Little Stories of Famous Animals
How a Dog Discovered a Hot Spring
Tradition reports that Charles IV. discovered the Carlsbad Spring, but after you have read this little history perhaps you will agree with me that if it hadn't been for his dog he never would have even seen the spring.
It happened this way: More than four hundred years ago Charles IV. was hunting in the neighborhood. In the exciting chase and pursuit of a stag he suddenly lost all trace of it. As he paused, undecided which course to take, he heard the yelping of one of his hounds, and following the sound, he found it lying scalded in the waters of the spring, which, as you know, is a stream of water probably escaping from a smoldering volcano way down deep in the earth. The faithful animal had followed the stag's leap into the valley, and had missed a sure footing on the rocks near by.
On the top of the hill, which is now called the Hirschensprung (stag's leap), a cross has been erected, and a little lower down a lookout house has been built. Still farther down, on a high pointed rock, a citizen of Carlsbad has had erected an iron figure of a chamois.
After chance had made known the hot waters of the spring to Charles IV., he had a bath and a hunting lodge built there, which were called after him, Karlsbad.
The real discoverer of the spring, the faithful hound, has no mention made of him by name or monument, although the crest of the hill is named for a stag and the spring after a king.
[TESSIE, TOTTIE AND TEDDY]
Or the Three Tiny T's
The Three Tiny T's All in a Row.
[CHAPTER I]
"Listen," whispered Tessie, "I've got a secret to tell you; snuggle up so nobody'll hear!"
Tottie squeezed up close to her little sister, and Teddy shoved himself along the piazza seat until all three were packed as tight as little sardines.
"What is it?" asked Tottie.
"Hurry up and tell," whispered Teddy, hugging Tessie's arm, while Tottie squeezed her hand with her little fat fingers.
"S-s-sh!" replied Tessie, "s-s-sh!"
"Tessie!" called mother's voice, "Tessie, come here, I want you to run down to the grocer."
"Oh, dear!" sighed the three tiny T's.
Tessie jumped up quickly and ran inside the house, closely followed by Tottie and Teddy.
"You can wear your roller skates," said mother, "and Teddy can put on his and go with you, if he wishes."
In a few minutes the skates were strapped on each impatient little foot, and mother's darling messengers were gliding down the front walk.
"Be very careful not to break the eggs," said mother, as she stood in the doorway watching them go out of the gate. "Hold the bag tight and don't go fast on the way home."
[CHAPTER II]
Tessie and Teddy skated along smoothly on their errand for mother. The roller skates behaved very well, and did not try to race with each other, so that neither little messenger had a fall, or even a bump against anybody on the sidewalk who did not get out of the way in time.
The fat grocer man said good morning very pleasantly, and gave them each a little animal cracker. Tessie told him what she wanted, and while he was counting out the eggs and putting them in the bag, she stroked his big tiger cat, who lay half asleep on the top of the sugar barrel.
"Here you are, Miss," said the grocer man, handing the package to Tessie, "and be careful, little man," he added, turning to Teddy, "that you don't run into sister and upset her—you won't have any eggs if you do!"
"Of course not," replied Teddy, biting off the hind legs of his buffalo cracker. "I'll take care," and both children wabbled over the floor and through the doorway out onto the sidewalk.
Everything went along beautifully. Teddy kept well behind so that Tessie would have plenty of room, and the distance was half over, when something happened. About a block from the house, the sidewalk ran down a small hill. Although Tessie had time and again coasted down without the slightest trouble, today it seemed as if she were going very much faster than usual. Perhaps she was a little worried over the bag of eggs. At any rate, all of a sudden her feet behaved very badly, and before she could help it, one foot went off to one side and Tessie did, too. Down she went in a heap. Crash! smash! mash! there were scrambled eggs all over the walk!
Crash! There Were Scrambled Eggs All Over the Walk.
Tessie turned a frightened glance towards Teddy who just came up.
"O dear me! How shall I ever explain to mother?" cried poor little Tessie.
