[Transcriber's Note: Lines 1712-1716 do not appear to be properlyformatted but are a facsimile of the printed page. ]

 [Illustration: EACH SAW THAT THE OTHER WAS HIS BROTHER. ]

 THE STORY-TELLER

 by MAUD LINDSAY

 ILLUSTRATED BY FLORENCE LILEY YOUNG

 BOSTON

 LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 

 Published, August, 1915

 Copyright, 1915, BY LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 

 * * * * *

_To my cousin

Judith Winston Sherrod

in whose joyous company I journeyed

through the wonderland of youth_

 * * * * *

INTRODUCTION

It was a glad day in the olden time when the Story-Teller came tocottage or hall. At Christmas, or New Year; when the May-pole stood onthe village green; or the chestnuts were roasting in the coals onAll-hallows eve; come when he would, he was always welcome; and if, when he was least expected, he knocked at the door, what joy therewas!

Many were the miles that the Story-Teller had traveled, and many werethe places where he had been; and many were the tales he had to tellof what he had seen and what he had heard in the wide world. 

Sometimes his voice was deep and sweet as the organ in church onSunday; and sometimes it rang out clear as a bugle; and sometimes asthe tale went on he would take the harp which was ever by his side, and touching it with skilful fingers, would weave a gay little song ora tender strain of music into his story, like a jeweled thread in agolden web. 

All the children gathered around him, sturdy Gilbert and rosy Jocelyn, roguish Giles and slender Rosalind, eager for a story. Mother andfather drew near, and in the background stood the servants, smilingbut silent. Oh, everything was still as the house at midnight as theStory-Teller began his magic words: "Once upon a time. "

Perhaps the story brought with it laughter, or perhaps a tear, butLife, said the Story-Teller, is made up of smiles and tears; and thelittle ones, listening to him, learned to rejoice with those whose joywas great, and to mourn with the sorrowful; and were the better andnot the worse for it. And so in due time grew into noble men and goodwomen. 

It is many and many a year since they lived and died; butstill--knock, knock, knock--the Story-Teller comes with his harp andhis story to every child's heart to-day. 

Open the door and let him come in, give him a seat by the fire andgather close about him. And then you shall hear!

MAUD LINDSAY. 

_Sheffield, Alabama. _

 * * * * *

THE STORIES

THE TWO BROTHERS

THE JAR OF ROSEMARY

THE PROMISE

THE PLATE OF PANCAKES

LITTLE MAID HILDEGARDE

THE APPLE DUMPLING

THE KING'S SERVANT

THE GREAT WHITE BEAR

THE SONG THAT TRAVELED

THE QUEST FOR THE NIGHTINGALE

THE MAGIC FLOWER

THE LIONS IN THE WAY

 * * * * *

ILLUSTRATIONS

Each saw that the other was his brother _Frontispiece_

She took the little prince in her arms and kissed him

The harper was happier than a king as he sat by his own fireside

Something seemed to whisper to him: "Stop, Karl, and eat"

Yes, there they came!

She saw an apple-tree as full of apples as her plum-tree was full of plums

One of them took it in his mouth, and so brought it safely to Hans

"A bear!" cried the tailor

She leaned on the fence that divided the two

Straight to the Enchanted Wood they went

While she was watching and waiting, the flower burst into bloom

When he had come to the lions he found that they were chained

 * * * * *

THE STORY-TELLER

THE TWO BROTHERS

Once upon a time there lived two brothers, who, when they werechildren, were so seldom apart that those who saw one always lookedfor the other at his heels. 

But when they had grown to manhood, and the time had come when theymust make their own fortunes, the elder brother said to the younger:

"Choose as you will what you shall do, and God bless your choice; butas for me I shall make haste to the court of the king, for nothingwill satisfy me but to serve him and my country. "

"Good fortune and a blessing go with you, " said the younger brother. "I, too, should like to serve my country and the king, but I haveneither words nor wit for a king's court. To hammer a shoe from theglowing iron while the red fire roars and the anvil rings--this is thework that I do best, and I shall be a blacksmith, even as my fatherwas before me. "

So when he had spoken the two brothers embraced and bade each othergood-bye and went on their ways; nor did they meet again till many ayear had come and gone. 

The elder brother rode to the king's court just as he had said hewould; and as time went on he won great honor there and was made oneof the king's counselors. 

And the younger brother built himself a blacksmith's shop by the sideof a road and worked there merrily from early morn till the starsshone at night. He was called the Mighty Blacksmith because of hisstrength, and the Honest Blacksmith because he charged no more thanhis work was worth, and the Master Blacksmith because no other smithin the countryside could shoe a horse so well and speedily as he. Andhe was envious of nobody, for always as he worked his hammer seemed tosing to him:

 "Cling, clang, cling! Cling, clang, cling! He who does his very best, Is fit to serve the king. "

Now in those days news came to the king of the country where the twobrothers lived that the duke of the next kingdom had made threatsagainst him, and against his people; and there was great excitement inthe land. 

Some of the king's counselors wanted him to gather his armies andmarch at once into the duke's kingdom. 

"If we do not make war upon him, he will make war upon us, " they said. 

But some of the king's counselors loved peace, and among these was theelder brother, in whom the king had great trust. 

"Let me, I pray you, ride to the duke's castle, " he said to the king, "that we may learn from his own lips if he is friend or foe, for muchis told that is not true; and it is easier to begin a fight than it isto end one. "

The king was well pleased with all the elder brother said, and badehim go. 

"But if by the peal of the noon bells on the day before Christmas youhave neither brought nor sent a message of good will from the duke tome, then shall those who want war have their way, " he said, and withthis the elder brother had to be content. 

Day and night he rode to the duke's castle, and day and night, whenhis errand was done, he hastened home again. But the way was long anda strong wind had blown away the sign-posts which guided travelers, so, though he stopped neither to sleep in a bed or eat at a table thewhole journey through, the early hours of the day before Christmasfound him still far from the king's palace. 

And to make matters worse, in the loneliest part of the road, the goodhorse, that had carried him so well, lost a shoe. 

 "Alack and alas! for the want of a nail The horseshoe is lost; and my good horse will fail For the want of the shoe; and I shall be late For want of a steed; and my message must wait For want of a bearer; and woe is our plight, For want of the message the king needs must fight!"[1]

cried the elder brother then; and he bowed his head upon his saddleand wept, for where to turn for help he did not know. 

The sun had not yet risen and no other traveler was on the road, norcould he see through the dim light of dawn a house or watch-towerwhere he might ask aid. But as he wept he heard a distant sound thatwas sweeter than music to his ears:

 "Cling, clang, cling! Cling, clang, cling!"

[Footnote 1: Adapted from the old proverb, "For want of a nail, theshoe was lost, " etc. ]

"Only a blacksmith plays that tune!" he cried; and he urged his horseon joyfully, calling as he went:

"Smith, smith, if you love country and king, shoe my horse, and shoehim speedily. "

It was not long before he spied the fire of a roadside smithy glaringout upon him like a great red eye, and when he reached the door of theshop he found the smith ready and waiting for his task. 

Cling, clang, cling! How the iron rang beneath his mighty stroke! Andcling, clang, cling, how the hammer sang as the shoe was pounded intoshape!

By the time the sun was over the hill the horse was shod, and therider was in his saddle again. 

But the blacksmith would take no money for his work. 

"To serve my country and the king is pay enough for me, " he said; andhe stood up straight and tall and looked the king's counselor in theeyes. 

And lo! and behold, as the morning light fell on their faces, each sawthat the other was his brother. 

"God bless you, brother, " and "God speed you, brother, " was all thatthey had time to say, but that was enough to show that love was stillwarm in their hearts. 

Then away, and away, and away, through the sun and the dew rode theelder brother--away and away over hill and dale toward the king'spalace. 

The king and his counselors were watching and waiting there, and asthe sun climbed high and the message did not come, those who wantedwar said:

"Shall we not saddle our horses, and call up our men?"

"The bells in the steeple have yet to ring for noon, " said thepeace-lovers; "and we see a dust on the king's highway. "

"Dust flies before wind, " said the warriors, "and it is likelier thatour messenger lies in the duke's prison than rides on the king'shighway. "

But with the dust came the sound of flying hoofs. Faster, faster, faster, they came. When the first stroke of the noon hour pealed fromthe church steeple the king's messenger was in sight, and the lastbell had not rung when he stood before the palace gate to deliver theduke's message:

 "Peace and good will to you and yours; And to all a Merry Christmas. "

Then the king sent for fine robes and a golden chain to be brought forthe elder brother, and put a purse of gold in his hand, for he waswell pleased with what he had done. 

But the elder brother would have none of these things for himselfalone. 

"Try as I would, I must have failed had it not been for my brother, the blacksmith, who shod my horse on the road to-day, " he said; "and, if it please your majesty, half of all you give to me I will give tohim. "

"Two good servants are better than one, " said the king, and he sentfor the younger brother that he might thank him also. 

Then the two brothers were clothed alike and feasted alike, and eachhad a purse of gold; and whenever one was praised, so was the other. 

And they lived happily, each in his own work, all the days of theirlives. 

THE JAR OF ROSEMARY

There was once a little prince whose mother, the queen, was sick. Allsummer she lay in bed, and everything was kept quiet in the palace;but when the autumn came she grew better. Every day brought color toher cheeks, and strength to her limbs, and by and by the little princewas allowed to go into her room and stand beside her bed to talk toher. 

