Transcriber's Note:

The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.

MERRY TALES

BY

ELEANOR L. SKINNER

TEACHER OF ENGLISH, NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

COLUMBUS, OHIO

AND

ADA M. SKINNER

ST. AGATHA SCHOOL, CITY OF NEW YORK

AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY

Copyright, 1915, by

ELEANOR L. SKINNER

AND

ADA M. SKINNER.

E. P. I.

FOREWORD

From a knowledge and love of children both extending through many years, I wish to speak of the pleasure and profit they will derive from reading and possessing Merry Tales.

To keep children sane and sweet they must be given bright and cheery stories to read. They will find them in Merry Tales. Early in life they should learn something of myths and folklore. These tales are founded on these old treasures, but are charmingly adapted to the understanding of present-day children. I have read few books for children possessing such literary value and yet using words that children can master without difficulty, thereby being able to enjoy their own reading.

I hope that Merry Tales will find a place not only in the schoolroom for that time of delight in a well-taught school,—“the period for supplementary reading,”—but that parents may find the book out to place it in the child’s own library, a thing that a child must have if it is ever to have in later life the joys of a genuine booklover.

MARGARET W. SUTHERLAND,

Principal of the Columbus Normal School.

PREFACE

The stories in this collection have been chosen, first, because they are stories children have always loved, and second, because they are free from much of the grewsome or grotesque which figures in so many of the folk tales and fables of the past. Although there are elements of surprise and danger in the adventures of the various characters, yet each story ends happily. The little book is intended as a supplementary reader for children in the third or fourth year of school and the vocabulary has been carefully graded to meet that need. Some of the stories have dramatic qualities and will be found to lend themselves readily to dramatization.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For permission to reprint, or to use in adapted form, certain copyrighted and valuable material in this volume, the following acknowledgments are made:

To Sturgis and Walton Company, for “The Stone Lion,” by Captain W. P. O’Connor, from Story Telling in School and Home, copyright, 1912, by Sturgis and Walton Company;

To Carolyn Sherwin Bailey and the publishers of Good Housekeeping, for “The Story of Li’l’ Hannibal,” reprinted by permission of Good Housekeeping;

To the Grolier Society, publishers of The Book of Knowledge, for “How Olaf Brought the Brownie Back”;

To George H. Doran Company, for “The Overturned Cart” from Cap O’Yellow, by Agnes Crozier Herbertson;

To Frances Fox and The Outlook Company, for “Making the Best of It”;

To Elizabeth Grierson and Frederick A. Stokes Company, publishers of Scottish Fairy Tales, for “The Brownie of Blednock”;

To F. Cushing and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for “The Poor Little Turkey Girl” from Zuñi Folk Tales; and

To T. Fisher Unwin for “True Friendship.”

THE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE

“It is no use trying to live here any longer,” thought the monkey, looking down, from his home in the tree, at a big crocodile sleeping on the sunlit bank of the river. “Whenever that creature opens his great mouth, I shudder to think what might happen if I were near.”

Just then the crocodile yawned. Wider and wider and wider he opened his mouth. Away whisked the monkey to the topmost branch of the tree.

“This very day I shall move farther down the river!” he said.

So the monkey slipped away to a tree about half a mile distant. There he lived peaceably for some time. He was delighted with his new home. The water was cool and clear. In the middle of the stream was an island covered with fruit trees.

It was very easy to reach the little island. One leap from his tree brought the monkey to the end of a large rock which jutted out into the river; another leap brought him to the island, where he could get a fine feast and frisk about all the day long. In the evening he went back to his home in the great tree on the river’s bank.

One day he stayed later than usual on the island. When he came to the water’s edge, he looked and blinked and looked and blinked! “How strange that rock looks!” he said to himself. “Surely it was never so high before! What can be the matter with it?” Suddenly the monkey’s heart beat very fast. The crocodile was lying on the top of that rock!

“Oho! Mr. Crocodile,” thought the monkey, “I see I must put my wits to work very, very quickly indeed if I am to escape from you!”

“Good evening, Big Rock,” he called.

The crocodile lay very still.

“This is a fine evening, Big Rock!” called the monkey.

The crocodile lay very, very still.

“What is the matter, Big Rock? You have always been a good friend of mine. Why are you so silent this evening?”

Then the crocodile thought, “Now I see I must pretend to be the rock, or the monkey may not come this way to-night.” So with his mouth shut he mumbled as best he could, “Good evening, Mr. Monkey.”

“Oh! Is that you, Mr. Crocodile?” said the monkey, pleasantly. “I’m afraid I have awakened you!”

“Never mind that,” said the crocodile, raising his head. “Come, make your leap! You cannot escape me this time.”

