Part 3

She knocked at the door, “Tap, tap, tap!” “Come in!” said a deep voice. She went into the house. An old man was sitting at a table. Near him she saw a cock, a hen, and a spotted cow. “May I stop here all night?” said the oldest girl. The old man looked at the animals and said, “Pretty cock, Pretty hen, And you spotted cow, What say you now?” “Yes,” said the animals. The oldest girl cooked a good supper. Then she and the old man sat down at the table and ate it. But she did not think of the poor animals. After supper the animals said, “You eat and you drink, Of _us_ you do not think. So you shall have no bed, To rest your tired head.” Then she had to find her way home alone through the dark wood.

III

The next morning the woodman went into the wood. He said to the second little girl, “Bring me my dinner to-day. I will drop larger seeds along the path. Then you can find the way.” At noon the second girl set out. But the blackbirds had picked up all the seeds. She went on and on through the wood. At night she came to the little house in the wood. “May I stop here all night?” said the second girl. “I have lost my way.” The old man said, “Pretty cock, Pretty hen, And you spotted cow, What say you now?” “Yes,” said the animals. The second girl cooked a good supper. Then she sat down and ate and drank with the old man. But the poor animals did not have any supper. So they said, “You eat and you drink, Of _us_ you do not think. So you shall have no bed, To rest your tired head.” Then she, too, had to find her way home alone through the dark wood.

IV

The next morning the woodman said to the youngest girl, “Bring me my dinner to-day. I will drop corn along the path. Then you can find your way.” At noon the youngest girl went into the wood. The doves had picked up the corn and she, too, lost her way.

At night she saw a light and came to the house in the wood. “May I stop here all night?” she asked. The old man said to the animals, “Pretty cock, Pretty hen, And you spotted cow, What say you now?” “Yes,” said the three. The youngest girl went over to the animals and petted them. She cooked a good supper for the old man. But before she sat down to eat she gave the cow some hay. Then she gave the cock and the hen some corn. “Eat this, dear animals,” she said. “Then I will bring you some water.” After supper the animals said to the old man, “She is kind and good. Let her stay with us, In the house in the wood.”

V

Just then the youngest girl saw a bright light. She covered her eyes. When she looked up she was in a beautiful castle. The old man was gone. He was now a king’s son. The three animals had changed to three men. “You were kind and good to my animals,” said the king’s son. “So this is your castle.” Then the youngest girl sent for her father and sisters. They all lived happily together in the beautiful castle. JACOB AND WILLIAM GRIMM (ADAPTED).

WORK AND PLAY.

Once there was a little girl named Amy. She liked to play in the garden and hear the birds sing. She said the flowers and birds talked to her. One day her mother said, “Amy, you are a large girl now. You must help me a little. Every day I will give you something to do.” “Oh Mother!” said Amy, “I do not like to work. Please let me go into the woods and play.” “Yes,” said her mother. “You may go and play. I have no work for you to do just now.” So away Amy ran through the pleasant garden into the woods.

II

She saw a pretty squirrel and said, “Dear squirrel, do you play and eat nuts all day long? You do not work, do you?” “Not work?” said the squirrel. “Why, I am busy now. I must put these nuts in my nest to eat next winter. I can not stop to play with you.” Just then a bee flew by. “Tell me, bee!” said Amy. “Have you work to do?”

“Buzz! Buzz!” said the bee. “I am busy now getting honey from the flowers. I can not stop to play with you. Amy walked through the woods. By and by she met an ant with a piece of sugar. “I wish you would come and play with me,” said Amy. “I am too busy to play with you,” said the ant. “I must carry this sugar home for the little ants to eat.”

III

Amy sat down under a tree to think about it. “The squirrels, the bees, and the ants work from morning till night,” said Amy. “I will ask the flowers if they have to work.” So she ran into the garden. “Do flowers have to work?” she said to a pretty red clover. “My dear Amy,” said the red clover, “the flowers must all work. We are busy now making honey for the bees. That is why we are so happy.” Amy ran home to her mother and said, “I have come back to help you, Mother dear. The squirrels, the bees, the ants and the flowers all have work to do. I should like to work, too.” “You may help me sew,” said her mother. “Then you will be happy, like the squirrels, the bees, the ants, and the flowers.”

THE THREE BROTHERS.

Once there were three brothers. Not far from where they lived was the king’s castle. A large oak tree grew beside the door. It made the castle very dark. So the king said, “This tree must be cut down.” But no one could cut it down. The more they cut the larger the tree grew. The king’s castle was on a high hill. Every drop of water had to be carried up the hill. So the king said, “I must have a well that will hold water all the year.” But no one could dig the well. At last the king said, “I will give half my kingdom to the man who will cut down the tree and dig the well.”

II

The three brothers set out to go to the king’s castle. On their way they passed through a great wood. By and by they heard something chopping and cutting. “I wonder what it is that is cutting and chopping,” said the youngest brother. “Did you never hear woodmen before? asked the brothers. “Oh, yes!” said the youngest brother. “But I should like to know what it is that we hear. I am going to find out.” So away he went. Far off in the woods he saw an ax chopping all alone. “Good morning, Ax,” he said. “Are you cutting here all by yourself?” “Yes,” said the ax. “I have been chopping here a hundred years, waiting for you. “Well, here I am,” said the youngest brother. He put the ax in his bag. Then he ran off to catch up with his brothers.

