence which will give the -child a knowledge of literature as a development -or a growth—not as a vast accumulation -of unrelated parts—can be carried -through his reading and study. This subject<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8"></a>[8]</span> -is taken up in the chapter upon “Systematic -Story-Telling,” and while it is essentially the -work of a teacher, the foundation for it may -be laid by the wise mother who starts her -child along right lines through the medium of -her story-telling.</p> - -<p>It has already been said that all stories -worth the telling have a foundation of truth. -The story with which this chapter closes is a -beautiful example of a nature story which -embodies a higher truth. It is found in Mrs. -Gatty’s <i>Parables from Nature</i> (The Macmillan -Company):</p> - -<h4>A Lesson of Faith<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></h4> - -<p>A mild, green caterpillar was one day -strolling about on a cabbage leaf, when there -settled beside her a beautiful Butterfly.</p> - -<p>The Butterfly fluttered her wings feebly, -and seemed very ill.</p> - -<p>“I feel very strange and dizzy,” said the -Butterfly, addressing the Caterpillar, “and -I am sure that I have but a little while to -live. But I have just laid some butterfly -eggs on this cabbage leaf, and if I die there -will be no one to care for my baby butterflies.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>[9]</span> -I must hire a nurse for them at once, but I -cannot go far to seek for one. May I hire you -as nurse, kind Caterpillar? I will pay you -with gold dust from my wings.”</p> - -<p>Then, before the surprised Caterpillar -could reply, the Butterfly went on, “Of course -you must not feed them on the coarse cabbage -leaves which are your food. Young -butterflies must be fed upon early dew and -the honey of flowers. And at first, oh, good -Caterpillar, they must not be allowed to fly -far, for their wings will not be strong. It -is sad that you cannot fly yourself. But I -am sure you will be kind, and will do the -best you can.”</p> - -<p>With that the poor Butterfly drooped her -wings and died, and the Caterpillar had no -chance to so much as say “Yes,” or “No.”</p> - -<p>“Dear me!” she exclaimed, as she looked -at the butterfly eggs beside her, “what sort -of a nurse will I make for a group of gay -young butterflies? Much attention they will -pay to the advice of a plain caterpillar like -me. But I shall have to do the best that I -can,” she added. And all that night she -walked around and around the butterfly eggs -to see that no harm came to them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>[10]</span></p> - -<p>“I wish that I had someone wiser than -myself to consult with,” she said to herself -next morning. “I might talk it over with -the house dog. But, no,” she added hastily, -“he is kind, but big and rough, and one brush -of his tail would whisk all the eggs off the -cabbage leaf.</p> - -<p>“There is Tom Cat,” she went on, after -thinking a few moments, “but he is lazy and -selfish, and he would not give himself the -trouble to think about butterfly eggs.</p> - -<p>“Ah, but there’s the Lark!” she exclaimed -at length. “He flies far up into the heavens -and perhaps he knows more than we creatures -that live upon the earth. I’ll ask him.”</p> - -<p>So the Caterpillar sent a message to the -Lark, who lived in a neighboring cornfield, -and she told him all her troubles.</p> - -<p>“And I want to know how I, a poor crawling -Caterpillar, am to feed and care for a -family of beautiful young butterflies. Could -you find out for me the next time you fly -away up into the blue heavens?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps I can,” said the Lark, and off -he flew.</p> - -<p>Higher and higher he winged his way until -the poor, crawling Caterpillar could not even<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>[11]</span> -hear his song, to say nothing of seeing him.</p> - -<p>After a very long time—at least it seemed -so to the Caterpillar, who, in her odd, lumbering -way, kept walking around and around -the butterfly eggs—the Lark came back.</p> - -<p>First, she could hear his song away up -in the heavens. Then it sounded nearer and -nearer, till he alighted close beside her and -began to speak.</p> - -<p>“I found out many wonderful things,” -he said. “But if I tell them to you, you will -not believe me.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes I will,” answered the Caterpillar -hastily, “I believe everything I am told.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then,” said the Lark, “the first -thing I found out was that the butterfly eggs -will turn into little green caterpillars, just -like yourself, and that they will eat cabbage -leaves just as you do.”</p> - -<p>“Wretch!” exclaimed the Caterpillar, -bristling with indignation. “Why do you -come and mock me with such a story as that? -I thought you would be kind, and would try -to help me.”</p> - -<p>“So I would,” answered the Lark, “but -I told you, you would not believe me,” and -with that he flew away to the cornfield.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>[12]</span></p> - -<p>“Dear me,” said the Caterpillar, sorrowfully. -“When the Lark flies so far up into -the heavens I should not think he would come -back to us poor creatures with such a silly -tale. And I needed help so badly.”</p> - -<p>“I would help you if you would only -believe me,” said the Lark, flying down to -the cabbage patch once more. “I have wonderful -things to tell you, if you would only -have faith in me and trust in what I say.”</p> - -<p>“And you are not making fun of me?” -asked the Caterpillar.</p> - -<p>“Of course not,” answered the Lark.</p> - -<p>“But you tell me such impossible things!”</p> - -<p>“If you could fly with me and see the wonders -that I see, here on earth, and away up -in the blue sky, you would not say that <i>anything</i> -was <i>impossible</i>,” replied the Lark.</p> - -<p>“But,” said the Caterpillar, “you tell me -that these eggs will hatch out into caterpillars, -and I <i>know</i> that their mother was a -butterfly, for I saw her with my own eyes; -and so of course they will be butterflies. How -could they be anything else? I am sure I can -reason that far, if I cannot fly.”</p> - -<p>“Very well,” answered the Lark, “then I -must leave you, though I have even more<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>[13]</span> -wonderful things that I could tell. But what -comes to you from the heavens, you can only -receive by faith, as I do. You cannot crawl -around on your cabbage leaf and reason these -things out.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I do believe what I am told,” repeated -the Caterpillar—although she had -just proved that it was not true—“at least,” -she added, “everything that is <i>reasonable</i> -to believe. Pray tell me what else you -learned.”</p> - -<p>“I learned,” said the Lark, impressively, -“that you will be a butterfly, yourself, some -day.”</p> - -<p>“Now, indeed, you are making fun of me,” -exclaimed the Caterpillar, ready to cry with -vexation and disappointment. But just at -that moment she felt something brush against -her side, and, turning her head, she looked -in amazement at the cabbage leaf, for there, -just coming out of the butterfly eggs, were -eight or ten little green caterpillars—and -they were no more than out of the eggs before -they began eating the juicy leaf.</p> - -<p>Oh, how astonished and how ashamed the -Caterpillar felt. What the Lark had said -was true!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>[14]</span></p> - -<p>And then a very wonderful thought came -to the poor, green Caterpillar. “If this part -is true, it must all be true, and some day <i>I</i> -shall be a <i>butterfly</i>.”</p> - -<p>She was so delighted that she began telling -all her caterpillar friends about it—but -they did not believe her any more than she -had believed the Lark.</p> - -<p>“But I know, I <i>know</i>,” she kept saying to -herself. And she never tired of hearing the -Lark sing of the wonders of the earth below, -and of the heavens above.</p> - -<p>And all the time, the little green caterpillars -on the leaf grew and thrived wonderfully, -and the big green Caterpillar watched -them and cared for them carefully every -hour.</p> - -<p>One day the Caterpillar’s friends gathered -around her and said, very sorrowfully, “It -is time for you to spin your chrysalis and -die.”</p> - -<p>But the Caterpillar replied, “You mean -that I shall soon be changed into a beautiful -butterfly. How wonderful it will be.”</p> - -<p>And her friends looked at one another -sadly and said, “She is quite out of her -mind.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>[15]</span></p> - -<p>Then the Caterpillar spun her chrysalis and -went to sleep.</p> - -<p>And by and by, when she wakened, oh, -then she <i>knew</i> that what the Lark had learned -in the heavens was true—for she was a beautiful -butterfly, with gold dust on her wings.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<h4>FOOTNOTES</h4> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[1]</a> Adapted for telling. By permission of the publishers.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>[16]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II<br /> -<span class="smaller">Why Tell Stories in School?</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>Every lover of children knows that a -good story, well told, is a source of the -purest joy; but while this of itself is sufficient -reason for story-telling in the home and -in the nursery, it is not sufficient reason for -general story-telling in the school. Happiness -is a powerful ally of successful work, but -it never should be substituted for the work -itself; it may well be made one of the means -of attainment, but never the object to be -attained. Useful service is a far higher ideal -than personal happiness, and it should be the -ideal held before the child who enters school.</p> - -<p>As all educational methods have for their -ultimate object that of making the child of -today the good neighbor, the true friend, the -useful citizen of tomorrow, so we have a right -to question the recent and growing demand -for story-telling in our schools. What is its -object? Does this object aid in the ultimate -end to be attained?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>[17]</span></p> - -<p>First of all let us consider the well-recognized -fact that through story-telling a teacher -may come into so close and happy a relationship -with her pupils that they will respond -to her suggestions and be molded by her -influence to a degree not easily attainable by -any other means. A story may be told as a -means of restoring order in a roomful of -restless children, or when some untoward -occurrence has brought the tension of school -discipline dangerously near to the breaking -point. This use of the timely, the appropriate, -story is worthy of consideration by teachers -far beyond the primary grades.</p> - -<p>Stories may be used as an aid to language -work. The diffident, self-conscious child who -cannot be induced to talk upon the ordinary -topics of school work, can be aroused into -forgetfulness of self and made to respond -with growing animation to questions regarding -a story that has awakened his interest. -A “point of contact” may be established -with even the dullest child if his interests are -studied and the right story chosen for telling. -Sometimes the story may need to be improvised -to fit the occasion. A story chosen, or -especially written to meet the need of some<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>[18]</span> -particular child, has in more than one instance -influenced his whole after life.</p> - -<p>Lessons of unselfishness, of thoughtfulness, -of cleanliness, of patriotism, of obedience—of -all the characteristics which we wish to -cultivate in the children—may be impressed -by means of stories. This field of story-telling -should begin in the home, but it may -well extend on into the school room.</p> - -<p>A love of nature and of out-door life may -be strengthened by stories of birds and animals, -of trees and of plant life, thus leading -naturally to essays and poems upon the same -subjects for later reading.</p> - -<p>The funny story has its legitimate place in -the school room, although there are teachers -who would as soon think of introducing a bit -of fun into a church service as into a school -session. But fun is a wonderful lubricant, -and there are times when a funny story will -oil up the pedagogical machinery as nothing -else could.</p> - -<p>In the more advanced grades stories may -be used to awaken an interest in history, both -local and general, ancient and modern. Nothing -better can be devised for making the dry -bones of names and dates take on life, than<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>[19]</span> -the telling of an interesting story of the time -and the characters of the lesson. Such stories -should not be told as an end in themselves, -but as a means to an end—the awakening -of interest in historical subjects by giving life -and reality to historical characters.</p> - -<p>In the same manner an interest in the -works of the best authors may be aroused -by telling the story of one character in a -book, or by telling part of the story of a book -and leaving it at an interesting point. There -are many children, boys especially, who leave -school after passing through the seventh or -eighth grade. If they have not formed a -taste for good literature, their reading after -leaving school is likely to be without value -if it is not positively injurious. One of the -surest means of leading such boys to read -and enjoy good books lies in the hands of -the teachers of these grades. Let her tell -stories from Dickens, from Scott, from -Cooper, from Stevenson; let her tell stories -from local history, general history; stories -of discovery, of science, and of art. Let her -make these things attractive, and show her -pupils where more of the same fascinating -material may be found.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>[20]</span></p> - -<p>So thoroughly is the value of this class of -story-telling understood that progressive -librarians throughout the country are having -“story hours” at the libraries for the purpose -of reaching boys of this age and bringing -them into closer touch with the treasures -of the library shelves. Teachers in districts -having any large percentage of boys of this -class can accomplish far-reaching results by -devoting some portion of each week, at least, -to telling stories having this special end in -view.</p> - -<p>With the foregoing objects—a sympathetic -understanding between teacher and -pupils, better discipline, help for the self-conscious -and the “dull” pupil, character -lessons, the development of a love of nature, -an interest in history and in good literature—all -attainable through story-telling, there -remains little ground for question as to the -work coinciding in its results with the ultimate -object of our common school education. -But let the teacher have a definite object in -her story-telling. Let her use this new-old -art as a means of arousing her pupils to -action, to achievement. A story told in school -should not be offered as a sugary, educational<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>[21]</span> -confection which will destroy the taste -for solid food, but as a spicy condiment to -whet the appetite for a substantial feast.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>[22]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III<br /> -<span class="smaller">How to Choose Stories for Telling</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>There are certain subtle qualities which -a story must possess in order to give -pleasure through its telling, which are not -necessary in the story which is to be read. -These qualities are of form rather than of -substance. They are those qualities which -permit of the personality of the speaker -entering into the narrative to such an extent -that the story becomes a recounting of something -<i>known to her</i>. No matter how remote -in point of time or place, the story must be -of a character which can be personally set -forth. I do not mean by this that the one -who tells the story should be thrown into the -foreground, or that there should be any use -of the pronoun “I”; but simply that the -teller of the story should be able to set it -forth with all the earnestness and intimacy -of a personal narrative, and the story itself -must therefore possess the form which makes -this possible.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>[23]</span></p> - -<p>A story of this character may be so told -to a roomful of small children that it will -hold them breathless with interest even at -the close of a hard day’s work, and <i>when -the dismissal bell is ringing</i>, as the writer -has inadvertently proved.</p> - -<p>To some, the story that is adapted in substance -and in form for telling, makes instant -appeal. Its possibilities are intuitively recognized. -To others, only a critical examination -and analysis will show whether the story -is one to which children will listen with -delight. Of course, after all is said and done, -the true test of the story lies in telling it.</p> - -<p>What, then, are the essential requirements -in the form of the story?</p> - -<p>The story must begin in an interesting -way. The first sentence, or at most the first -paragraph, should locate the story and introduce -its hero. To be sure the “location” -may be that delightfully indefinite past from -which so many of childhood’s stories emanate—the -“Once upon a time” of the fairy tale -or of the “little small Rid Hin”; or it may -be “many years ago”; or “in ancient times,” -as in the story of “Why the Cat and Dog -Are Enemies”; or simply “once”—“There<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>[24]</span> -was once a shepherd boy who called ‘Wolf,’” -or “The Sun and the Wind once had a -quarrel.”</p> - -<p>Of course the time may, on the other hand, -be very definite—“’Twas the night before -Christmas”—but in either case the story -starts out positively, the place or time is -assigned, the subject of the story is introduced. -Then you will see the children, their -expectation aroused, settle themselves for the -delightful developments which are to be unfolded, -for the denouement which is sure to -follow, and their eager faces are all the -incentive needed to arouse the story-teller to -her best endeavor.</p> - -<p>The story, properly introduced, should -move forward clearly, somewhat concisely, -toward a well-defined end or climax. The -form should be mainly narrative or conversational, -with vivid touches of description -never prolonged. There should be life, action, -dramatic action, but very little of explanation. -The incidents of the story should be -so arranged as to be self-explanatory in their -sequence.</p> - -<p>For small children, repetition has a special -charm—repetition such as is to be found in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>[25]</span> -“The Three Bears,” or “The Cock and the -Mouse.”</p> - -<p>For older children there may be introduced -a little more of the descriptive form, but it -is well to beware of adding much of either -description or explanation. Even “grown-ups” -enjoy the straightforward narrative -that delights the child, and the introduction -of detail soon grows irksome and uninteresting, -even to the most conscientious listener. -And no child is a “conscientious listener.” -He listens for love of the story. If it does -not interest him he stops listening and does -something else.</p> - -<p>The story must reach a climax and stop -there. Many a good story has been spoiled -by its ending. Story-tellers sometimes remind -one of a man holding the handles of an -electric battery. The current is so strong -that he cannot let go. The story-teller must -know when and how to “let go.” Let us -suppose that, in telling Hans Christian Anderson’s -story of “The Nightingale,” the -story-teller—after the delightful denouement -of the supposedly dead Emperor’s -greeting to his attendants, where he “to their -astonishment said ‘Good morning!’”—were<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>[26]</span> -to add an explanation of the effect of -the nightingale’s song in restoring the Emperor -to health! It would be like offering a -glass of “plain soda” from which all the -effervescence had departed.</p> - -<p>Bring the story to its self-wrought denouement -and—let go. Do not apologize for the -ending, do not explain it, do not tack on a -moral—just “let go,” and you will leave -all the tingle and exhilaration of the magnetic -current still in the veins of your listeners.</p> - -<p>So much for the structural form of the -story. Next let us consider its</p> - -<h4><i>Point of Contact</i></h4> - -<p>Has the story something which is in common -with the life and experience of the -listeners? Has it a familiar groundwork? -Does it deal with familiar objects or actions? -In other words, is it “understandable” -from the child’s point of view? Not that all -the characters nor all the adjustments of the -story need to be those which the child already -knows by experience, but there must be some -common ground from which a start may be -made. Then the story may lead on into wonderful -regions of fancy or into remote times<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>[27]</span> -and places which only the imagination can -trace. For instance, of what value or interest -would the story of “Toads and Diamonds” -be to a child who never had seen -a toad and who had no knowledge of what -a diamond was like? And does not the boy’s -understanding of “How Thor Went Fishing” -lie in the fact that <i>he</i> has fished?</p> - -<p>Little children love to be told stories of the -life which they know by daily contact; stories -of the home and of the home industries, of -school, of children, of pets and animals. They -live in “a daily fellowship with nature and -all creatures.” Fairy tales and stories of -animals are doubly delightful when the -fairies and the animals do the things which -children do. This does not imply that the -story be commonplace, for the normal activities -of children are far removed from the -commonplace, and the story, having its point -of contact established, should, through its -imaginative or its moral influence, carry the -child into quite unexplored regions of beauty -and truth.</p> - -<p>This leads us to another determining factor—<i>the</i> -determining factor—in choosing a -story.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>[28]</span></p> - -<h4><i>Is It Worth Telling?</i></h4> - -<p>The structural form of a story may be -changed; with more difficulty a point of contact -may be established by a bit of suggestive -explanation, but if the story content is -not good, no amount of “doctoring” will -make it worth the telling.</p> - -<p>Suppose we apply these tests: Is the effect -of the story helpful? Does it strengthen the -imagination? Does it teach a right principle -of action? Does it inspire a love for the -beautiful and the true? Does it inspire reverence -for the Creator and appreciation of -the works of His hand? Does it exemplify -sane and happy living? Does it teach neighborly -kindness? Will its telling make a child -better and happier? If the story calls for -an affirmative answer to any of these questions, -if, in other words, its teaching is simple, -pure, and true, then it is by all means -worthy of telling.</p> - -<p>It is not necessary that the story should -make no mention of selfishness, of craftiness, -of evil temper, or of disobedience to laws -moral or physical; but no story in which evil -is rewarded or in which the wrongdoer triumphs<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>[29]</span> -should ever be told to children, for -in its essence such a story is not true, its -teaching is not true; it is not in accord with -God’s eternal laws. Children assimilate long -before they analyze.</p> - -<p>At first glance it may seem easy to decide -as to the moral influence of a story, but there -are differences of opinion even here, and -some writers condemn unsparingly that old -acquaintance of our childhood, Jack, of Bean-stalk -fame, and set him down as an arrant -thief and murderer whose crimes brought him -riches and comfort in his old age. And the -tale of Cinderella, while it can be said to -cast no stain upon the character of its heroine, -is condemned as leaving an impression, -upon the impressionable mind of childhood, -that all step-mothers are hard and cruel and -unjust. As the Mother Goose stories are -dealt with at greater length in a later chapter, -I will make no comment now upon these -criticisms. But they are worthy of due consideration, -and go to show that it is not -always as easy as it may at first appear, to -judge the exact influence of a story, and some -of our old acquaintances which have been -accepted simply because they are old acquaintances,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>[30]</span> -may really need to be given the -“cut direct.”</p> - -<p>This much is safe to say: If you have any -doubts about the influence of a story being -wholly good, leave it untold. There are so -many good stories, so many whose teaching -is wholly and positively helpful, that there -is no need of hesitating over one which -presents a doubt.</p> - -<p>There is one more qualification which -should be required of the story told to children. -It should be written in</p> - -<h4><i>Good Literary Form</i></h4> - -<p>Since one of the objects of story-telling -is to cultivate a taste for good literature, the -story chosen should not only be tellable in -its form and true in its essence, but it should -be artistic in its workmanship. It should -be written in pure, simple English, fitted to -the thought expressed. But, it may be objected, -few story-tellers ever give a story in -the exact language in which it is written. -This is true, for if the story is learned word -for word, the narrator is very apt to give a -recitation, rather than to tell a story. At -the same time the true story-teller will learn<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>[31]</span> -her story so thoroughly, will become so at -home in every essential detail, that the spirit -and style of the writer will be assimilated -and so bound up with the story itself that the -literary qualities will be retained and their -essence imparted to the orally reproduced -story. So, only, can appreciation and love -for the beauty of literary forms be imparted -to the children by means of the verbal story. -Herein lies the <i>art</i> of the story-teller.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>[32]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV<br /> -<span class="smaller">The Telling of the Story</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>Having chosen the right story for telling, -the next consideration is how to -tell it in the best manner possible.</p> - -<p>Aside from all question of voice, enunciation, -ease of manner—which, though important, -are more or less matters of personal -habit or physical endowment—there are two -absolute essentials to successful story-telling: -a thorough knowledge of the story, and -forgetfulness of self.</p> - -<p>The best story may be spoiled by the manner -of telling. A good story told by a master -of the art will be a source of delight, while -the same story told by a self-conscious, -poorly prepared novice will be annoyingly -tiresome.</p> - -<p>The first step in the preparation, then, -must be a thorough assimilation of the story. -This does not involve memorizing, but the -substance of the story must be made your -own. Formulate in your own mind its plan<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>[33]</span> -or outline. What is its climax? What are -the essential facts leading to this climax? -How do they follow, in order to bring about -the final surprise or culmination?</p> - -<p>Having this outline well fixed in mind, -begin to fill in details. Note the bits of wit -or of wisdom which strengthen the story; -the apt phrases or happy turns of expression -which exactly fit the thought. Memorize -these, and these only. Think the story over, -again and again, until it becomes a personal -possession—something which you <i>know</i>. -Then begin formulating it. You can do this -mentally, inaudibly at first, following the general -mode of expression of the written story, -so that you will tell it in a manner which -conforms to the literary style of the author. -This is not difficult, for if you have selected -a well-written story, the style in which it is -written will be in keeping with its character -and will seem the natural mode of expression. -This assimilation of style as well as of substance -takes the place of literal memorizing. -It allows full liberty in the telling, while -memorizing only cramps and hampers.</p> - -<p>Repeat the story mentally until you not -only know its substance as a personal experience,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>[34]</span> -but until you are so familiar with its -literary style that you could scarcely tell -that particular story in any other form. -This assimilation of style as well as of substance -takes time, but the ability to learn a -story readily will come with practice. After -you have mastered the <i>method</i> of learning, -you will be able to acquire new stories with -little difficulty.</p> - -<p>You are now ready to tell the story orally; -not at once to an audience—at least not until -you have gained sufficient experience to know -to just what extent you can depend upon -yourself—but to an imaginary assembly. A -doll makes a very good “practice auditor,” -and is not inclined to encourage you overmuch -by her responsiveness. If your imagination -is good, a sofa pillow or a chair will do -as well. You will probably make your first -audible effort at an opportune moment when -you are left quite alone in the house, and the -first opening door will bring the rehearsal -to a definite close. But in time, if you persevere, -the family will become used to it. As -for yourself, however, you will probably find -that an amused audience of one, even though -unseen, is more conducive to self-consciousness<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>[35]</span> -than an interested audience of one -hundred.</p> - -<p>A teacher presenting a story to her own -class of pupils will not, of course, have so -many difficulties to overcome. She and the -children are on a familiar footing; she talks -to them every day; she knows the number -and responsiveness of her audience, the size -of the room, the carrying power of her own -voice. She is scarcely conscious that these -factors enter into the success of story-telling. -But when a story-teller addresses an unknown -audience, these factors assume unexpected -importance.</p> - -<p>I have in mind an early experience when -a story hour was arranged at one of the -branch libraries of a large city. I knew that -the “fifty-seven varieties” of childhood were -accustomed to assemble there and that the -room was not large, but I was not prepared -to find two hundred children compressed -within little more than two hundred square -feet of space. My natural voice proved -wholly inadequate. I began, but saw at once -that the children at the farther end of the -room could not hear, and I stopped. Taking -a more central position, I found an entirely<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>[36]</span> -new voice—one so much higher pitched that -I am sure I should never have recognized it -as my own, elsewhere—and I told the stories. -The new voice carried, and under the conditions -sounded wholly normal. The children -grew quiet, and for nearly an hour we traveled -together through fairy-land, across western -prairies, along the streets of Hamelin town, -into the Empire of Japan, and among the -Korean folk. How we did enjoy it!</p> - -<p>The incident taught me two things at least: -one, the value of having an intimate knowledge -of the stories to be told, so that no unexpectedness -of conditions could cause them -to take flight; the other, the necessity of -being able to adapt oneself to unexpected -conditions.</p> - -<p>The need of adapting the story, or the -mode of telling, to the requirements of the -immediate occasion, can only be learned by -watching your audience.</p> - -<p>Be sure your voice reaches the farthest -child in the room. You need not use a loud -tone, but a little difference in the pitch will -make a great difference in the carrying quality. -If the children must exert themselves, -hold themselves tense, in order to hear, they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>[37]</span> -will soon relax the effort and become restless -and indifferent.</p> - -<p>If a child becomes inattentive, address your -story to him for a time, and turn to him -frequently afterward. Each child loves to -feel that the story is being told to <i>him</i>. For -this reason, the story and the children are -the only things to be taken account of. The -story should be told directly to the <i>individual</i> -children, not to the <i>mass</i> of children.</p> - -<p>At a recent story hour the children were -grouped upon the left hand side of the large -audience room, and the older people, of whom -there were a goodly number, upon the right -hand side. A small cousin of the story-teller—aged -three—who had heard the stories -until he could tell them himself, sat upon his -grandfather’s lap on the “grown-up” side -of the room.</p> - -<p>The story-teller devoted her attention to -the children’s side of the room exclusively. -She began with the story of “Raggylug,” -by Ernest Thompson-Seton. The moment the -story was finished, a small voice from the -neglected side of the room demanded, “Now -tell it to <i>me</i>!”</p> - -<p>The incident is used to show that each<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>[38]</span> -child wants to feel that the story is being -told to him, and emphasizes the need of telling -stories with a personal directness of -appeal.</p> - -<p>I have said that the story and the children -should be the only things of which the story-teller -takes note. A consciousness of one’s -own self as the actor upon the boards, spoils -all.</p> - -<p>This self-consciousness may be betrayed -by a nervous twirling of a handkerchief, a -twisting of rings or bracelet, by an arranging -of the hair or the dress. It may be but a -slight action in itself, but it betrays the fault -which will be felt, though probably not -defined.</p> - -<p>Forget yourself. Become so interested in -your story that you can think of nothing else—except -the children who are drinking it in.</p> - -<p>You may safely use as much dramatic -action as springs spontaneously from a vivid -telling of the story, but it must never be a -conscious effort for dramatic effect. Give -yourself perfect liberty. As you watch your -audience, interpolate, enlarge, omit, explain -briefly, as you see the need arise—but you -can only do this if you <i>know</i> your story. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>[39]</span> -changes made should all be kept in harmony -with the style of the original narrative, and -used only in order to stimulate or to arouse -your hearers to a quicker perception or a -better understanding.</p> - -<p>Take time to bring out the essence of the -tale, to impress the beauty of the description, -to enhance the humor of a situation. A story -should never be hurriedly told, any more -than it should be hurriedly prepared.</p> - -<p>It is quite possible for the same story to -be so told as to teach exactly opposite lessons, -and yet without any alteration of the essential -facts. This point is well illustrated by -the story of “Robin Hood and Sir Richard-at-the-Lea,” -taken as an example. In this -story it would be easy to call undue attention -to Robin Hood as the “robber outlaw.” On -the other hand, it is equally easy, by a few -wise omissions, or a difference in handling, -to make prominent the characteristics which -caused him to be loved by all his “merrie -men,” trusted by the poor and helpless, and -worshipped as a hero by the boys of all succeeding -generations. This difference in handling -applies to nearly all of the Robin Hood -stories, and to many of the old nursery tales<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>[40]</span> -as well. They illustrate the point which I -have made, that the same story may be so -written, or so told, as to leave entirely different -impressions upon the mind.</p> - -<p>The story-teller may not as a rule require -special training in the use of the speaking -voice, but it is essential that she enunciate -easily, clearly, and agreeably. A well modulated -voice tires neither speaker nor hearer.</p> - -<p>To summarize—</p> - -<p>Know your story; know it so thoroughly -that it is flexible under your handling, yielding -easily to the varying conditions under -which it is told while retaining all its essential -qualities of style and of substance:</p> - -<p>See that your voice carries:</p> - -<p>Forget yourself:</p> - -<p>Do not hurry:</p> - -<p>Bring out the true essence of the tale:</p> - -<p>Tell it with directness of appeal to your -immediate audience:</p> - -<p>Carry it to its climax:</p> - -<p>“Let go.”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>[41]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V<br /> -<span class="smaller">Use of the Story in Primary Grades</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>In the primary grades of the schools, -stories may be told as a relaxation, as -an incentive to learning to read, and as a -means of enlarging the vocabulary of the -little people and thereby giving them greater -freedom of self-expression. In the more advanced -grades the story is used to awaken -interest in new subjects, to fix the essentials -of a lesson, and to cultivate a taste for the -best in literature. But in all the grades, as -well as in the home, it may be made the -means of carrying home a lesson or of clinching -a truth.</p> - -<p>The use of the story in the primary grades -coincides in some degree with its use in the -home, but it goes much further. The old -method of primary teaching whereby a child -was made by laborious exercises to <i>learn to -read</i> in order that he might be able in later -years to enjoy the treasures of literature, has -undergone a radical and healthful change.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>[42]</span> -Under the former method, the child, through -the barrenness of his labor, was often discouraged -in his attempt to master reading, -and he had but a dim idea at best of the -benefit which was to accrue to him from -learning.</p> - -<p>Under present methods, the child, before -he is given any of the laborious drill work—which -is as essential as ever to his learning -to read for himself—is told stories, is led -into the beautiful realms of literature, and is -made to realize what is in store for him when -he has mastered the technical difficulties of -reading. After that, the drills and the oral -stories are carried on together, and the -stories form a tempting incentive to hard -work upon the drills. Children are willing -to work, and to work hard, if they see a -desirable object to be attained.</p> - -<p>The primary teacher who makes judicious -use of stories in her class room lays hold -upon one of the most efficient aids to successful -work. But when a story has been -told to the children, it has but half served -its purpose. If it was worth telling, it is -worth remembering; and there is no means -by which the story may be so thoroughly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>[43]</span> -impressed upon the child’s mind as by his -telling it himself.</p> - -<p>The first advantage gained lies in the fact -that if the child knows that he is likely to -be called upon to re-tell the story, he will -listen more intently, more acutely. This in -itself helps him, because he learns to be -attentive, and to concentrate his thoughts. -When he tries to re-tell the story, if he -has not grasped the essentials or cannot -follow the sequence, then he will have to listen -again—more carefully, this time—and he -will have shown wherein he needs help.</p> - -<p>With very young children, it is a good -plan to talk the story over, after it has been -told, bringing out the essential facts, and so -forming a framework or outline upon which -the child can more readily rebuild the story.</p> - -<p>The opportunity which the reproduction of -a story affords of helping the child to express -himself in clear, correct English, and to -enlarge his vocabulary, is of exceptional -value. At the same time his absorption in -the story itself overcomes his timidity or self-consciousness -to a wonderful degree, and -often arouses a child from a dull lethargy -of indifference.