Part 14

Up jumped Mrs. Vixen. She caught the smallest one up in her mouth, and the rest toddled after her. Soon she had them safe at home in a dark opening in the rocks. But the fun was over for that day.

—From KINGSLEY

THE FOOLISH HOOP

“Why do you strike me and hold me in?” cried the hoop to the stick.

“Shall I let you go?” asked the stick.

“Do,” said the hoop; “I do not need your guidance.”

“Very well,” said the stick. And she let him go. Down the street rolled the hoop. Fast and faster he went. He could not stop himself. A turn in the flags headed him straight toward the street. Out he plunged under the wheels of a passing wagon, and was crushed to pieces.

HOW THE CLOCK CAME INTO THE STORY

Once a little round-faced clock lived on the desk of a man who wrote stories. The clock had a chance to hear most of the stories. For when the man finished a story he usually called a beautiful lady into the room and read it to her. The beautiful lady laughed at the fun in the story and the little clock’s face shone. But perhaps that is what a clean little clock’s face always does.

One day the man read from the story, “The prince and the princess were married just as the clock struck”—“One!” rang the little clock. Its heart almost stopped beating; it had not meant to interrupt the story.

The beautiful lady cried, “Why, the clock knows the story.” But she laughed as she said it.

What do you think about it?

BABY GOES ON A VOYAGE

The other day baby went on a voyage on the good ship _Hands and Knees_. She crept out into the hall so softly that mother did not hear her go.

Out there was the cuckoo clock that said “R-r-r-r-.” Baby stopped and looked up at it. A door in the clock opened, and out came a little bird who cried, “Cuck-oo, cuck-oo, cuck-oo.” In he went again and the door shut.

Baby gurgled with glee. “I tee oo,” she cried. She sat down to wait for the little bird to come out and play again.

But mother found her, and carried her back on the good ship _Mother’s Arms_.

THE RUNAWAYS

One day four little white pigs and three little white geese met together near Rover’s kennel. But they were so full of themselves that they did not notice where they were.

“We stole out while Mother Sow was dozing after dinner,” screamed the little pigs. They laughed so much they rolled on the ground.

“We stole out while Mother Goose was gabbling with a neighbor,” giggled the little geese. And they hugged their sides to think how clever they were.

“What’s this! what’s this!” growled Rover, coming to the door of his kennel.

The pigs squealed with fright and the geese clacked in terror. All took to their heels, back to their mothers.

THE NAIL

A merchant had done good business at the fair; he had sold his wares, and filled his bag with gold and silver. Then he set out at once on his journey home, for he wished to be in his own house before night. He packed his bag with the money on his horse, and rode away.

At noon he rested in a town; when he wanted to go on, the stable-boy brought out his horse, and said,—

“A nail is wanting, sir, in the shoe of its left hind foot.”

“Let it be wanting,” answered the merchant; “the shoe will stay on for the six miles I have still to go. I am in a hurry.” In the afternoon, when he once more got down and had his horse fed, the stable-boy went into the room to him, and said,—

“Sir, a shoe is wanting from your horse’s left hind foot. Shall I take him to the blacksmith?”

“Let it still be wanting,” said the man; “the horse can very well hold out for a couple of miles more. I am in a hurry.”

He rode forth, but before long the horse began to limp. It had not limped long before it began to stumble, and it had not stumbled long before it fell down and broke its leg. The merchant had to leave the horse where it was, and unstrap the bag, take it on his back, and go home on foot. And he did not get there until quite late at night.

“That unlucky nail,” said he to himself, “has made all this trouble.”

Make haste slowly.

—OLD TALE

THE SOAP BUBBLES

Anna Mary invited Dan, her dog, into the yard to see her make soap bubbles. She blew out a beautiful one shining with all the colors of the rainbow.

Dan watched it as it floated on the air. “What can the lovely thing be?” thought he to himself. It passed close to him. He put out his paw to touch it. The delicate bubble was gone. There was nothing but a wet spot on Dan’s inquisitive nose.

“Goosy Dan,” said Anna Mary, scolding him, “lovely moons floating in the air are not to be touched by clumsy paws.”

She blew the next one high above Dan’s head.