[CHAPTER III]
After Tessie and Teddy arrived home they hunted around for mother to tell her the awful news, and how sorry they were that the bag of eggs was lying out on the sidewalk in funny yellow patches, with bits of broken shell strewn all around.
About half an hour later Tessie was telling her little kitten what mother had said. "And, Pussy dear," confided Tessie, "don't you ever try to carry any robin's eggs down from the nest. If you do, you'll find you get sliding faster and faster, and before you reach the ground your foot will slip and down you'll come with a crash!"
Pussy looked up out of the corners of her blinky green eyes but said nothing.
"And maybe your mother won't be so nice about it," added Tessie. "My mother didn't scold me 'cause when I 'splained how my skate nearly came off and tripped me up she just wiped my eyes, 'cause I felt awful sorry, and told me not to cry about it any more, and by and by she gave us all a lump of sugar."
Tess Was Telling Her Little Kitten What Mother Had Said.
Just then puss jumped through the low open window and skipped over the lawn. Tessie stepped out on the piazza to see what she was about. At the foot of the old apple tree pussy stopped and then ran up the trunk and out on a limb.
"I do believe," exclaimed Tessie, "that she is going to try to bring down some eggs from the robin's nest."
"What did my little girl say?" asked mother, who came out on the porch at that moment. When Tessie explained it all, mother laughed and said, "Why, there aren't any eggs now in that nest, little girl—don't you know all the little robins were hatched long ago?"
"Well, I don't believe pussy knows it," answered Tessie, "for there she is now looking into the nest—how disappointed she'll be!"
[CHAPTER IV]
"Goodness me, Tottie, why don't you fasten the button!" cried Tessie to her little sister. But Tottie was too frightened to answer; she just stood still while sister fastened the little white pants which had slipped down on the tops of her pink slippers.
"Let's go out in the garden now," said Tessie, and the two little sisters ran out on the piazza and down the walk. They found brother Teddy already there filling his wagon with grass, for the lawn had just been cut and was covered with the loose grass.
"We'll make a big hay mow!" cried the children, and very soon they had piled up the fragment grass as high as their heads. It was great fun rolling over it, or covering each other up until nothing but a little toe stuck out at one end, or the tip of a little pug nose showed at the other.
"Goodness Me, Tottie, Why Don't You Fasten the Button!"
After a while pussy came by, but when she had been covered up deep with the ticklish grass, she escaped by jumping over the green haymow, and ran off to the barn. She most likely thought it was more fun in the hay loft hunting for mice than being covered up in a big green grass hay-mow out on the lawn. Perhaps, too, she was afraid some one might step on her when under the grass. At any rate, she didn't come back, and by and by it was time for the children to go in for luncheon. I don't know whether pussy heard the bell or not, but she came in from the barn in time to get her saucer of milk before the children had finished.
"Pussy never has to bother with buttons," said Tessie, looking over at Tottie, and smiling.
"No," answered Tottie, "'cause she has only fur."
[CHAPTER V]
Tottie never liked to take a bath until one day Mother said: "Let's make believe you are in the big ocean wading and there are lots of little silver fishes swimming all around."
It Was Lots of Fun in the Big Round Tin Tub.
After this Tottie wanted to take a bath all the time, for Mother bought some toy fishes and Tottie didn't have to make believe very hard.
It was lots of fun in the big round tin tub. It was painted green on the outside and yellow on the inside, which looked just like the sand on the seashore. And then, too, it had a nice wide, flat edge all around, so that it seemed almost like a beach to Tottie.
Sometimes Mother would put a little red bathing cap on Tottie's head and let her wade for a while before her bath. Tottie then kept her little shirt on, making believe it was a lovely silk bathing suit. Perhaps the little fishes thought she was a big fat giantess. At any rate they slipped through her soapy little fingers as if they were swimming away for their very lives. This made Tottie laugh very much, and she would soap them well so that they would even slip through the water for quite a distance when she squeezed them real hard.