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>[44]</span></p> - -<p>Again, no reading lesson will admit of the -freedom of expression in face, tone, and general -attitude which the telling of a story -permits. Why? Because the child enjoys it. -It is a natural thing to him, while reading, -in the early grades, is unnatural.</p> - -<p>Teachers should be careful not to let the -children who are eager to re-tell the story, -monopolize the time. It is those who are shy -and backward who need the exercise most. -The eager ones may lead the way, but the -shy ones should be encouraged to follow.</p> - -<p>Dramatization goes a step farther than -reproduction. The dramatizing or playing of -a story makes it take on life and reality for -the child. When he hears a story read or -told he forms a mental picture which is more -or less hazy and easily dispelled. When he -has for himself played the story, assumed -one of the characters, and acted its part, then -the thought of the story becomes crystallized. -He grasps its meaning, sees its beauty, understands -its truth, and <i>remembers</i> it. This -intensifying of his mental pictures results in -more expressive reading as well as in better -language work and in greater power of self-expression.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>[45]</span></p> - -<p>Another distinct advantage gained through -dramatizing is the bringing of the life of -literature into direct contact with the child’s -life, and so causing all literature to become -more real and vital.</p> - -<p>The play—for so it seems to the child—forms -a connecting link between the home or -play-life to which he has been accustomed, -and the new and strange life of the school. -It helps to banish diffidence, and to establish -a familiar atmosphere and a spirit of fellowship -with the teacher and the other pupils. -It is also a source of pure joy to the child, -and “the education that brings joy along -with careful and exact training is better than -the kind that omits the joy.” Would that -every teacher might remember this!</p> - -<p>It need hardly be said that while dramatizing -in the schoolroom may be helpful and -vitalizing when under the control of a teacher -who recognizes its educational value, it may, -on the other hand, become inane and even -silly if used simply as an amusement or as -a time-filler.</p> - -<p>While much of the value of dramatizing -must depend upon the insight and oversight -of the teacher, much also depends upon the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>[46]</span> -selection of material. “Not what <i>may</i> be -dramatized, but what <i>should</i> be.”</p> - -<p>If a teacher has clearly before her the -thought of <i>why</i> we dramatize, then the question -of <i>what</i> to dramatize will be more readily -determined.</p> - -<p>Stories of nature, in which the children -represent birds, bees, flowers, the wind, the -seasons, are all useful for the purpose. Such -stories quicken the imagination and bring the -child into closer relationship with out-door -life.</p> - -<p>An especially good example of a story to -dramatize is the “Lesson of Faith,” in the -first chapter of this book. Teachers will find -this story especially appropriate to their -Easter exercises.</p> - -<p>After the story has been told often enough -for the children to become familiar with its -thought and outline, let some little girl represent -the Caterpillar, and another the Butterfly. -Have a boy represent the Lark, and -eight or ten other children the butterfly eggs.</p> - -<p>Begin the dramatizing by having this last -group of children curl themselves down quietly -together, while the little girl who represents -the Caterpillar moves slowly about<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>[47]</span> -near them. Then let the Butterfly, slowly -moving her wings, settle beside the Caterpillar -and address her, telling her of the little -eggs, and asking her to care for them. Then -have the Butterfly droop her wings and -become quiet, as though dead. It is best, -then, to allow this child to resume her seat -while the others carry on the little play.</p> - -<p>Next have the Caterpillar indulge in her -soliloquy, and presently the Lark should come -flying to her side. Then follows the dialogue -between the two, the Lark flying away and -returning as described in the story.</p> - -<p>As the Caterpillar declares that the Lark -is making fun of her when he tells her that -she will one day be a butterfly herself, have -the little butterfly eggs—now caterpillars—begin -to move about, one brushing against -her, and let them begin to nibble as though -eating.</p> - -<p>After the Caterpillar has shown her great -surprise, have her show her great joy at -learning that the Lark’s message is true. -Then she should go to one or two of the -children in the seats, who represent the Caterpillar’s -friends, and tell them the great -good news which she has learned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>[48]</span></p> - -<p>They are to show their unbelief of what -she has said.</p> - -<p>Next have these friends come to her and -tell her that it is time for her to form her -chrysalis and die.</p> - -<p>Then the Caterpillar becomes very still, -the little green caterpillars, meanwhile, eating -and moving about very quietly.</p> - -<p>As the final act of the little drama, have -the Butterfly emerge from her chrysalis, -spread her wings, and fly away.</p> - -<p>This story answers perfectly to the requirements -of dramatization, and it is clearly -not one which <i>may</i> be dramatized, but one -which <i>should</i> be. The children who take part, -and those who look on at the little play, will -have their mental conception of the story, -which was first given in words only, intensified; -made real and lasting.</p> - -<p>When children imitate, say, the robin or -the crow, see that their motions accord with -those of the bird represented—have them -hop like the robin, or walk like the crow. -The eagle and the swallow fly poised on outstretched -wing, while the humming bird’s -wings move rapidly. All these differences, -if noted, teach the children to observe. If<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>[49]</span> -a child makes a mistake, such as hopping -when representing the crow, do not tell him -what his mistake is, but have him find out -before the next day how the crow moves when -on the ground. This is of especial value if -he can have an opportunity of watching a -crow for himself, since it teaches him to -observe closely; to use his own eyes.</p> - -<p>Fairy and folk tales afford excellent material -for dramatizing, as do some of the -familiar mythological stories. They quicken -the child’s imagination by helping him to -understand the personification of the forces -of nature, and this understanding is greatly -helped if he not only hears and reads the -stories, but plays them as well.</p> - -<p>The story of Midas is well adapted for -dramatizing. Choose a boy to represent the -avaricious king, and another boy for Bacchus, -who bestows upon him the golden touch. -Other children, either boys or girls, may be -selected to typify the apple tree and the rose -bush—moving their leaves in the breeze till -stiffened by Midas’ touch. A little girl must, -of course, personify Midas’ little daughter.</p> - -<p>After all these have been turned to gold, -Midas visits Bacchus and implores his aid<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>[50]</span> -in getting rid of the fatal power which has -been given to him. Then he returns with -joy and restores the apple tree, the rose, and, -best of all, his own little daughter, to life. -The details of the story will have to be -worked out according to the version chosen, -but the story is too well known and too -readily found, to make it worth while to give -it in detail here.</p> - -<p>The reproduction of a story also through -constructive mediums—clay modeling, painting, -or paper cutting—helps the child to a -physical application of the knowledge which -he has gained, and so strengthens the impression -which has been made.</p> - -<p>A little further on, when lessons in nature -study, geography, and history are about to -be introduced, the child can be led into them -almost unconsciously, through talks and -stories of nature, of travel, of foreign countries, -and of biography and history. Under -this method of teaching, children are made -to realize that history is a narrative of real -events, directed by people who did great -things, great enough for the whole country -or the whole world to be interested in, and -the men of history become heroes of flesh -and blood; geography steps out from between<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>[51]</span> -the covers of a book and becomes a multiplied -home, the home of many people and -of many races, each home possessing characteristics -which interest and appeal to the -child; nature study becomes an introduction -to new friends clothed in feathers and fur.</p> - -<p>When stories are reproduced in the school -room the work should not be undertaken as -a formal language drill. The story should be -left to make its appeal to the childish imagination -and should then be expressed in his -own words. Let the exact drill upon words -be done with sentences which are designed -for that purpose, but let the reproduction of -any story which is worthy of a place in literature -be a spontaneous expression upon the -part of the child, so that the life and beauty -of the story may be preserved to him. A -story loses its grace and its ethical value -when hammered into a rigid form of words. -Word drill is right and proper in its place, -but the reproduction of a worth-while story -demands that the thought be kept living and -active, and the form of expression free.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>[52]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI<br /> -<span class="smaller">Jingles, Fables, and Folk-Lore</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>The first stories told to a child are almost -invariably the Mother Goose rhymes -and jingles, beginning perhaps with:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">So I will, master, as fast as I can:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with T,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And toss in the oven for Tommy and me.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">Or this, from the <i>Chinese Mother Goose</i> -(Fleming H. Revell Company):</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Pat, pat,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">A swallow’s nest we’ll make,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And if we pat some money out</div> - <div class="verse indent2">We’ll buy ourselves a cake.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">These are usually accompanied by appropriate -finger plays.</p> - -<p>Can we give a tangible reason for this -choice? Why do all mothers turn to them -with unwavering fidelity? Why do all children -love them?</p> - -<p>There can be but one answer. Before a -child is able to follow the thread of the simplest<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>[53]</span> -story, he can enjoy the musical cadence -of these rhymes. There is rhythm in their -measure, an allurement of sound in their -words and phrases which pleases his ear and -satisfies his senses long before their words -carry any intelligent thought to his mind.</p> - -<p>Why are “memory gems” taught in the -primary grades of the schools? The children -understand but little of their true beauty of -thought, but the cadence of the lines fixes -them in the memory, and the deeper meaning -comes with later years.</p> - -<p>It is because this is so, because the children -love musical cadence before they understand -words, that mothers can follow or -mingle the Mother Goose melodies with more -modern verses such as those of Field or -Stevenson. The little child will love such -lines as these, by Henry van Dyke:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">I guess the pussy-willows now</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Are creeping out on every bough</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Along the brook; and robins look</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For early worms behind the plough.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">Or the introduction to “The Fountain,” in -James Russell Lowell’s <i>Poems</i> (Houghton, -Mifflin Company):</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>[54]</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Into the sunshine,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Full of the light,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Leaping and flashing</div> - <div class="verse indent2">From morn till night.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Into the moonlight,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Whiter than snow,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Waving so flower-like</div> - <div class="verse indent2">When the winds blow.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Into the star-light</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Rushing in spray,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Happy at midnight,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Happy by day.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The true poetry of these lines will not -appeal to him in the beginning, but the -cadence of the lines will, and they will become -fixed in his mind. The beauty of the poems -will be his in later years.</p> - -<p>As soon as a child is old enough to follow -the thread of a simple story, fables and folk-lore -will lead him into the realm of the -world’s earliest literature. These are the -stories which delighted the race in its childhood, -and they have delighted childhood in -all succeeding generations. These old fables -are so familiar that they are incorporated -into our everyday conversation. How often -do we refer to “The Hare and the Tortoise,” -to the “Dog in the Manger,” or to “The -Goose That Laid the Golden Egg?” How<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>[55]</span> -frequently do we illustrate a point by a reference -to “Sour Grapes,” or to “A Wolf in -Sheep’s Clothing?” Yet probably not one -in twenty knows that all these familiar illustrations -find their origin in the fables of -Aesop or La Fontaine.</p> - -<p>These old classic fables are a part of the -literature “which the world has chosen to -remember.” They have become a part of the -literary coin of the realm. In his introduction -to Aesop’s Fables, Joseph Jacobs says: -“In their grotesque grace, in their quaint -humor, in their trust in the simpler virtues, -in their insight into the cruder vices, in their -innocence of the fact of sex, Aesop’s Fables -are as little children.” As an example:</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>It happened that a fisher, after fishing all day, caught -only a little fish. “Pray, let me go, master,” said the -fish. “I am much too small for your eating just now. -If you put me back into the river I shall soon grow, -then you can make a fine meal off me.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, nay, my little fish,” said the fisher, “I have -you now. I may not catch you hereafter.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>It has been well said that the fables are -the child’s best introduction to the study of -human nature. They are “an interpretation -of life.” That animals are made to talk, and -to exhibit human traits, only adds to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>[56]</span> -charm of the story without lessening its -ethical value. The child applies to all nature -his own standard of ethics.</p> - -<p>The child’s ability to understand is far in -advance of his ability to read, and the old -folk-tales which have been handed down -orally from generation to generation, and -later gathered into volumes for the children -of all nations to enjoy together, are a veritable -mine of delight to both story-teller and -listener.</p> - -<p>Folk tales and fairy tales are so interwoven -that it is difficult to separate them. That -some of both are open to criticism is conceded, -but with such abundance of supply -there is no need of telling a story which -presents even a doubt as to its value.</p> - -<p>In her introduction to “The Story Hour,” -Kate Douglas Wiggin says: “Some universal -spiritual truth underlies the really fine -old fairy tale; but there can be no educational -influence in the so-called fairy stories, -which are merely jumbles of impossible incidents, -and which not infrequently present -dishonesty, deceit, and cruelty in attractive -or amusing guise.” Here we have the true -test which anyone may apply: an underlying<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>[57]</span> -“universal spiritual truth.” Does our story -contain such?</p> - -<p>Two very familiar nursery tales which owe -their origin to the folk-lore of old—namely, -“Jack, the Giant Killer,” and “Cinderella”—have -recently been brought into question -upon the ground of their moral teaching. -The critics in question look upon Jack as a -thief and a murderer, who “lived happily -ever after” upon his ill-gotten gains. For -my own part, I find less to condemn in Jack’s -treatment of the Giant, than in making a -hero of a boy who was lazy and disobedient. -The Giant had robbed and killed Jack’s -father, and he was wicked and cruel to all, -and Jack could scarcely be blamed for trying -to regain his father’s stolen wealth, or for -cutting down the bean-stalk when the Giant -was descending for the purpose of killing -him and, in all probability, his mother. But -the false note in the story, to my mind, lies -in selecting a boy who was avowedly lazy, -idle, disobedient, and neglectful of his mother, -for the hero of a tale of such marvelous -deeds. The tale of Jack, the Giant Killer, -however, has many versions, and there is no -need whatever, when telling the story, of giving<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>[58]</span> -to Jack any of these undesirable traits. -Rather, picture him as a boy capable of performing -heroic deeds. The change is easily -made.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, I would champion the -story of “Cinderella.” The recent criticism -brought against this story is that it leads -boys and girls to believe that all step-mothers -are cruel. I do not think so. The stories -of “The Babes in the Woods,” and of “The -Princes in the Tower,” do not teach that all -uncles are cruel. Of course the fact that -Cinderella’s step-mother was a <i>step</i>-mother -might be so emphasized in the telling as to -give this impression, but it is not emphasized -in the story—not, at least, in most of the -versions which I have read. Selfishness and -pride are set forth in the half-sisters in all -their unattractiveness; while Cinderella’s -final triumph serves as a means of showing -her gentle and forgiving nature. These are -the points to be brought out in the story-telling, -and it would seem to me to be an unjustifiable -robbery to take the story of Cinderella -from the child’s early store of fairy tales. -What a thrill of exquisite delight is felt -by the child when the magic of the god-mother’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>[59]</span> -wand turns Cinderella’s rags into -the robe of a princess and she is whirled -away in her golden chariot to meet the prince. -It is a story of goodness rewarded and of evil -punished, but all in such a magical and wonderful -way! I can feel the early thrill of it -yet—and so can you.</p> - -<p>There are different versions of both these -stories, and it is not a difficult matter to tell -either one in such a way as to do away with -all objectionable features. As was shown in -a previous chapter, much of the impression -which a story leaves is due to the manner of -its telling. The story of Cinderella certainly -contains the “underlying universal, spiritual -truth,” and so answers to the test of a truly -“fine old fairy tale.”</p> - -<p>American story tellers should not go far -afield for their tales of folk lore, and overlook -the two distinctive sources afforded by our -own country. The stories of the North American -Indian, told by camp fire or in tepee, are -full of poetic imagery, of symbolic truth, and -of heroic valor. They form the original -legendary lore of our land, and they should be -told to the children, preparing them for a -later reading of the poets and authors who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>[60]</span> -have shown us the picturesque as well as the -tragic side of the history of the Red Man.</p> - -<p>The other American source of folk lore -tales is found in the south, and is typified at -its best in “Uncle Remus,” though not confined -to him. As has been said, the dialect -story is difficult for a child to read, and Uncle -Remus is undoubtedly most thoroughly appreciated -by children of a larger growth. But -no child can resist the drollery or the rollicking -fun of the true darkey story when it is -<i>told</i> to him.</p> - -<p>The following story of “Ithenthiela” -which closes this chapter is a good example -of the folk lore tales of the Indian. Only a -portion of the original story is here given, -but it is to be found, with other good stories -for telling, in <i>Tales of the Red Children</i>, by -Abbie F. Brown, and James M. Bell (D. -Appleton and Company).</p> - -<h4>“The Story of Ithenthiela”<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></h4> - -<p>Many years ago there was a brave Indian -boy named Ithenthiela, the Caribou-Footed, -who lived far away in the great northwest.</p> - -<p>One day, as Ithenthiela went through the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>[61]</span> -woods, he saw a squirrel in the branches of -a tall red spruce tree, and, raising his bow, -he shot an arrow at it. Down fell the squirrel, -but the arrow lodged in the branches.</p> - -<p>Then Ithenthiela started to climb after the -arrow, but he had not climbed far when he -heard a great pack of wolves howling at the -foot of the tree. So he climbed higher, and -as he mounted, the arrow went up, too.</p> - -<p>Up, up, it went, until at last it came to the -sky itself. The arrow passed through the -thin blue, and Ithenthiela wriggled after it.</p> - -<p>Great was Ithenthiela’s surprise when he -entered the Sky Country; it was so different -from what he had expected. He had imagined -a glorious country where the sun always -shone, and where huge herds of musk-oxen, -caribou, and moose roamed at large. He had -expected to find many of his own people -camped in wigwams here and there, preparing -to fight with other tribes. But instead, -the air was damp, dreary, and cold; no trees -or flowers grew; no herds of animals ran on -the silent plains; the smoke of no wigwam -greeted his anxious eyes; no war-whoop or -hunting cry was heard. But far in the distance -against the sky shimmered a great<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>[62]</span> -white mass, like a pile of snow when the sun -shines upon it in the early summer. Toward -this great white wonder ran a winding path -from the very spot where Ithenthiela stood.</p> - -<p>“I will follow it,” thought he, “and see -what I find in that shining wigwam over -there.”</p> - -<p>As he passed along he met an old woman -who said to him: “Who are you, and where -are you going?”</p> - -<p>“I have come from far,” said Ithenthiela. -“I am the Caribou-Footed. Can you tell me -who lives over there in that big white wigwam?”</p> - -<p>“Ah,” said Capoteka—for that was the -old woman’s name—“I know you, Ithenthiela! -Long have I known that sometime -you would come here. But you have done -wrong; this is no country for man. In that -great wigwam over there lives Itakempka; -and he is unhappy because he has lost his -great medicine belt. Until he gets it again, -no one will be happy in the Sky Country. -The belt is at the tepee of the two blind -women who live far beyond the wigwam -which shines so white, and no one has been -able to get it from them. But whoever captures<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>[63]</span> -it, and takes it from the blind women, -will have the daughter of Itakempka, the -beautiful Etanda, for his wife.”</p> - -<p>At these words off started Ithenthiela, and, -traveling hard, he soon came to a tepee which -stood alone; the home of the two old blind -women.</p> - -<p>Dull and gloomy was the covering of the -wigwam; but from the tiny hole in the smoke-begrimed -moose skins came a strange, bright -light at which Ithenthiela marveled.</p> - -<p>But when he entered he saw what it was -that gave the mysterious light. It came from -the great medicine belt which hung upon the -wall, and surrounding the belt were the skulls -of many men.</p> - -<p>The belt was studded with gems. From -great rubies sparkled the rays of crimson; -from huge amethysts shone streams of purple; -from mighty sapphires came the deepest -blue, and gorgeous emeralds shot rays of -green; while great cairngorms scintillated -with yellow glow. The lights changed from -blood-red to purple, from purple to blue, from -blue to green, from green to yellow, and ever -and anon faded altogether, to be succeeded by -the mixed rainbow of color from fair opals<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>[64]</span> -or by the pure white light of great diamonds. -This was the magic belt of Itakempka.</p> - -<p>The blind women bade Ithenthiela welcome -and said to him:</p> - -<p>“Tell us, Ithenthiela, when you are about -to leave, so that we may bid you good-by.”</p> - -<p>Now, Ithenthiela had noticed that each of -the old women had behind her back a knife of -copper, long and sharp and gleaming; and -that one sat on either side of the door, waiting.</p> - -<p>“Ah!” thought he, “when I leave they -mean to kill me. But, I shall fool them.”</p> - -<p>In one part of the wigwam lay a muskamoot, -or bag, of bones and feathers. To this -he tied a string, which he pulled over the -pole above the door. Then, said he:</p> - -<p>“I am going now, Blind Women. Remember -that I am old and fat, and when I leave I -make much noise.”</p> - -<p>With this he pulled the string, whereat the -bag of bones and feathers trundled toward -the door. Immediately the two old hags -stabbed; but striking only feathers, the long -knife of each passed through the bag into -the body of the other, and both were killed.</p> - -<p>Then Ithenthiela took the precious belt<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>[65]</span> -and hastened with all speed toward the wigwam -of Itakempka. As he neared the great -Chief’s home he heard no sound of man or -beast. Entering, he saw that all the camp -was sleeping. Around the long-cold fire lay -the warriors and maidens, the old men and -women, and in their midst the tall Chief, -decked with faded plumes.</p> - -<p>Then for the first time, Ithenthiela drew -from beneath his leathern shirt the belt of -medicine. Around the wigwam flashed the -rays of red, purple, green, and gold. Instantly -the warriors and maidens, the old men -and women, awoke. Up rose the Chief, fine -and stately among them, as the color came -back to his gorgeous head-dress, and as the -fire on the hearth sparkled into life.</p> - -<p>Then said Ithenthiela: “Great Chief, be -you happy now. I have brought you back -your healing belt, the band of life, of hope, -of war, and of peace. Henceforth it shall -abide here in its true place with you.”</p> - -<p>Then said Itakempka: “Greatly I rejoice, -O Ithenthiela! You have saved my people. -Now shall the sun shine again. Now shall -musk-oxen, caribou, moose, and bears live -once more in our country. Again shall we see<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>[66]</span> -the smoke of many wigwams. Once more shall -we hear the voice of many hunters, and ever -and anon the war-whoop of the warriors. -You have wakened us from our long winter -sleep. Take you now my daughter, the fair -Etanda, for your wife. But leave me not. -You shall stay with me, and be a great chief -after me.” So Ithenthiela remained in the -shining white home of Itakempka.</p> - -<p>And still the Red Children in the distant -northern lands tell of Ithenthiela when the -northern lights flit across the sky.</p> - -<p>“Ah!” they cry, with their faces bowed -before that splendid light, which is to them -the most mysterious thing of nature. “See -the fingers of Ithenthiela are beckoning us -to the home which he found for us beyond -the sky.”</p> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<h4>FOOTNOTES</h4> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[2]</a> Adapted for telling. By permission of the publishers.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>[67]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII<br /> -<span class="smaller">Myth and Hero Tale</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>The world is a wonder-palace to the child. -“Everything hints at something more -magical and more marvelous which is to -come.” The inanimate objects about him are -given living attributes; animals and flowers -are endowed by his fancy with human -thought and feeling. He talks to the clouds -and the stars; he peoples the sky with living -inhabitants; to him the winds are not -“forces of nature”; they are boisterous companions -or gentle friends.</p> - -<p>This applies to the imaginative child, and -there are more imaginative children than the -most of us suspect. The imagination may -be suppressed by older and “wiser” companions, -or natural shyness may cause the -imaginative fancies to remain unvoiced; but -the fancies are there—bubbling over in fantastic -follies or childish imagery, or kept in -those hidden chambers of the soul to which -grown-ups are forbidden entrance.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>[68]</span></p> - -<p>Because of this mental attitude, children -are inherent myth-makers. And to the same -mental attitude upon the part of the children -of the race, is due the fund of mythological -lore which has enriched the world’s literature -and inspired much of its art.</p> - -<p>To this rich store, then, the child may be -introduced by means of mythological stories. -Their appeal is strong because they are in -harmony with his own spontaneous interests. -Froebel says: “Would’st thou know how to -teach the child? Observe him, and he will -show you what to do.” If, then, the child so -loves the myth, let us hold him and help him -by means of the mythological story. Those -which contain an objectionable element may -readily be withheld; there are plenty which -are beautiful in their form and true in their -teaching.</p> - -<p>The myth, strictly speaking, differs from -the fairy story in that it personifies the forces -and manifestations of nature: Aurora awakening -the sleeping world with her shafts of -light; Ceres presiding over the harvests of -golden grain; Jove hurling the dreadful thunderbolts; -and Narcissus living in the beautiful -blossom which bears his name.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>[69]</span></p> - -<p>Few children will accept these stories as -absolute statements of fact, nor need they be -so presented. Whatever this personification -of the universal elements may have meant to -the ancient Greeks, to us it is purely imaginary; -it is the fairy-land of nature. Children -love to “make believe,” and their own -personifications of the forces of nature, -while spontaneous and vivid, are a part of -their imaginative world—a part of their -“make believe.” So, mythological stories are -never accepted by them upon the literal plane -of the true nature story, nor should they ever -be so presented. When stories of the ancient -gods and goddesses are told, they may be -very briefly outlined as the imaginative stories -of an ancient race. This will give them -their true place, without in the least detracting -from their charm.</p> - -<p>The child who is made familiar with the old -mythology by means of stories and verse, -holds the key of understanding to the countless -allusions of the world’s best literature. -He may not comprehend the deeper meaning, -nor understand that they were the religion of -an ancient people, but when in his later reading -of some masterpiece of poetry or prose he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>[70]</span> -finds an allusion to Phaeton, to Apollo, or to -Neptune, he will experience the same delight -that comes to one who meets an old playfellow -in a foreign land.</p> - -<h4><i>The Hero-Tale</i></h4> - -<p>As the child creates a world of fancy and, -when left to himself, lives within it, so marvelous -deeds and achievements are to him as -the daily breath of our own lives. He imagines -himself the hero of such wonderful -and impossible adventures that when he is -told of Phaeton and his mad ride, he accepts -it with the same calm appreciation -which is accorded the imaginings of his own -creative moods. The slaying of the Gorgon -is fully in harmony with his own future plans. -Not that he believes in these hero tales literally, -or comprehends their deeper significance, -but they fit in so perfectly with his -normal habit of creative fancy that they seem -to him as his very own, and he loves them.</p> - -<p>The hero-tale appeals as strongly to the -child as does the myth—probably more -strongly to the boy. Indeed, the myth and -hero-tale are often one, for Greek and Norse -mythology abound in heroes and heroic adventures,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>[71]</span> -and the lad who pores breathlessly -over the thrilling experiences of a Captain -Kidd, would find equal delight in the story -of the Wooden Horse and the Fall of Troy, -were it told him in a manner suited to his -age and understanding.</p> - -<p>The story of Arion, returning victorious -from the great musical contest, and threatened -by the mutinous seamen of his vessel, -stirs any boy to enthusiasm, as do the adventures -of Perseus, who, helped by Minerva -and Mercury, slew the Gorgon, Medusa.</p> - -<p>In another field there are the merry tales -of Robin Hood, the outlaw beloved of boys, -with his host of adventurous followers; and -the chivalrous deeds of King Arthur and his -Knights of the Round Table. Stories of the -knights appeal to universal boyhood. Well -do I remember a story hour in which the compact -body of the audience was fringed all -about with boys under whose arms were shoe-blacking -kits, or bundles of newspapers. -They dodged in for a story, and out again -for a customer, but with one voice they demanded—it -was not a request—“Give us a -knight story! Give us a knight story!”</p> - -<p>Boys can be kept from reading worthless<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>[72]</span> -fiction if books and stories of the right sort -are placed in their hands, and the surest -way to make these attractive is to give them -the contents or a part of the contents in story -form first. Make the stories vivid, give them -plenty of life and action, and Captain Kidd -or Bunco Bill will pale before King Arthur -and Ulysses.</p> - -<p>The younger children will listen with greatest -delight to stories of imaginary heroes, -such as abound in folk-lore and myth—Jack -the Giant Killer easily leading in favor, as -has been proven by statistics.</p> - -<p>Children demand definite aims, swift action, -prompt reward of the good, and punishment -of the evil. They do not understand -complex motives nor the slow working out of -nature’s retribution. This comes with later -years. The story-teller must choose her subjects -in accordance with the age of the child. -The world of fancy gradually gives way before -the world of fact, and there comes a -time when the heroes of the myth and the -fairy tale are received with a certain degree -of scorn. They are “out-grown.” At this -period the boy and girl demand heroes of -flesh and blood; men who “do and dare”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>[73]</span> -especially appeal to them. There must still -be rapid action and swift retribution or reward, -but motives begin to be understood -more fully, and little by little these motives -begin to be less self-centered; they touch an -ever-broadening circle.</p> - -<p>To follow this circle and select stories -which fit its circumference should be the aim -of mother and teacher. Here, as everywhere -in teaching, the “spontaneous interests” -furnish the key for selection.</p> - -<p>The range of hero-tales is wide. Among -them are the mythological and folk-lore tales -previously suggested; the legendary hero-tales -which are partly fact and partly fancy, -such as the <i>Knights of the Round Table</i>, -<i>Robin Hood</i>, and most of the medieval stories; -and Bible stories, among which there -are a host of heroic characters, whose -<i>moral</i> heroism should be made the dominant -note.</p> - -<p>There are also the heroes who have traveled, -explored, and dared in the interests of -science, and those who have endured hardship -and privation in order to carry civilization -to the dark corners of the globe. There -are heroes also, often unknown, who risk<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>[74]</span> -their lives almost daily to carry on the mechanical -processes of modern civilization. -Any of these will form the nucleus of stories -of thrilling interest to the growing boy -and girl. Let the motive for the heroic deed -be felt throughout the story. Do not tack -it on as a moral; let it permeate the whole -narrative. It has been truly said that “To -add a moral application to a story is as complete -a confession of failure as to append an -explanation to a joke.”</p> - -<p>The material for hero-tales lies all about -us—upon the pages of the newspaper and -the magazine, as well as between the covers -of the Iliad and the Odyssey.</p> - -<p>Give the boy and girl stories “clean in -the warp and woof”; stories of brave, noble -men and women, worthy of emulation, for -“with the great, one’s thoughts and manners -easily become great.”</p> - -<p>The following story of “The Coming of -Arthur” from <i>Some Great Stories and How -to Tell Them</i> (Newson and Company), by -Richard Thomas Wyche, founder of The -Story-Tellers’ League, is one of the best examples -known to the author of the sort of -hero or knight story which all boys love, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>[75]</span> -which will lead them into the realms of the -best and purest literature.</p> - -<h4>The Coming of Arthur<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></h4> - -<p>One dark stormy night a long time ago, in -a land beyond the seas, old King Uther lay -upon his bed dying. He was weeping and -lamenting, not so much because he was leaving -this world, as because he had no son or -daughter to come after him and rule England. -There were two old men who stood near the -king, whose names were Bleys and Merlin. -When they saw that their king was silent in -death, they passed out into the black night -and walked down toward the ocean where the -great waves came rolling in from the deep.</p> - -<p>The night was stormy, and they noticed -that the waves grew larger and larger. They -counted them—one, two, three, up to the -ninth—which seemed to gather half the sea. -Suddenly, on the highest crest of this wave, -they saw a shining ship in the form of a dragon, -and all from stem to stern the deck was -covered with shining people. No sooner had -they seen the ship than it disappeared. But -nevertheless this great wave came rolling in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>[76]</span> -and tumbled at their feet. Strange to say -out of this wave there rolled a little naked -child, and Merlin picked it up and cried, -“The King! The King! An heir for Uther!” -Then the long wave swept up the beach, -wrapped about the old man and flashed like -fire. After which there was a calm, and the -stars came out, and the elves and fairies blew -their horns from cliff to cliff.</p> - -<p>Merlin gave the little child to an old woman -to nurse. He was given the name of Arthur, -and as the years passed by he grew into a -beautiful boy with blue eyes and golden hair. -Merlin, who was a very wise old man, became -the boy’s teacher.</p> - -<p>But let me tell you a story about the boy. -One day, as Arthur was walking out all alone -in the sunny fields, he came upon a little girl -sitting upon a bank of heath, weeping as if -her heart would break, and saying: “I hate -this fair world and all that’s in it.” She had -been beaten for a fault of which she was not -guilty. When she looked up there stood the -boy, Arthur. Whether he could walk unseen -like his old teacher Merlin, who was something -of a wizard, she did not know, but there -he stood smiling at her. He dried her tears,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>[77]</span> -comforted her heart, and was a child with -her. But one day after that when she saw -him again he was so dignified and cold she -was afraid of him. But again when she saw -him his ways were sweet and they played as -children together. They were golden hours -for her and for him. She said then, “Some -day he will be King.”