“No, I’m afraid not,” said the monkey, meekly.

And all the time he was thinking, “Crocodiles shut their eyes when they open their mouths wide.”

“Come along and make haste, Monkey,” said the crocodile.

“I’m caught, that is sure, for I must leap your way. Well, as you say, I cannot escape you, Crocodile. Open your mouth. Oh, wider than that, please, if I am to leap into it. Wider! There! Here I go! Ready!”

Before the crocodile knew what was happening, the monkey gave three bounds—first to the top of the crocodile’s head,—then to the bank,—then to his tree. Away he whisked to the topmost branch.

“Thank you, Mr. Crocodile,” he called.

THE HILLMAN AND THE HOUSEWIFE

One day a hillman knocked at the door of a selfish housewife.

“Can you lend me a saucepan, good mother?” said he. “There’s a wedding in the hill, and all the pots are in use.”

“Is he to have one?” asked the servant girl who had opened the door.

“Ay, to be sure,” said the housewife. But when the maid was taking a saucepan from the shelf, the housewife whispered slyly to her, “Do not lend him a good pan; get the old one out of the cupboard. It leaks, and the hillmen are so neat and such nimble workers that they are sure to mend it before they send it home. So one does a good turn and saves sixpence from the tinker.”

The maid fetched the old saucepan which had been laid by till the tinker’s next visit and gave it to the dwarf, who thanked her and went away.

The saucepan was soon returned neatly mended and ready for use. At supper time the maid filled the pan with milk and set it on the fire for the children’s supper, but in a few minutes the milk was so burned and smoked that no one could touch it. Even the pigs would not drink the wash into which the milk was thrown.

“Ah, you good-for-nothing girl!” cried the housewife as this time she filled the pan herself. “Your careless ways would ruin the richest. There’s a whole quart of milk spoiled at once.”

“A quart of milk costs twopence!” cried a queer small voice from the chimney corner.

The housewife had not left the saucepan for two minutes when the milk boiled over and was all burned and smoked as before.

“The pan must be dirty,” cried the housewife in a rage; “and there are two full quarts of milk as good as thrown to the dogs. Oh, what dreadful waste!”

“Two quarts of milk cost fourpence!” cried the queer small voice.

After a long scrubbing, the saucepan was once more filled with milk and set on the fire, but in a little while the milk was burned and smoked again.

The housewife burst into tears at the waste, and cried out, “Never before did such a thing happen to me since I kept house! Three quarts of milk burned for one meal.”

“Three quarts of milk cost sixpence!” cried the queer small voice. “You didn’t save the tinker after all!”

Then the hillman himself came tumbling down the chimney and went off laughing through the door. But from that time the saucepan was as good as any other.

THE FISHING PARTY

One clear, warm evening about sunset Brother Rabbit was walking down a road which led to the old mill. He was saying to himself: “It has been a week or more since I have had any fun. I do wish something would happen to make times a little livelier. I’m—”

“A fine sunset, Brother Rabbit! A penny for your thoughts. I do believe you would have passed me without speaking.”

“Good evening, Brother Terrapin,” said the rabbit, stopping and holding out his hand in a most cordial way. “I am very glad to see you, for I like your opinion immensely. I’ll tell you what I was thinking about, my friend. I was planning a little fishing party. Come, let us sit down here on the roadside and talk it over.”

Brother Terrapin replied: “A fishing party! That will be fine sport. We should become very dull indeed in this neighborhood, Brother Rabbit, if it were not for your plans. Have you decided whom to invite?”

“Well,” said Brother Rabbit, “I think it unwise to invite too many. Perhaps five, including ourselves, are enough, because, you see, we must keep very quiet, and if the party is large, there is danger of too much merriment. Have you any particular friend who enjoys fishing?”

“Oh, yes, indeed. Brother Bear is very quiet and sensible, and he loves to fish for mud turtles,” replied Brother Terrapin.

“Well, I have in mind Brother Fox and Brother Wolf. Look, here they come! What good luck! Let us see what they think about the plan.” And the rabbit danced away up the road to meet his friends and tell them about the fishing party.

“Exactly the kind of sport I enjoy most,” said Brother Wolf, interrupting Brother Rabbit. “I’ll fish for hornyheads. Come, Brother Fox, what do you say?”

“First, I wish to thank Brother Rabbit for his kind invitation,” said Brother Fox, politely. “Of course, you all know that I shall fish for perch, and I think I shall use a dip net. Good evening, Brother Terrapin. What an interesting party ours will be. What will you fish for?”

“Oh,” laughed Brother Terrapin, “minnows suit my taste very well.”

