PART TWO

_Adherence to worthy family traditions is an admirable virtue._

We left August fast asleep inside the precious stove. The journey was long and cold, and the train stopped and started and August was jolted about until he woke up stiff and cold and sore. He ate some cheese and bread he had in his pocket and turned over the best he could, but still he was very cramped and hungry.

At last the train stopped and August felt himself lifted out of the box car and set down on the platform. He was afraid the men would find him inside, so he kept very still, although he was so cold and hungry that he almost cried. Then a cart came along and the stove and August were lifted up and carried for miles and miles and set down in a warehouse where they stayed all night. August managed to creep out in the middle of the night and get some snow and ice to quench his thirst. Then he ate the last of his bread and cheese, went to sleep on some hay, and woke up just in time to get back into the stove and pull the wrapping in place as the men came in.

The men came in early and carried the stove in another cart somewhere, then lifted it up and took it up stairs over soft carpets, and then set it down on the floor. August kept very still for he was sure this was a very grand house, and besides that, he was very weak with cold and hunger.

“What a beautiful stove!” he heard some one say as the wrappings were taken off. Then the door of the stove was opened.

“Why, here is a little child inside the stove! What does this mean?” said the same voice.

August crept out of the stove and knelt down before the grand man he saw surrounded by others in uniform.

“Oh, sir!” he exclaimed, “please let me stay with my Hirschvogel. It belonged to my mother, and we love it dearly. Please let me stay with it!”

The man was the king and he looked very kindly at August and made him tell all the story of the great stove, and about his father and his brothers and sisters and the journey he had made inside the stove. There were tears in the king’s eyes when August had finished his story.

“You must have loved the stove very much,” said he.

“Oh, yes, sir,” answered the boy; “and it would break my heart to have to give it up.”

“You need not do that, my child,” said the king, “you may live here in the palace and look after your stove if you wish.”

August was overjoyed at this. He lived in the palace and took care of the great stove for the king. In after years he became a painter on porcelain and painted many fine stoves for the great lords of the kingdom, but he never could make one as beautiful as Hirschvogel.

THE BELL OF ATRI

_Even the dumb animals deserve justice from those whom they have served._

There once lived a king in Atri, Italy, who wanted all his people to be happy. In order to be happy he knew that every one should be kind to those dependent upon him and above all things, be just.

In order that justice be done to every one, he had a large bell hung in the market place. It was to be known as the bell of Justice. Many people came to see it hung. When the men finished their work, the king came before the people and said:

“I have placed this bell in the center of my city so that every one will be near it. I have put a long rope on it. Even a child can reach it. If any one of you feels that you have been unjustly treated, I want you to ring the bell. Whether you be old or young, rich or poor, your story shall be heard, and justice shall be done you.”

The bell hung many years and was rung many times. Every time the bell rang the king came and heard what the person had to say and then did justice to his cause. At last the rope wore off and became short.

“If a child should need to ring, it could not reach the bell. We must get another rope,” said the king. He had to send across the mountains to get one for there was none in Atri.

“Some one may need to ring the bell before the rope comes,” said a man. So he went into his garden and got a grapevine and hung it on the bell. It trailed the ground, but it was a very good substitute for a rope.

An old soldier lived near Atri. He had a horse which had carried him in many battles, but now that he was old and lame and was of no service to his master, he was turned out to shift for himself. He ate the grass along the roadside and nibbled at the hay through the fences. He was very thin and hungry for he could not find enough to eat.

At last he wandered into the market-place and saw that the leaves and tendrils on the vine were still fresh. He reached to get a leaf, and as he pulled at the vine the bell began to ring, “Clang! Clang!” He kept on pulling at the vine and the bell kept on ringing “Clang! Clang!”

The people rushed to see who was ringing the bell and saw the horse. Then the king came and the people told him whose horse it was. The king was in a great rage at the injustice done the old horse. His master was sent for and ordered to build a barn for him and to give him the best hay and grain as long as he lived, or else he would be turned out himself and so the old horse had justice at last.