</p> - -<p>As Arthur grew into manhood he wanted -a sword, as all boys did in those days. One -summer day he was in his boat on the lake. -All around him spread the shining water, -above him bent the sky, soft and blue. He -moved to the center of the lake and stopped. -It was noon, and he sat thinking. Perhaps -he was wondering what he would do when -he became a man. Suddenly he heard the -water ripple, and near by he saw, rising from -the lake a white arm and hand holding a -sword. Arthur reached out and took the -sword and then the hand disappeared.</p> - -<p>The hilt of the sword was in the shape of -a cross, studded with jewels that sparkled -and flashed. He pulled it from the scabbard -and the blade was so bright that it hurt his -eye to look at it. On one side of the blade -he saw cut in the steel in the oldest language<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>[78]</span> -of all the world, the words, “Take me,” but -on the other side, in the language of the -people, “Cast me away.” It made him sad -to think he must cast it away. He took it to -his old teacher Merlin, who was then a hundred -winters old. Merlin said: “‘Take me’ -means that you must take the sword, clear -the forest, let in the light and make broad -pathways for the hunter and the knight; -break up the robber bands and bandit holds; -drive back the heathen that come swarming -over the seas, burning the houses and killing -the people.” Then he whispered into -Arthur’s ear and said: “Some day you may -be king. After you have ruled the land and -made it better, the time will come when you -may cast the sword away, but that is a long -way off.”</p> - -<p>The years passed. Not since the dark -stormy night on which King Uther died had -there been a strong ruler in England. The -people fought among themselves. The -heathen came swarming over the seas; the -wild animals came from the woods and carried -off the children. The land was going to -ruin. One day the people came together and -said: “We must make one man king.”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>[79]</span> -Whom do you suppose they crowned? Merlin, -with his knowledge and power, had -Arthur lifted up and put on the throne. Many -believed he was the rightful king, but others -said: “Away with him, he is no king of -ours, he is base-born.” But then Arthur -spoke to the people in the hall, and asked all -the young men who would help him rule the -land to come forward. Many heard his manly -voice and came and stood before him. He said -to them: “Will you speak the truth; be -pure; right the wrong; be strong, yet gentle; -be true in love; obey the king and your -conscience?” When they said “yes,” they -kneeled before him, and he made them his -knights. When they arose from the knighting, -he spoke to them in a low deep voice of -authority and told them that he wished to -make a good king, and that he wanted them -to rule the land and make the world better, -and the people happier.</p> - -<p>While he stood speaking to them, for a moment -every man seemed to favor the king; -their faces were radiant. Then suddenly -three rays of light fell as if from heaven, -and lit up the faces of three tall queens, -who stood near the throne to help the king<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>[80]</span> -at his need. Near him stood his old teacher -Merlin, and the Lady of the Lake who, it -was said, made and gave him Excalibur, the -wonderful sword. After that, other young -men came and took the vows of knighthood, -until there were hundreds of knights. They -were called Knights of the Round Table.</p> - -<p>Then King Arthur went against the -heathen, and in twelve great battles drove -the last one from the country. One day, as -he was passing with his army through the -streets of a village, he saw, standing by a -castle wall, a beautiful young woman. He -did not know her, nor did she know him; for -Arthur was clad simply as one of his knights, -and not in his kingly robes. Arthur could -not forget the face. He was in love with the -young woman, and wanted to make her his -wife and queen. When he returned to his -palace, he called Sir Bedivere and two other -knights, and sent them to search for the -young woman.</p> - -<p>The young woman’s name was Guinevere, -called the pearl of beauty, and her father was -an old king, Leodogran, King of Camelaird. -When the knights stood before him, and said, -“King Arthur wishes Guinevere to be his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>[81]</span> -wife and queen,” the old man spoke roughly -to them, and said, “Who is Arthur, that I -should give my daughter in marriage to him? -He is base-born, and not the son of a king. -Even though he has helped me in battle, how -can I, being a king, give my daughter in -marriage to a man that is not a king, or the -son of a king?”</p> - -<p>When Leodogran was persuaded to make -further inquiries, and heard of Arthur’s -birth and boyhood, of the wonderful sword -Excalibur, of the three rays of light at his -coronation, and of his pure life and great -deeds, he still doubted.</p> - -<p>He sat upon his seat and actually nodded, -napped, and kept the knights waiting. But -while he napped, he dreamed, and in his dream -saw a great battlefield starting at his feet -and sloping away as far as the eye could -reach. On this field armies were passing and -moving. Arthur, the newly crowned king, -with his army, was victorious and glorious. -When Leodogran woke up, he called the -knights and said: “Yes, Guinevere, my -daughter, may go.”</p> - -<p>Some time after that, King Arthur called -Sir Lancelot, his best knight and warrior,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>[82]</span> -and sent him to bring the Queen-to-be to his -palace. Sir Lancelot and the other knights -with him rode away on horseback, while King -Arthur stood and watched them from the -gates as they disappeared. Guinevere was -ready and came with Sir Lancelot. It was -the first of May, when the earth was white -with hyacinths. The woods were all abloom -and seemed full of singing birds. Guinevere -rode on horseback by Sir Lancelot. Each -day couriers went before and pitched a tent -where the Queen-to-be might rest at noon. -The journey was soon at an end. Sir Lancelot -had entertained Guinevere with talk of -the tourney, the chase, the hunt, and of King -Arthur and his noble deeds. Sir Lancelot -was so strong, yet gentle and tender, that -she could not help but like him, and love him. -When King Arthur came out to meet her, clad -in his kingly robes, he seemed so tall and dignified -that she felt a little afraid of him. But -she knew that she was to be his wife and -queen. Straightway they went to the church, -and there before the highest of altar shrines, -the bishop made them man and wife, and -blessed them. Then as they went from the -church King Arthur’s Knights, clad in stainless<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>[83]</span> -white, marched before him with trumpets -and a song:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Blow trumpet, for the world is white with May!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Blow trumpet, the long night hath rolled away!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Blow thro’ the living world, “Let the King reign!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">And that was the coming of King Arthur.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<h4>FOOTNOTES</h4> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">[3]</a> By permission of the author, and publishers.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>[84]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII<br /> -<span class="smaller">Holiday and Vacation Stories</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>Stories fitted to the holiday seasons, and -the out-door stories of vacation time are -always a source of delight to both story-teller -and listeners. Each holiday has its -quota of timely stories; and by no other -means can the spirit and the lesson of a special -day or season be more vividly impressed -upon a child’s mind than by a well-chosen, -well-told story. Many mothers and teachers -understand this, and a still larger number -would find undreamed-of pleasure and -resultant good in a practical test of the statement.</p> - -<p>The spirit of Thanksgiving may be made -active in the child and a lasting impetus for -good imparted through stories which are -strong, and full of the Thanksgiving atmosphere.</p> - -<p>The same is true of stories pertaining to -Christmas, to New Year’s, to Washington’s -and Lincoln’s Birthdays, to Memorial Day,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>[85]</span> -and to all other days that are generally -observed, and whose lessons teachers are -expected to impress.</p> - -<p>In making up special day programs, if -teachers will devote one number to a good, -strong story, appropriate to the occasion, -it will prove not only one of the most interesting -features of the day, but the one which -will make the most lasting impression. This -applies to the higher grades even more emphatically -than to the lower grades where -stories are more frequently told, and are, in -consequence, less of a treat and an innovation.</p> - -<h4><i>Vacation Stories</i></h4> - -<p>After the first few blissful days of vacation -idleness, children of school age begin -to grow restless, and are ready for occupation -or entertainment. This natural desire opens -up a useful and delightful occupation for -teachers, or for others who are interested -in children and capable of telling them stories -in a fascinating way. This consists of -a series of “story hours in the open” which -may be arranged for the summer months. -The work should be planned systematically,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>[86]</span> -with a definite object in view for each series, -and with special regard to grouping children -of the same approximate age.</p> - -<p>One series may be made up of stories of -out-door mythology, or fairy tales dealing -with out-door life. They may be told upon -a lawn or in some park, with the children -seated upon the grass in informal groups, -and the story-teller in their midst. The out-door -environment will give the children a -sense of participation in the events of the -story which cannot be gained within four -walls.</p> - -<p>A park or a bit of natural woods makes -an ideal setting for a series of Robin Hood -tales, or for tales of chivalry. The boys -and girls will people the woods about them -with the characters of the story, and the tales -they hear under such conditions will not be -easily effaced.</p> - -<p>Excursions to parks, or near-by lakes, or -woods, seem an almost necessary accompaniment -to stories of the trees, the birds, the -wild life of the floral and the animal world. -Material for such stories is abundant. There -are the works of John Burroughs, Olive -Thorne Miller, Dr. Long, Kipling, Thompson-Seton,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>[87]</span> -and Charles G. D. Roberts, with a -host of others which any library or book store -can furnish.</p> - -<p>Boys and girls will show a vital interest in -stories of local history, if the stories are not -thus labeled.</p> - -<p>The early history of the region in which -they live, the struggles, experiences, and adventures -of the early explorers of the territory -surrounding their own home, may be -made intensely interesting; and if the group -of listeners can be taken to the spot which -forms the setting of the story, the bit of -history becomes most vital and real.</p> - -<p>This plan of out-door story-telling combines -the benefits of the usual vacation activities -with the legitimate good of the story -hour as conducted in our libraries during the -winter months.</p> - -<p>Stories of industry, and of the development -of a given line of commerce or manufacture -are full of interest for boys especially. These -may be told in connection with the leading -business interests of the city or community -in which the stories are given.</p> - -<p>Every state, every city, affords story material -which may be so cast as to rival the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>[88]</span> -wonders of Aladdin’s lamp. These stories -are not, as a rule, ready-made. They require -study, research, preparation, but the warp -and the woof are there, ready at hand in the -records which any state or city library holds, -and it remains for the story-teller so to weave -the fabric of her story that it shall attract -the fancy and stir the imagination. It need -not be a literary masterpiece, but it must -have life and action; it must tell of difficulties -overcome, with a triumphant ending of final -achievement.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>[89]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX<br /> -<span class="smaller">Bible Stories</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>Of all the stories that we may tell our -children, first in importance are the -stories of the Bible. During the early years, -when the most lasting impressions are made, -when faith is simple, when the thought of -God’s presence and love is natural, the Bible -stories should be told over and over again.</p> - -<p>There should be no attempt at this time to -interpret the stories or to bring out theological -questions. The stories should be told -in all their original simplicity, using as far -as possible the Bible language, which is brief, -strong, picturesque. No possible improvement -could be made over the wording of the -Creation Story as told in the first chapter -of Genesis and the first three verses of the -second chapter. The children will not tire -of its telling, and it should become as familiar -to them as are their nursery rhymes. -The shame is upon us as fathers and mothers -that this is so seldom the case.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>[90]</span></p> - -<p>The story of the flood, divided into its four -parts, as given in the collected stories of -this book, should be made equally familiar -to the children. A comparison of these stories -with the Bible narrative will show that -the original language has been retained, and -only such detail and repetition as would confuse -the little child, have been omitted. The -literary style is unchanged.</p> - -<p>In these stories there is all the charm of -the folk-tale with its simple directness of -style, its rapid action, its repetition of words -and phrases, such as “every living thing, of -fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping -thing,” yet it is lifted far above the folk-tale -by the all-pervading thought of God acting -in righteousness.</p> - -<p>No Bible story is worthily told which does -not touch the underlying truth of the beauty -of holiness, and the folly and inevitable consequences -of sin. In preparing Bible stories -for telling, the story-teller should have always -in mind what has been called the “basic -principle of both Old and New Testaments”—the -perfect God desiring to restore man -“to holiness and true communion with Himself.” -But this truth should be inherent in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>[91]</span> -the story, and not presented in the form of an -appended moral.</p> - -<p>As to the manner of telling: a Bible story -should be narrated with the spontaneous life -that is accorded the telling of any other story. -Too often, through an effort upon the part -of the conscientious story-teller to impress -their religious nature, to communicate to the -child a feeling of awe, the Bible stories are -told in a truly <i>awful</i> manner, and the child, -without knowing why, learns to dread them. -They have been made to him something unreal, -something which he cannot understand, -which he fears. This is the last result that -the story-teller has desired, but it is the inevitable -result when sanctimoniousness is -substituted for the “love, joy, and gentleness” -which are among the fruits of the -Spirit, and which must fashion the telling -of the Bible stories.</p> - -<p>Rightly told, the Bible stories arouse in -the child the keenest interest and the deepest -pleasure. What child, after hearing the -story of Joseph—the child who dreamed -dreams and who wore the marvelous coat of -many colors—being sold into bondage to the -Midianites by his brethren, will not want to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>[92]</span> -hear “what happened next?” And what -story is more beautiful, more filled with wonders -and marvels, with love, and forgiveness, -and moral steadfastness, than the story of -Joseph? It is quite as fascinating as any -tale from the Arabian Nights, and it excels -the latter a thousand-fold in its fundamental -value, for these Old Testament stories -eclipse the myth and the hero-tale not only -in their genuine interest for the child, but because -they bring him into conscious relationship -with God—the God of Abraham, -and Isaac, and Jacob; the God whose throne -is for ever and ever, and the sceptre of whose -kingdom is the sceptre of <i>righteousness</i>.</p> - -<p>It is possible here to give only the briefest -outline of the various kinds of stories which -one may choose from this wealth of material. -There are the wonder stories of the creation, -the Garden of Eden, the flood, in the first -part of the book of Genesis; the patriarch -stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and -Joseph, in the latter part of the same book; -the story of Moses, and all the wonders of -the Exodus; the stories of the prophets, of -Joshua, Samuel, Daniel; the hero-stories of -Samson, of David’s encounter with Goliath;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>[93]</span> -of Gideon; the pastoral story of Ruth. In -the New Testament are the stories of Christ’s -birth, His life, with all its boyhood incidents, -its parables, and its wonders, closing with -His death and resurrection. The question -is not, “What can I tell?” but, “Which shall -I tell?” The fund is practically inexhaustible.</p> - -<p>I have a word of caution to offer to the -one—be she mother, Sunday School teacher, -or story-teller, who presents Bible stories to -children: put nothing into the stories by -way of explanation which the Bible does not -put there, and which will have to be recalled -or modified when the child grows older and -begins to ask questions, and to this end do -not make the mistake of confounding the -truth taught, with the literal form of its -teaching.</p> - -<p>As the child grows older and begins to -analyze, to reason, and to ask questions, then -must the story-teller—and let us hope that -the chief Bible story-teller may be the -mother—be ready to guide surely and unfold -wisely the deeper and higher meaning -of the stories of the Book of Books.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>[94]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br /> -<span class="smaller">Systematic Story-Telling</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>The thought that literature is a growth; -that it had its infancy, and its periods -of development through succeeding ages; -that the different periods are related to each -other and spring from one another, is too -often ignored in the study and in the teaching -of the subject.</p> - -<p>Not only the average child, but the great -majority of children—if not of adults—look -upon literature as a great heap of miscellany; -a vast array of unrelated writings. Few -grasp the idea that “literature is the evolution -of the thought of humanity”; that it -had its beginning in the myth-making ages, -was further developed by the Greeks and -then by the Latin races; that after the time -of Christ there was the distinctive literature -of the chivalric period, followed by the development -of Chaucer’s time, of Shakespeare’s, -up to and including that of the present -age. Each of these periods has its many<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>[95]</span> -subdivisions, but each is the outgrowth of the -preceding.</p> - -<p>The story-teller who has grasped even the -simplest outlines of literary development will -be able to present to the children a sequence -of stories which shall, dimly at first, but more -and more clearly as time goes on, enable them -to look at the literature of the world as a -related whole. This is, of course, the privilege -only of the mother, or of the teacher who -is in daily contact with the same pupils for -an extended length of time. It cannot be -done by the occasional story-teller.</p> - -<p>As ocular demonstration produces the most -lasting impression, the best method of fixing -this idea of development is by means of -diagrams made up in the simplest manner -possible. If no blackboard is available, a -paper chain will answer the purpose, its few, -large links representing the literary periods. -Suggestions for diagrams or charts suited -to all grades, and to children of all ages, are -given in Miss M. E. Burt’s concise but -comprehensive book <i>Literary Landmarks</i> -(Houghton, Mifflin Company)—a book which -every teacher should read.</p> - -<p>The simplest chart of all consists of a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>[96]</span> -straight line drawn horizontally, in the middle -of which is a cross, representing the time -of Christ. The portion of the line to the left -indicates the time before Christ; that to the -right, the time since Christ. Present day -stories may be shown as belonging to the -right hand portion of the chart, New Testament -stories to the middle portion, and the -myth to the left hand. A very few words -of explanation will suffice to make plain the -meaning of the chart as giving the relative -time of the story’s origin. Then proceed to -tell the story as usual.</p> - -<p>The first story in a series planned along -these lines, may well be one of the earliest -myths, that of Phaeton, or of Vulcan, illustrating -the earliest conception of the phenomenon -of light and of fire. The Indian -myth, giving the origin of fire as conceived -by the North American Indian, should also -be told, and located on the right hand side of -the chart.</p> - -<p>The story of Cupid can be traced from -its origin in the old time myth, through Greek -literature and on into modern poems and -prose, thus showing how the original thought -of the myth-making period grows into new<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>[97]</span> -forms and new beauty in the literature of -later periods.</p> - -<p>Miss Burt sets forth clearly the use of -the diagram or chart in the teaching of literature. -It can be used with equal success and -to as great advantage by the story-teller who -gives a related series of stories from different -periods of time. Grade teachers can -make the chart serve its original purpose in -the teaching of literature, and in story-telling -can place the story in a brief word or two -which shall give it a place, or a relationship -to literature. This makes the story of -greater value, through helping the child to -assemble his literary landmarks.</p> - -<p>The mother who follows this method of -story-telling in the home, selecting her stories -from the best that literature affords, and -grouping or placing them according to the -period to which each belongs, will find as -great delight and profit in the task, as will -the children in the stories themselves. To -many a mother, and teacher as well, it will -prove a new viewpoint from which to study -literature, while meeting the child’s desire -for stories in more than aimless fashion.</p> - -<p>The historical outline of a nation’s progress<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>[98]</span> -can be given by means of stories told in -sequence. These stories should follow a -chronological plan which can be as readily developed -by means of a chart as can the periods -of literature. The outline should be a -very simple one at first, dividing the history -into a few main periods of development, and -telling stories characteristic of the divisions -of time. Later these main periods may be -subdivided, and new stories told of prominent -characters or events, until a fairly comprehensive -view of the history as a whole has -been acquired.</p> - -<p>Mothers who fear that the home duties and -the rearing of children will cause them to -drop behind the times, or to become out of -date in their mental equipment, need have no -fear of the children outstripping them if they -will prepare themselves with a good outline -of literature and of history, and follow these -in the stories they tell their children. Such -outlines may be found at any good library.</p> - -<p>Mythology and chivalry may be knitted -into the hose and mittens of the little people; -fairy tales may be hemmed into the dainty -garments; and deeds of heroism mixed with -the custard and the rolls, thus clothing and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>[99]</span> -building up discriminating minds to fit strong -and rugged bodies.</p> - -<p>To mothers, as to teachers, I would most -heartily recommend Miss Burt’s book already -mentioned, for it is full of suggestive -outlines which may be simplified or modified -to meet any existing need, while it gives -a wide range of books from which stories -may be chosen to fill the outlines.</p> - -<p>Another source of help to which too few -mothers have recourse is to be found in the -modern “children’s librarian.” Since story-telling -has been made so important a feature -of library work in the children’s department, -the subject has been given close -study, lists have been compiled, and special -outlines prepared. Librarians are eager to -extend these helps to mothers who may thus -be saved the time which would otherwise be -required for individual research.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>[100]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br /> -<span class="smaller">The Joy of Story-Telling</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>Did you ever drop down upon a somewhat -sleepy village where recreations and -amusements are almost unknown, and there -gather the children together and give them -a story hour?</p> - -<p>They come with wonder, even with suspicion -that you have some ulterior object as -yet undisclosed, and they file in and eye you -askance.</p> - -<p>And then you begin to tell the stories—animal -stories, for all children love those; -a story from the Bible which reveals to them -the fact that there are as great heroes among -the Bible characters as are to be found in -secular history; a tale of chivalry which stirs -the boys; and then perhaps a dialect story -from Uncle Remus;—and as you tell the stories -the suspicious look vanishes; the clear -eyes before you look straight into yours; -then there creeps into them a brightness, an -eagerness for more; then comes the ripple of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>[101]</span> -merriment; a spontaneous ring of laughter; -and then the plea, “One more, oh, please, -<i>one more</i>!”</p> - -<p>When you have done this; when you have -won to you the shy children of a whole village, -then you know the pure joy of story-telling.</p> - -<p>There is nothing better worth winning than -the love of a child, and there is no surer way -of reaching a child’s heart than through the -story.</p> - -<h4><i>The Story Hour</i></h4> - -<p>Story-telling may be made a serious matter -as to its purpose, but it should never be a -serious matter as to its presentation. Whatever -its purpose, the story itself must be a -source of joy to the hearer, or its purpose -fails. The lesson to be taught, whether moral -or educational, fails in its object if the story -itself be irksome or stupid.</p> - -<p>Conscientious teachers, feeling the weight -of argument against them, and taking up the -<i>task</i> of story-telling as an added obligation -of schoolroom duty, wonder why the results -are not what the evidence of other story-tellers -had led them to believe. Story-telling,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>[102]</span> -as a duty, unlightened and unbrightened by -a genuine love of the story and an eagerness -for the joy it is to bring to the listeners, can -never prove a success.</p> - -<p>The story-teller must enter with all her -heart and all her enthusiasm into the life -and beauty of the story she is telling, in -order to achieve the best results. Without -this she cannot win the response of her hearers, -nor reap the reward which should be -her own.</p> - -<p>It is in the story hour that the true story-teller -comes into her kingdom. Here she is -free to give to the expectant hearers just -the tale which they love to hear. She is not -bound by rules or regulations, by systems or -courses, but may follow the promptings of -her intuition and sway her small auditors -at her will.</p> - -<p>Here the rig-ma-role story may find its -proper place and delight by its whimsical -nonsense; the tale of chivalry, the story of -brave achievement, or of loyalty of purpose, -may be made to stir her hearers; the dialect -story—which the children seldom read but -love to hear—may lend its quaint charm; -or the nonsense tale may be used as the safety<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>[103]</span> -valve for bubbling emotions. Varied in character -as the stories may be, each is permeated -by the truest, purest joy in the telling—be -it the classical story of the “Wooden Horse” -and the “Fall of Troy,” or the nursery tale -of the “Little Small Rid Hin” and the -fall of “Reynard the Fox.”</p> - -<p>Thus may we win the hearts and the confidence -of the children, and having won these, -we may lead them whithersoever we will. -And so, with Kate Douglas Wiggin, I can -truly say: “I would rather be the children’s -story-teller than the queen’s favorite -or the king’s counsellor.”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>[104]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII<br /> -<span class="smaller">Story-Telling as an Art</span></h3> - -</div> - -<p>The artist in colors works out his conception -of a picture upon canvas. It is finished, -and he steps aside. Personally he has -nothing further to do with the presentation of -that picture. But if his own individuality has -not entered into the work, if something of -himself has not permeated it, it can never be -a work of true art.</p> - -<p>The story-teller also presents a picture—a -word picture—and, like that of the artist -of the brush, if her own individuality has not -entered into it, if something of herself has -not permeated it, it can not be true art. But, -unlike the painter, her picture is never completed; -she is never able to step aside and -say, “It is finished.” And here the story-teller -has the advantage of the painter, for -each re-telling of her story is a new presentation, -and in each re-telling her own personality -may lend a deeper pathos, a rarer glint -of humor, a more searching vision of truth.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>[105]</span></p> - -<p>The story itself is the picture; its theme -forms the subject; its literary quality corresponds -to canvas and color. Hence a story, -to be artistically told, must be well chosen. -In its inherent character it must awaken the -imagination; it must satisfy the love of -beauty; it must mirror truth; and it must -appeal to both the intellect and the emotion.</p> - -<p>Art’s chief charm lies in its power to -awaken the imagination, to stir the fancy, to -suggest something above and beyond the -actual portrayal. The subject of artistic -story-telling must always be beautiful, but -there are many types of beauty, many forms -and fancies which appeal to our aesthetic -sense. Again, no story which is not painted -against “a universal background of truth” -can be artistic, for truth, not error, is beautiful. -Finally, a story, to be great, must of -necessity appeal to the intellect; but if its -appeal be to the intellect alone, it is cold and -formal. It must touch the emotions as well: -it must have a human interest.</p> - -<p>Every well-told story, as every gem from -the artist’s brush, must have atmosphere—that -indefinable something which casts its -glamour over the whole. In story-telling, this<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>[106]</span> -sense of atmosphere must come from the personality -of the teller. That is why there is -such a variety of charm in hearing the same -story told by different persons. This sense -of atmosphere is created by the story-teller’s -losing herself wholly in the story. She completely -absorbs the story, its setting, its characters, -its ideals, and when she gives it forth -again, it takes op something of herself. This -cannot be the case if the story is told as something -assumed, external, or borrowed. In the -latter, no matter how good the technique, the -art is lost. Perhaps this point, which is most -essential to artistic story-telling, may be more -deeply impressed by a concrete example:</p> - -<p>The story-lovers of one of our large cities -recently had the pleasure of listening to two -well-known story-tellers, each giving an hour -with Uncle Remus. Only a few days elapsed -between the two presentations. In the first -instance the story-teller had scarcely more -than commenced when we felt that we were -sitting in Uncle Remus’ cabin, away down -South, listening to the adventures of Brer -Wolf, Brer Fox, and Brer Rabbit, told by the -old man who loved them as his own brothers -of the woods. <i>We were</i> the little boy, to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>[107]</span> -whom Uncle Remus was telling the stories in -his own inimitable way.</p> - -<p>In the second instance we were an audience -in the North, listening to a well-told—a thoroughly -well-told—account of Uncle Remus’ -telling to a little boy the adventures of Brer -Wolf, Brer Fox, and Brer Rabbit. We -laughed with the little boy; we enjoyed it -with the little boy, but we ourselves were not -that little boy sitting at the feet of Uncle -Remus.</p> - -<p>Do you see the contrast? The first story-teller -created the true “Uncle Remus atmosphere”; -his story-telling was an art.</p> - -<p>What was the difference in the telling? It -was very simple. The one became Uncle -Remus in spirit. In all conscious simplicity -he <i>was</i> the old colored story-teller whom Joel -Chandler Harris created, and he was telling -his story to the little boy—not to an -“audience.” The other told us—most -delightfully—<i>about</i> the old colored story-teller, -and reproduced for us his stories. His -technique was above reproach, and he satisfied -the intellect. The first also satisfied the -intellect, but he reached far beyond it and -touched the heart.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>[108]</span></p> - -<p>The artistic story must have perspective. -One which lacks this quality is like a diagram; -it is not a picture. There must be relative -values, and the “witching glamour of the -past.” Give the old stories their appropriate -setting in time and place. Let the modern -story be the central figure against the universal -background of truth—a background -which will soften its sharper outlines, and -mellow its cruder tones. Preserve in the -classic the classical spirit, as well as the -classical form—that classical spirit which -kindles the fancy and stirs the imagination. -Let the hearers see their heroes through the -vista of vanishing years.</p> - -<p>Technique is a necessary part of any artistic -production. Note how carefully the artist -selects his brushes and prepares his palette. -The story-teller should do no less. As the -brush of the artist must, to a certain extent, -influence the effect of his colors, so the voice -and manner of the story-teller must, to a certain -degree, affect the presentation of the -story. Even the manner of dress has its -influence. And so, with the example of the -artist before us, let us choose these minor -tools of our art with the single purpose of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>[109]</span> -their suitability. Let them be natural, simple, -harmonious. No judge of a picture thinks of -the canvas or the pigments. They are wholly -lost sight of. So will it be with the elements -of the story-teller’s equipment if they are -suitable; in other words, if they are in harmony -with her real purpose. But let us also -bear in mind the fact that a true artist can -do much with a poor brush, and the true -story-teller can achieve good results even -though the details of her equipment are not -at their best.</p> - -<p>There must be variety in the story-pictures. -No one cares to look continually at the paintings -of even the greatest master, be he a -Michael Angelo, or a Velasquez. The water -colors of a Turner, or even the vagaries of a -Whistler afford needed change and variety—each -arousing our admiration, each presenting -its own phase of art. So we need not -always tell the stories of a Homer or a -Shakespeare. These may well be interspersed -with the tales of an Anderson, a Dickens, or -a Joel Chandler Harris.</p> - -<p>There is an “indefinite something” about -art which raises it above the commonplace. -Perfection of craftsmanship does not produce<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>[110]</span> -this indescribable charm. It must emanate -from the personality of the worker.</p> - -<p>Let us never confuse art with artificiality. -Art is nothing assumed; it is something felt. -Until we feel our story we can never tell it at -its best.</p> - -<p>Not all are artists, few are great artists; -but you and I may do our best toward artistic -attainment, and comfort ourselves over -any lack of achievement by the reflection that -while only the favored few see the great masterpieces -of painting, the lives of the multitude -are made brighter and happier by the -work of the lesser artists, who, striving -against their limitations, have yet given to -the world their best.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>[111]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="PART_II">PART II<br /> -<span class="smcap">Selected Stories to Tell</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>[112]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>[113]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="Selected_Stories_to_Tell">Selected Stories to Tell</h3> - -</div> - -<p>The following stories are selected with a -view to fulfilling various purposes, to -meeting varied needs. Though not all are -<i>great</i> stories, yet the object to be attained by -telling them is great; for the work of molding -the mind of a child can be nothing less. -Each story is worth while: most of them lie -outside the beaten path.</p> - -<h4>The Robin’s Carol<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a></h4> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">This is the carol the robin throws</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Over the edge of the valley;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Listen how boldly it flows,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Sally on sally:</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent2">Tirra-lirra,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Down the river,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Laughing water</div><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>[114]</span> - <div class="verse indent2">All a quiver.</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Day is near,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Clear, clear,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Fish are breaking,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Time for waking.</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Tup, tup, tup!</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Do you hear?</div> - <div class="verse indent2">All clear—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Wake up!</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<h4>The Little Baldhead<a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></h4> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">You dear little baby,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Don’t you cry;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Your father’s drawing water</div> - <div class="verse indent2">In the south, near by.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">A red tasseled hat</div> - <div class="verse indent2">He wears on his head;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Your mother’s in the kitchen</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Making up bread.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Walk a step, walk a step,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Off he goes,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">See from his shoe-tips</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Peep three toes.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>[115]</span></p> - -<h4>Why the Bear Sleeps All Winter<a id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a></h4> - -<p>Once upon a time, little Brother Rabbit -lived, quite sober and industrious, in the -woods, and just close by lived a big, brown -Bear.