THE PEACOCK’S TAIL

The peacock pretended not to see anyone. He strutted about picking up corn. But he must have glanced out of the corner of his eye every time he stooped for another kernel. For when a crowd had gathered he left off eating and faced about in front of the people.

He swelled out his chest till he could not see his ugly feet. Out he spread slowly his shining blue and green tail with its hundreds of eyes. It came up around his head like a gorgeous frame.

All the little boys and girls in the crowd held their breath until it came out in a great “Ah!” The peacock let them look a whole minute. Then he lowered his tail and strutted away.

HOW THE ROOSTER WAS DECEIVED

The rooster with the reddest comb perched himself up on the gate-post to crow. As he stretched his neck he caught sight of another rooster higher up on the barn.

“I’ll have no one in this barnyard higher than I,” said he; “I am master here.” And he flew up at the rooster. But his wings were so short that he barely reached the edge of the roof. Had he fallen he would have been disgraced before all the fowls in the barnyard. He was so furious at the thought that he rushed up the sloping roof and pecked at the rooster savagely. The rooster never budged.

“Ha, ha, silly cockscomb!” screamed Poll, the parrot, shaking with laughter. “It serves you right. Did you hurt your beak? He isn’t a live rooster at all. He’s only a weathervane.”

THE SHOES THAT WALKED MOST

The cobbler sat at his bench. The shoes stood in a row before him.

“Which shall I mend first?” thought he to himself. “I know,” he said aloud; “I’ll begin with whichever pair has walked most.”

At this out toddled baby’s shoes.

The cobbler laughed at them. “Why,” said he, “baby has been in the world only two years at most. You can’t have walked far yet.”

“Well,” said the shoe for the right foot, “baby’s mother says we never stop going until she takes us off at night. We notice that grown people sit down a great deal.”

“Well, well,” said the cobbler, “have your way.” So he waxed his thread and sewed a patch on each small sole.

WHAT O’CLOCK?

Mary and Anna Jane were playing in the fields. Suddenly Mary stopped and said, “I wonder what time it is. Mother said we should go home at four o’clock.”

A dandelion spoke up politely. “My head will tell you what o’clock it is,” said he. “Blow it off, and, as you blow, count.”

“You are very kind, sir,” said Anna Jane. Mary was too much astonished to speak.

Anna Jane blew once. “One o’clock,” said she.

“Go on,” cried the dandelion. “My head is at your service.”

Anna Jane went on blowing and counting. “Two o’clock, three o’clock, four o’clock.” The whole head was off.

“Thank you, dandelion,” said Anna Jane, although she was not sure whether the dandelion could hear without his head. “It’s time for us to be going home.”

So Anna Jane and Mary went home at the right time.

THE WONDERFUL CHANGE

It was time for the caterpillar to shut himself in and prepare for a new life. So he chose a low branch and began spinning his cocoon about him. He made it firm and strong, so that no one should break through it and disturb him. It wrapped him about like a shroud. The caterpillar lay down in it and waited.

Days passed and a new day came. The caterpillar burst from the cocoon, changed most gloriously; no longer a crawling worm, but a splendid butterfly with wings. At first he tried his wings timidly. Soon he spread them wide and flew up into the sunshine.

Grown people as well as little children wondered at the change, and felt joy in it.

HOW NAN AND THE MOON WENT FOR A WALK

One evening as Nan started out for a walk the white moon in the sky went before her.

“Why, the moon is coming, too,” said Nan, and she stood still, she was so surprised. The white moon stood still too. Nan walked on faster. The white moon went faster before her. At the corner Nan turned to go home. Now the white moon was behind, but it followed her even to the door. Nan looked up at it before going in, and the white moon looked down at Nan.

That night before she jumped into bed Nan looked out of the window. There in the starry sky was the moon gazing down at her.

“Were you waiting for me all this time, moon?” asked Nan. “I can’t come out until to-morrow night. We’ll have another walk then.”

And they did.

WHAT CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DID

A great many years ago in far-off Italy lived Christopher Columbus. He did a wonderful thing. He and some companions and sailors set out in three small ships to cross the great wide ocean. The huge waves tossed the ships about and came up over their bows. The sailors were so terrified they begged Columbus to turn back. But he was too brave to do that. He kept on till he came to a new country. It was America, our country. Then he and all with him knelt on the shore and gave thanks to God.