He was very glad of this for he wanted to ask her what she would likefor a Christmas present; and as soon as he had kissed her, and laidhis cheek against hers, he whispered his question in her ear. 

"What should I like for a Christmas present?" said the queen. "A smileand a kiss and a hug around the neck; these are the dearest gifts Iknow. "

But the prince was not satisfied with this answer. "Smiles and kissesand hugs you can have every day, " he said, "but think, mother, think, if you could choose the thing you wanted most in all the world whatwould you take?"

So the queen thought and thought, and at last she said:

"If I might take my choice of all the world I believe a little jar ofrosemary like that which bloomed in my mother's window when I was alittle girl would please me better than anything else. "

The little prince was delighted to hear this, and as soon as he hadgone out of the queen's room he sent a servant to his father'sgreenhouses to inquire for a rosemary plant. 

But the servant came back with disappointing news. There werecarnation pinks in the king's greenhouses, and roses with goldenhearts, and lovely lilies; but there was no rosemary. Rosemary was acommon herb and grew, mostly, in country gardens, so the king'sgardeners said. 

"Then go into the country for it, " said the little prince. "No matterwhere it grows, my mother must have it for a Christmas present. "

So messengers went into the country here, there, and everywhere toseek the plant, but each one came back with the same story to tell;there was rosemary, enough and to spare, in the spring, but the frosthad been in the country and there was not a green sprig left to bringto the little prince for his mother's Christmas present. 

Two days before Christmas, however, news was brought that rosemary hadbeen found, a lovely green plant growing in a jar, right in the verycity where the prince himself lived. 

"But where is it?" said he. "Why have you not brought it with you? Goand get it at once. "

"Well, as for that, " said the servant who had found the plant, "thereis a little difficulty. The old woman to whom the rosemary belongs didnot want to sell it even though I offered her a handful of silver forit. "

"Then give her a purse of gold, " said the little prince. 

So a purse filled so full of gold that it could not hold another piecewas taken to the old woman; but presently it was brought back. Shewould not sell her rosemary; no, not even for a purse of gold. 

"Perhaps if your little highness would go yourself and ask her, shemight change her mind, " said the prince's nurse. So the royal carriagedrawn by six white horses was brought, and the little prince and hisservants rode away to the old woman's house, and when they got therethe first thing they spied was the little green plant in a jarstanding in the old woman's window. 

The old woman, herself, came to the door, and she was glad to see thelittle prince. She invited him in, and bade him warm his hands by thefire, and gave him a cooky from her cupboard to eat. 

She had a little grandson no older than the prince, but he was sickand could not run about and play like other children. He lay in alittle white bed in the old woman's room, and the little prince, afterhe had eaten the cooky, spoke to him, and took out his favoriteplaything, which he always carried in his pocket, and showed it tohim. 

The prince's favorite plaything was a ball which was like no otherball that had ever been made. It was woven of magic stuff as bright asthe sunlight, as sparkling as the starlight, and as golden as the moonat harvest time. And when the little prince threw it into the air, orbounced it on the floor or turned it in his hands it rang like a chimeof silver bells. 

The sick child laughed to hear it, and held out his hands for it, andthe prince let him hold it, which pleased the grandmother as much asthe child. 

But pleased though she was she would not sell the rosemary. She hadbrought it from the home where she had lived when her littlegrandson's father was a boy, she said, and she hoped to keep it tillshe died. So the prince and his servants had to go home without it. 

No sooner had they gone than the sick child began to talk of thewonderfull ball. 

"If I had such a ball to hold in my hand, " he said, "I should becontented all the day. "

"You may as well wish for the moon in the sky, " said his grandmother;but she thought of what he said, and in the evening when he was asleepshe put her shawl around her, and taking the jar of rosemary with hershe hastened to the king's palace. 

When she got there the servants asked her errand but she would answernothing till they had taken her to the little prince. 

"Silver and gold would not buy the rosemary, " she said when she sawhim; "but if you will give me your golden ball for my littlegrandchild you may have the plant. "

"But my ball is the most wonderful ball that was ever made!" cried thelittle prince; "and it is my favorite plaything. I would not give itaway for anything. "

And so the old woman had to go home with her jar of rosemary under hershawl. 

The next day was the day before Christmas and there was a great stirand bustle in the palace. The queen's physician had said that shemight sit up to see the Christmas Tree that night, and have herpresents with the rest of the family; and every one was running to andfro to get things in readiness for her. 

The queen had so many presents, and very fine they were, too, that theChristmas Tree could not hold them all, so they were put on a tablebefore the throne and wreathed around with holly and with pine. Thelittle prince went in with his nurse to see them, and to put his gift, which was a jewel, among them. 

"She wanted a jar of rosemary, " he said as he looked at the glitteringheap. 

"She will never think of it again when she sees these things. You maybe sure of that, " said the nurse. 

But the little prince was not sure. He thought of it himself manytimes that day, and once, when he was playing with his ball, he saidto the nurse:

"If I had a rosemary plant I'd be willing to sell it for a purse fullof gold. Wouldn't you?"

"Indeed, yes, " said the nurse; "and so would any one else in his rightsenses. You may be sure of that. "

The little boy was not satisfied, though, and presently when he hadput his ball up and stood at the window watching the snow which hadcome to whiten the earth for Christ's birthday, he said to the nurse:

"I wish it were spring. It is easy to get rosemary then, is it not?"

"Your little highness is like the king's parrot that knows but oneword with your rosemary, rosemary, rosemary, " said the nurse who was alittle out of patience by that time. "Her majesty, the queen, onlyasked for it to please you. You may be sure of that. "

But the little prince was not sure; and when the nurse had gone to hersupper and he was left by chance for a moment alone, he put on hiscoat of fur, and taking the ball with him he slipped away from thepalace, and hastened toward the old woman's house. 

He had never been out at night by himself before, and he might havefelt a little afraid had it not been for the friendly stars thattwinkled in the sky above him. 

"We will show you the way, " they seemed to say; and he trudged onbravely in their light, till, by and by, he came to the house andknocked at the door. 

[Illustration: SHE TOOK THE LITTLE PRINCE IN HER ARMS AND KISSED HIM. ]

Now the little sick child had been talking of the wonderful ballall the evening. "Did you see how it shone, grandmother? And did youhear how the little bells rang?" he said; and it was just then thatthe little prince knocked at the door. 

The old woman made haste to answer the knock and when she saw theprince she was too astonished to speak. 

"Here is the ball, " he cried, putting it into her hands. "Please giveme the rosemary for my mother. "

And so it happened that when the queen sat down before her great tableof gifts the first thing she spied was a jar of sweet rosemary likethat which had bloomed in her mother's window when she was a littlegirl. 

"I should rather have it than all the other gifts in the world, " shesaid; and she took the little prince in her arms and kissed him. 

THE PROMISE[2]

A Christmas Wonder Story for Older Children

There was once a harper who played such beautiful music and sang suchbeautiful songs that his fame spread throughout the whole land; and atlast the king heard of him and sent messengers to bring him to thepalace. 

[Footnote 2: This story was suggested by an old poem, told to me byMiss Harriette Mills, which recounted the adventures of a father whobraved the snows of an Alpine pass to reach his home on Christmasday. ]

"I will neither eat nor sleep till I have seen your face and heard thesound of your harp. " This was the message the king sent to the harper. 

The messengers said it over and over until they knew it by heart, andwhen they reached the harper's house they called:

"Hail, harper! Come out and listen, for we have something to tellyou that will make you glad. "

But when the harper heard the king's message he was sad, for he had awife and a child and a little brown dog; and he was sorry to leavethem and they were sorry to have him go. 

"Stay with us, " they begged; but the harper said:

"I _must_ go, for it would be discourtesy to disappoint the king; butas sure as holly berries are red and pine is green, I will come backby Christmas day to eat my share of the Christmas pudding, and singthe Christmas songs by my own fireside. "

And when he had promised this he hung his harp upon his back and wentaway with the messengers to the king's palace. 

When he got there the king welcomed him with joy, and many things weredone in his honor. He slept on a bed of softest down, and ate from aplate of gold at the king's own table; and when he sang everybody andeverything, from the king himself to the mouse in the palace pantry, stood still to listen. 

No matter what he was doing, however, feasting or resting, singing orlistening to praises, he never forgot the promise that he had made tohis wife and his child and his little brown dog; and when the daybefore Christmas came, he took his harp in his hand and went to bidthe king good-bye. 

Now the king was loath to have the harper leave him, and he said tohim:

"I will give you a horse that is white as milk, as glossy as satin, and fleet as a deer, if you will stay to play and sing before mythrone on Christmas day. "

But the harper answered, "I cannot stay, for I have a wife and a childand a little brown dog; and I have promised them to be at home byChristmas day to eat my share of the Christmas pudding and sing theChristmas songs by my own fireside. "

Then the king said, "If you will stay to play and sing before mythrone on Christmas day I will give to you a wonderful tree thatsummer or winter is never bare; and silver and gold will fall for youwhenever you shake this little tree. "

But the harper said, "I must not stay, for my wife and my child and mylittle brown dog are waiting for me, and I have promised them to be athome by Christmas day to eat my share of the Christmas pudding andsing the Christmas songs by my own fireside. "

Then the king said, "If you will stay on Christmas day one tune toplay and one song to sing, I will give you a velvet robe to wear, andyou may sit beside me here with a ring on your finger and a crown onyour head. "

But the harper answered, "I _will_ not stay, for my wife and my childand my little brown dog are watching for me; and I have promised themto be at home by Christmas day to eat my share of the Christmaspudding and sing the Christmas songs by my own fireside. " And hewrapped his old cloak about him, and hung his harp upon his back, andwent out from the king's palace without another word. 

