BRIAR ROSE—III
As years went by the story of the sleeping beauty was told all over the kingdom.
Many kings' sons came and tried to get through the hedge of thorns, but this they could not do.
The sharp thorns seemed to have hands which held the young men fast.
After many, many years a prince came from a far-off kingdom.
He heard the story of the castle and its sleeping beauty.
He knew what danger lay in the great hedge of thorn bushes.
But the young prince was brave, and he was not to be turned back.
"I am not afraid. I will go out and see this beautiful Briar Rose," he said.
It happened that the hundred years of the magic spell had just ended.
The day had come when the sleeping princess was to wake up again.
As the prince came to the hedge of thorn bushes, it was in full bloom and covered with beautiful red flowers. There, through the thorn bushes, lay a wide road.
Soon the prince came to the gates of the castle.
He found the horses and dogs lying asleep on the ground.
The doves sat on the roof with their heads under their wings.
He went into the castle.
Even the flies on the wall still slept.
Near the throne lay the king and queen, while all around were the sleeping lords and ladies.
The whole castle was so still that he could hear his heart beat.
The prince went on from room to room until he came to the old tower.
Going up the winding stair he saw the little door.
A rusty key was in the lock, and the door was half open.
There before him lay the sleeping princess.
The prince bent down and gave her a kiss.
As he did so the sleeping beauty opened her eyes. With her the whole castle awoke.
The king waked up, and the queen, and all the lords and ladies.
The horses in the stable stood up and shook themselves.
The dogs jumped about and wagged their tails.
The doves on the roof lifted their heads and flew into the fields.
The flies on the wall began to buzz.
The fire in the kitchen began to burn.
The meat began to roast.
The cook boxed the ears of the kitchen boy, so that he ran off crying.
The hedge of thorn bushes around the castle dried up and blew away.
Then the prince married the beautiful princess, and they lived happily ever after.
WILLIAM AND JACOB GRIMM
ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who hath made all things well.
MRS. C.F. ALEXANDER
THE BAKER BOYS AND THE BEES—I
| trouble | Andernach | guarded |
Long years ago many cities had great stone walls around them.
The walls were built to keep out enemies, for in those old days cities often went to war with one another.
The city of Andernach had around it one of these great walls.
There was only one gateway into the city, and this gateway was guarded by strong iron doors.
Just behind the doors lived a gatekeeper, who did nothing but open and shut the gates.
He watched them well.
No one could come in who was not friendly to the city.
The gates were not opened very often. Some days they were not opened at all. So the gatekeeper had much spare time.
"I am very fond of honey," thought he. "I think I will buy a few hives of bees. I can place the hives on the top of the wall. There nobody will trouble them."
Soon there were rows of beehives on the top of the wall over the gate.
It happened that, not far away, there was another walled city, named Lintz.
The people of Lintz were the enemies of the people of Andernach.
They were always watching each other, and fought when they could get a chance.
Now the people of Lintz planned to attack and capture the city of Andernach.
They called their wisest men together to see how the attack should be made.
Many plans were talked over.
At length an old man said, "Men of Lintz, you know that the men of Andernach are lazy. They like to lie late in their beds. If we attack the city at sunrise, we shall capture it before they can get their eyes open."
This plan seemed wise to the people of Lintz, and in army was soon ready to march against the city of Andernach.
One dark night the army crept softly toward the walls of the sleeping city.
THE BAKER BOYS AND THE BEES—II
The only people who rose early in Andernach were the bakers. They had to have fresh bread ready for breakfast.
After their work was done the bakers used to have a morning nap, but the baker boys had to stay awake and watch the loaves of bread.
Two of these boys, named Hans and Fritz, were fast friends and were always together.
One morning, just at sunrise, Hans said to Fritz, "Let us creep upon the wall over the gatekeeper's house. I think we can find some honey. The old gatekeeper is asleep; he will not hear us."
The two boys crept softly up the stairs.
They soon reached the top of the wall.
"Did you hear that noise?" whispered Fritz.
"Yes, it must be the old gatekeeper," said Hans, in a low voice.
"No, it seems to come from over the wall," said Fritz.
The two boys crawled to the edge of the wall and carefully looked over.
There stood the army of Lintz.
A ladder was placed against the wall.
The soldiers would soon mount over the gate into the city.
What was to be done?
There was no time to wake the people.
What could two boys do against an army?
In an instant Fritz thought of the beehives.
Ah, the bees were awake if the people were not!
Each boy seized a hive and bore it carefully to the edge of the wall.
Then with a strong push down tumbled hives, honey, and bees upon the heads of the enemy.
Such buzzing, such stinging, such shouting as arose!
The boys ran down the stairs to the city hall.
The old bell ringer was aroused by the cries.
Soon the wild clang of the bell awoke the people of Andernach.
Armed men ran to the city gate, but the bees had done their work well. There was no need for soldiers.
The army of Lintz was running away.
Over the great gate the people of Andernach placed a statue of the two baker boys whose quick wit had saved the city.
German Folk Tale
FALLING SNOW
See the pretty snowflakes
Falling from the sky;
On the wall and housetops
Soft and thick they lie.
