diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/60098-h/60098-h.htm')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60098-h/60098-h.htm | 9787 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 9787 deletions
diff --git a/old/60098-h/60098-h.htm b/old/60098-h/60098-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index b6c719f..0000000 --- a/old/60098-h/60098-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9787 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> - <title>Mr. Rabbit at Home, by Joel Chandler Harris--A Project Gutenberg eBook</title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - body { margin-left: 8%; margin-right: 8%; } - h1 { text-align: center; font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.4em; } - h2 { text-align: center; font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.2em; } - p { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; text-align: justify; } - .sc { font-variant: small-caps; } - .large { font-size: large; } - .xlarge { font-size: x-large; } - .xxlarge { font-size: xx-large; } - .small { font-size: small; } - .xsmall { font-size: x-small; } - .lg-container-b { text-align: center; } - @media handheld { .lg-container-b { clear: both; } } - .linegroup { display: inline-block; text-align: left; } - @media handheld { .linegroup { display: block; margin-left: 1.5em; } } - .linegroup .group { margin: 1em auto; } - .linegroup .line { text-indent: -3em; padding-left: 3em; } - div.linegroup > :first-child { margin-top: 0; } - .linegroup .in1 { padding-left: 3.5em; } - .linegroup .in2 { padding-left: 4.0em; } - .linegroup .in3 { padding-left: 4.5em; } - ul.ul_1 {padding-left: 0; margin-left: 2.78%; margin-top: .5em; - margin-bottom: .5em; list-style-type: disc; } - ul.ul_2 {padding-left: 0; margin-left: 6.94%; margin-top: .5em; - margin-bottom: .5em; list-style-type: circle; } - div.pbb { page-break-before: always; } - hr.pb { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-bottom: 1em; } - @media handheld { hr.pb { display: none; } } - .chapter { clear: both; page-break-before: always; } - .figcenter { clear: both; max-width: 100%; margin: 2em auto; text-align: center; } - div.figcenter p { text-align: center; text-indent: 0; } - .figcenter img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } - .id001 { width:556px; } - .id002 { width:530px; } - .id003 { width:150px; } - .id004 { width:532px; } - .id005 { width:426px; } - .id006 { width:467px; } - .id007 { width:516px; } - .id008 { width:600px; } - .id009 { width:486px; } - .id010 { width:458px; } - .id011 { width:484px; } - .id012 { width:487px; } - .id013 { width:454px; } - .id014 { width:568px; } - .id015 { width:559px; } - .id016 { width:466px; } - .id017 { width:436px; } - .id018 { width:536px; } - .id019 { width:515px; } - .id020 { width:517px; } - .id021 { width:451px; } - .id022 { width:533px; } - .id023 { width:534px; } - .id024 { width:469px; } - .id025 { width:531px; } - .id026 { width:542px; } - @media handheld { .id001 { margin-left:15%; width:69%; } } - @media handheld { .id002 { margin-left:17%; width:66%; } } - @media handheld { .id003 { margin-left:41%; width:18%; } } - @media handheld { .id004 { margin-left:17%; width:66%; } } - @media handheld { .id005 { margin-left:23%; width:53%; } } - @media handheld { .id006 { margin-left:21%; width:58%; } } - @media handheld { .id007 { margin-left:18%; width:64%; } } - @media handheld { .id008 { margin-left:12%; width:75%; } } - @media handheld { .id009 { margin-left:20%; width:60%; } } - @media handheld { .id010 { margin-left:21%; width:57%; } } - @media handheld { .id011 { margin-left:20%; width:60%; } } - @media handheld { .id012 { margin-left:20%; width:60%; } } - @media handheld { .id013 { margin-left:22%; width:56%; } } - @media handheld { .id014 { margin-left:14%; width:71%; } } - @media handheld { .id015 { margin-left:15%; width:69%; } } - @media handheld { .id016 { margin-left:21%; width:58%; } } - @media handheld { .id017 { margin-left:23%; width:54%; } } - @media handheld { .id018 { margin-left:16%; width:67%; } } - @media handheld { .id019 { margin-left:18%; width:64%; } } - @media handheld { .id020 { margin-left:18%; width:64%; } } - @media handheld { .id021 { margin-left:22%; width:56%; } } - @media handheld { .id022 { margin-left:17%; width:66%; } } - @media handheld { .id023 { margin-left:17%; width:66%; } } - @media handheld { .id024 { margin-left:21%; width:58%; } } - @media handheld { .id025 { margin-left:17%; width:66%; } } - @media handheld { .id026 { margin-left:16%; width:67%; } } - .ic002 { width:100%; } - .ig001 { width:100%; } - .table0 { margin: auto; margin-top: 2em; margin-left: 16%; margin-right: 16%; - width: 68%; } - .table1 { margin: auto; margin-top: 2em; margin-left: 21%; margin-right: 21%; - width: 58%; } - .nf-center { text-align: center; } - .nf-center-c0 { text-align: left; margin: 0.5em 0; } - .c000 { margin-top: 1em; } - .c001 { margin-top: 3em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c002 { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-top: 1em; - margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 40%; width: 20%; margin-right: 40%; } - .c003 { margin-left: 2.78%; text-indent: -2.78%; margin-top: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c004 { margin-top: 4em; } - .c005 { margin-top: 2em; } - .c006 { page-break-before: always; margin-top: 2em; } - .c007 { page-break-before:auto; margin-top: 4em; } - .c008 { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-top: 1em; - margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 40%; width: 20%; margin-right: 40%; - margin-top: 2em; } - .c009 { vertical-align: top; text-align: right; padding-right: 1em; } - .c010 { vertical-align: top; text-align: left; text-indent: -1em; - padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; } - .c011 { vertical-align: top; text-align: right; } - .c012 { margin-top: 2em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c013 { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c014 { margin-left: 1.39%; margin-top: 1em; font-size: 85%; } - .c015 { margin-top: 1em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - body {width: 80%; margin: auto; } - .sans {font-family: sans-serif; } - .serif {font-family: serif; } - .blackletter {font-family: "Old English Text MT", Gothic, serif; } - .tnbox {background-color:#E3E4FA;border:1px solid silver;padding: 0.5em; - margin:2em 10% 0 10%; } - .box {border-style: solid; border-width: medium; padding: 15px; - font-family: "Old English Text MT", Gothic, serif; margin: 0 20% 0 20% } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Mr. Rabbit at Home, by Joel Chandler Harris - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: Mr. Rabbit at Home - A sequel to Little Mr. Thimblefinger and his Queer Country - -Author: Joel Chandler Harris - -Illustrator: Oliver Herford - -Release Date: August 14, 2019 [EBook #60098] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR. RABBIT AT HOME *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<p class='c001'> </p> -<div class='box'> - -<div class='blackletter'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Books by Joel Chandler Harris.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<hr class='c002' /> - -<div class='sans'> - -<p class='c003'><b>NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS.</b> Illustrated. -12mo, $1.50; paper, 50 cents.</p> -<p class='c003'><b>MINGO, AND OTHER SKETCHES IN BLACK -AND WHITE.</b> 16mo, $1.25; paper, 50 cents.</p> -<p class='c003'><b>BALAAM AND HIS MASTER, AND OTHER -SKETCHES.</b> 16mo, $1.25.</p> -<p class='c003'><b>UNCLE REMUS AND HIS FRIENDS.</b> Illustrated. -12mo, $1.50.</p> -<p class='c003'><b>LITTLE MR. THIMBLEFINGER AND HIS -QUEER COUNTRY.</b> Illustrated. Crown 8vo, -$2.00.</p> - -</div> -<div class='serif'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO.</div> - <div><span class='sc'>Boston and New York.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> -<div id='frontis' class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/frontis.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>BROTHER LION WATCHED ME. <span class='sc'>Page <a href='#p-158'>158</a></span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div> - <h1 class='c006'><span class='xlarge'>MR. RABBIT AT HOME</span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div>A SEQUEL TO</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='blackletter'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='large'>Little Mr. Thimblefinger and his Queer Country</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>BY</div> - <div class='c000'><span class='xlarge'>JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS</span></div> - <div class='c000'><span class='small'>AUTHOR OF “UNCLE REMUS,” ETC.</span></div> - <div class='c005'><i>ILLUSTRATED BY OLIVER HERFORD</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/publogo.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div>BOSTON AND NEW YORK</div> - <div>HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='blackletter'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Riverside Press, Cambridge</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>1895</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>Copyright, 1894 and 1895,</div> - <div><span class='large'>By JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS.</span></div> - <div class='c000'>Copyright, 1895,</div> - <div><span class='large'><span class='sc'>By</span> HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO.</span></div> - <div class='c000'><i>All rights reserved.</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div><i>The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A.</i></div> - <div>Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton & Co.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c007'>CONTENTS.</h2> -</div> -<hr class='c008' /> -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='14%' /> -<col width='73%' /> -<col width='12%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c009'> </td> - <td class='c010'> </td> - <td class='c011'><span class='xsmall'>PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>I.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>Buster John alarms Mr. Rabbit</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch01'>5</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>II.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>Where the Thunder lives</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch02'>15</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>III.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Jumping-off Place</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch03'>28</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>IV.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Blue Hen’s Chicken</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch04'>36</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>V.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>How a King was Found</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch05'>46</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>VI.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Magic Ring</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch06'>57</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>VII.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Cow with the Golden Horns</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch07'>69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>VIII.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>Brother Wolf’s two Big Dinners</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch08'>82</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>IX.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Little Boy of the Lantern</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch09'>91</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>X.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>A Lucky Conjurer</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch10'>106</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XI.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The King of the Clinkers</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch11'>119</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XII.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Terrible Horse</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch12'>132</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XIII.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>How Brother Lion lost his Wool</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch13'>144</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XIV.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>Brother Lion has a Spell of Sickness</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch14'>154</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XV.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>A Mountain of Gold</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch15'>164</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XVI.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>An Old-Fashioned Fuss</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch16'>178</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XVII.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Rabbit and the Moon</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch17'>191</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XVIII.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>Why the Bear is a Wrestler</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch18'>197</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XIX.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Shoemaker who made but One Shoe</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch19'>209</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XX.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Woog and the Weeze</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch20'>240</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XXI.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>Uncle Rain and Brother Drouth</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch21'>252</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XXII.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Snow-White Goat and the Coal-Black Sheep</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch22'>266</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XXIII.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Butting Cow and the Hitting Stick</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch23'>282</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'>XXIV.</td> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Fate of the Diddypawn</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#ch24'>294</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c007'>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.</h2> -</div> -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='85%' /> -<col width='14%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'> </td> - <td class='c011'><span class='xsmall'>PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>Brother Lion watched me.</span></td> - <td class='c011'><i><a href='#frontis'>Frontispiece</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>“<span class='sc'>How did you get here?</span>”</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i012'>12</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>She waited a Little While</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i022'>22</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>Presently they came to a Precipice</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i032'>32</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>One of them was entirely different from all the Rest</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i042'>42</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>They saw the Handsome Boy sleeping</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i052'>52</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>Her Stepmother crept into the Room</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i066'>66</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>She would have knelt, but he lifted her up</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i080'>80</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>He went a little Way down one Road</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i086'>86</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>A Lady, richly dressed, came out of the Woods</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i096'>96</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>As he did so, a Crow hopped out</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i114'>114</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>He saw an old Man, no bigger than a Broomstick</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i124'>124</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Wooden Horse had stampeded the Enemy’s Army</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i142'>142</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>You never heard such Howling since you were born</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i150'>150</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>He was so weak that he couldn’t get up</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i174'>174</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Monkeys would make Faces and squeal at the Dogs</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i180'>180</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>“What is the Trouble?” says the Oldest Rabbit</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i184'>184</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>He rubbed the Side of his Head</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i204'>204</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>A Queer-looking little Man came jogging along the Road</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i216'>216</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>“<span class='sc'>Have you seen Anything of a Stray Shoe?</span>”</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i232'>232</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>A Horrible Monster glared at them</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i244'>244</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>The Boy told Uncle Rain the whole Story</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i258'>258</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>At last the Robbers managed to escape</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i274'>274</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>“Hit, Stick! Stick, hit!” she cried</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i292'>292</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>It made him grin from Ear to Ear</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#i298'>298</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div><span class='xxlarge'>MR. RABBIT AT HOME.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c002' /> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch01' class='c007'>I.<br /> <br />BUSTER JOHN ALARMS MR. RABBIT.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>When Buster John and Sweetest Susan and -Drusilla returned home after their first visit to -Mr. Thimblefinger’s queer country, a curious thing -happened. The children had made a bargain -to say nothing about what they had seen and -heard, but one day, when there was nobody else to -hear what she had to say, Sweetest Susan concluded -to tell her mother something about the -visit she had made next door to the world. So -she began and told about the Grandmother of the -Dolls, and about Little Mr. Thimblefinger, and -all about her journey under the spring. Her mother -paid no attention at first, but after awhile she -became interested, and listened intently to everything -her little daughter said. Sometimes she -looked serious, sometimes she smiled, and sometimes -she laughed. Sweetest Susan couldn’t -remember everything, but she told enough to -astonish her mother.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Darling, when did you dream such nonsense -as that?” the lady asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, it wasn’t a dream, mamma,” cried Sweetest -Susan. “I thought it was a dream at first, -but it turned out to be no dream at all. Now, -please don’t ask brother about it, and please don’t -ask Drusilla, for we promised one another to say -nothing about it. I didn’t intend to tell you, -but I forgot and began to tell you before I -thought.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>A little while afterward Sweetest Susan’s mother -was telling her husband about the wonderful imagination -of their little daughter, and then the -neighbors got hold of it, and some of the old -ladies put their heads together over their teacups -and said it was a sign that Sweetest Susan was -too smart to stay in this world very long.</p> - -<p class='c013'>One day, while Drusilla was helping about the -house, Sweetest Susan’s mother took occasion to -ask her where she and the children went the day -they failed to come to dinner.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“We wuz off gettin’ plums, I speck,” replied -Drusilla.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, there were no plums to get,” said the -lady.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, ’m, ef ’t wa’n’t plums, hit must ’a’ been -hick’y nuts,” explained Drusilla.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Hickory nuts were not ripe, stupid.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Maybe dey wa’n’t,” said Drusilla stolidly; -“but dat don’t hinder we chilluns from huntin’ -’em.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“You know you didn’t go after hickory nuts, -Drusilla,” the lady insisted. “Now I want you -to tell me where you and the children went. I’ll -not be angry if you tell me, but if you don’t”—</p> - -<p class='c013'>Drusilla could infer a good deal from the tone -of the lady’s voice, but she shook her head.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, ’m,” she said, “we went down dar by de -spring, an’ down dar by de spring branch, an’ all -roun’ down dar. Ef we warn’t huntin’ plums ner -hick’y nuts, I done fergot what we wuz huntin’.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Drusilla seemed so much in earnest that the -lady didn’t push the inquiry, but when she went -into another room for a moment, the negro girl -looked after her and remarked to herself:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I done crossed my heart dat I wouldn’t tell, -an’ I ain’t gwine ter. Ef I wuz ter tell, she -wouldn’t b’lieve me, an’ so dar ’t is!”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Sweetest Susan was careful to say nothing to -Buster John and Drusilla about the slip of the -tongue that caused her to tell her mother about -their adventures in Mr. Thimblefinger’s queer -country; but she didn’t feel very comfortable -when Drusilla told how she had been questioned -by her mistress.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Ef somebody ain’t done gone an’ tol’ ’er,” -said Drusilla, “she got some mighty quare notions -in ’er head.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John, who had ideas of his own, ignored -all this, and said he was going to put an apple in -the spring the next day and watch for Mr. Thimblefinger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, ef you gwine down dar any mo’,” remarked -Drusilla, “you kin des count me out, kaze -I ain’t gwine ’long wid you. I’m one er deze yer -kind er quare folks what know pine blank when -dey done got nuff. I been shaky ever since we -went down in dat ar place what wa’n’t no place.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“You will go,” said Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Huh! Don’t you fool yo’self, honey! You -can’t put no ’pen’ence in a skeer’d nigger.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“If you don’t go, you’ll wish you had,” said -Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“How come?” asked Drusilla.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Wait and see,” replied Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>The next morning, bright and early, Buster -John put an apple in the spring. He watched it -float around for awhile, and then his attention -was attracted to something else, and he ran away -to see about it. Whatever it was, it interested -him so much that he forgot all about the apple in -the spring, and everything else likely to remind -him of Mr. Thimblefinger’s queer country.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John went away from the spring and -left the apple floating there. No sooner had he -gone than one of the house servants chanced to -come along, and the apple was seized and appropriated. -The result was that neither Mr. Thimblefinger -nor Mrs. Meadows saw the signal.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John, thinking the apple had remained -in the spring for some hours, waited patiently for -two or three days for Mr. Thimblefinger, but no -Mr. Thimblefinger came. Finally the boy grew -impatient, as youngsters sometimes do. He remembered -that the bottom of the spring, with the -daylight shining through, was the sky of Mr. -Thimblefinger’s queer country, and he concluded -to give Mrs. Meadows and the rest a signal that -they couldn’t fail to see. So, one morning, after -water had been carried to the house for the cook, -and the washerwoman’s tubs had been filled, Buster -John got him some short planks, carrying -them to the spring one by one. These he placed -across the top of the gum, or curb, close together, -so as to shut out the light. Then he perched -himself on a stump not far away, and watched to -see what the effect would be. He knew he had -the sky of Mr. Thimblefinger’s queer country -securely roofed in, and he laughed to himself as -he thought of the predicament Mr. Rabbit would -be in, dropping his pipe and hunting for it in -the dark.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John sat there a long time. Mandy, -the washerwoman, got through with her task and -went toward the house, balancing a big basket of -wet clothes on her head and singing as she went. -Sweetest Susan and Drusilla had grown tired -of playing with the dolls, and were hunting all -over the place for Buster John. They saw him -presently, and came running toward him, talking -and laughing. He shook his head and motioned -toward the spring. They became quiet at once, -and began to walk on their tiptoes. They seated -themselves on the stump by Buster John’s side, -and waited for him to explain himself.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Presently Sweetest Susan saw the boards over -the spring. “Oh, what have you done?” she -cried. “Why, you have shut out the light! -They can’t see a wink. I don’t think that’s right; -do you, Drusilla?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Don’t ax me, honey,” replied Drusilla. “I -ain’t gwine ter git in no ’spute. Somebody done -gone an’ put planks on de spring. Dar dey is, -an’ dar dey may stay, fer what I keer. I hope -dey er nailed down.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Please take the boards off,” pleaded Sweetest -Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No,” said Buster John. “I put an apple in -the spring the other day, and they paid no attention -to it. Maybe they’ll pay some attention -now.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Suddenly, before anybody else could say anything, -Drusilla screamed and rolled off the stump. -Buster John and Sweetest Susan thought a bee -had stung her. But it was not a bee. She had -no sooner rolled from the stump than she sprang -to her feet and cried out, “Dar he is! Look -at ’im!”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John and Sweetest Susan turned to -look, and there, upon the stump beside them, -stood Mr. Thimblefinger with his hat in hand, -bowing and smiling as politely as you please.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I hope you are well,” he said. Then he -began to laugh, as he turned to Buster John. -“You may think it is a great joke to come to the -spring, but it’s no joke to me. I have had a very -hard time getting here, but I just had to come. -Mrs. Meadows thinks there is a total eclipse going -on, and Mr. Rabbit has gone to bed and covered -up his head.”</p> -<div id='i012' class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i012.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>“HOW DID YOU GET HERE?”</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“How did you get here?” asked Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Through the big poplar yonder,” said Mr. -Thimblefinger. “It is hollow from top to bottom, -but it was so dark I could hardly find my -way. The jay birds used to go down through -the poplar every Friday until I put up the bars -and shut them out. I had almost forgotten the -road.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” said Buster John, “I covered the -spring so that you might know we hadn’t forgotten -you. I dropped an apple in the other day, -but you paid no attention to it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I saw the apple,” remarked Mr. Thimblefinger, -“but it didn’t stay in the spring long. It -disappeared in a few minutes.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Aha! I know!” exclaimed Drusilla. “Dat -ar Minervy nigger got it. I seed her comin’ -long eatin’ a apple, and I boun’ you she de ve’y -nigger what got it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, well!” said Mr. Thimblefinger. “It -makes no difference now, and if you’ll get ready -we’ll go now pretty soon.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, I thought you couldn’t go down through -the spring until nine minutes and nine seconds -after twelve,” suggested Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The water gets wet or goes dry with the -tide,” Mr. Thimblefinger explained. “To-day we -shall have to go at nineteen minutes and nineteen -seconds after nine. It was nine minutes and -nine seconds after twelve before, and now it is -nineteen minutes and nineteen seconds after nine. -Multiply nineteen by nineteen, add the answer together, -and you get nothing but nines. You see -we have to go by a system.” Mr. Thimblefinger -was very solemn as he said this. “Now, then, -come on. We haven’t any time to waste. When -the nines get after us, we must be going. There -are four of us now, but if we were to be multiplied -by nine there would be nine of us, and nine -is an odd number.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“How would we be nine?” asked Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It’s very simple,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger. -“Nine times four are thirty-six. Three and six -stand for thirty-six, and six and three are nine.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John laughed as he ran to remove the -boards from the spring. In a few moments they -were all ready in spite of Drusilla’s protests, and -at nineteen minutes and nineteen seconds after -nine they walked through the spring gate into -Mr. Thimblefinger’s queer country.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch02' class='c007'>II.<br /> <br /> WHERE THE THUNDER LIVES.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>Mrs. Meadows, Mr. Rabbit, Chickamy Crany -Crow, and Tickle-My-Toes were very glad to see -the children, especially Mrs. Meadows, who did -everything she could to make the youngsters feel -that they had conferred a great obligation on her -by coming back again.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I’ll be bound you forgot to bring me the -apple I told you about,” said she.</p> - -<p class='c013'>But Sweetest Susan had not forgotten. She -had one in her pocket. It was not very large, -but the sun had painted it red and yellow, and -the south winds that kissed it had left it fragrant -with the perfume of summer.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, I declare!” exclaimed Mrs. Meadows. -“To think you should remember an old woman! -You are just as good and as nice as you -can be!” She thanked Sweetest Susan so heartily -that Buster John began to look and feel uncomfortable,—seeing -which, Mrs. Meadows placed -her hand gently on his shoulder. “Never mind,” -said she, “boys are not expected to be as thoughtful -as girls. The next time you come, you may -bring me a hatful, if you can manage to think -about it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He might start wid ’em,” remarked Drusilla, -“but ’fo’ he got here he’d set down an’ eat ’em -all up, ter keep from stumpin’ his toe an’ spillin’ -’em.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John had a reply ready, but he did not -make any, for just at that moment a low, rumbling -sound was heard. It seemed to come nearer -and grow louder, and then it died away in the -distance.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What is that?” asked Mrs. Meadows, in an -impressive whisper.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Thunder,” answered Mr. Rabbit, who had -listened intently. “Thunder, as sure as you’re -born.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Yes,” said Mr. Thimblefinger. “I saw a -cloud coming up next door, just before we came -through the spring gate.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I must be getting nervous in my old age,” -remarked Mrs. Meadows. “I had an idea that it -was too late in the season for thunder-storms.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“That may be so,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger, -“but it’s never too late for old man Thunder to -rush out on his front porch and begin to cut up -his capers. But there’s no harm in him.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the Lightning kills people sometimes,” -said Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Lightning? Oh, yes, but I was talking -about old man Thunder,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger. -“When I was a boy, I once heard of a -little girl”—Mr. Thimblefinger suddenly put -his hand over his mouth and hung his head, as if -he had been caught doing something wrong.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, what in the world is the matter?” -asked Mrs. Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, nothing,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger. -“I simply forgot my manners.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I don’t see how,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, -frowning.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, I was about to tell a story before I had -been asked.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, you won’t disturb me by telling a story, -I’m sure,” said Mr. Rabbit. “I can nod just as -well when some one is talking as when everything -is still. You won’t pester me at all. Just go -ahead.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Maybe it isn’t story-telling time,” suggested -Mrs. Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, don’t say that,” cried Sweetest Susan. -“If it is a story, please tell it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, it is nothing but a plain, every-day -story. After you hear it you’ll lean back in your -chair and wonder why somebody didn’t take hold -of it and twist it into a real old-fashioned tale. -It’s old fashioned enough, the way I heard it, but -I always thought that the person who heard it -first must have forgotten parts of it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“We won’t mind that,” said Sweetest Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Thimblefinger settled himself comfortably -and began:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Once upon a time—I don’t know how long -ago, but not very long, for the tale was new to -me when I first heard it—once upon a time there -was a little girl about your age and size who was -curious to know something about everything that -happened. She wanted to know how a bird could -fly, and why the clouds floated, and she was all -the time trying to get at the bottom of things.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, one day when the sky was covered with -clouds, the Thunder came rolling along, knocking -at everybody’s door and running a race with the -noise it made; the little girl listened and wondered -what the Thunder was and where it went to. It -wasn’t long before the Thunder came rumbling -along again, making a noise like a four-horse -wagon running away on a covered bridge.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“While the little girl was standing there, wondering -and listening, an old man with a bundle on -his back and a stout staff in his hand came along -the road. He bowed and smiled when he saw the -little girl, but as she didn’t return the bow or the -smile, being too much interested in listening for -the Thunder, he paused and asked her what the -trouble was.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I hope you are not lost?’ he said.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh, no, sir,’ she replied; ‘I was listening -for the Thunder and wondering where it goes.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well, as you seem to be a very good little -girl,’ the old man said, ‘I don’t mind telling you. -The Thunder lives on top of yonder mountain. -It is not so far away.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh, I should like ever so much to go there!’ -exclaimed the little girl.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why not?’ said the old man. ‘The mountain -is on my road, and, if you say the word, we’ll -go together.