He had not gone far when the little white snow-flakes came flutteringdown from the skies. 

 "Harper, stay, " they seemed to say, "Do not venture out to-day. "

But the harper said, "The snow may fall, but I must go, for I have awife and a child and a little brown dog; and I have promised them tobe at home by Christmas day to eat my share of the Christmas puddingand sing the Christmas songs by my own fireside. "

Then the snow fell thick, and the snow fell fast. The hills and thevalleys, the hedges and hollows were white. The paths were all hidden, and there were drifts like mountains on the king's highway. Theharper stumbled and the harper fell, but he would not turn back; andas he traveled he met the wind. 

 "Brother Harper, turn, I pray; Do not journey on to-day, "

sang the wind, but the harper would not heed. 

"Snows may fall and winds may blow, but I must go on, " he said, "for Ihave a wife and a child and a little brown dog; and I have promisedthem to be at home by Christmas day to eat my share of the Christmaspudding and sing the Christmas songs by my own fireside. "

Then the wind blew an icy blast. The snow froze on the ground and thewater froze in the rivers. The harper's breath froze in the air, andicicles as long as the king's sword hung from the rocks on the king'shighway. The harper shivered and the harper shook, but he would notturn back; and by and by he came to the forest that lay between himand his home. 

The trees of the forest were creaking and bending in the wind, andevery one of them seemed to say:

 "Darkness gathers, night is near; Harper, stop! Don't venture here. "

But the harper would not stop. "Snows may fall, winds may blow, andnight may come, but I have promised to be at home by Christmas day toeat my share of the Christmas pudding and sing the Christmas songs bymy own fireside. I must go on. "

And on he went till the last glimmer of daylight faded, and there wasdarkness everywhere. But the harper was not afraid of the dark. 

"If I cannot see I can sing, " said he, and he sang in the forestjoyously:

 "Sing glory, glory, glory! And bless God's holy name; For 'twas on Christmas morning, The little Jesus came. 

 "He wore no robes; no crown of gold Was on His head that morn; But herald angels sang for joy, To tell a King was born. "

[Illustration: THE HARPER WAS HAPPIER THAN A KING AS HE SAT BY HIS OWNFIRESIDE. ]

The snow ceased its falling, the wind ceased its blowing, the trees ofthe forest bowed down to listen, and, lo! dear children, as he sangthe darkness turned to wondrous light, and close at hand the harpersaw the open doorway of his home. 

The wife and the child and the little brown dog were watching andwaiting, and they welcomed the harper with great joy. The hollyberries were red in the Christmas wreaths; their Christmas tree was ayoung green pine; the Christmas pudding was full of plums; and theharper was happier than a king as he sat by his own fireside to sing:

 "O glory, glory, glory! We praise God's holy name; For 'twas to bring His wondrous love, The little Jesus came. 

 "And in our hearts it shines anew, While at His throne we pray, God bless us all for Jesus' sake, This happy Christmas day. "

[Illustration: Music]

THE HARPER'S SONG

Words, MAUD LINDSAY

Music, ELSIE A. MERRIMAN

1. Sing glo-ry, glo-ry, glo-ry! And bless God's ho-ly name;2. O glo-ry, glo-ry, glo-ry! We praise God's ho-ly name;

For 'twas on Christmas morn-ing, The lit-tle Je-sus came. For 'twas to bring His wondrous love, The lit-tle Je-sus came. 

He wore no robes; no crown of gold Was on His head that morn; ButAnd in our hearts it shines a-new, While at His throne we pray, God

her-ald an-gels sang for joy, To tell a King was born. Bless us all for Je-sus' sake, This hap-py Christ-mas day. 

THE PLATE OF PANCAKES

Once upon a time a woman was frying some pancakes, and as she turnedthe last cake in the pan she said to her little boy:

"If you were a little older I should send you with some of these finecakes for your father's dinner, but as it is, he must wait till supperfor them. "

"Oh, do let me take them, " said the little boy, whose name was Karl. "Just see how tall I am. And only yesterday my grandmother said I wasold enough to learn my letters. Do let me go!"

And he begged and begged till at last she selected the brownest andcrispest cakes, and putting them in a plate with a white napkin overthem she bade him take them. 

Now the path that led from Karl's home to the saw-mill where hisfather worked was straight enough, and plain enough, but it ranthrough the wood that was called Enchanted. Fairies lived there, sosome people thought, and goblins that liked to work mischief; andnever before had the little boy been allowed to go there alone. 

As he hurried along with the plate of pancakes in his hand he glancedinto every green thicket that he passed, half hopeful, and halffearful that he might find a tiny creature hidden in the leaves. Not aglimpse of fairy or goblin did he see, but when he came to theblackberry bushes where the sweetest berries grow something seemed towhisper to him: "Stop, Karl, and eat. "

"But I am taking a plate of pancakes for my father's dinner, " saidKarl speaking aloud. 

"A moment or two will make no difference. You can run fast, " came thewhisper again. 

[Illustration: SOMETHING SEEMED TO WHISPER TO HIM: "STOP, KARL, ANDEAT. "]

"Oh, yes, I can run fast, " said Karl; and he put the plate down underthe bushes and began to pick the berries. They were as ripe andsweet as they had looked and every one that the little boy put intohis mouth made him wish for another; and if he turned away from thebushes the whisper was sure to come: "One more and then go. "

The pancakes grew cold in the plate, and the sun which had been highin the sky when Karl started from home slipped farther and fartherinto the west; but still he lingered, till suddenly the eveningwhistle of the mill sounded sharp and shrill in his ears. 

"Why, it is time for my father to come home, " he cried. "Dear me, dearme, what shall I do?"

There was nothing for him to do but to go home, so home he went withthe plate of cold pancakes in his hand and the tears rolling down hischeeks. 

When he told his mother and grandmother what had happened they lookedat each other wisely as if they thought more about it than they wouldsay; but they bade him dry his tears. 

"You will be more careful another time, " they said; and so the matterended. 

But Karl did not forget it. It was many a month before his motherfried pancakes again, but no sooner did he see her turning the cakesin the pan than he said:

"I wish my father had some of these fine cakes for his dinner, don'tyou, mother?"

"Indeed I do, " said she, smiling at his grandmother as she spoke; andas soon as the cakes were done she selected the brownest and crispest, and putting them in a plate with a white napkin over them, she badehim take them. 

"I'll get there in time for my father's dinner to-day, " he said as hestarted out; but in a very short while he was back with an empty platein his hand, and the tears rolling down his cheeks. 

"I only put the plate down for a minute while I chased a rabbit thatsaid, 'If you catch me you may have me;' and when I came back everypancake was gone, " he sobbed. 

His mother and grandmother looked at each other wisely when they heardthis. 

"It is just as I thought the first time, " said his mother. "Thegoblins are at work in the wood. He must never go there again. "

But to this the grandmother would not agree. 

"Leave it to me, " she said, and the very next day she fried pancakes, and selecting the brownest and crispest she put them in a plate with awhite napkin over them and bade Karl take them to his father. 

"And if any bid you stop or stay, or turn your feet from out your way, say but the word that is spelled with the fourteenth and fifteenthletters of the alphabet three times in a loud voice, and all will gowell with you, " she said. 

"All right, " said Karl, nodding his head proudly, for he knew all hisletters by this time and could spell hard words like c-a-t, cat, m-a-t, mat. "All right, " but he did not stop to count the letters thenfor he was in a great hurry to be off. 

"I guess my father will be glad to get such fine pancakes for hisdinner, " he said; and he ran so fast that he was half-way to the millbefore he knew it. 

There was no whispering voice in the wood that day and no talkingrabbit to tempt him to a chase; but as he came to a place whereanother path crossed his own, a bird called out from the heart of thewood:

"Quick, quick, come here, here, here----"

"Where, where?" cried Karl; and he was just about to start in searchof the bird when he remembered what his grandmother had said:

"If any bid you stop or stay, or turn your feet from out your way, saybut the word that is spelled with the fourteenth and fifteenth lettersof the alphabet three times in a loud voice, and all will go well withyou. "

"A, B, C, D, E, F, G, " he chanted, counting the letters on his fingersas he said them, "H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O:" N was the fourteenth letterand O was the fifteenth. N-O; that was easy. 

"No! No! No!" he shouted; and--do you believe it?--in less time thanit takes to tell it he was at the mill door with every pancake safeand hot. 

And the story goes that though he came and went through the EnchantedWood all the days of his life he was never hindered by anything thereagain; and he never saw a goblin though he lived to be as old as hisgrandmother had been when he was a little boy. 

LITTLE MAID HILDEGARDE

One evening Little Maid Hildegarde's father came home with wonderfulnews; the knights were coming to town. He had heard it as he came fromthe forest where he cut wood all day and he hurried every step of theway home to tell Hildegarde and her mother. 