Tottie's sister Tessie often wanted to play like her little sister, but Mother said, "You are too big a girl, Tessie, not to take your bath without making a play of it." Brother Teddy, too, wanted to get the fishes to play with when he took his bath, but Mother said to him, "These are Tottie's fish. You and sister Tessie are big enough to be good while in the tub without toys," so Tottie was the only one in the house who made believe that the bathtub was the big ocean and her little toy silver fishes real live ones!
Mr. Big Toe Is a rogue, do you know He tries to poke through The tip of Ted's shoe? And always, it's shocking. He's half through his stocking! |
[TOO-WIT, TOO-WOO AND HIS OWL FAMILY]
Too-Wit, Too-Woo lived in a big hollow tree with his family. There was Mrs. Too-Wit, and their two little sons, T'wit and T'woo. In one of the biggest holes in the old hollow tree they had a very comfortable home.
Every night as the shadows began to creep through the Great Forest, T'wit would sing a little song. He was very proud of it, for he had made it up himself. He would look over at T'woo as much as to say, "You never could make up such a lovely song," and then he would toot across to his brother:
"How happy I am
In the forest so deep;
I sing and I play
While other folks sleep!"
T'woo was quite provoked to think that his brother had made up such a pretty song, and he tried very hard to think up one for himself. Finally, one evening just as T'wit was about to sing his evening verse, T'woo opened his beak very wide, and before T'wit could commence, he tooted across:
"All thro' the night
I sing and I play,
While other folk do
Just the opposite way!"
T'wit was so surprised that he almost fell off the limb on which he sat, winking and blinking in the early twilight.
Mr. and Mrs. Too-Wit, Too-Woo looked at each other as much as to say, "Did you ever see such bright children as ours?"
Presently Mr. Too-Wit flew off for his evening flutter, and both his small sons followed, while Mrs. Too-Wit went inside the house.
"Where are you going, father?" asked T'wit as they flew along silently; but his parent did not vouchsafe a reply until they neared the edge of the forest. Then he turned and said, "You two boys sit here while I fly over to tell my little friend some news," and with these words, off he flew straight for the Indian camp, leaving the two small owls perched on a limb of a tree. When he reached a tent near a big tree, he fluttered down to the ground, and gave a low hoot. The little Indian boy pushed his head out: "What is it, Too-Wit?" he asked.
"There's a flock of wild turkeys roosting in the clump of trees by the lake. Bring your bow and arrows before it gets too dark. I'll wait at the edge of the wood for you. T'wit and T'woo are keeping a look-out while I'm here."
Little Indian hastily picked up his bow and arrows, and started off for the lake. As he drew near the clump of trees, he crept stealthily along, so as not to frighten the wild turkeys. When he was near enough, he fitted a bow to his arrow, and taking careful aim, shot one of the birds. The flock became frightened as soon as they saw one of their comrades fall, and taking wing, they flew off in all directions, not before, however, the little Indian boy had shot off his bow the second time. This time, his aim was not so true; the turkey must have been only slightly wounded, because there was no trace of him, save a few feathers, when little Indian ran up to the spot where he had last seen him.
Picking up the bird which he had killed with his first arrow, he turned back to the camp. "Thank you," he said to Too-Wit, as he passed the tree on which his feathered friend sat, "You see, I've got my dinner for tomorrow."
Too-Wit spread his wings, and his two small sons followed after, and presently they were all three back at the big hollow tree, where Mrs. Too-wit had a nice supper all ready for them.
The next afternoon Little Indian and Too-Wit went to see two funny little Frogs who lived in the lake.
"Look," said Little Indian to Too-Wit. "Aren't they cunning?"
"Yes," answered the Owl; "that's Freddie and Fannie Frog. Wait a minute and I'll fly over and tell them how kind you are, for the Forest Folk are quick to trust a friend."
So Too-Wit flew over to where Freddie and Fannie Frog were contentedly sitting on their lily-pad under the long grass on the edge of the lake.
"Hello, hullo, Too-woo!" cried Too-Wit.
Freddie jumped up so quickly that the lily-pad tilted to one side, and overboard went Fannie Frog with a splash.
But Fannie knew how to swim, as every well-trained Lady Frog does, and after shaking the water from her eyes, she scrambled back upon the lily-pad, none the worse for her ducking.