“All right,” said Brother Rabbit. “Now let us meet at the mill pond about eight o’clock this evening. Brother Terrapin, may I trouble you to bring the bait? The others will each bring a hook and line, and, Brother Fox, please do not forget your fine dip net. About twelve o’clock you are all invited to a fish supper at my house. Don’t forget the time and place of meeting. Farewell.”

All hurried away to prepare for the evening’s amusement, and, at the appointed time, the five merry brothers met at the mill pond.

Brother Rabbit was very anxious to begin; so he baited his hook and stepped up to the very edge of the water. Then he stopped suddenly, looked straight down into the pond, dropped his fishing pole, and scratched his head.

“Mercy!” said Brother Fox. “What in the world is the matter with Brother Rabbit? Let us slip up to him and see what is the trouble. Come, all together.”

But Brother Rabbit turned and walked toward them, shook his head seriously, and said: “No fishing to-night, my friends. We might as well go home.”

“What is it? What did you see?” began the bear, the fox, and the wolf. Brother Terrapin crept up to the edge of the pond, looked straight into the water, jumped back, and said, “Tut, tut, tut! To be sure! To be sure!”

“Come, come, tell us. We cannot bear this suspense,” snapped the fox.

Then Brother Rabbit said slowly, “The moon has dropped into the mill pond, and if you don’t believe me, go and look for yourselves.”

“Impossible!” cried Brother Bear.

They all crept up to the edge of the pond and looked in and there they saw the golden moon right down in the clear water.

“Isn’t that too bad?” said Brother Wolf.

“Well, well, well,” sighed Brother Fox; and Brother Bear shook his head slowly and said, “The impossible has happened!”

“Now, I’ll tell you something,” began the rabbit, who was not to be easily daunted, “we must get that moon out of the water before we begin to fish. I tell you truly no fish will bite while that great golden ball is near.”

“Well, Brother Rabbit,” said the wolf, “can’t you make a suggestion in this matter? You usually know what to do.”

“I have it, my friends,” said the rabbit jumping up and down. “I have it! I know where I can borrow a sieve. I’ll run and get it and then we can dip up the moon in no time. We’ll have our fishing party yet!” and off he ran.

Brother Terrapin was thinking. In a little while he looked up and said, “My friends, I have often heard that there is a pot of gold in the moon.”

“What’s that?” said Brother Fox, quickly.

“I was saying that my grandmother has often told me that there is a pot of gold in the moon. But here comes Brother Rabbit with the sieve.”

“My good friend,” said Brother Fox, “you were kind enough to go after that sieve and now you must let Brother Bear, Brother Wolf, and myself do the work. No, don’t take off your coat. You are such a little fellow that it would be dangerous for you to go into the water. You and Brother Terrapin stand here on the bank and watch us. Come, give me the sieve.”

So Brother Terrapin and Brother Rabbit stood on the bank and watched the others wade into the pond.

They dipped the sieve down once. “No moon,” said Brother Bear.

Again they dipped. “No moon,” said Brother Wolf.

“Come,” said Brother Fox, “we must go farther in.”

“Oh, do be careful, my friends,” called the rabbit, “you are near a very deep hole.”

Buzz, buzz! The water was roaring in Brother Bear’s ears and he shook his head violently. Down went the sieve again.

“No moon,” sighed Brother Fox. “A little farther out, friends. Now, down again with the sieve.”

Splash! Splash! Splash! Down they all went with the sieve. They kicked and tumbled and splashed as if they would throw all the water out of the mill pond. Then they swam for the shore and all came out dripping wet. “No moon,” said Brother Fox, sulkily. “What! No moon? Well, well, well!” said Brother Rabbit.

“Too bad! Too bad!” said Brother Terrapin.

“My friends,” said the rabbit, seriously, “I think you ought to go home and put on some dry clothes. I do, indeed. And I hope we shall have better luck next time. Good night.”

THE FOREST BAILIFF

Once upon a time a peasant owned a cat which was so disagreeable and mischievous that all the neighbors complained about him. Finally the peasant became impatient and said to his wife, “I have decided to get rid of our cat. He is such a nuisance that I feel we ought not to keep him any longer.”

“I do not blame you,” replied his wife. “My patience, too, is worn out listening to the stories told about that mischievous animal.”

In a few days the peasant put the cat into a large sack and walked far into a leafy forest. Then he opened the sack and let the cat bound away. How many interesting things there were in the depths of the beautiful wood! After wandering about for a few hours the cat began to feel quite at home, especially when he found a little deserted cabin where he took up his abode and dined bountifully on mice and birds.