WHAT THE MOON SAW

“Yesterday,” said the Moon to me, “I looked down into a small yard. There sat a clucking hen with eleven chicks, and a pretty little girl was running and jumping around them. The poor hen didn’t know what to make of it. She screamed and spread out her wings over her brood. The noise brought the girl’s father out. He scolded his daughter and sent her into the house. I glided on and thought no more about it.

“But this evening, only a few minutes ago, I looked down into the same yard. The hen and her chicks had gone to roost. Everything was quiet. Out came the little girl, crept to the hen-house, pushed back the bolt, and slipped in. The hen and chicks cried out at once and came fluttering down from their perches. I saw it all, for I looked through a hole in the hen-house wall. I was angry with the obstinate child. And so was her father. He came out and seized her by the arm.

“‘What are you about?’ he asked.

“The little girl wept and sobbed. ‘I wanted to kiss the hen and beg her pardon for frightening her yesterday, but she does not understand.”

“‘I do now,’ said her father. And he kissed her on the forehead and on the mouth and on the eyes. ‘You are my own sweet little daughter. The hen will understand best if you let her alone.’”

—HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

THE ELF WHO STAYED OUT TOO LATE

In a beautiful rose there dwelt a little elf. With a fairy microscope you could see his wings reaching from his shoulders to his feet. Without it you couldn’t see him at all.

One day when he went out into the sunshine to play he had such fun that he forgot all about getting home in time. He flew from flower to flower. He danced on the wings of the passing butterfly. Best of all, he measured how many steps it would take to cross all the roads made of veins on the geranium leaf.

It was this that delayed him so long. Before he knew it the sun was down, dewdrops sprinkled the leaf, and the night began to darken. The poor little elf was very much frightened. He began to shiver, too, with the cold. Indeed, he grew so numb that he could hardly spread his wings to fly back to the rosebush. But he managed it.

The beautiful rose was just closing her petals for the night. In he dived under the warm leaves.

THE BOLD WEED

The weed smelled rank to heaven. But she looked out at everyone as bold as brass.

“Hold up your heads,” she cried to the violets. “Push yourselves forward where people may see you.”

But the violets held down their heads modestly.

Along came Lucy looking for some flowers. “Ugh! what a rank smell that weed has!” she cried. She plucked it up by the root and threw it on a heap of rubbish. But she gathered a great bunch of the dewy violets for her grandmother’s birthday.

ODDS AND ENDS

There was once on a time a maiden who was pretty but very lazy and wasteful. When a little knot came in the flax she was spinning, she at once pulled out a whole heap of it and threw it away. Her servant gathered up the bits of flax that had been thrown away, cleaned them, spun them, and wove them into a piece of fine linen. Out of this she made herself a beautiful dress.

Well, the maiden was to be married. On the eve of the wedding the servant was dancing about in the pretty dress she had made. The bride said to the bridegroom, “How that girl jumps about dressed in my odds and ends!” The bridegroom asked the bride what she meant. Then she told him that the servant was wearing a dress made of the flax she had thrown away. When the bridegroom heard that, he knew how lazy and wasteful she was.

“The other girl is the wife for me,” said he. And he married the other girl in the very dress she had made out of the odds and ends.

—FOLK TALE

ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S KINDNESS

One day as Abraham Lincoln rode along on his horse he saw a pig struggling to keep herself from sinking into a deep place filled with mud. The poor thing was squealing in terror, because the mud was sucking her in.

At first Lincoln rode by without stopping. But his kind heart could not forget the pig. He turned back, got down from his horse, and drew the pig out of the mud.

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

There was once a foolish little grasshopper that spent all her time playing. Through the long summer and autumn she did nothing but sing from morning till night. So when winter came and the snow covered the ground, she hadn’t a morsel of food stored away in her house.

Soon she was so faint with hunger that she begged her neighbor, the ant, to give her something to eat. “I am starving,” she said; “give me a grain of wheat.”

“Why did you not save some grain at harvest time?” asked the ant. “There was plenty to be had. What were you doing?”

“I was singing,” answered the grasshopper. “I had no time for work.”

“Hoity toity!” cried the ant; “if you sang all summer you must dance hungry to bed in winter.”

—ÆSOP

THE DONKEY AND THE MULE

A donkey and a mule set out with their master on a long journey. Each animal carried a load.