</p> - -<p>Now little Brother Rabbit never troubled -his neighbors in those days, nor meddled with -their housekeeping, nor played any tricks the -way he does now. In the fall, he gathered -his acorns, and his pignuts, and his rabbit -tobacco. On a frosty morning, he would set -out with Brother Fox for the farmer’s; and -while Brother Fox looked after the chicken -yards, little Brother Rabbit picked cabbage, -and pulled turnips, and gathered carrots and -parsnips for his cellar. When the winter -came, he never failed to share his store with -a wandering chipmunk.</p> - -<p>Now, in those days, old Bear was not content -to do his own housekeeping, and doze -in the sun, and gather wild honey in the summer, -and fish through the ice in the winter. -He was full of mischief, and was always playing -tricks. Of all the beasts of the wood, the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>[116]</span> -one he loved best to trouble was sober little -Brother Rabbit.</p> - -<p>Just as soon as Brother Rabbit moved to -a new tree stump, and filled his bins with -vegetables, and his pantry with salad, along -came old Bear and carried off all his stores.</p> - -<p>Just as soon as Brother Rabbit filled his -house with dry, warm leaves for a bed, along -came old Bear, and tried to squeeze himself -into the bed, too, and of course he was too -big.</p> - -<p>At last, Brother Rabbit could stand it no -longer, and he went to all the beasts in the -wood to ask their advice.</p> - -<p>The first one he met was Brother Frog, -sitting on the edge of the pond, and sticking -his feet in the nice, cool mud.</p> - -<p>“What shall I do, Brother Frog?” asked -Brother Rabbit; “Brother Bear will not -leave me alone.”</p> - -<p>“Let us ask Brother Squirrel,” said -Brother Frog.</p> - -<p>So the two went to Brother Squirrel, cracking -nuts in the hickory tree.</p> - -<p>“What shall we do, Brother Squirrel?” -asked Brother Frog; “Brother Bear will not -leave Brother Rabbit alone.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>[117]</span></p> - -<p>“Let us ask Brother Mole,” said Brother -Squirrel, dropping his nuts.</p> - -<p>So the three went to where Brother Mole -was digging the cellar for a new house, and -they said:</p> - -<p>“What shall we do, Brother Mole? -Brother Bear will not leave Brother Rabbit -alone.”</p> - -<p>“Let us ask Brother Fox,” said Brother -Mole.</p> - -<p>So Brother Mole, Brother Squirrel, -Brother Frog, and Brother Rabbit went to -where Brother Fox was combing his brush -behind a bush, and they said to him:</p> - -<p>“What shall we do, Brother Fox? Brother -Bear will not leave Brother Rabbit alone.”</p> - -<p>“Let us go to Brother Bear,” said -Brother Fox.</p> - -<p>So they all went along with little Brother -Rabbit, and they hunted and hunted for old -Bear, but they could not find him anywhere. -They hunted and hunted some more, and at -last they peeped into a hollow tree. There -lay old Bear, fast asleep.</p> - -<p>“Hush,” said Brother Fox.</p> - -<p>Then he whispered to Brother Frog, -“Bring a little mud.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>[118]</span></p> - -<p>And he whispered to Brother Squirrel, -“Bring some leaves.”</p> - -<p>And he whispered to Brother Mole, “Bring -some dirt, little brother.”</p> - -<p>And to Brother Rabbit he said, “Stand -ready to do what I tell you.”</p> - -<p>So Brother Frog brought mud, Brother -Squirrel brought leaves, Brother Mole -brought dirt, and Brother Rabbit stood ready -to do what Brother Fox told him.</p> - -<p>Then Brother Fox said to Brother Rabbit, -“Stop up the ends of Brother Bear’s log.”</p> - -<p>So Brother Rabbit took the mud and the -leaves and the dirt, and he stopped up the -ends of the log. Then he hammered hard -with his two back feet, which are good for -hammering. And they all went home, for -they thought that old Bear would never, -never get out of the log.</p> - -<p>Well, old Bear slept and slept, but after -a while he awoke, and he opened one eye. -He saw no sunshine, so he thought it was -still night, and he went to sleep again.</p> - -<p>After another while, he awoke again, but -he heard the rain and sleet beating outside, -and it was very warm and dry inside.</p> - -<p>“What a very long night,” said old Bear,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>[119]</span> -and he curled up his paws, and he went to -sleep again.</p> - -<p>This time, he just slept, and slept, until -it began to be very warm inside the log, and -he heard in his dreams the footsteps of birds -outside.</p> - -<p>Then he awoke, and he stretched himself, -and he shook himself. He rubbed his eyes -with his paws, and he poked away the mud, -and the leaves, and the dirt, and he went -outside.</p> - -<p>But was he not surprised?</p> - -<p>It had been a frosty night when he had -gone to sleep, and now the woods were green. -Old Bear had slept all winter.</p> - -<p>“That was a fine long sleep,” said old -Bear, as he set out for little Brother Rabbit’s -house to see if he had anything good for -breakfast; “and I shall go to sleep again, -next fall.”</p> - -<p>So every summer, old Bear plays tricks -on little Brother Rabbit, but when fall comes, -he creeps away to a warm, dark place to sleep -until spring.</p> - -<p>And so have his grandchildren, and his -great-grandchildren, and his great-great-grandchildren -ever since.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>[120]</span></p> - -<h4>The Little Boy Who Forgot to Wash His Hands<a id="FNanchor_7" href="#Footnote_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></h4> - -<p>Once upon a time, so very long ago that -of course there are no children like that now, -there was a little boy who almost <i>never</i> -washed his hands. He wrote with ink and -got ink on his fat little fore-finger; he made -pictures with his paints and daubed his -thumbs with red and yellow and blue color; -he made mud pies and splashed mud all over -his chubby palms and he never washed off -the ink or the paint or the mud.</p> - -<p>And when anyone spoke of his dirty hands, -Bobby—that was the little boy’s name—would -say, “Oh, I forgot.” And then he -would keep right on forgetting all about nice -warm soap and soft dry towels, and pretty, -clean, pink hands.</p> - -<p>One day, Bobby decided that he wanted -to play, very hard. The sun was up, there -was a soft, singing wind out in the garden, -and the whole world looked clean and happy. -So Bobby put on his cap, and because it is -always better to play with someone than to -play alone, Bobby called his big white pussy<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>[121]</span> -cat who often loved to chase up and down -the path that ran between the hedges.</p> - -<p>“Come, pussy, pussy dear!” called Bobby, -“come and play with me.”</p> - -<p>Then, because the white cat did not seem -to hear, Bobby stooped over and picked her -up in his arms. But the white cat wriggled -and scratched and spit at Bobby and jumped -out of his arms. She ran away from him and -hid beneath a chair.</p> - -<p>“I wonder why she will not play with me,” -Bobby said as he went out into the garden. -There, on the door-step, stood Bobby’s white -dove with the pink, pink toes. Bobby loved -the white dove, who was very tame and often -flew to his shoulder, cooing gently in his ear. -He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out -a handful of grain which he scattered on the -door-step for the dove—pretty yellow grain -it was. But the white dove would not eat it, -and when Bobby called her, she flew away -from him, as far as the green gables at the -very top of the house.</p> - -<p>“I wonder why she will not play with -me,” said Bobby, as he ran down the garden -path to the little round pond where his six -yellow gold fish lived. The six yellow gold<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>[122]</span> -fish were Bobby’s friends and they often -played with him as well as they knew how. -When he threw crumbs into the pond they -would come to the top with their little mouths -wide open, and would dart about in the shining -water as if they wanted Bobby to jump -in and swim about and enjoy the feast with -them.</p> - -<p>But today, when Bobby gave them some -crumbs which he had in his pocket, they did -not come up to eat them. They stayed deep, -deep down in the pond.</p> - -<p>“I wonder why—” Bobby began, and -then he happened to look down at the water. -The top of the pond was a shining mirror -and in it Bobby saw a picture of two little -black hands.</p> - -<p>The crumbs that he had thrown to the six -yellow gold fish were black, too. The pretty -yellow grain that he gave the dove had been -black, and when he had lifted the white pussy -cat, his hands had left two big, black smudges -upon her beautiful white fur.</p> - -<p>“Why, my hands are dirty,” exclaimed -Bobby.</p> - -<p>You see, he had never really thought about -his hands before. So he went right into the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>[123]</span> -house to wash them and he never, <i>never</i> -forgot to wash them again.</p> - -<h4>The Honest Woodman<a id="FNanchor_8" href="#Footnote_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></h4> - -<p>Once upon a time a poor woodman lived -with his family near a great forest. Every -week day he shouldered his ax very early -in the morning, and bidding his wife and children -good-by, went out to cut wood for his -master.</p> - -<p>One day when he was chopping at the trunk -of a great tree growing near a stream, his -ax suddenly slipped out of his hands and -dropped with a splash into the water.</p> - -<p>Oh, how troubled the poor man was! He -couldn’t earn a penny without an ax, and -he was too poor to buy one. He sat down -on the bank and wept as though his heart -would break.</p> - -<p>“What is the trouble, my good man?” -asked a voice at his side. It was a fairy! -And such a jolly-looking fairy, too. He had -wings on his cap, and wings on his shoes, -and even on his staff!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>[124]</span></p> - -<p>“I dropped my ax in the stream, and I -can’t chop wood any more, and my family -will starve,” sobbed the man.</p> - -<p>Instantly Mercury, for that was the fairy’s -name, dived down into the water, and came -up, dripping wet, holding a beautiful golden -ax in his hand.</p> - -<p>“Is this your ax?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“No, that is not mine.”</p> - -<p>The good fairy dived into the stream again, -and this time brought up a silver ax.</p> - -<p>“Is this yours?”</p> - -<p>“No, that isn’t mine, either.” The poor -man needed an ax very much, but he would -not claim one that did not belong to him, of -course.</p> - -<p>Once more Mercury plunged into the -water, but this time he came up with a common -ax in his hand.</p> - -<p>“Is this your ax?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes! Oh, yes! that is mine!” cried the -man, joyfully. “Thank you so much for your -kindness. I am sorry you are so wet.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t mind that,” said Mercury. “It -is indeed a pleasure to meet such an honest -man. I will give you both the gold and the -silver axes as well as your own, and you can<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>[125]</span> -sell them for much gold, and you shall never -be poor again.” And he was gone before -the woodcutter had time to thank him.</p> - -<p>The woodcutter went home a very happy -man, for now he would always have plenty -for his family. When his neighbors heard -about his good fortune, one of them who was -a lazy, good-for-nothing fellow decided to -try his luck in the same way. He went to -the stream, threw his ax in, and sitting down -on the bank, wept aloud as the honest woodman -had done.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Mercury appeared to him.</p> - -<p>“What is the trouble, my good man?” he -asked, as before.</p> - -<p>“I dropped my ax in the river,” sobbed -the man.</p> - -<p>Instantly the fairy dived into the water, -and in a moment came up with a golden ax -in his hand.</p> - -<p>“Is this your ax?”</p> - -<p>“Yes! Oh, yes! that is mine,” the dishonest -man cried, reaching out eagerly for -the beautiful golden tool.</p> - -<p>But Mercury knew he was not speaking -the truth, and was very angry with him. -Instead of giving him the golden ax, he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>[126]</span> -dropped it into the stream and disappeared -without trying to find the man’s own ax. So, -instead of going home a rich man, as he had -expected, he went home poorer than he had -come.</p> - -<h4>Tabby and the Mice<a id="FNanchor_9" href="#Footnote_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a></h4> - -<p>Three little mice once lived in an old box.</p> - -<p>“I am going to make a new house,” said -the largest mouse, whose name was Rus.</p> - -<p>“<i>I</i> am going to make a new house,” said -the next mouse, whose name was Fus.</p> - -<p>“<i>I</i> am going to make a new house,” said -the third mouse, who name was Mus.</p> - -<p>“My house shall be made of hay,” said -Rus, who did not like to be cold.</p> - -<p>“My house shall be made of paper,” said -Fus, who was fond of books.</p> - -<p>“My house shall be made of bricks,” said -Mus, who was as wise as he could be.</p> - -<p>So the three little mice made their homes.</p> - -<p>One day Tabby Cat came along. She saw -the three houses that the little mice had made.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>[127]</span></p> - -<p>She was a very polite old cat, so she -knocked at the door of the first house.</p> - -<p>“Come, Mr. Rus; please let me in!” said -she.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no,” said Rus; “you can’t come in.”</p> - -<p>Tabby was a wise old cat. She put her -soft paw into the hay and caught poor Rus.</p> - -<p>Then she went to the next house. “Come, -Mr. Fus; let me in,” she said.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no!” said Fus, “you can’t come in.”</p> - -<p>But Tabby knew better than that. She -put her paw through the paper door and -caught poor Fus. Then she went to the next -house.</p> - -<p>“Come, Mr. Mus; let me in!” said she.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes!” said Mus; “when I am -ready.”</p> - -<p>So Tabby sat down to wait. She laughed -when she thought what a nice supper Mus -would make.</p> - -<p>When she had waited a long time, she -grew tired.</p> - -<p>“Are you ready now, Mr. Mus?” she -asked.</p> - -<p>“Not yet,” said Mus.</p> - -<p>By and by Tabby knocked loudly on the -door.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>[128]</span></p> - -<p>“I am coming in now, Mr. Mus,” said she.</p> - -<p>“Very well; come in if you like,” said -Mus; but he did not open the door.</p> - -<p>So Tabby tried and tried to open the door.</p> - -<p>Then she tried to push down the house. -Then she tried to make Mus come out. At -last she told Mus just what she thought of -him.</p> - -<p>This did not trouble Mus at all. He had -curled himself up in a snug corner of his -house and was fast asleep.</p> - -<h4>The Gold Bugs<a id="FNanchor_10" href="#Footnote_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></h4> - -<p>Once upon a time there were two green and -glittering gold bugs, and one said to the -other:</p> - -<p>“The day is warm and sunny; let us go -out and play.”</p> - -<p>“We will,” said the second gold bug, and -they decided to play at dancing.</p> - -<p>So the two green, glittering gold bugs went -down to a brook near by, and there, shining -and floating above the water, they saw two -glorious dragon flies, one green, and one blue.</p> - -<p>“We will dance with these dragon flies,”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[129]</span> -said one gold bug. “I choose the blue one.”</p> - -<p>“You cannot have her,” said the other -gold bug, “I choose her.”</p> - -<p>“I will dance with the blue dragon fly,” -said the second gold bug.</p> - -<p>So they quarreled until two other gold bugs -came along, and asked the dragon flies to -dance with them, so that was an end of the -matter.</p> - -<p>The two green and glittering gold bugs -then said they would play at something else.</p> - -<p>“We will play hide and seek,” said the -first gold bug.</p> - -<p>“No, we will play tag,” said the second -gold bug.</p> - -<p>“I will play nothing but hide and seek,” -said the first gold bug.</p> - -<p>“And I will play nothing but tag,” said -the second gold bug.</p> - -<p>“I am going to hide,” said the first gold -bug; so he went away and hid himself beneath -a clover leaf, but, ah, there was no -one to blind, and then go and look for him.</p> - -<p>“I will run,” said the second gold bug; -so he ran, but, ah, there was no one to catch -him. It was not fun to play that way, and -there was an end of the matter.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[130]</span></p> - -<p>The two green and glittering gold bugs -then said they would play at something else, -so they went to a tall bell flower to swing.</p> - -<p>“I will sit inside, and you shall rock me,” -said the first gold bug.</p> - -<p>“No, I will sit inside first, and you shall -rock me,” said the second gold bug.</p> - -<p>So they quarreled as to which should swing -first, and in their quarreling they tore a -petal of the beautiful bell flower, so they -could not swing at all, and there was an end -of the matter.</p> - -<p>“Tut, tut, what is the meaning of this?” -asked an old gold bug who came crawling -along just then. “Why do you two green -and glittering young things quarrel this -bright morning?”</p> - -<p>“We cannot play, and we are very unhappy, -grandfather,” said the two gold bugs. -“We do not both wish to play at the same -games.”</p> - -<p>“Silly, silly,” said the old gold bug, and -as he crawled away, he turned his head about, -and he said, “Take turns, take turns. Turn -about is fair play.”</p> - -<p>Now it had never occurred to the two green -and glittering gold bugs that to take turns<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[131]</span> -is the best way to play, and they decided to -try.</p> - -<p>They went back to the brook, and there -were the two beautiful dragon flies, again -floating over the water. So the first gold bug -danced with the green dragon fly, and the -second gold bug danced with the blue dragon -fly; and then they changed about until they -could dance no longer.</p> - -<p>After that they played tag, and the first -gold bug chased the second gold bug until -they were tired. Then the first gold bug hid -himself, and the second gold bug tried to -find him, which was very good fun indeed.</p> - -<p>And last of all they found another bell -flower, and they rocked each other all the -afternoon, until it was time to go home.</p> - -<p>So they had a very good day after all, did -those green and glittering gold bugs, for they -had learned that to take turns is the best -way to play.</p> - -<h4>The History of Tip-Top<a id="FNanchor_11" href="#Footnote_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></h4> - -<p>Under the window of a certain pretty cottage -there grew a great old apple tree, which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[132]</span> -in the spring had thousands and thousands -of lovely pink blossoms on it, and in the -autumn had many bright red apples.</p> - -<p>The nursery of this cottage was a little -bower of a room, and here five little children -used to come to be dressed and have their -hair brushed and curled every morning.</p> - -<p>Now it used to happen, every morning, that -the five little heads would be peeping out of -the window, together, into the flowery boughs -of the apple tree; and the reason was this. -A pair of robins had built a very pretty, -smooth-lined nest directly under the window. -The robins, at first, had been rather shy of -this inspection; but, as they got better acquainted, -they seemed to think no more of -the little curly heads in the window than of -the pink blossoms about them, or the daisies -and buttercups at the foot of the tree.</p> - -<p>When the little nest was finished, it was -so neat, and workmanlike, that the children -all exulted over it, and called it “our nest,” -and the two robins they called “our birds.” -But wonderful was the joy when the little -eyes, opening one morning, saw in the nest -a beautiful pale-green egg; and the joy grew -from day to day, for every day there came<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[133]</span> -another egg, and so on till there were five -little eggs.</p> - -<p>After that the mother bird began to sit on -the eggs, and then it seemed a very long -time for the children to wait. But one morning, -when they pushed their five curly heads -out of the window, the patient little bird was -gone and there seemed to be nothing left in -the little nest but a bunch of something -hairy.</p> - -<p>“O, mamma, do come here!” they cried, -“the bird has gone and left her nest!” But -at that five little red mouths opened wide, -and then they saw that the hairy bunch of -stuff was five little birds.</p> - -<p>“They are dreadful looking things,” said -one of the children; “I didn’t know that -little birds began by looking so bad.”</p> - -<p>But after this it was great fun to watch -the parent birds feed this nestful of little red -mouths, until it became a nestful of little, fat, -speckled robins.</p> - -<p>Then, as there were five children, and five -robins, they each chose one bird for his own, -and they named them Brown-Eyes, Tip-Top, -Singer, Toddy, and Speckle.</p> - -<p>Time went on, and as Brown-Eyes, Tip-Top,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[134]</span> -Singer, Toddy, and Speckle grew bigger, -they began to make a very crowded nestful -of birds.</p> - -<p>Now the children had been taught a little -verse which said:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Birds in their little nests agree,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And ’tis a shameful sight</div> - <div class="verse indent0">When children of one family</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Fall out, and chide, and fight;</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">and they thought anything really written and -printed must be true; therefore they were -very much astonished to see, from day to -day, that <i>their</i> little birds in their nest did -<i>not</i> agree.</p> - -<p>Tip-Top was the biggest and strongest -bird, and he was always shuffling and crowding -the others, and clamoring for the most -food. Speckle was a bird of spirit, and he -used to peck at Tip-Top, while Brown-Eyes -was a meek, tender little fellow. As for -Toddy and Singer, they turned out to be sister -birds, and showed quite a feminine talent -for chattering.</p> - -<p>“I say,” said Tip-Top one day, “this old -nest is a dull, crowded hole, and it’s quite -time some of us were out of it.”</p> - -<p>“My dear boy,” said Mother Robin, “we<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[135]</span> -shall teach you to fly as soon as your wings -are strong enough.”</p> - -<p>“Humbug!” cried Tip-Top, balancing -with his short little tail on the edge of the -nest. “Look at those swallows, skimming -and diving through the blue air! That’s the -way I want to do.”</p> - -<p>“My dear boy,” said his mother, “do go -into the nest and be a good little bird, and -then you will be happy.”</p> - -<p>“I’m too big for the nest,” said Tip-Top, -“and I want to see the world. It’s full of -beautiful things, I know. Now there’s the -most lovely creature with bright eyes, that -comes under the tree every day, and wants -me to come down in the grass and play with -her.”</p> - -<p>“My son, my son, beware!” said the -frightened mother; “that seemingly lovely -creature is our dreadful enemy, the cat—a -horrid monster, with teeth and claws.”</p> - -<p>At this all the little birds shuddered and -cuddled deeper into the nest—all but Tip-Top, -who <i>didn’t believe it</i>.</p> - -<p>So the next morning, after the father and -mother were gone, Tip-Top got on the edge -of the nest again, and looked over and saw<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>[136]</span> -lovely Miss Pussy washing her face among -the daisies under the tree, and her hair was -smooth and white as the daisies, and her eyes -were yellow and beautiful to behold, and she -looked up to the tree bewitchingly and said, -“Little birds, little birds, come down. -Pussy wants to play with you.”</p> - -<p>“Only look at her!” said Tip-Top; “her -eyes are like gold.”</p> - -<p>“No, don’t look,” said Singer and Speckle. -“She will bewitch you and then eat you up; -mother said so.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to see her try to eat me up,” -said Tip-Top, again balancing his short tail -over the edge of the nest. “Her paws are -as white as velvet, and so soft! I don’t -believe she has any claws.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t go, brother, don’t!” screamed both -sisters.</p> - -<p>A moment after, a dreadful scream was -heard from the nursery window. “O, -mamma, mamma, do come here! Tip-Top’s -fallen out of the nest, and the cat has got -him!”</p> - -<p>Poor, foolish Tip-Top!</p> - -<p>But in another moment the children were -in the yard, and Jamie plunged under a bush<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>[137]</span> -and caught the cat, with luckless Tip-Top in -her mouth.</p> - -<p>Tip-Top was not dead, but some of his -pretty feathers were gone, and one of his -wings was broken.</p> - -<p>“Oh, what <i>shall</i> we do for him!” cried -the children. “Poor Tip-Top!”</p> - -<p>“We will put him back into the nest, children,” -said mamma. “His mother will know -best what to do for him.”</p> - -<p>So a ladder was brought, and papa climbed -up and put poor Tip-Top safely into the nest. -The cat had shaken all the nonsense well out -of him, and he was a dreadfully humbled -young robin.</p> - -<p>And when the time came for all the other -little birds to learn to fly, poor Tip-Top was -still confined to the nest with his broken wing.</p> - -<h4>The Good King<a id="FNanchor_12" href="#Footnote_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a></h4> - -<p>Once upon a time there was a King in -Spain who had only one leg. He was a Good -King, and he had a big Animal Farm where -he kept all the animals who had lost one or -more of their legs.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>[138]</span></p> - -<p>In another part of Spain there was a Little -Half Chick with only one eye, one wing, and -one leg. The other chickens with two eyes -and two legs gobbled up the corn so fast that -Little Half Chick was nearly starved.</p> - -<p>One day a Donkey told Little Half Chick -about the Good King and his Animal Farm. -Little Half Chick at once started hoppity-hop -for Mother Hen and said:</p> - -<p>“Mother Hen, I am going to Madrid to see -the Good King.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Mother Hen, “good -luck to you.”</p> - -<p>So Little Half Chick started off, hoppity-hop, -hoppity-hop, along the road to Madrid -to see the Good King.</p> - -<p>Soon she met a Two-legged Cat going along -hippity-hip, hippity-hip, on her leg and -crutch. The Cat said:</p> - -<p>“Hello, Little Half Chick, where are you -going so fast?”</p> - -<p>Little Half Chick said, “I am going to -Madrid to see the Good King.”</p> - -<p>“May I go too?” said the Two-legged Cat.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Little Half Chick, “fall in -behind.”</p> - -<p>So the Cat fell in behind. Hoppity-hop,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139"></a>[139]</span> -hoppity-hop, went Little Half Chick. Hippity-hip, -hippity-hip, went the Two-legged -Cat.</p> - -<p>Soon they met a Three-legged Dog going -along humpity-hump, humpity-hump. The -Dog said:</p> - -<p>“Hello, Little Half Chick, where are you -going so fast?”</p> - -<p>Little Half Chick said, “I am going to -Madrid to see the Good King.”</p> - -<p>“May I go too?” said the Three-legged -Dog.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Little Half Chick, “fall in -behind.”</p> - -<p>So the Dog fell in behind. Hoppity-hop, -hoppity-hop, went Little Half Chick. Hippity-hip, -hippity-hip, went the Two-legged -Cat.</p> - -<p>Humpity-hump, humpity-hump, went the -Three-legged Dog.</p> - -<p>Soon they met a One-legged Crow going -along jumpity-jump, jumpity-jump. The -Crow said:</p> - -<p>“Hello, Little Half Chick, where are you -going so fast?”</p> - -<p>Little Half Chick said, “I am going to -Madrid to see the Good King.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140"></a>[140]</span></p> - -<p>“May I go too?” said the One-legged -Crow.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Little Half Chick, “fall in -behind.”</p> - -<p>So the Crow fell in behind. Hoppity-hop, -hoppity-hop, went Little Half Chick. Hippity-hip, -hippity-hip, went the Two-legged -Cat. Humpity-hump, humpity-hump, went -the Three-legged Dog. Jumpity-jump, jumpity-jump, -went the One-legged Crow.</p> - -<p>Soon they met a Snake with no legs at all. -He had caught his tail in his teeth, and was -rolling along, loopity-loop, loopity-loop. The -Snake said:</p> - -<p>“Hello, Little Half Chick, where are you -going so fast?”</p> - -<p>“I am going to Madrid to see the Good -King,” said Little Half Chick.</p> - -<p>“May I go too?” said the Snake.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Little Half Chick, “fall in -behind.”</p> - -<p>So the Snake fell in behind. Hoppity-hop, -hoppity-hop, went Little Half Chick. Hippity-hip, -hippity-hip, went the Two-legged -Cat. Humpity-hump, humpity-hump, went -the Three-legged Dog. Jumpity-jump, jumpity-jump, -went the One-legged Crow. Loopity-loop,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141"></a>[141]</span> -loopity-loop, went the Snake with no -legs at all.</p> - -<p>Soon they came to Madrid and saw the -Good King. With the King was his little -daughter Margaret. They both laughed as -all these funny animals came up. The King -said to Little Margaret:</p> - -<p>“Do you want to see us all go out to the -Animal Farm?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Little Margaret, “I will lead -the way.”</p> - -<p>So she led the way along the street to the -Animal Farm. Behind Margaret came the -One-legged King. Next came Little Half -Chick, next the Two-legged Cat, next the -Three-legged Dog, next the One-legged Crow, -and last of all the Snake with no legs at all. -So they all went out to the Animal Farm. -And there they lived happily ever after.</p> - -<h4>The Plowman Who Found Content<a id="FNanchor_13" href="#Footnote_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a></h4> - -<p>A plowman paused in his work one day to -rest. As he sat on the handle of his plow -he fell a-thinking. The world had not been -going well with him of late, and he could -not help feeling downhearted. Just then he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142"></a>[142]</span> -saw an old woman looking at him over the -hedge.</p> - -<p>“Good-morning!” she said. “If you are -wise you will take my advice.”</p> - -<p>“And what is your advice?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Leave your plow, and walk straight on -for two days. At the end of that time you -will find yourself in the middle of a forest, -and in front of you there will be a tree towering -high above the others. Cut it down, and -your fortune will be made.”</p> - -<p>With these words the old woman hobbled -down the road, leaving the plowman wondering. -He unharnessed his horses, drove them -home, and said good-by to his wife; and then -taking his ax, started out.</p> - -<p>At the end of two days he came to the tree, -and set to work to cut it down. As it crashed -to the ground a nest containing two eggs fell -from its topmost branches. The shells of the -eggs were smashed, and out of one came a -young eagle, while from the other rolled a -small gold ring.</p> - -<p>The eagle rapidly became larger and larger, -till it was of full size; then, flapping its wings, -it flew up.</p> - -<p>“I thank you, honest man, for giving me<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143"></a>[143]</span> -my freedom,” it called out. “In token of -my gratitude take the ring—it is a wishing -ring. If you wish anything as you turn it -round on your finger, your wish will be fulfilled. -But remember this—the ring contains -but one wish, so think well before you -use it.”</p> - -<p>The man put the ring on his finger, and -set off on his homeward journey. Night was -coming on when he entered a town. Almost -the first person he saw was a goldsmith -standing at the door of his shop. So he went -up to him, and asked him what the ring was -worth.</p> - -<p>The goldsmith looked at it carefully, and -handed it back to the man with a smile.</p> - -<p>“It is of very little value,” he said.</p> - -<p>The plowman laughed.</p> - -<p>“Ah, Mr. Goldsmith,” he cried, “you have -made a mistake this time. My ring is worth -more than all you have in your shop; it’s a -wishing-ring, and will give me anything I -care to wish for.”</p> - -<p>The goldsmith felt annoyed and asked to -see it again.</p> - -<p>“Well, my good man,” he said, “never -mind about the ring. I dare say you are far<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144"></a>[144]</span> -from home, and are in want of some supper -and a bed for the night. Come in and spend -the night in my house.”</p> - -<p>The man gladly accepted the offer, and was -soon sound asleep. In the middle of the night -the goldsmith took the ring from his finger, -and put another just like it in its place without -disturbing him in the least.</p> - -<p>Next morning the countryman went on his -way, all unconscious of the trick that had -been played on him. When he had gone the -goldsmith closed the shutters of his shop, -and bolted the door; then turning the ring -on his finger he said, “I wish for a hundred -thousand sovereigns!”</p> - -<p>Scarcely had the sound of his voice died -away than there fell about him a shower of -hard, bright, golden sovereigns. They struck -him on the head, on the shoulders, on the -hands. They covered the floor. Presently -the floor gave way beneath the weight, and -the goldsmith and his gold fell into the cellar -beneath.</p> - -<p>Next morning, when the goldsmith did not -open the shop as usual, the neighbors forced -open the door, and found him buried beneath -the pile.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145"></a>[145]</span></p> - -<p>Meanwhile the countryman reached his -home, and told his wife of the ring.</p> - -<p>“Now, good wife,” said he, “here is the -ring; our fortune is made. Of course we -must consider the matter well; then, when -we have made up our minds as to what is -best, we can express some very big wish as I -turn the ring on my finger.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose,” said the woman, “we were to -wish for a nice farm; the land we have now -is so small as to be almost useless.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said the husband; “but, on the -other hand, if we work hard and spend little -for a year or two we might be able to buy -as much as we want. Then we could get -something else with the wishing-ring.”</p> - -<p>So it was agreed. For a year the man and -his wife worked hard. Harvest came, and -the crops were splendid. At the end of the -year they were able to buy a nice farm, and -still had some money left.</p> - -<p>“There,” said the man, “we have the -land, and we still have our wish.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said his wife, “we could do very -well with a horse and a cow.”</p> - -<p>“They are not worth wishing for,” said -he; “we can get them as we got the land.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146"></a>[146]</span></p> - -<p>So they went on working steadily and -spending wisely for another year. At the end -of that time they bought both a horse and a -cow. Husband and wife were greatly pleased -with their good fortune, for, said they, “We -have got the things we wanted and we have -still our wish.”</p> - -<p>As time went on everything prospered with -the worthy couple. They worked hard, and -were happy. Indeed, the husband would -probably have forgotten all about the ring -had not his wife constantly asked him to wish -for something.</p> - -<p>“Let us work while we are young,” her -husband would answer. “Life is still before -us, and who can say how badly we may need -our wish some day.”</p> - -<p>So the years passed away. Every season -saw the bounds of the farm increase and the -granaries grow fuller. All day long the -farmer was about in the fields, while his wife -looked after the house and the dairy. Sometimes, -as they sat alone of an evening, she -would remind him of the unused wishing-ring, -and would talk of things she would like to -have for the house. But he always replied -that there was still plenty of time for that.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147"></a>[147]</span></p> - -<p>The man and his wife grew old and gray. -Then came a day when they both died—and -the wishing-ring had not been used. It was -still on his finger as he had worn it for forty -years. One of his sons was going to take it -off, but the oldest said:</p> - -<p>“Do not disturb it; there has been some -secret in connection with it. Perhaps our -mother gave it to him, for I have often seen -her look longingly at it.”</p> - -<p>Thus the old man was buried with the ring, -which was supposed to be a wishing-ring, but -which, as we know, was not, though it brought -the old couple more good fortune and happiness -than all the wishing in the world could -ever have given them.</p> - -<h4>King of the Frogs<a id="FNanchor_14" href="#Footnote_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a></h4> - -<p>Once upon a time—so long ago that the -oldest frog now living does not remember it—all -the frogs of a far-away country came -together in solemn council.</p> - -<p>“I propose,” said a big green fellow with -a very deep voice, “that we ask to have a -king appointed to rule over us.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148"></a>[148]</span></p> - -<p>“What do we want of a king?” asked a -small and inquisitive frog.</p> - -<p>But his voice was hardly heard, for all the -other frogs shouted together, “Yes, let us -have a king. Let us have a king.”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t we all we need, now, to make us -happy?” asked the little, inquisitive frog -again. But nobody paid the slightest attention -to him.</p> - -<p>So the other frogs sent a request to the -Great Ruler of the land, asking that he -appoint a king to rule over them.</p> - -<p>“A king of the frogs!” said the Great -Ruler, when he heard their request. And -then he knit his brows and thought for a very -long time.</p> - -<p>But nobody knew that his thoughts were -the same as those of the little, inquisitive -frog to whom nobody had paid any attention.</p> - -<p>At last the Great Ruler spoke.</p> - -<p>“Why do you want a king?” he asked. -“Have you not, now, everything you need -to make you happy?”</p> - -<p>But all the frogs shouted in chorus, “Give -us a king. Give us a king.”</p> - -<p>So the Great Ruler knit his brows and -thought again for a very long time.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149"></a>[149]</span></p> - -<p>At length he spoke. “I will give you a -great log for a king. It will bear you upon -the water and the sun will shine upon you -as you rest on its broad surface.”</p> - -<p>But the frogs were angry at this. “The -idea!” they shouted. “We want a living -king; we want no dead log for a king.”</p> - -<p>So the Great Ruler knit his brows and -thought again for a very long time.</p> - -<p>At length he spoke. “Since you insist -upon it, I will give you the stork for your -king.”</p> - -<p>Then all the frogs sang joyfully, “Yes, we -will have the stork for our king. The stork -is our king! The stork is our king!”</p> - -<p>So the stork was sent to rule over them, -and as soon as he came among them he began -to eat. And he ate and ate—till he had -swallowed <i>every frog in the land</i>.</p> - -<h4>The Adder That Did Not Hear<a id="FNanchor_15" href="#Footnote_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a></h4> - -<p>Away in the midst of the forest, there lived -a tiny adder. He was so very little that the -great beasts never thought of talking to him. -But the spiders and the wasps and the frogs -often stopped to visit at his doorway.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150"></a>[150]</span></p> - -<p>One morning, as a frog hopped down the -path, he stopped and called “Good morning. -I’ve a bit of news for you.”</p> - -<p>“Good morning,” replied the adder. “I -hope it is good news, I am sure.”</p> - -<p>“What’s good news to one person may -be bad news to another,” croaked the frog. -“But listen! As I came along through the -forest I heard a great chattering among the -monkeys, and I stopped to hear what it was -all about.</p> - -<p>“One little monkey sat crying in the midst -of them, and the others were all saying, -‘You know you tried to steal—’”</p> - -<p>But the adder had rolled over so that one -ear lay close to the ground, and he had stuck -the end of his tail in the other ear. Of course -he couldn’t hear another word of what the -frog was saying.