One day when Master Cat was walking proudly along a path which led to a pond, he met Miss Fox, who looked at him with great interest and curiosity. When she came close enough to be heard, she said, “Your pardon, good sir, but may I ask who you are, and why you are walking in the forest?”

Master Cat raised his head very high and replied proudly: “I am the bailiff of the forest. My name is Ivan, and I have been sent from Siberia to become governor of this vast wood.”

“Oh, indeed,” said Miss Fox. “Dear Master Bailiff, will you not honor me with your presence at dinner? I shall be most proud to entertain such a distinguished guest.”

“Lady, I accept your invitation,” replied Master Cat, making a profound bow.

Now Miss Fox knew well how to entertain. She not only provided the greatest delicacies for her table, but she chatted in the merriest fashion and told the bailiff many interesting things about life in the forest.

“My dear Sir Bailiff, do have another serving of this savory pie. The forest, you know, gives one a good appetite,” said she, with a side glance at her visitor.

“Thank you, dear lady,” returned Master Ivan. “It is indeed delicious. I have tasted nothing so good for weeks. What a cozy home you have here.”

“It is very comfortable,” replied Miss Fox. “But I am often a little lonely. May I ask, sir, are you married or single?”

“I am single,” replied Mr. Bailiff.

“Why, so am I,” said his companion, dropping her eyes shyly. “Master Ivan, the Bailiff, will you not marry me?”

The guest was a little astonished, but he finally consented to marry Miss Fox. Their wedding was attended with much ceremony, and the bailiff came to live in his wife’s cozy home.

A few days after their marriage Ivan said: “Madam, I am very hungry. Go on a little hunting trip and bring me home a fine dinner.” Away went the wife toward a deep hollow. She had not gone very far when she met her old friend the wolf.

“Good morning, my dear friend,” he began. “I have been looking in vain for you in the forest. Do tell me where you have been.”

Madam Fox replied coyly: “Oh, I am married, you know. My husband is the bailiff of the forest.”

“Indeed,” said the wolf. “How I should like to see his honor, your husband.”

“That can be managed if you will follow my advice closely. You see, my husband is very ferocious, and unless you do as I say he might devour you. However, I’ll see what can be done. Let me see. You had better get a lamb and place it on our doorstep. Then hide in the bushes which grow near. When my husband opens the door, you can get a very good look at him,” said Madam Fox, proudly.

The wolf ran away in search of a lamb, and Madam continued on her way. In a short time she met a bear. “Good day, my good friend,” he said. “I have missed you for some time. May I ask where you have been?”

“Oh,” said Madam, “is it possible you have not heard of my marriage with Ivan, the bailiff of the forest?”

“Is it true? Then I offer you my sincere congratulations! The bailiff of the forest, you say?” said the bear, in a puzzled tone. “Madam, it would give me the greatest pleasure to see his honor, your husband.”

“Yes,” said Madam, “that would be a great privilege, but I must tell you that the bailiff is very fierce. In fact, he is likely to devour anyone who does not please him. But perhaps I can help you out a little. Let me see. You had better procure an ox. And be sure to offer your gift very humbly. The wolf, who is also most anxious to see my husband, is going to bring a lamb for a present.”

Away went the bear in search of his gift, which he soon found; then he hurried clumsily along, and in a little while he met the wolf with a lamb.

“Good day to you, my friend,” began the wolf. “May I ask where you are going with such a burden?”

“I am going to see the husband of Madam Fox, to whom I shall give this ox. Will you tell me where you are going?” said the bear.

“Why, I am bound for the same place, my friend. Madam Fox told me her husband is terrible. He devours anyone who displeases him, so I am taking a lamb for a present.” The wolf’s voice trembled a little as he continued, “I do hope he will take kindly to me.”

The friends went on their way, and in a short time they came to the house of the cat. The wolf pushed the bear a little ahead and whispered, “Go, my good comrade, knock on the door and say to the husband of Madam Fox that we have brought an ox and a lamb as gifts.”

“Oh,” shivered the bear, “I dare not! I am so filled with fear. Indeed, indeed, I cannot. You go, good wolf! Do.”

“Impossible,” returned the wolf, in a quaking voice. “I am trembling all over. I haven’t strength enough to walk there much less to rap on the door. Come, let us hide ourselves and bide our time.”

So the wolf hid himself under some dry leaves, and the bear jumped into a tree and carefully hid himself among the branches. In a few moments Madam Fox and her husband, who had been walking in the forest, came home.

“How very small the bailiff is,” whispered the wolf.

“He is, indeed,” gasped the bear, a little scornfully.

The cat now saw the ox and leaped to the step saying, “Oh, a small meal for me.”

“A small meal,” said the bear, with surprise. “How very, very hungry the bailiff must be! And he is so small, too. Why, a bull is a good meal for four bears. What an immense appetite he must have!”