On the window ledges,
On the branches bare;
Now how fast they gather,
Filling all the air.
Look into the garden,
Where the grass was green;
Covered by the snowflakes,
Not a blade is seen.
Now the bare black bushes
All look soft and white,
Every twig is laden,—
What a pretty sight!
ANONYMOUS
LITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES
All the world must know that Two Shoes was not her real name. No; her father's name was Meanwell, and he was for many years a well-to-do farmer.
While Margery (for that was her real name) was yet a little girl her father became very poor. He was so poor that at last he and Margery's mother and Margery and her little brother were all turned out of doors. They did not have a roof to cover their heads.
Margery's father felt so unhappy that at last he died, and only a few days later Margery's mother died, too. Poor little Margery and her brother were left alone in the wide world.
Their sorrow would have made you pity them, but it would have done your heart good to see how fond they were of each other. They always went about hand in hand, and when you saw one you were sure to see the other.
Look at them in the picture.
They were both very ragged, and though Tommy had two shoes, Margery had but one. They had nothing, poor little things, to live upon but what kind people gave to them. Each night they lay on the hay in just such a barn as you see here.
LITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES—II
Mr. Smith was a very good man who lived in the town where little Margery and Tommy were born. Although he was a poor man, he took the children home to live with him.
"They shall not want for food nor for a bed to sleep in while I live," he said.
Mr. Smith had a friend who was a very wealthy man. When he heard the story about Margery and Tommy, this man gave Mr. Smith some money to buy little Margery a new pair of shoes and Tommy a new suit of clothes. Can you see Tommy in the picture wearing his new clothes?
The gentleman who had given the money for Margery's new shoes and Tommy's new clothes wished to take Tommy with him to London to make a sailor of him.
When the time came for Tommy to go, both children began to cry. They kissed each other a hundred times. At last Tommy wiped away Margery's tears and said:
"Don't cry, little sister, for I will come home to you again and bring you beautiful clothes and much money."
That night Margery went to bed weeping for her dear little brother. It was the first time they had ever been parted.
The next morning the shoemaker came in with Margery's new shoes. She put them on in great glee and ran out to Mrs. Smith crying, "Two shoes, two shoes. See goody two shoes!" This she did to all the people she met, so that soon she was known far and wide as Goody Two Shoes.
LITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES—III
Dear little Margery saw how good and wise Mr. Smith was. She thought it was because he read so many books.
Soon Margery wished, above all things, to learn to read. She would borrow books from the school children and sit down and read and read. Very soon she could read better than any of her playmates.
Margery took such delight in her books that she wished everybody else could read, too, so she formed this plan of teaching very little children how to read.
First, she made letters out of bits of wood with her knife. She worked and worked until there were ten sets of the small letters:
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
and six sets of the large letters:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
She then made the little tots spell words with her wooden letters. Take the word "plum-pudding" (and who can think of a better one!); the first little child picked up the letter p, the next l, the next u, the next m, and so on, until the whole word was spelled.
If a child took up a wrong letter, he was to pay a fine or play no more.
Each morning, with her basket full of wooden letters, Margery went around from house to house. The little children learned to read very fast.
Can you see Margery with her basket of letters in this picture?
The first house she came to was Farmer Wilson's. See, here it is.
Margery stopped and ran up to the door. Tap, tap, tap.
"Who is there?"
"Only little Goody Two Shoes," said Margery, "come to teach Billy."
"Is that you, little Goody?" said Mrs. Wilson. "I am glad to see you."
Then out came the little boy.
"How do, Doody Two Shoes," said he, not being able to speak plainly.
Margery took little Billy by the hand and led him to a quiet spot under a tree. Then she threw the letters on the ground all mixed up together like this:
z a y w b m p j f x c o q g e k v n i d h r i t u s
Billy picked them up, calling each one by its right name, and put them all in just their right places. They now looked like this:
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
Do you think you could have done as well as little Billy?
The next place Margery came to was Farmer Simpson's, and here it is.
"Bowwow, wow," said the dog at the door.
"Be still, sir," said Mrs. Simpson. "Why do you bark at little Two Shoes? Come, Alice, here is Goody Two Shoes ready to teach you."
Then out came the little one.
"Well, Alice," said Two Shoes, "have you learned your lesson?"
"Yes, indeed, I have," said the little one, and taking the letters, she formed them in this way:
ba be bi bo bu da de di do du
fa fe fi fo fu ha he hi ho hu
As she formed them she gave their exact sounds.
The next place Margery came to was Gaffer Cook's house. Here a number of poor children all came around her at once. These children had been to her school longer than the first little tots, and could read words and lines.
This is what Margery gave them to read:
"He that will thrive must rise by five."
"Truth can be blamed, but cannot be shamed."
"A friend in your need is a friend indeed."
"A wise head makes a close mouth."
"A lie stands upon one leg, but truth upon two."
"A good boy will make a good man."
"Honor your parents and the world will honor you."
"Love your friends and your friends will love you."
Did you ever read lines like these in your school reader?