</p> - -<p>“Dear me!” said the frog, looking very -much offended. “That is a great way to -treat a friend, I am sure.” And he hopped -off into the rushes.</p> - -<p>Presently a wasp flew down by the adder’s -home and settled upon a leaf near by.</p> - -<p>“Good morning,” said the adder politely. -“What a beautiful day this is.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151"></a>[151]</span></p> - -<p>“Yes,” buzzed the wasp, “it’s nice today, -but there’s sure to be a storm—”</p> - -<p>But the adder had rolled over so that one -ear lay close to the ground, and he had stuck -the end of his tail into the other ear.</p> - -<p>“Well, I declare,” buzzed the wasp -angrily. “What an impertinent fellow.” -And she flew away as fast as ever she could.</p> - -<p>The adder straightened himself out and -went about his work once more, thinking as -he did so how bright the sunlight was, and -how soft and warm the air felt, and how beautifully -the birds were singing.</p> - -<p>Presently a little brown spider dropped a -thread from her web and ran down to the -adder’s doorway.</p> - -<p>“Good morning,” she said. “I have come -to invite you to a forest revel. Why are you -always so quiet? You should come with us -and not mind what the sober workers tell -you. We will have music and dancing and -wine and song—”</p> - -<p>But the adder had rolled over so that one -ear lay close to the ground and he had stuck -the end of his tail into the other ear.</p> - -<p>“Such manners!” exclaimed the spider, -and she climbed the thread back to her web.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152"></a>[152]</span></p> - -<p>And so it came about that the small people -of the forest began to have this saying -amongst them, “He’s as deaf as an adder.”</p> - -<h4>The North Star<a id="FNanchor_16" href="#Footnote_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a></h4> - -<p>Three Ojibway hunters had been out hunting -for meat many days; it was in a new -place. The woods were very thick, but there -were no deer in them. The hunters had nothing -to eat; they had no water, for there was -none; they were lost in the thick forest.</p> - -<p>The hunters sat down and smoked the pipe -of peace. They offered the smoke to the Manitous -who might live in the woods. They -asked the Manitous to help them. The day -sun was gone and there was no night sun.</p> - -<p>The chief covered his head with his blanket -and chanted: “Our wigwams will see us -no more. We will stay here forever. We can -go no further.”</p> - -<p>A little Pukwudjinnie came out of a hollow -tree when the chief had chanted his story. -The Little One was like a little papoose, but -he was very old and knew very much.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153"></a>[153]</span></p> - -<p>He said: “I will help the hunters. I will -show you the trail.”</p> - -<p>He pulled the thick bushes apart, and the -hunters followed. He found the trail and -soon came upon a herd of deer feeding in the -bush. The hunters shot two deer and ate -much meat; they were stronger after they -had eaten the meat. The Little One did not -eat; he was not hungry.</p> - -<p>There was no rain, and the hunters had -no water; they lost their strength and could -not walk on the trail. The Pukwudjinnie -left them; then the hunters put their blankets -over their heads and sat down. They -said no words. They could not smoke the -pipe of peace, for their strength was all gone.</p> - -<p>The Little One came back with a deer-skin -full of drink for them; he poured it -into their mouths; it was not water; it was -like no drink they ever had before. They -became very strong and wanted nothing more -to eat or drink for more than one moon.</p> - -<p>He led them on a long trail, to the land of -his Little People; he took them to his own -chief. The chief was like a little papoose, but -he knew all the trails in the forest. He knew -all the trails in the sky.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154"></a>[154]</span></p> - -<p>The little chief showed the Ojibway chief -the star in the north, the star that never -moves. The little chief showed them how to -watch this star and not lose their trail. He -found their lost trail for them and sent them -home.</p> - -<p>The three hunters came back to their own -wigwams. They talked in the council and -showed their people the star that never -moves.</p> - -<p>Other nations and tribes know this star -now, but the Ojibways believe that their people -were the first to know where to find it -in the Great Blue Wigwam.</p> - -<h4>The Cobbler<a id="FNanchor_17" href="#Footnote_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a></h4> - -<p>Once upon a time there lived a cobbler who -sat day after day in his shop, working away -at his cobbler’s last—just making shoes.</p> - -<p>After a time he came to think that because -he had made so very many pairs of shoes, he -knew more about them than anybody else in -the world.</p> - -<p>He grew quite puffed up with pride, and -was always looking for some way of showing -his knowledge.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155"></a>[155]</span></p> - -<p>One day as he was walking in the public -square of the town, he saw a statue which -had been made by a great artist. And he -discovered—ha-ha-ha—he discovered that -the shoe-latchet of the statue was not made -just right.</p> - -<p>“Aha, aha!” he said, and his chest swelled -with pride and delight. “Here is a statue -made by a great artist—but he does not -know how a shoe-latchet is made. Surely, I -am greater than he!”</p> - -<p>Then he began to look the statue over -to see what other mistakes he might find. -And after a while it seemed to him that the -legs of the statue were not shaped just -right, either.</p> - -<p>“I will go to the Lord Mayor of the town,” -he said to himself, “and order the statue -removed from our public square.”</p> - -<p>So he went to the Lord Mayor’s palace, -and when he came into the Lord Mayor’s -presence, he said, “May it please your -Honor, I have discovered great errors in -the statue which is in our public square, and -I have come to petition your Honor to have -it removed.”</p> - -<p>Then the Lord Mayor looked the cobbler<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156"></a>[156]</span> -over gravely, and asked, “Can you make a -better statue to put in its place?”</p> - -<p>At that the cobbler turned quite red and -stammered, “Oh, no, your Honor; but I can -make a better shoe-latchet.”</p> - -<p>“Then, Sir Cobbler,” replied the Lord -Mayor, “I would advise you to stick to -your last.”</p> - -<h4>Opechee the Robin Redbreast<a id="FNanchor_18" href="#Footnote_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a></h4> - -<p>A great hunter among the Chippewas, or -Ojibways, wanted his son to secure a powerful -spirit to protect him in war and all -danger. To gain the help of the strong Manitou -the boy must fast twelve days.</p> - -<p>Many Indian boys can do this, but not all. -Many try and fail.</p> - -<p>The boy did as his father commanded, for -when the time came he went into the secret -lodge in the deep forest and laid himself -down alone on the mat his mother had woven -for him. He did not fear, but his strength -was weak. All night he lay there alone.</p> - -<p>In the morning his father came and asked<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157"></a>[157]</span> -him if the strong spirit had come to him in -his dreams. The boy shook his head. No -dreams had come to him.</p> - -<p>Each day for ten days the father came to -the little lodge in the wilderness and asked -his son if the strong Manitou had come to -him.</p> - -<p>“It is not for me to have such dreams, -my father, I am not brave. The strong Manitou -will not come to me. Let me give up -my fast.”</p> - -<p>“If you give up now, the Manitou will -never come. Hunger makes my son weak, -but his heart is strong. It is only a short -time more to wait. Then my son shall be -the strongest of all.”</p> - -<p>The Indian boy covered his face and lay -still upon the mat. He would obey his -father.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the eleventh day -the boy saw his father enter the wigwam. -He slowly turned his face toward him and -whispered: “Let me break my fast; I have -no dreams.”</p> - -<p>“Tomorrow I will bring you food. Tomorrow -you shall come to the lodge of your -father.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158"></a>[158]</span></p> - -<p>The boy closed his eyes and said no more. -He was very weak and faint.</p> - -<p>The next morning the father went with the -earliest morning light to the little lodge in -the forest. Peeping through the door he saw -his son sitting up. Beside his mat were -brushes and paint. He was painting himself -red and brown.</p> - -<p>“The Manitou will free me, but it is not -the spirit my father wanted,” he heard the -boy say.</p> - -<p>The father rushed into the lodge, but as -he touched his boy the lad changed into a -bird and flew out of the open doorway. Sitting -on the top of the lodge he sang these -words:</p> - -<p>“Do not mourn for me, my father, for I -am happy. I did not want to be a warrior. -I wanted only to be free. I shall find food -upon the fields and the hills. I will comfort -you.” Then he flew away.</p> - -<p>Opechee lives near the homes of men. He -loves to comfort them when they are sad. -He is happy when they are happy.</p> - -<p>His songs are for the little children and -for the fathers and mothers who want their -little ones to be brave. Opechee is not afraid<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159"></a>[159]</span> -in the storm, and many have heard him singing -just after the great thunder-birds had -called to each other and the water was coming -fast from the sky to find a place to hide in -the ground. Opechee is brave, but not -strong.</p> - -<h4>The Country Cat<a id="FNanchor_19" href="#Footnote_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a></h4> - -<p>The big white cat trotting across the lawn -with a rat in his mouth started Meriky on -a story this afternoon.</p> - -<p>“Huh!” exclaimed Meriky, “cats and -mouses didn’t used to be sich bad friends -as dey is now.</p> - -<p>“Once upon a time dey visited back an’ -forth like yo’ ma an’ Miz Paterson.”</p> - -<p>“What made them fall out?”</p> - -<p>“Hit come ’bout dis-er-way. Ol’ Miz Cat -live in de country, but she mighty hongry -to know ’bout town doin’s. She tell round -’mongst her friends ’bout greatly she’s -honin’ to see de sights.</p> - -<p>“Middle of de night come little Mr. Gray -Mouse knockin’ on de door, and say he got -a cousin goin’ up to town, an’ if Miz Cat<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160"></a>[160]</span> -still wantin’ to see de sights, dis hyer cousin -be proud to give her a lift.</p> - -<p>“Den Miz Pussy Cat put on her bonnet -an’ put on her shawl, an’ tuck her a poke -full o’ victuals an’ started out wid Mr. -Mouse. Mouses does dey travelin’ by night -an’ de cat an’ mouse travel all night and git -to town de next day.</p> - -<p>“When dey come where all de people was, -Mr. Mouse pick up his foot and run in a rat -hole; but Miz Cat set down by de side de -road for to eat the snack.</p> - -<p>“She was a-sittin’ dar, spreadin’ out all -dat good country sassige, and good country -ham and sich truck, when a town cat come -along past.</p> - -<p>“Dis hyer town cat was hongry; he was -all raggety same as de beggar man what yo’ -ma give a dinner to yisstiddy. He want Miz -Cat’s victuals mighty bad. ‘M’lan’!’ he say, -‘whar you git dat pig mess?’</p> - -<p>“‘Dat my snack,’ say Miz Cat, mighty -polite. ‘I brung hit wid me from home. -Won’t you jine, sir?’</p> - -<p>“Now, dat dar ol’ hungry town cat want -every bit of Miz Pussy Cat’s snack. He -never want to jine; so he say, ‘Does dey<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161"></a>[161]</span> -really eat sich a mess as dat in de country -whar you come from?’</p> - -<p>“‘Yes, indeed,’ say de country cat, mighty -glad to meet up wid town folks, an’ larn -town ways. ‘Don’t you eat sich in town? -What you eat in town, anyhow?’</p> - -<p>“De town cat look all ’bout. He boun’ -to sen’ Miz Pussy Cat on a arrant dat’ll -take her ’way from dem good victuals. -Right den he see Mr. Mouse peep out a hole -to ax Miz Cat how she come on. He boun’ -if Miz Cat git to runnin’ after Mr. Swif’ Foot -Mouse he have time to steal her dinner.</p> - -<p>“‘We eats mices,’ he say, in de grandest -way imaginable. ‘You never will larn town -ways tell you larn to eat mices!’</p> - -<p>“I done told you dat Miz Pussy Cat plumb -crazy ’bout larnin’ to do like town folks does. -She hop up and leave dat lunch, quick as you -could wink—an’ dat ol’ hongry town cat -grab hit des’ as quick. She ran dat mouse -plumb down all de way to de Co’t House. -Dar she ketch him, an’ right dar she eat -him—all but de squeak an’ de teef.</p> - -<p>“Den, by dat, she got de taste; and all -cats been eatin’ rats and mouses to dis good -day.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162"></a>[162]</span></p> - -<h4>Legend of the Arbutus<a id="FNanchor_20" href="#Footnote_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a></h4> - -<p>An old tepee stood by a frozen river in -the forest where there are many pine trees. -The tops of the trees were white with snow. -The tepee was almost covered with the snow. -An old chief sat in this tepee; his hair was -like the icicles that hang from dead pine-tree -branches; he was very old.</p> - -<p>He was covered with furs. The floor of his -tepee was covered with the skins of the bear -and the elk. He had been a great hunter. -His name was Peboan. Peboan was faint -with hunger, and he was cold. He had been -hunting for three days. He had killed nothing. -All the moose, deer, and bear had gone. -They had left no trail. Wabasso, the rabbit, -had hidden in the bushes. There was no -food, no meat, for Peboan.</p> - -<p>He called upon the great Menabozho for -help.</p> - -<p>“Come, Menabozho, come help Peboan, the -chief of the winter Manitous. Come, for -Mukwa, the bear, has gone from me. Come, -or Peboan must go to the far north to find<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163"></a>[163]</span> -Mahto, the white bear. Peboan is old, and -his feet are weary.”</p> - -<p>Peboan crawled on his knees over the furs -to the little fire in the middle of the tepee. -He blew on the coals with his faint breath, -and the coals grew very red. His breath -was like a wind; the coals made the wind -warm like a south wind. The deerskins that -covered the tepee trembled like leaves, for -the warm wind blew them.</p> - -<p>Peboan sat on the furs on the floor of his -tepee and waited. He knew Menabozho -would hear him.</p> - -<p>Peboan heard no sound, but he looked -toward the door of his tepee. It was lifted -back, and he saw a beautiful Indian maiden.</p> - -<p>She carried a great bundle of willow buds -in her arms. Her dress was of sweet grass -and early maple leaves. Her eyes were like -a young deer. Her hair was like the blackest -feathers of a crow, and it was so long that -it was like a blanket over her shoulders. She -was small; her feet were hidden in two moccasin -flowers.</p> - -<p>“Menabozho heard Peboan, the winter -Manitou. He has sent me. I am Segun.”</p> - -<p>“You are welcome, Segun. Sit by my fire;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164"></a>[164]</span> -it is warm. I have no meat. Sit down and -tell me what you can do.”</p> - -<p>“Peboan may tell first,” said Segun.</p> - -<p>Peboan said: “I am a winter Manitou; -I blow my breath, and the flowers die. The -waters stand still; the leaves fall and die.”</p> - -<p>Segun said: “I am a summer Manitou; -I blow my breath, and the flowers open their -eyes. The waters follow me on my trail.”</p> - -<p>Peboan said: “I shake my hair, and the -snow falls on the mountains, like the feathers -of Waubese, the great white swan.”</p> - -<p>Segun said: “I shake my hair, and warm -rain falls from the clouds. I call, and the -birds answer me. The trees put on their -leaves, and the grass grows thick like the -fur of the bear. The summer sky is my tepee. -Menabozho has said that the time has come -for you to go.”</p> - -<p>Peboan’s head bent over on his shoulder. -The sun melted the snow on the pine trees; -it melted the snow on the tepee. Segun -waved her hands over Peboan, and a strange -thing happened.</p> - -<p>Peboan grew smaller and smaller. His -deer-skin clothes turned to leaves and covered -Peboan on the ground.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165"></a>[165]</span></p> - -<p>Segun looked, but Peboan was gone. She -took some flowers from her hair and hid them -under the leaves on the ground. There was -ice on the leaves, but it did not hurt the pink -flowers. Segun breathed on the flowers, and -they became sweet.</p> - -<p>She said: “I go, but the flowers shall -stay to tell of Segun’s visit to Peboan. The -children shall find them and know that Segun -has sent Peboan away. It shall be so each -time the snows melt and the rivers begin -to run. This flower shall tell that spring has -come.”</p> - -<p>Peboan’s tepee was sweet with the breath -of the flowers, but Segun was gone.</p> - -<h4>Why the Dog Cannot Endure the Cat, Nor the Cat the Mouse<a id="FNanchor_21" href="#Footnote_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a></h4> - -<p>Long years ago it was the custom to give -the dog all the meat that fell from the master’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166"></a>[166]</span> -table. But one day when all the dogs -met in council, one of them said, “It might -be a wise plan to have an agreement drawn -up for the dogs and their masters to sign.</p> - -<p>“Some time,” said he, “one of our masters -might drink too much wine, or get into -a rage, and forbid us to have the meat. And -then what could we do? It is best to be on -the safe side,” and he shook his head sagely.</p> - -<p>“That is a very good plan,” agreed the -other dogs. “Let us carry it out at once.”</p> - -<p>So the secretary of the dogs’ council drew -up a document and wrote it upon parchment. -It stated that all the dogs of every country -were entitled to the meat that fell from their -masters’ tables. It was a very carefully -worded document, and it was written out in -the most learned form by the lawyer of the -council.</p> - -<p>Then the secretary took the parchment, -rolled it up and went about the whole land -until it had been signed by all the masters of -dogs.</p> - -<p>The parchment was then given to the King -of the Dogs, to be carefully kept.</p> - -<p>The King of the Dogs gave the parchment -to his private secretary, the Tomcat, telling<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167"></a>[167]</span> -him that it was a very important document, -and must be put away with the greatest care.</p> - -<p>Tomcat took the parchment and went -softly away to the garret, where he hid the -precious document behind a beam.</p> - -<p>For a long time there was no need of -bringing out the parchment, for all the masters -did as they had agreed, and the dogs -fared well.</p> - -<p>But one day it happened that Master Miller -had a new cook who was very careless, and -when this cook brought in a prime roast of -beef, he let it slip from the platter to the -floor.</p> - -<p>Instantly it was seized upon by Dog Trophy, -who started off with it.</p> - -<p>But Master Miller was in no mood to lose -his dinner, and he snatched the roast from -Dog Trophy, telling him that he was a thief. -Then he rubbed Dog Trophy’s paw with hot -ashes to teach him not to steal.</p> - -<p>Dog Trophy’s heart burned with indignation, -and his paw burned with the hot ashes, -and he went away on three legs as fast as -ever he could to the King of the Dogs.</p> - -<p>When he reached the King’s house, he set -forth his case.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168"></a>[168]</span></p> - -<p>“Bring out the official parchment,” called -the King, when Dog Trophy had told his -story.</p> - -<p>Tomcat ran quickly to the garret, sprang -to the beam where he had tucked the precious -document, and then set up a “maou” of -anger and dismay. The mice had nibbled the -valuable parchment into tiny scraps!</p> - -<p>Tomcat vowed, then and there, that no -mouse should escape his claws from that day -on.</p> - -<p>The King of the Dogs sent Tomcat away in -disgrace, and the dogs agreed that thereafter -they would chase a cat whenever they should -see one.</p> - -<p>But, Dog Trophy lost his roast of beef.</p> - -<h4>The Miser of Takhoma<a id="FNanchor_22" href="#Footnote_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a></h4> - -<p>Long, long ago, Miser lived near the foot -of Takhoma. He never was happy. When -food was scarce and the tribe were starving, -Miser could find fish in secret places in the -streams. When the snows were deep and the -black-necked elk hid in the dark places of the -forest, he could still secure meat. His skill<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169"></a>[169]</span> -as a hunter and fisherman was known to all -his tribe. But Miser cared only for hiaqua, -or shell money. Now Moosmoos, the elk, was -Miser’s tomanowos, or guardian spirit. -Therefore, he tried to talk with the elk, even -while hunting them. He wanted more -hiaqua.</p> - -<p class="tb">One night Moosmoos whispered to Miser -the secret hiding-place of the hiaqua of the -tomanowos. The hiding-place was high up -on Takhoma. Early in the morning, Miser -began to make ready for his search. He sent -his klootchman, or squaw, to dig camas -roots. Thus he could work secretly. He -made two elk-horn picks by taking off all the -prongs except the upper ones. He filled his -ikta, or bag, with kinnikinnick, and with dried -salmon. At sunset Miser began to climb the -mountain.</p> - -<p>All night he climbed the trail. All the -next day he climbed. By night again he was -above the snow line, cold and tired and hungry. -When the moon arose, he climbed again. -Over vast snow fields, across wide cracks in -the ice, over the slippery shoulders of the -lower peaks he climbed. At sunrise he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170"></a>[170]</span> -reached the top. Now Takhoma was the -home of the tomanowos, therefore, Miser was -afraid. But Moosmoos had told him where -the hiaqua was hidden.</p> - -<p>In the white snow field which covered the -crater was a black lake. Beyond it were -three stones of equal height, all as tall as a -giant. The top of the first was shaped like -a salmon’s head, the top of the second was -like a camas root, and the third like an elk’s -head. Then Miser believed the voice of -Moosmoos.</p> - -<p>Miser threw down his ikta. He unwrapped -his elk-horn pick. Then he began to dig in -the snow at the foot of the elk’s head.</p> - -<p>Miser struck the first blow. As an echo -he heard a sudden puff. Startled, he turned -to see a huge otter climbing out of the black -waters of the lake. Big Otter struck his tail -with a loud thump on the snow. Another -otter appeared, then another. At last twelve -otters gathered in a circle around their huge -leader. They formed a circle around Miser, -digging with his pick at the foot of the elk’s -head. Then Big Otter leaped to the top of -the elk’s head. All the others gave a loud -puff.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171"></a>[171]</span></p> - -<p>Miser kept digging. At every thirteenth -blow of the pick Big Otter thumped with -his tail on the elk’s head. Then the circle -of twelve thumped with theirs on the snow.</p> - -<p>Miser became tired and stopped digging -for a moment. Big Otter turned on the elk’s -head. With his tail he struck Miser on the -shoulder. Then the twelve turned, walked -backward, and struck him with their tails. -Miser began to dig again.</p> - -<p>As he dug in the rock, his pick broke. Big -Otter jumped from the elk’s head. He seized -the second pick in his mouth and gave it to -him.</p> - -<p>Miser dared not stop. With each thirteenth -blow of the pick and the thump of -the tails, the otters came nearer. He could -feel their breath as he lifted the last stone. -Beneath lay a great hole, filled with hiaqua. -As he lifted out the shells, the otters returned -to their larger circle.</p> - -<p>Miser lifted out handful after handful of -the shell money. He strung the hiaqua on elk -sinews, twenty strings in all. The rest he -covered again. He hurried, for it was after -noon and he must return below the snow line. -Then Miser left the elk’s head. He offered<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172"></a>[172]</span> -no shells to Moosmoos or to Sahale. He had -forgotten the tomanowos.</p> - -<p>As he crossed the crater, the otters, one -by one, with a loud puff, jumped into the -black lake. They began to beat the black -water with their tails. He heard them beat -the water as he plunged through the snow -to the edge of the crater. Miser felt that the -shells were very heavy.</p> - -<p>As he stepped over the edge of the crater, -he glanced hack. The three stones had vanished. -A thick mist rose from the black -waters of the lake. Under the mist was a -black cloud, hiding the water. Miser feared -tomanowos in the clouds.</p> - -<p>Then the storm seized him. It flung him -over an ice bank. The blackness of all darkness -lay around him. Colenass, the storm -god, came down upon the mountain. Tootah, -the thunder, deafened him with its roar. The -storm crashed about him. Fiery blasts -melted the snow into great torrents. Icy -winds froze them solid again. In the roar -and thunder, Miser heard the voices of all -the tomanowos, “Ha, ha, hiaqua! Ha, ha, -hiaqua!”</p> - -<p>Miser threw away a string of hiaqua. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173"></a>[173]</span> -storm slackened for a moment. Then all began -louder than ever. Kakahete screamed, -“Ha, ha, hiaqua! Ha, ha, hiaqua!”</p> - -<p>One by one Miser threw away the strings -of hiaqua, strung on the sinews of Moosmoos, -the elk. Always the tomanowos screamed -after him. Then when the last string was -gone, with a last gust the storm blew him -down, flat upon the ground.</p> - -<p>Miser slept a long time. When he awoke, -Takhoma glistened above him, shining white -in the sunlight. All around him grew camas -roots. Rocky ridges lay where once the forest -had stretched. Sunny meadows lay -around him. Miser stretched himself and -arose. Only dry leaves and dead grass remained -in the rotted ikta. Miser wondered. -Then he went down the mountain side. He -ate berries for food until he came to a cabin -in the valley. There lived a very old woman. -He talked with her and found she was his -klootchman. Klootchman said he had slept -thirty snows. Miser looked at himself in a -pool. He was very old. His hair was white. -Many, many snows had the angry tomanowos -made him sleep. But Miser was happy. He -no longer cared for hiaqua.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174"></a>[174]</span></p> - -<h4>Little Sister Kindness and the Loving Stitches<a id="FNanchor_23" href="#Footnote_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a></h4> - -<p>Once, when the world was new, there lived -a beautiful princess whose father was the -King of Forgotten Land. The King loved -his daughter very much, but he was a very -wise King; the more he loved the Princess, -the more he realized that she must learn -obedience, and many other hard lessons.</p> - -<p>The King knew that if he allowed his little -daughter to be worshipped as many Princesses -are, her face would grow hard and -full of ugly lines, so the wee Princess was -taught to divide her treasures, and to care -for the poor in her father’s kingdom. And -so, instead of growing hard and selfish, the -King’s daughter grew lovelier every day, and -she was known as Princess Tender-heart.</p> - -<p>At last, when the Princess had grown, -there came a Prince from the land of Bye-and-Bye, -to marry the Princess Tender-heart. -For a wedding gift he presented her with -five hundred and forty-three mansions, surrounding -his palace. And the Princess was -to give these mansions to the friends she -loved best, so that she should not be lonely<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175"></a>[175]</span> -when she went with the Prince to live in the -land of Bye-and-Bye.</p> - -<p>But one day the King found his daughter -very unhappy, and when he begged her to -tell him why she was in tears, she said that -she had given away five hundred and forty-two -mansions, but she still had many friends, -and she did not know what to do with the one -mansion that remained. It was the one which -stood the very nearest to the palace of the -Prince.</p> - -<p>Then the wise King said, “There, there! -We’ll settle this matter easily. That one -home shall go to the one who loves you best.”</p> - -<p>“But how—,” began the Princess.</p> - -<p>“Never mind how,” interrupted her -father, and then they both laughed so merrily -that all the canary birds in the kingdom -began to sing.</p> - -<p>The very next day the King of Forgotten -Land issued a proclamation which set all the -people to talking.</p> - -<p>Among those who read the copy that was -posted outside the palace gates was a maiden -known as Little Sister Kindness.</p> - -<p>“So the Princess is to be married one -month from today,” she exclaimed. Then,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176"></a>[176]</span> -turning, she saw a blind man standing by, -who had no one with him to tell him what the -King’s message contained.</p> - -<p>Little Sister Kindness stepped to his side, -and explained to him the contents of the -proclamation.</p> - -<p>“The Princess Tender-heart is to be married,” -she said, “and instead of having her -wedding garments made by the court dressmaker, -the King wishes everyone who loves -the Princess to come to the palace and help -make her clothes. To the one whose work -proves that she loves the Princess best, shall -be given the finest gift house of the five hundred -and forty-three presented by the Prince -of Bye-and-Bye.”</p> - -<p>“I beg you to tell me more,” urged the -blind man. “My daughter is a dressmaker. -How shall it be known who best loves the -Princess?”</p> - -<p>“How fortunate that your daughter is a -dressmaker!” exclaimed Little Sister Kindness. -“I wish that I were a dressmaker, too. -The King announces that by examining the -wardrobe when it is completed he will know -at a glance who best loves Her Royal Highness. -Everyone adores the Princess, so only<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177"></a>[177]</span> -by magic will the King know who loves her -best.”</p> - -<p>“I thank you,” the blind man said with a -low bow. “I must hasten now to tell my -daughter this good news.”</p> - -<p>“And I must hasten, too,” agreed Little -Sister Kindness, “for I have many friends -who are skillful with the needle, and I must -carry the news to each one.”</p> - -<p>From that hour the sewing room of the -palace became a busy, bustling place. For -the seamstresses, and the embroiderers, and -the lace-makers came from all parts of the -kingdom, to sew upon the wardrobe of the -Princess Tender-heart.</p> - -<p>One day, a week later, Little Sister Kindness -called at the palace with a message for -a friend who was a noted lace-maker. And -while she waited she watched the busy workers, -and heard them talking. It did not take -her long to discover that each worker was -striving to make some great piece of work -which should attract the attention of the -King, and that each was eager to secure the -most showy garment to work upon. She saw, -too, that the lace-makers used knots in the -end of the threads, and that the stitches which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178"></a>[178]</span> -would not show, were carelessly made and -finished.</p> - -<p>Finally, Little Sister Kindness became so -distressed by what she saw in the workroom -that she begged to stay.</p> - -<p>“But, what can you do?” inquired the -manager of the wardrobe.</p> - -<p>“Nothing that will count,” replied Little -Sister Kindness, “but I can tie loose ends of -threads, and darn little holes neatly, and finish -seams inside and—”</p> - -<p>“There, there!” exclaimed the manager -of the wardrobe. “Do get a needle and begin. -I have been so worried lest the Princess -should not have one perfect garment.”</p> - -<p>So Little Sister Kindness began her work -and was soon the busiest maiden in the palace. -Scarcely a garment escaped her loving -fingers. Everything needed a little stitch -here and a little stitch there; a button and -button-hole in place of a pin; a bit of trimming -to be firmly fastened; a bow to be -sewed securely in place; always a stitch here -and a stitch there; never a piece of work that -would show; not so much as a collar or a -belt that the King might say, “Ah! This -was made by Little Sister Kindness.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179"></a>[179]</span></p> - -<p>There were days when the maiden felt discouraged -and wished that she, too, might be -doing something worth while for love of the -beautiful Princess. But the unfinished seams -and the hastily caught bows kept her too -busy to grow dissatisfied, and she knew that -she was not skillful enough to fashion beautiful -garments, or make filmy bits of lace.</p> - -<p>At last, when the wardrobe was completed, -the King gave a banquet to which all in the -kingdom were invited. Then, in the presence -of his subjects, he walked into the great hall -where all the wardrobe was displayed. Some -of the garments were of linen, some of silk, -some of satin, and others of lace; and when -the King appeared each robe began to glow -with a soft light, and to shine with a hundred -little stars; here a star and there a star.</p> - -<p>“Oh, oh!” exclaimed all the people, “oh, -oh, oh! There are tiny gold stitches shining -like stars on every garment. Why do -those stitches shine like golden stars? Who -put them there? Whose are the golden -stitches?”</p> - -<p>“Those are the stitches of the one who -loves the Princess best!” the King made -answer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180"></a>[180]</span></p> - -<p>Then came a low wondering murmur from -all who had worked upon the royal wardrobe, -and the murmur sounded like sweet music -that sang over and over:</p> - -<p>“Little Sister Kindness! It is Little Sister -Kindness!”</p> - -<p>So it came about that Little Sister Kindness -and her family went to live in the home -that was nearest the palace of the Prince -and Princess in Bye-and-Bye, and there they -all lived happily ever after.</p> - -<h4>The Queen’s Necklace<a id="FNanchor_24" href="#Footnote_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a></h4> - -<p>Once upon a time there lived an old king -whom you could not very well call good, in -fact he was very disagreeable and horrid.</p> - -<p>Now, in his old age, the king had a fancy -for marrying and he cast his eye over his -many kingdoms to spy out a suitable wife -for himself.</p> - -<p>In this way his eye fell upon quite a young -princess who was called Blanzeflor.</p> - -<p>“She is as fair as a sunny day, as mild as a -dove, and as meek as a lamb, and she is only<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181"></a>[181]</span> -seventeen years old, too! She will suit me -admirably,” said the king.</p> - -<p>But when her father came to her and said:</p> - -<p>“Blanzeflor, our sovereign lord, the king, -would have you for his queen,” she wept and -said she would rather sit upon a stone and -spin goats’ wool, than sit as queen at <i>that</i> -king’s side.</p> - -<p>But when her father said that she must -realize that if she refused the king he would -come and hang both her father and mother -and all the family upon a tree like so many -bunches of onions, then the princess bowed -her head and said, “Then I will marry him.”</p> - -<p>So they clad her in silk and in gold, and -set a crown upon her head and combed her -long golden hair over her shoulders, then -they lifted her upon a white palfrey and rode -forth with her to the king, and thus the wedding -took place.</p> - -<p>On her wedding day the king hung a necklace -of pearls around her neck.</p> - -<p>“I threaded them myself on this silken -cord,” said the king. “These are pearls of -the East and there are three hundred and -sixty-five of them, the smallest being a little -crooked; and I warn you,” he added, “take<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182"></a>[182]</span> -great care of them, for on the day you lose -the necklace, I warrant you will not care to -look me in the eyes;” and the king began -to roll his eyes so horribly that the young -queen felt cold shivers all down her spine. -Thus Blanzeflor became queen.</p> - -<p>Every morning the king ate porridge and -cream in bed, and the queen carried it to -him in a golden bowl and fed him like a baby, -for such was his command. Every evening -the king and queen would play chess, and -then the queen always had to let the king -win, otherwise he would get bad-tempered.</p> - -<p>But the very worst was at mealtime, for the -king was so proud he would not let anyone -sit at table with the queen and himself. The -young queen would sit with downcast eyes, -scarcely daring to swallow a morsel, so -greatly did she tremble for fear lest something -should displease the king, for then he -became quite terrible.</p> - -<p>The only pleasure the court had was to -stand and stare at Blanzeflor, for she glowed -with a beauty more bright and radiant than -all the torchlights in the banqueting hall, and -when she bowed and smiled it warmed the -heart like the sun in summer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_183"></a>[183]</span></p> - -<p>Now, dreadful stories came to the queen’s -ears of how the king would fling people into -prison for the smallest offence, or wring their -necks like chickens; but alas! what could she -do in the matter? She, herself, sat like a -prisoner in the royal castle, and never was -she allowed to go out on foot but only on -horseback followed by a royal retinue and -closely guarded.</p> - -<p>It happened one day, however, that the -queen was in church—there at least the king -could not prevent her from going—and as -she knelt in prayer before the high altar, she -noticed how meanly and poorly God’s holy -altar was adorned.</p> - -<p>Then the queen wept bitterly and said to -herself: “I drink out of golden goblets, and -silver torches are lighted on my table, but -upon God’s altar the candlesticks are of -pewter and the velvet cloth which covers the -Lord’s table is all faded and patched. I cannot -bear to see it.” And thereupon she -slowly and carefully unclasped her necklace, -drew off seven of the largest pearls and -laid them upon the altar.</p> - -<p>That evening she had her hair combed back -and fastened in a knot upon her neck, so<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_184"></a>[184]</span> -that the king might not see that the pearls -were missing.</p> - -<p>Now it happened one night that the queen -lay awake. She could not sleep because she -thought she heard strange sounds of sighing -and sobbing out in the night. It all sounded -so piteous and heartrending that the queen -wept upon her silken pillow. “Here I lie -upon my bed of satin,” she sighed, “whilst -outside, perhaps little children go barefooted -in the snow. I cannot bear to think of it.”</p> - -<p>There was a sound of twittering and chirping, -and now she saw how one little half-frozen -bird after another flew up and tapped -upon the window-pane with its beak, in search -of a chance grain of corn.</p> - -<p>“Alas, alas!” sighed the queen, “I eat -roast venison out of a golden dish and drink -mulled wine, and there outside the poor little -birds starve to death in the cold. I cannot -bear to think of it;” and the next day she -begged leave of the king to collect the crumbs -after meals and to place them in a basket outside -her window for the birds.</p> - -<p>Well, of course the king thought it was -asking a good deal, but as the queen never -begged for anything for herself, and the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_185"></a>[185]</span> -crumbs were, after all, of not much use for -anything else, he allowed her to take them, -and from that day the queen always sat and -rolled bread between her white fingers during -meals, and crumbled one little piece after another -into little bits, whilst she chatted and -jested with the king, so that he might not -pay any heed to what she was doing, and -when she rose from the table she would sign -to her page, and then he would brush all the -crumbs into a small basket which was hung -outside the queen’s chamber window, and at -sunrise she was always awakened by the -chirping of the small hungry birds when they -came to empty her basket.</p> - -<p>Now it happened one morning when the -queen took in her basket to have it refilled, -that she thought she saw a large snowflake -lying at the bottom, but it was really a little -piece of paper which had been folded around -a small stone and thrown up at the window, -and on it was written an appealing tale of -misery.