III

The three brothers walked on together. By and by they came to a high hill. They heard something picking and digging. “I wonder what it is that is picking,” said the youngest brother. “Did you never hear a woodpecker before?” asked the brothers. “Yes, I have,” said the youngest brother. But I should like to know what it is that we hear. I am going to find out.” The brothers laughed at him, but away he went. Far off in the wood he saw a pick digging all alone. “Good morning, Pick,” he said. “Are you digging here all by yourself? “Yes,” said the pick. “I have been picking here a hundred years, waiting for you.” “Well, here I am,” said the youngest brother. He put the pick in his bag. Then he ran down to his brothers.

IV

On they went together until they came to a brook. They sat down there to rest and to get a drink of water. “I wonder where the brook comes from, said the youngest brother. Well, did you never see a brook before?” asked the brothers.

“Yes,” he said, “but I wonder where it comes from.” So he followed the brook. At last he saw a tiny stream come out of a walnut. “Good morning, Walnut,” he said. “Are you here all alone?” “Yes,” said the walnut. “The water has been running here a hundred years, waiting for you.” “Here I am,” said the youngest brother. He put some moss in the hole in the walnut. Then he put it in his bag. “Did you find where the water came from?” asked the brothers. “Yes,” said the youngest brother. “It came out of a hole.”

V

The three brothers walked on until they came to the king’s castle. So many men had tried to cut down the tree that it was now very large. At last the king said, “Every man who tries to cut the tree and can not do it must leave the country.” The oldest brother tried to cut down the tree. But when the tree grew larger they sent him out of the country. Then the second brother tried. He could not do it, so they sent him out of the country. “Now it is my turn,” said the youngest brother. He took his ax from the bag, and cut into the tree.

“My ax, cut for yourself,” he said. The ax chopped and chopped. Soon the great oak tree fell down. Then he took his pick from the bag. “My pick, dig for yourself,” he said. You never saw such picking and digging. Soon it had dug a great deep hole. Next he took out his walnut. He took the moss from the hole, then dropped the walnut far down into the well. “Water, run,” he said. Soon the well was full of water. The youngest brother had cut down the tree and dug the well. The king gave him half of his kingdom.

ALPHABET.

A a N n B b O o C c P p D d Q q E e R r F f S s G g T t H h U u I i V v J j W w K k X x L l Y y M m Z z

WORD LIST.

The following is a list of the words used in the First Reader, omitting those previously used in the Primer. They are grouped by pages, in the order in which they first occur.

5 apple 6 came waken kissed sang fell 7 doth shall himself hide head 8 blew off stronger than coat 9 now very soon 10 seen neither nor leaves hang trembling 10 passing through their 11 work does spring summer autumn winter 12 leaf-bud 13 sunshine dresses give 14 passed danced were covered 15 pine long needles wish should gold bag 17 happy 17 glass broken 18 goat 19 best 20 ant near dropped 21 shore gun tried shoot bit foot helped 23 brook running would stay boat carry heard never could find 24 raindrops 24 sky home fishes 25 together 26 Golden Locks bears middle-sized 27 bowls tasted right drank 28 chair 29 hard bed lay 31 voice been tasting gone sitting 32 lying 33 looking jumped 34 fox crow cheese must looked 35 falling 35 king met Henny Penny 37 last Cocky Locky Ducky Lucky 38 Turkey Lurkey 39 Foxy Loxy den 43 swing air think pleasantest child wall till wide rivers cattle countryside garden roof 44 kind old oak 45 violets afraid 47 woodmen cutting 47 ax logs ice melt 48 honest large chip lifted lost fairy lived why crying 50 silver steel 52 mine only 53 rhyme great axes men splash 54 seaside beside wooden spade dig sandy holes 54 empty cup more 55 Riding Hood 56 called these sick path 57 wolf 59 pick knocked door tap 60 cap 61 better 62 arms hug teeth killed 63 stream O pushed against wheel boards 64 zish 65 buzz busy 66 lion 66 paw caught let please 67 net him cut sharp 69 Browny dirty mud Whitey greedy Blacky 70 cabbage brick Mr. 71 carried 72 next eating knock 75 kettle back got rolled 76 full fire rolling ho 76 chimney 77 pitcher handful drop began cry room 78 before hope she’ll any 79 I’d nicely sit hold both ends ’t would beautiful skies clouds roam set rise rainbow 80 carpenter 81 sled mend plane 81 rap-a-tap hammer tick-a-tack new 82 used tools 83 gingerbread woman baking 84 oven threshers 85 mowers 88 quarter half spoke 89 city country mice visit enough 90 while 93 bower friendly toads grudge seeds stalks timid furry 94 miner coal 95 dark lamp click click-ity 96 engine puff train cars 97 maple sugar sap pail 99 spout hung story roots 100 awake buds needs 101 thick syrup pans 102 woodpecker tip-y builds 103 Goody Twoshoes 104 school read children books nine small 105 five first Billy teach 107 picked 108 Sally words glad teacher 109 horses lambs 110 pieces use rides 111 about often 112 fleece sure 113 followed rule laugh still lingered 113 waited patiently appear eager reply 115 pet Lucy lambkin loved fed washed playmate 117 watched mittens yarn knitting 118 oldest 119 second youngest bring dinner light 120 cock spotted 121 animals cooked supper table rest 121 tired alone 122 larger 125 petted hay 126 castle son changed 127 sent 128 raked tiny sow earth cover 129 shining shines pattering soften peeping higher hours open 130 Amy liked talked 131 bee 133 getting 133 honey 134 ask clover 135 sew 136 brothers well year 138 kingdom chopping wonder asked 139 yourself hundred waiting 140 walked picking digging laughed 141 until 143 walnut moss 144 tries 146 such dug 147 lark 150 birdie longer flies 151 limbs