"They are on the king's business and will be at the Church Squareto-morrow morning at the hour of ten. Everybody in town will be thereto see them. Old Grandmother Grey is going to ask them to ride insearch of her little lamb that has gone astray; and the mayor willtell them of the wolves that come in the winter. The good knights arealways glad to help, " he said. 

Little Maid Hildegarde knew all about the knights. Her father wasnever tired of telling, or she of hearing, how they fought and killedthe fierce dragon that had troubled the people of the border; and putout the forest fires in the time of the great drought and fed thehungry when the famine was in the land. And yet with all of theirgreat deeds they were merry men, not too proud to sing at a feast orplay with a child. 

And many an evening, though Hildegarde was growing to be a great girl, her mother sat by her bed to sing a song that she had sung to her whenshe was a babe in the cradle:

 "Hush, my baby, do not cry, Five brave knights go riding by. One is dressed in bonny blue; He's the leader, strong and true. One is clad from head to toe In an armor white as snow. 

 "One in crimson bright is drest, With a star upon his breast. One in gold and one in green, Cloth of gold and satin sheen. Hush, my baby, do not cry, Five brave knights go riding by. "

Oh, how Hildegarde had longed to see those splendid riders! And now atlast she was to have her heart's desire. It seemed almost too good tobe true. 

"Shall we start to town as soon as the new day comes?" she asked. 

"Just as soon as the cows are taken to the pasture, and the littlechicks are fed, " said her mother; and the little maid went to bed wellsatisfied. 

But alas, for Hildegarde and her hopes! The morning sun had scarcelyshone when her mother awoke with a terrible pain in her head, and herfather slipped on his way to the barn and sprained his foot so hecould not walk. And there was no one to take the child to the ChurchSquare. No, not even a neighbor, for Hildegarde and her mother andfather lived apart from every one else, and the wood that is calledEnchanted lay between them and the town. 

There was no help for it. Hildegarde knew herself, without a word fromany one, that she could not go; but as she ran about the house to waiton them, she heard her mother and father talking. 

"It is not for the pain in my face that I grieve, " said the goodmother; "but for the disappointment of our little maid. "

"Aye, " said the father, "I would bear my hurt, and more too, willingly, if only she might see the gallant knights. "

And when Hildegarde heard what they said she made haste to wipe awaythe tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks, and went about herwork with a pleasant face. 

All day long she was busy for there were the cows to take to thepasture, and the little chicks to feed, and the eggs to gather; but atsunset her tasks were done, and with her doll in her arms she sat inthe doorway of the house and looked away toward the town, the towersof which just showed above the Enchanted Wood. 

Highest of all was the spire of the church that stood in the squarewhere the knights had been; and as Hildegarde watched it change fromgrey to gold in the sunset glow, she thought of them and wonderedwhere they had gone when their business was done. 

Some day they would come again and then she should surely see them, her father said; and already she had begun to look forward to thattime. 

"Perhaps they will come when the wolves do in the winter, " she said toherself; but scarcely had she spoken when through an opening in thewood she spied a horseman riding at a stately pace. Behind him cameanother, and another till she had counted five--five brave knights!Yes, there they came with prancing steeds and shining shields, andsplendid clothes!

One bore a banner blue as the sky on a summer's day, and the next helda wee lamb close within his arms. A dragon's head hung from another'ssaddle, and two had bugles by their sides. 

Not a word was spoken. As silently as the stars shine out at eveningthey passed the door where the child sat wonder-struck; and as quietlyas the sun goes down at the day's end they vanished into the woodagain before she could move or call. But just as the green of the lastone's coat faded away into the green of the trees, Hildegarde thoughtshe heard a strain of sweetest music!

Now there were those, and Hildegarde's mother and father were amongthem, who believed that the little maid, tired from her long busy day, had fallen asleep, and dreamed a beautiful dream. 

But as for Hildegarde, she kept the vision in her heart alway; andwhen as the years went by she had little ones of her own to rock tosleep, she told them of it, and sang to them as her mother had sung toher:

[Illustration: Music]

FIVE BRAVE KNIGHTS

Words, MAUD LINDSAY

Air, Old Song

Hush, my ba-by, do not cry, Five brave knights go rid-ing by. 

One is dressed in bon-ny blue; He's the lead-er, strong and true. 

One is clad from head to toe In an ar-mor white as snow. 

One in crim-son bright is drest, With a star up-on his breast. 

One in gold and one in green, Cloth of gold and sat-in sheen. 

Hush, my ba-by, do not cry, Five brave knights go rid-ing by. 

[Illustration: YES, THERE THEY CAME!]

THE APPLE DUMPLING

There was once upon a time an old woman who wanted an apple dumplingfor supper. She had plenty of flour and plenty of butter, plenty ofsugar and plenty of spice for a dozen dumplings, but there was onething she did not have; and that was an apple. 

She had plums, a tree full of them, the roundest and reddest that youcan imagine; but, though you can make butter from cream and raisins ofgrapes, you cannot make an apple dumpling with plums, and there is nouse trying. 

The more the old woman thought of the dumpling the more she wanted it, and at last she dressed herself in her Sunday best and started out toseek an apple. 

Before she left home, however, she filled a basket with plums fromher plum-tree and, covering it over with a white cloth, hung it on herarm, for she said to herself: "There may be those in the world whohave apples, and need plums. "

She had not gone very far when she came to a poultry yard filled withfine hens and geese and guineas. Ca-ca, quawk, quawk, poterack! What anoise they made; and in the midst of them stood a young woman who wasfeeding them with yellow corn. She nodded pleasantly to the old woman, and the old woman nodded to her; and soon the two were talking as ifthey had known each other always. 

The young woman told the old woman about her fowls and the old womantold the young woman about the dumpling and the basket of plums forwhich she hoped to get apples. 

"Dear me, " said the young woman when she heard this, "there is nothingmy husband likes better than plum jelly with goose for his Sundaydinner, but unless you will take a bag of feathers for your plums hemust do without, for that is the best I can offer you. "

"One pleased is better than two disappointed, " said the old womanthen; and she emptied the plums into the young woman's apron andputting the bag of feathers into her basket trudged on as merrily asbefore; for she said to herself:

"If I am no nearer the dumpling than when I left home, I am at leastno farther from it; and that feathers are lighter to carry than plumsnobody can deny. "

Trudge, trudge, up hill and down she went, and presently she came to agarden of sweet flowers; lilies, lilacs, violets, roses--oh, never wasthere a lovelier garden!

The old woman stopped at the gate to look at the flowers; and as shelooked she heard a man and a woman, who sat on the door-step of ahouse that stood in the garden, quarreling. 

"Cotton, " said the woman. 

"Straw, " said the man. 

"'Tis not--"

"It is, " they cried, and so it went between them, till they spied theold woman at the gate. 

"Here is one who will settle the matter, " said the woman then; and shecalled to the old woman:

"Good mother, answer me this: If you were making a cushion for yourgrandfather's chair would you not stuff it with cotton?"

"No, " said the old woman. 

"I told you so, " cried the man. "Straw is the thing, and no need to gofarther than the barn for it;" but the old woman shook her head. 

"I would not stuff the cushion with straw, " said she; and it wouldhave been hard to tell which one was the more cast down by heranswers, the man or the woman. 

But the old woman made haste to take the bag of feathers out of herbasket, and give it to them. 

"A feather cushion is fit for a king, " she said, "and as for me, anapple for a dumpling, or a nosegay from your garden will serve me aswell as what I give. "

The man and the woman had no apples, but they were glad to exchange anosegay from their garden for a bag of fine feathers, you may be sure. 

"There is nothing nicer for a cushion than feathers, " said the woman. 

"My mother had one made of them, " said the man; and they laughed likechildren as they hurried into the garden to fill the old woman'sbasket with the loveliest posies; lilies, lilacs, violets, roses--oh!never was there a sweeter nosegay. 

"A good bargain, and not all of it in the basket, " said the old woman, for she was pleased to have stopped the quarrel, and when she hadwished the two good fortune and a long life, she went upon her wayagain. 

Now her way was the king's highway, and as she walked there she met ayoung lord who was dressed in his finest clothes, for he was going tosee his lady love. He would have been as handsome a young man as everthe sun shone on had it not been that his forehead was wrinkled into aterrible frown, and the corners of his mouth drawn down as if he hadnot a friend left in the whole world. 

"A fair day and a good road, " said the old woman, stopping to drop hima courtesy. 

"Fair or foul, good or bad, 'tis all one to me, " said he, "when thecourt jeweler has forgotten to send the ring he promised, and I mustgo to my lady with empty hands. "

"Empty hands are better than an empty heart, " said the old woman; "butthen we are young only once; so you shall have a gift for your ladythough I may never have an apple dumpling. " And she took the nosegayfrom her basket and gave it to the young lord which pleased him somuch that the frown smoothed away from his forehead, and his mouthspread itself in a smile, and he was as handsome a young man as everthe sun shone on. 

"Fair exchange is no robbery, "[3] said he, and he unfastened a goldenchain from round his neck and gave it to the old woman, and went awayholding his nosegay with great care. 

[Footnote 3: An old saying. ]

The old woman was delighted. 

"With this golden chain I might buy all the apples in the king'smarket, and then have something to spare, " she said to herself, as shehurried away toward town as fast as her feet could carry her. 