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The little girl took the old man’s hand and -they journeyed toward the mountain where the -Thunder had his home. The way was long, but -somehow they seemed to go very fast. The old -man took long strides forward, and he was strong -enough to lift the little girl at every step, so that -when they reached the foot of the mountain she -was not very tired.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But, as the mountain was very steep and high, -the two travelers stopped to rest themselves before -they began to climb it. Its sides seemed to be -rough and dark, but far up on the topmost peak -the clouds had gathered, and from these the -Lightning flashed incessantly. The little girl -saw the flashes and asked what they meant.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Wherever the Thunder lives,’ replied the old -man, ‘there the Lightning builds its nest. No -doubt the wind has blown the clouds about and -torn them apart and scattered them. The Lightning -is piling them together again, and fixing a -warm, soft place to sleep to-night.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When they had rested awhile, the old man -said it was time to be going, and then he made -the little girl climb on his back. At first she -didn’t want the old man to carry her; but he -declared that she would do him a great favor by -climbing on his back and holding his bundle in -place. So she sat upon the bundle, and in this -way they went up the high mountain, going -almost as rapidly as the little girl could run on -level ground. She enjoyed it very much, for, -although the old man went swiftly, he went -smoothly, and the little girl felt as safe and as -comfortable as if she had been sitting in a rocking-chair.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When they had come nearly to the top of the -mountain, the old man stopped and lifted the little -girl from his back. ‘I can go no farther,’ he -said. ‘The rest of the way you will have to go -alone. There is nothing to fear. Up the mountain -yonder you can see the gable of the Thunder’s -house. Go to the door, knock, and do not -be alarmed at any noise you hear. When the -time comes for you to go, you will find me awaiting -you here.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The little girl hesitated, but she had come so -far to see where the Thunder lived that she would -not turn back now. So she went forward, and -soon came to the door of Mr. Thunder’s house. -It was a very big door to a very big house. The -knocker was so heavy that the little girl could -hardly lift it, and when she let it fall against the -panel, the noise it made jarred the building and -sent a loud echo rolling and tumbling down the -mountain. The little girl thought, ‘What have I -done? If the Thunder is taking a nap before -dinner, he’ll be very angry.’</p> -<div id='i022' class='figcenter id005'> -<img src='images/i022.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>SHE WAITED A LITTLE WHILE</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“She waited a little while, not feeling very -comfortable. Presently she heard heavy footsteps -coming down the wide hall to the door.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I thought I heard some one knocking,’ said -a hoarse, gruff voice. Then the big door flew -open, and there, standing before her, the little girl -saw a huge figure that towered almost to the top -of the high door. It wore heavy boots, a big -overcoat, and under its long, thick beard there -was a muffler a yard wide. The little girl was -very much frightened at first, but she soon remembered -that there was nothing for such a little -bit of a girl to be afraid of.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The figure, that seemed to be so terrible at -first glance, had nothing threatening about it. -‘Who knocked at the door?’ it cried.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Its voice sounded so loud that the little girl -put her fingers in her ears.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Don’t talk so loud, please,’ she said. ‘I’m -not deaf.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh!’ cried the giant at the door. ‘You are -there, are you? You are so small I didn’t see -you at first. Come in!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The little girl started to go in, and then -paused. ‘Are you the Thunder?’ she asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why, of course,’ was the reply; ‘who else -did you think it was?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I didn’t know,’ said the little girl. ‘I -wanted to be certain about it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Come in,’ said the Thunder. ‘It isn’t often -I have company from the people below, and I’m -glad you found me at home.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>The Thunder led the way down the hall and -into a wide sitting-room, where a fire was burning -brightly in the biggest fireplace the little girl had -ever seen. A two-horse wagon could turn around -in it without touching the andirons. A pair of -tongs as tall as a man stood in one corner, and in -the other corner was a shovel to match. A long -pipe lay on the mantel.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘There’s no place for you to sit except on the -floor,’ said the Thunder.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I can sit on the bed,’ suggested the little -girl.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Thunder laughed so loudly that the little -girl had to close her ears again. ‘Why, that is -no bed,’ the Thunder said when it could catch its -breath; ‘that’s my footstool.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ said the little girl, ‘it’s big enough -for a bed. It’s very soft and nice.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I find it very comfortable,’ said the Thunder, -‘especially when I get home after piloting a -tornado through the country. It is tough work, -as sure as you are born.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Thunder took the long pipe from the -mantel and lit it with a pine splinter, the flame of -which flashed through the windows with dazzling -brightness.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Folks will say that is heat lightning,’ remarked -the little girl.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Yes,’ replied the Thunder; ‘farmers to the -north of us will say there is going to be a drought, -because of lightning in the south. Farmers to -the south of us will say there’s going to be rain, -because of lightning in the north. None of them -knows that I am smoking my pipe.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But somehow, in turning around, the Thunder -knocked the big tongs over, and they fell upon -the floor with a tremendous crash. The floor -appeared to give forth a sound like a drum, only -a thousand times louder, and, although the little -girl had her fingers in her ears, she could hear -the echoes roused under the house by the falling -tongs go rattling down the mountain side and out -into the valley beyond.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Thunder sat in the big armchair smoking, -and listening with legs crossed. The little -girl appeared to be sorry that she had come.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now, that is too bad,’ said the Thunder. -‘The Whirlwind in the south will hear that and -come flying; the West Wind will hear it and -come rushing, and they will drag the clouds after -them, thinking that I am ready to take my ride. -But it’s all my fault. Instead of turning the -winds in the pasture, I ought to have put them in -the stable. Here they come now!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The little girl listened, and, sure enough, the -whirlwinds from the south and the west came -rushing around the house of the Thunder. The -west wind screamed around the windows, and the -whirlwinds from the south whistled through the -cracks and keyholes.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I guess I’ll have to go with them,’ said the -Thunder, rising from the chair and walking -around the room. ‘It’s the only way to quiet -them.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Do you always wear your overcoat?’ the little -girl asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Always,’ replied the Thunder. ‘There’s no -telling what moment I’ll be called. Sometimes I -go just for a frolic, and sometimes I am obliged -to go. Will you stay until I return?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh, no,’ the little girl replied; ‘the house is -too large. I should be afraid to stay here alone.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I am sorry,’ said the Thunder. ‘Come and -see me get in my carriage.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“They went to the door. The whirlwinds -from the south and the winds from the west had -drawn the clouds to the steps, and into these the -Thunder climbed.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Good-by,’ he cried to the little girl. ‘Stay -where you are until we are out of sight.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There was a flash of light, a snapping sound, -a rattling crash, and the Thunder, with the clouds -for his carriage and the winds for his horses, went -roaming and rumbling through the sky, over the -hills and valleys.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Thimblefinger paused and looked at the -children. They, expecting him to go on, said -nothing.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“How did you like my story?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Is it a story?” inquired Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, call it a tale,” said Mr. Thimblefinger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Hit’s too high up in de elements for ter suit -me,” said Drusilla, candidly.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What became of the little girl?” asked -Sweetest Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When the Thunder rolled away,” said Mr. -Thimblefinger, “she went back to where the old -man was awaiting her, and he, having nothing to -do, carried her to the Jumping-Off Place.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch03' class='c007'>III.<br /> <br />THE JUMPING-OFF PLACE.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>The children looked at Mr. Thimblefinger to -see whether he was joking about the Jumping-Off -Place, but he seemed to be very serious.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I have heard of the Jumping-Off Place,” remarked -Mrs. Meadows, “but I had an idea it was -just a saying.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger, “where -you see a good deal of smoke, there must be some -fire. When you hear a great many different people -talking about anything, there must be something -in it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What did the little girl see when she got -to the Jumping-Off Place?” inquired Sweetest -Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It was this way,” said Mr. Thimblefinger: -“When the whirlwinds from the south and the -winds from the west, working in double harness, -carried the thick clouds away, and the Thunder -with them, the little girl went back to the place -where she had left the old man who had carried -her up the mountain.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“She found him waiting. He was sitting at -the foot of a tree, sleeping peacefully, but he -awoke at once.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You see I am waiting for you,’ he said. -‘How did you enjoy your visit?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I didn’t enjoy it much,’ replied the little -girl. ‘Everything was so large, and the Thunder -made so much fuss.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I hope you didn’t mind that,’ said the old -man. ‘The Thunder is a great growler and -grumbler, but when that’s said, all’s said. I -am sorry, though, you didn’t have a good time. -I suppose you think it is my fault, but it isn’t. -If you say so, I’ll go to the Jumping-Off Place.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Where is that?’ asked the little girl.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Just beyond the Well at the End of the -World.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘If it isn’t too far, let’s go there,’ said the -little girl.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So the old man lifted her on his back, and -they went on their way. They must have gone -very swiftly, for it wasn’t long before they came -to the Well at the End of the World. An old -woman was sitting near the Well, combing her -hair. She paid no attention to the travelers, nor -they to her. When they had gone beyond the -Well a little distance, the little girl noticed that -the sky appeared to be very close at hand. It -was no longer blue, but dark, and seemed to -hang down like a blanket or a curtain.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But that couldn’t be, you know,” said Buster -John, “for the sky is no sky at all. It is -nothing but space.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“How comes it dey call it sky, ef ’t ain’t no -sky?” asked Drusilla, indignantly. “An’ how -come’t ain’t no sky, when it’s right up dar, plain -ez de han’ fo’ yo’ face? Dat what I’d like ter -know.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, the moon is thousands of miles away,” -said Buster John, “and some of the stars are -millions and millions of miles farther than the -moon.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Dat what dey say,” replied Drusilla, “but -how dey know? Whar de string what dey -medjud ’em wid? Tell me dat!”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What about our sky?” asked Mrs. Meadows, -smiling. “You would never think it was only -the bottom of the spring if you didn’t know it; -now would you?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John had nothing to say in reply to -this. Whereupon Sweetest Susan begged Mr. -Thimblefinger to please go on with his story.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” said he, “if I am to go on with it, -I’ll have to tell it just as I heard it. I’ll have -to put the sky just where I was told it was. -When the little girl and the old man came close -to the Jumping-Off Place, they saw that the sky -was hanging close at hand. It may have been -far, it may have been near, but to the little girl -it seemed to be close enough to touch, and she -wished very much for a long pole, so that she -could see whether it was made of muslin or ginghams.</p> -<div id='i032' class='figcenter id006'> -<img src='images/i032.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>PRESENTLY THEY CAME TO A PRECIPICE</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Presently they came to a precipice. There -was nothing beyond it and nothing below it. -‘This,’ said the old man to the little girl, ‘is the -Jumping-Off Place.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Does any one jump off here?’ said the little -girl.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Not that I know of,’ replied the old man, -‘but if they should take a notion to, the place is -all ready for them.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Where would I fall to, if I jumped off?’ the -little girl asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘To Nowhere,’ answered the old man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That is very funny,’ said the little girl.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Yes,’ remarked the old man, ‘you can get -to the End of the World, but you would have to -travel many a long year before you get to Nowhere. -Some say it is a big city, some say it -is a high mountain, and some say it is a wide -plain.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The little girl went to the Jumping-Off Place -and looked over, the old man holding her hand.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why, I see the moon shining down there,’ -she said. She was glad to see so familiar a face.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The old man laughed. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘the -moon is very fond of shining down there, and it -runs away from the sun every chance it gets, and -hunts up the darkest places, so that it may shine -there undisturbed. To-day it is shining down -there where the sun can’t see it, but to-night it -will creep up here, when the sun goes away, and -shine the whole night through.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Turning back, the old man and the little girl -came again to the Well at the End of the World. -The old woman was sitting there, combing her -long white hair. This time she looked hard at -the little girl and smiled, singing:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“‘When the heart is young the well is dry—</div> - <div class='line in1'>Oh, it’s good-by, dearie! good-by!’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“But the old man shook his head. ‘We have -not come here for nothing, Sister Jane,’ he said. -With that he took a small vial, tied a long string -to it, and let it down the well. He fished about -until the vial was full of water, drew it to the top, -and corked it tightly. The water sparkled in the -sun as if it were full of small diamonds. Then -he placed it carefully in his pocket, bowed politely -to the old woman, who was still combing -her long, white hair, and, smiling, lifted the little -girl to his back, and returned along the road they -had come, past the Thunder’s house and down -the mountain side, until they reached the little -girl’s home. Then he took the vial of sparkling -water from his pocket. ‘Take it,’ he said, ‘and -wherever you go keep it with you. Touch a drop -of it to your forehead when Friday is the thirteenth -day of a month, and you will grow up to -be both wise and beautiful. When you are in -trouble, turn the vial upside down—so—and -hold it in that position while you count twenty-six, -and some of your friends will come to your -aid.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The little girl thanked the old man as politely -as she knew how.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Do you know why I have carried you to the -Thunder’s house and to the Jumping-Off Place, -and why I have given you a vial of this rare -water?’ The little girl shook her head. ‘Well, -one day, not long ago, you were sitting by the -roadside with some of your companions. You -were all eating cake. A beggar came along and -asked for a piece. You alone gave him any, and -you gave him all you had.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Were you the beggar?’ asked the little girl, -smiling and blushing.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That I leave you to guess,’ replied the old -man. He kissed the little girl’s hand, and was -soon hid from sight by a turn in the road.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Thimblefinger stopped short here, and -waited to see what the children would say. They -had listened attentively, but they manifested no -very great interest.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I reckon they think there is more talk than -tale in what you have told,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, -leaning back in his chair. “That’s the way -it appeared to me.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, I’ll not say that I have come to the -end of my story,” remarked Mr. Thimblefinger, -with some show of dignity, “but I have come to -the part where we can rest awhile, so as to give -Mr. Rabbit a chance to see if he can do any better. -We’ll allow the little girl to grow some, -just as she does in the story.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch04' class='c007'>IV.<br /> <br />THE BLUE HEN’S CHICKEN.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“I’m not much of a story-teller,” said Mr. -Rabbit, “and I never set up for one, but I will -say that I like the rough-and-tumble tales a great -deal better than I do the kind where some great -somebody is always coming in with conjurings -and other carryings-on. It’s on account of my -raising, I reckon.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, stories can’t be all alike,” remarked -Mrs. Meadows. “You might as well expect a -fiddle to play one tune.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Tell us the kind of story you like best,” said -Buster John to Mr. Rabbit.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No, not now,” responded Mr. Rabbit. “I’ll -do that some other time. I happened to think -just now of a little circumstance that I used to -hear mentioned when I was younger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“In the country next door there used to be a -great many chickens. Some were of the barnyard -breed, some were of the kind they call game, -some were black, some were white, some were -brown, some were speckled, and some had their -feathers curled the wrong way. Among all these -there was one whose name, as well as I can remember, -was Mrs. Blue Hen.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Was she really blue?” Sweetest Susan inquired.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, not an indigo blue,” replied Mr. Rabbit, -after reflecting a moment, “nor yet a sky -blue. She was just a plain, dull, every-day blue. -But, such as she was, she was very fine. She belonged -to one of the first families and moved in -the very best circles. She was trim-looking, so -I’ve heard said, and, as she grew older, came to -have a very bad temper, so much so that she used -to fly at a hawk if he came near her premises. -Some of her neighbors used to whisper it around -that she tried to crow like a rooster, but this was -after she had grown old and hard-headed.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When Mrs. Blue Hen was growing up, she -was very nice and particular. She couldn’t bear -to get water on her feet, and she was always -shaking the dust from her clothes. Some said -she was finicky, and some said she was nervous. -Once, when she fanned out little Billy Bantam, -who called on her one day, a great many of her -acquaintances said she would never settle down -and make a good housekeeper.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But after awhile Mrs. Blue Hen concluded -that it was about time for her to have a family of -her own, so she went away off from the other -chickens and made her a nest in the middle of a -thick briar patch. She made her a nest there and -laid an egg. It was new and white, and Mrs. -Blue Hen was very proud of it. She was so -proud, in fact, that, although she had made up -her mind to make no fuss over it, she went running -and cackling toward the house, just as any -common hen would do. She made so much fuss -that away down in the branch Mr. Willy Weasel -winked at Miss Mimy Mink.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Do you hear that?’ says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I never heard anything plainer in my life,’ -says she.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Mrs. Blue Hen was so proud of her new, -white egg that she went back after awhile to look -at it. There it was, shining white in the grass. -She covered it up and hid it as well as she could, -and then she went about getting dinner ready.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The next morning she went to the nest and -laid another egg just like the first one. This -happened for three mornings; but on the fourth -morning, when Mrs. Blue Hen went back, she -found four eggs in the nest, and all four appeared -to be dingy and muddy looking. She was very -much astonished and alarmed, as well she might -be, for here right before her eyes she saw four -eggs, when she knew in reason that there should -be but three; and not only that, they were all -dingy and dirty.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Mrs. Blue Hen was so excited that she took -off her bonnet and began to fan herself. Then -she wondered whether she had not made a miscount; -whether she had not really laid four instead -of three eggs. The more she thought about -it, the more confused she became. She hung her -bonnet on a blackberry bush and tried to count -off the days on her toes. She began to count,—’One, -two, three,’—and she would have stopped -there, but she couldn’t. She had four toes on -her foot, and she was compelled to count them -all. There was a toe on the foot for every egg -in the nest.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This caused Mrs. Blue Hen to feel somewhat -more comfortable in mind and body, but she was -left in such a hysterical state that she went off -cackling nervously, and postponed laying an egg -until late in the afternoon. After that there were -five in the nest, and she kept on laying until there -were ten altogether. Then Mrs. Blue Hen rumpled -up her feathers and got mad with herself, and -went to setting. I reckon that’s what you call -it. I’ve heard some call it ‘setting’ and others -‘sitting.’ Once, when I was courting, I spoke of -a sitting hen, but the young lady said I was too -prissy for anything.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What is prissy?” asked Sweetest Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit shut his eyes and scratched his ear. -Then he shook his head slowly.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It’s nothing but a girl’s word,” remarked -Mrs. Meadows by way of explanation. “It means -that somebody’s trying hard to show off.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I reckon that’s so,” said Mr. Rabbit, opening -his eyes. He appeared to be much relieved. -“Well, Mrs. Blue Hen got mad and went to setting. -She was in a snug place and nobody bothered -her. It was such a quiet place that she could -hear Mr. Willy Weasel and Miss Mimy Mink gossiping -in the calamus bushes, and she could hear -Mrs. Puddle Duck wading in the branch. One -day Mrs. Puddle Duck made so bold as to push -her way through the briars and look in upon -Mrs. Blue Hen. But her visit was not relished. -Mrs. Blue Hen rumpled her feathers up and -spread out her tail to such a degree and squalled -out such a harsh protest that Mrs. Puddle Duck -was glad to waddle off with whole bones. But -when she got back to the branch she spluttered -about a good deal, crying out:</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Aha! aha! quack, quack! Aha! You are -there, are you? Aha! you’ll have trouble before -you get away. Aha!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now the fact was that Mrs. Puddle Duck was -the very one that had caused Mrs. Blue Hen all -the trouble,” said Mr. Rabbit, nodding his head -solemnly. “While wading in the branch, Mrs. -Puddle Duck had seen Mrs. Blue Hen going to -her nest for three days, slipping and creeping -through the weeds and bushes, and she wanted -to know what all the slipping and creeping was -about. So, on the third day Mrs. Puddle Duck -did some slipping and creeping on her own account. -She crept up close enough to see Mrs. -Blue Hen on her nest, and she was near enough to -see Mrs. Blue Hen when she ran away cackling.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then Mrs. Puddle Duck waddled up and -peeped in the nest. There she saw three eggs as -white and as smooth as ivory, and the sight filled -her with jealousy. She began to talk to herself:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I knew she must be mighty proud, the stuck-up -thing! I can see that by the way she steps -around here. Quack, quack! and I’ll just show -her a thing or two.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then and there Mrs. Puddle Duck, all muddy -as she was, got in Mrs. Blue Hen’s nest and sat -on her beautiful white eggs and soiled them. -And even that was not all. Out of pure spite -Mrs. Puddle Duck laid one of her own dingy-looking -eggs in Mrs. Blue Hen’s nest, and that -was the cause of all the trouble. That was the -reason Mrs. Blue Hen found four dingy eggs in -her nest when there ought to have been three -clean white ones.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, Mrs. Blue Hen went to setting, and -after so long a time nine little chickens were -hatched. She was very proud of them. She -taught them how to talk, and then she wanted to -get off her nest and teach them how to scratch -about and earn their own living. But there was -still one egg to hatch, and so Mrs. Blue Hen continued -to set on it. One day she made up her -mind to take her chicks off and leave the egg that -wouldn’t hatch. The old Speckled Hen happened -to be passing and Mrs. Blue Hen asked -her advice. But the old Speckled Hen was very -much shocked when she heard the particulars.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What! with nine chickens!’ she cried. -‘Why, nine is an odd number. It would never -do in the world. Hatch out the other egg.’</p> -<div id='i042' class='figcenter id007'> -<img src='images/i042.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>ONE OF THEM WAS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM ALL THE REST</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“But young people are very impatient, and -Mrs. Blue Hen was young. She fretted and worried -a good deal, but in a few days the tenth egg -hatched. Mrs. Blue Hen felt very much better -after this. In fact, she felt so comfortable that -she didn’t take the trouble to look at the chicken -that hatched from the tenth egg. But when she -brought her children off the nest she was very -much astonished to find that one of them was entirely -different from all the rest. She was not -only surprised, but shocked. Nine of her children -were as neat-looking as she could wish them -to be, but the tenth one was a sight to see. It -had weak eyes, a bill as broad as a case-knife, and -big, flat feet. Its feet were so big that it waddled -when it walked, and all the toes of each foot -were joined together.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Mrs. Blue Hen had very high notions. She -wanted everybody to think that she belonged to -the quality, but this wabbly chicken with a broad -bill and a foot that had no instep to it took her -pride down a peg. She kept her children hid as -long as she could, but she had to come out in -public after a while, and when she did—well, -I’ll let you know there was an uproar in the -barnyard. The old Speckled Hen was the first -to begin it. She cried out:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Look—look—look! Look at the Blue -Hen’s chickens!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then the Guinea hens began to laugh, and the -old Turkey Gobbler was so tickled he came near -swallowing his snout. Mrs. Blue Hen hung her -head with shame, and carried her children away -off in the woods.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But her flat-footed chicken gave rise to a byword -in all that country. When any stranger -came along looking rough and ragged, it was -the common saying that he was the Blue Hen’s -chicken.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I’ve heard it many a time,” remarked Mrs. -Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There was no story in that,” Buster John -suggested.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No,” replied Mr. Rabbit. “Just some every-day -facts picked up and strung together.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Speaking of stories,” said Mrs. Meadows, “I -have one in my mind that is a sure enough story—one -of the old-fashioned kind.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, please, ma’am, tell it,” said Buster -John, so seriously that they all laughed except -Mr. Rabbit.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch05' class='c007'>V.<br /> <br />HOW A KING WAS FOUND.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“What about the little girl who had the vial of -sparkling water?” said Sweetest Susan, turning -to Mr. Thimblefinger, just as Mrs. Meadows was -about to begin her story.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, she is growing,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John frowned at his sister, as boys will -do when they are impatient, and Sweetest Susan -said no more.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Once upon a time,” Mrs. Meadows began, -rubbing her chin thoughtfully, “there was a -country that suddenly found itself without a king. -This was a long time ago, before people in some -parts of the world began to think it was unfashionable -to have kings. I don’t know what -the trouble was exactly, whether the king died, -or whether he was carried off, or whether he did -something to cause the people to take away his -crown and put him in the calaboose.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Anyhow, they suddenly found themselves -without a king, and it made them feel very uncomfortable. -They were so restless and uneasy that -they couldn’t sleep well at night. They were in -the habit of having a king to govern them, and -they felt very nervous without one.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now in that country there were eleven wise -men whose trade it was to give advice. Instead -of falling out and wrangling with one another -and ruining their business, these eleven wise men -had formed a copartnership and set up a sort -of store, where anybody and everybody could get -advice by the wholesale or retail. I don’t know -whether they charged anything, because there -never has been a time since the world had more -than two people in it that advice wasn’t as cheap -as dirt.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The eleven wise men were there, ready to -give advice, and so the people went to them and -asked them how to select a king. The eleven -wise men put their heads together, and after -a while they told the people that they must select -nine of their best men and send them out on the -roads leading to the capital city, and when these -nine men found a man sleeping in the shade of a -tree, they were to watch him for four hours, and -if the shadow of the tree stood still so as to keep -the sun from shining on him, he was the one to -select for their king. Then the eleven wise men, -looking very solemn, bowed the people out, and -the people went off and selected nine of their -best men to find them a king.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now it happened that in a part of the country -not far from the capital city there lived a boy -with his mother and stepfather. They were not -poor and they were not rich, but everybody said -the boy was the handsomest and brightest that -had ever been seen in that section. He was about -sixteen years old, and was very strong and tall.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“One day, when the stepfather was in the village -near which they lived, a stranger passed -through on his way to the capital city. He had -neither wallet nor staff, but he drew a great crowd -of idle people around him. He was carrying a -red rooster, and although the fowl’s feet were tied -together and his head hanging down, he crowed -lustily every few minutes. It was this that drew -the crowd of idle people. One with more curiosity -than the rest asked the stranger why the -rooster crowed and continued to crow.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘He is a royal bird,’ the stranger replied. -‘There is no king in this country, and whoever -eats this bird’s head will reign as king.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘He must be worth a pretty sum,’ said one.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘By no means,’ answered the stranger. ‘He -is worth no more than a silver piece.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the people only laughed. They thought -the stranger was making fun of them. He went -on his way, and had soon passed beyond the village. -Now it chanced that the stepfather of the -bright and handsome boy was in the crowd that -gathered around the stranger. He thought it -was very queer that a rooster should be crowing -so bravely when his legs were tied together and -while his head was hanging down. So he said to -himself that there might be some truth in what -the stranger said. He ran after the man and soon -overtook him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That is a fine fowl,’ said the boy’s stepfather.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘It is a royal bird,’ the stranger replied.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What is he worth?’ asked the boy’s stepfather.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I shall be glad to get rid of him,’ said the -stranger. ‘Give me a piece of silver and take -him.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This was soon done, and the stepfather took -the rooster under his arm.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Remember this,’ remarked the stranger; ‘if -you eat the head of that bird you will reign in -this country as king.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh, ho!’ laughed the boy’s stepfather, ‘you -are a fine joker.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“With the fowl under his arm he went toward -his home. He had gone but a little way when he -turned to look at the stranger, but the man had -disappeared. The country was level for a long -distance in all directions, but the stranger could -not be seen.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The boy’s stepfather carried the fowl home -and said to his wife:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Cook this bird for supper. Cook the head -also.