</p> - -<p>“The queen who takes pity upon the starving -birds of the air,” it said, “will surely -take pity upon the starving children upon -earth;” and the queen read it over and over<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_186"></a>[186]</span> -again, whilst her tears fell like rain in -spring.</p> - -<p>But, how could she help them? At last she -hit upon a plan.</p> - -<p>The king had given the queen a page, who -was as young and beautiful as herself. He -carried her long velvet train embroidered -with golden crowns, he filled her goblet with -wine, and lit the torch which was to light -her upon her way through the dark passages -of the castle, and he slept on a bear skin -outside her door with his drawn sword beside -him to protect her from all harm and -danger.</p> - -<p>Now when the page came to carry the train -of her sky-blue velvet gown, the queen bent -down as if to adjust it, and at the same time -she slipped a little piece of paper into the -page’s hand. In it she had placed one of the -pearls from off her necklace, and had written -down where she wished him to carry it.</p> - -<p>Away he flew as swiftly as a swallow, and -when he took up the queen’s train again that -evening, he placed his hands upon his breast -and bowed in silence, but the queen could -read in his face that his errand had well -sped.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_187"></a>[187]</span></p> - -<p>From that day prayers and petitions simply -rained down upon the queen’s window-sill.</p> - -<p>What could she do but take the pearls from -her necklace? And so with trembling hands -she drew off one pearl after another, and -finally one morning there was not a single -pearl left.</p> - -<p>The king was not in a good temper at dinner -that day, and he saw that the necklace -was missing!</p> - -<p>“Where is the necklace?” he shrieked. -His voice sounded like the caw of a hoarse -old crow. “Where is the necklace?”</p> - -<p>The queen looked confused.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I have not got it on today,” she -said. But the king had her eight tire-women -and her eight ladies-in-waiting called up, and -they had to search over and over through all -the queen’s drawers and presses, till they -were as red as cranberries, but the necklace -was not to be found.</p> - -<p>“Have you lost the necklace?” roared the -king.</p> - -<p>“No,” said the queen, timidly.</p> - -<p>“Have you given it away?” shouted the -king. “To whom have you given it?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_188"></a>[188]</span></p> - -<p>The queen dropped her eyelids and said -nothing.</p> - -<p>Then the king had the queen thrown into -prison; there she was to remain until the -necklace was found.</p> - -<p>Now you can imagine what a hurly-burly -there was after this. The king in front, with -six attendants at his heels, searched the whole -castle from garret to cellar. But still the -necklace was not to be found.</p> - -<p>Alas for the queen, poor young Blanzeflor! -She sat in the darkest of dungeons. No one -could get to her.</p> - -<p>She fell on her knees upon the straw lying -on the prison floor, and prayed to God -that he might perform a miracle and set the -guiltless free.</p> - -<p>“Thou, O God, canst break through prison -walls as easily as the sun breaks through the -mists,” she said. “Thou canst also set an -innocent prisoner free.”</p> - -<p>But scarcely had she ended her prayer -when she saw in the pale morning light how -the thick prison walls fell apart, and between -them came a swallow flying, as easily -and as quickly as if it were merely flying -through the air.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_189"></a>[189]</span></p> - -<p>In its beak it held a white pearl, which it -dropped upon the queen’s knees.</p> - -<p>“This is one of the tears you shed before -the high altar,” twittered the swallow, “God -gives it you back in the likeness of a pearl.”</p> - -<p>At the same moment came another swallow -through the wall, and another and another, -and in a twinkling the whole prison -was filled with a flight of birds.</p> - -<p>Each had a white pearl in its beak, which it -laid upon Blanzeflor’s lap.</p> - -<p>“Here are the tears you shed for those -who were poor and sad at heart,” they -chirped; “not one has fallen in vain.”</p> - -<p>At last came a little bird with a maimed -wing; in its beak was the little crooked pearl, -for this, too, had been threaded on the necklace.</p> - -<p>Blanzeflor sat perfectly still and let the -pearls lie upon her knees, for she could not -touch them with her fettered hands. Then -the sun rose red in the East and shone into -the prison so that it streamed with light -like heaven itself.</p> - -<p>But just then the king came in with all -his retinue. He had come to take the queen -away to be beheaded. But when he saw her<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_190"></a>[190]</span> -sitting with a halo of light around her and -with the pearls in her lap, he stood stock-still -with amazement. Then he began to -count the pearls, and every single one was -there, all three hundred and sixty-five, even -to the little crooked one! But the silken -cord on which they had been strung was -missing.</p> - -<p>Away went the king hobbling up the stairs -to his own apartments to fetch a new silken -cord. He was afraid to ask anyone else to go -for it because he feared they would steal -something.</p> - -<p>When the king had snipped off his cord -he hurried back so quickly down to the prison -again, that he tripped over his own feet and -fell and broke his neck, and there he lay -dead on his way down to the dungeons where -he had let so many innocent people suffer and -pine to death.</p> - -<p>The king was buried, and the queen was -proclaimed the only reigning sovereign in all -the land.</p> - -<p>And never was there a gentler queen than -she. If any one was in any trouble or distress -they simply said:</p> - -<p>“We shall go to the queen, there is sure<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_191"></a>[191]</span> -to be one more pearl left on her Majesty’s -necklace!”</p> - -<h4>Robin Hood and Sir Richard-at-the-Lee<a id="FNanchor_25" href="#Footnote_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a></h4> - -<p>Listen, and I will tell you about a good -yeoman whose name was Robin Hood. All -his life he was a proud outlaw, but so courteous -an outlaw as he was never found, and -he would never do any harm to a company -in which there was a woman, for he held all -women in great respect and honor.</p> - -<p>Now one day Robin Hood stood in the forest -of Barnsdale and leant against a tree, -and beside him stood his good yeoman, Little -John, and Scarlet also, and Much, the miller’s -son.</p> - -<p>Then Little John spoke to Robin, saying: -“Master, ’tis time to dine.”</p> - -<p>But Robin answered, “I will not dine till -I have some bold baron or a knight or a -squire with me who will pay for his dinner.”</p> - -<p>Then Little John and Much and William -Scarlet set out in search of a guest, and after -a time they saw a knight riding towards them -with his retinue. He made but a sorry appearance,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_192"></a>[192]</span> -and seemed to have lost his pride, -for he had but one foot in the stirrup, and -his hood hung down over his eyes, and his -clothes and trappings were mean and old.</p> - -<p>But Little John showed him courtesy, and -knelt before him saying:</p> - -<p>“Welcome, gentle knight; welcome to the -greenwood. My master has been waiting for -you, fasting these three hours.”</p> - -<p>“Who is your master?” asked the knight; -and John answered, “Robin Hood.”</p> - -<p>“He is a good yeoman,” said the knight, -“and I have heard men speak well of him.”</p> - -<p>So the knight, whose name was Sir -Richard-at-the-Lee, rode on his way with -Little John, till they came to where Robin -was waiting; and Robin took off his hood -and went on his knee, saying, courteously:</p> - -<p>“Welcome, Sir Knight. I have awaited -thee these three hours.”</p> - -<p>And the gentle knight replied with fair -words:</p> - -<p>“God save thee, good Robin, and all thy -company.”</p> - -<p>When they had thus exchanged greetings, -they washed and wiped their hands, and sat -them down to their dinner. They had bread<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193"></a>[193]</span> -and wine and venison, with swans and -pheasants and many other birds. And Robin -bade the knight make good cheer, and the -knight thanked him heartily.</p> - -<p>“For,” said he, “I have not had such -a dinner for three weeks; and if I come this -way again, Robin, I will give thee as good -a dinner as thou hast given me.”</p> - -<p>“I thank thee, knight,” said Robin; “but -methinks it is right that thou shouldst pay -ere thou goest. It was never the custom, -by Heaven, for a yeoman to pay for a -knight.”</p> - -<p>But Sir Richard answered, “I have naught -in my coffers that I can offer thee for very -shame. I have but ten shillings.”</p> - -<p>To this Robin answered, “If thou hast no -more, I will not take a penny; and if thou -hast need of more I will lend it to thee.”</p> - -<p>Then he called to Little John:</p> - -<p>“Go forth and see if there are but ten -shillings in the knight’s mantle.”</p> - -<p>So Little John spread the mantle on the -ground and searched in it; and he found but -ten shillings as the knight had said.</p> - -<p>Now Robin wondered at this, and said to -Sir Richard:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194"></a>[194]</span></p> - -<p>“Surely thou must have been made a -knight against thy will, if thou art so poor; -or else thou hast been a bad husbandman, or -a usurer, of hast done some evil or other.”</p> - -<p>But the knight replied:</p> - -<p>“I am none of these. My ancestors have -been knights before me for a hundred years. -But it has often happened that a knight has -been disgraced through no fault of his own. -Two years ago, Robin, I could spend four -hundred pounds yearly, and my neighbors -will bear me witness of this. But now, alas! -it has come to pass that I have no property -whatsoever.”</p> - -<p>“And in what manner,” asked Robin, -“didst thou lose thy riches?”</p> - -<p>Then Sir Richard told Robin how his son -had slain a knight in a joust, and how to save -him he had put his lands in pawn to a rich -abbot whose abbey was near at hand. The -sum he had to pay to redeem them was four -hundred pounds, and since he could not pay -it, there was nothing left for him to do but -to forfeit his lands and go on a pilgrimage -to the Holy Land. For the men who had -boasted of their friendship towards him when -he was rich had now deserted him, so that he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195"></a>[195]</span> -could find no one who was now willing to lend -him any money.</p> - -<p>Robin and his followers were moved to -great pity by this tale, and Robin sent Little -John to his treasury to fetch four hundred -pounds to give to the knight. Then Little -John cried:</p> - -<p>“Master, his apparel is full thin. Ye must -give the knight a suit of clothes, for ye have -scarlet and green-colored cloth in plenty, and -there is no merchant in merry England so -rich as ye are!”</p> - -<p>“Give him three yards of each color,” said -Robin, “and see you measure it fairly.”</p> - -<p>So Little John took his bow as a measure -and measured out the cloth, and then he -turned to Robin Hood, saying:</p> - -<p>“Master, ye must give the knight a horse -to carry home all this cloth.”</p> - -<p>So Robin gave the knight a grey courser -and a new saddle, and Much added a good -palfrey, and Scarlet a pair of boots, and -Little John a pair of gilt spurs.</p> - -<p>Then the knight asked what day he should -come back to pay his debt, and Robin appointed -that day twelve-month. And as a -last act of kindness, he sent his trusty yeoman,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196"></a>[196]</span> -Little John, to attend his guest on his -journey. So Sir Richard went on his way -rejoicing and blessing Robin Hood; and he -redeemed his lands from the abbot’s hands, -and then returned home to his castle, and began -to collect money against the day when -he should return to pay Robin Hood the four -hundred pounds.</p> - -<p>Now the year went by and the appointed -day came, but the knight did not appear, because -as he rode on his way to the trysting-place -he had turned aside for the love of -Robin to help a poor yeoman who was not -receiving fair play in a wrestling match at -some country games. When Robin found, -therefore, that the knight did not come, he -sent forth Little John, Scarlet, and Much, to -seek another guest to dine with him, one who -would be able to pay him four hundred -pounds; for though he would never rob a -poor man, he did not think it wrong to make -the rich pay poor men’s debts.</p> - -<p>Before long the three trusty yeomen saw a -monk riding towards them, followed by a retinue -of fifty men, with seven strong pack-horses -bearing his riches, and Little John -cried:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197"></a>[197]</span></p> - -<p>“Brethren, I dare lay my life that this is -the man who shall pay our master; and -though we are but three against so many, we -must bring him to dinner, or we cannot go -back to Robin Hood.”</p> - -<p>Then he called to the monk:</p> - -<p>“Abide, and come no farther, for if thou -dost I shall slay thee. Thou hast made our -master wroth, because he has waited for thee -fasting for so long.”</p> - -<p>“Who is your master?” asked the monk.</p> - -<p>“Robin Hood.”</p> - -<p>“He is a thief,” said the monk, “and I -have never heard aught good of him.”</p> - -<p>But Little John answered:</p> - -<p>“Thou liest, and thou shalt repent it. He -is a yeoman of the forest, and has bidden -thee to dine with him.”</p> - -<p>Then the yeomen drew their bows, and -Much pointed his arrow straight at the -monk’s breast.</p> - -<p>At this all his followers turned and fled, -save only a little page and a groom, who led -the pack-horses to Robin Hood, while Much -and Little John took the monk in custody between -them to their master.</p> - -<p>When Robin saw the monk he raised his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198"></a>[198]</span> -hood; but the monk was not so courteous, -and did not return the greeting.</p> - -<p>Then Robin summoned his yeomen, and -they prepared the meal, and served the monk -with his dinner; and afterwards Robin asked, -as was his custom, how much his guest had -in his coffers.</p> - -<p>“Sir,” said the monk, “but twenty -pounds, as I hope to prosper.”</p> - -<p>“If there is no more,” said Robin, “I -will not take a penny; and if thou hast need -of more I will lend it thee. But if I find more -than twenty pounds thou wilt have to give -it up.”</p> - -<p>So Robin sent Little John to search the -monk’s mantle and there he found over eight -hundred pounds. At this Robin rejoiced, for -it was twice the sum that he needed to repay -him for what he had generously lent the -knight.</p> - -<p>But the monk was very wroth, and cried:</p> - -<p>“By Heaven, ’tis no courtesy to bid a man -to dinner and then treat him so ill.”</p> - -<p>“Nevertheless it is an old custom of ours -to leave but little behind for our guests to -take away with them,” said Robin.</p> - -<p>Then the monk put spurs to his horse, for<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199"></a>[199]</span> -he feared to stay longer. But Robin cried -after him:</p> - -<p>“Will you not have a drink of wine before -you go?”</p> - -<p>“Nay,” said the monk, “I would I had -never come near you, for I should have dined -far more cheaply at Blyth or Doncaster.”</p> - -<p>“Greet well your abbot and your prior for -me,” Robin called back, “and bid them send -me such a monk as you to dinner every day.”</p> - -<p>So the monk rode away, leaving all his -riches behind him; and now at last the knight -came riding into the greenwood, with all his -merry company. When he saw Robin he -alighted from his palfrey, doffed his hood, -and fell on his knee, saying:</p> - -<p>“God save thee, Robin Hood, and all this -company.”</p> - -<p>“Welcome be thou, gentle knight,” Robin -answered. “Hast thou thy land again?”</p> - -<p>“Yea,” said the knight, “and I thank -Heaven and thee for it. But take it not amiss -that I am come so late, for I have been at -a wrestling match, where I helped a poor yeoman -who was not getting fair play in the -game.”</p> - -<p>“Sir knight,” Robin answered, “I thank<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200"></a>[200]</span> -thee. Whoever helps a good yeoman will -always be my friend.”</p> - -<p>Now, when they had thus greeted each -other the knight said:</p> - -<p>“Here is thy four hundred pounds which -thou didst lend me, and twenty pounds more -for thy courtesy.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, by Heaven,” cried Robin, “thou -shalt keep it for thyself, for I have already -received the money for the debt, and it would -be a disgrace to take it twice.” And he told -the knight the story of the monk, and they -laughed together over it and made good -cheer.</p> - -<p>Thus Robin Hood helped the knight out of -all his troubles and they were friends from -that time to the end of their days.</p> - -<h4>How the Queen of the Sky Gave Gifts to Men<a id="FNanchor_26" href="#Footnote_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a></h4> - -<p>By the side of All-Father Odin, upon his -high seat in Asgard, sat Frigga, his wife, -the Queen of the Asas. Sometimes she would -be dressed in snow-white garments, bound at -the waist by a golden girdle, from which hung -a great bunch of golden keys. And the earth-dwellers,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201"></a>[201]</span> -gazing into the sky, would admire -the great white clouds as they floated across -the blue, not perceiving that these clouds were -really the folds of Frigga’s flowing white -robe, as it waved in the wind.</p> - -<p>At other times she would wear dark gray -or purple garments; and then the earth-dwellers -made haste into their houses, for -they said, “The sky is lowering today, and -a storm is nigh at hand.”</p> - -<p>Frigga had a palace of her own called -Fensalir, or the Hall of Mists, where she -spent much of her time at her wheel spinning -golden thread, or weaving web after web of -many-colored clouds. All night long she sat -at this golden wheel, and if you look at the -sky on a starry night you may chance to see -it set up where the men of the South show -a constellation called the Girdle of Orion.</p> - -<p>Frigga was especially interested in all good -housewives, and she herself set them an excellent -example in Fensalir. When the snow-flakes -fell, the earth-dwellers knew it was -Frigga shaking her great feather bed, and -when it rained they said it was her washing -day. It was she who first gave to them the -gift of flax that the women upon earth might<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202"></a>[202]</span> -spin, and weave, and bleach their linen as -white as the clouds of her own white robe.</p> - -<p>And this is how it came about:</p> - -<p>There was once a shepherd who lived -among the mountains with his wife and children; -and so very poor was he that he often -found it hard to give his family enough to -satisfy their hunger. But he did not grumble; -he only worked the harder; and his -wife, though she had scarcely any furniture, -and never a chance of a new dress, kept the -house so clean, and the old clothes so well -mended, that, all unknown to herself, she rose -high in the favor of the all-seeing Frigga.</p> - -<p>Now one day, when the shepherd had driven -his few poor sheep up the mountain to pasture, -a fine reindeer sprang from the rocks -above him and began to leap upward along -the steep slope. The shepherd snatched up -his crossbow and pursued the animal, thinking -to himself: “Now we shall have a better -meal than we have had for many a long -day.”</p> - -<p>Up and up leaped the reindeer, always just -out of reach, and at length disappeared behind -a great boulder just as the shepherd -breathless and weary, reached the spot. No<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203"></a>[203]</span> -sign of the reindeer was to be seen, but, on -looking around, the shepherd saw that he -was among the snowy heights of the mountains, -and almost at the top of a great -glacier.</p> - -<p>Presently, as he pursued his vain search -for the animal, he saw to his amazement an -open door, leading apparently into the heart -of the glacier. He was a fearless man, and -so, without hesitation, he passed boldly -through the doorway and found himself -standing in a marvelous cavern, lit up by -blazing torches which gleamed upon rich -jewels hanging from the roof and walls. And -in the midst stood a woman, most fair to -behold, clad in snow-white robes and surrounded -by a group of lovely maidens.</p> - -<p>The shepherd’s boldness gave way at this -awesome sight, and he sank to his knees -before the Asa, Frigga, for she it was. But -Frigga bade him be of good cheer, and said: -“Choose now whatsoever you will to carry -away with you as a remembrance of this -place.”</p> - -<p>The shepherd’s eyes wandered over the -glittering jewels on the walls and roof, but -they came back to a little bunch of blue<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204"></a>[204]</span> -flowers which Frigga held in her hand. They -alone looked homelike to him; the rest were -hard and cold; so he asked timidly that he -might be given the little nosegay.</p> - -<p>Then Frigga smiled kindly upon him.</p> - -<p>“Most wise has been your choice,” said -she. “Take with the flowers this measure -of seed and sow it in your field, and you -shall grow flowers of your own. They shall -bring prosperity to you and yours.”</p> - -<p>So the shepherd took the flowers and the -seed, and scarcely had he done so when a -mighty peal of thunder, followed by the shock -of an earthquake, rent the cavern, and when -he had collected his sense he found himself -once more upon the mountain side.</p> - -<p>When he reached home and had told his -tale, his wife scolded him roundly for not -bringing home a jewel which would have -made them rich forever. But when she -would have thrown the flowers away he prevented -her. Next day he sowed the seed in -his field, and was surprised to find how far -it went.</p> - -<p>Very soon after this the field was thick -with tiny green shoots; and though his wife -reproached him for wasting good ground<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205"></a>[205]</span> -upon useless flowers, he watched and waited -in hope until the field was blue with the starry -flax blooms.</p> - -<p>Then one night, when the flowers had -withered and the seed was ripe, Frigga, in -the disguise of an old woman, visited the -lowly hut and showed the shepherd and his -astonished wife how to use the flax stalks; -how to spin them into thread, and how to -weave the thread into linen.</p> - -<p>It was not long before all the dwellers in -that part of the earth had heard of the wonderful -material, and were hurrying to the -shepherd’s hut to buy the bleached linen or -the seed from which it was obtained. And -so the shepherd and his family were soon -among the richest people in the land; and -the promise of Frigga was amply fulfilled.</p> - -<h4>King Midas’ Ears<a id="FNanchor_27" href="#Footnote_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a></h4> - -<p>Once upon a time King Midas—the very -same King Midas who had been cured of his -hated golden touch—was invited to hear -some very wonderful music. It came about -in this wise:</p> - -<p>After King Midas had been cured of his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206"></a>[206]</span> -golden touch, he loved to wander in the woods -and fields, away from all sight of the wealth -of men, and of the splendors that wealth -could buy. In this way he became a great -friend of Pan, who ruled over the woods and -fields, and over the shepherds and their -flocks.</p> - -<p>Now Pan had invented the shepherd’s flute, -which was made from a reed, and upon which -he could play better than could anyone else. -It was a very simple instrument: one that -could produce only simple melodies. But -after Pan had learned to play upon it well, -he began to think that his pastoral tunes were -wonderfully fine, and at last he imagined -that they were quite equal to the harmonies -even of Apollo, who was master of the art -of music, and a matchless player upon a -stringed instrument called the lyre.</p> - -<p>King Midas, as he walked about the groves -and pastures with Pan, listened with pleasure -to the music of his pipe, and praised him -so warmly that Pan’s self-conceit grew -beyond all bounds. He thought his simple -music equal to that of the gods.</p> - -<p>At length Pan sent a challenge to Apollo, -asking him to meet him and let it be decided<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207"></a>[207]</span> -by the listeners who was the greater musician -of the two.</p> - -<p>Apollo accepted the challenge, and at the -appointed time the people gathered in great -numbers, for such a meeting had never been -heard of before.</p> - -<p>Among the listeners was King Midas.</p> - -<p>Pan was the first to play. He stepped -forth, clad all in green to match the verdure -of the meadows and of the trees, over which -he ruled.</p> - -<p>He put his simple pipe of reeds to his lips -and began playing, and the people listened -with great interest and pleasure, for surely -no one dreamed that such music could come -from the shepherd’s pipe.</p> - -<p>But when Pan had finished, Apollo stepped -forth. He was clad in royal purple, and his -cloak was thrown back that his right arm -might be free.</p> - -<p>He struck the strings of the lyre, and the -music that fell upon the air was so marvelously -sweet, so full of pathos, so full of ravishing -beauty, that all the people were moved -by the sound. Then they applauded Apollo, -and laughed to scorn the boastful challenge -of Pan.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208"></a>[208]</span></p> - -<p>“Ho, ho,” they cried, “does Pan think -that he can match such melody as this?”</p> - -<p>But King Midas was faithful to his friend, -and, unconvinced by Apollo’s wondrous -music, he declared that Pan was the better -player of the two.</p> - -<p>Apollo, wearing the laurel wreath as his -crown of victory, declared that the ears of -King Midas must be depraved, and, that they -should thereafter take on a form more in -keeping with the taste of their owner.</p> - -<p>King Midas had no sooner reached his -castle than he felt a strange sensation about -his ears; and the strange feeling increased -until at length, putting his hands to the sides -of his head, he found with terror that his ears -had grown long and were covered inside and -outside with hair, and he could move them -about, just as a donkey moves his. In fact, -he found that they had become exactly like -the ears of a donkey, or an ass.</p> - -<p>King Midas was overcome with shame and -rage, and he kept himself hidden from all -the people.</p> - -<p>After a time it occurred to him that he -could have a turban or head-dress made which -would cover his monstrous deformity. So he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_209"></a>[209]</span> -summoned a hair-dresser, of great skill in his -trade, and when the hair-dresser had finished -his task, King Midas was ready to go forth -among his people again, for his ears were -quite hidden from sight under the ample folds -of his head-dress.</p> - -<p>Only the hair-dresser knew his secret, and -he had promised never to tell it to a living -being.</p> - -<p>But as the days went by, the secret began -to burn in the hair-dresser’s mind, and it -was with the greatest difficulty that he kept -from repeating it. At last he could keep still -no longer, yet he dared not disobey the King -and break his promise. So he went into a -vacant field and dug a deep hole in the -ground. Then, kneeling down, he breathed -into the hole these words: “King Midas has -the ears of an ass; King Midas has the ears -of an ass.”</p> - -<p>Rising, he covered the hole with earth and -hastened away.</p> - -<p>But what do you suppose happened?</p> - -<p>The next spring the field produced a great -crop of rushes, and when the rushes had -grown quite tall a wind passed over them, -and the rushes murmured, “King Midas has<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_210"></a>[210]</span> -the ears of an ass. King Midas has the ears -of an ass.”</p> - -<p>And all summer long, whenever a breeze -swept over the field, the rushes murmured, -“King Midas has the ears of an ass.”</p> - -<p>And when the hair-dresser heard it, he -wrung his hands in despair, and said, “Not -even the rushes of the field can keep a secret.”</p> - -<h4>Hold Fast, Tom<a id="FNanchor_28" href="#Footnote_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a></h4> - -<p>The sun was setting over the island of St. -Helena on a spring evening in 1673, and in -its red glow the vast black cliffs stood out -like the walls of a fortress above the great -waste of lonely sea that lay around them -as far as the eye could reach. Very quiet -and very lonesome did it appear, that tiny -islet of St. Helena, far away in the heart of -the boundless ocean.</p> - -<p>But there was <i>one</i> part of the island that -was busy and noisy enough, and that was the -spot where the low white houses and single -church-spire of Jamestown, half buried in -clustering leaves, nestled in a deep gully close -to the water’s edge, walled in by two mighty -precipices nearly a thousand feet in height.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_211"></a>[211]</span> -All along the line of forts and batteries, -perched like birds’ nests among the frowning -crags that overhung the sea, there was -an unwonted stir and bustle. Cannon were -rumbling to and fro, rusty pikes and muskets -were being dragged forth and laid in readiness, -soldiers in buff jackets and big looped-up -hats were clustering along the ramparts, -while hoarse words of command, clanking -swords, the ceaseless tramp of feet, and the -clatter of gun-stocks and pike-staves made -every cranny of the surrounding cliffs echo -again. What could it all mean?</p> - -<p>It meant that the stout-hearted Dutchmen -who had taken the island from England a -few months before were about to have their -courage again put to the proof. Those five -ships of war in the offing, coming down before -the wind under a full press of sail, had just -hoisted the red cross of St. George (not yet -changed into the Union Jack), and Englishman -and Dutchman alike were eager to try</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Whether John or Jan</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Be the better man,</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">as one of their favorite songs worded it.</p> - -<p>Neither side, certainly, lost any time in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_212"></a>[212]</span> -beginning. The sturdy Hollanders did not -wait even for a summons to surrender. The -foremost English ship had barely dropped -her anchor in front of the Zwart Steen Battery, -when there was a red flash from the old -gray wall, a loud bang, and then a cannon-ball -came tearing through the foretopsail, and -splashed into the water far beyond. Bang -went the Englishman’s whole broadside in -return, and the balls were heard rattling -among the rocks, or crashing into the front of -the breastwork; and now the fight began in -earnest.</p> - -<p>Fire, smoke, flying shot, crashing timbers, -deafening uproar, multiplied a thousand-fold -by the echoes of the surrounding hills—it -was a hard fight, for there were Dutchmen -behind those batteries who had swept the -Channel with Van Tromp, and there were -Englishmen aboard those ships who had -fought him and his men, yardarm to yardarm, -under Robert Blake; and it would have -been hard to tell which were the braver or -the more stubborn of the two.</p> - -<p>“Fire away, boys, for the honor of -Old England!” shouted Captain Richard -Munden, pacing up and down the quarter-deck<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_213"></a>[213]</span> -of the British flagship amid a hail of -shot.</p> - -<p>“Stand to it, my sons, as if Father Van -Tromp were with you still!” cried the brave -old Dutch commandant, Pieter Van Gebhardt, -as he leveled a gun with his own hands -over the fast-crumbling parapet. “Fear not -for the fire and smoke; it is but the Englishman -lighting his pipe.”</p> - -<p>Both sides fought stoutly, and men began -to fall fast; but it seemed as if on the whole -the Dutch were getting the best of it. The -ships, lying out upon the smooth water, made -an excellent mark, while the rock-cut batteries -could hardly be distinguished from the cliff -itself.</p> - -<p>But just at that moment a very unexpected -turn of fortune changed the whole face of the -battle.</p> - -<p>To explain clearly how this happened we -must go back a little way.</p> - -<p>The Dutch garrison had given their whole -attention to the attack in front, feeling sure -that this was the only point from which they -could be assailed. And they reasoned well; -for everywhere else the coast was merely one -great precipice of several hundred feet, rising<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_214"></a>[214]</span> -so sheer out of the sea that it seemed as if -nothing without wings could possibly scale it.</p> - -<p>But they might, perhaps, have been less -confident had they seen what was going on -just then at the opposite side of the island.</p> - -<p>When the English ships first advanced to -the attack, the hindmost of them, while still -hidden from the Dutch by the huge black -pyramid of Sugar-loaf Point, had lowered -several large boats filled with armed men, -which instantly shot away round the great -rocky bluff of “the Barn” as fast as eight -oars apiece could carry them.</p> - -<p>Away they went, past headland after headland, -while every eye was fixed upon the -rocky shore, as if seeking something which -was not easily to be found.</p> - -<p>At length, just when they rounded the bold, -craggy promontory of King and Queen point, -a dull boom reached their ears, followed instantly -by the thunder of a sustained cannonade. -At that familiar sound the sailors -clenched their teeth savagely, as they looked -up at the tremendous precipices that seemed -to shut them out from all hope of taking part -in the battle.</p> - -<p>“Can’t we get up anywhere?” growled the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_215"></a>[215]</span> -captain, of the frigate, who was in the foremost -boat. “We’re disgraced forever if -they do the job without us.”</p> - -<p>“With your honor’s leave,” broke in a -stalwart young topman, touching his thick -brown forelock, “I think I could get up that -rock yonder, and fasten a rope for the rest -to climb by.”</p> - -<p>“What! up there?” cried the captain, -glancing doubtfully from the young sailor’s -bright, fearless face to the tremendous height -above. “Well, my lad, if you can do it, I’ll -give you fifty guineas!”</p> - -<p>“It’s for the honor of the flag, not for -the money, sir!” answered the seaman, -springing from the boat to the lowest ledge -of the terrible rock.</p> - -<p>Up, up, up, ever higher he clambered, with -the rising wind flinging his loose hair to and -fro, and the startled sea-birds whirling -around him with hoarse screams of mingled -fear and rage. To the watching eyes far -below, the tiny points of rock to which he -clung were quite invisible, and he seemed -to be hanging in mid-air, like a fly on the side -of a wall.</p> - -<p>And now he was two-thirds of the way up<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_216"></a>[216]</span> -the precipice; and now he was within a few -yards of the top; and now his hand almost -touched the highest ledge, when suddenly his -feet were seen to slide from under him, and -in a moment he was swinging in the empty -air, grasping a projecting crag with the -strength of desperation.</p> - -<p>“Hold fast, Tom!” yelled his comrades, -as they saw him.</p> - -<p>Tom did hold fast, and the strong hands -that had defied the full fury of an Atlantic -gale to loosen them from the slippery rigging -did him good service once more. He regained -his footing, and the indrawn breath of the -anxious gazers below sounded like a hiss in -the grim silence as they watched the final -effort that brought him safely to the top.</p> - -<p>The rope was soon fixed, and the last man -had scarcely mounted when the daring band -were hurrying across the ridgy interior of -the island toward the spot whence the cannonade -still boomed upon the evening air. -And there it was at last, as they crowned -the farthest ridge, the tall masts standing -up through billowy smoke, and the batteries -marked out amid the gathering darkness by -the flashes of their own cannon. A deadly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_217"></a>[217]</span> -volley of English musketry cracked along -the cliff, and several of the Dutch were seen -to fall while dismay and confusion spread -fast among the survivors. Thus, caught between -two fires, with the British ships thundering -upon them from below, and the British -marksmen shooting them down from above, -the defenders had no chance; and at length -brave old Van Gebhardt, with a look of bitter -grief on his iron face, slowly hauled down -the Dutch flag in token of surrender.</p> - -<p>“Mynheer,” said he to the English captain, -as the latter came marching into the -fort at the head of his men, “my followers -have done all that men could do; but yours -have done more.”</p> - -<p>“And if we had not done more, we could -never have beaten the gallant Dutchmen,” -answered the captain, taking off his battered -cocked hat with a polite bow.</p> - -<p>Thus it was that the English regained -St. Helena, over which the British flag flies -to this day. Nor has the brave fellow who -led that daring attack been forgotten, for -the crag which he scaled (and a very grim-looking -crag it is) still goes by the name of -“Hold-Fast Tom.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_218"></a>[218]</span></p> - -<h4>Nils and the Bear<a id="FNanchor_29" href="#Footnote_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a></h4> - -<div class="smaller"> - -<p>[Nils Holgarsson, a young boy, has been traveling high -over the country in company with a wild goose. He is -blown from her back during a hard wind, and alights -among the iron mines. He is discovered by bears and -taken to their cave.]</p> - -</div> - -<p>Father Bear pushed Mother Bear aside.</p> - -<p>“Don’t meddle with what you don’t understand!” -he roared. “Can’t you scent that -human odor about him from afar? I shall -eat him at once, or he will play us some mean -trick.”</p> - -<p>He opened his jaws again; but meanwhile -Nils had had time to think, and, -quick as a flash, he dug into his knapsack -and brought forth some matches—his sole -weapon of defense—struck one on his -leather breeches, and stuck the burning -match into the bear’s open mouth.</p> - -<p>Father Bear snorted when he smelled the -burning sulphur, and with that the flame -went out. The boy was ready with another -match, but, curiously enough, Father Bear -did not repeat his attack.</p> - -<p>“Can you light many of those little blue -roses?” asked Father Bear.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_219"></a>[219]</span></p> - -<p>“I can light enough to put an end to the -whole forest,” replied the boy, for he thought -that in this way he might be able to scare -Father Bear.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you could also set fire to houses -and barns?” said Father Bear.</p> - -<p>“Oh, that would be no trick for me!” -boasted the boy, hoping that this would make -the bear respect him.</p> - -<p>“Good!” exclaimed the bear. “You shall -render me a service. Now, I’m very glad -that I did not eat you.”</p> - -<p>Father Bear carefully took the boy between -his tusks and climbed up from the pit. -As soon as he was up he speedily made for -the woods. It was evident that Father Bear -was created to squeeze through dense forests. -The heavy body pushed through the brushwood -as a boat does through the water.</p> - -<p>Father Bear ran along till he came to a -hill at the skirt of the forest, where he could -see the big noise-shop. Here he lay down -and placed the boy in front of him, holding -him securely between his forepaws.</p> - -<p>“Now look down at that big noise-shop!” -he commanded.</p> - -<p>The great iron works, with many tall buildings,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_220"></a>[220]</span> -stood at the edge of a waterfall. High -chimneys sent forth dark clouds of smoke, -blasting furnaces were in full blaze, and light -shone from all the windows and apertures. -Within, hammers and rolling mills were going -with such force that the air rang with -their clatter and boom. Just beyond the -workshops were long rows of workingmen’s -homes, pretty villas, schoolhouses, assembly -halls, and shops. But there all was quiet and -apparently everybody was asleep. The boy -did not glance in that direction, but gazed -intently at the iron works. The earth -around them was black; the sky above them -was like a great fiery dome; the rapids, -white with foam, rushed by; while the buildings -themselves were sending out light and -smoke, fire and sparks. It was the grandest -sight the boy had ever seen.