But she had gone no farther than the turn of the road when she cameupon a mother and children, standing in a doorway, whose faces were assorrowful as her own was happy. 

"What is the matter?" she asked as soon as she reached them. 

"Matter enough, " answered the mother, "when the last crust of breadis eaten and not a farthing in the house to buy more. "

"Well-a-day, " cried the old woman when this was told her. "Never shallit be said of me that I eat apple dumpling for supper while myneighbors lack bread;" and she put the golden chain into the mother'shands and hurried on without waiting for thanks. 

She was not out of sight of the house, though, when the mother andchildren, every one of them laughing and talking as if it wereChristmas or Candlemas day, overtook her. 

"Little have we to give you, " said the mother who was the happiest ofall, "for that you have done for us, but here is a little dog, whosebarking will keep loneliness from your house, and a blessing goes withit. "

The old woman did not have the heart to say them nay, so into thebasket went the little dog, and very snugly he lay there. 

[Illustration: SHE SAW AN APPLE-TREE AS FULL OF APPLES AS HERPLUM-TREE WAS FULL OF PLUMS. ]

"A bag of feathers for a basket of plums; a nosegay of flowers for abag of feathers; a golden chain for a nosegay of flowers; a dog and ablessing for a golden chain; all the world is give and take, and whoknows but that I may have my apple yet, " said the old woman as shehurried on. 

And sure enough she had not gone a half dozen yards when, right beforeher, she saw an apple-tree as full of apples as her plum-tree was fullof plums. It grew in front of a house as much like her own as if thetwo were peas in the same pod; and on the porch of the house sat alittle old man. 

"A fine tree of apples!" called the old woman as soon as she was inspeaking distance of him. 

"Aye, but apple-trees and apples are poor company when a man isgrowing old, " said the old man; "and I would give them all if I hadeven so much as a little dog to bark on my door-step. "

"Bow-wow!" called the dog in the old woman's basket, and in less timethan it takes to read this story he was barking on the old man'sdoor-step, and the old woman was on her way home with a basket ofapples on her arm. 

She got there in plenty of time to make the dumpling for supper, andit was as sweet and brown a dumpling as heart could desire. 

"If you try long enough and hard enough you can always have an appledumpling for supper, " said the old woman; and she ate the dumpling tothe very last crumb; and enjoyed it, too. 

THE KING'S SERVANT[4]

There was once upon a time a faithful servant whose name was Hans. Heserved the king his master so long and so well that one day the kingsaid to him:

"Speak, Hans, and tell me what three things do you most desire that Imay give them to you as a reward for your faithfulness. "

[Footnote 4: Adapted with a free hand from Grimm's "White Snake. "]

It did not take Hans long to answer the king. 

"If you please, your majesty, " he said, "I should like best in all theworld to go to see my mother; to have a horse on which to ride upon myjourney; and to taste the food that lies hidden in the silver dishthat comes each day to your majesty's table. "

And when the king heard this he made haste to send for the silverdish and lifting the lid with his own hand he bade Hans taste of thefood inside. What this food was, neither I nor anybody else can tellyou, but no sooner had Hans tasted it than he understood whateverything in the world was saying, from the birds in the tree-tops tothe hens in the king's poultry yard. 

"Good-bye, Hans, " they called as Hans mounted the horse which the kinggave him and rode away through the gate. 

"Good-bye, " said Hans, and he cantered off in fine style down theking's highway. 

Before he had ridden far, however, he heard such a moaning andcomplaining by the roadside that he stopped his horse to see what thematter was; and--do you believe it?--it was the ant people whoseant-hill stood in the way, right where Hans was about to ride. 

"See, see!" they cried, running to and fro in great alarm. "This giantof a man on his terrible horse will ride over our new house and crushus to death. "

"Not I, " said Hans. "If so much as one of you gets under my horse'shoofs it will be your fault and not mine;" and getting down from hishorse he led him around the ant-hill and into the road on the otherside. 

"One good turn deserves another, " cried the ant people running to andfro in great joy. "You have helped us, and we will help you some day;"and they were still saying this when Hans mounted his horse and rodeaway. 

Now before long Hans came to a great forest and as he rode under thespreading branches of the trees he heard a cry for help in the woods. 

"What can this be?" said Hans; but the very next minute he saw twoyoung birds lying beneath a tree, beating their wings upon the groundand crying aloud:

"Alas! Alas! Who will put us into the nest again?"

"I, the king's servant and my mother's son; I will put you into thenest again, " said Hans, and he was as good as his word. 

"One good turn deserves another, " called the birds when they were safein their nest once more. "You have helped us, and we will help yousome day. "

Hans laughed to hear them, for though it was easy for him to help themhe could not think what they might do for him. 

Trot, trot, and gallop, gallop he rode through the forest till he cameto a stream of water beside which lay three panting fishes. 

"We shall surely die unless we can get into the water, " they cried. 

Their breath was almost gone and their voices were no louder than thefaintest whisper, but Hans understood every word that they said; andhe jumped from his horse and threw them into the stream. 

"One good turn deserves another, " they cried as they swam merrilyaway. "You have helped us, and we will help you some day. "

Now it so happened that Hans came by and by to the land of a verywicked king who broke his promises as easily as if they were made ofspun glass and who never thought of anybody but himself. 

No sooner had Hans come into the land than the king stopped him andwould not let him go on. 

"No one shall pass through my kingdom, " he said, "till he has done onepiece of work for me. "

Hans was not afraid of work. "Show it to me that I may do it at once, "he said; "for I am hastening to see my mother. "

Then the king took Hans into a room as large as a meadow where some ofall the seeds in the world was stored. There were lettuce-seeds, andradish-seeds, flax-seeds and grains of rice, fine seeds of flowers andsmall seeds of grass, all mixed and mingled till no two alike laytogether. 

Hans had never seen so many seeds in all his life before; and when hehad looked at them the king bade him sort them, each kind to itself. 

"The lettuce-seed must be here, and the radish-seed there; theflax-seed in this corner and the grains of rice in another; the fineseeds of flowers must be in their place, and the small seeds of grassall ready for planting before you can pass through my kingdom and goon your way, " he said; and when he had spoken he went out of the roomand locked the door behind him. 

Poor Hans! He sat down on the floor and cried--the tears rolled downhis cheeks I do assure you--for he said to himself:

"If I live to be a hundred years old I can never do this thing thatthe king requires. I shall never see my mother or the good king, mymaster, again. "

How long he sat there, neither I nor anybody else can tell you, but byand by he saw a little black ant creeping in through a crack in thefloor. Behind it came another and another, like soldiers marching; oneby one they came, till the whole floor was black with hundreds andhundreds of the ant people. 

"You helped us, and we have come to help you, " they said; and they setto work at once to sort the seed as the king required. 

By the next day when the king came in to inquire how Hans was gettingon, the work was done. The lettuce-seed was here and the radish-seedwas there, the flax-seed in one corner, and the grains of rice inanother; the fine seeds of flowers were in their place and the smallseeds of grass were all ready for planting. 

The king was astonished. He could scarcely believe his eyes; but hewould not let Hans go. 

"Such a fine workman must do one other piece of work before he passesthrough my kingdom, " he said; and he took Hans out in the open countryand pointed to an orchard far away. 

"Bring me one golden apple that grows in that orchard and you shall gofree, " he said. 

"Ah, what an easy task is this, " said Hans, and he set off at once tothe orchard. 

But, alack, when he had come to the orchard gate it was guarded by afiery dragon, the like of which he had never seen in all his life!"Come and be devoured!" it cried, as Hans came into sight. 

Poor Hans! He sat down by the roadside and held his head between hishands and cried--the tears rolled down his cheeks I do assure you--forhe said to himself:

"If I go into the orchard I shall be eaten alive by the dragon, and ifI do not go I shall never see my mother or the good king, my master, again. "

How long he sat there, neither I nor anybody else can tell you, but byand by he saw two birds flying through the air. Nearer and nearer theycame till at last they reached the spot where Hans sat and lighted athis feet. And they were the very birds that Hans had helped. Theirwings had grown strong enough by this time to carry them wherever theywanted to go and they flapped them joyfully as they cried:

"One good turn deserves another. You helped us, and we have come tohelp you. "

It was no trouble for them to fly into the orchard high above thedragon's head; and almost before Hans knew they were gone they wereback again bringing with them the golden apple that the king desired. 

He was astonished when Hans took it to him. He could scarcely believehis eyes; but he would not let Hans go. 

Instead he took a ring from his finger and threw it to the very bottomof the sea. 

"Go and fetch me that ring, " he said, "and you shall be free as thebirds and the bees; but until it is upon my finger again you shall notpass through my kingdom. "

Poor Hans! He sat down on the seashore and cried--the tears rolleddown his cheeks I do assure you--for he said to himself:

"Who can do a task like this? I must either drown or stay here all thedays of my life. I shall never see my mother or the good king, mymaster, again. "

How long he sat there, neither I nor anybody else can tell you, but byand by three little fishes came swimming to the shore. 

"One good turn deserves another, " they called, for they were the veryfish that Hans had thrown into the stream. "You helped us, and we havecome to help you. "

Then down they went to the very bottom of the sea where the king'sring lay. One of them took it in his mouth and so brought it safely toHans who ran with it to the king. 