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The man was afraid to tell his wife why he -wanted the head cooked. He knew she was very -fond of her son, and he reasoned to himself that -if she knew what the stranger had said she would -give the head to the boy. So he only told her to -be careful to cook the fowl’s head and save it for -him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The wife did as she was bid. She cooked the -fowl and the fowl’s head, and placed them away -in the cupboard until her husband and her son -came home. It happened that something kept -the husband in the village a little later than usual, -and while the woman was waiting for him her son -came in and said he was very hungry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You will find something in the cupboard,’ -his mother said. ‘Eat a little now, and when -your stepfather returns we will have supper.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The boy went to the cupboard. The fowl -was on a big dish ready to be carved, and the -head was in the saucer by itself. To save time -and trouble the boy took the head and ate it, and -then felt as if he could wait for supper very comfortably. -The husband came, and the woman -proceeded to set the table. When she came to -look for the fowl’s head it was gone.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why, I ate it,’ said her son, when he heard -her exclamation of surprise. ‘I found it in the -saucer, and I ate it rather than cut the fowl.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The stepfather was angry enough to tear his -hair, but he said nothing. The next day the boy -went hunting. He was ready to return about -noon, but, being tired, he stretched himself in the -shade of a tree and was soon sound asleep.</p> -<div id='i052' class='figcenter id008'> -<img src='images/i052.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>THEY SAW THE HANDSOME BOY SLEEPING</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“While he was sleeping his soundest, the nine -men who had been appointed by the people to -find them a king chanced to pass that way. They -saw the handsome boy sleeping in the shade of -the tree, and they stationed themselves around and -watched him. For four long hours they watched -the boy, but still the shadow of the tree kept -the sun from his face. The nine men consulted -among themselves, and they came to the conclusion -that the shadow of the tree hadn’t moved, -and that the boy was a well-favored lad who -would look very well when he was dressed up and -put on a throne with a crown on his head.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So they shook the boy and aroused him from -his sleep.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What’s your name?’ asked the spokesman.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Telambus,’ replied the boy.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Where do you live?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Not far from here.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How would you like to be king?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I have never tried it. Is it an easy trade to -learn?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The nine men looked at each other shrewdly -and smiled. They each had the same thought.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“They went with the boy to his home and saw -his mother, and inquired about his age and his -education, and asked a hundred other questions -besides. They cautioned the woman as they were -leaving to say nothing of their visit except this, -that they were going about hunting for a king -and had called to make some inquiries.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When her husband came home he had already -heard of the visit of the distinguished company, -and so he asked his wife a thousand questions. -All the answer he got was that the visitors were -hunting for a king.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’m sure it was for me they were hunting,’ -said the man. ‘How unfortunate that I was -away.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well, don’t worry,’ replied his wife. ‘If -they ever intended to make you king, they’ll come -back after you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You don’t seem to think much about it,’ -remarked the man, ‘but some of these days -you’ll find out that you narrowly escaped being -the king’s wife.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The nine citizens were so certain that they -had found the right person to rule over their -country as king, that they made haste to return -to the capital city and tell the news to the eleven -wise men who had sent them out. They made -their report, and the eleven wise men put their -heads together once more. When they had consulted -together a long time, they said to the people:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘There is one test by which you may know -whether a king has been found. Send a messenger -and ask this young man to send us a rope -made of sand a hundred feet long.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The messenger straightway went to the -house of Telambus and told him what the eleven -wise men had said. His mother straightway fell -to crying. But Telambus laughed at her fears.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Tell the eleven wise men,’ he said to the -messenger, ‘that there are various patterns of -sand ropes. Let them send me a sample of the -kind they want—a piece only a foot long—and -I will make them one a hundred feet long.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The messenger returned to the eleven wise -men and told them what Telambus had said. -They put their heads together again and then told -the people that the young man was wise enough -to be their king. There was great rejoicing then, -and the nine wise men who had found him went -to fetch him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But Telambus shook his head. ‘Kings are -not carried about in this way. Where are your -banners and your chariots? Where are your -drums and your cymbals?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So the nine men returned to the eleven wise -men and told them what Telambus had said.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘He is right,’ said the eleven wise men. ‘He -is a king already. Get your horses, your chariots, -your banners, and your music, and bring our -king in as he deserves to be brought.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So Telambus was made the king of that -country.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>At this point Mrs. Meadows began to hunt for -a knitting-needle she had dropped, and the children -knew that the story was ended.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“That was a pretty good story,” said Mr. -Thimblefinger. “It was short and sweet, as the -king-bird said to the honey-bee.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Dey wuz too much kingin’ in it ter suit me. -Ef folks got ter have kings, how come we ain’t -got none?” asked Drusilla.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Please tell me about the little girl with the -vial of sparkling water from the Well at the End -of the World,” said Sweetest Susan to Mr. Thimblefinger. -“I expect she is nearly grown by this -time.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, yes,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger, “she -has now grown to be quite a young lady.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Huh!” grunted Drusilla, “ef folks grow up -dat quick, I dunner what hinder me from bein’ -a ol’ gray-head ’oman by sundown.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch06' class='c007'>VI.<br /> <br />THE MAGIC RING.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Don’t you see,” said Mr. Thimblefinger, with -apparent seriousness, “that if we hadn’t left off -the story of the little girl who went to the Well -at the End of the World just where we did, she -would have had no time to grow?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John smiled faintly, but Sweetest Susan -took the statement seriously, though she said -nothing. Drusilla boldly indorsed it.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I speck dat’s so,” she said, “kaze when de -lil’ gal got back home wid dat vial she wa’n’t in -no fix fer ter cut up dem kind er capers what de -tales tell about.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Certainly not,” remarked Mr. Thimblefinger, -“but now she has had time to grow up to be a -young lady, almost. Names go for so little down -here that I haven’t told you hers. She was -named Eolen. Some said it was a beautiful name, -but her stepmother and her stepmother’s daughter -said it was very ugly. Anyhow, that was her -name, and whether it was ugly or whether it was -beautiful, she had to make the best of it.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, Eolen went home when the old man -gave her the vial of water from the Well at the -End of the World. She hid the vial beneath her -apron until she reached her own room, and then -she placed it at the very bottom of her little trunk,—a -trunk that had belonged to her mother, who -was dead.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Nothing happened for a long time. Whenever -Friday fell on the thirteenth of a month, -Eolen would rub a drop of the sparkling water -on her forehead, and she grew to be the loveliest -young lady that ever was seen. Her stepsister -was not bad-looking, but, compared with Eolen, -she was ugly. The contrast between them was so -great that people could not help noticing it and -making remarks about it. Some of these remarks -came to the ears of her stepmother.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now a stepmother can be just as nice and as -good as anybody, but this particular stepmother -cared for nothing except her own child, and she -soon came to hate Eolen for being so beautiful. -She had never treated the child kindly, but now -she began to treat her cruelly. Eolen never told -her father, but somehow he seemed to know what -was going on, and he treated her more affectionately -each day, as her stepmother grew more -cruel.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This lasted for some time, but finally Eolen’s -father fell ill and died, and then, although she -had many admirers, she was left without a friend -she could confide in or rely on. To make matters -worse, her stepmother produced a will in -which her husband had left everything to her -and nothing to Eolen. The poor girl didn’t -know what to do. She knew that her father had -made no such will, but how could she prove it? -She happened to think of the vial of sparkling -waters. She found it and turned it upside down.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“On the instant there was a loud knock at the -street door. Eolen would have gone to open it, -but her stepmother was there before her. She -peeped from behind the curtains in the hallway, -and saw a tall, richly-dressed stranger standing -on the steps.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I wish to see a young lady who lives here. -She is the daughter of an old friend,’ said the -stranger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The stepmother smiled very sweetly. ‘Come -in. I will call her.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But instead of calling Eolen she called her -own daughter. The girl went, but not with a -good grace. She had been petted and spoiled, -and was very saucy and impolite. The stranger -smiled when he saw her.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What was my mother doing when you saw -her sitting by the Well at the End of the World?’ -he asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Do you take me for a crazy person?’ replied -the girl.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘By no means,’ said the stranger. ‘You are -not the young lady I came to see.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The stepmother then called Eolen and stood -in the room frowning to see what was going to -happen. Eolen came as soon as she was called, -and the stranger seemed to be much struck by her -beauty and modesty. He took her by the hand -and led her to a chair.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What was my mother doing when you saw -her sitting by the Well at the End of the World?’ -he asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘She was combing her hair,’ replied Eolen.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That is true,’ remarked the stranger. ‘Yes, -she was combing her hair.’ Then he turned to -the stepmother and said: ‘May I see this young -lady alone for a little while? I have a message -for her from an old friend.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Certainly!’ the stepmother answered. ‘I -hope her friend is well-to-do, for her father has -died without leaving her so much as a farthing.’ -Having said this, the stepmother flounced from -the room.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I came at your summons,’ said the stranger; -‘you turned the vial of sparkling water upside -down, and now I am here to do your bidding.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then Eolen told him of the death of her -father, and how he had left all of his property -to her stepmother. The stranger listened attentively, -and while he listened played with a heavy -gold ring that he wore on his third finger. When -Eolen was through with her story he took this -ring from his finger and handed it to her.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Look through that,’ he said, ‘and tell me -what you see.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Eolen held the ring to one of her eyes, and -peeped through the golden circle. She was so -surprised that she came near dropping the ring. -She had held it up toward the stranger, but instead -of seeing him through the ring she seemed -to be looking into a room in which some person -was moving about. As she continued to look, the -scene appeared to be a familiar one. The room -was the one her stepmother occupied—the room -in which her father had died. She saw her stepmother -take from her father’s private drawer a -folded paper and hide it behind the mantel. Then -the scene vanished, and through the ring she saw -the stranger smiling at her.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What you have seen happened some time -ago.’ He took the ring and replaced it on his -finger. ‘Your stepmother is now coming this -way. She has been trying to hear what we are -saying. When she comes in, do you get your -father’s real will from behind the mantel and -bring it to me.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Sure enough the stepmother came into the -room silently and suddenly. She pretended to be -much surprised to find any one there.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You must excuse me,’ she said to the stranger. -‘I imagined I heard you take your leave -some time ago.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You are excusable,’ replied the stranger. -‘I have been reflecting rather than talking. I -have been thinking what could be done for your -stepdaughter, who must be quite a burden to -you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The stepmother took this for an invitation to -tell what she knew about Eolen, and you may be -sure she didn’t waste any praise on the young -lady. But right in the midst of it all Eolen, who -had gone out, returned and handed the stranger -the folded paper that had been hid behind the -mantel. The stepmother recognized it and turned -pale.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘This,’ said the stranger, opening the paper -and reading it at a glance, ‘is your father’s will. -I see he has left you half the property.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That is the will my husband forgot to destroy,’ -cried the stepmother. ‘I have the real -will.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘May I see it?’ asked the stranger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The stepmother ran to fetch it, but when the -stranger had opened it, not a line nor a word of -writing could be found on it.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I see you are fond of a joke,’ said the -stranger, but the stepmother had fallen into a -chair and sat with her face hid in her hands. ‘I -am fond of a joke myself,’ continued the stranger, -‘and I think I can match yours.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“With that the stranger took the real will, -tore it in small pieces and threw it into the fireplace.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What have you done?’ cried Eolen.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The most difficult thing in the world,’ replied -the stranger; ‘I have made this lady happy.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“And sure enough the stepmother was smiling -and thanking him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I thought you were my enemy,’ she said, -‘but now I see you are my friend indeed. How -can I repay you?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘By treating this young lady here as your -daughter,’ he replied. ‘Have no fear,’ he said, -turning to Eolen. ‘No harm can befall you. -What I have done is for the best.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But before he went away he gave Eolen the -gold ring, and told her to wear it for the sake of -his mother, who sat by the Well at the End of -the World. She thanked him for his kindness -and promised she would keep the ring and treasure -it as long as she lived.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But there was one trouble with this magic -ring. It was too large for any of Eolen’s fingers. -She had the whitest and most beautiful hands -ever seen, but the ring would fit none of her -fingers. Around her neck she wore a necklace -of coral beads, and on this necklace she hung the -ring.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“For many day’s Eolen’s stepmother was kind -to her, almost too kind. But the woman was -afraid her stepdaughter would inform the judges -of her effort to steal and hide her husband’s will. -The judges were very severe in those days and in -that country, and if the woman had been brought -before them and such a crime proven on her, she -would have been sent to the rack.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What is a rack?” asked Sweetest Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Hit’s de place whar dey scrunch folks’s ve’y -vitals out’n ’em,” said Drusilla solemnly.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“That’s about right, I reckon,” assented Mr. -Thimblefinger. “Well, the stepmother was as -kind to Eolen as she knew how to be, but the -kindness didn’t last long. She hated her stepdaughter -worse than ever. She was afraid of -her, but she didn’t hate her any the less on that -account.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Eolen had a habit of taking off her coral -necklace and placing it under her pillow at night. -One night, when she was fast asleep, her stepmother -crept into the room and slipped the ring -from the necklace. She had no idea it was a -magic ring. She said to herself that it would -look better on her daughter’s finger than it did -on Eolen’s coral necklace, so she took the ring -and slipped it on the finger of her sleeping daughter, -and then stepped back a little to admire the -big golden circle on the coarse, red hand.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Almost immediately the daughter began to -toss and tumble in her sleep. She flung her arms -wildly about and tried to talk. The mother, becoming -alarmed, tried to wake her, but it was some -time before the girl could be roused from her -troubled sleep.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh!’ she cried, when she awoke, ‘what is -the matter with me? I dreamed some one was -cutting my finger off. What was it? Oh! it -hurts me still!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“She held up the finger on which her mother -had placed the ring and tried to tear off the -golden band. ‘It burns—it burns!’ she cried. -‘Take it off.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Her mother tried to take the ring off, but it -was some time before she succeeded. Her daughter -struggled and cried so that it was a hard matter -to remove the ring, which seemed to be as hot -as fire. A red blister was left on the girl’s finger, -and she was in great pain.</p> -<div id='i066' class='figcenter id009'> -<img src='images/i066.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>HER STEPMOTHER CREPT INTO THE ROOM</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“‘What have I done?’ the mother cried, seeing -her daughter’s condition. The two made so -much noise that Eolen awoke and went to the -door to find out what the trouble was.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Go away, you hussy!’ screamed the stepmother -when she saw Eolen at the door. ‘Go -away! You are a witch!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why, what have I done?’ Eolen asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You are the cause of all this trouble. For -amusement I placed your gold ring on my dear -daughter’s finger, and now see her condition!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why, then, did you take my ring? If you -had left it where I placed it, you would have had -none of this trouble.’ Eolen spoke with so much -dignity that her stepmother was surprised into -silence, though she could talk faster and louder -than a flutter-mill. But finally she found her -voice.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Go away! You are a witch!’ she said to -Eolen.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But Eolen went boldly into the room. ‘Give -me my ring!’ she exclaimed. ‘You shall wrong -me no further. Give me my ring! I will have -it!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This roused the stepmother’s temper. She -searched on the floor till she found the ring. -Then she opened a window and flung it as far as -she could send it.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now let’s see you get it!’ she cried. With -that she seized Eolen by the arm and pushed her -from the room, saying, ‘Go away, you witch!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, then,” said Mr. Thimblefinger, after -pausing to take breath, “what was the poor girl -to do?” He looked at Sweetest Susan as if -expecting her to answer the question.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I’m sure I don’t know,” replied Sweetest -Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Shake up de bottle,” exclaimed Drusilla.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Exactly so,” said Mr. Thimblefinger.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch07' class='c007'>VII.<br /> <br />THE COW WITH THE GOLDEN HORNS.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“I hope that isn’t all of the story,—if you -call it a story,” said Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Which?” remarked Mr. Thimblefinger, with -an air of having forgotten the whole business.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, that about throwing the gold ring from -the window,” replied Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, no,” said Mr. Thimblefinger, in an absent-minded -way. “In a book, you know, you -can read right on if you want to, or you can put -the book down and rest yourself when you get -tired. But when I’m telling a story, you must -give me time to rest. I’m so little, you know, -that it doesn’t take much to tire me. Of course, -if you don’t like the story, I can stop any time. -It’s no trouble at all to stop. Just wink your -eye at me twice, and I’m mum.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, we don’t want you to stop,” said Sweetest -Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No, don’t stop,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, drowsily, -“because then everybody gets to talking, -and I can’t doze comfortably. Your stories are -as comforting to me as a feather-bed.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then I’ll add a bolster to the bed,” exclaimed -Mr. Thimblefinger. He hesitated a moment, -and then went on with the story:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Of course, Eolen didn’t know what to do -when her stepmother threw the gold ring from -the window and pushed her from the room. She -went back to her bed and lay down, but she -couldn’t sleep. After a while daylight came, -and then she dressed herself and went down into -the garden to hunt for the ring. She searched -everywhere, but the ring was not to be found.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now the ring could have been found very -easily if it had been where it fell when Eolen’s -stepmother threw it from the window. But that -night a tame crow, belonging to the Prince of -that country, was roosting in one of the trees in -the garden.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, was it a sure enough Prince?” asked -Sweetest Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, certainly,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger, -with great solemnity. “A make-believe Prince -could never have reigned in that country. The -people would have found him out, and he would -have been put in the calaboose. Well, this tame -crow that belonged to the Prince had wandered -off over the fields, and had gone so far away from -the palace that it was unable to get back before -dark, and so it went to bed in one of the trees -growing in the garden behind the house where -Eolen lived.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Of course, as soon as morning came, the crow -was wide awake and ready for any mischief that -might turn up. It flew to the ground, hoping to -find something for breakfast, and hopped about, -searching in the leaves and grass. Suddenly the -crow saw the ring shining on the ground and -picked it up and turned it over. What could it -be? The crow’s curiosity was such that it forgot -all about breakfast. It seized the ring in its beak -and went flopping to the palace. It was so early -in the morning that the palace was closed, but the -crow flew straight to the Prince’s window and beat -his wings against it until some of the attendants -came and opened it, when the crow walked in -with great dignity.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Prince had been awakened by the noise, -but when he saw the bird stalking into the room -as stiff as a major-general of militia, he fell back -on his bed laughing. The crow hopped to the -foot-board of the bed and stood there holding the -gold ring in his beak, as much as to say, ‘Don’t -you wish you were as rich as I am?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Prince rose from his bed and took the -ring from the crow, but it was so hot that he -made haste to drop it in a basin of cold water. -Then a curious thing happened. The ring seemed -to expand in the basin until it was as large as the -bottom, and within the circle it made the picture -of a beautiful girl standing by a milk-white cow. -There were two peculiarities about the milk-white -cow. Her ears were as black as jet, and her horns -shone and glittered as if they were made of gold.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Prince was entranced. He gazed at the -beautiful picture long and lovingly, and the crow -sat on the rim of the basin and chuckled as -proudly as if it had painted the picture. The -girl was the loveliest the Prince had ever seen, and -the cow was surely the most beautiful of her kind. -The Prince’s attendants uttered exclamations of -delight when they saw the picture, and his ministers, -when they were sent for, were struck dumb -with astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘If this bird could only speak!’ cried the -Prince.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the crow went chuckling about the room -saying to itself, ‘What a fool a Prince must be -who cannot understand my simple language!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Prince gazed at the picture framed by -the gold ring for a long time. At last he concluded -to take it from the water. As he did so -it shrunk to its natural size, and the picture of -the beautiful girl and the Cow with the Golden -Horns disappeared, and the ring no longer burnt -his fingers. He dropped it in the basin once -more, but it remained a simple gold ring and the -picture failed to appear again.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Prince was disconsolate. He remained -in the palace and refused to go out. He moped -and pined, until the family doctor was called in. -The doctor fussed about and felt of the Prince’s -pulse and looked at his tongue, and said that a -change of air was necessary; but the Prince said -he didn’t want any change of air and wouldn’t -have it. In fact, he said he didn’t want any air -at all, and he wouldn’t take any pills or powders, -and he wouldn’t drink any sage tea, and he -wouldn’t have any mustard plaster put on him. -He was in love, and he knew that the more medicine -he took, the worse off he would be.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, a little sage tea ain’t bad when you are -in love,” remarked Mrs. Meadows. “It’s mighty -soothing.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Maybe,” continued Mr. Thimblefinger, “but -the Prince didn’t want it, and wouldn’t have it. -He wanted the beautiful girl he had seen in the -picture. He was in love with her, and he wanted -to marry her. So his ministers consulted together -and finally they sent around a bailiff”—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Nonsense!” cried Mrs. Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Tut—tut!” exclaimed Mr. Rabbit.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” said Mr. Thimblefinger, “he sent a -crier around”—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“A herald, you mean,” suggested Buster John, -who had read a good many story books.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“A bailiff could do the work just as well, but -you can have it your way. Well,” continued Mr. -Thimblefinger, “the Prince’s ministers sent a herald -around to inquire at all the people’s houses if -any of them had a Cow with Golden Horns, but -nobody had such a cow, and everybody wondered -what the herald meant. A Cow with Golden -Horns! People went about asking one another -if they had ever heard of such a thing before. -Some said the throne was tottering. Others said -the politicians were trying to work a scheme to -increase taxation. Still others talked about the -peril of the nation. Everybody had some explanation, -but nobody had the right one. The poor -young Prince was nearly crazy to find the young -girl whose picture he had seen in the basin of -water.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“For a few days the people heard no more of -the matter, but at the end of a week the herald -went round the city again declaring that the -Prince would marry any young lady who would -bring as her marriage portion a Cow with Golden -Horns. She need not have riches of any kind; -all that was necessary was a Cow with Golden -Horns. This word went around among the people -and from city to city. Rich men with daughters -tried everywhere to buy a Cow with Golden -Horns, but all to no purpose.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Prince waited and waited and pined and -grew thinner. But just as matters were getting -to be very serious indeed, an old man appeared -in the palace park leading a beautiful white cow -with jet black ears and golden horns. The servants -set up such a shout when they saw the beautiful -cow that everybody in the palace was aroused -and all came out to see what caused the noise. -Then the servants and attendants ran over one -another in their efforts to reach the Prince, who -was moping in his room. As they ran they -cried:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The Cow with the Golden Horns has come! -The Cow with the Golden Horns has come!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Prince forgot his dignity and hurried out -to see the Cow with the Golden Horns. The old -man came leading her, and she was, indeed, a -beautiful creature. Her head and limbs were almost -as delicate as those of a deer, and her eyes -were large and soft. Her body was as white as -snow, her ears glistened like black silk, and her -golden horns shone in the sun. The old man -bowed low as he led the beautiful cow forward.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I wouldn’t make much of a bride myself, -your Majesty,’ he said. ‘I have brought you the -Cow with the Golden Horns. She might find you -the bride that I failed to bring you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I fear I shall have no such good fortune,’ -replied the Prince. ‘But I think you have proved -to me that I am not dreaming. How shall I -reward you?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I ask no reward, your Majesty. I only ask -the privilege of taking away my Cow with the -Golden Horns when you have found your bride.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When the Prince had given his promise, the -old man said, ‘You have a ring, your Majesty, -that came to you in a curious way. Let this ring -be placed on the left horn of the cow. The girl -or woman that is able to remove this ring will be -the bride you are wishing for. Every morning -the Cow with the Golden Horns will appear here -in the lawn and remain until night falls. Let -it be announced, your Majesty, that whoever -takes the ring from her shall be the Princess of -the Realm.’”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Huh!” exclaimed Drusilla suddenly. “He -talk like he been ter college.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Will you hush?” cried Buster John. But -Mr. Thimblefinger paid no attention to the -interruption.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘But how do you know,’ asked the Prince, -‘that the right one will come to get the ring?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How do I know that your Majesty has the -ring?’ the old man answered.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This seemed to satisfy the Prince, who caused -it to be announced all through his kingdom that -he would choose for his bride the girl or woman -who would take the ring from the golden horn of -the Cow.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Of course there was a great commotion among -the ladies when this announcement was made, and -nearly all of them tried to take the ring from the -golden horn of the Cow. Some said they tried it -just for fun, and some said they tried it just out -of curiosity; but all of them failed. Even Eolen’s -stepmother tried, and then she made her daughter -try, but when the daughter touched the ring it -burnt her so that she screamed. And then some -of those who had tried and failed turned up their -noses and said it was a trick.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Eolen had never thought of trying. She had -seen the Prince and admired him, yet she had no -idea of going up before all these people. But as -soon as her stepmother started for the palace with -her daughter, there came a knock at the door. -Eolen opened it, and there, standing before her, -was the old man who had carried her to the -Thunder’s house, and to the Jumping-Off Place. -She was very glad to see him, and told him so, -and he was just as glad to see her.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why don’t you go and get your ring?’ he -asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘It is lost,’ she answered.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘It is found,’ he said. ‘I have placed it on -the golden horn of the Cow that stands near the -palace door. You must go and get it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I have nothing to wear,’ she replied.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then the old man tapped on the wall and -called:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Sister Jane! Sister Jane! Where are -you?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I am where I ought to be,’ was the reply. -The wall opened and out stepped the old, old -woman that Eolen had seen combing her hair by -the Well at the End of the World.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Clothe this child in silk and satin and comb -her hair out fine, Sister Jane.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The old woman grumbled a little, but gave -Eolen a touch here and there, and in a moment -she was dressed as fine as the finest lady in the -land.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now she is ready, brother,’ said the old, old -woman, and then she disappeared in the wall, -combing her long gray hair and smiling.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Must I walk?’ asked Eolen, looking at her -satin slippers.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Nonsense!’ exclaimed the old man. Then -he tapped in another part of the wall. ‘Nephew! -Nephew! Where are you?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Wherever you wish me to be,’ a voice replied, -and then the wall opened, and out stepped -the handsome stranger who had given Eolen the -gold ring. ‘What do you want?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘A carriage and horses,’ said the old man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘They are at the door,’ was the reply, ‘and -I’ll drive them myself.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Sure enough, there stood at the door a coach -and four, and Eolen was carried to the palace -in grand style. Liveried servants appeared and -spread a strip of carpet before her, and the Cow -with the Golden Horns came running to meet her, -and in a moment she had the ring. Then the -people set up a loud shout, crying:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The Princess! the Princess!’