The wolf was too much frightened to answer. There was a slight rustling sound in the dry leaves and, thinking a mouse was hidden there, the cat gave a bound and fastened his claws in the snout of the wolf. With a gasp of fear the wolf leaped up and ran away as fast as he could go. Now, the cat was very much afraid of a wolf, and so he gave one leap into the tree where the bear lay hidden. “Oh, mercy, mercy!” cried the bear. “The cat is after me. He will devour me. Oh, help, help!” and down the tree scrambled the bear. Off he ran, as fast as he could go, after the wolf. Madam Fox screamed out: “My husband is terrible! He will devour you! He will devour you!”

Away sped the wolf and the bear, and they told their adventure to the other animals of the forest, who took good care to stay far away from the terrible bailiff. Meanwhile the cat and the fox were very happy, and they had plenty to eat for a long time.

BRUIN AND REYNARD PARTNERS

Once upon a time Bruin and Reynard were to plant a field in common and to share the crops in a fair way. “If you’ll have the root, I’ll take the top,” said Reynard. Bruin thought that plan would do very well.

The first year they sowed rye. But when they had thrashed out the crop, Reynard got all the grain and Bruin got nothing but roots and rubbish. He did not like that at all, but Reynard said that was how they had agreed to share the crop, and it was fair and right.

“The tops come to me this year,” said Reynard, “but next year it will be your turn. Then you will have the tops and I shall have to put up with the roots.”

Spring came and it was time to sow again. Sly Reynard asked Bruin what he thought of sowing turnip seed for the second year’s crop.

“Yes, yes,” said Bruin, “we will have turnips. Turnips are better food than rye.”

Reynard agreed with him. Harvest time came. “We will divide the crops as is fair and right,” said Reynard. “I get the roots this time and you get the tops.” So Reynard got all the turnip roots and Bruin the turnip tops. When Bruin saw what Reynard had done, he was very angry, and he put an end to his partnership with him at once.

THE THREE WISHES

Once upon a time in the heart of a forest lived a woodcutter and his wife. They were very poor indeed. Their little cabin, built of rough-hewn logs, had only one room, which was very scantily and poorly furnished. One day the woodcutter said to his wife,

“How miserable we are! We work all day, and we have barely enough food to keep life in our bodies! Surely there are few who work as hard as we do and have so little!”

The housewife replied, “Yes, indeed, we are very miserable.”

“Well, I’m off for another day’s work,” sighed the husband. “My lot is too hard.”

He picked up his ax and made his way to the place in the forest where he was to perform his task. Suddenly, a dear little fairy whose face was wreathed in smiles danced into the path and stood before him.

“I am the wishing fairy,” she began. “I heard what you said about your work and your life, and my heart aches for you. Now, because I am a fairy, it is in my power to grant you three wishes. Ask for any three things you desire and your wishes shall be granted.” The fairy disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, and the woodcutter was left standing alone in the forest. Was he dreaming? He couldn’t believe his own senses! He thought of a thousand wishes all in an instant. He would go home and talk the matter over with his wife. He turned in his path and retraced his steps to the cabin.

“Art thou ill?” demanded his wife, who came to the door.

“Oh, no, indeed, I am not ill; I am very, very happy!” he burst forth. “I met a fairy in the forest. She told me that she was very, very sorry for me, and that she would help me by granting three wishes. Think of it! Any three wishes in the world will be granted by the charming fairy.”

“Wonderful!” responded the housewife.

“Oh, how happy the very thought of it makes me! Come, let us sit down and talk the matter over; for I assure you it is not easy to come to a decision. I am indeed, very, very happy.”

They drew up their chairs to the little table and sat down.

“I am so hungry,” began the woodcutter. “Let us have dinner, and then, while we are eating, we can talk about our wishes and see which three are nearest our hearts’ desires.”

They began their humble meal immediately, and the husband continued: “Of course one of our wishes must be great riches. What do you say?”

“Oh, yes, indeed,” said his wife. “I should love a beautiful house to live in, also carriages and fine clothes, and servants and—”

“Oh, for that matter,” said the husband, “we could wish for an empire.”

“Or rich jewels, such as great numbers of pearls and diamonds! What a wish that would be,” said the wife, whose face was all aglow.

“I have it,” burst forth the woodman, “let us wish for a fine large family, five sons and five daughters, What say you to that?”

“Oh!” returned his wife, “I think I prefer six sons and four daughters.”

So they continued weighing one wish with another until they seemed almost in despair about coming to a decision regarding which three wishes would be the wisest and best. They finally stopped talking and ate their simple food in silence. The woodcutter did not seem to relish his soup and dry bread.