[Illustration: ONE OF THEM TOOK IT IN HIS MOUTH, AND SO BROUGHT ITSAFELY TO HANS. ]

And when the king saw the ring he knew that he must let Hans go; hedid not dare to keep him any longer. 

So Hans mounted his horse and rode joyfully to his mother's home wherehe stayed till the time came when he must return to the good king, hismaster, which he did by another road. 

He worked well and was happy serving his master faithfully, and makingfriends with birds and beasts, all the days of his life; but neveragain did he go to the wicked king's country. And I for one think heshowed his good sense by that. 

THE GREAT WHITE BEAR

Once upon a time the tailor of Wraye and the tinker of Wraye went tothe king's fair together; and when they had seen all the sights thatwere there they started home together well pleased with their day'souting. 

The sun was going down when they left the fair and when they came tothe Enchanted Wood through which they had to pass the moon was risingover the hill. And a fine full moon it was, so bright that the nightwas almost as light as day. 

"There are some people who would not venture in this wood at nighteven when the moon is shining, " said the tinker; "but as for me I donot know what fear is. "

"Nor I, " said the tailor. "I would that every one had as stout a heartas mine. "

And it was just then that Grandmother Grey's old white sheep that hadwandered into the wood that eve came plodding through the bushes. 

"Goodness me! What is that?" said the tinker clutching his companion'sarm. 

"A bear!" cried the tailor casting one frightened glance toward thebushes. "A great white bear! Run, run for your life. "

And run they did! The tailor was small and the tinker was tall, but itwas a close race between them, up hill and down hill, and into thetown. 

"A bear, a great white bear!" they called as they ran; and everybodythey met took up the cry: "A bear, a bear!" till the whole town wasroused. 

The mayor and his wife, the shoemaker and his daughter, the butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker, the blacksmith and the miller'sson--indeed, to make a long story short, everybody who was awake inthe town of Wraye--came hurrying out of their houses to hear what thematter was. There was soon as large a crowd as went to church onSunday gathered about the two friends; and the tailor and the tinkertalked as fast as they had run, to tell their thrilling tale. 

"We were just coming through the wood, " said the tailor, "when there, as close to us as the shoemaker is to the blacksmith, we saw----"

"A terrible creature, " interrupted the tinker. "'Tis as large as acalf, I assure you----"

"And white as the mayor's shirt, " cried the tailor. "It is a marvelthat we escaped and if it had not been that I----"

"I saw it first, " said the tinker; "but I stood my ground. I did notrun till the tailor did. "

The two would have been willing to talk till morning had not all theothers determined to go to the wood at once and kill the bear. 

[Illustration: "A BEAR!" CRIED THE TAILOR. ]

"I cannot answer for the safety of the town till it is done, " said themayor; so every one ran for a weapon as fast as his feet could carryhim. 

The mayor brought his long sword that the king had given him, and thecarpenter a hatchet, the blacksmith took his hammer, and the miller'sson a gun; and the rest of the men whatever they could put their handson. 

The women went, too, with mops and brooms to drive the bear awayshould he run toward the town; and one little boy who had waked up inthe stir followed after them with stones in his hands. 

They very soon came to the wood, and then the question was who shouldgo first. 

"Let the tinker and the tailor lead the way, " said the mayor, "and wewill come close after. "

"Oh, no, if you please, your honor, " said the tinker and the tailorspeaking at the very same time. "That will never do. We cannot thinkof going before you. "

"I will go first if the mayor will lend me his sword, " said theshoemaker. 

"Aye, aye, let the shoemaker go, " cried some. 

"No, no, 'tis the mayor's place. The king gave the sword to him, " saidothers. 

"I could kill the bear while you are talking about it, " said themiller's son. 

Every one had something to say, but at last it was all settled and themiller's son with the mayor's sword by his side and his own gun in hishand was just slipping into the wood when out walked the old whitesheep!

"Baa, baa, " she cried, as if to ask, "Pray tell me what the stir'sabout. Baa, baa!"

"A sheep, a sheep, a great white sheep!" cried the miller's son; andthen how the people of Wraye did laugh!

They laughed and they laughed and they laughed, so loud and so longthat their laughter was heard all the way to the king's fair and setthe people to laughing there. 

But whether the tailor and the tinker laughed or not, I do not know. 

THE SONG THAT TRAVELED

One day when all the world was gay with spring a king stood at awindow of his palace and looked far out over his kingdom. And becausehis land was fair to see, and he was a young king, and his heart washappy, he made a song for himself and sang it loud and merrily:

 "The hawthorn's white, the sun is bright, And blue the cloudless sky; And not a bird that sings in spring Is happier than I, than I, Is happier than I. "

Now it chanced that a ploughboy at work in a field hard by the palaceheard the king's song and caught the words and the air of it. 

He was young and happy and as he followed his plough across the dewyfield, and thought of the corn that would grow, by and by, in thefurrows it made, and of his little black and white pig that wouldfeed and grow fat on the corn, he sang:

 "The hawthorn's white, the sun is bright, And blue the cloudless sky; And not a bird that sings in spring Is happier than I, than I, Is happier than I. "

"A right merry song, Robin Ploughboy, " called the goose-girl whotended the farmer's geese in the next field; and she leaned on thefence that divided the two, and sang with him, for she was as happy alass as ever lived in the king's country. 

The farmer's wife had given her a goose for her very own that day, andthe goose had made a nest in the alder bushes. There was already oneegg in it and soon there would be more. Then she would send them tomarket; and when they were sold she would buy a ribbon for her hair. It was no wonder that she felt like singing:

 "The hawthorn's white, the sun is bright, And blue the cloudless sky; And not a bird that sings in spring Is happier than I, than I, Is happier than I. "

The chapman, [5] from whom she bought her ribbon in all good time, learned the king's song from her; and as he trudged along the king'shighway with his pack upon his back he, too, sang it; for there is nobetter weather for peddling or singing, either, than that which comesin the spring. 

[Footnote 5: A peddler. ]

A soldier just home from the wars, and glad enough to be there, hadthe song from the chapman; and in turn he taught it to a sailor whotook it to sea with him. 

The sailor was going to the far countries, but if all went well withhis ship, and with him, he would be at home in time to see thehawthorn bloom in his mother's yard another year and another spring. 

[Illustration: SHE LEANED ON THE FENCE THAT DIVIDED THE TWO. ]

He kept the song in his heart for a year and a day, and then, becausenothing had gone amiss and he was homeward bound, he sang it, too:

 "The hawthorn's white, the sun is bright, And blue the cloudless sky; And not a bird that sings in spring Is happier than I, than I, Is happier than I. "

On the sailor's ship there was a minstrel bound for the king's courtto sing on May Day; and the minstrel learned the song from the sailor. 

He was a young minstrel and very proud to sing at the king's festival, so when it was his turn and he stood before the throne he could thinkof no better song to sing than:

 "The hawthorn's white, the sun is bright, And blue the cloudless sky; And not a bird that sings in spring Is happier than I, than I, Is happier than I. "

Now the king had been so busy about the affairs of his kingdomdeciding this question and that, sending messengers here and there, and listening to one and another, as all kings must do, that he hadforgotten the song which he had made. But when he heard the minstrelit all came back to him; and then he was puzzled. 

"Good minstrel, " said he, "ten golden guineas I will give you for yoursong, and to the ten will add ten more if you will tell me where youlearned it. "

"An easy matter that, " said the minstrel. "The sailor who rides in yonwhite ship in your harbor taught it to me. "

"The soldier who even now stands guard at your majesty's gate gave methe song, " said the sailor when he was asked. 

"I had it from the chapman who travels on the king's highway, " saidthe soldier. 

"I heard the little goose-girl sing it, " said the chapman when theyfound him. 

"'Tis Robin Ploughboy's song, " laughed the goose-girl. "Go ask himabout it. "

"The king sang it first and I next, " said the ploughboy. 

Then the king knew that he had made a good song that everybody with ahappy heart might sing; and because he was glad of this, he stood athis window and sang again:

[Illustration: Music]

THE SONG THAT TRAVELED

Words, MAUD LINDSAY

Music, ELSIE A. MERRIMAN

_Allegretto_

The hawthorn's white, the sun is bright, And blue the cloud-less

sky; . And not a bird that sings in spring Is

hap-pi-er than I, than I, Is hap-pi-er than I. . . 

THE QUEST FOR THE NIGHTINGALE[6]

 Oh, who would go to fairyland? The moon is shining bright, oh, And who would go to fairyland Upon a summer's night, oh!

 Across a field of fragrant fern All sparkling with the dew, oh! Come trip it light to fairyland And I will go with you, oh!

 To fairyland, to fairyland, Who seeks may find the way, oh, And we shall see the fairies dance Before the break of day, oh!

[Footnote 6: I am indebted to one William Shakespeare, whose intimateacquaintance with fairyland none can dispute, for the name"Pease-Blossom"; to Joseph Rodman Drake for the idea of my story; andto some of the folk tales which suggested to me one or two ofPease-Blossom's adventures. ]

In the deepest dell of the Enchanted Wood, where the moss grew thegreenest and the violets bloomed the sweetest, the fairies lived. It was they who kept the brooks and the springs free from dirt orclog, and tended the wild flowers and watched over the young trees. And they were friends with all the harmless birds and beasts fromwood's end to wood's end. 

But for those creatures that work harm to others, and for the goblinswho delight in mischief they had no love, and every day and everynight a watch was set to drive them from the fairy dell. 