As he climbed the steep path up a mountain the donkey felt his load heavier than he could bear. He begged the mule to help him. “Help me, brother,” he cried, “or I shall drop.” But the mule pretended not to hear. After struggling along a little farther the poor donkey fell dead.

The master now placed the donkey’s load on the mule, giving him two loads to carry. And on top of both he piled the donkey.

“It serves me right,” said the mule to himself; “had I helped the donkey I should not now be carrying his burden.”

—ÆSOP

WHY THE MAGPIE’S NEST IS BADLY MADE

Once on a time, when the world was very young, the magpie was the only bird that did not know how to build a nest. She told her trouble to the other birds and they all met to teach her.

“Place that stick there,” said the blackbird. He flew over and did it for her himself.

“Oh,” said the magpie, “I knew that before.”

“Place this stick here,” said the thrush, placing it for her.

“Oh,” said the magpie, “I knew that before.”

The wren and the robin, the goldfinch and the chaffinch, the lark and the swallow, and many other birds went on showing her how to build the nest. As each bit was added, she said, “Oh, I knew that before.”

At last, when the nest was only half finished, the birds lost patience with the conceited empty-head.

“Well, Mistress Mag,” cried they, flying away, “as you know all about it, you may e’en finish the nest yourself.”

That is the reason the magpie’s nest is so badly made.

—FOLK TALE

HOW BUTTERFLIES CAME

One day the flowers flew off their stalks high into the air. They waved their leaves for wings. Because they behaved themselves so well the fairies let them fly again and again, and they no longer had to sit still on their stalks and remain home from morning till night. So by and by their leaves became wings. The flowers had changed into butterflies, red, yellow, and white.

—From HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

THE MONKEY DANCES

The organ-grinder called out to the monkey seated on his shoulder, “Dance for the children, Jacko, and I will play.”

Jacko swung himself lightly to the sidewalk, pulled off his velvet cap, and bowed low. Then he put the cap on again, pressing it down firmly on his head, and held out his little red skirt with his paws. “Begin,” cried his master. And Jacko began to step and turn and slide in time to the music.

The children clapped their hands. Faster and faster went the music and faster and faster went Jacko. At last he spun round and round until he looked like a red top. The music stopped suddenly. Jacko stood motionless on the very tip of his toes. After this he pulled off his cap and bowed low.

“Bravo, Jacko,” cried the children, and each threw a penny into his cap for food for himself and his master.

AN APRIL FOOL STORY

One day all the rabbits were close together near a back fence, sitting up on their haunches. The rabbit in the middle was telling the others a story. It was about a rabbit.

“So,” said he, going on with the story, “whenever the little rabbit was hungry all he had to say was

‘Garden fairy, sweet, Some lettuce I’d eat,’

And straightway a whole head of lettuce would grow up before him.”

“Oh, my,” cried all the rabbits together, “how I wish that would happen to me!” And story-teller and all turned a somersault at the very thought of it. After this they sat up again to hear the rest of the story.

But their pink eyes almost burst out of their heads and their ears stood straight up toward the sky. There in front of each was a large leaf of lettuce.

“Why, the story’s coming true,” cried the story-teller, and he tasted the lettuce. “Yes,” said he, “this is real lettuce.”

The others were sure of it. They were eating theirs as fast as they could.

Now the dog, who kept the yard, hadn’t turned a somersault, so he knew about it. He saw Fred, hiding behind the fence, throw down the lettuce leaves.

“Ha, ha,” he barked, “the silly things don’t know that to-day is April Fool’s Day. Of course,” said he, thoughtfully, “they have eaten juicy lettuce leaves. That’s not foolish. Fred and I have eaten nothing.”

“That story had a happy ending,” said the rabbits, as they scampered off to play.

* * * * *

Which do you think was April-fooled?

THE FOOLISH PUPPIES

The biggest puppy said one day to the little puppies, “Let us jump up on the table and enjoy ourselves. There are plenty of bread-crumbs on it. Our mistress has gone out to pay some visits.”

The little dogs said, “No, no, no, we will not go. If our mistress should hear of it she would beat us.”

“She will know nothing about it,” said the other; “come on, the crumbs are fresh and sweet.”