“Oh,” he cried out suddenly, “how I wish I had some nice savory sausage for dinner!” No sooner had the words fallen from his lips than a large dish of fine sausages appeared on the table. What a surprise! The two were so astonished that for a few moments they could not speak. Then the wife said impatiently:

“What do you mean by making such a foolish wish? Do you not see that this dish of sausage means that one wish has been granted and that there are but two left? How could you make such a stupid, stupid wish?”

“Well,” replied the husband, “to be sure I have been foolish. I really did not think what I was saying. However, we may still wish for great riches and an empire.”

“Humph!” grumbled the wife, “we may wish for riches and an empire, but what about a fine large family? You have certainly been foolish in wishing for that horrid sausage. I suppose, however, you prefer sausage to a fine family;” and she burst out into tears of lamentation, crying: “How could you? How could you be so foolish? Oh, dear! Oh, dear! How very foolish and stupid you have been.”

Finally her husband lost all patience and cried out: “I’m tired of your grumbling! I wish the sausage were on the end of your nose!”

In an instant the sausage was fastened to the end of the poor woman’s nose. How comical she did look! The husband and wife were so astonished that they could not speak. The poor woman again burst into tears.

“Oh!” she cried. “How could you? How could you? First, you wished for sausage, and second, you wished that the sausage were fastened to my poor nose. It is terrible. It is cruel. Two wishes have been granted. There remains but one! Oh, dear, dear!”

The husband, who now saw what a dreadful mistake he had made, said meekly,

“We may still wish for great riches.”

“Riches indeed!” snapped his wife. “Here I am with this great sausage fastened to the end of my nose. What good would riches do me? How ridiculous I am. It is all your fault. I was so happy at the thought of great riches, beautiful jewels, and a fine family, and now I am sad and miserable.” She continued to weep so pitifully that her husband’s heart was touched.

“I wish with all my heart that the sausage were not on your nose,” he said. In an instant the sausage disappeared. There the two sat lamenting; but as the three wishes had been granted there is nothing further to be said.

THE PIGTAIL

There lived a sage in days of yore,

And he a handsome pigtail wore;

But wondered much and sorrowed more

Because it hung behind him.

He mused upon the curious case,

And vowed he’d change the pigtail’s place,

And have it hanging at his face,

Not dangling there behind him.

Says he, “The mystery I’ve found.

I’ll turn me round,”—He turned him round,—

But still it hung behind him.

Then round and round and out and in,

All day the puzzled sage did spin

In vain; it mattered not a pin,

The pigtail hung behind him.

And up and down and in and out

He turned, but still the pigtail stout

Hung dangling there behind him;

And though his efforts never slack,

And though he twist and twirl and tack,

Alas! still faithful to his back

The pigtail hangs behind him.

THE STONE LION

Once there were two brothers who lived with their mother in a large house on a farm. Their father was dead. The older brother was clever and selfish, but the younger was kind and gentle. The older brother did not like the younger because he was so honest that he never could get the best of a bargain. One day he said to him: “You must go away. I cannot afford to support you any longer.”

So the younger brother packed all his belongings, and went to bid his mother good-by. When she heard what the older brother had done, she said, “I will go with you, my son. I will not live here any longer with so hard-hearted a man as your brother.”

The next morning the mother and the younger brother started out together. Toward night when they reached the foot of the hill, they came to a hut with nothing in it except an ax which stood behind the door. But they managed to get their supper and stayed in the hut all night.

In the morning they saw that on the side of the hill near the hut was a great forest. The son took the ax, went up on the hillside and chopped enough wood for a load to carry to the town on the other side of the hill. He easily sold it, and with a happy heart brought back food and some clothing to make his mother and himself comfortable.

“Now, mother,” he said, “I can earn enough to keep us both, and we shall be happy here together.”

One day, in search of timber, the boy went farther up the hill than he had ever gone before. As he climbed up the steep hillside, he suddenly came upon a lion carved from stone.

“Oh,” thought the boy, “this must be the guardian spirit of the mountain. I will make him some offering to-morrow morning without fail.”

That night he bought two candles and carried them to the lion. He lighted them, put one on each side of the lion, and asked that his own good fortune might continue.

As he stood there, suddenly, the lion opened his great stone mouth and said:

“What are you doing here?”

The boy told him how cruel the elder brother had been; how the mother and himself had been obliged to leave home and live in a hut at the foot of the hill. When he had heard all of the story, the lion said:

“If you will bring a bucket here to-morrow and put it under my mouth, I will fill it with gold for you.”

The next day the boy brought the bucket.