</p> - -<p>“Surely you don’t mean to say you can -set fire to a place like that?” remarked the -bear doubtingly.</p> - -<p>The boy, wedged between the beast’s paws, -was thinking the only thing that might save -him would be that the bear should have a high -opinion of his capability and power.</p> - -<p>“It’s all the same to me,” he answered<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_221"></a>[221]</span> -with a superior air. “Big or little, I can -burn it down.”</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll tell you something,” said Father -Bear. “My forefathers lived in this region -from the time that the forests first sprang -up. From them I inherited hunting grounds -and pastures, lairs and retreats, and have -lived here in peace all my life. In the beginning -I wasn’t troubled much by the human -kind. They dug in the mountains and picked -up a little ore down here by the rapids; they -had a forge and a furnace, but the hammers -sounded only a few hours during the day, -and the furnace was not fired more than two -moons at a stretch. It wasn’t so bad -but that I could stand it; but these last -years, since they have built this noise shop, -which keeps up the same racket both day and -night, life here has become intolerable. -There are so many people that I never feel -safe from them. I thought that I should -have to move away, but I have discovered -something better!”</p> - -<p>The boy wondered what Father Bear had -hit upon, but no opportunity was afforded -him to ask, as the bear took him between his -forepaws and held him up.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_222"></a>[222]</span></p> - -<p>“Try to look into the house!” he commanded. -A strong current of air was forced -into a big cylinder which was suspended -from the ceiling and filled with molten iron. -As this current rushed into the mess of iron -with an awful roar, showers of sparks of all -colours spurted up in bunches, in sprays, in -long clusters! They struck against the wall -and came splashing down over the whole big -room. Father Bear let the boy watch the -gorgeous spectacle until the blowing was -over and the flowing and sparkling red steel -had been poured into ingot moulds.</p> - -<p>The boy was completely charmed by the -marvellous display and almost forgot that -he was imprisoned between a bear’s two -paws.</p> - -<p>“I call that real man’s work!” the boy -remarked to himself.</p> - -<p>The bear then let the boy have a peep -at the furnace and the forge, and he became -more and more astonished as he saw how the -blacksmiths handled iron and fire.</p> - -<p>“Those men have no fear of heat and -flames,” he thought. The workmen were -sooty and grimy. He fancied they were some -sort of firefolk—that was why they could<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_223"></a>[223]</span> -bend and mould the iron as they wished. He -could not believe that they were just ordinary -men, since they had such power!</p> - -<p>“They keep this up day after day, night -after night,” said Father Bear, as he -dropped wearily down on the ground. “You -can understand that one gets rather tired of -that kind of thing. I’m mighty glad that -at last I can put an end to it!”</p> - -<p>“Indeed!” said the boy. “How will you -go about it?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I thought that you were going to set -fire to the buildings!” said Father Bear. -“That would put an end to all this work, -and I could remain in my old home.”</p> - -<p>The boy was all of a shiver.</p> - -<p>So, it was for this that Father Bear had -brought him here!</p> - -<p>“If you will set fire to the noise-works -I’ll promise to spare your life,” said Father -Bear. “But if you don’t do it, I’ll make -short work of you! Will you or won’t you?”</p> - -<p>The boy knew that he ought to answer -promptly that he would not, but he also knew -that then the bear’s paws would squeeze him -to death; therefore he replied:</p> - -<p>“I shall have to think it over.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_224"></a>[224]</span></p> - -<p>“Very well, do so,” assented Father -Bear. “Let me say to you that iron is the -thing that has given men the advantage over -us bears, which is another reason for my -wishing to put an end to the work here.”</p> - -<p>The boy thought he would use the delay -to figure out a way of escape, but instead he -began to think of the great help that iron -had been to mankind. They needed iron for -everything. There was iron in the plow that -broke up the field; in the axe that felled the -tree for building houses; in the scythe that -mowed the grain; and in the knife, which -would be turned to all sorts of uses. There -was iron in the horse’s bit, in the lock on the -door, in the nails that held furniture together. -The rifle that drove away wild beasts -was made of iron; iron covered the men-of-war; -the locomotives steamed through the -country on iron rails; the needle that had -stitched his coat was of iron; the shears that -clipped the sheep and the kettle that cooked -the food. Father Bear was perfectly right -in saying that it was the iron that had given -men their mastery over the bears.</p> - -<p>“Now will you or won’t you?” Father -Bear repeated.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_225"></a>[225]</span></p> - -<p>The boy was startled from his musing.</p> - -<p>“You mustn’t be so impatient,” he said. -“This is a serious matter for me, and I’ve -got to have time to consider.”</p> - -<p>“I can wait a little longer,” said Father -Bear. “But after that you’ll get no more -grace.”</p> - -<p>The boy swept his hand across his forehead. -No plan of escape had as yet come to -his mind, but this much he knew—he did -not wish to do any harm to the iron, which -was so useful to rich and poor alike, and -which gave bread to so many people in this -land.</p> - -<p>“Come, come!” growled the bear. “Will -you or won’t you?”</p> - -<p>“I won’t!” said the boy.</p> - -<p>Father Bear squeezed him a little harder, -but said nothing.</p> - -<p>“You’ll not get me to destroy the iron works!” -defied the boy. “The iron is so -great a blessing that it will never do to -harm it.”</p> - -<p>“Then, of course, you don’t expect to be -allowed to live very long?” said the bear.</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t expect it,” returned the boy, -looking the bear straight in the eye.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_226"></a>[226]</span></p> - -<p>Father Bear gripped him a little harder.</p> - -<p>But just then the boy heard something -click very close to them, and saw the muzzle -of a rifle two paces away.</p> - -<p>“Father Bear! Don’t you hear the clicking -of a trigger?” cried the boy. “Run, -or you’ll be shot!”</p> - -<p>Father Bear grew terribly hurried. He -thought he heard hounds and hunters pursuing -him.</p> - -<p>But the boy stood in the forest, free and -unharmed, and could hardly understand how -it was possible.</p> - -<h4>Jericho Bob<a id="FNanchor_30" href="#Footnote_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a></h4> - -<p>Jericho Bob, when he was four years old, -hoped that one day he might be allowed to -eat just as much turkey as he possibly could. -He was eight now, but that hope had not been -realized.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Jericho Bob, his mother, kept hens -for a living, and she expected that they would -lay enough eggs in the course of time to help -her son to an independent career as a boot-black.</p> - -<p>They lived in a tumbledown house in a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_227"></a>[227]</span> -waste of land near the steam cars, and besides -her hens, Mrs. Bob owned a goat.</p> - -<p>Our story has, however, nothing to do with -the goat except to say he was there, and -that he was on nibbling terms, not only with -Jericho Bob, but with Bob’s bosom friend, -Julius Caesar Fish, and it was surprising -how many old hat-brims and other tidbits -of clothing he could swallow during a day.</p> - -<p>As Mrs. Bob truly said, it was no earthly -use to get something new for Jericho, even -if she could afford it; for the goat browsed -all over him, and had been known to carry -away even a leg of his trousers.</p> - -<p>Jericho Bob was eight years old, and the -friend of his bosom, Julius Caesar Fish, was -nine. They both, were of a lovely black; a -tallow-dip couldn’t take the kink out of their -hair, and the hardest whipping did not disturb -the even cheerfulness of their spirits. -They were so much alike that if it hadn’t -been for Jericho’s bow-legs and his turn-up -nose, you really could not have told them -apart.</p> - -<p>A kindred taste for turkey also united -them.</p> - -<p>In honor of Thanksgiving Day, Mrs. Bob<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_228"></a>[228]</span> -always sacrificed a hen which would, but for -such blessed release, have died of old age. -One drumstick was given to Jericho, whose -interior remained an unsatisfied void.</p> - -<p>Jericho Bob had heard of turkey as a fowl -larger, sweeter, and more tender than hen; -and about Thanksgiving time he would -linger around the provision stores and gaze -with open mouth at the noble array of turkeys -hanging, head downward, over bushels -of cranberries, as if even at that uncooked -stage, they were destined for one another. -And turkey was his dream.</p> - -<p>It was springtime, and the hens were being -a credit to themselves. Mrs. Bob was -laid up with rheumatism.</p> - -<p>“Jericho Bob!” she said to her son, shaking -her red and yellow turban at him, “Jericho -Bob, you go down an’ fetch de eggs today. -Ef I find yer don’t bring me twenty-three, -I’ll—well, never mind what I’ll do, -but yer won’t like it.”</p> - -<p>Now, Jericho Bob meant to be honest, but -the fact was he found twenty-four eggs, and -the twenty-fourth was so big, so remarkably -big!</p> - -<p>Twenty-three eggs he brought to Mrs. Bob,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_229"></a>[229]</span> -but the twenty-fourth he sinfully left in -charge of the discreet hen.</p> - -<p>On his return he met Julius Caesar Fish, -with his hands in his pockets and his head -extinguished by his grandfather’s fur cap.</p> - -<p>Together they went toward the hen-coop -and Julius Caesar Fish spoke, or rather -lisped (he had lost some of his front teeth):</p> - -<p>“Jericho Bobth, tha’th a turkey’th egg.”</p> - -<p>“Yer don’t say so?”</p> - -<p>“I think i’th a-goin’ ter hatch.” No -sooner said than they heard a pick and a -peck in the shell.</p> - -<p>“Pick!” a tiny beak broke through the -shell. “Peck!” more beak. “Crack!” a -funny little head, a long, bare neck, and then -“Pick! Peck! Crack!” before them stood -the funniest, fluffiest brown ball resting on -two weak little legs.</p> - -<p>“Hooray!” shouted the woolly heads.</p> - -<p>“Peep!” said turkeykin.</p> - -<p>“It’s mine!” Jericho shouted excitedly.</p> - -<p>“Ith Marm Pitkin’th turkey’th; she laid -it there.”</p> - -<p>“It’s mine, and I’m going to keep it, and -next Thanksgiving I’m going ter eat him.”</p> - -<p>“Think yer ma’ll let you feed him up for<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_230"></a>[230]</span> -thath?” Julius Caesar asked, grinning triumphantly.</p> - -<p>Jericho Bob’s next Thanksgiving dinner -seemed destined to be a dream. His face -fell.</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell yer whath I’ll do,” his friend -said, benevolently; “I’ll keep ’m for you, -and Thanksgivin’ we’ll go halvth.”</p> - -<p>Jericho resigned himself to the inevitable, -and the infant turkey was borne home by -his friend.</p> - -<p>Fish, Jr., lived next door, and the only -difference in the premises was a freight-car -permanently switched off before the broken-down -fence of the Fish yard; and in this car -turkeykin took up his abode.</p> - -<p>I will not tell you how he grew and more -than realized the hopes of his foster-fathers, -nor with what impatience and anticipation -they saw spring, summer, and autumn pass, -while they watched their Thanksgiving dinner -stalk proudly up the bare yard, and even -hop across the railroad tracks.</p> - -<p>But, alas! the possession of the turkey -brought with it strife and discord.</p> - -<p>Quarrels arose between the friends as to -the prospective disposal of his remains. We<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_231"></a>[231]</span> -grieve to say that the question of who was -to cook him led to blows.</p> - -<p>It was the day before Thanksgiving. There -was a coldness between the friends which -was not dispelled by the bringing of a pint -of cranberries to the common store by Jericho, -and the contributing thereto of a couple -of cold boiled sweet potatoes by Julius Caesar -Fish.</p> - -<p>The friends sat on an ancient wash-tub -in the back yard, and there was a momentary -truce between them. Before them stood the -freight-car, and along the track beyond an -occasional train tore down the road, which -so far excited their mutual sympathy that -they rose and shouted as one man.</p> - -<p>At the open door of the freight-car stood -the unsuspecting turkey, and looked meditatively -out on the landscape and at the two -figures on the wash-tub.</p> - -<p>One had bow-legs, a turn-up nose, and a -huge straw hat. The other wore a fur cap -and a gentleman’s swallow-tail coat, with the -tails caught up because they were too long.</p> - -<p>The turkey hopped out of the car and -gazed confidingly at his protectors. In point -of size he was altogether their superior.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_232"></a>[232]</span></p> - -<p>“I think,” said Jericho Bob, “we’d better -ketch ’im; tomorrow’s Thanksgiving. -Yum!”</p> - -<p>And he looked with great joy at the innocent, -the unsuspecting fowl.</p> - -<p>“Butcher Tham’th goin’ to kill ’im for -uth,” Julius Caesar hastened to say, “an’ -I kin cook ’im.”</p> - -<p>“No, you ain’t. I’m going to cook ’im,” -Jericho Bob cried, resentfully. “He’s -mine.”</p> - -<p>“He ain’th; he’th mine.”</p> - -<p>“He was my egg,” and Jericho Bob -danced defiance at his friend.</p> - -<p>The turkey looked on with some surprise, -and he became alarmed when he saw his foster-fathers -clasped in an embrace more of -anger than of love.</p> - -<p>“I’ll eat ’im all alone!” Jericho Bob -cried.</p> - -<p>“No, yes sha’n’t!” the other shouted.</p> - -<p>The turkey shrieked in terror, and fled in -a circle about the yard.</p> - -<p>“Now, look yere,” said Julius Caesar, -who had conquered. “We’re goin’ to be -squar’. He wath your egg, but who brought -’im up? Me! Who’th got a friend to kill<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_233"></a>[233]</span> -’im? Me! Who’th got a fire to cook ’im? -Me! Now you git up and we’ll kitch ’im. -Ef you thay another word about your egg -I’ll jeth eat ’im up all mythelf.”</p> - -<p>Jericho Bob was conquered. With mutual -understanding they approached the turkey.</p> - -<p>“Come yere; come yere,” Julius Caesar -said, coaxingly.</p> - -<p>For a moment the bird gazed at both, uncertain -what to do.</p> - -<p>“Come yere,” Julius Caesar repeated, -and made a dive for him. The turkey spread -his tail. Oh, didn’t he run!</p> - -<p>“Now, I’ve got her!” the wicked Jericho -Bob cried, and thought he had captured the -fowl; when, with a shriek from Jericho Bob, -as the turkey knocked him over, the Thanksgiving -dinner spread his wings, rose in the -air, and alighted on the roof of the freight-car.</p> - -<p>The turkey looked down over the edge of -the car at his enemies, and they gazed up at -him. Both parties surveyed the situation.</p> - -<p>“We’ve got him,” Julius Caesar cried at -last, exultantly. “You git on the roof, and -ef you don’t kitch ’im up thar, I’ll kitch -’im down yere.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_234"></a>[234]</span></p> - -<p>With the help of the wash-tub, an old -chair, Julius Caesar’s back, and much scrambling, -Jericho Bob was boosted on top of the -car. The turkey was stalking solemnly up -and down the roof with tail and wings half -spread.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got yer now,” Jericho Bob said, -creeping softly after him. “I’ve got yer -now, sure,” he was just repeating, when, -with a deafening roar the express-train for -New York came tearing down the road.</p> - -<p>For what possible reason it slowed up on -approaching the freight-car nobody ever -knew; but the fact remains that it did, just -as Jericho Bob laid his wicked black, paw on -the turkey’s tail.</p> - -<p>The turkey shrieked, spread his wings, -shook the small black boy’s grasp from his -tail, and with a mighty swoop alighted on the -roof of the very last car as it passed; and -in a moment more Jericho Bob’s Thanksgiving -dinner had vanished, like a beautiful -dream, down the road!</p> - -<h4>Jerusalem Artie’s Christmas Dinner<a id="FNanchor_31" href="#Footnote_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a></h4> - -<p>Jerusalem Artie sat on the door-step of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_235"></a>[235]</span> -his mammy’s cabin, buried in thought. It -was a very unusual condition for Jerusalem -Artie, but then, the occasion was an unusual -one. The next day would be Christmas.</p> - -<p>Presently he looked up. “Mammy,” he -questioned, “what’s we-all a-gwine hab fo’ -Chris-mus dinnah?”</p> - -<p>“Lan’ sakes, chile,” his mammy answered, -“how-all’s I a-gwine know dat? Yo’ pappy -ain’t got nuthin’ yit, an’ I ain’t a-reckonin’ -he will git nuthin’.”</p> - -<p>Jerusalem Artie looked down, and was once -more lost in thought.</p> - -<p>He made a comical little figure there on -the door-step, but to this fact both he and -his mammy were blissfully oblivious. On his -head he wore an old straw hat which his -pappy had discarded for a fur cap at the -approach of winter weather. In the spring -the exchange would be made again, and -Jerusalem Artie would wear the fur. But -this did not trouble the boy. When it grew -too hot, he left off any sort of head covering; -and when it grew too cold, he wrapped one -of mammy’s gay bandanas about his woolly -head, and set the battered straw on top of -that.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_236"></a>[236]</span></p> - -<p>His shirt, and his one-sided suspenders, -and even the trousers that he wore, had also -belonged to his pappy. As Jerusalem Artie -was only eight years old, the trousers were -a trifle long. He had once suggested cutting -them off, but his mammy had objected.</p> - -<p>“Co’se yo’ cain’t, chile! Yo’ pappy might -hab to weah dem pants some mo’ hisself yit, -an’ how-all’d he look den?”</p> - -<p>The question was unanswerable.</p> - -<p>“An’ what-all’d <i>I</i> weah den?” he had -queried, dismayed at the possibility.</p> - -<p>“How-all yo’ s’pose I’s a-gwine know -dat?” his mammy had responded. “Maybe -yo’ skin.”</p> - -<p>So Jerusalem Artie had rolled, and rolled, -and rolled the bottom of the trouser legs till -his little black toes emerged from the -openings.</p> - -<p>But now, as he sat on the door-step, his -mind was not upon his clothes, not even upon -the offending trousers. It was upon the -Christmas dinner for which he was longing, -but which did not exist.</p> - -<p>“All neighbo’ folks a-gwine hab Chris’mus -dinnahs,” he was saying to himself. “Boys -done tol’ me so. An’ we’s gwine hab Chris’mus<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_237"></a>[237]</span> -dinnah, too,” he added, straightening up -suddenly.</p> - -<p>He got up from the door-step and started -slowly toward the bit of tangled underbrush -that grew back of the cabin. He did not know, -yet, where the Christmas dinner was coming -from. He had gotten no further than the -resolve that there should be one.</p> - -<p>“Folks hab turkey, er goose,” he was saying -to himself, “er chickun, er—rabbit pie,” -he ended with a sudden whoop, and made a -dash toward the tangled brush, for, at that -very moment, a rabbit’s white flag of a tail -had flashed before his eyes.</p> - -<p>“Hi, yo’ Molly Cottontail, I git yo’ fo’ a -pie!” yelled Jerusalem Artie, and the chase -was on.</p> - -<p>Into the brush dashed Molly, and after her -came Jerusalem Artie; and, as he ran, one -leg of his trousers began to unroll. But there -was no time to stop.</p> - -<p>Molly Cottontail had the advantage, but -Jerusalem Artie’s eyes were sharp, and -Molly’s white flag led him on. Molly slid -beneath the tangled brush, and Jerusalem -Artie made desperate leaps above it, each -leap marked by a flying trouser leg.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_238"></a>[238]</span></p> - -<p>Suddenly Molly doubled on her tracks, for -her pursuer was close at hand. Jerusalem -Artie attempted to do the same, but his free -foot became entangled with the elongated leg, -and down went Jerusalem Artie—squarely -on top of Molly Cottontail.</p> - -<p>It pretty well knocked the breath out of -both of them, but Jerusalem Artie recovered -first, naturally, for he was on top.</p> - -<p>“Chris’mus pie! Chris’mus pie!” he -squealed, as he wriggled one hand cautiously -beneath him and got a good firm hold of -Molly’s long ears. Then carefully he got -upon his feet.</p> - -<p>The rabbit hung limp from his hand.</p> - -<p>“Knocked yo’ breaf’ clean out fo’ suah!” he -exclaimed, deliberately surveying his prize.</p> - -<p>Then slowly he made his way to the road, -for the chase had taken him some distance -from the cabin, and the dragging trouser leg -made walking difficult.</p> - -<p>Reaching the roadside, he held aloft the -still limp rabbit surveying it with a grin of -satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“Reckon she’s done fo’ as suah as I’s a -niggah chile,” he soliloquized; and laying his -Christmas dinner on the grass beside him, he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_239"></a>[239]</span> -proceeded to roll up the entangling trouser -leg.</p> - -<p>While he was in the midst of this occupation, -there was a startling “honk, honk,” -close at hand and a big red motor car flashed -into sight.</p> - -<p>The sudden noise startled Jerusalem Artie. -It also startled Molly Cottontail. Her limp, -and apparently lifeless, body gathered itself, -leaped, and cleared the roadway, barely -escaping the wheels of the big red motor car -as it flashed by.</p> - -<p>Jerusalem Artie rose to his feet, the trouser -leg half rolled, and shrieked: “M’ -Chris’mus dinnah! M’ Chris’mus dinnah!” -for Molly Cottontail had disappeared.</p> - -<p>As he stood looking helplessly after the -offending cause of his loss, a man in the back -seat turned, laughed, and, leaning over the -side of the car, threw something bright and -shining back into the road.</p> - -<p>Jerusalem Artie pounced upon the spot, -dug with his disentangled toes in the dust, and -brought to view a silver half-dollar.</p> - -<p>“Chris’mus dinnah yit,” he exclaimed, -“as suah as I’se a niggah chile!”</p> - -<p>Then, with the half-dollar held hard between<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_240"></a>[240]</span> -his teeth, he finished rolling up the -leg of his trousers.</p> - -<p>“Mammy,” he cried, a moment later, as, -dusty and breathless, he reappeared in the -cabin doorway, “see what-all I foun’ in de -road.”</p> - -<p>And Mammy’s look of dark suspicion faded -as Jerusalem Artie recounted his brief and -tragic adventure with Molly Cottontail.</p> - -<p>“Yo-all’s a honey chile,” said Mammy, -when he had concluded; “an we-all’s -a-gwine right now an’ git a plumb fat -chickun.”</p> - -<p>The next day, as Mammy cleared away the -remains of the Christmas dinner, she said: -“Now, chile, yo’ c’n tote dese yere chickun -bones out on de do’-step an’ gnaw ’em clean. -An’, Jerus’lem Artie, yo’ pappy say yo’ c’n -cut off de laigs o’ dem pants, an’ hab ’em fo’ -yo’self.”</p> - -<h4>Robin’s Christmas<a id="FNanchor_32" href="#Footnote_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a></h4> - -<p>When I was a little girl I used to look for -Robin Redbreast perched in the holly on my -Christmas cards, and nearly always he was -there, fluttering about in the green, or singing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_241"></a>[241]</span> -a merry greeting from among the red -berries. Nowadays I do not see him so often, -but I have heard the story of how he came to -be there. Listen, and you shall hear it, too.</p> - -<p>First, you must know that the English -Robin Redbreast (which is the one in my -story) does not go South in the fall as our -robin does. That is why the little English -children sing:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">The North wind doth blow,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And we shall have snow,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And what will the robin do then, poor thing?</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He’ll stay in the barn,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And keep himself warm,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And tuck his head under his wing, poor thing.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Generally Robin gets through the winter -very well, but sometimes he has a pretty hard -time, and that is why this story came to be -told.</p> - -<p>One year, about Christmas time, there -came a long spell of cold, stormy weather. -It would snow, and all the children would -shout for joy; then it would rain, and they -would almost cry from disappointment; -then again it would freeze, and they would -run and slide and skate on the ice, only to -be driven in by more snow and wind. So<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_242"></a>[242]</span> -Christmas eve found them all snug in their -houses, making the rooms gay with holly and -evergreen, and talking about Santa Claus -and their Christmas stockings.</p> - -<p>But outdoors in the cold a poor little Robin -Redbreast was far from being snug and comfortable. -It seemed to him that he hadn’t -had anything to eat for a month. Every -grain of corn in the barnyard was under the -snow, no one threw out any crumbs, and the -seed pods and berries that were food in the -coldest weather were so thickly coated with -ice that it was like pecking glass beads to -try to eat one. The North wind seemed to -be everywhere. It drove him out of each corner -in which he tried to nestle, and Farmer -Gray’s barn door was closed while he was -busy in the hedge trying to get a mouthful -of seeds. When it came night, poor Robin -felt so chilled and hungry and miserable that -he simply couldn’t “tuck his head under his -wing,” much less “keep himself warm.”</p> - -<p>Once, when the lamps were lighted, he -fluttered up to a window and tried to get -behind the blind, but he could not squeeze -in. Then he pecked at the glass, for he was -a friendly birdie, and had more than once<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_243"></a>[243]</span> -been fed from a window, but no one heard -his little tap, tap, and away he flew, trying -once more to find shelter from the driving -storm.</p> - -<p>Now, there was a church near by. People -had been going in and out all day, making -it beautiful with Christmas greens, and preparing -the children’s Christmas tree. Robin -finally perched himself in the ivy at one window, -though the North wind threatened to -blow him off any moment. There were lights -within, and he could hear the happy children -gathered round the Christmas tree. After -awhile every one went away, and the lights -were turned out.</p> - -<p>A half hour later the faithful sexton -came back through the storm to take one -more look at his fires, and make sure that -all was safe for the night. Robin, just settling -himself for a long, cold night, could -see his lantern swinging as he pushed his -way through the snowdrifts. When he -opened the great church door, the wind and -snow blew in—and something else, too—a -cold, hungry little robin. But the sexton -never knew. He banked his fires a little -more and went home, leaving Robin alone.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_244"></a>[244]</span></p> - -<p>Oh, how warm and quiet and comfortable -it was! Robin tucked his head under his -wing and was soon asleep on an oaken rafter. -When he awoke in the morning, his first -thought was that he was in the forest. How -big and green and beautiful! Evergreen and -holly were everywhere. Great festoons were -looped from chancel to window. A great -mass of holly hid the choir rail. Little -Christmas trees were banked against the -walls. Wreaths hung from the arches, and -the red and golden lights from the windows -bathed all in sunshine. Robin could hardly -believe his eyes.</p> - -<p>“Chirp! Chirp!” he cried, and flew from -rafter to rafter, and from there to the organ -loft. What a wonderful place to awaken in! -Why had he never found it before? And -what were those little red berries? Were -they really good to eat?</p> - -<p>“Chirp! Chirp! I think I’ll try one!” -said he.</p> - -<p>He hadn’t had a good meal for two days -and a half, and if the ladies could have seen -him eating their lovely decorations, I am -afraid they would have been shocked. How -good the holly berries tasted! And there<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_245"></a>[245]</span> -was such an abundance! No hunting and -picking good from bad; no fuss of any kind. -Hungry Robin flew from festoon to wreath -and enjoyed the best breakfast he had known -that winter. In fact, he ate till he was tired, -and then he had another little nap on the -rafter.</p> - -<p>While he was sleeping the church bell -rang, and the children began to flock in again. -They had come to sing their carols at early -morning service, and soon the church was -filled with happy faces. Then the organ -played and they began to sing. Robin woke -up and watched everything quietly from his -perch. He felt warm and happy, and he liked -the music; in fact, he began to feel like singing, -too. In the middle of the second verse -he broke in. High and clear and sweet he -sang, and the children looked up amazed. -Suddenly the minister held up his hand. -Wonderingly the organist and the children -ceased. Robin was singing a solo, now. -Perched high on the rafter, he threw his little -head back and sang and sang, while the delighted -children listened. When had they -ever heard Robin Redbreast sing in church? -How did he get in? What a wonderful song!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_246"></a>[246]</span></p> - -<p>When Robin was through he flew to the top -of the organ and looked down on them with -bright eyes, as if to say: “That is all I can -do to thank you for my breakfast and shelter!”</p> - -<p>“Children,” said the minister, “this little -bird must have flown in here last night from -the storm. He sings because he is grateful to -the Heavenly Father who cares for all, and -knows when even a sparrow falleth. Let us -lift our hearts and voices, and thank him in -our carols for this happy Christmas. Let our -voices be as sweet as Robin Redbreast’s—our -little brother who is welcome to all the -comfort our church can give him!”</p> - -<p>The children sang their carols as they -never sang them before, and they never forgot -the Christmas day when they found Robin -in church. That was years ago, but that is -why, for a long time, Robin Redbreast was on -the Christmas cards. Did you ever see him -there?</p> - -<h4>A Tale of the Christ Child<a id="FNanchor_33" href="#Footnote_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a></h4> - -<p>It was Christmas eve. The soft snow fell -in big flakes like white blossoms from the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_247"></a>[247]</span> -trees of June. It covered the house roofs -and glorified the trees. It hung jewels above -the windows of the poor, and softened the -lowliest hut to the white beauty of a palace.</p> - -<p>And through the beautiful white pathway -of the snow a herald rode, and cried that to-night -the dear Christ Child would walk -through the streets, and even as the falling -snow made all barren and ugly things lovely, -so would the Christ Child’s coming glorify -the souls of them that met him aright, and -they would be forever blest who should gain -speech with him.</p> - -<p>No wonder that a million candles lighted -the streets. No wonder that great and proud, -rich and poor, the sick, the old, and the lame -thronged the white beauty of the streets -and wandered up and down, wondering and -waiting.</p> - -<p>The King came forth in royal robes with -a throng of courtiers at his back. He bore -himself proudly, and proudly he waited.</p> - -<p>The priest was there, bearing the blessed -cross, and lifting prayerful eyes to the white -sky.</p> - -<p>The great singer came, singing his loveliest -songs in tones so sweet that all who heard<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_248"></a>[248]</span> -him wondered, and said, “Surely he will have -speech with the Christ Child.”</p> - -<p>The poet came with his book, and soldiers -with gleaming swords, boasting of battles -they had won, and all looked with eager eyes -up and down the streets, each longing to be -the first to see the Christ Child in all his -beauty.</p> - -<p>So, in their eagerness they pressed now -this way and now that, heeding nothing but -their one desire. The shivering beggar was -jostled, the lame man was trampled under -foot, and lay moaning in a doorway, and children -were thrust aside from their eager gazing, -and fell, weeping and disappointed, or -fled from the stern presence of some blustering -soldier, to hide in alleyways, praying that -the little Christ Child would find them there, -waiting to worship him.</p> - -<p>Among the children was one braver than -the others—little Karl. He had gone out -with a glad heart, saying to his mother, “I -will not come back, though I walk the streets -all night, until I will see the Christ Child -and gain a blessing for you and for me.” -But his mother kissed him fondly, saying, -“Go my son, but do not grieve if you do not<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_249"></a>[249]</span> -see the Christ Child, for there is blessing -even in seeking him.”</p> - -<p>So little Karl, seeing so many crushed and -crowded back, though fearing that the Christ -Child should pass while he spent the time, -lifted the lame man to a place of safety, -apart from the crowd, followed the shivering -beggar and lent him his cloak, and comforted -the weeping children.</p> - -<p>And meanwhile the crowd pushed and -jostled and threatened, and no one gave -heed to a ragged boy who pressed slowly -through the throng, going from street to -street, and saying now and again, “I hunger. -Will one give me a crust of bread?”</p> - -<p>No one gave heed, save that the King drew -back his royal robes and bade his courtiers -clear his pathway of beggars; the great -singer asked angrily who was this who dared -to interrupt him in his singing, and turned -his back upon the child to begin his song -anew; the poet saw him not, because his eyes -were not lifted from the book, while some, -impatient at the interrupted melody, or taking -counsel from the king’s frown, jostled him in -rude malice.</p> - -<p>True, the priest turned on him a kindly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_250"></a>[250]</span> -glance and would have spoken, but that a -sudden movement in the crowd gave hope of -the Christ Child’s coming, and he forgot all -else to press after the others.</p> - -<p>But little Karl, now shivering with cold, -had pity, and crept to the stranger boy’s -side, and broke his one piece of bread with -him and offered him a place in his sheltered -doorway.</p> - -<p>“It is cold,” Karl said, “and I have lent -my cloak, or we could share it with each other, -and the bread is old, but it is all I have, and -indeed one feels hunger and cold but lightly -who watches for the Christ Child and hopes -for his blessing.”</p> - -<p>When, lo! as the ragged boy broke the -bread and ate with Karl, his face became -glorified, and a light like soft moonlight -played about his fair temples, and the eyes -that looked into the very soul of Karl, as he -rose in glad amaze, were clear and wonderful -as the winter stars, and yet gentle as the -eyes of a pet lamb.</p> - -<p>And suddenly, as he gazed, Karl fell, worshiping, -for he knew that he had had speech -with the Christ Child.</p> - -<p>Then, while the crowd still surged and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_251"></a>[251]</span> -quarreled and waited, watching, the Christ -Child walked through the soft falling snows, -where little Karl led the way. And they -sought out the beggar, and the lame man, -and the little children, and the great who -were also good, and all whose smiles were -kindly and whose hearts were like those of -little children.</p> - -<h4>Story of the Ark<a id="FNanchor_34" href="#Footnote_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a></h4> - -<p>Now God saw that the wickedness of man -was great in the earth, and it repented God -that he had made man. But Noah was a -just man and perfect in his generation, and -Noah walked with God.</p> - -<p>And God said unto Noah, The end of all -flesh is come before me; for the earth is -filled with violence through them, and, behold, -I will destroy them with the earth.</p> - -<p>Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms -shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch -it within and without with pitch. A window -shalt thou make to the ark; and the door of -the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; -with lower, second, and third stories shalt -thou make it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_252"></a>[252]</span></p> - -<p>And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of -waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh; -and everything that is in the earth shall die. -But with thee will I establish my covenant; -and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and -thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives -with thee.</p> - -<p>And of every living thing, two of every -sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep -them alive with thee; they shall be male and -female. Of fowls after their kind, and of -cattle, and of every creeping thing of the -earth, two of every sort shall come unto thee, -to keep them alive.</p> - -<p>And take thou unto thee of all food that is -eaten; and it shall be for food for thee, and -for them.</p> - -<p>Thus did Noah, according to all that God -commanded him, so did he.</p> - -<h4>The Flood<a id="FNanchor_35" href="#Footnote_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a></h4> - -<p>And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou -and all thy house into the ark; for thee have -I seen righteous before me in this generation.</p> - -<p>And Noah went in, and his sons, and his -wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_253"></a>[253]</span> -ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of -clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, -and of fowls, and of everything that creepeth -upon the earth, there went in two and two -unto Noah into the ark, the male and the -female, as God had commanded Noah. And -the Lord shut him in.</p> - -<p>And it came to pass after seven days, that -the waters of the flood were upon the earth. -In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in -the second month, the seventeenth day of the -month, the same day were all the fountains -of the great deep broken up, and the windows -of heaven were opened.</p> - -<p>And the rain was upon the earth forty days -and forty nights. And the waters increased, -and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above -the earth, and all flesh died that moved upon -the earth. And every living substance was -destroyed which was upon the face of the -ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping -things, and the fowl of the heaven; and -Noah only remained alive, and they that were -with him in the ark, and the ark went upon -the face of the waters.</p> - -<p>And the waters prevailed upon the earth -an hundred and fifty days.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_254"></a>[254]</span></p> - -<h4>The Olive Leaf<a id="FNanchor_36" href="#Footnote_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a></h4> - -<p>And God remembered Noah, and every living -thing, and the cattle that was with him -in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over -the earth, and the waters asswaged. The -fountains also of the deep and the windows -of heaven were stopped, and the rain from -heaven was restrained; and the waters returned -from off the earth continually, and -after the end of the hundred and fifty days -the waters were abated.