</p> -<div id='i080' class='figcenter id010'> -<img src='images/i080.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>SHE WOULD HAVE KNELT, BUT HE LIFTED HER UP</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“And then the Prince came out and went to -her. She would have knelt, but he lifted her up -and knelt himself before her, and kissed her hand, -and smiled on her, for she was the lovely girl he -had seen in the picture.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What is the moral of that?” inquired Mr. -Rabbit, waking from his nap.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, you didn’t even hear the story,” said -Mr. Thimblefinger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“That is the reason I want to hear the moral -of it,” remarked Mr. Rabbit.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There is no moral at all,” said Mr. Thimblefinger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then I’m mighty glad I was asleep,” grumbled -Mr. Rabbit.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch08' class='c007'>VIII.<br /> <br />BROTHER WOLF’S TWO BIG DINNERS.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>The children said they were very much pleased -with the story about the Cow with the Golden -Horns. Buster John even went so far as to say -that it was as good as some of the stories in the -books. But Mr. Thimblefinger shook his head. -He said he was very glad they were pleased with -it, but he knew Mr. Rabbit was right. The story -couldn’t be a very good story, because it had no -moral.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But I think it had a very good moral,” remarked -Mrs. Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What was it?” inquired Mr. Rabbit with -great solemnity.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, if the little girl had been too stingy to -give the old beggar a piece of her cake, she would -never have come to be Princess,” replied Mrs. -Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Did she give the beggar a piece of cake?” -asked Mr. Rabbit.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, certainly she did,” Mr. Thimblefinger -answered.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, setting himself -back in his chair, “I must have been fast asleep -when she did it. But the place for a moral, as -I’ve been told, is right at the end of a story, and -not at the beginning.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Can’t you tell us a story with a moral?” suggested -Mrs. Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I can,” replied Mr. Rabbit. “I can for a -fact, and the piece of cake you mentioned puts -me in mind of it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit closed his eyes and rubbed his nose, -and then began:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Once upon a time, when Brother Fox and -myself were living on pretty good terms with each -other, we received an invitation to attend a barbecue -that Brother Wolf was going to give on the -following Saturday. The next day we received -an invitation to a barbecue that Brother Bear was -going to give on the same Saturday.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I made up my mind at once to go to Brother -Bear’s barbecue, because I knew he would have -fresh roasting ears, and if there’s anything I -like better than another, it is fresh roasting ears. -I asked Brother Fox whether he was going to -Brother Bear’s barbecue or to Brother Wolf’s, -but he shook his head. He said he hadn’t -made up his mind. I just asked him out of idle -curiosity, for I didn’t care whether he went or -whether he stayed.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I went about my work as usual. Cold weather -was coming on, and I wanted to get my crops in -before the big freeze came. But I noticed that -Brother Fox was mighty restless in his mind. He -didn’t do a stroke of work. He’d sit down and -then he’d get up; he’d stand still and look up -in the tops of the trees, and then he’d walk back -and forth with his hands behind him and look -down at the ground.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I says to him, says I, ‘I hope you are not -sick, Brother Fox.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says he, ‘Oh, no, Brother Rabbit; I never -felt better in my life.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I says to him, says I, ‘I hope money matters -are not troubling you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says he, ‘Oh, no, Brother Rabbit, money was -never easier with me than it is this season.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I says to him, says I, ‘I hope I’ll have the -pleasure of your company to the barbecue to-morrow.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says he, ‘I can’t tell, Brother Rabbit; I can’t -tell. I haven’t made up my mind. I may go to -the one, or I may go to the other; but which -it will be, I can’t tell you to save my life.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“As the next day was Saturday, I was up -bright and early. I dug my goobers and spread -’em out to dry in the sun, and then, ten o’clock, -as near as I could judge, I started out to the barbecue. -Brother Wolf lived near the river, and -Brother Bear lived right on the river, a mile or -two below Brother Wolf’s. The big road, that -passed near where Brother Fox and I lived, led in -the direction of the river for about three miles, -and then it forked, one prong going to Brother -Wolf’s house, and the other prong going to Brother -Bear’s house.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, when I came to the forks of the road, -who should I see there but old Brother Fox. I -stopped before he saw me, and watched him. He -went a little way down one road, and licked his -chops; then he came back and went a little way -down the other road, and licked his chops.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Not choosing to be late, I showed myself and -passed the time of day with Brother Fox. I said, -says I, that if he was going to Brother Bear’s barbecue, -I’d be glad to have his company. But he -said, says he, that he wouldn’t keep me waiting. -He had just come down to the forks of the road -to see if that would help him to make up his mind. -I told him I was mighty sorry to miss his company -and his conversation, and then I tipped my -hat and took my cane from under my arm and -went down the road that led to Brother Bear’s -house.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Here Mr. Rabbit paused, straightened himself -up a little, and looked at the children. Then he -continued:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I reckon you all never stood on the top of a -hill three quarters of a mile from the smoking pits -and got a whiff or two of the barbecue?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I is! I is!” exclaimed Drusilla. “Don’t talk! -Hit make me dribble at de mouf. I wish I had -some right now.”</p> -<div id='i086' class='figcenter id011'> -<img src='images/i086.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>HE WENT A LITTLE WAY DOWN ONE ROAD</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Well,” said Mr. Rabbit, “I got a whiff of it -and I was truly glad I had come—truly glad. It -was a fine barbecue, too. There was lamb, and -kid, and shote, all cooked to a turn and well seasoned, -and then there was the hash made out of -the giblets. I’ll not tell you any more about the -dinner, except that I’d like to have one like it -every Saturday in the year. If I happened to be -too sick to eat it, I could sit up and look at it. -Anyhow, we all had enough and to spare.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“After we had finished with the barbecue and -were sitting in Brother Bear’s front porch smoking -our pipes and talking politics, I happened to -mention to Brother Bear something about Brother -Wolf’s barbecue. I said, says I, that I thought -I’d go by Brother Wolf’s house as I went on -home, though it was a right smart step out of the -way, just to see how the land lay.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says Brother Bear, says he: ‘If you’ll wait -till my company take their leave, I don’t mind -trotting over to Brother Wolf’s with you. The -walk will help to settle my dinner.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So, about two hours by sun, we started out -and went to Brother Wolf’s house. Brother Bear -knew a short cut through the big canebrake, and -it didn’t take us more than half an hour to get -there. Brother Wolf was just telling his company -good-by; and when they had all gone he -would have us go in and taste his mutton stew, -and then he declared he’d think right hard of us -if we didn’t drink a mug or two of his persimmon -beer.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I said, says I, ‘Brother Wolf, have you seen -Brother Fox to-day?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Brother Wolf said, says he, ‘I declare, I -haven’t seen hair nor hide of Brother Fox. I -don’t see why he didn’t come. He’s always -keen to go where there’s fresh meat a-frying.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I said, says I, ‘The reason I asked was because -I left Brother Fox at the forks of the road -trying to make up his mind whether he’d eat at -your house or at Brother Bear’s.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well, I’m mighty sorry,’ says Brother Wolf, -says he; ‘Brother Fox never missed a finer chance -to pick a bone than he’s had to-day. Please tell -him so for me.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I said I would, and then I told Brother Wolf -and Brother Bear good-by and set out for home. -Brother Wolf’s persimmon beer had a little age -on it, and it made me light-headed and nimble-footed. -I went in a gallop, as you may say, and -came to the forks of the road before the sun went -down.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“You may not believe it, but when I got there -Brother Fox was there going through the same -motions that made me laugh in the morning—running -down one road and licking his chops, -and then running down the other and licking his -chops.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says I, ‘I hope you had a good dinner at -Brother Wolf’s to-day, Brother Fox.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says he, ‘I’ve had no dinner.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says I, ‘That’s mighty funny. Brother Bear -had a famous barbecue, and I thought Brother -Wolf was going to have one, too.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says Brother Fox, ‘Is dinner over? Is it -too late to go?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says I, ‘Why, Brother Fox, the sun’s nearly -down. By the time you get to Brother Bear’s -house, he’ll be gone to bed; and by the time you -go across the swamp to Brother Wolf’s house, the -chickens will be crowing for day.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well, well, well!’ says Brother Fox, ‘I’ve -been all day trying to make up my mind which -road I’d take, and now it’s too late.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“And that was the fact,” continued Mr. Rabbit. -“The poor creature had been all day trying -to make up his mind which road he’d take. Now, -then, what is the moral?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Sweetest Susan looked at Mrs. Meadows, but -Mrs. Meadows merely smiled. Buster John rattled -the marbles in his pocket.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I know,” said Drusilla.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What?” inquired Mr. Rabbit.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Go down one road an’ git one dinner, den cut -’cross an’ git some mo’ dinner, an’ den go back -home down de yuther road.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Tar-Baby, you are wrong,” he said.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“If you want anything, go and get it,” suggested -Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit shook his head and looked at Sweetest -Susan, whereupon she said:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“If you can’t make up your mind, you’ll have -to go hungry.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Eat a good breakfast,” said Mrs. Meadows, -“and you won’t be worried about your dinner.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“All wrong!” exclaimed Mr. Rabbit, with a -chuckle. “The moral is this: He who wants -too much is more than likely to get nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” remarked Mrs. Meadows dubiously, -“if you have to work out a moral as if it was a -sum in arithmetic, I’ll thank you not to trouble -me with any more morals.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The motion is seconded and carried,” exclaimed -Mr. Thimblefinger.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch09' class='c007'>IX.<br /> <br />THE LITTLE BOY OF THE LANTERN.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Of course,” said Mr. Thimblefinger, “all of -you can tell better stories than I can, because you -are larger. Being taller, you can see farther and -talk louder; but I sometimes think that if I was -to climb a tree, I’d see as far as any of you.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, I hope your feelings are not hurt,” remarked -Mr. Rabbit sympathetically. “It’s not -the fault of your stories that I fall asleep when -you are telling them. It’s my habit to sit and -nod at certain hours of the day, and if you’ll -watch me right close, you’ll see that I sometimes -drop off when I’m telling a story myself. I’ll -try and keep awake the next time you tell one.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I’m afraid I’ll have to prop Mr. Rabbit’s -eyelids open with straws,” said Mrs. Meadows, -laughing.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I’ll just try you with a little one,” Mr. Thimblefinger -declared. “I’ll tell you one I heard -when I was younger. I want to see whether -Mr. Rabbit will keep awake, and I want to see -whether there’s a moral in the tale.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>So he took off his little hat, which was shaped -like a thimble, and run his hand over the feather -ornament to straighten it out. Then he began:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“A long time ago, when there was a great deal -more room in the country next door than there is -now, there lived a man who had a wife, one son, -a horse, a cow, and a calf. He was a hard-working -man, so much so that he had little or no time -to devote to his family. He worked hard in the -field all day, and when night came he was too -tired to trouble much about his son. His wife, -too, having no servant, was always busy about the -house, sewing, washing, cooking, cleaning, patching, -milking, and sweeping. Day in and day out -it was always the same. The man was always -working, and the woman was always working. -They had no rest except on Sunday, and then -they were too tired to pay much attention to their -son.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The consequence was, that while the boy was -a very bright lad, he was full of mischief, up to -all sorts of tricks and pranks that some people call -meanness. By hook or by crook—or maybe by -book—he had learned how to spell and read. -But the only book he had to read was one with -big pictures of men dressed in red clothes, and -armed with yellow cutlasses. The book was called -‘The Pirooters of Peruvia.’”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Maybe the name was ‘The Pirates of Peru,’” -suggested Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, no,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger. “I -don’t suppose any such country as Peru had been -found on the map when that book was written. -But never mind about that. The boy read only -that book, and he became rather wild in his mind. -He wanted to be a pirooter, whatever that was, -and so he armed himself with old hoe helves and -called them pikes, and he tied a shingle to his -side and called it a cutlass, and he got him a -broom-handle and called it a horse.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This boy’s name was Johnny, but sometimes -they called him Jack for short. Some people said -he was mean as he could be; but I don’t say that. -He was fonder of scampering over the country -than he was of helping his mother. Maybe he -didn’t know any better because he wasn’t taught -any better. But one morning his mother was so -tired that she couldn’t get out of bed. She had -worn herself out with work. The next morning -she couldn’t get up, nor the next; and then the -neighbors, who had come in to see what the matter -was, said that she would never get up any -more. So one day Johnny found everything very -still in the house, and the neighbors who were -there were kinder to him than they ever had been, -and then he knew that his mother would never -get tired any more.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He felt so bad that he wandered off into the -woods, crying as he went. His eyes were so full -of tears that he couldn’t see where he was going, -and he didn’t care. He went on and on, until, -finally, when he took heart to look around, he -found himself in a part of the country that was -new to him. This caused him to dry his eyes, for -he was perfectly sure that he had traveled neither -fast nor far enough to be beyond the limits of the -numberless journeys he had made in all directions -from his father’s house; and yet, here he was, -suddenly and without knowing how he got there, -in a country that was altogether new to him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It was just like when you came down through -our spring gate,” said Mr. Thimblefinger. “The -grass was different and the trees were different, -and even the sand and the gravel were of a color -that Johnny had never seen before. Suddenly, -while he was wondering how he could have missed -seeing all these strange things when he had journeyed -this way before, a lady, richly dressed, came -out of the woods and stood before him. She -neither smiled nor looked severe, but pity seemed -to shine in her face.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What now?’ she said, raising her hand to -her head. ‘You have come fast and come far. -You are in trouble. Go back. When you want -me, go to the Whispering Poplar that stands on -the hill and call my name.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Who are you?’ asked Johnny, forgetting to -be polite, if he ever knew how.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The Keeper of the Cows that roam in the -night,’ replied the lady. ‘When you go to the -Whispering Poplar that stands on the hill, whisper -this:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>O Keeper of Cows that roam in the night,</div> - <div class='line'>Come over the hill and lend me your light.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“Johnny would have thanked the woman, but -in the twinkling of an eye she was gone without -making a sound, and not a blade of grass shook -to show that she had been there. Johnny turned -in his tracks and started home the way he came. -Before he had gone far he stopped to look back, -but the strange country was nowhere to be seen—only -the old familiar hills and trees that he had -always known.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When he got home there was a strange woman -cooking and fixing his father’s supper. The table -was set, and everything was almost as neat and as -tidy as it used to be when his mother was alive. -Even his own little plate was in its place, and his -mug, with the picture of a blue castle painted on -it, was by the plate. But Johnny had no appetite. -He went to the door and looked in, and then went -to the stable. Once there, he suddenly remembered -that he had forgotten to drive the cow in -from the pasture. He went running to get her, -but found her coming along of her own accord, -something she was not in the habit of doing.</p> -<div id='i096' class='figcenter id012'> -<img src='images/i096.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>A LADY, RICHLY DRESSED, CAME OUT OF THE WOODS</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Johnny wondered a little at this, but it soon -passed out of his mind, and he got behind the -cow and made her go faster. He drove the cow -into the lot, and waited awhile for the woman to -come and milk. But she delayed so long that he -went to the house and found his father eating -supper. Instead of going to the table, he went -and sat by the fire.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Have something to eat?’ said the woman.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I am not hungry,’ he replied.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Have a glass of fresh milk, then?’ she said.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Not to-night,’ he answered. ‘I have just -driven the cow in from the pasture.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I brought her from the pasture myself,’ said -the woman, ‘milked her, and turned her out -again.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Johnny said nothing to this, but he knew -the cow had not been milked, and he wondered -where the woman got the milk that his father was -drinking. He thought it over, and forgot all -about his grief. He noticed that as soon as his -father drank the milk he began to smile at the -woman. He smiled at the woman, but was cross -to Johnny.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“After supper the woman went out, and after -a while Johnny went out, too, leaving his father -sitting by the fire smoking his pipe. Johnny -went to the lot, thinking the woman had gone -there. He wanted to see whether she would milk -the cow. He crept along the side of the fence, -and soon he was near enough to peep through a -crack without being seen. He saw the woman -rubbing the cow on the back while the calf was -getting all the milk.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You see how good I am to you, sister,’ said -she. ‘Now I want you to be good to me. When -that boy Jack goes after you to the pasture, -I want you to lead him a chase. I saw him beating -your calf to-day. But see how good I am to -your calf, sister. I give it all the milk.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The cow shook her horn and switched her -tail, and Johnny, sitting in the fence corner, wondered -what it all meant.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I see,’ said the cow, after a while. ‘You -want to marry the boy’s father, and the boy is in -the way. But suppose they find you out. What -then?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Trust me for that, sister,’ said the woman; -‘trust me for that.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Johnny waited to hear no more, but crept -away and went to bed. He was dressed and out -by sun-up next morning, but the woman was -up before him, and had breakfast nearly ready. -Johnny asked her if she had milked the cow, and -she replied that she had milked and forgotten -about it. Johnny saw the milk-pail setting on the -shelf, and when he looked at it he knew the cow -had not been milked, else the sides of the pail -would have been spattered.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the cow had been turned out, and the -calf was sleeping contentedly in the fence corner, -instead of nibbling the grass. Johnny drank no -milk at breakfast, but his father did, and smiled -at the woman more than ever. During the day -Johnny forgot all about the cow, but when night -came he knew she must be brought up, so he went -to the pasture after her. She was not to be found. -He hunted over the hills and fields, and then, not -finding her, began to cry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Suddenly the lady he had seen the day before -stepped out of the wood and spoke to him. She -held in her hand a tiny lantern.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Take this,’ she said, holding out the lantern. -‘You wouldn’t call me, and so I came to you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I forgot,’ whispered Johnny.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Don’t forget any more,’ said the lady. -‘Take this lantern and run to the Whispering -Poplar that stands on the hill. You’ll find your -cow tied there. Drive her home, and don’t spare -her.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Johnny found the cow tied to the poplar sure -enough, and he made her gallop home as fast as -she could. He blew out his tiny lantern before -he got in sight of the house, but it dropped from -his hand and he could find it no more. He ceased -to hunt for it after a while, and drove the cow to -the lot, where the woman was waiting.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Go get your supper,’ she said to Johnny.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Yes ’m,’ replied Johnny, but he went off -only to creep back to see what the woman would -do.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“She abused the cow terribly. He could see -that she was angry. ‘You are a nice sister,’ she -exclaimed, ‘to let that boy bring you home so -early.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Don’t “sister” me,’ moaned the cow. ‘I’m -nearly famished, and that boy has nearly run me -off my legs. Somebody that I couldn’t see -caught me and tied me to a tree this morning, and -there I’ve been all day. We’d better go away -from here. That boy will find you out yet.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then Johnny crept away, ate his supper, and -went to bed. He slept late the next morning, but -when he awoke he found that his father, instead -of being at work, as was his habit, was smoking -his pipe and talking to the woman, and both were -smiling at each other very sweetly. That afternoon, -Johnny went to bring the cow home before -sundown, but he couldn’t find her. He hunted -and hunted for her until long after dark, and then -he went to the Whispering Poplar that stands on -the hill, and said:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“‘O Keeper of Cows that roam in the night,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Come over the hills and lend me your light!’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“Instantly Johnny heard a cow lowing in the -valley, and saw a light glimmering faintly in the -distance. In a little while he heard a tremendous -clatter of hoofs up the hill, and the rushing of -some large animal through the bushes. It seemed -to have one eye only and that eye shone as fiercely -as a flame of fire as its head swayed from side to -side. It came rushing to the poplar-tree where -Johnny stood, and stopped there. Johnny peeped -from behind the tree and saw that the frightful -animal was nothing more than his cow, with a tiny -lantern hanging on her horn. She stood there -panting and trembling. Johnny waited to see -if the Keeper of Cows that roam in the night -would make her appearance, but he waited in vain. -Then he drove the cow home, turned her into -the lot, and went in the house to get his supper. -His father and the woman were sitting very close -together.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Have you brought the cow?’ the woman -asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘She’s in the lot,’ replied Johnny.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You are a smart boy,’ said the woman.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Thanky, ma’am,’ exclaimed Johnny.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So it went on day after day. The woman -would make the cow wander farther and farther -away from home, and Johnny would go to the -Whispering Poplar that stands on the hill and call -for the beautiful lady, the Keeper of the Cows -that roam in the night, and soon the cow would -come running and lowing. Then Johnny would -drive her home by the light of his little lantern. -This happened so often that the neighbors, and -indeed the people in all that country, when they -saw a light bobbing around at night, would shake -their heads and say, ‘There goes Jack with his -lantern,’ and then after a while they called him -‘Jack of the Lantern.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“One day he heard two of the neighbors talking -about him, saying it was a pity that so bright -a boy should have such a stepmother as the woman -his father was about to marry. Then Johnny (or -Jack, as he was sometimes called) knew that his -father was preparing to marry the woman who -was keeping house for him, and it made the boy -feel very wretched to think that this woman was -to take the place of his mother.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“That very day he went to the Whispering Poplar -that stands on the hill and called for the Keeper -of the Cows that roam in the night. The lady -made her appearance, and then Johnny told her -his troubles. The lady smiled for the first time. -Then she told Johnny that if he would follow her -directions his troubles would disappear. She gave -him a roll of blue ribbon, and told him what to -say when he presented it to the woman just before -the marriage took place. She told him also what -to do with his little lantern. Johnny went home -feeling very much better, and that night his father -told him he was to have a new mother the next -day. He said nothing in reply, but smiled as if -the news pleased him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Johnny lay awake that night a long time, and -once he thought the woman came and leaned over -his bed as if to listen, but just then a cow not far -away lowed once, twice, thrice. Then the woman -went away muttering something.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The next day the invited guests began to assemble -early, and after a while the preacher came. -The women neighbors would have the bride to -stand up in the middle of the floor to admire her -just before the ceremony, and when she stood up -Johnny began to march around her, waving his -lantern and his blue ribbon and singing:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“‘I have for the bride ten yards of blue ribbon—</div> - <div class='line in2'>Ten yards of blue ribbon, ten yards of blue ribbon—</div> - <div class='line in1'>I have for the bride ten yards of blue ribbon,</div> - <div class='line in2'>So rich and so soft and so rare;</div> - <div class='line in1'>Five yards to pin on her snowy white bosom—</div> - <div class='line in2'>Her snowy white bosom, her snowy white bosom—</div> - <div class='line in1'>Five yards to pin on her snowy white bosom,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And five to tie in her hair.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“‘I have a lantern to light her along with—</div> - <div class='line in2'>To light her along with, to light her along with—</div> - <div class='line in1'>I have a lantern to light her along with,</div> - <div class='line in2'>When forth she fares in the night;</div> - <div class='line in1'>Out in the dark, the ribbon will rustle—</div> - <div class='line in3'>The ribbon will rustle, the ribbon will rustle—</div> - <div class='line in1'>Out in the dark the ribbon will rustle,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And the lantern will lend her its light!’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“Johnny threw the blue ribbon over the -woman’s shoulder and around her neck, and -waved his lantern, and instantly the woman disappeared, -and in her place stood a cow. Before -the people could recover their surprise, the lady -that Johnny had seen at the Whispering Poplar -came into the room and bowed to the company.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘This is the most malicious cow in all my -herd,’ said she, ‘and this brave boy has caught -her. Here is a purse of gold for his reward. As -for you, sir,’ turning to Johnny’s father, ‘you -may thank your son for saving you from this -witch.’ Then she bowed again, and went away, -leading the cow, and neither of them was ever -seen in that country again.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But to this day, when people see a light bobbing -up and down in the fields at night, they say, -‘Yonder’s Jack of the Lantern!’”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch10' class='c007'>X.<br /> <br />A LUCKY CONJURER.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Now, I think that was a pretty good story,” -said Mr. Rabbit. “It had something about cows -in it, and there was nothing about kings and -princes. I wouldn’t give <i>that</i>”—Mr. Rabbit -blew a whiff of smoke from his mouth—“or all -your princes and kings. Of course that’s on account -of my ignorance. I don’t know anything -about them. I reckon they are just as good -neighbors as anybody, when you come to know -them right well.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John laughed at this, but Sweetest -Susan only smiled.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, I am not joking,” remarked Mr. Rabbit -solemnly. “There’s no reason why kings and -queens and princes shouldn’t be just as neighborly -as other people. If a king and queen were -keeping house anywhere near me, and were to -send over after a mess of salad, or to borrow a -cup of sugar or a spoonful of lard, I’d be as ready -to accommodate them as I would any other neighbors, -and I reckon they’d do the same by me.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“They’d be mighty foolish if they didn’t,” -said Mrs. Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I hear tell dat folks hafter be monstus umble-come-tumble -when dey go foolin’ ’roun’ whar dey -er kingin’ an’ a queenin’ at,” remarked Drusilla. -“Ef dey sont me fer ter borry any sugar er -lard fum de house whar dey does de kingin’ an’ -queenin’, I boun’ you I’d stan’ at the back gate -an’ holler ’fo’ I went in dar whar dey wuz a-havin’ -der gwines on. Dey wouldn’t git me in dar ’fo’ -I know’d how de lan’ lay.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I expect you are right, Tar-Baby,” replied -Mr. Rabbit.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, I’m glad you didn’t go to sleep over -the story of the little boy and the lantern. But -it didn’t have any moral,” said Mr. Thimblefinger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, I reckon that’s the reason I didn’t do -any nodding,” explained Mr. Rabbit. “I knew -there was something the matter.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>There was a pause, during which Mr. Rabbit -betrayed a tendency to fall to nodding again. -Presently Mrs. Meadows remarked:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I mind me of a story that I heard once—I -reckon the talk about kings and queens made me -remember it. Anyway, it popped into my head -all of a sudden, though I hadn’t thought about -it in years.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Fire away!” exclaimed Mr. Rabbit, opening -his eyes and slowly closing them again.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Once upon a time there lived in the land of -Moraria a man who was very poor. He worked -whenever and wherever he could find work, yet -he had so many children that even if he had found -work every day he could have made hardly enough -for all to eat and wear. As it was, times were so -hard and work was so scarce that he frequently -had to go hungry and half clothed. His wife did -the best she could, which was very little. She -worked about the palace where the king had lived, -but as she was only one among a hundred, she -got small wages, and had few opportunities to -carry any scraps of victuals to her children.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Finally the man came to the conclusion that -he must make a desperate effort to better his condition, -so he said to his wife:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What are my five senses for? I see other -people living by their wits, and dressing fine and -enjoying the best in the land. Why shouldn’t -I do the same? What is to prevent me but my -stupidity?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Stupidity is a high fence to climb over,’ replied -the man’s wife. ‘But if you are willing to -try how far your wits will carry you, you will -have a good opportunity in a few days. The -king’s daughter, the Princess Myla, is to be married -next week, and even now the guests are assembling -at the palace—most of them belonging -to the bridegroom’s retinue.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The man leaned his head on his hand and -thought a while, and then he rose and put on the -best clothes he had, which were poor enough, and -tied a rope girdle around his waist.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I shall go to court as a pilgrim,’ he said to -his wife. ‘When you see me, do you go around -among the other servants and tell them that a -great conjurer has arrived from the East. In -this way it will come quickly to the King’s ears. -Nothing will come of that, but the next morning -something valuable will be missing from the palace. -When you hear of it, do you tell the rest -that you know a man who can find whatever is -missing.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘But how will you do this?’ asked the woman.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Leave that to me,’ he replied.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The man carried out his plan, and his wife followed -his directions. She pointed him out to her -fellow-servants as a great conjurer from the East. -Ragged as he was, the man stalked majestically -about the palace-yard, and after a while sat on the -ground with his face to the wall, and shook his -head from side to side, and made many queer motions -with his hands.