“Nay, nay, we must let them alone. We must not go,” said the little pups again.

But the big one gave them no peace until at last they went, and got up on the table, and ate up the bread-crumbs with all their might.

While they were at it a shadow of someone passing the window fell on the table. The big pup knew what it meant. He jumped down and made off. But the little pups were caught. Their mistress seized a stick and whipped them out of the room.

Outside the little pups said to the big pup, “Dost, dost, dost, dost thou see?”

But the mean cur gave them no satisfaction. “Didn’t, didn’t, didn’t you expect it?” said he.

So they had to grin and bear it, and make up their minds to be wiser the next time.

A GOLDEN STORY

There was once a buttercup shining in the green grass. “You’re a little golden sun that turns everything into gold,” said a child who saw it; “perhaps you can tell a golden story.”

And would you believe it? The buttercup began without waiting a single moment: “A certain old grandmother sits out of doors every afternoon in her chair. The hands resting in her lap are wrinkled and so is her face, and her hair is as white as the driven snow. All of a sudden two small smooth hands steal round from the back of her chair and cover her eyes. And grandmother immediately says, ‘It’s my sweet grandchild; I’m sure of it, because she never fails to visit me,’ and she reaches up to touch a golden head.”

“Why, the story’s about me,” cried the little girl; “grandmother’s guess is never wrong.”

But the buttercup went on without pretending to hear. “Then the child runs around in front of the chair and kisses her old grandmother. There is gold in that kiss, I am certain,” said the buttercup, “because it leaves a mark of itself on grandmother’s face; it smoothes out the wrinkles and it makes her eyes shine with joy.

“That’s my golden story,” said the buttercup; “every child may go home and play it.”

And the little child was happy that what she did had been put into a golden story.

—HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

HOW THE CLOCKS PLAYED SCHOOL

Three little clocks sat in a row on the mantelpiece. The servant had put them there to wash their faces, but they made believe they had come to school. The tall grandfather clock from the hall was the teacher. The servant had wheeled him in to sweep behind him, but he too made believe he had come to school.

“Be sure,”said Grandfather Clock to his scholars, “that you tell the right time. Everyone in the house looks to you for the time to get up, the time to eat, the time to work, the time to play, and the time to sleep. Is there any little clock here who cannot tell time? All you have to do is to move your hands around your face. When it is time to strike the hour, be sure your large hand is at twelve, and your small hand at the hour. It is very easy.”

“Is it, indeed!” said the smallest clock; “how about it when people forget to wind us up?”

“Yes, yes,” cried the other two little clocks, “how about that?”

“Silence,” cried Grandfather Clock, sternly; “that is a saucy way for little clocks to talk.”

At this moment the servant began to wheel Grandfather Clock back into the hall.

“School is out,” he said.

So that was the end of it.

HOW MOTHER TABBY PLAYED WITH HER KITTENS

Once three small black kittens begged their mother to play with them. Mother Tabby said nothing, but gave her tail a sly wag to one side. The kittens started back and looked at it. Mother Tabby whisked it over to the other side.

“It is alive,” thought the kittens. They arched their backs, and the smallest kitten put out his paw to make it move again. Whack! went Mother Tabby’s tail on his nose. The little kitten scampered off.

But he was back again in a minute, and the fun kept up until Mother Tabby walked off as if to say, “It is time for little kittens to be in bed.”

THE JOKE

Last Hallowe’en a saucy red apple played a joke. When little Tom ducked for him he bobbed backward and forward so dizzily that little Tom lost his balance and toppled into the tub. The saucy red apple laughed as loudly as any apple can laugh.

But what was that he heard Tom’s big brother saying? The big brother had pulled Tom out of the water before you could say “Jack Robinson,” and Tom was dripping wet and bawling with fright. What did the saucy red apple hear? It was Tom’s big brother saying, “Here, Tom, is a little red apple for you.” And he handed the saucy red apple to Tom.

The saucy red apple stopped laughing suddenly, for he found himself between little Tom’s sharp teeth.

* * * * *

So Tom had the best of the joke after all, hadn’t he?

THE SISTERS

“You dirty black thing,” cried the diamond to the coal, “do not come near me.”

“I will not indeed,” said the coal; “you are too beautiful for the likes of me. I might dim your brilliance.”