“You must be very careful to tell me when it is nearly full,” said the lion, “for if even one piece of gold should fall to the ground, great trouble would be in store for you.”

The boy was very careful to do exactly as the lion told him, and soon he was on his way home to his mother with a bucketful of gold. They were so rich now that they bought a beautiful farm and went there to live.

At last the hard-hearted brother heard of their good fortune. He had married since his mother and brother had gone away, so he took his wife and went to pay a visit to his younger brother. It was not long before he had heard the whole story of their good fortune, and how the lion had given them all the gold.

“I will try that, too,” he said.

He and his wife went to the same hut his brother had lived in, and there they passed the night.

The next morning he started out with a bucket to visit the stone lion. When he had told the lion his errand, the lion said:

“I will grant your wish, but you must be very careful to tell me when the bucket is nearly full; for if even one little piece of gold touches the ground, great misery will surely fall upon you.”

Now the elder brother was so greedy that he kept shaking the bucket to get the gold pieces closer together. And when the bucket was full he did not tell the lion, as the younger brother had done, for he wanted all he could possibly get.

Suddenly one of the gold pieces fell upon the ground.

“Oh,” cried the lion, “a big piece of gold is stuck in my throat. Put your hand in and get it out. It is the largest piece of all.”

The greedy man thrust his hand at once into the lion’s mouth and the lion snapped his jaws together! And there the man stayed, for the lion would not let him go. And the gold in the bucket turned into earth and stones.

When night came and the husband did not return, the wife became anxious and went out to search for him. At last she found him with his arm held fast in the lion’s mouth. He was tired and cold and hungry.

“Alas!” she said, “I wish we had not tried to get the gold. There is no food in the hut for us and we shall have to die.”

The lion was listening to all that was said, and he was so pleased at their misfortune that he began to laugh at them, “Ha, ha, ha!” As he laughed, he opened his mouth and the greedy man quickly drew out his hand, before the lion had a chance to close his jaws again. They were glad enough to get away, and they went to their brother’s house once more. The brother was sorry for them and gave them enough money to buy a home.

The younger brother and his mother lived very happily in their beautiful home, but they always remembered the Stone Lion on the hillside, who gave them their good fortune.

THE STORY THAT HAD NO END

Once upon a time there was a king who was so fond of hearing stories told that he would listen to them all day long. He cared for no other kind of amusement and he was always angry when the story came to an end. “Your stories are too short,” he said to the many story-tellers who tried to amuse him. Indeed no one had ever been found who was able to tell him a story that lasted long enough.

All the people of his court had tried again and again to please him. Some had told stories that lasted three months, some had told stories that lasted six months, and a few courtiers had been able to carry on their stories for one whole year. Still the king complained, for sooner or later the story was sure to come to an end.

At last he sent out the following proclamation to all the people of his kingdom:

PROCLAMATION

TO THE MAN WHO WILL TELL ME A STORY WHICH SHALL LAST FOREVER, I WILL GIVE THE PRINCESS, MY DAUGHTER, IN MARRIAGE; ALSO, I WILL MAKE THE SUCCESSFUL ONE MY HEIR AND HE SHALL BE KING AFTER ME. BUT MARK, LET NO MAN PRETEND THAT HE CAN DO SO, AND FAIL; FOR, IF THE STORY COMES TO AN END, THE STORY-TELLER SHALL BE THROWN INTO PRISON. THE KING.

The king’s daughter was a very beautiful princess, and there were many suitors in the kingdom who came to the court in hope of winning such a prize. But it was all of no use. Each tried as hard as he could to spin the story out, but sooner or later it came to an end and the unfortunate one met the fate the king had threatened.

This grieved the princess very much, and each time she begged the king to lighten the punishment of the poor story-teller who had risked so much for her sake.

At last one man sent word to the king that he had a story which would last forever and ever, and that he was ready to come to the court at once. On hearing this the princess sent for the man and warned him of his danger. She begged him not to be so rash as to try the king’s patience, for no one had ever pleased his majesty, and she feared he would meet the fate of all those who had tried and failed. But he said he was not afraid, and he asked to be taken at once before the king.

“So you are the man who is to tell me a story that will have no end?” said the king.

“If it please your majesty,” answered the man.

“If you can do this, you shall be king after me, and you shall marry the princess, my daughter. But if you fail, you shall be cast into prison.”

“I understand, O king. I have a story about locusts which I shall be pleased to tell you.”

“Very well. Begin the story.”

The story-teller began his tale.