ALL FOOLS’ DAY

(April 1st)

_In which is shown the origin of April Fools, and the fact that the best joke is the one which rebounds on the joker himself._

April the first is celebrated as All Fools’ Day. Everybody must be on the lookout for some joke to be played at his expense. He might pick up a brick neatly wrapped in paper and tied with a string, or get a letter with nothing but “April fool” written on the paper. He must be on the watch so as not to be caught, for if he is and anybody calls out “April fool!” he will feel very cheap indeed.

This custom is nearly five hundred years old. It was started at the court of Burgundy in France, when Philip was Duke. There was always in those days a sort of jester, or fool, whose business was to make fun and keep the court in a good humor. Even knights had jesters or fools, and while these jesters were always funny, sometimes they were very smart.

Duke Philip said to his jester one day:

“I challenge you to a trial of wits. If you get the better of me I will give you a thousand ducats. If I get the better of you, you will lose your place.” So they agreed to have the trial on the first day of April.

When the day came the Duke had a great feast and plenty of wine to drink. The jester drank and drank until he appeared to be quite drunk.

“Now, we will try him for drunkenness,” cried the Duke, “and condemn him to be executed.”

So they tried the poor jester for being drunk, though he was not so drunk as they thought he was. They decided he was to be executed. They tied a band around his eyes, and the executioner struck him a light blow on the neck, and they poured hot water on him to make him think he was bleeding to death. It was all a joke, but the jester took it in great earnestness.

Finally the jester fell down as though he were dead. They called to him and said:

“It is a joke! Now get up!” But the jester lay on the floor and they all thought he was really dead.

“He is dead of fright. He thinks we have bled him to death!” and they were all much alarmed at this end of their joke. They sent for a doctor, but the jester could not be aroused.

“Alas, me!” said the Duke, “I have lost my jester!”

“No, you have not!” cried the jester. “You have lost your thousand ducats. I am not dead; and you are this April’s Fool!”

The jester leaped up from the floor as good as ever. He had turned the joke on the Duke, and called for his thousand ducats. From this time on people began to play jokes on each other the first day of April in each year.

THE GOLDEN TOUCH

_In which a foolish king became miserable from too great desire for wealth._

King Midas was a very foolish king who wanted more money than anybody else in the world had. One day after he had done a kindness to the god Dionysius, the god said to him:

“Choose what you would like best. I will grant it to you.”

Midas at once said: “Grant that everything I touch may turn to gold.”

Dionysius said: “It shall be as you desire, but I tell you that you have made a very foolish request.”

Midas went away very proud and happy. He broke off the branch from an oak tree, and it turned into a solid rod of gold. He took up a stone out of the road, and it became a solid lump of gold. He plucked a rose from his garden, and it became a golden flower in his hand. He reached up and gathered an apple from a tree, and it changed to shining gold.

“Now, I shall be rich indeed,” he said. “Richer than anybody,” and he began to sing and dance, thinking of his wonderful powers.

When he entered his palace he ordered his servants to bring him all the cups and dishes in his house. Then he touched them and they became gold cups and dishes. He ordered them to bring him the table at which he ate. He touched it and it became a gold table. He touched his chair and it became a gold chair. Then he put his hands on his coat, his hat, and his trousers, and they became gold, so stiff and heavy that he could hardly walk.

“Now, indeed, I shall feast like the noblest men,” said the king. “Bring me in the finest food and wine you can get.”

The servants put before him the best food and wine that could be procured, but as soon as Midas touched it it all became hard gold. He could not eat the bread, nor the meat, nor the fruit. They were all gold as soon as he touched them. The wine was like molten gold in the glass and he could not drink it.

“I shall starve to death with all this gold!” cried the poor foolish old king. Just then his daughter came in and kissed him. At once she was turned into a statue of gold. Seeing this, the servants fled and left him alone in his misery.

He ran back to Dionysius and cried: “Take away this golden touch, for I am very unhappy and about to starve!”

The god told him to bathe in the river Pactolus, and he bathed himself and his daughter in the river. Then he was where he began. She became flesh and blood again, and Midas could eat his food like other people.

But the sand of the river sparkled like gold ever afterwards, and his daughter had beautiful golden hair the rest of her life.