But, dear me, I forgot to say she had lost her pretty parasol! Little Indian saw it floating away from the spot—a pretty little lily, the petals of which Fannie had bent downward until they had made a very nice umbrella top, indeed, and by holding it up by the stem, she was able to keep the hot sun from freckling her funny little face.
"Oh, where's my parasol?" screamed Fannie. "Oh, dear! oh, dear! there it is, 'way out of my reach!"
Little Indian leaned over the bank and picked up the lily.
"Oh, thank you!" said Fannie, now smiling again; "thank you so much!"
"Oh, that's nothing!" answered Little Indian. "I'm glad to be able to get it for you. It certainly would be a shame to lose such a pretty thing!"
Just then a breeze sprang up, and away drifted the lily-pad with Freddie and Fannie.
Little Indian watched them as they sailed away, for Fannie was now holding up for a sail the little pink parasol, which helped to pull their boat along at a good pace.
Then Too-Wit, Too-Woo said good-by, and flew back to his home in the forest.
The big, round sun was now going down behind the purple hills, the shadows were slowly filling all the nooks and corners of the big forest, and the lake, in the gathering darkness, looked dim and gloomy.
Little Indian could no longer see the lily-pad boat. "They must have landed on the other side of the lake by this time," he thought, as he started for home, and when he came out of the forest he was glad to see in the distance the cheerful glow of his camp fire.
[COME, LITTLE PUSSY CAT!]
"Come, little Pussy Cat, let us go
To see a pussy cat movie show.
Shaggy Angoras and kittens white,
Big Tom Cats as black as night,
And nice old Tabby Cats drinking tea,
Oh, the Pussy Cat Show is the one to see."
[JIMMY SAVES HIS TEDDY BEAR]
"Clang, clang!" went the bell on the fire engine, and the whistle blew fiercely as the wheels rumbled along over the pavement.
Tommy ran across to the nursery window and pressed his face against the pane.
"Nurse, nurse!" he called out. "The engine has stopped just across the way. Why, it's at Jimmy Watson's."
Margaret, the nurse, looked out. "Why, so it is, dearie me!" she cried. "Just see the smoke."
Ladders were being placed against the house, and firemen in big red helmets ran up and down, dragging the hose after them and squirting water through the windows. It was very exciting and Tommy danced up and down on his toes. Just then a mass of flame shot up through the roof, and smoke poured out of the upper windows in big black clouds.
"I guess Jimmy's room is all burning up," said Tommy. "Just see the smoke going out of his window."
As he finished speaking he saw Jimmy himself coming down the front steps, holding tightly in his hands his favorite Teddy bear. After him came his mother and the servants, each carrying something.
"Dearie me!" said Nurse Margaret, "I'm afraid the house will be all burned up."
"Well," replied Tommy, "there's one thing to be thankful for, Jimmy has saved his Teddy bear."
| "Will you come into my auto?" Said the spider to the fly. "There is room in my Web-tonneau And I'll join you by and by." |
["DO UNTO OTHERS"]
Phil and Marjorie had been very selfish. When baby brother had toddled up to them after dinner and asked them for a little bite of their candy they had run away and hidden behind the bureau, where they greedily ate it all. Soon after, while they were looking out of the nursery window, they saw a little boy earn a nickel by carrying several packages for a lady up to the front doorstep of her house. To their great surprise he ran down the street and gave it to a poor blind man on the corner.
This made the children think how mean they had been to their little brother. So Phil said, "Let's go to the candy shop and buy a peppermint stick for baby brother. We'll take our very own money."
"Let's give the poor blind man something, too," added Marjorie, as she turned her bank upside down to get out the money.
"And I'll give my other five-cent piece to the little boy who was so kind to the blind man!" cried Phil.
When they returned both children were smiling happily. "Did you see how glad the poor boy was to get the five cents?" asked Phil.
"Yes," answered Marjorie, "and did you hear how gratefully the blind man thanked me?"
But all that baby brother said was "Yum! Yum!" as he sucked away on his pink and white peppermint stick!