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, while the man sat there going through -his queer motions, he heard voices on the other -side of the wall. He judged that two men were -resting in the shade on that side, and he knew by -the way they talked that they had come with the -young Prince who was to marry the Princess -Myla.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You have left the blanket on the horse, I -hope,’ said one.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Yes, everything is attended to,’ replied the -other.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That is well,’ remarked the first. ‘The -Prince, our master, desires the Princess Myla to -be the first to look on this beautiful horse, which -has just come out of Arabia. I will go myself -to see that the animal is properly cared for.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Presently two strangers came through the -gate, laughing and talking, and the man who was -playing the conjurer knew they were the keepers -of the horse. He rose when they went by, and -watched them until he saw what part of the palace -stables they entered. Then he slowly made -his way out of the palace grounds.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“That night he went back and removed the -horse, placing it where no one would be likely -to find it. Then he told his wife what he had -done.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘There will be a great outcry,’ said he, ‘when -the horse is missed. In the midst of it make your -voice heard, and remind the young Prince’s attendants -that there is a famous conjurer within -reach who can no doubt find the horse.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“As the man said, so it turned out. There -was a great noise made when it was found that -the beautiful Arabian horse had been stolen. The -young Prince was ready to tear his hair, so great -was his disappointment. He offered a large sum -of money to any one who would recover the horse. -When the excitement was at its highest, the -woman mentioned to some of the attendants that -a famous conjurer had come to the palace. She -then pointed her husband out to the men. At -once the news was carried to the Prince, who was -with the King.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The King was not a believer in conjurers, and -he quickly told the attendants to go send the vagabond -about his business. But the young Prince -was so keen to recover the beautiful horse which -he had intended as a wedding gift for the Princess -Myla that he insisted on consulting the conjurer. -So the man was sent for. He came, followed by -a number of people who were anxious to see what -he would do. He had a very wise look as he -bowed to the King and to the Prince.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Who are you?’ the King asked with a -frown.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘A poor pilgrim, your Majesty. Nothing -more.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What is your business?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I am a student, your Majesty.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Where are your books?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘In men’s faces, your Majesty.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The man’s replies were so apt that the King’s -ill-humor partly passed away.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘A horse has been stolen from the royal -stables,’ said the King. ‘I am told you are a conjurer. -If you are, find the horse.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The man seated himself on the carpet, drew -a crystal stone from his pocket, and asked the -young Prince to warm it in the palm of his hand. -Then the man took it and looked at it a few moments, -rubbing his hand over it as if something -blurred his sight. Then he said:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The horse has on a blanket woven on a Russian -loom. I see! A dapple-gray with milk-white -mane and tail.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That is the horse!’ cried the Prince. -‘Where is he?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘He is tied in a thicket a half league from -here, near a road that leads to the river. He -paws the ground and whinnies for his master. -He is hungry.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“At once messengers were sent and the horse -found. The Prince was about to give the man -a purse of gold, but the King stayed his hand, -saying:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’ll test this fellow. I believe he is an imposter.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The man was very much frightened at this, -but there was no escape for him. The King went -to his private apartment, and shortly came back -with a covered basket in his hand.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘There is a bird in this nest,’ said the King. -‘If you are a conjurer, tell me the name of -it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Alas, your Majesty,’ cried the man, preparing -to fall on his knees and beg for mercy, ‘a -nest that wouldn’t fit a sparrow might chance to -fit a crow.’</p> -<div id='i114' class='figcenter id013'> -<img src='images/i114.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>AS HE DID SO, A CROW HOPPED OUT</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“‘You certainly have gifts,’ remarked the King -as he lifted the cover from the basket. As he -did so a crow hopped out and went stalking about -the room. The man was more astonished than -the King. In his fright he had hit on an old -saying that he had often heard, and it saved his -life.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Prince gave the man a purse of gold and -he was about to retire, when suddenly an attendant -came running into the chamber crying that -some one had stolen the beautiful diamond ring -belonging to the Princess Myla.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Tell the Princess to trouble herself no further. -We have here a man who will be able to -find it,’ said the King.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Allow me a little time, your Majesty,’ cried -the man, who was now frightened nearly out of -his wits. ‘Let me go into a vacant room in a -quiet part of the palace, where I may have an -opportunity to look into this matter.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He was soon placed in a room near the servants’ -quarters, the attendants telling him that -he would be summoned by the King in an hour. -He went into the room, shut the door, and flung -himself on the floor, bewailing his unhappy condition.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now the ring had been stolen by one of the -women in attendance on the Princess. She was -so pale and sad-looking that her companions had -nicknamed her Misery, and sometimes the Princess -herself, in a spirit of fun, called her by that -name. She had heard how the conjurer had discovered -the stolen horse, and she had seen him -name the crow in the covered basket. Consequently -she was very much frightened when she -heard the King command him to find the stolen -ring. She saw the conjurer go into the room, and -after a while she crept to the door to listen, so -great was her fear.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The man in the room was not thinking of the -stolen ring at all. He was merely bewailing his -unhappy lot.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh, misery, misery!’ he cried; ‘I have -heard of you, but now I know you!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He had no sooner said this than there came -a knock on the door and a voice said:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Don’t talk so loud! Open the door!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The man opened the door and saw a woman -standing there trembling and weeping.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Don’t expose me,’ she said, ‘but spare my -life. I have the ring here. I did wrong to steal -it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“For a moment the man was so overcome with -astonishment that he was unable to speak. He -took the ring in his hand and looked at it while -the woman continued to plead with him. He -handed her the ring again.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Take it,’ he said, ‘and place it beneath the -corner of one of the rugs in the bedroom of the -Princess. Be quick about it, for I am going to -the King.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The woman ran and did as she had been told, -and then the man came from the room and sent -an attendant to inform the King that the ring had -been found. The King sent for him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Where is the ring?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Under a corner of a rug in the bedroom of -the Princess, your Majesty,’ replied the man, bowing -low and smiling.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Search was at once made, and sure enough -the beautiful ring was found under a corner of a -rug in the Princess’s bedroom. The Princess herself -came to thank the conjurer, and if he had not -been a very sensible man his head would have -been turned by the attention he received. Even -the King no longer doubted the conjurer’s powers.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘There is something in this man,’ said the -King, and he straightway offered him a high position -among his councilors.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The man thanked the King most heartily, but -declared that his business would not allow him to -remain another day at court. So the King gave -him a purse of gold, the young Prince gave him -another, and the beautiful Princess Myla gave -him a string of pearls of great value. Then he -went home, bought him some land, built him a -comfortable house, and went into business for himself.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It sometimes happened that his wife complained -because he did not accept the King’s offer -and remain at court, so that she might have flourished -as a fine lady, but he always replied by saying -that the man is a fool who will tempt Providence -more than three times in a lifetime. Though -he went into the palace poor and came out of it -rich, he had escaped only by the skin of his teeth. -He was always grateful for his good fortune, -and by his example taught his children to lead -virtuous lives and always to help the poor and -needy.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch11' class='c007'>XI.<br /> <br />THE KING OF THE CLINKERS.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>Chickamy Crany Crow and Tickle-My-Toes -had stopped frolicking, and were now listening to -the stories. While Mrs. Meadows was telling -about the lucky conjurer, Tickle-My-Toes became -very uneasy. He moved about restlessly, pulled -off his big straw hat, put it on again, and seemed -to be waiting impatiently for the time to come -when he might say something.</p> - -<p class='c013'>So, when Mrs. Meadows had finished, she looked -at Tickle-My-Toes to see what he wanted. The -rest did the same. But Tickle-My-Toes blushed -very red, and looked at his feet.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“You acted as if you wanted to say something,” -said Mrs. Meadows, “and if you do, now’s -your chance. What’s the matter? Have you -run a splinter in your foot? You look as if you -wanted to cry.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I did want to say something,” replied Tickle-My-Toes.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What was it?” Mrs. Meadows inquired.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Nothing much,” answered Tickle-My-Toes, -putting his finger in his mouth.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I declare, I’m ashamed of you,” exclaimed -Mrs. Meadows. “Here you are mighty near as -old as I am, and yet trying to play boo-hoo baby.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I don’t think you ought to talk that way,” -said Tickle-My-Toes. “I thread your needles -for you every day, and I do everything you ask -me.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I know what’s the matter with you,” remarked -Mrs. Meadows. “You want me to take -you in my lap and rock you to sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh! I don’t!” cried Tickle-My-Toes, blushing -again. “I wanted to tell a story I heard, -but I’ll go off somewhere and tell it to myself.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There wouldn’t be any fun in that,” suggested -Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No,” said Mrs. Meadows. “Tell the story -right here, so we can enjoy it with you.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“You’ll laugh,” protested Tickle-My-Toes.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Not unless there’s something in the story to -laugh at.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This is no laughing story. It’s just as solemn -as it can be,” explained Tickle-My-Toes.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Good!” exclaimed Mr. Rabbit. “If there’s -anything I like, it is one of those solemn stories -that make you feel like you want to go off behind -the house and shake hands with yourself, and cry -boo-hoo to the ell-and-yard and seven stars.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit’s enthusiastic remark was very encouraging -to Tickle-My-Toes, who, after scratching -his head a little, and looking around to see if -he could find a place to hide when the time came, -began his story in this wise:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Once upon a time, and in a big town away -off yonder somewhere, there lived a little boy who -had no father nor mother. He was so small that -nobody seemed to care anything about him. But -one day a woman, the wife of a baker, heard him -crying in the streets, and carried him into the -house, and gave him something to eat, and warmed -him by the fire, and after that he felt better.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The baker himself grumbled a great deal -when he came home and found what his wife had -done. He said he wouldn’t be surprised to come -home some day and find his house full of other -people’s children. But his wife replied that it -would be well enough to complain when he found -the house full. As for this little brat, she said, -he wouldn’t fill a milk jar if he was put in it, -much less a great big house.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The baker growled and grumbled, but his -wife paid no attention to him. She sat in her -chair and rocked and sang, and was just as good-natured -as she could be. After a while the baker -himself got over his grumbling, and began to -laugh. He told his wife that he had sold all his -bread that day, and had orders for as much the -next day.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Of course,’ said she; ‘but if I had left that -child crying in the streets your business would -have been ruined before the year is out.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Maybe so,’ replied the baker.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, the little boy grew very fast, and was -as lively as a cricket. The baker’s wife thought -as much of him as if he had been her own son, -and the baker himself soon came to be very fond -of him. He was very smart, too. He learned to -watch the fire under the big oven, and to make -himself useful in many ways. He played about -the oven so much, and was so fond of watching -the bread bake and the fire burn, that the baker’s -wife called him Sparkle Spry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“For many years the country where the baker -and his wife and Sparkle Spry lived had been at -peace with all the other countries. But one day -a man from a neighboring country had his nose -pulled by somebody in the baker’s country, and -then war was declared by the kings and queens, -and the people fell to fighting.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, when people fight they must be fed, -and the cheapest thing to feed them on is bread. -A part of the army camped near the town where -the baker lived, and there was a great demand for -bread. The baker’s oven was not a large one, -and by running it day and night he could only -bake three hundred loaves.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He and his wife baked until they were tired -out. They told Sparkle Spry to watch the oven -so that the bread wouldn’t burn, and to wake -them when it was brown. They were so tired -that Sparkle Spry was sorry for them, and he wondered -why he wasn’t big enough to take their -places, if only for one day and night. While he -was thinking and wishing, he saw something moving. -He rubbed his eyes and looked again, and -then he saw an old man, no bigger than a broomstick, -and no taller than a teacup, peeping from -behind the oven.</p> -<div id='i124' class='figcenter id014'> -<img src='images/i124.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>HE SAW AN OLD MAN, NO BIGGER THAN A BROOMSTICK</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“‘Are they all gone?’ he whispered, coming -forward a little way.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘All who?’ asked Sparkle Spry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The old ones—the big man and the fat -woman.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘They have gone to bed,’ said Sparkle Spry. -‘I can call them!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘No, no,’ cried the old man. ‘They are such -fools! They don’t know what is good for them. -I have been waiting for years to get a chance to -show them how to bake bread. Once I showed -myself to the man, and he thought I was a snake; -once to the woman, and she thought I was a rat. -What fools they are!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Who are you?’ inquired Sparkle Spry. He -didn’t like to hear his friends abused.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Who—me? I’m the King of the Clinkers—twice -plunged in the water and twice burned -in the fire.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well, to-night you can bake all the bread -you want to,’ said Sparkle Spry. ‘The baker and -his wife have been trying to supply the army that -is camped here, but their oven is too small. They -have worked until they can work no longer, and -now they have gone to bed to rest.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Good!’ cried the King of the Clinkers. -‘Shut the door, so they can’t hear us! I’ll show -them a thing or two about baking bread.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then he walked close to the hot oven, tapped -on it with a little poker that he carried in his belt, -and called out: ‘Wake up! Get out! Come -on! Hurry up! We’ve no time to lose! Show -yourselves! Stir about! Be lively!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“With that, hundreds of little men swarmed -out of the ash heap behind the oven, some of -them sneezing and some rubbing their eyes, but -all jumping about with motions as quick as those -of a flea when he jumps.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, please don’t talk about fleas,” pleaded -Mr. Rabbit, shuddering and scratching himself -behind the ear. “It makes the cold chills run -up my back. I never hear ’em named but I think -I can feel ’em crawling on me.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Anyhow, that’s the way the little men jumped -about,” said Tickle-My-Toes, resuming his story. -“They swarmed in and out of the oven, hot as it -was; they swarmed in and out of the flour barrels; -they swarmed in and out of the trough where -the dough was kneaded; and they swarmed in and -out of the woodshed.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The King of the Clinkers stood sometimes on -the edge of the oven, sometimes on the edge of -the flour barrels, sometimes on the edge of the -trough, sometimes on the woodpile, and sometimes -at the door of the furnace. And wherever he -stood he waved his tiny poker and told the others -what to do.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Some of the little men carried wood to the -furnace, some carried flour and water to the trough, -some carried dough to the oven, and some brought -out the hot and smoking bread. Sparkle Spry -watched all this with so much surprise that he -didn’t know what to say or do. He saw the -loaves of bread rise up in rows as high as the -ceiling, and he sat and watched it as dumb as an -oyster. He had seen bread baked, but he had -never seen such baking as this.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Finally the eye of the King of the Clinkers -fell on Sparkle Spry. ‘Don’t sit there doing -nothing,’ he cried. ‘Go fetch wood and pile it -here by the furnace door. You can do that!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Sparkle Spry did as he was bid, but though -he brought the wood as fast as he could, he found -that he couldn’t bring it fast enough. Pretty -soon the King of the Clinkers called out to him:</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You can rest now. The flour is all gone, -and we have hardly begun.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘There’s plenty in the storehouse,’ said -Sparkle Spry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How many barrels?’ asked the King of the -Clinkers.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Two hundred,’ Sparkle Spry answered.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The King of the Clinkers wrung his hands in -despair. ‘Hardly a mouthful—hardly a mouthful! -It will all be gone before the chickens crow -for day. But run fetch the key. Two hundred -barrels will keep us busy while they last.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Sparkle Spry brought the key of the storehouse -door, and the little men swarmed in and -rolled the barrels out in a jiffy. Only one accident -happened. In taking the flour out of one -of the barrels, after they had rolled it near the -dough trough, one of the little men fell in and -would have been drowned but for Sparkle Spry, -who felt around in the loose flour and lifted him -out.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Drowned!” cried Sweetest Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Of course,” answered Tickle-My-Toes. “Why -not? I ought to have said ‘smothered,’ but now -that I’ve said ‘drowned’ I’ll stick to it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Better stick to the story,” remarked Mr. Rabbit -solemnly,—“Better stick to the story.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, I think he’s doing very well,” said Mrs. -Meadows in an encouraging tone.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” said Tickle-My-Toes, “the little men -worked away until they had baked the two hundred -barrels of flour into nice brown loaves of -bread. This made five hundred barrels they had -used, and that was all the baker had on hand. -The fifteen hundred pounds of flour made twenty -hundred and odd fat loaves, and these the King -of the Clinkers had carried into the storehouse.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When all this was done, and nicely done, the -King of the Clinkers went to the door of the room -where the baker and his wife were sleeping. They -were snoring as peacefully as two good people -ever did. Then he went to the street door and -listened.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Get home—get home!’ he cried to the little -men. ‘I hear wagons rumbling on the pavement; -they will be here presently for bread.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The little men scampered this way and that, -behind the oven and into the ash heap, and, in a -few seconds, all had disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now,’ said the King of the Clinkers, ‘I want -to tell you that I’ve had a splendid time, and -I’m very much obliged to you for it. I have -enjoyed myself, and I want to make some returns -for it. Pretty soon the bread wagons will be at -the door clamoring for bread. You will wake the -baker and his wife. When they find all their -flour made into nice bread they will be very much -surprised. They will ask you who did it. You -must tell them the truth. They will not believe -it, but they’ll be very proud of you. They will -be willing to give you anything you want. Tell -them you want a wooden horse. They will have -it built for you. It must have a window on each -side and good strong hinges in the legs. Good-by! -I hear the wagons at the door.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The King of the Clinkers waved his hand -and disappeared behind the oven. The wagons -rattled near the door, the teamsters cracking their -whips and calling for bread for the hungry army. -Sparkle Spry ran to the baker and shook him, and -ran to the baker’s wife and shook her. They -were soon awake, but when the baker learned that -the wagons had come for bread, he threw up both -hands in despair.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’m ruined!’ he cried. ‘I ought to have -been baking and here I’ve been sleeping! And -the army marches away to-day, leaving me with -all my stock of flour on hand. Oh, why didn’t -the boy wake me?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Come,’ said his wife; ‘we’ll sell what we’ve -got, and not cry over the rest.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“They went into the storehouse, and there they -saw a sight such as they had never seen before. -The room was so full of steaming bread that they -could hardly squeeze in at the door. From floor -to ceiling it was stacked and packed. They sold -and sold until every loaf was gone, and then, instead -of the bread, the baker and his wife had a -sack full of silver money.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The baker went in to count it, but his wife -took it away from him. ‘Not now,’ she said; -‘not until we have thanked this boy.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You are right!’ cried the baker. ‘It’s the -most wonderful thing I ever heard of. How did -you manage it?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Some little men helped me,’ answered Sparkle -Spry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The woman seized his hands and kissed his -fingers. ‘These are the little men,’ she exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘There’s one thing I’m sorry for,’ said -Sparkle Spry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What is that?’ asked the baker.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why, we had to burn so much wood.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Don’t mention it—don’t mention it,’ protested -the baker.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now,’ said the baker’s wife, embracing Sparkle -Spry again, ‘you deserve something for making -us rich. What shall it be?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The baker frowned a little at this, but his -brow cleared when Sparkle Spry replied that he -wanted a wooden horse built.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You shall have it,’ said the baker’s wife.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Yes, indeed,’ assented the baker. ‘As fine -a one as you want.’”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch12' class='c007'>XII.<br /> <br />THE TERRIBLE HORSE.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>When Tickle-My-Toes had told about how -pleased the baker and his wife were with Sparkle -Spry, he paused and looked at Chickamy Crany -Crow, as if he expected that she would beckon -him away. But, instead of that, she said:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, that isn’t all.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, it’s enough, I hope,” replied Tickle-My-Toes.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No,” said Mrs. Meadows, “it’s not enough, -if there’s any more. Why, so far it’s the best -of all the stories. It’s new to me. I had an idea -that I had heard all the stories, but this one is a -pole over my persimmon, as we used to say in the -country next door.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I don’t like to tell stories,” protested Tickle-My-Toes, -puckering his face in a comical way. -“It’s too confining.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Nonsense!” exclaimed Mr. Rabbit. “It’s -time you were settling down. What will you look -like a year or two from now, if you keep on cutting -up your capers?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Tickle-My-Toes caught hold of the corner of -Chickamy Crany Crow’s apron, and, thus fortified, -resumed his story:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, the baker and his wife promised Sparkle -Spry they would have him a big wooden horse -made, and they were as good as their word. They -sent right off that very day for a carpenter and -joiner, and when he came, Sparkle Spry showed -the man what he wanted. He said the horse must -be as much like a real horse as could be made out -of wood, and three times as big.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The man asked the baker’s wife what the brat -wanted with such a machine as that, and this made -the good woman mad.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘He’s no brat, I can tell you that!’ she exclaimed, -‘and if he wants a play horse as big as a -whale and the same shape, he shall have it. Now -if you want to make his play horse, get to work -and make it. If not, I’ll get somebody else to -make it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the man declared he meant no harm, and -said he was glad to get the work. So he got the -lumber, and in a few days, being a very clever -workman, he had finished the wooden horse. He -made it just as Sparkle Spry wanted him to. He -put big hinges at the joints of the legs, cut a window -in each side of the body, made the ears and -the nostrils hollow, and fixed pieces of glass for -the eyes.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The carpenter seemed to enjoy his work, too, -for every time he went off a little distance to see -how his work looked, he laughed as hard as he -could. When he was nearly done he asked Sparkle -Spry if he wanted the roof shingled.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why, no,’ replied the boy. ‘There’s no -roof there. Besides, horses don’t have shingles -on them.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He’ll look pretty rough,” remarked the man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Yes,’ said Sparkle Spry, ‘but after you get -through with him he is to be polished off.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That’s so,’ the carpenter assented, ‘but this -horse has a good many things about him that -other horses haven’t got.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So, when the carpenter was through with the -horse, a leather finisher was sent for, and he covered -the horse with hides of cows tanned with the -hair on, and fixed a cow’s tail where the horse’s -tail should have been.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The baker grumbled a little at this extra expense, -and said he was afraid Sparkle Spry had -strained his head the night he baked so much -bread. But the baker’s wife said she would like -to have a whole house full of crazy children, if -Sparkle Spry was crazy.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When the wooden horse was finished, Sparkle -Spry waited until the baker and his wife had gone -to bed, and then he tapped on the oven and whistled. -Presently the King of the Clinkers peeped -out to see what the matter was. He came from -behind the oven cautiously, until he found that -Sparkle Spry was alone, and then he came forth -boldly.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The horse is ready,’ said Sparkle Spry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Ready!’ exclaimed the King of the Clinkers. -‘Well, I think it is high time. My workmen -could have built it in a night; and here I -have been waiting and waiting for I don’t know -how long.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I hope you’ll like it,’ Sparkle Spry suggested.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Like it!’ cried the King of the Clinkers. -‘Why, of course I’ll like it. I haven’t enjoyed -a ride in so long that I’m not likely to quarrel -with the horse that carries me.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘But this is a wooden horse,’ remarked Sparkle -Spry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I should hope so; yes, indeed!’ grunted -the King of the Clinkers. ‘I have been riding -wooden horses as long as I can remember. They -may be a little clumsy, but they suit me.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘But this horse has no rockers,’ persisted -Sparkle Spry. ‘It is as solid as a house.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Much you know about wooden horses,’ said -the King of the Clinkers. ‘Wait; I’ll call my -torchbearers.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He tapped on the oven with his tiny poker, -and immediately a company of little men filed out -from behind it. As they passed the furnace door -they lit their torches at a live coal, and marched -out to the wooden horse, followed by the King of -the Clinkers and Sparkle Spry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The latter had reason to be very much astonished -at what he saw then and afterwards. The -torchbearers led the way to the left foreleg of -the wooden horse, opened a door, and filed up a -spiral stairway, the King of the Clinkers following -after. Sparkle Spry climbed up by means of -a stepladder that the carpenter had used. When -he crawled through the window in the side of the -wooden horse, he saw that a great transformation -had taken place, and the sight of it almost took -his breath away.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“A furnace with a small bake oven had been -fitted up, and there was also a supply of flour, coal, -and wood. The flue from the furnace ran in the -inside of the horse’s neck, finding a vent for the -smoke at the ears. On all sides were to be seen -the tools and furniture of a bakery, and there -were places where the little men might stow themselves -away when they were not on duty, and -there was a special apartment for the King of the -Clinkers.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“In a little while the whole interior of the -horse swarmed with the followers of the King of -the Clinkers, who stood counting them as they -came in.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘All here,’ he said, waving his little poker. -‘Now get to bed and rest yourselves.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“They complied so promptly that they seemed -to disappear as if by magic. The torchbearers -had thrown their torches in the furnace, and as -wood had already been placed there, a fire was -soon kindled.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now,’ said the King of the Clinkers, closing -the draught, ‘we’ll let it warm up a little and see -if the carpenter has done his work well.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Thereupon he pulled a cord that seemed to -be tied to a bell, and, in a little while, Sparkle -Spry felt that the horse was in motion. He -hardly knew what to make of it. He went to -the window and peeped out, and the lights in the -houses seemed to be all going to the rear. Occasionally -a creaking sound was heard, and sometimes -he could feel a jar or jolt in the horse’s -frame.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Are we flying?’ he asked, turning to the -King of the Clinkers.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Flying! Nothing of the sort. Don’t you -feel a jolt when the horse lifts up a foot and puts -it down again? I’m mighty glad it is a pacing -horse. If it was a trotting horse it would shake -us all to pieces.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Where are we going?’ inquired Sparkle -Spry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Following the army—following the army,’ -replied the King of the Clinkers. ‘There’s going -to be a big battle not far from here, and we -may take a hand in it. The king of the country -is a fat old rascal, and isn’t very well thought of -by the rest of the kings, who are his cousins; but -I live here, and he has never bothered me. Consequently, -I don’t mind helping him out in a -pinch.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How far do you have to go?’ asked Sparkle -Spry, who had no great relish for war if it was as -hard as he had heard it was.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh, a good many miles,’ replied the King of -the Clinkers, ‘and we are not getting on at all. -There’s not enough mutton suet on the knee -hinges to suit me.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So saying, he struck the bell twice, and instantly -Sparkle Spry could feel that the wooden -horse was going faster.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Does the horse go by the road or through -the fields?’ asked Sparkle Spry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh, we take short cuts when necessary,’ answered -the King of the Clinkers. ‘We have no -time to go round by the road. I hope you are -not scared.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘No, not scared,’ replied Sparkle Spry somewhat -doubtfully; ‘but it makes me feel queer to -be traveling through the country in a wooden -horse.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Nothing more was said for some time, and -Sparkle Spry must have dropped off to sleep, for -suddenly he was aroused by the voice of the King -of the Clinkers, who called out:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Here we are! Get up! Stir about!