THE WISE LITTLE PIG

_In which we see that it is a wise pig that obeys his mother and provides against danger._

One time there was an old pig about to die, and she called her three little pigs to her and said:

“My children, I am going to die soon and leave you. You must each of you build a house so strong that the old wolf cannot tear it down and eat you.” Each of the little pigs promised to do as his mother said, and then the old pig died.

The first little pig gathered straw from the farmer’s field near by and built him a straw house, and daubed it with mud.

The second little pig gathered some wood from the farmer’s wood pile, and built him a wood house and daubed it with wet moss.

The third little pig found some bricks under the barn and built him a brick house, and laid it in mortar and lime, just like the house of the pig keeper. Then all three little pigs went to housekeeping.

Pretty soon the old wolf began to spy around to see what had become of the little pigs after their mother’s death. He came to the straw house of the first little pig and said:

“Little pig, little pig, please let me in, or I’ll huff and I’ll puff until I blow your house in.”

But the little pig looked up out of his peep hole and said:

“No, no, no; not by the hairs on your chinny, chin, chin!”

Then the old wolf huffed and he puffed until he blew the house in, and then he ate up the first little pig.

Then the old wolf went to the house of the second little pig and said:

“Little pig, little pig, let me in, or I’ll huff and I’ll puff till I blow your house in.”

But the little pig looked up out of his peep hole and said:

“No, no, no; not by the hairs on your chinny, chin, chin.”

Then the old wolf huffed and he puffed until he blew the wooden house in and ate up the second little pig.

Then the old wolf went to the house of the third little pig which was built of brick and said:

“Little pig, little pig, let me come in, or I’ll huff and I’ll puff till I blow your house in.”

But the little pig looked out of his peep hole and said:

“No, no, no; not by the hairs on your chinny, chin, chin.”

Then the old wolf huffed and he puffed, but he could not blow the house down.

Then the old wolf started down the chimney to get the little pig, anyway. But the little pig built a fire and put on the big pot and filled it with water. So the old wolf fell into the boiling water and was scalded to death. Then the little pig ate the old wolf until there was nothing left but the bones.

THE BARMECIDE FEAST

_One must play the game according to rules given him._

Once there was a rich old man who lived in a beautiful palace, surrounded by flower gardens. He was called the Barmecide. In the same town there was a very poor man who often went hungry because he had no money to buy food. His name was Shacabac.

One day Shacabac was hungrier than usual and decided to ask the Barmecide to help him. So he went up to the palace door and knocked and the servant said, “Come in, my master will be glad to see you.”

Shacabac went in the palace, through rooms with beautiful furniture, and over soft carpets, and into a large hall when he saw an old man with a long beard. He knew this was the Barmecide, and so he bowed very low, and said, “I am very hungry, sir, and I have come to ask you to give me some food. I have not eaten for three days.”

The Barmecide said, “My poor man, you must eat with me at once.” Then he rang a bell and told the servant to bring water. The servant brought an empty bowl, and the Barmecide rubbed his hands as though there was plenty of water, and made Shacabac do likewise.

“Come now, we will have supper,” said the Barmecide. So they sat down to a table on which there were no dishes and no food. The Barmecide pretended to carve a roast, and help poor Shacabac, who saw no food, and who was surprised to see the Barmecide eating heartily when nothing appeared to go into his mouth. But Shacabac was not to be outdone, so he pretended to eat also and praised the roast as the finest he had ever tasted.

“Now for some roast goose, and apple sauce,” said the Barmecide. And that was eaten in the same way as the roast meat. Then the servant pretended to hand around green peas and honey and figs and other things that made Shacabac almost faint when he heard their names. But he chewed just as the Barmecide did, and swallowed and praised each thing as though he was enjoying the feast. This invisible feast was not very satisfying, but he smiled and ate on.

At last the Barmecide said, “Now we have finished our meal. Have you liked it?” To which Shacabac said, “It was very wonderful. I never ate so much in all my life.” Then the Barmecide laughed and said, “You are a true sport, my friend, and the first man I have ever entertained who did not call me a madman.”

Then he called for real food and all the things that he had pretended to eat came on in reality, and he and Shacabac ate and laughed until late in the night. And Shacabac lived with the Barmecide ever afterwards, because he knew how to make the best of circumstances.

ONE-EYE, TWO-EYES, AND THREE-EYES