Each fay in turn kept guard and all went well till one evening whenPease-Blossom, the best-loved fairy in the dell, fell asleep at hispost and the goblins stole away the nightingale that sang each nightat the queen's court. 

Great was the sorrow in fairyland when this was known. 

"I will fly to catch them before they have had time to hide her away, "cried a fay whose name was Quick-As-Lightning. 

"I will go, too, " said little Twinkle-Toes. 

"And I, three, " said Spice-of-Life; "and my good thorn sword with me, which will make four against them. "

But the fairy queen would not consent to this. 

 "Pease-Blossom in his trust did fail; And he must seek the nightingale, "

she said; and no sooner had she spoken than the little fay bade hiscompanions good-bye and hastened out upon his quest alone. 

The goblins had left no trace behind them and Pease-Blossom wanderedhither and thither over dewy fells and fields asking of every pipingcricket and brown winged bat he met: "Passed the goblins this way?"

No one could aid him, and he was ready to drop from weariness andsorrow when the moon came over the hill and called:

"Whither away, Pease-Blossom? Whither away?"

"In quest of the nightingale that the goblins have stolen; but wherethey have taken her I cannot find, " answered the little fay sadly. 

Then said the moon: "Many a nightingale there is in the wide world, both free and caged, and how may I know yours from any other? But thisI can tell you: through a window in the castle of the Great Giant, which stands upon a high hill beside the Silver Sea, I spy anightingale in a golden cage which was not there when I shone throughthat same window yester eve; and moreover, at the World's End, whichis beyond the Giant's castle, I see a band of goblins counting money. "

"A thousand thanks to you, oh moon, " cried Pease-Blossom joyfully whenhe heard this; for he could put two and two together as well as anyfay in fairyland, and he did not doubt that the goblins had sold thenightingale to the Great Giant. 

"I shall be at the castle before you shine in the dell, " he called tothe moon as he flew swift as a humming bird through the air. 

But when he reached the hedge of thorns that guarded the palace of alovely princess who was next neighbor to the Giant, he tripped againsta candle-fly that was hurrying to an illumination in the palace, andtumbled headlong into the thorns. 

"Help! help!" he cried as he struggled to get free, and a night-hawkthat was out in a search of a supper flew down to see what the matterwas. 

"Oh, ho!" said he when he saw who it was. "Fairy folk like to have allthings their way, but 'tis my turn now to have a little fun. "

And he plucked Pease-Blossom from out the thorns and flew away withhim in his bill. 

Up and down, so high that the trees below looked no taller than cornstalks, and so low that their branches brushed his wings, he flew, till Pease-Blossom was faint from dizziness. 

"See what a great moth the hawk has in his bill, " cried an owl thatthey passed. 

"'Tis no moth but a bug, " said a whip-poor-will. 

"Such an enormous gnat should make a meal for two, " whispered abrother hawk, flying close. 

"Simpleton! Do you not know a fairy when you see one?" said thenight-hawk who could keep quiet no longer. 

But no sooner had he opened his bill to speak his very first word thanout tumbled Pease-Blossom. 

The other hawk made haste to catch the fay but before he could reachhim a fine breeze came blowing by. 

"Is this not my little playmate, Pease-Blossom, who likes so well toride on the grasses and rock in the flowers?" asked the breeze; and itwhisked the little fairy away and bore him along so fast that no birdcould keep up with him. 

They were at the Silver Sea in the twinkling of a star, andPease-Blossom was just beginning to think that his troubles wereended, when the breeze died away as quickly as it had come, and thelittle fay found himself in the sea before he knew what was happening. 

Fortunately for him a great tarpon fish came swimming by just then. 

"Catch fast hold of my tail, and I will take you safely to shore, "said he; and Pease-Blossom lost no time in doing as he was bid. 

Ugh! How salty the water was and how the billows roared as the fishplunged through them, sending the white spray far above his head!

Poor Pease-Blossom was more dead than alive when they reached theshore, but as soon as he had gotten his breath again he said to hisnew friend:

"If you will come with me to fairyland you may swim in a stream asclear as glass. There is no salt in it, and no rough waves and everyfairy in the dell will guard you from harm. "

"Water without salt! I cannot imagine it, " said the great tarpon. "Andno waves! Why, I should die of homesickness there. "

So when Pease-Blossom saw that there was nothing he could do for him, he thanked him kindly, and turned his steps to the Giant's castlewhich stood on a high hill close beside the sea just as the moon hadsaid. 

But Pease-Blossom's wings were so wet and so weary that though hetried once, twice, and thrice he could not fly to the lowest windowledge of the castle; and what he would have done nobody knows had nota chimney-swift who was out late from home flown by just then. 

She lived in the castle chimney and when she heard what the little faywanted she offered to carry him to her nest. 

"Once there all will be easy, " she said; "for there is no better wayto get into the castle than through the chimney. "

So Pease-Blossom seated himself between the swift's wings, and up theywent to the top of the chimney and then down through the opening tothe swift's home, which looked as if it were only half of a nestfastened against the wall. 

"If you will come with me to fairyland, " said Pease-Blossom when hesaw this, "you shall have the greenest tree in the wood for your home. And the fairies will help you to build a whole nest there. "

But the swift only laughed at him. "There is no better place than achimney to raise young birds. I should be uneasy about them everyminute in a tree. And as for a whole nest, I don't know what youmean, " said she. 

And when Pease-Blossom saw that she was well content with her home, hethanked her and bade her good-bye, and began his climb down thechimney. 

There was no light to show him the way except the little that the moonsent through the opening high above the swift's nest; and on allsides of the little fay were the straight narrow walls of the chimney, covered with black soot. He clung to them as closely as a lichen to arock, putting his little toes into every crack and holding fast to thebits of cement that jutted out here and there from the bricks. If herustled a wing he brought down a shower of soot upon himself, and whenat last he stood in the Giant's room, he was as black as any goblin. 

He had no time to think of himself though, for there asleep in thegolden cage which the moon had seen was the queen's nightingale. Therewas no mistaking her, for there was a tiny feather missing from thetip of her right wing, and that missing feather was in Pease-Blossom'sSunday cap hanging in an alder bush in the fairy dell that veryminute. 

The Giant was asleep, too, but the golden cage was on a table closebeside him, so close that poor Pease-Blossom, whose wings were notimproved by the soot from the chimney, could not reach it withoutclimbing upon the Giant's bed. 

He was as careful as he could be, but no sooner had he stepped uponthe bed than he touched one of the Giant's toes; and the Giant gave agreat start. 

"What is the matter?" called his wife. 

"Oh, nothing, " said he; "I only dreamed that a little mouse wastickling my toes;" and he fell asleep again. 

Pease-Blossom did not dare to move till he heard him breathingheavily. Then, tiptoe across the counterpane he went, taking care atevery step; but in spite of his care his wings brushed against one ofthe Giant's hands; and the Giant gave a great start. 

"What is the matter?" called his wife. 

"Oh, nothing, " said he; "I only dreamed that a little leaf fell on myhand;" and he closed his eyes, and turned over on his side and wassoon asleep. 

Pease-Blossom was close under the cage by this time, but so tall wasthe table on which it was, and so small was he that, to reach thedoor, he was forced to stand on the Giant's head. 

Light as thistle-down were his feet, but no sooner had the Giant felttheir tread than he gave a great start, and lifting his hand struckhimself a tremendous blow upon his forehead. Pease-Blossom would havebeen crushed to death had he not managed to spring, just at thatinstant, to the edge of the cage, where he stood trembling. 

"What is the matter?" called the Giant's wife. 

"Oh, nothing, " said he; "I only dreamed that a fly lighted on myforehead, " and he was soon breathing heavily again. 

The nightingale, who was not used to sleeping at night, anyway, waswide awake by this time, but when she saw Pease-Blossom she did notknow him, so black was he. 

"Do you not remember the fairy dell and the little fay to whom yougave a feather for his cap?" said Pease-Blossom then; and when thenightingale heard that, she was so overjoyed that she could scarcelykeep from bursting into song. 

To open the cage door was only a minute's work and the nightingale wassoon as free as air. Pease-Blossom seated himself upon her back andshe was just ready to fly through an open window near by when thegiant waked up in real earnest and saw the open cage. 

"Thieves! Robbers!" he called in such a terrible voice that thechimney-swift shook in her nest, and the big fish in the Silver Seajumped out of the water. 

If the Giant had spied Pease-Blossom and the nightingale it would havegone hard with them; but luckily for them his wife, who was akind-hearted woman, saw them before he did, and upset the golden cageright in his way. 

[Illustration: STRAIGHT TO THE ENCHANTED WOOD THEY WENT. ]

"The whole place is bewitched, " thundered he, stumbling over thecage; and in the stir which followed the nightingale slipped awayunseen. 

Over the Silver Sea where the fish swam, over the hedge of thornswhich guarded the palace of the lovely princess, over the fields andthe fells where the dew sparkled, straight to the Enchanted Wood theywent. 

"Who comes here?" called the fairy warder of the dell. 

"Pease-Blossom and the nightingale, " answered the fay; and great wasthe joy in fairyland at their return. 

"How long you have been!" said Quick-As-Lightning. 

"How fast you have come!" said little Twinkle-Toes. 