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Sparkle Spry jumped to his feet and looked -from the window. Day was just dawning, and -on the plain before him he saw hundreds of twinkling -lights, as if a shower of small stars had fallen -to the ground during the night. Being somewhat -dazed by his experiences, he asked what they -were.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Camp-fires,’ replied the King of the Clinkers. -‘The army that we are going to attack is -camped further away, but if you will lift your -eyes a little, you will see their camp-fires.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Do we attack them by ourselves?’ Sparkle -Spry asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Of course!’ the King of the Clinkers answered. -‘I never did like too much company; -besides, I want you to get the credit of it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now, I’d rather be certain of a whole skin -than to have any credit,’ protested Sparkle Spry.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the King of the Clinkers paid no attention -to his protests. He gave his orders to his -little men, and strutted about with an air of importance -that Sparkle Spry would have thought -comical if he had not been thinking of the battle.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Daylight came on and drowned out the camp-fires, -leaving only thin columns of blue smoke to -mark them. The wooden horse moved nearer -and nearer to the army directly in front of them, -and finally came close to the headquarters of the -commanding general, who sent out a soldier to inquire -the meaning of the apparition. Finally the -general came himself, accompanied by his staff, -and to him Sparkle Spry repeated what the King -of the Clinkers had told him to say. The general -pulled his mustache and knitted his brows mightily, -and finally he said:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’m obliged to you for coming. You’ll -have to do the best you can. I never have commanded -a wooden horse, and if I were to tell you -what to do, I might get you into trouble. I’ll -just send word along the line that the wooden -horse is on our side, and you’ll have to do the -best you can.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“As he said, so he did. The army soon knew -that a big wooden horse had come to help it, and -when the queer-looking machine moved to the -front, the soldiers got out of the way as fast as -they could, and some of them forgot to carry their -arms with them. But order was soon restored, -and presently it was seen that the opposing army -was marching forward to begin the battle.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The King of the Clinkers waited until the -line was formed, and then he sounded the little -bell. The horse started off. The bell rang -twice, and the horse went faster. Sparkle Spry, -looking from the window, could see that he was -going at a tremendous rate. The horse went close -to the opposing army, and then turned and went -down the line to the left. Turning, it came up -the line, this time very close. Turning again, it -came back, and the soldiers in the front line were -compelled to scamper out of the way. While this -was going on, the other army came up, but by the -time it arrived on the battle-ground there was -nothing to fight.</p> -<div id='i142' class='figcenter id015'> -<img src='images/i142.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>THE WOODEN HORSE HAD STAMPEDED THE ENEMY’S ARMY</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“The wooden horse had stampeded the enemy’s -army, and the soldiers had all run away, leaving -their arms, their tents, and their bread wagons to -be captured.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The commanding general of the victorious -army thanked Sparkle Spry very heartily. ‘I’ll -mention your name in my report to the king,’ he -said. ‘But I hardly know what to say about the -affair. You wouldn’t call this a battle, would -you?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘No,’ replied Sparkle Spry, ‘I saw no signs -of a battle where I went along.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘It is very curious,’ said the general. ‘I -don’t know what we are coming to. A great -victory, but nobody killed and no prisoners -taken.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then he went off to write his report, and -some time afterward the king sent for Sparkle -Spry, and gave him lands and houses and money, -and made him change his every-day name for a -high-sounding one. And the baker and his wife -came to live near him, and the King of the Clinkers -used to come at night with all his little men, -and they had a very good time after all, in spite -of the high-sounding name.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>With this, Tickle-My-Toes turned and ran away -as hard as he could, whereupon Mr. Rabbit -opened his eyes and asked in the most solemn -way:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Is there a wooden horse after him? I wish -you’d look.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch13' class='c007'>XIII.<br /> <br />HOW BROTHER LION LOST HIS WOOL.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>Mr. Rabbit shaded his eyes with his hand, and -pretended to believe that there might be a wooden -horse trying to catch Tickle-My-Toes after all. -But Mrs. Meadows said that there was no danger -of anything like that. She explained that Tickle-My-Toes -was running away because he didn’t -want to hear what was said about his story.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I think he’s right,” remarked Mr. Rabbit. -“It was the queerest tale I ever heard in all my -life. You might sit and listen to tales from now -until—well—until the first Tuesday before the -last Saturday in the year seven hundred thousand, -seven hundred and seventy-seven, and you’d -never hear another tale like it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I don’t see why,” suggested Mrs. Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” replied Mr. Rabbit, chewing his tobacco -very slowly, “there are more reasons than -I have hairs in my head, but I’ll only give you -three. In the first place, this Sparkle Spry doesn’t -marry the king’s daughter. In the second place, -he doesn’t live happily forever after; and in the -third place”—Mr. Rabbit paused and scratched -his head—“I declare, I’ve forgotten the third -reason.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“If it’s no better than the other two, it doesn’t -amount to much,” said Mrs. Meadows. “There’s -no reason why he shouldn’t have married the -king’s daughter, if the king had a daughter, and -if he didn’t live happily it was his own fault. -Stories are not expected to tell everything.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, I’m glad of that,” exclaimed Mr. Rabbit, -“truly glad. I’ve had a story on my mind -for many years, and I’ve kept it to myself because -I had an idea that in telling a story you had to -tell everything.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, you were very much mistaken,” said -Mrs. Meadows with emphasis.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So it seems—so it seems,” remarked Mr. -Rabbit.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What was the story?” asked Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I called it a story,” replied Mr. Rabbit, “but -that is too big a name for it. I reckon you have -heard of the time when Brother Lion had hair all -over him as long and as thick as the mane he now -has?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>But the children shook their heads. They had -never heard of that, and even Mrs. Meadows said -it was news to her.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, that is very queer,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, -filling his pipe slowly and deliberately. “Very -queer, indeed. Time and again I’ve had it on -the tip of my tongue to mention this matter, but -I always came to the conclusion that everybody -knew all about it. Of course it doesn’t seem reasonable -that Brother Lion went about covered -from head to foot, and to the tip of his tail, with -long, woolly hair; but, on the other hand, when -he was first seen without his long, woolly hair, he -was the laughing-stock of the whole district. I -know mighty well he was the most miserable -looking creature I ever saw.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It was curious, too, how it happened,” Mr. -Rabbit continued. “We were all living in a -much colder climate than that in the country next -door. Six months in the year there was ice in -the river and snow on the ground, and them that -didn’t lay up something to eat when the weather -was open had a pretty tough time of it the rest of -the year. Brother Lion’s long woolly hair belonged -to the climate. But for that, he would -have frozen to death, for he was a great hunter, -and he had to be out in all sorts of weather.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“One season we had a tremendous spell of cold -weather, the coldest I had ever felt. I happened -to be out one day, browsing around, when I saw -blue smoke rising a little distance off, so I says to -myself, says I, I’ll go within smelling distance of -the fire and thaw myself out. I went towards -the smoke, and I soon saw that Mr. Man, who -lived not far off, had been killing hogs.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, the funny thing about that hog-killing -business,” continued Mr. Rabbit, leaning back in -his chair and smacking his lips together, as old -people will do sometimes, “was that, after the -hogs were killed, Mr. Man had to get their hair -off. I don’t know how people do now, but that -was what Mr. Man did then. He had to get the -hair off—but how? Well, he piled up wood, -and in between the logs he placed rocks and -stones. Then he dug a hole in the ground and -half buried a hogshead, the open end tilted up a -little higher than the other end. This hogshead -he filled with as much water as it would hold in -that position. Then he set fire to the pile of -wood. As it burned, of course the rocks would -become heated. These Mr. Man would take in a -shovel and throw in the hogshead of water. The -hot rocks would heat the water, and in this way -the hogs were scalded so the hair on their hides -could be scraped off.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, the day I’m telling you about, Mr. -Man had been killing hogs and scalding the hair -off. When I got there the pile of wood had -burned away, and Mr. Man had just taken his -hogs home in his wagon. The weather was very -cold, and as I stood there warming myself I heard -Brother Lion roaring a little way off. He had -scented the fresh meat, and I knew he would -head right for the place where the hogs had been -killed.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, Brother Lion had been worrying me a -good deal. He had hired Brother Wolf to capture -me, and Brother Wolf had failed. Then -he hired Brother Bear, and Brother Bear got -into deep trouble. Finally he hired Brother Fox, -and I knew the day wasn’t far off when Mrs. -Fox would have to hang crape on her door and -go in mourning. All this had happened some -time before, and I bore Brother Lion no good -will.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So, when I heard him in the woods singing -out that he smelled fresh blood, I grabbed the -shovel the man had left, and threw a dozen or so -hot rocks in the hogshead, and then threw some -fresh dirt on the fire. Presently Brother Lion -came trotting up, sniffing the air, purring like -a spinning wheel a-running, and dribbling at the -mouth.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I passed the time of day with him as he came -up, but kept further away from him than he could -jump. He seemed very much surprised to see -me, and said it was pretty bad weather for such -little chaps to be out; but I told him I had on -pretty thick underwear, and besides that I had -just taken a hot bath in the hogshead.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’m both cold and dirty,’ says he, smelling -around the hogshead, ‘and I need a bath. I’ve -been asleep in the woods yonder, and I’m right -stiff with cold. But that water is bubbling around -in there mightily.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’ve just flung some rocks in,’ says I.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How do you get in?’ says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Back in,’ says I.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Brother Lion walked around the hogshead -once or twice, as if to satisfy himself that there -was no trap, and then he squatted and began to -crawl into the hogshead backwards. By the time -his hind leg touched the water, he pulled it out -with a howl, and tried to jump away, but, somehow, -his foot slipped off the rim of the hogshead, -and he soused into the water—kerchug!—up to -his shoulders.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit paused, shut his eyes, and chuckled -to himself.</p> -<div id='i150' class='figcenter id016'> -<img src='images/i150.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>YOU NEVER HEARD SUCH HOWLING SINCE YOU WERE BORN</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Well, you never heard such howling since -you were born. Brother Lion scrambled out -quicker than a cat can wink her left eye, and -rolled on the ground, and scratched around, and -tore up the earth considerably. I thought at first -he was putting on and pretending; but the water -must have been mighty hot, for while Brother -Lion was scuffling around, all the wool on his -body came off up to his shoulders, and if you -were to see him to-day you’d find him just that -way.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“And more than that—before he soused himself -in that hogshead of hot water, Brother Lion -used to strut around considerably. Being the -king of all the animals, he felt very proud, and -he used to go with his tail curled over his back. -But since that time, he sneaks around as if he was -afraid somebody would see him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There’s another thing. His hide hurt him -so bad for a week that every time a fly lit on him -he’d wiggle his tail. Some of the other animals, -seeing him do this, thought it was a new fashion, -and so they began to wiggle their tails. Watch -your old house cat when you go home, and you -will see her wiggle her tail forty times a day without -any reason or provocation. Why? Simply -because the other animals, when they saw Brother -Lion wiggling his tail, thought it was the fashion; -and so they all began it, and now it has become -a habit with the most of them. It is curious how -such things go.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the queerest thing of all,” continued Mr. -Rabbit, leaning back in his chair, and looking at -Mrs. Meadows and the children through half-closed -eyes, “was this—that the only wool left -on Brother Lion’s body, with the exception of his -mane, was a little tuft right on the end of his -tail.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“How was that?” inquired Mrs. Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit laughed heartily, but made no -reply.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I don’t see anything to laugh at,” said Mrs. -Meadows with some emphasis. “A civil question -deserves a civil answer, I’ve always heard.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, you know what you said a while ago,” -remarked Mr. Rabbit.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I don’t know as I remember,” replied Mrs. -Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, you said pointedly that it was not -necessary to tell everything in a story.” Mr. -Rabbit made this remark with great dignity. -“And I judged by the way you said it that it was -bad taste to tell everything.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, I remember now,” said Mrs. Meadows, -laughing. “It was only one of my jokes.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But this is no joke,” protested Mr. Rabbit, -winking at the children, but keeping the serious -side of his face toward Mrs. Meadows. “I took -you at your solemn word. Now there is a tuft of -wool on Brother Lion’s tail, and you ask me how -it happened to be there. I answer you as you -answered me—’You don’t have to tell everything -in a story.’ Am I right, or am I wrong?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I’ll not dispute with you,” remarked Mrs. -Meadows, taking up her knitting.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I don’t mind telling you,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, -turning to the children with a confidential -air. “It was as simple as falling off a log. When -Brother Lion fell into the hogshead of hot water, -the end of his tail slipped through the bunghole.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>This explanation was such an unexpected one -that the children laughed, and so did Mrs. Meadows. -But Mr. Thimblefinger, who had put in an -appearance, shook his head and remarked that he -was afraid that Mr. Rabbit got worse as he grew -older, instead of better.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch14' class='c007'>XIV.<br /> <br />BROTHER LION HAS A SPELL OF SICKNESS.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“The fact is,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, “I was -just telling the story—if you can call it a story—to -please company. If you think the end of -Brother Lion’s tale is the end of the story, well -and good; but it didn’t stop there when I told it -in my young days. And it didn’t stop there -when it happened. But maybe I’ve talked too -long and said too much. You know how we gabble -when we get old.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I like to hear you talk,” said Sweetest Susan, -edging a little closer to Mr. Rabbit and smiling -cutely.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit took off his glasses and wiped them -on his big red handkerchief.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There’s some comfort in that,” he declared. -“If you really like to hear me talk, I’ll go right -ahead and tell the rest of the story. It’s a little -rough in spots, but you’ll know how to make -allowances for that. The creatures had claws and -tushes, and where these grow thick and long, -there’s bound to be more or less scratching and -biting.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Of course, when Brother Lion had the wool -scalded off his hide, he was in a pretty bad condition. -He managed to get home, but it was a -long time before he could come out and go roaming -around the country. As he was the king of -the animals, of course all the rest of the creatures -called on him to see how he was getting on. I -didn’t go myself, because I didn’t know how he -felt towards me. I was afraid he had heard me -laugh when he backed into the hogshead of hot -water, though I made believe I was sneezing. -Consequently, I didn’t go and ask him how he -was getting on.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But I went close enough to know that Brother -Fox had told Brother Lion a great rigamarole -about me. That was Brother Fox’s way. In -front of your face, he was sweeter than sauce and -softer than pudding, but behind your back—well, -he didn’t have any claws, but what tushes -he had he showed them.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I never did hear what Brother Fox said about -me in any one place and at any one time, but I -heard a little here and a little there, and when it -was all patched up and put together it made a -great mess. I had done this, and I had done -that; I had laughed at Brother Lion behind his -back, and I had snickered at him before his face; -I had talked about him and made fun of him; -and, besides all that, I had never had the politeness -to call on him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“All the other animals found Brother Lion so -willing to listen that they learned Brother Fox’s -lies by heart, and went and recited them here and -there about the country; and in that way I got -hold of the worst of them. The trouble with -Brother Fox was that he had an old grudge -against me. He had been trying to outdo me for -many a long year, but somehow or other he always -got caught in his own trap. He had a willing -mind and a thick head, and when these get together -there’s always trouble. The willing mind -pushes and the thick head goes with its eyes shut.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“In old times, people used to say that Brother -Fox was cunning, but I believe they’ve quit that -since the facts have come to light. My experience -with him is that he is blessed with about as much -sense as a half-grown guinea pig. He’s a pretty -swift runner, but he doesn’t even know when the -time comes to run.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Of course, when Brother Fox found out that -for some reason or other I wasn’t visiting Brother -Lion, he seized the chance to talk about me, and -it wasn’t such a great while before he managed -to make Brother Lion believe that I was the worst -enemy he had and the cause of all his trouble.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I knew pretty well that something of the sort -was going on, for every time I’d meet any of the -other animals, they’d ask me why I didn’t call -and see Brother Lion. Brother Fox, especially, -was anxious to know why I hadn’t gone to ask -after Brother Lion’s health.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I put them all off for some time, until finally -one day I heard that Brother Lion had given -Brother Fox orders to catch me and bring me before -him. This didn’t worry me at all, because I -knew that Brother Fox was just as able to catch -me as I was to catch a wild duck in the middle -of a mill-pond. But I concluded I’d go and see -Brother Lion and find out all about his health.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So I went, taking good care to go galloping -by Brother Fox’s house. He was sitting on his -front porch, and I could see he was astonished, -but I neither said howdy nor turned my head. I -knew he would follow along after.</p> - -<p class='c013'><a id='p-158'></a>“When I got to Brother Lion’s house everything was -very quiet, but I knew Brother Lion was awake, for I heard him groan -every time he tried to turn over. So I rapped at the door and then -walked in. Brother Lion watched me from under his tousled mane for some -time before he said anything. Then he says, says he:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What’s this I hear?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says I, ‘Not having your ears, I can’t say.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘My ears are as good as anybody’s ears,’ -says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘But I can’t hear through them,’ says I.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He grunted and grumbled a little over this, -because he didn’t know what reply to make.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You haven’t been to see me until now,’ -says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘No,’ says I; ‘I knew you were pretty bad off, -and so I had no need to come and ask you how -you were. I knew I was partly to blame in the -matter, and so I went off to see if I couldn’t find -a cure for you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says he, ‘Don’t talk about cures. Everybody -that has come to see me has a cure. I’ve -tried ’em all, and now I’m worse off than I was -at first.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says I, ‘I could have come as often as Brother -Fox did, and my coming would have done -you just as much good.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I don’t know about that,’ says he. ‘Brother -Fox has been mighty neighborly. He has lost -sleep on my account, and he has told me a great -many things that I didn’t know before.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Likely enough,’ says I. ‘I’ve known him -to tell people a great many things that he didn’t -know himself. But Brother Fox,’ says I, ‘was -the least of all things in my mind when I found -out that you had been scalded by water that was -not more than milk-warm. I didn’t need to be -told that when milk-warm water scalds the hair -off of anybody, something else is the matter beside -the scalding.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“At this Brother Lion seemed to quiet down a -little. He didn’t talk so loud, and he began to -show the whites of his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Yes,’ says I, ‘Brother Fox is famous for -talking behind the door, but I’ve noticed that -he never says anything nice about anybody. You -know what he’s said about me, but do you know -what he’s said about you? Of course you don’t, -and I’m not going to tell you, because I don’t -want you to be worried.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘But I’d like to know,’ says Brother Lion, -says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘It wouldn’t do you any good,’ says I. ‘I -could have come here and jowered and made a -good deal of trouble, but instead of that I knew -of an old friend of mine who knows how to cure -hot burns and cold burns, and so I’ve been off -on a long trip to see the witch doctor, old -Mammy-Bammy Big Money.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘And did you see her?’ says Brother Lion, -says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I most certainly did,’ says I, ‘and furthermore -I laid the whole case before her. I had to -travel far and wide to find her, but when I did -find her I asked her to tell me what was good for -a person who had been scalded by milk-warm -water. She asked me three times the name of -the person, and three times I told her. Then she -lit a pine splinter, blew it out, and watched the -smoke scatter. There was something wrong, for -she shook her head three times.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What did Mammy-Bammy Big Money say?’ -says Brother Lion, says he. His voice sounded -very weak.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘She said nothing,’ says I. ‘She watched -the smoke scatter, and then she put her hands before -her face and rocked from side to side. After -that she walked back and forth, and when she sat -down again she took off her left slipper, shook -out the gravel, and counted it as it fell. Once -more she asked me the name of the person who -had been scalded in milk-warm water, and once -more I told her.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Wait!’ says Brother Lion, says he. ‘Do -you mean to tell me the water I fell in was only -milk-warm?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says I, ‘It seemed so to me. I had just -washed my face and hands in it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well, well, well!’ says Brother Lion. ‘What -else did she say?’ says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I don’t like to tell you,’ says I; and just -about that time Brother Fox walked in.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘But you must tell me,’ says Brother Lion, -says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ says I, ‘if I must I will, but I don’t -like to. When Mammy-Bammy Big Money had -counted the white pebbles that fell from her slipper, -and asked me the name of the person who -was scalded in milk-warm water, she told me that -he could be cured by poulticing the burns with -the fresh hide of his best friend. I asked her the -name of this friend, but she shook her head and -said she would call no names. Then she said that -your best friend had short ears, a sharp nose, keen -eyes, slim legs, and a bushy tail.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Brother Lion shut his eyes and pretended to -be thinking. I looked at Brother Fox as solemnly -as I knew how, and shook my head slowly. -Brother Fox got mighty restless. He got up and -walked around.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well, well, well!’ says Brother Lion, says -he. ‘That might mean Brother Wolf, or it -might mean Brother Fox.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I expect it means Brother Wolf,’ says Brother -Fox.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why, you don’t mean to stand up here and -say right before Brother Lion’s face and eyes that -Brother Wolf is a better friend to him than you -are!’ says I.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Brother Fox’s mouth fell open and his tongue -hung out, and just about that time I made my -best bow, and put out for home.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But did Brother Lion try the remedy?” Buster -John inquired, as Mr. Rabbit paused and -began to light his pipe.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I think Brother Lion caught him and skinned -him. It’s a great pity if he didn’t. But I’ll -not be certain. So many things have happened -since then that I disremember about the hide -business. But you may be sure Brother Lion -was very superstitious. My best opinion is that -he tried the cure.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch15' class='c007'>XV.<br /> <br />A MOUNTAIN OF GOLD.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“That is a funny name for a witch,” said Buster -John, as Rabbit paused and began to nod.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Which name was that?” inquired Mr. -Thimblefinger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, Mammy-Bammy Big Money,” replied -Buster John, elevating his voice a little.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, it’s very simple,” remarked Mr. -Thimblefinger. “‘Mammy-Bammy’ was to catch -the ear of the animals, and ‘Big Money’ was to -attract the attention of the people.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Dat’s so,” said Drusilla. “Kaze time you say -‘money’ folks’ll stop der work an’ lissen at you; -an’ ef you say ‘Big Money’ dey’ll ax you ter say -it agin’.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It’s very curious about money,” continued -Mr. Thimblefinger. “I don’t know whether you -ever thought about it much—and I hope you -haven’t—but it has pestered me a good deal, -this thing you call money.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It’s mighty bothersome,” assented Mrs. Meadows, -“when you are where people use it, and -when you have none except what you can beg or -borrow. Thank goodness! I’m free from all -bother now.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Yes,” said Mr. Thimblefinger, “I don’t see -that people have much the advantage of the animals -when it comes to using money. I’ve seen -grown people work night and day for a few pieces -of metal.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, of course!” cried Buster John. “They -can take the pieces of metal and buy bread and -meat to eat and clothes to wear.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So much the more wonderful!” remarked Mr. -Thimblefinger. “What do the people who have -more bread and meat and clothes than they can -use want with the pieces of metal?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So they may buy something else that they -haven’t got,” said Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>But Mr. Thimblefinger shook his head. He -was not satisfied.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It puts me in mind of a tale I heard once -about a poor man who was the richest person in -the world.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But that couldn’t be, you know,” protested -Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Anyhow, that’s the way it seemed to me in -the story,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger. “But the -story is so old-fashioned it would hardly pass muster -now. Besides, they tell me that, as there’s not -enough metal to go round, people have begun to -make up their minds that pieces of paper with -pictures on them are just as good as the metal, -and perhaps better. It’s mighty funny to me.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What was the story?” asked Sweetest Susan. -“Please tell us about it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, yes,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, “tell us -about it. If calamus root passes current with -some of my acquaintances and catnip with others, -I see no reason why people shouldn’t play make-believe -among themselves, and say that pieces of -metal and pieces of paper are worth something. -In this business people have a great advantage -over us. They can put figures on their pieces of -metal and paper and make them worth anything, -but with us a joint of calamus root is worth just -so much. It has been worth that since the year -one, and it will be worth that right on to the end -of things. Just so with a twist of catnip. But tell -us the story—tell us the story. I may drop off -to sleep, but if I do, that will be no sign that the -tale isn’t interesting.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” said Mr. Thimblefinger, “once upon -a time there was a country in which money became -very scarce. The people had a great deal, -but they hid it in their stockings and in the chinks -of the chimneys and in their teapots. The reason -of this was that other countries close at hand -made their money out of the same kind of metal, -and they’d bring their goods in and sell them -and carry the money off home with them.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Of course this helped to make money scarce, -and the scarcer it was the more the people clung -to it, and this made it still scarcer. Naturally -everybody kept an eye out in the hope of finding -a supply of this metal.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What sort of metal was it?” asked Buster -John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Gold,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh!” exclaimed Buster John, in a disappointed -tone.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Yes,” continued Mr. Thimblefinger, “nothing -in the world but gold. Those who had money -held on to it as long as they could, because they -didn’t know how much scarcer it would be, and -those who didn’t have any were willing to sell -whatever they had for any price in order to get -some.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It was lots worse than playing dolls—lots -worse. When children play make-believe with -dolls, they soon forget about it; but when grown -people begin to play make-believe with money, -they never get over it. The wisest men get their -heads turned when they begin to think and talk -about money. They have forgotten that it was -all a make-believe in the beginning.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Here Mr. Rabbit yawned and said: “You’ll -have to excuse me if I nod a little here.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Yes,” remarked Mrs. Meadows, “I feel a -little sleepy myself, but I’ll try to keep awake for -the sake of appearances.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Don’t mind me,” said Mr. Thimblefinger, -with mock politeness. “Go to sleep if you want -to, you two. I won’t have to talk so loud.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, in this country I was telling you about, -there was a young man who had saved some -money by working hard, but he didn’t save it -fast enough to suit himself. He thought so much -about it that he would stop in the middle of his -work, and sit and study about it an hour at a -time.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He thought about it so much that he began -to dream about it, and one night he dreamed that -he got in a boat and went to an island on which -there was a mountain of gold that shone and -glistened in the sun. He was very unhappy -when he woke in the morning and found it was -nothing but a dream.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He didn’t go to work that day, but wandered -about doing nothing. That night he had the -same dream. He had the same dream the next -night; and the morning after, the first person he -saw was an old man who had stopped to rest on -the doorsteps. This old man would have been -like other old men but for one thing. His beard -was so long that he had to part it in the middle -of his chin, pass it under each arm, cross the -wisps on his back, and bring them around in front -again, where the two ends were tied together with -a bow of red ribbon.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How are you, my young friend, and how -goes it?’ said the old man, smiling pleasantly. -‘You look as if you had been having wonderful -dreams.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘So I have, gran’sir,’ replied the young -man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well, a dream isn’t worth a snap of your -finger unless it comes true, and a dream never -comes true until you have dreamed it three -times.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I have dreamed mine three times, gran’sir, -and yet it is impossible that it should come true.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Nonsense! Nothing is impossible. Tell me -your dream.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So the young man told the old man his -dream.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The Island of the Mountain of Gold!’ exclaimed -the old man. ‘Why, that is right in my -line of travel. I can land you there without any -trouble. It is a little out of my way, but not -much.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How shall we get there?’ the young man -asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘On the other side of the town, I have a -boat,’ replied the old man. ‘You are welcome to -go with me. It is so seldom that dreams come -true that I shall be glad to help this one along as -well as I can. Besides, I have long wanted an -excuse to visit the Island of the Mountain of -Gold. I have passed within sight of it hundreds -of times, but have always been too busy to land -there.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The young man looked at the old man with -astonishment. If he had spoken his thoughts he -would have declared the old man to be crazy, but -he said nothing. He simply followed after him. -The old man led the way across the town to a -wharf, where his boat was tied. It was a light -little skiff that could be sailed by one man. In -this the two embarked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The old man managed the sail with one hand -and the rudder with the other, and he had hardly -made things ready and taken his seat before a -light breeze sprang up and filled the sail. The -skiff glided along the water so easily that the -shore seemed to be receding while the boat stood -still. But the breeze grew stronger and stronger, -and the sail bore so heavily on the nose of the -boat that the foam and spray flew high in the air.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The sun was bright and the sky was blue, -and the dark green water seemed to boil beneath -them, so swiftly the light boat sped along. The -young man clapped his hands as joyously as a -boy, and the old man smiled. Presently he -leaned over the side of the boat and pointed to -something shining and sparkling in the distance. -The young man saw it, too, and turned an inquiring -eye upon his companion.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That is your mountain of gold,’ said the old -man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘It seems to be very small,’ said the other. -He ceased to smile, and a frown clouded his face.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The old man noticed the frown, and shook -his head and frowned a little himself, coughing in -the muffler that was tied around his neck. But -he said:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The mountain of gold is more than twenty -miles away.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How far have we come?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Some hundred and odd miles.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The young man seemed to be very much surprised, -but he said nothing. He leaned so far -over the side of the boat to watch the mountain -of gold that he was in danger of falling out. -The old man kept an eye on him, but did not lift -a finger to warn him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“In due time they came to the island, if it -could be called an island. It seemed to be a barren -rock that had lifted itself out of the sea to -show the mountain of gold. The mountain was -only a hill, but it was a pretty high one, considering -it was of solid gold.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Sure enough gold?” asked Sweetest Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Pure gold,” answered Mr. Thimblefinger. -“The old man landed his skiff at a convenient -place, and the two got out and went to the mountain, -or hill, of gold that rose shining in the -middle of the small island. The actions of the -young man showed that he considered himself -the proprietor of both island and mountain. He -broke off a chunk of gold as big as your fist, -weighed it in his hand, and would have given it -to the old man, but the latter shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You refuse it?’ cried the other. ‘If it is -not enough I’ll give you as much more.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘No,’ replied the old man. ‘Keep it for yourself. -You owe me nothing. I could have carried -away tons of the stuff long before I saw you, but -I had no use for it. You are welcome to as much -as you can take away with you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘As much as I can take away!’ exclaimed -the other. ‘I shall take it all.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘But how?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘It is mine! I am rich. I will buy me a -ship.’ He walked back and forth, rubbing his -hands together.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Then you have no further need of me?’ -said the old man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Not now—not now,’ replied the other with -a grand air. ‘You won’t accept pay for your -services, and I can do no more than thank you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The old man bowed politely, got in his skiff, -and sailed away. The other continued to walk -about the island and rub his hands together, and -make his plans. He was now the richest man in -the world. He could buy kings and princes and -empires. He had enough gold to buy all the -ships on the sea and to control all the trade on -the land. He was great. He was powerful.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“All these thoughts passed through his mind -and he was very happy. The sun looked at the -young man a long time, and then went to bed in -the sea. Two little gray lizards looked at him -until the sun went down, and then they crawled -back in their holes. A big black bird sailed -round and round and watched him until nearly -dark, and then sailed away.</p> -<div id='i174' class='figcenter id017'> -<img src='images/i174.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>HE WAS SO WEAK THAT HE COULDN’T GET UP</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“When night came the young man found the -air damp and chilly, but he knew he was rich, and -so he laughed at the cold. He crept close under -his mountain of gold, and, after a long time, went -to sleep. In the morning he awoke and found -that nobody had taken away his precious mountain -of gold during the night. The sun rose to -keep him company, the two gray lizards crept out -of their holes and looked at him, and the big -black bird sailed round and round overhead.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The day passed, and then another and another. -The young man was hungry and thirsty, -but he was rich. The night winds chilled him, -but he was rich. The midday sun scorched him, -but he was the richest man in the world. Every -night, no matter how hungry or weak he was, he -crept upon the side of the mountain, and stretched -himself out, and tried to hug it to his bosom. -He knew that if he was hungry, it wasn’t because -he was poor, and if he died, he knew he -would die rich. So there he was.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What then?” asked Buster John, as Mr. -Thimblefinger paused to look at his watch.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, I’ll tell you,” continued Mr. Thimblefinger, -holding the watch to his ear. “One fine -morning this rich young man was so weak that -he couldn’t get up. He tried to, but his foot -slipped, and he rolled to the foot of the mountain -of gold and lay there. He lay there so long and -so quietly that the two gray lizards crept close to -him to see what was the matter. He moved one -of his fingers, and they darted back to their -holes.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The rich young man lay so still that the big -black bird, sailing overhead, came nearer and -nearer, and finally alighted at a respectful distance -from the rich young man. The two gray -lizards came out again, and crawled cautiously toward -the rich young man. The big black bird -craned his neck and looked, and then went a -little closer. A sudden gust of wind caused the -rich young man’s coat to flap. The gray lizards -scrambled towards their holes, and the big black -bird jumped up in the air and flew off a little -way.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But presently they all came back, bird and -lizards, and this time they went still closer to the -rich young man. The big black bird went so -close that there is no telling what he would have -done next, but just then the old man came running -towards them. He had untied the two ends -of his beard, and was waving them in the air as if -they were flags. The big black bird flew away -very angry, and the gray lizards ran over each -other trying to get to their holes.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The old man, tied up his beard again, took up -the rich young man on his shoulder, and carried -him to the boat. Once there he gave the rich -young man some wine. This revived him, and in -a little while he was able to eat. But he had no -opportunity to talk. The wind whirled the boat -through the water, and in a few hours it had -arrived at the young man’s town.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He went home, and soon recovered in more -ways than one. He found his strength again, -and lost his appetite for riches. But he worked -hard, saved all he could, and was soon prosperous; -but he never remembered without a shiver the -time that he was the richest man in the world.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch16' class='c007'>XVI.<br /> <br />AN OLD-FASHIONED FUSS.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“I don’t blame ’im fer shiverin’,” said Drusilla; -“but, I let you know, here’s what wouldn’t -shiver none ef she had dat ar big pile er gol’ -what de man had. I’d ’a’ cotch me some fish; -I’d ’a’ gobbled up dem lizards, yit!”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, “I expect -money is a pretty big thing. I’ve heard a heap -of talk about it, and I’ve known some big fusses -to grow out of it. And yet money doesn’t cause -all the fusses—oh, no! not by a long jump. I -once heard of a fuss that happened long before -there was any money, and the curious part about -it was that nobody knew what the fuss grew out -of.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What fuss was that?” asked Buster John, -who thought that perhaps there might be a story -in it.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, it was the quarrel between the Monkeys -and the Dogs. My great-grandfather knew all -about the facts, and I’ve heard him talk it over -many a time when he was sitting in the kitchen -corner chewing his quid. I’ve often heard him -wonder, between naps, what caused the dispute.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It seems to me I’ve heard something about -it,” remarked Mrs. Meadows in an encouraging -tone.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, yes!” exclaimed Mr. Rabbit. “It was -notorious in our young days. I reckon it has -been settled long before this; anyhow, I hope so.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What did your great-grandfather say about -it?” inquired Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“If I were to tell you all he said,” responded -Mr. Rabbit, shaking his head slowly, “you’d -have to sit here with me for a fortnight, and of -course you wouldn’t like to do that. So I’ll -just up and tell you about it in my own way. I -may not get it exactly right, but I’ll be bound -I won’t get it far wrong, for I have nothing else -in the round world to do but to sit here and think -about old times.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“As well as I can remember, the way of it -was about this: Away back yonder, in the times -before everybody had got to be so busy trying to -get the best of each other, a coolness sprang up -between the Monkeys and the Dogs. Nobody -knew the right of it, because nobody paid any -attention to it along at first. But after awhile -it got so that every time a Dog would meet a -Monkey in the road, the Monkey would get up in -a tree and laugh at him, and then the Dog would -stop and scratch up the dirt with all four of his -feet and growl.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, I’ve seen them do that way,” said -Sweetest Susan, laughing.</p> -<div id='i180' class='figcenter id018'> -<img src='images/i180.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>THE MONKEYS WOULD MAKE FACES AND SQUEAL AT THE DOGS</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Yes,” replied Mr. Rabbit, with a more solemn -air than ever. “They have never got out of the -habit of that kind of caper from that day to this. -Well, the coolness grew into a dispute, and the -dispute into a quarrel, and so there it was. The -Monkeys would make faces and squeal at the -Dogs, and the Dogs would show their teeth and -growl at the Monkeys. It went from bad to -worse, and after awhile, the Dogs would chase -the Monkeys wherever they saw them, and the -Monkeys would swing down from the hanging -limbs and give the tails of the Dogs some terrible -twists.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Before that time the Monkeys had been living -on the ground just like everybody else lived, -but the Dogs had such sharp teeth and such -nimble feet that the Monkeys had to take to the -trees and saplings. At first they couldn’t get -about in the trees as they do now. Sometimes -they’d miss their footing, or lose their grip, and -down they’d come right into the red jaws of the -Dogs.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now this wasn’t pleasant at all. Even when -the Monkeys didn’t fall, the ants and crawling -bugs would get on them, and the dead limbs of -the trees would fall and hurt them, and the wind -would blow them about, and the heavy rains -would fall and wet them.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“About that time the Monkeys were the most -miserable creatures in the world. They were so -miserable that, finally, the Head Monkey made -up his mind to go and see the Wise Man who -used to settle all disputes as far as he could. So -the Head Monkey set out on his journey, and -traveled till he came to the Wise Man’s house.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He got on the gatepost, and looked all around, -to see if there was a Dog anywhere in sight. -Seeing none, he went to the front door and -knocked. The Wise Man came out. He was -very old. He had a beard as long as Brother -Billy Goat’s, and as gray, but he was very nice -and kind. The Head Monkey told his story all -the way through, and the Wise Man sat and -listened to every word. When he had heard it -all, he shut his eyes and studied the matter over, -and then he said:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Only fools get up fusses that they can’t -settle. I’ll give you a fool’s remedy to settle a -fool’s fuss. Go back to your own country and -fetch me a bunch of the hair of a Brindle Dog. -Then I’ll show you a cheap and an easy way to -get rid of the whole tribe of Dogs. But be sure -that you make no mistake. I must have the hair -of a Brindle Dog—just that and nothing else. -Then I can show you how to get rid of all the -Dogs. But if you make any mistake, you will -ruin the whole tribe of Monkeys.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Head Monkey scratched himself on the -side, quick like. Says he, ‘Oh, I’ll make no -mistake. Don’t worry about me. The first time -the Dogs have a burying I’ll get on a swinging -limb, and when a Brindle Dog comes along I’ll -reach down and pull a bunch of hair out of his -hide, and by the time he gets through howling -I’ll be on my journey back.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Wise Man ran his fingers through his -beard, and laughed to himself. Says he, ‘Very -well, my young friend, but you had best be careful. -A Dog of any kind will bear watching, but -especially a Brindle Dog.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Head Monkey made no answer. He -simply grinned, and started back home. Now, it -happened that after his journey was over, the -Dogs had no burying for a long time. They -seemed to be in better health than ever. Some -traveling doctor had come along and told them -that whenever they felt out of sorts they must go -out in the fields and hunt for a particular kind of -grass. When they found it they were to eat -twenty-seven blades of it, and then go on about -their business. You may not believe this,” said -Mr. Rabbit, pausing in the midst of his story, -“but if you will watch the Dogs right close, you -will find that to this day they’ll go out and eat -grass whenever they are ailing. They don’t -chew it. They just bite off a great long sprig -of it, and wallop it around their tongues and -swallow it whole. I don’t know how they do it, -but I’m telling you the plain facts.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, as I was saying, it was a long time -after the Head Monkey got home before the -Dogs had a burying, and when they did have one -it happened that there was no Brindle Dog in the -procession. The rest of the Monkeys were all -waiting to see what the Head Monkey was going -to do, and so they forgot to bother the Dogs. -When the Dogs saw that the Monkeys were quiet, -they kept quiet themselves, and there was no -trouble between them for a long time. Seeing -that the Dogs were no longer snapping and snarling -at them, some of the older Monkeys began -to travel on the ground again, but the younger -ones stayed in the trees where they were born.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Head Monkey was mighty restless. -Sometimes he’d stay in the trees, and then again -he’d travel on the ground, but wherever he was -he always kept his eye out for a Brindle Dog. -Finally, one day, when he was traveling on the -ground, he heard a noise up the road, and when -he turned around he saw a big Brindle Dog coming -towards him. He thought to himself that -now was his time or never; so he got behind a -bush and waited for the Brindle Dog to come up.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He didn’t have long to wait, for the Brindle -Dog was going in a swinging trot. When he -came by the bush, the Head Monkey rushed out -and tried to pull a bunch of hair from the -Brindle Dog’s hide. But he rushed too far. -The Brindle Dog shied, as old Mr. Horse used to -do when he saw a bunch of shucks in the road. -He shied so quick, and he shied so far, that the -Head Monkey fell short with his arm, and was -carried too far by his legs. As the Brindle Dog -shied, he turned and saw what it was, and then -he made a rush for the Head Monkey. There -was no tree near, and no way for the Head Monkey -to escape. The Brindle Dog grabbed him -and made short work of him. There was considerable -of a fight, for the Head Monkey was -strong in his arms and quick on his feet. But -the Brindle Dog had a long jaw and a strong -one. He grabbed the Head Monkey between -shoulder and ham, and shook him up as you have -seen people shake a sifter. He just held on and -shook, and when he turned loose he’d shut his -teeth down in a new place, so that when the rippit -was over, it seemed as if there wasn’t a whole -bone in the Head Monkey’s hide. But quick -done is quick over: and after the Brindle Dog -had done all the shaking that the case called for, -he dropped the Head Monkey and went on about -his business; but he had some bites and scratches -on his hide, and as he trotted off he shook his -ears, for one of them had been split mighty nigh -in two by the Head Monkey.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, after the Brindle Dog had trotted off, -the Head Monkey rose from the ground and began -to feel of himself. He was afraid that he -had been torn in two and scattered all over the -road, but when he found that he had his legs -and his arms and his head and his body, he began -to be more cheerful. He found he could walk. -And then he found he could use his hands, and -then he strutted around, and said to himself that -he had whipped the fight. He was badly bruised -and pretty sore, but he was not too sore to strut, -and so he walked up and down the road and -made his brags that he had compelled the Brindle -Dog to take to his heels.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then he happened to think what he had -come for, and he hunted all about in the road to -see if he could find a bunch of the Brindle -Dog’s hair. There was a good deal of hair scattered -around, and in a little while the Head -Monkey had gathered up a handful. He picked -it over and sorted it out, and wrapped it up in a -poplar leaf. Then he went home to his family -and rested a day or two, for he was pretty badly -bruised. And he told a big tale of how he had -met the great Brindle Dog in the road, and had -fanned him out in a fair fight. His children -listened with all their ears, and then they jumped -from limb to limb and told all the neighbors’ -children that their pa was the biggest and the -best of all the Monkeys.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This went on for some time, and finally the -Head Monkey felt well enough to visit the Wise -Man. So he started on the journey, and after -awhile he got there. He climbed the gatepost -again, and looked all around to see if there was a -Brindle Dog in sight. Seeing none, he went to -the door and knocked, and the Wise Man came -out.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Good-morning,’ says the Wise Man. ‘I -hope you are well.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Tolerably well, I thank you,’ says the Head -Monkey. ‘And I’ve come agreeable to promise -to bring you a bunch of the hair of a Brindle -Dog.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“With that he unrolled the poplar leaf, and -showed the Wise Man the hair he had picked up -in the road. The Wise Man took the bunch of -hair and turned it over in his hand, and looked -at it. Then he looked at the Head Monkey.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What is this?’ says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘A bunch of hair from a Brindle Dog,’ says -the Head Monkey.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Wise Man shook his head. Says he, ‘It -may be, but it doesn’t look like the samples I -have seen. Are you sure about it?’ says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘As sure as I am standing here,’ says the Head -Monkey.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says the Wise Man, ‘It’s none of my business. -I just wanted to be certain about it, because -if there’s any Monkey hair in it, everything -will go wrong. The whole tribe of Monkeys will -be ruined. They will have to leave this country -and the Dogs will stay here. Did you have any -trouble in getting this hair?’ says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ says the Head Monkey, ‘there was a -dispute, nothing serious.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How long did the dispute last?’ says the -Wise Man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘No longer than I could reach out and get -the hair,’ says the Head Monkey.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That’s funny,’ says the Wise Man. ‘When -the Brindle Dog gets into a dispute, he usually -shows his teeth.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh, he showed his teeth, and he had more -than I thought,’ says the Head Monkey.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘But are you sure this hair came out of the -hide of a Brindle Dog?’ says the Wise Man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says the Head Monkey, ‘As sure as I’m -standing here. I pulled it out with my own -hands.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says the Wise Man, ‘It looks to me as if -there were some other kind of hair in this bunch. -Did you have any trouble in getting it?’ says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ says the Head Monkey, ‘we had a -little dispute.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says the Wise Man, ‘Was that all?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ says the Head Monkey, scratching -himself, ‘we passed a few licks.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How was that?’ says the Wise Man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ says the Head Monkey, ‘he growled -and I squealed, and then he bit and I scratched.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I see,’ says the Wise Man. ‘What else?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well, to tell you the truth,’ says the Head -Monkey, ‘there was right smart of a scuffle.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Aha!’ says the Wise Man. ‘A scuffle!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Yes,’ says the Head Monkey, ‘and worse -than that. There was a regular knock-down-and-drag-out -fight,’ says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I see,’ says the Wise Man. ‘You have -brought me some of your own hair instead of -the Brindle Dog’s hair, and now you and your -whole tribe will have to leave this country and -cross the ocean; and when you get into the new -country, you will have to live in the trees to keep -the four-footed animals from destroying you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“And so it happened,” continued Mr. Rabbit. -“Since that time, there have been no Monkeys in -this country. They had to cross the big water, -and when they got over there they had to live in -the trees; and I expect they are living that way -yet—at least, they were at last accounts.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch17' class='c007'>XVII.<br /> <br />THE RABBIT AND THE MOON.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c012'>“I reckon that’s so about the Monkeys,” remarked -Mrs. Meadows. “They used to be in the -country next door, and now they are no longer -there.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Yes,” said Mr. Rabbit; “it’s just like I tell -you: they were there once, but now they are not -there any more. But in the world next door -everybody has his ups and downs, especially his -downs. I’ve heard my great-grandfather tell -many a time how our family used to live close to -the Moon. So I don’t make any brags about the -way the Monkeys had to take to the bushes. I -remember about my own family, and then I feel -like hanging my head down and saying nothing. -It is a very funny feeling, too. When I think we -used to live close to the Moon, and that we now -live on the ground and have to crawl there like -snails, I sometimes feel like crying; and I tell -you right now if I was to begin to boo-hoo, you’d -be astonished.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Buster John and Sweetest Susan looked very -serious, but Drusilla showed a desire to laugh.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“You say you used to live close to the Moon?” -asked Buster John, with more curiosity than -usual.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, certainly,” replied Mr. Rabbit. “I -don’t say that I did, but I’m certain that my -family did. I’ve heard my great-grandfather -tell about it a hundred times. I’ve heard that it -was a better country up there than it is where -you live, even better than it is down here,—a -good deal more fun and fiddling, and not half -so much looking around for something to eat. -That is the great trouble. If we didn’t have -to scuffle around and get something to eat, we’d -be lots better off.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It’s mighty funny. If you let well enough -alone, you are all right; but the minute you try -to better it, everything goes wrong.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Dat wuz de way wid ol’ man Adam,” remarked -Drusilla.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, of course,” said Mr. Rabbit, “and it -was the way with all the Rabbits and everybody -and everything else.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But how did they live up there by the -Moon?” asked Sweetest Susan. “How did they -keep from falling off?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit scratched his head a little before -replying. “Well,” said he, after awhile, “they -got along just as we do down here,—heads up -and feet down. But one time, as I’ve heard my -great-grandfather say, the Moon got into a sort of -fidget, and was mighty restless for quite a while. -At last, one of our family, the oldest of all, made -bold to look over the fence and ask the Moon -what the trouble was. He noticed, too, that the -Moon had shrunk considerably, and seemed to be -in a very bad way. It could hardly hold up its -head.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the Moon managed to look up when it -heard the fuss at the fence, and, in a very shaky -voice, told the oldest of all the Rabbits howdy.</p> -<div id='i184' class='figcenter id019'> -<img src='images/i184.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>“WHAT IS THE TROUBLE?” SAYS THE OLDEST RABBIT</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“‘What is the trouble?’ says the oldest Rabbit. -Says he, ‘Can I do anything to help you?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’m afraid not,’ says the Moon. ‘You are -not nimble enough.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Maybe I’m nimbler than you think,’ says -the oldest Rabbit.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ says the Moon, ‘I’ll tell you what -the trouble is. I want to get a message to Mr. -Man, who lives in the world down yonder. I’ve -been shining on him at night, and I’ve caught a -bad cold by being out after dark. My health is -breaking down, and if I don’t put out my lights -for a while and take a rest, I’ll have to go -out altogether. Now, it’s like this: I’ve been -shining for Mr. Man so long that if I don’t send -him some word he’ll think something serious has -happened. I must take a rest, but I want to -send him a message, telling him that I won’t be -gone long.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ says the oldest Rabbit, ‘I don’t mind -going, if you’ll show me the way and tell me -what to say.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So the Moon pointed out the way, and showed -him how to put his fingers in his ears and hold -his breath when he took the long jump. Then it -gave him this message:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><i>‘I am growing weak to gather strength:</i></div> - <div class='line in1'><i>I go into the shadows to gather light.’</i></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“The oldest Rabbit said this message over to -himself many times, and then he got ready for -the journey. Everything went well until he came -to the long jump. But he braced himself, and -shut his eyes, and put his fingers in his ears, and -held his breath. Now, the jump was a long one, -sure enough. It was so long that the oldest -Rabbit opened one eye, and then he got the notion -that he was falling instead of jumping, and -he opened both eyes so wide that they have been -that way ever since. This scared him terribly, -and by the time he landed on the world he had -forgotten what he came for. He wasn’t hurt a -bit, but he was badly scared.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He sat on the ground and tried to remember, -and then he got up and walked about. Finally, -he looked up and saw the Moon winking one eye -at him. Then he thought about the message, -and he ran off to Mr. Man’s house, and knocked -at the door. Mr. Man had gone to bed, but he -got up and opened the door, and asked what was -wanted.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ says the oldest Rabbit, ‘I’ve just -come from the Moon with a message for you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What is it?’ says Mr. Man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The Moon told me to tell you this:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘<i>I’m growing weak and have no strength:</i></div> - <div class='line in1'><i>I’m going off where the shadows are dark.</i>’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“Mr. Man scratched his head. He couldn’t -make the message out. Then he said, ‘Take this -message back:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘<i>Seldom seen and soon forgot:</i></div> - <div class='line in1'><i>When a Moon dies her feet get cold.</i>’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“The oldest Rabbit bowed politely and started -back home. He came to the Jumping-Off Place, -and then he took the long jump. He was soon -at home, and went at once to the Moon’s house, -and gave the message that Mr. Man had sent. -This made the Moon very mad. It declared that -the oldest Rabbit had carried the wrong message. -Then it grabbed the shovel and struck him in the -face. This made the oldest Rabbit very mad, and -he jumped at the Moon and used his claws. The -fight was a hard one, and you can see the marks -of it to this day. All the Rabbits have their -upper lips split, and the Moon still has the marks -on its face where the oldest Rabbit clawed it.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The way of it was this,” continued Mr. Rabbit, -seeing that the children had hardly caught -the drift of the story: “the Moon had been -shining constantly for many years, and was growing -weak. It wanted to take a rest, and it was -afraid Mr. Man would get scared when he failed -to see it at night. Since that time the Moon has -been taking a rest about every two weeks. At -least it used to be that way. I never bother -about it now.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch18' class='c007'>XVIII.<br /> <br />WHY THE BEAR IS A WRESTLER.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Well,” said Mr. Rabbit, after a pause, -“what about the story? Was there any moral -to it?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“None at all,” replied Mrs. Meadows. “It -was just an old-time tale.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, I’m truly glad to hear you say so,” -cried Mr. Rabbit, appearing to be very much -pleased. “It’s as good as taking a nap.” He -winked gravely at Buster John, and then proceeded -to refill his pipe.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I thought it was a pretty good story,” said -Buster John. “It turned out to be a story so -quick that it was all over with before I knew it -was a story.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” replied Mr. Rabbit, “I had to tell it -mighty quick. Suppose I had stopped to light -my pipe and left my own kin dangling between -the Moon and the World! I knew in reason it -would never do, and so I rattled away almost as -fast as the oldest Rabbit jumped. It was a long -story quickly told of a long journey quickly -made.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit seemed to be in better humor than -ever. He leaned back, and patted the ground -softly with one foot.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Speaking of journeys,” he said, after awhile, -“makes me think about how Brother Bear started -out in the world. But what am I doing?” he -cried. “I don’t want to do all the talking. I -don’t have any chance to sleep unless somebody -else is telling a story.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, please tell us the story,” pleaded Sweetest -Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I’ll have to,” replied Mr. Rabbit, “since I’ve -got it started. Well, one time when Brother -Bear was young, the time came for him to scratch -around and scuffle for himself. He had already -learned how to grabble for sweet potatoes, how -to tote an armful of roasting ears, and how to -shut his eyes and rob a bee-tree, and so his daddy -thought it was about time for him to go off and -earn his own living. Brother Bear said he was -more than willing, and when he came to tell his -folks good-by, his daddy gave him seven pieces -of honey-in-the-comb, saying:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘This is all I have to give you, but it’s -enough. Whoever eats this honey with you will -have to wrestle with you seven years or give you -everything he owns.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So Brother Bear put his seven pieces of -honey-in-the-comb in a bag, slung the bag over -his back, and went shuffling down the big road. -He traveled all that day, and camped out in the -woods at night. The next morning, just as he -was about to eat breakfast, he heard a rustling -in the bushes, and presently Brother Tiger came -slipping and sliding along, hunting for his breakfast. -Brother Bear howdied, and Brother Tiger -said he was only tolerable—not as peart as he -might be, and yet pearter than he had been. -Then Brother Tiger sat and watched Brother -Bear take put a piece of his honey-in-the-comb, -and the sight made his mouth water. Brother -Bear noticed this, and he says, says he:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I wish you mighty well, Brother Tiger, and -I’d like to ask you to have some of my breakfast, -for I have more than a plenty for two. But -the trouble is, that whoever eats any of this honey-in-the-comb -will have to wrestle with me seven -years or give me all his belongings.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Don’t let that bother you,’ says Brother -Tiger, says he. ‘I’m a pretty good wrestler myself, -and I don’t mind trying my hand with you -after I’ve tasted your honey-in-the-comb.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But Brother Bear hemmed and hawed, and -acted so that Brother Tiger thought he was either -afraid to wrestle or mighty stingy with his honey-in-the-comb. -He thought so, and he said so, and -this put Brother Bear on his mettle. So he says, -says he:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well, Brother Tiger, come and get a piece -of my honey-in-the-comb. I’m more than glad -to give it to you, and sorry, too, because, as sure -as you eat it, you’ll be put under a spell, and -you’ll be obliged to wrestle with me seven long -years or give me all your belongings.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Brother Tiger grinned from ear to ear. Says -he, ‘If I don’t have to wrestle before I get the -honey-in-the-comb, it will be all right. Just let -me get my fill of that, and I’ll wrestle with you -seven times seven years. I’ll promise to make -you tired of wrestling.