“O king, there was once a ruler who was a great tyrant. He wished to be the richest in the land, so he seized all the corn and grain in his kingdom and had it stored away. Year after year he did this until all his granaries were filled full. But one year there came a swarm of locusts and they discovered where all the grain had been stored. After a long search, they found near the top of the granary a very small hole that was just large enough for one locust at a time to pass through. So one locust went in and carried off one grain of corn; then another locust went in and carried off one grain of corn; then another locust went in and carried off one grain of corn; then another locust went in and carried off one grain of corn—”

Thus the story-teller went on day after day, week after week, from morning till night. After hearing about the locusts for nearly a year the king became rather tired of them, patient though he was, and one day he interrupted the story-teller with:

“Yes, yes, we’ve had enough of those locusts. Let us take for granted that they got all the grain they wanted. Now go on with the story. What happened afterwards?”

“If it please your majesty, I cannot tell you what happened afterwards until I have told you all that took place in the beginning. I go on with the story. Then another locust went in and carried off one grain of corn; then another locust went in and carried off one grain of corn.”

Another month passed by. At the end of this time the king asked impatiently, “Come, sir, how long will it take those locusts to carry away all the corn?”

“O king, I cannot tell. They have cleared away but a small space round the inside of the hole, and there are still thousands and thousands of locusts on the outside. Have patience, O king, there are enough grains for each locust to have one, and in time they, no doubt, will all pass in and each in turn carry away one grain of corn. Permit me, O king, to go on with my story. Then another locust went in and carried off one grain of corn; then another locust went in and carried off one grain of corn—”

“Stop, stop,” called out the king at last. “I cannot stand those locusts any longer. Take my kingdom, be king after me, marry my daughter, take everything, only never let me hear about those ridiculous locusts again.”

So the story-teller married the princess and succeeded to the throne upon the death of the king.

THE KING’S RABBIT KEEPER

Once upon a time a king wanted a good rabbit keeper. He made it known throughout the country that he would give not only good pay, but also the hand of the princess, to any youth who could take good care of his wonderful rabbits.

Now it happened that an old farmer had three very lazy sons, Jan, Hans, and Olaf. They disliked the work on the farm and spent most of their time amusing themselves, or doing as they pleased. When Jan heard that the king wanted a rabbit keeper, he told his father he would go to the palace and try to get the place.

“What!” cried the old man. “The king does not want an idler. The rabbits are brisk and lively and need care every moment. A lazybones like you could never be His Majesty’s rabbit keeper.”

“Well, I am determined to go. I should like the work better than the farm drudgery,” replied Jan. He filled a bag with things to eat, and a few clothes, and started to the palace of the king. After he had traveled a few miles he heard a voice calling him: “Help! Help!” Jan hurried toward the sound and came to a deep pit. He looked down into it, and there was a shriveled old woman. She spoke very sharply to him. “Pull me up! Pull me up!” she cried. “I have been here for one year, and have had no food in all that time. Pull me up!”

“Not I,” replied Jan. “Only a witch could live a year in such a place without food. I’ll have nothing to do with you,” and on he went.

At length he came to the palace of the king and asked to serve as rabbit keeper. The delighted king said, “He who guards the rabbits well and lets none escape shall have fine food, good pay, and perhaps the hand of a beautiful princess.”

The next day Jan took the rabbits into a large field to browse. During the daytime they nibbled the tender grass and stayed together, but when the sun began to set, they darted toward a wood which bordered a meadow and they soon became lost in the shadows of the trees. Jan called to them and ran after them until he was out of breath, but he could not bring them together. He rested awhile and tried again. It was of no use; they had scattered in every direction. Surely they were playing hide and seek, and Jan was not in the game. When he reached the palace, he told his story to the king, who burst into a rage and banished Jan from the country.

In a short time the king got another warren of rabbits and again made it known that he wanted a keeper. Jan’s brother, Hans, now determined that he would try to serve the king and perhaps gain the rich reward. Off he walked. He passed the pit and heard the old woman calling for help, but he hurried on without even stopping to see what was the matter with her.

The king made him keeper of the rabbits, but the first time he took them out to browse he failed in his work. All was well during the day, but when the sun sank, the rabbits scurried away to the woods, and no matter what he did, Hans could not gather them together again. When he returned to the palace without a single rabbit, the furious king banished him, too, from the country.

A third time the king got beautiful rabbits and made it known that he wanted a keeper. “Father,” said Olaf, the youngest of the three brothers, “it is my turn to try. I am sure I could guard the king’s rabbits.”

“It will be the same old story,” said the farmer. “If you take no better care of the rabbits than you do of the calves, you will share your brothers’ fate.”

“At any rate I mean to try,” replied Olaf. Throwing his bag over his shoulder, he set out for the palace of the king.

“Help! Help!” called a voice from the field near the road. Olaf ran in the direction of the sound and saw the old woman in the pit.