</p> - -<p>And the ark rested in the seventh month, -on the seventeenth day of the month, upon -the mountains of Ararat. And the waters -decreased continually until the tops of the -mountains were seen.</p> - -<p>And it came to pass at the end of forty -days, that Noah opened the window of the -ark which he had made: and he sent forth -a raven, which went forth to and fro, until -the waters were dried up from the earth.</p> - -<p>Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see -if the waters were abated from off the -face of the ground; but the dove found no -rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned -unto him into the ark, for the waters<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_255"></a>[255]</span> -were on the face of the whole earth; then -he put forth his hand, and took her, and -pulled her in unto him into the ark.</p> - -<p>And he stayed yet other seven days; and -again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; -and the dove came in to him in the evening; -and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt -off: so Noah knew that the waters were -abated from off the earth.</p> - -<p>And he stayed yet other seven days; and -he sent forth the dove; which returned not -again unto him any more. And Noah removed -the covering of the ark, and looked, -and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.</p> - -<p>And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth -of the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, -and thy sons’ wives with thee. Bring forth -with thee every living thing of all flesh, both -of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping -thing that creepeth upon the earth, that -they may be fruitful and multiply upon the -earth.</p> - -<p>And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his -wife, and his sons’ wives with him: every -beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, -went forth out of the ark.</p> - -<p>And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_256"></a>[256]</span></p> - -<h4>The Rainbow of Promise<a id="FNanchor_37" href="#Footnote_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a></h4> - -<p>And the Lord said in his heart, I will not -again curse the ground any more for man’s -sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is -evil from his youth; neither will I again -smite any more every thing living, as I have -done.</p> - -<p>While the earth remaineth, seed time and -harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and -winter, and day and night shall not cease.</p> - -<p>And God blessed Noah and his sons. And -God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with -him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my -covenant with you, and with your seed after -you; and with every living creature that is -with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of -every beast of the earth with you; from all -that go out of the ark, to every beast of the -earth. I will establish my covenant with you; -neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by -the waters of a flood; neither shall there any -more be a flood to destroy the earth.</p> - -<p>And God said, This is the token of the covenant -which I make between me and you and -every living creature that is with you, for -perpetual generations: I do set my bow<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_257"></a>[257]</span> -in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of -covenant between me and the earth.</p> - -<p>And it shall come to pass, when I bring -a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be -seen in the cloud: and I will remember my -covenant, which is between me and you and -every living creature of all flesh; and the -waters shall no more become a flood to destroy -all flesh.</p> - -<p>And Noah lived after the flood three hundred -and fifty years. And all the days of -Noah were nine hundred and fifty years.</p> - -<h4>The Story of David<a id="FNanchor_38" href="#Footnote_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a></h4> - -<p>More than two thousand years ago, there -was a great battle in the land of Palestine. -At that time, Saul was king of Israel, and -the battle was fought between the Israelites -and the Philistines, their enemies. Now, the -Israelites worshiped God or Jehovah, while -the Philistines worshiped images of wood -and stone.</p> - -<p>And the Philistines stood on the mountain -on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain -on the other side; and the ravine was -between them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_258"></a>[258]</span></p> - -<p>And as the armies were drawn up for -battle, there stepped out from the ranks of -the Philistines a champion named Goliath. -He was a giant in stature, and he was clothed -in a corselet of scales, with a helmet of -bronze upon his head. His spear was like a -weaver’s beam—and a shield-bearer went -before him.</p> - -<p>And Goliath stood and cried to the people -of Israel, “I have come forth to defy the -army of Israel. Choose ye a man who shall -come and fight with me. If he slays me, then -will the Philistines be your servants, but if -I slay him, then shall ye be the servants of -the Philistines.”</p> - -<p>Then were the Israelites dismayed, and no -man dared go forth to fight with Goliath.</p> - -<p>Every night and every morning for forty -days, Goliath came forth and challenged the -army of Israel, and no man dared go forth to -fight him.</p> - -<p>At this same time, away off among the -hills of Bethlehem, there was a young man -named David, who was tending his father’s -sheep. He was a shepherd lad, but ruddy, -and of a beautiful appearance. His father’s -name was Jesse. Now, Jesse’s three older<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_259"></a>[259]</span> -sons were in the army of Saul, but David, the -youngest, cared for the sheep. He loved the -country about Bethlehem, and he had many -beautiful thoughts while watching over the -sheep that he loved.</p> - -<p>But one day his father called him away -from the sheep pastures, and sent him to see -his brothers, and to bring back a message -from them, for he was anxious about their -welfare. And he gave him parched corn and -ten loaves as a gift for them.</p> - -<p>So David journeyed to where his brothers -were, and when he reached them, the armies -were drawn up, the Philistines on one mountain, -and the Israelites on the other, with the -ravine between. And as David reached the -place, he saw Goliath, coming forth to challenge -the army of Israel, as he had done for -forty days.</p> - -<p>And when David heard Goliath’s words, and -saw that all the army of Israel was dismayed, -he was filled with indignation, and he asked, -“Who is this Philistine, that he should defy -the armies of the living God?”</p> - -<p>And David’s words were repeated to Saul, -and Saul sent for David, and David told Saul -that he would go forth and fight with Goliath.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_260"></a>[260]</span></p> - -<p>Then said Saul, “But thou art but a youth, -and this is a man of war.”</p> - -<p>Then David answered, “I have slain with -my hands both a lion and a bear, when they -came to destroy a lamb of my flock. And I -can also slay this Philistine, for Jehovah, who -delivered me out of the paw of the lion and -of the bear, will deliver me out of the hand -of this Philistine.”</p> - -<p>And Saul said to David, “Go, and Jehovah -be with thee.” And he would have put his -armor upon David, but David refused it, and -taking his staff in his hand, he chose five -smooth stones out of the brook and put them -in the pocket of the shepherd’s bag which he -wore. Then with his sling in his hand, he -advanced to meet Goliath.</p> - -<p>But when Goliath saw David, he exclaimed, -“Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with -a staff? Come on, then, and I will give thy -flesh to the fowls of the heavens and to the -beasts of the field.”</p> - -<p>And David answered, “Thou comest to me -with a sword and with a spear, but I come to -thee in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God -of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. -This day will Jehovah deliver thee into<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_261"></a>[261]</span> -my hand, and all the earth shall know that -Israel has a God.”</p> - -<p>And David put his hand into his bag and -drew forth a stone and put it into his sling -and he slung it; and it struck the Philistine -in the forehead, and he fell on his face to the -earth.</p> - -<p>And the army of Israel arose and shouted, -and the Philistines became the servants of -Israel, and great honors were heaped upon -David.</p> - -<p>Some years after this, at the death of Saul, -David became king of Israel, but he never -forgot his days upon the hills of Bethlehem, -when he tended his father’s sheep; and he -was called the “Shepherd King.”</p> - -<p>After he had become king, David wrote -many beautiful songs or psalms, and one of -the most beautiful of them all is the twenty-third -psalm, which shows that even when all -the glory and honor of being a king were his, -he loved to think of himself as one of the -sheep over whom the Lord watched as a -shepherd.</p> - -<h4>The Twenty-third Psalm</h4> - -<p>The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.</p> - -<p>He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_262"></a>[262]</span> -he leadeth me beside the still waters.</p> - -<p>He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the -paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.</p> - -<p>Yea, though I walk through the valley of -the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for -thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they -comfort me.</p> - -<p>Thou preparest a table before me in the -presence of mine enemies: thou anointest -my head with oil; my cup runneth over.</p> - -<p>Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me -all the days of my life: and I will dwell in -the house of the Lord for ever.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<h4>FOOTNOTES</h4> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="label">[4]</a> From <i>The Angler’s Reveille</i>, by Henry van Dyke.—By -permission of Charles Scribner’s Sons.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="label">[5]</a> From <i>Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes</i>. Translated by -Isaac T. Headland. By permission of Fleming H. Revell -Company.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="label">[6]</a> From <i>Firelight Stories</i>, by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey -(Milton Bradley Company). By permission of the author -and publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_7" href="#FNanchor_7" class="label">[7]</a> Jane Arnold, in <i>American Motherhood</i>. By permission -of the publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_8" href="#FNanchor_8" class="label">[8]</a> From <i>Aesop’s Fables</i>; adapted by D. L. Graves in -<i>American Motherhood</i>. By permission of the author and -publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_9" href="#FNanchor_9" class="label">[9]</a> This story, reprinted by permission from the second -book of the series of <i>Jones Readers</i> (Ginn and Company), -is an especially good type of story to tell to small children, -since it is full of action and of conversation, two -features which they particularly enjoy, and its lesson of -forethought is made very plain through the development -of the story itself.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_10" href="#FNanchor_10" class="label">[10]</a> By Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, in <i>Firelight Stories</i> (Milton -Bradley Company). By permission of the author and -publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_11" href="#FNanchor_11" class="label">[11]</a> From <i>Queer Little People</i>, by Harriet Beecher Stowe -(Houghton, Mifflin Company). By permission of the publishers. -(Abridged.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_12" href="#FNanchor_12" class="label">[12]</a> By Margaret and Clarence Weed, in <i>St. Nicholas</i>. By -permission of the authors and publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_13" href="#FNanchor_13" class="label">[13]</a> English Folk-tale.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_14" href="#FNanchor_14" class="label">[14]</a> Original adaptation of an old legend.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_15" href="#FNanchor_15" class="label">[15]</a> Original adaptation of Old Folk-tale.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_16" href="#FNanchor_16" class="label">[16]</a> An Ojibway legend from <i>Wigwam Stories</i>, by Mary -Catherine Judd (Ginn and Company). By permission of the -author and publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_17" href="#FNanchor_17" class="label">[17]</a> Original adaptation of an old legend.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_18" href="#FNanchor_18" class="label">[18]</a> Schoolcraft. From <i>Wigwam Stories</i>, by Mary Catherine -Judd (Ginn and Company). By permission of the author -and publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_19" href="#FNanchor_19" class="label">[19]</a> By Grace MacGowan Cooke, in the <i>Delineator</i>. By permission -of the author and the publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_20" href="#FNanchor_20" class="label">[20]</a> Chippewa. From <i>Wigwam Stories</i>, by Mary Catherine -Judd (Ginn and Company). By permission of author and -publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_21" href="#FNanchor_21" class="label">[21]</a> Original adaptation from the folk-lore of South Slavonia. -There is another and different version of “Why the -Dog and Cat Are Enemies” under the title, “The Enchanted -Wine Jug,” in <i>Stories to Tell</i> (A. Flanagan Company), -compiled by the author of this book. Stories of animals -are always of interest to children, and the more familiar -the animals the greater the child’s interest in the story. -These two versions of the above story, I have found are -not generally known to either teachers or children, for they -seem to have been generally overlooked in the many collections -of folk-tales.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_22" href="#FNanchor_22" class="label">[22]</a> From <i>Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest</i>, by -Katharine B. Judson (A. C. McClurg & Co.). (Abridged.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_23" href="#FNanchor_23" class="label">[23]</a> By Frances Margaret Fox in <i>Little Folks</i> (S. E. Cassino -Company). By permission of the publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_24" href="#FNanchor_24" class="label">[24]</a> Abridged from <i>Jolly Calle</i>, by Helena Nyblom (J. M. -Dent and Sons, London).</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_25" href="#FNanchor_25" class="label">[25]</a> From <i>Stories from Old English Romance</i>, by Joyce Pollard -(Frederick A. Stokes Company). By permission of the -publishers. (Abridged.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_26" href="#FNanchor_26" class="label">[26]</a> From stories of <i>Norse Heroes</i>, by E. M. Wilmot-Buxton -(Thomas Y. Crowell Company). By permission of the publishers. -(Abridged.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_27" href="#FNanchor_27" class="label">[27]</a> Adapted from Greek mythology.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_28" href="#FNanchor_28" class="label">[28]</a> By David Ker, in <i>St. Nicholas</i>. By permission of the -publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_29" href="#FNanchor_29" class="label">[29]</a> Abridged from <i>Further Adventures of Nils</i>, by Selma -Lagerlof (Doubleday, Page and Company). By permission -of the publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_30" href="#FNanchor_30" class="label">[30]</a> By Mrs. John Lane, in <i>St. Nicholas</i>. By permission of -the author and publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_31" href="#FNanchor_31" class="label">[31]</a> By Julia Darrow Cowles, in <i>St. Nicholas</i>. By permission -of the publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_32" href="#FNanchor_32" class="label">[32]</a> By A. Gertrude Maynard, in <i>Kindergarten Review</i>. By -permission of the publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_33" href="#FNanchor_33" class="label">[33]</a> By Phila Butler Bowman, in <i>Kindergarten Review</i>. By -permission of the publishers.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_34" href="#FNanchor_34" class="label">[34]</a> Genesis vi, 5-22.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_35" href="#FNanchor_35" class="label">[35]</a> Genesis vii.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_36" href="#FNanchor_36" class="label">[36]</a> Genesis viii.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_37" href="#FNanchor_37" class="label">[37]</a> Genesis viii, 21, 22; ix, 1, 8-15, 28, 29.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_38" href="#FNanchor_38" class="label">[38]</a> First Samuel xvii. (Adapted.)</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_263"></a>[263]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="INDEX_OF_SELECTED_STORIES">INDEX OF SELECTED STORIES</h3> - -</div> - -<table summary="Index of selected stories"> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdpg smaller">PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Adder That Did Not Hear, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Old Fable adapted</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_149">149</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Ark, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Bible</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_251">251</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Birdie with a Yellow Bill</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Robert Louis Stevenson</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_6">6</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Cobbler, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Old Tale adapted</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_154">154</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Coming of Arthur, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Richard Thomas Wyche</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Country Cat, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Grace MacGowan Cooke</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">David</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Bible</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_257">257</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Fisherman, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Aesop Fable</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Fountain, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>James Russell Lowell</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_54">54</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Flood, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Bible</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_252">252</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Gold Bugs, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Carolyn Sherwin Bailey</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_128">128</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Good King, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Margaret and Clarence Weed</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_137">137</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">History of Tip-Top, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Harriet Beecher Stowe</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Hold-Fast Tom</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Daniel Ker</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_210">210</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Honest Woodman, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Aesop Fable</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_123">123</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">How the Queen of the Sky Gave Gifts to Men</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>E. M. Wilmot-Buxton</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Japanese Lullaby</span></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Jericho Bob</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Mrs. John Lane</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_226">226</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Jerusalem Artie’s Christmas Dinner</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Julia Darrow Cowles</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_234">234</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">King Midas’ Ears</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Greek Myth adapted</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_205">205</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">King of the Frogs</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Old Tale adapted</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_147">147</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Legend of the Arbutus</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Mary Catherine Judd</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_162">162</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Lesson of Faith, A</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Mrs. Gatty</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_8">8</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Little Baldhead, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Chinese Mother Goose</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_114">114</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Little Boy Who Forgot to Wash His Hands, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Jane Arnold</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_120">120</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Little Sister Kindness and the Loving Stitches</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Margaret Fox</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_174">174</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">My Bed Is a Boat</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Robert Louis Stevenson</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_7">7</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Miser of Takhoma, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Katharine Berry Judson</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_168">168</a><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_264"></a>[264]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Nils and the Bear</span> </td> - <td class="author"><i>Selma Lagerlof</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_218">218</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">North Star, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Mary Catherine Judd</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_152">152</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Olive Leaf, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Bible</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_254">254</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Opechee, the Robin Redbreast</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Mary Catherine Judd</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_156">156</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Mother Goose</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_52">52</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Pat, Pat</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Chinese Mother Goose</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_52">52</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Plowman Who Found Content, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Old Tale adapted</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_141">141</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Pussy Willows</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Henry van Dyke</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_53">53</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Queen’s Necklace, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Helena Nyblom</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_180">180</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Rainbow of Promise, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Bible</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_256">256</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Robin’s Carol, The</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Henry van Dyke</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Robin Hood and Sir Richard-at-the-Lee</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Joyce Pollard</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_191">191</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Robin’s Christmas</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>A. Gertrude Maynard (Old legend retold)</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Sleep, Little Pigeon</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Eugene Field</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Story of Ithenthiela</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Abbie Farwell Brown and James M. Bell</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_60">60</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Tabby and the Mice</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Old Tale adapted</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_126">126</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Tale of the Christ Child</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Phila Butler Bowman</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_246">246</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Twenty-third Psalm</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Bible</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_261">261</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Why the Bear Sleeps All Winter</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Carolyn Sherwin Bailey</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_115">115</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Why the Dog Cannot Endure the Cat</span></td> - <td class="author"><i>Old Tale adapted</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_165">165</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_265"></a>[265]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="TOPICAL_INDEX_OF_STORIES">TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES</h3> - -</div> - -<table summary="Topical index of stories"> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdpg smaller">PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">RHYMES FOR MOTHERS</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Robin’s Carol</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Little Baldhead</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_114">114</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Japanese Lullaby</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Birdie With a Yellow Bill</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_6">6</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Pat, Pat</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_52">52</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Fountain</span> (introduction to)</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_54">54</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Pussy Willows</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_53">53</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_52">52</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">FABLES AND FOLK-LORE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Fisherman</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Legend of the Arbutus</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_162">162</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Why the Bear Sleeps All Winter</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_115">115</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Country Cat</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Honest Woodman</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_123">123</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The North Star</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_152">152</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Cobbler</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_154">154</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Tabby and the Mice</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_126">126</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Opechee, the Robin Redbreast</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_156">156</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">King of the Frogs</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_147">147</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Adder That Did Not Hear</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_149">149</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Why the Dog Cannot Endure the Cat</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_165">165</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Miser of Takhoma</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_168">168</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Plowman Who Found Content</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_141">141</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">FAIRY STORIES</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Little Sister Kindness</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_174">174</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Queen’s Necklace</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_180">180</a><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_266"></a>[266]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">ETHICAL STORIES</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Gold Bugs</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_128">128</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The History of Tip-Top</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Little Boy Who Forgot to Wash His Hands</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_120">120</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Country Cat</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Honest Woodman</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_123">123</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Adder That Did Not Hear</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_149">149</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Miser of Takhoma</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_168">168</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Plowman Who Found Content</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_141">141</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Little Sister Kindness</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_174">174</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Queen’s Necklace</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_180">180</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">MYTH AND HERO-TALE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Robin Hood and Sir Richard-at-the-Lee</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_191">191</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Coming of Arthur</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Story of Ithenthiela</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_60">60</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">How the Queen of the Ant Gave Gifts to Men</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">King Midas’ Ears</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_205">205</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Hold-Fast Tom</span> (modern)</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_210">210</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Nils and the Bear</span> (modern)</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_218">218</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">STORIES FOR SPECIAL DAYS</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">A Lesson of Faith</span> (Easter)</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_8">8</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Jericho Bob</span> (Thanksgiving)</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_226">226</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Robin’s Christmas</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Jerusalem Artie’s Christmas Dinner</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_234">234</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">A Tale of the Christ Child</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_246">246</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">BIBLE STORIES</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Story of David</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_257">257</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Story of the Ark</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_251">251</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Story of the Flood</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_252">252</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Olive Leaf</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_254">254</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Rainbow of Promise</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_256">256</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Twenty-third Psalm</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Page_261">261</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_267"></a>[267]</span></p> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="BOOKS_FOR_THE_STORY-TELLER">BOOKS FOR THE STORY-TELLER</h3> - -</div> - -<p>All of the following books contain excellent -material for the story-teller. While some of the -stories are not perfectly adapted in form for telling, -the best of them can be used with comparatively -little change.</p> - -<p>The list is not by any means comprehensive, but -the books mentioned will abundantly reward the -story-teller’s search.</p> - -<h4>MELODIES AND FOLK TALES</h4> - -<ul> -<li><span class="smcap">Mother Goose Melodies</span>—<i>edited by W. A. Wheeler</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes</span>—<i>translated by Isaac T. Headland</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">English Folk Tales</span>—<i>Jacobs</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Book of Folk Stories</span>—<i>Scudder</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Lullaby Land</span>—<i>Eugene Fields</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Child’s Garden of Verse</span>—<i>R. L. Stevenson</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Nonsense Rhymes</span>—<i>Edward Lear</i></li> -</ul> - -<h4>ETHICAL STORIES</h4> - -<ul> -<li><span class="smcap">Parables from Nature</span>—<i>Mrs. Gatty</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Firelight Stories</span>—<i>Carolyn Sherwin Bailey</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">For the Children’s Hour</span>—<i>Carolyn Sherwin Bailey</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Murray’s Story Land</span></li> -</ul> - -<h4>NATURE STORIES</h4> - -<ul> -<li><span class="smcap">The Wonderful Adventures of Nils</span>—<i>Selma Lagerlof</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Further Adventures of Nils</span>—<i>Selma Lagerlof</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">True Bird Stories</span>—<i>Olive Thorne Miller</i><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_268"></a>[268]</span></li> -<li><span class="smcap">The Jungle Book</span>—<i>Kipling</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Secrets of the Woods</span>—<i>W. J. Long</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">True Tales of Birds and Beasts</span>—<i>David Starr Jordan</i></li> -</ul> - -<h4>TRUE HERO STORIES</h4> - -<ul> -<li><span class="smcap">Adventures and Achievements</span>—<i>Tappan</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">American Hero Stories</span>—<i>Tappan</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">European Hero Stories</span>—<i>Tappan</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Heroes Every Child Should Know</span>—<i>Mabie</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">St. Nicholas</span>—<i>in bound volumes</i></li> -</ul> - -<h4>FAIRY TALES AND FOLK LORE</h4> - -<ul> -<li><span class="smcap">Household Fairy Tales</span>—<i>Grimm</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Anderson’s Fairy Tales</span>—<i>translated by Mrs. E. Lucas</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Fairy Tales from Perrault</span>—<i>translated by S. R. Littleton</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Aesop’s Fables</span>—<i>Jacobs</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">The Golden Spears</span>—<i>Edmund Leamy</i> (Irish Fairy Tales)</li> -<li><span class="smcap">In Fairy-Land</span>—<i>Louey Chisholm</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Japanese Fairy Tales</span>—<i>Williston</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Uncle Remus</span>—<i>Joel Chandler Harris</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Twilight Fairy Tales</span>—<i>Maud Ballington Booth</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Blue Fairy Book</span>—<i>Lang</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Jolly Calle</span>—<i>Helena Nyblom</i> (Swedish Fairy Tales)</li> -</ul> - -<h4>HISTORY AND LEGEND</h4> -<ul> -<li><span class="smcap">Boys’ King Arthur</span>—<i>Lanier</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">King Arthur and His Knights</span>—<i>M. L. Warren</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Merry Adventures of Robin Hood</span>—<i>Howard Pyle</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Some Great Stories and How to Tell Them</span>—<i>Wyche</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Half a Hundred Hero Tales</span>—<i>Storr</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Story of Siegfried</span>—<i>Baldwin</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Fifty Famous Stories Retold</span>—<i>Baldwin</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Stories of Heroic Deeds</span>—<i>Johonnot</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Viking Tales</span>—<i>Hall</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Wonder Tales from Wagner</span>—<i>Anna Chapin</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">True Story Book</span>—<i>Lang</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Stories from Old English Romance</span>—<i>Joyce Pollard</i></li> -</ul> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_269"></a>[269]</span></p> - -<h4>MYTHOLOGICAL STORIES</h4> - -<ul> -<li><span class="smcap">Norse Stories Retold</span>—<i>Mabie</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Stories of Norse Heroes</span>—<i>Wilmot-Buxton</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Age of Fable</span>—<i>Bulfinch</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">The Wonder Book</span>—<i>Hawthorne</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Tanglewood Tales</span>—<i>Hawthorne</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Story of the Iliad</span>—<i>Church</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Aeneid for Boys and Girls</span>—<i>Church</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Nature Myths</span>—<i>Holbrook</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Myths of Northern Lands</span>—<i>Guerber</i></li> -</ul> - -<h4>NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN STORIES</h4> - -<ul> -<li><span class="smcap">Wigwam Stories</span>—<i>Mary C. Judd</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest</span>—<i>Katharine B. Judson</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Indian Fairy Tales</span>—<i>Mary Hazelton Wade</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Behind the Dark Pines</span>—<i>Martha Young</i></li> -<li><span class="smcap">Tales of the Red Children</span>—<i>Brown and Bell</i></li> -</ul> - -<p>In addition to the above, comprehensive lists of -books for story-tellers may be secured from the -librarians of nearly all the large city libraries for -a merely nominal cost, and in some cases without -charge except for postage.</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ART OF STORY-TELLING ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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