But as for Spice-of-Life he could not speak at all for laughing atsooty Pease-Blossom. 

Then Pease-Blossom made haste to bathe himself in the brook, and puton his finest court suit of pink satin rose-petals trimmed with lacefrom a spider's web; for the fairy queen had ordered a grand courtball in his honor, and there was no time to lose. 

A cricket band played merrily, the nightingale sang from a thicketclose at hand, and tripping and twirling the little folks went tillthe cock crowed and the sun came up; and it was fairy bedtime. 

 In light of sun and light of moon How different all things seem, oh! Wake up, wake up, dear Sleepy Head, 'Twas nothing but a dream, oh. 

 But who can tell? Some other night When mellow shines the moon, oh, Perhaps we'll dream the dream again And may that night come soon, oh!

THE MAGIC FLOWER

Once upon a time there lived a wee woman whose bit of a garden was adelight to all eyes. 

Such flowers as she had! And in the midst of them, green as an emeraldand smooth as velvet, was a grass plot with never a weed upon it. Andthrough the grass ran a garden walk as white as snow. Every one whosaw it declared there was no prettier garden in the king's country andwhat they said was no more than what was true. 

Early and late the wee woman worked to keep her garden fair and lovelybut in spite of all her care whenever the east wind blew it broughtwith it a whirl of trash from her neighbor's dooryard, and scatteredit among her flowers. 

Alack and alas, what a dooryard was that! Except for the trash thatwas always upon it, it was as bare as the palm of your hand; and therewas a heap of dirt and ashes as high as a hillock in front of thedoor. Everybody who passed it turned their eyes away from it, forthere was no uglier spot in the king's country; and that is nothingbut the truth of it. 

Whenever the wee woman looked from her windows or walked in her gardenshe saw the dooryard and many was the day when she said to herself:

"I wish I were a thousand miles away from it;" and if she made up hermind, as sometimes she did, that she would trouble no more about it, the east wind was sure to come with a whirl of its trash. Oh, itseemed as if she were always cleaning because of that dooryard!

And what to do about it she did not know. She puzzled and planned, shewished and she worked, but she had come to the end of her wits when, one day, her fairy godmother came to see her. 

"Never fret, " said the godmother when she had heard the trouble. "Inyour own garden grows a magic flower that can set things right; and ifyou will only tend it and watch it and wait long enough you shall seewhat you shall see. "

And when she had pointed out the flower she went on her way, leavingthe wee woman much comforted. 

She tended the flower and watched it and waited to see what she shouldsee; and while she was watching and waiting, the flower burst intobloom. The loveliest bloom! Every blossom was as rosy as the littleclouds at sunrise; and the wee woman's garden was more beautiful thanbefore because of them. 

"'Tis the prettiest garden in the king's country, " said every one whopassed; and what they said was no more than what was true. 

But as for the neighbor's dooryard it was as bare and ugly as ever. The heap of dirt and ashes grew larger every day; and whenever thewind blew from the east it brought a whirl of its trash into the weewoman's garden just as it had always done. 

The wee woman looked each morning to see if the magic of the flowerhad begun to work but morning after morning nothing changed. 

"It is long waiting and weary watching for magic things to work, " saidshe to herself; but because of what her fairy godmother had told her, she tended the flower from day to day, and hoped in her heart thatsomething might come of it yet. 

By and by the blossoms of the flower faded and fell and after themcame the seed. Hundreds and hundreds of feathery seed there were, andone day the wind from the west came by, and blew them away in a whirlover the fence and into the neighbor's dooryard. No one saw them go, not even the wee woman knew what had become of them; and as for thedooryard, it was as ugly as ever with its ash heap and its trash. Everybody who passed it turned their eyes away from it. 

[Illustration: WHILE SHE WAS WATCHING AND WAITING, THE FLOWER BURSTINTO BLOOM. ]

The wee woman herself would look at it no longer. 

"I will look at the magic flower instead, " she said to herself, and soshe did. Early and late she tended the plant and worked to make hergarden fair and lovely; but she kept her eyes from the dooryard. Andif the wind from the east blew trash among her flowers she raked itaway and burned it up and troubled no more about it. 

Summer slipped into autumn and autumn to winter and the flowers slept;but at the first peep of spring the wee woman's garden budded andbloomed once more; and one day as she worked there, with her back tothe dooryard, she heard passers-by call out in delight:

"Of all the gardens in the king's country there are none so pretty as thesetwo, " and when she looked around in surprise to see what they meant she sawthat the neighbor's dooryard was full of flowers--hundreds and hundreds oflovely blossoms, every one as rosy as the little clouds at sunrise. Theycovered the heap of dirt and ashes, they clustered about the door stone;they filled the corners; and in the midst of them was the neighbor, rakingand cleaning as busily as if she were the wee woman herself. 

"'Tis fine weather for flowers, " said she, nodding and smiling at thewee woman. 

"The finest in the world, " said the wee woman; and she nodded andsmiled too, for she knew that the magic flower had done its work. 

THE LIONS IN THE WAY[7]

Once upon a time three friends set out to go to the palace of theking, which was known as the House Beautiful. 

[Footnote 7: Founded upon the incident of the Lions in the Way inBunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress. "]

The king himself had invited them there, and that they might have notrouble in finding the way he sent to them a scroll upon which thepath was marked so plainly that it would have been a hard matter tohave missed it. And to make assurance doubly sure he wrote upon thescroll with his own hand, bidding them to keep to the path. 

"Turn neither to the right nor to the left, " his message said; "butfollow the path and it will lead you safely to the House Beautiful, where I have prepared a place for you. "

All their lives the three friends had heard of the wonders of theking's house. Some people said that it was built of gold bright as thesun itself, and others that it was made of gleaming pearl. Its windowswere said to overlook the whole world, and its towers to reach higherthan the sky. And every one agreed that there was naught within itsgates but peace and joy. 

So eager were the friends to see it that they could not journey fastenough to satisfy themselves, and from morning until night they urgedeach other on. 

The path by which they were to go was a narrow path, with a roughplace now and then, and now and then a briar or sharp stone upon it, but for the most part it was a pleasant way. The travelers hastenedjoyfully along it and all went well with them until, one day, they meta man whose face was turned toward the land from which they had justcome. 

"Good neighbors, " he cried, "why travel you so fast? Is a house afireor a friend ill; or does a feast wait till you come? Tell me, I prayyou, that I may sorrow with you, or rejoice, as your need may be. "

"Rejoice, rejoice!" cried the three; "for we journey to the king'sHouse Beautiful, where a place is prepared for us. "

But when the man heard this he shook his head sorrowfully as if whatthey told him was grievous news indeed. 

"I, too, had thought of going there, " he said; "but that was before Iknew of the lions in the way. "

"Lions in the way!" cried the travelers, looking at each other withstartled eyes. 

"Aye, lions, " repeated the man solemnly, "the fiercest and largestthat ever man saw. Their very roaring shakes the ground, and many atraveler has been devoured by them, so people say. As for myself, Ihave not seen them. To hear of them is enough for me. "

"And for me, " said one of the travelers; and in spite of all hiscompanions might do or say to persuade him, he would go no farther. 

"The king's house may be beautiful as the morning and as full ofwonders as the sky is full of stars, but what good will it be to me ifI am eaten by the lions?" said he. 

And his friends were forced to journey on without him. 

As they went they talked of the lions in the way and the one said tothe other:

"Think you it is true, or but an idle tale?"

"True or not we shall pass in safety. Have we not the king's own wordfor it?" said the other; and he led the way with such great stridesthat his friend could scarcely keep pace with him. 

On and on they traveled without stop or hindrance, till all at oncethe air was filled with a great noise that shook the earth beneaththeir feet and set their knees to trembling. 

There was no mistaking what it was. Even though they had never heardthe sound before, they knew it was the roaring of the lions. 

And the second traveler began to grow afraid. 

"Let us go around by another way, " he said. "Surely there are morepaths than one to the king's house. "

And though the other spread out before him the scroll on which thepath was marked and read once more the message of the king: "Turnneither to the right nor to the left but follow the path and it willlead you safely to the House Beautiful, where a place is prepared foryou, " he would pay no heed to it but turned away into a by-path andfollowed it out of sight. 

The other traveler was forced to journey on the path alone, with theroaring of the lions in his ears and the shaking of the earth beneathhis feet. Nor had he gone a furlong more when just ahead he spied thelions themselves. One on each side of the path they stood with flamingeyes and yawning mouths; and at the very sight of them the traveler'sheart beat quick and sharp and his feet faltered upon the way. 

But his faith in the king's word was greater than his fear. "Falternot, oh, feet! Fear not, oh, heart! There is safety in the path. Theking himself has said it, " he cried as he pressed on. 

And lo! and behold, when he had come to the lions he found that theywere chained. Roar as they might and strive as they would, they couldnot touch those who walked in the path that the king had marked; andthe traveler passed in safety. 

[Illustration: WHEN HE HAD COME TO THE LIONS HE FOUND THAT THEY WERECHAINED. ]

Beyond the lions stood the House Beautiful, with walls of gold brightas the sun itself and gates of gleaming pearl. Its windows overlookedthe world, its towers reached above the sky, and of its wonders notthe half had ever been told him. 

The traveler's place was prepared for him, and the king was waiting towelcome him to his house; and he lived there in peace and joy foreverafter. 

THE END