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘So be it,’ says Brother Bear. ‘Come and -get the honey-in-the-comb, and take all you want, -for I won’t need any after I’ve wrestled with -you a time or two,’ says he.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Brother Tiger went up and tasted the honey-in-the-comb, -and it was so good that he smacked -his lips and asked for more. Brother Bear gave -him some. After both had eat as much as they -wanted, Brother Tiger took a notion to go home, -but something held him back. The spell was -working. But finally he pulled himself together, -and said he believed he’d go home and see his -old woman.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But Brother Bear chuckled to himself. Says -he, ‘Now that you’ve gobbled up my honey-in-the-comb, -you don’t want to wrestle. You can’t -help yourself. When I say wrestle, you’ll have -to wrestle. You can go home now, but to-morrow, -bright and early, I’ll knock at your -door, and you’ll have to come out and wrestle.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says Brother Tiger, says he, ‘I’ll be more -than glad to accommodate you. Just knock at -the door any hour after daybreak, and you’ll -find me on hand.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says Brother Bear, ‘I’ll do so, I’ll do -so. Just remember your spoken word, Brother -Tiger!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Brother Tiger started home, but before he -had gone very far he began to feel mighty queer. -He had a buzzing noise in his head and a creepy, -crawly feeling on his hide. He began to get -scared. Once he thought the honey had poisoned -him, but he wasn’t sick. He never felt better in -his life. He wanted to jump and run, and I believe -the tale does say that he capered around a -time or two. But every time he’d start home -he’d have that buzzing sound in his head and -that creepy, crawly feeling in his hide.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So, by and by, he thought he would turn -back and see what Brother Bear thought about -it. No sooner said than done. He went back at -a hand gallop, and found Brother Bear curled up -at the foot of a tree fast asleep. The honey had -made him feel so good that he concluded to enjoy -himself by taking another nap. But he got up -brisk enough when he heard Brother Tiger calling -him, and by the time he had rubbed his eyes -once or twice, and gaped and stretched himself, -he was as wide awake as ever.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says he, ‘I knew you’d come back, Brother -Tiger, and so I just waited for you; and while I -was waiting I ups and drops off to sleep. But -anyhow and anyway, here you are, and there’s no -harm done.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says Brother Tiger, says he, ‘I just came -back to ask you about the queer feeling I have.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says Brother Bear, ‘That’s easy enough. -You just wanted to wrestle, and so you had to -come back. I have the feeling most all the time -when I’m not sleeping or eating. It’s a sort of -zooning sound in the ears, and a sort of ticklish -feeling on the hide. Well, there isn’t anything -the matter at all. You just want to wrestle, and -as the feeling is new to you, you didn’t know -what it was.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says Brother Tiger, ‘I believe you are right, -Brother Bear; I believe that’s the whole trouble.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ says Brother Bear, ‘I’ll try you -one round, just to loosen up my hide and put me -in traveling trim. I’ll not wrestle with you very -hard, because you are not used to it, and it’s too -soon to get down to business with you. I told -you about it when you wanted to eat the honey, -but you would eat it, and now you’ll have to -wrestle with me, off and on, first and last, for -seven long years; and if you don’t, you’ll have -to give me your house and all your belongings.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So they took off their coats and made ready -to wrestle. ‘As you are not used to these capers,’ -says Brother Bear, ‘I’ll give you all-under holt, -and promise not to use the in-turn, the ham-twist, -or the knee-lock.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, Brother Tiger didn’t know whether -Brother Bear was talking Latin or Chinese, but -he said nothing: he just stood up and grabbed -Brother Bear around the waist, or where the -waist ought to be.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘When you are ready,’ says Brother Bear, -‘just give the word.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ says Brother Tiger, ‘I reckon I’m as -ready now as I ever will be.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“With that Brother Bear hugged Brother -Tiger pretty tight, whirled around with him a -time or two, fell on him, and then cuffed him, -first on one ear and then on the other. It was -all done so quick that Brother Tiger didn’t have -time to say don’t. He got up and felt of his ribs -to see if they were still whole, and then he -rubbed the side of his head where Brother Bear -had cuffed him. It had already begun to swell. -His breeches were badly ripped, and he was sore -all over.</p> -<div id='i204' class='figcenter id020'> -<img src='images/i204.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>HE RUBBED THE SIDE OF HIS HEAD</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Says he, ‘And so this is what you call wrestling—this -is what I was itching for, is it?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh, no!’ says Brother Bear. ‘It wouldn’t -do to call that wrestling. That was only playing. -I was just showing you the first few capers: you -can’t wrestle until you learn how. I’ll drop by -your house to-morrow morning, bright and early, -and give you another whirl.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Brother Tiger looked mighty solemn, but he -didn’t say anything. He ambled off home as -well as he could in his condition, and got his old -woman to mend his breeches. She wanted to -know who he had been fighting with, but he told -her he had just been playing with Brother Bear. -She laughed, and said that when he had played -that way a few more times there wouldn’t be -enough of him left, neither breeches, body, nor -bones, to sew up in a bag.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, the next morning, bright and early, -Brother Bear rapped at Brother Tiger’s door, and -told him to come out and take some exercise before -breakfast. Brother Tiger didn’t like this -invitation at all. He said he wanted to sleep a -little longer; but Brother Bear sent in word that -the night was made for sleeping, while the day -was made for work and play. Now, it so happened -that the honey which Brother Tiger had -ate had put a spell on him, and when Brother -Bear asked him out to wrestle he had to come. -He pulled on his clothes with no good heart, for -he was still very sore, and came limping out, trying -to put a good face on the affair. Brother -Bear laughed, and told Brother Tiger howdy, but -Brother Tiger didn’t make much of a reply.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So Brother Bear says, says he, ‘I hope you -are not begrudging your bargain, Brother Tiger, -but you made it yourself, and at no invitation of -mine. I had the seven pieces of honey-in-the-comb, -and you had the bad taste in the mouth. -I told you how it would be, but you would have -the honey, and now you’ll have to stand to your -bargain: you can’t help yourself now. I told -you the plain truth about it, but you wouldn’t -believe it. You’ll find out the truth before you -get the taste of that honey out of your mouth.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then they made a few passes at each other; -but Brother Bear finally grabbed Brother Tiger -around his striped waist, squeezed the breath out -of him, dashed him on the ground, cuffed his -ears, and then stood there on his hind legs, waiting -to see what Brother Tiger was going to do. -But Brother Tiger didn’t want any more wrestling -for that day. He went into the house and washed -his face and hands, and sat down and licked his -bruises the best he could.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the next morning he had to come out -and wrestle again, and this happened until he was -so weak he could hardly walk. His hide was -split, his ears were swollen, and every stripe on -his long body was crossed by a scar. Wrestling -was fine fun for Brother Bear, who was used to it, -but it was no fun for Brother Tiger, who didn’t -know how. Every time he wrestled he got new -bruises, and his head swelled until he could hardly -get in the door of his house without backing -his ears.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Finally, one day he told Brother Bear candidly -that he would rather give up his house and -lot than to be tossed around and cuffed at that -rate. Brother Bear said that he would rather -wrestle and have a jolly time than to take Brother -Tiger’s house; but Brother Tiger wouldn’t hear -to that. He said he couldn’t stay in that part of -the country and hear the talk of the neighbors. -They would pester him mighty near to death on -the week days, and fairly kill him out on Sunday, -when they had nothing to do but sit around and -gossip.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So Brother Tiger moved out, and Brother Bear -moved in; and it has come to pass that Brother -Tiger won’t stay in the same country with Brother -Bear for fear that he will have to do some -more wrestling.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch19' class='c007'>XIX.<br /> <br />THE SHOEMAKER WHO MADE BUT ONE SHOE.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Now, I’ll tell you honestly,” said Little Mr. -Thimblefinger, popping out from under Mr. Rabbit’s -big armchair, “I don’t like such stories. -They give me the all-overs. I expect maybe it’s -because they are true.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No doubt that’s the trouble with them,” remarked -Mr. Rabbit in a tone unusually solemn. -“You don’t think that at my time of life my -tongue is nimble enough for me to sit here and -make up stories to suit the hour and the company? -By the bye,” he continued, turning -around so as to catch Little Mr. Thimblefinger’s -eye, “what stories were you talking about?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, to tell you the truth, I was fast asleep, -for the most part, but I distinctly remember -something about Moons and Monkeys. When I -heard that, I just went off to sleep in spite of -myself.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There’s no accounting for tastes,” said Mr. -Rabbit. “There are some tales that put me to -sleep, and I have no complaint to make when anybody -begins to doze over them that I tell.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, you tell ’em well enough,” Little Mr. -Thimblefinger declared. “If anything, you make -them better than they ought to be. You lift -your ears at the right place, and pat your foot -when the time comes. I don’t know what more -could be asked in telling a story.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So far so good,” remarked Mrs. Meadows, -who had thus far said nothing. “Suppose you -whirl in and tell us the kind of tale that you -really admire.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“That’s easier said than done,” replied Little -Mr. Thimblefinger, fidgeting about a little. “You -have to take the tales as they come. Sometimes -one will pop into your head in spite of yourself. -You remember it just because you didn’t like it -when you first heard it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Tell us one, anyway, just to pass away the -time,” said Sweetest Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“If I tell you one,” Little Mr. Thimblefinger -replied, “I’ll not promise it will be one that I -like. That would be promising too much. But -the talk about the Moon, that I heard before I -dozed off just now, reminded me of a tale I heard -when I was a good deal smaller than I am now.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Once upon a time there was a man who had -two sons. They were twins, but they were just -as different from each other as they could possibly -be. One was dark, and the other was light complected. -One was slim, and the other was fat. -One was good, and the other was what people call -bad. He was lazy, and full of fun and mischief. -They grew up that way until they were nineteen -or twenty years old. The good boy would work -hard every day, or pretend to work hard, and then -he’d go back home and tell his mother and -father that his brother hadn’t done a stroke of -work. Of course, this made the old people feel -very queer. The mother felt sorrowful, and the -father felt angry. This went on, until finally, one -day, the father became so angry that he concluded -to take his bad son into some foreign -country, and bind him out to some person who -could make him work and cure him of his mischievousness. -In those days people sometimes -bound out their children to learn trades and good -manners and things of that sort.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I wish dey’d do it now,” exclaimed Drusilla. -“Kaze den I wouldn’t hafter be playin’ nuss, an’ -be gwine in all kind er quare places whar you -dunner when ner whar you kin git out.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Stuff!” cried Buster John. “Why don’t -you be quiet and listen to the story?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It go long too slow fer ter suit me,” said -Drusilla in a grumbling tone.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” remarked Mr. Thimblefinger, turning -to Buster John, “you’ve come mighty close to -telling a part of the tale I had in my mind.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I don’t see how,” replied Buster John with -some surprise.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“You said ‘stuff!’” responded Mr. Thimblefinger, -“and that’s a part of my story. If you -listen, you’ll soon find out. As I was saying, -people in old times bound out their sons to some -good man, who taught them a good trade or -something of that kind. Well, this man that I -was telling you about took his bad son off to a -foreign country, and tried to find some one to -bind him out to. They traveled many days and -nights. They went over mountains and passed -through valleys. They crossed plains, and they -went through the wild woods.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, the man who was taking his son into a -foreign country was getting old, and the farther -they walked, the more tired he grew. At last, -one day, when they were going through the big -woods, he sat down to rest near a tall poplar-tree, -and, turning to his son, said angrily:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Stuff! you are not worth all this trouble. -But for you I’d be at home now, enjoying myself -and smoking my pipe.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The son, who was used to these outbreaks, -made no reply, but stretched himself out on the -dead leaves that littered the ground. He had -hardly done so when there was a tremendous noise -in the woods, and then both father and son saw -rushing toward them an old man with a long -beard, followed by a small army of fierce-looking -dwarfs armed with clubs and knives and pikes. -They rushed up and surrounded the father and -son.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Which of you called my name and abused -me?’ cried the old man with the long beard.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Not I,’ said the bad son.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Not I,’ said the father. ‘I am sure I never -saw you or heard of you before.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This made the old man more furious than -ever. He fairly trembled with rage. ‘Didn’t I -hear one of you say, “Stuff! but for you I’d -be at home now enjoying myself, and smoking -my pipe?”’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I did say something like that,’ replied the -father in great astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How dare you?’ cried the old man, beside -himself with rage. ‘How did I ever harm you? -Seize him!’ he said to his army of dwarfs. -‘Seize him, and bind him hard and fast! I’ll -show him whether he can come into my kingdom -and abuse me!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The father was speechless with astonishment, -and made no attempt to prevent the dwarfs from -seizing and binding him. They had him tied -hard and fast before he could say a word, even if -he had had a word to say. But by this time the -son had risen to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Wait!’ he cried, ‘let’s see what the -trouble is! Who are you?’ he inquired, turning -to the old man with the long beard.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘My name is Stuff,’ he replied, ‘and I am -king of this country which you are passing -through. I’m not going to allow any one to -abuse me in my own kingdom. You may go -free, but mind you go straight back the way you -came.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The son thought the matter over a little -while, and then turned on his heel and went back -the way he had come, and, as he walked, he -whistled all the lively tunes he could think of. -For a time he was glad that his father was no -longer with him to quarrel and complain; but -finally he grew lonely, and then he began to -think how his father had raised him up from a -little child. The more he thought about this, the -sorrier he was that he had given his father any -trouble. He sat down on a log by the side of the -road and thought it all over, and presently he -began to cry.</p> -<div id='i216' class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i216.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>A QUEER-LOOKING LITTLE MAN CAME JOGGING ALONG THE ROAD</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“While he was sitting there with his head -between his hands, crying over the fate of his -father, a queer-looking little man came jogging -along the road. He had bushy hair and a beard -that grew all over his face, except right around -his eyes and lips and the tip-end of his nose. -His beard was not long, but it was very thick, -and it stood out around his face like the spokes -in a buggy-wheel. He seemed to be in a big -hurry, but when he saw the young man sitting -on the log crying, he stopped, and stared at him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Tut, tut!’ he cried. ‘What’s all this? -Who has hurt your feelings?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“If the young man had not been so sorrowful, -he would have been surprised to see the queer-looking -little man standing by him. But, as it -was, he didn’t seem to be surprised at all. He -just looked at the stranger with red eyes.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘My name is Mum,’ said the stranger, ‘and -I’m the Man in the Moon. Tell me your -troubles. Maybe I can help you. I’m in a -great hurry, because the Moon must change day -after to-morrow, and I must be there to lend a -hand; but I’ll not allow my hurry to prevent me -from hearing your troubles and helping you if I -can.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So then and there the young man told his -story, and the Man in the Moon sighed heavily -when he heard it.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I see how it is,’ he said. ‘You are young -and thoughtless, and your father is old and -crabbed. You never thought of what you owed -him, and he never made any allowances for your -youth. He’s in no danger. I know old Stuff -well. I’ve watched him many a night when he -thought nobody had an eye on him, and he’s a -pretty tough and cunning customer. You must -have help if you get your father out of trouble.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What am I to do?’ asked the young man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ replied the Man in the Moon, ‘in the -first place you will have to go home. Say nothing -about the trouble your father is in. Just -tell your mother that he has lost the sole of his -shoe, and has sent you for the awl that is in the -big red cupboard, a piece of leather, a handful of -pegs, and a piece of wax.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What then?’ the young man inquired.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Bring them here,’ said the Man in the -Moon. ‘By the time you get back, I will have -another holiday. We’ll put our heads together -and see what can be done.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The young man made no delay. He was so -anxious about his father that he started for home -at once. It was a long journey, but he lost no -time on the way. He was in rags and tatters -when he reached home, but that made no difference -to him. He took no time to eat, or to -sleep, or to rest, but went to his mother at once, -and told her that his father had lost the sole of -his shoe, and had sent for the awl that lay in the -big red cupboard, a strong piece of leather, a -handful of shoe-pegs, and a cake of shoemaker’s -wax.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“His mother asked him a great many questions, -as women will, but all the answer the son -would make was that his father had lost the -sole of his shoe, and had sent for the awl that -lay in the big red cupboard, a strong piece of -leather, a handful of shoe-pegs, and a cake of -shoemaker’s wax. Of course, the mother was -very much worried. She finally came to the conclusion -that some great calamity had befallen her -husband, and she went about crying and wringing -her hands, and declaring that they were all -ruined; that her husband was dead; and that -more than likely he had been murdered by this -bad, bad son of hers, who had no other story to -tell except to ask for the awl that lay in the big -red cupboard, a strong piece of leather, a handful -of shoe-pegs, and a cake of shoemaker’s wax.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, the good son heard all this, but he said -nothing. He just folded his hands and fetched -a sigh or two, and seemed to be sorry for everything -in general. But while the mother was -going about wringing her hands and weeping, -and the good son was heaving and fetching his -sighs, the other son went to the big red cupboard. -There on a shelf he saw the awl sticking in a -cake of shoemaker’s wax. Near it was a strong -piece of leather, and close by was a handful of -shoe-pegs. He took these, changed his ragged -coat, and started back on his journey.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, although the good son did nothing but -sigh and look sorry, he had deep ideas of his -own. The reason he was called the good son was -because he was so cunning. He thought to himself -that now would be a good time to do a fine -stroke of business. He knew that his brother -had something more on his mind than the awl, -the leather, the pegs, and the shoemaker’s wax, -and he wanted to find out about it. So he ran -after his brother to ask him what the real trouble -was. He caught up with him a little way beyond -the limits of the village, but no satisfaction could -he get. Then he began to abuse his brother and -to accuse him of all sorts of things.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the son, who was trying to get his father -out of trouble, paid no attention to this. He -went forward on his journey, turning his head -neither to the right nor to the left. The good -brother (as he was called) followed along after the -best he could, being determined to see the end of -the business. But somehow it happened that, on -the second day, the brother who was going to -meet the Man in the Moon was so tired and worn -out that he was compelled to crawl under a haystack -and go to sleep. In this way the good -brother passed him on the road and went forward -on his journey, never doubting that the other -was just ahead of him. Finally, one day, the -good brother grew tired and sat down on a log to -rest. He sat there so long that the brother he -thought he was following came up. He was very -much surprised to see his nice and good brother -sitting on a log and nodding in that country. So -he woke him up and asked him what the trouble -was.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Stuff!’ cried the other, ‘you know you have -made way with our father!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“At once there was a roaring noise in the -woods and a rustling sound in the underbrush, -and out came an old man with a long beard, followed -by an army of dwarfs.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How dare you abuse me in my own kingdom?’ -he cried to the good brother. ‘How did -I ever harm you?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The brother, who had seen this game played -before, tried to explain, but King Stuff would -listen to no explanation. He commanded his -armed dwarfs to seize and bind the good brother, -and they soon carried him out of sight in spite -of his cries.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, the young man who had gone home for -the awl and the axe and the shoemaker’s wax -was very much puzzled. He had more business -on his hands than he knew what to do with. He -saw that he must now rescue his brother as well -as his father, and he didn’t know how to go -about it. He had the awl and the axe and the -shoemaker’s wax. He also had the shoe-pegs and -leather that he found together. But what was he -to do with them? He sat on the log and -thought about it a long time.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“While he was sitting there, and just as he -was about to go forward on his journey, he heard -some one coming briskly down the road singing. -He heard enough of the song to be very much -interested in it. It ran thus:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“‘With the awl and the axe</div> - <div class='line in2'>And the shoemaker’s wax,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And the pegs and the leather</div> - <div class='line in1'>That were found close together</div> - <div class='line in2'>Where the old man had fling’d ’em,</div> - <div class='line in1'>We’ll bore through and roar through;</div> - <div class='line in1'>We’ll cut down, we’ll put down,</div> - <div class='line in2'>This king and his kingdom.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“Of course, it was the Man in the Moon who -was coming along the road singing the song, and -he seemed to be in high good humor. He caught -sight of the solemn face of the young man and -began to laugh.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘There you are!’ cried Mum, the Man in the -Moon, ‘and I’m glad to see you; but I’d feel a -great deal better if you didn’t look so lonesome. -I don’t know what to do about it. Your face is -as long as a hind quarter of beef.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I can’t help it,’ replied the young man. ‘I -am in deeper trouble than ever. My brother has -been carried off by the same people that captured -my father.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What of it?’ exclaimed the Man in the -Moon. ‘If you knew as much about that brother -of yours as I do, you’d go on about your -business, and let him stay where he is.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘No,’ said the young man. ‘I couldn’t do -that. I know he is my brother, and that is -enough. And then there’s my father.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Man in the Moon looked at the young -man a long time, and finally said:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Since we are to have a sort of holiday together, -maybe you won’t mind telling me your -name.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why, of course not,’ replied the young man. -‘My name is Smat.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Man in the Moon scratched his head and -then laughed. ‘It is a queer name,’ he said; -‘but I see no objection to it. I suppose it just -happened so.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now, I can’t tell you anything about that,’ -replied Smat. ‘I was too young when the name -was given to take any part in the performance. -They seized me, and named me at a time when I -had to take any name that they chose to give me. -They named me Smat, and that was the end of it -so far as I was concerned. They never asked me -how I liked it, but just slapped the name in my -face, as you may say, and left it there.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ said the Man in the Moon, ‘they’ll -put another letter in the name when you get back -home. Instead of calling you Smat, they’ll say -you are Smart, and there’s some consolation in -that.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Not much as I can see,’ remarked Smat. -‘It’s all in your mouth, and what is in your -mouth is pretty much all wind and water, if you -try to spit it out. What I want now is to get -my father and my brother out of the trouble that -my mischief has plunged them in. Please help -me. They ought to be at home right now. -There’s the corn to grind, and the cows are waiting -to be milked, and the grain is to be gathered. -Times are pretty hard at our house when everybody -is away.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Very well,’ said the Man in the Moon. He -had hanging by his side the horn of the new -Moon, and on this he blew a loud blast. Immediately -there was a roaring noise in the woods, -and very soon there swarmed about them a company -of little men, all bearing the tiniest and the -prettiest lanterns that were ever seen. It was not -night, but their lanterns were blazing, and as they -marched around the Man in the Moon in regular -order, it seemed as though the light of their -lanterns had quenched that of the sun, so that -Smat saw the woods in a different light altogether. -He had not moved, but he seemed to -be in another country entirely. The trees had -changed, and the ground itself. He was no -longer sitting on a log by the side of the big -road, but was now standing on his feet in a -strange country, as it seemed to him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He had risen from his seat on the log when -the little men with their lanterns began marching -around, but otherwise he had not moved. And -yet here he was in a country that was new to -him. He rubbed his eyes in a dazed way, and -when he opened them again, another change had -taken place. Neither he nor the Man in the -Moon had made any movement away from the big -road and the log that was lying by the side of -it, but now they were down in a wide valley, that -stretched as far as the eye could see, between two -high mountain ranges.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now, then,’ said the Man in the Moon, ‘you -must be set up in business. On the side of the -mountain yonder is the palace of King Stuff, -and somewhere not far away you will find your -father and your brother, and perhaps some one -else.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He then called to the leaders of the little -men with the lanterns, and gave each one a task -to do. Their names were Drift and Sift, Glimmer -and Gleam, and Shimmer and Sheen. These six -leaders waved their lanterns about, called their -followers about them, and at once began to build -a house.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“And they so little, too,” remarked Mrs. -Meadows sympathetically.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, it was no trouble in the world to them,” -said Little Mr. Thimblefinger. “It didn’t seem -as if they were building a house. Did you ever -see a flower open? You look at it one minute, -turn your head away and forget about it, and the -next time you look, there it is open wide. That -was the way with this house the little men built. -It just seemed to grow out of the ground. As -it grew, the little men climbed on it, waved their -lanterns about, and the house continued to grow -higher and higher, and larger and larger, until it -was finished. Not a nail had been driven, not -a board had been rived, not a plank had been -planed, not a sill had been hewn, not a brick had -been burned. And yet there was the house all -new and fine, with a big chimney-stack in the -middle.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now,’ said the Man in the Moon, when -everything was done, ‘here is your house, and -you may move in with bag and baggage.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That is quickly done,’ replied Smat. ‘What -then?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why, you must set up as a shoemaker,’ said -the Man in the Moon.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘But I never made a shoe in my life,’ the -young man declared.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘So much the more reason why you should -make ’em before you die,’ the Man in the Moon -remarked. ‘The sooner you begin to make shoes, -the sooner you’ll learn how.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That’s so true,’ said Smat, ‘that I have -no reply to make. ‘I’ll do as you say, if I can.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That’s better,’ cried the Man in the Moon. -‘If you do that, you’ll have small trouble. If -you don’t, I wouldn’t like to tell you what will -happen. Now listen! There is in this kingdom -a person (I’ll not say who) that goes about -with only one shoe. When you see that person, -no matter when or where,—no matter whether -it’s man, woman, or child,—you must let it be -known that you are ready to make a shoe.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then the Man in the Moon called to the -leaders of his army of lantern bearers, and waved -his hands. They, in turn, waved their tiny lanterns, -and in a moment all were out of sight, and -Smat was left alone. For some time afterwards -he felt both lonely and uneasy, but this feeling -passed away as soon as he went into his house. -He was so astonished by what he saw in there -that he forgot to feel uneasy. He saw that, -although the house was newly built,—if it had -been built,—it was in fact old enough inside to -seem like home. Every room was finely furnished -and carpeted, and in one part of the house, in a -sort of shed-room, he found that a shoemaker’s -shop had been fixed up. There he saw the awl -and the axe, and the shoemaker’s wax, with the -pegs and the leather that were found close together.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He thought to himself that all that was very -nice, but he knew, too, that he was not much of -a shoemaker, and this bothered him not a little. -Anyhow, he made himself comfortable and waited -to see what was going to happen.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“One day a head officer of the kingdom -chanced to pass that way. He saw the house and -rubbed his eyes. He was so astonished that he -went and told another officer, and this officer told -another, and finally all the officers in the kingdom -knew about it. Now, if you’ve ever noticed, -those who hold government offices have less -to do and more time to do it in than any other -day laborers. So they went about and caucussed -among themselves, and examined into the books, -and found that no taxes had ever been gathered -from the owner of such a house. There was -great commotion among them. One of them, -more meddlesome than the rest, took a big book -under his arm and went to Smat’s house to make -inquiries. The first question he asked was the -last.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says he, ‘How long have you been living in -this precinct?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says Smat, ‘Ever since the house was built -and a little while before.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The officer looked at the house and saw that -it was a very old one, and then he tucked his big -book under his arm and went off home. At last -the king—the same King Stuff whose name -you’ve heard me mention—heard about the -new house that was old, and of the shoemaker -who didn’t know how to make shoes. So he concluded -to look into the matter. He summoned -his high and mighty men, and when they had -gathered together they went into a back room -of the palace and shut the door, and had a long -talk together. All this took time; and while the -king and his high and mighty men were confabbing -together, other things were happening, as -you shall presently see.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It seems that in that kingdom there was a -beautiful girl who went wandering about the -country. If she had any kinsfolk, nobody knew -anything about it, and, indeed, nobody cared. -She had lost one of her shoes, and she went about -from place to place hunting for it. Some pitied -her, and some laughed at her, which is the way -of the world, as you’ll find out; but nobody -tried to help her. Some said that one shoe was -better than no shoe, and others said that a new -shoe would do just as well as an old shoe.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“That’s where they made a big mistake,” said -Mrs. Meadows. “I’ve tried it, and I ought to -know. A new shoe is bound to hurt you a little -at first, I don’t care how well it fits.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, I’m only telling you what they said,” -replied little Mr. Thimblefinger. “From all I -can hear, new shoes hurt the ladies a great deal -worse than they do the men. But that’s natural, -for their toes and their heels are a good deal -tenderer than those of the men folks. Anyhow, -this beautiful girl had lost one of her shoes, and, -rather than buy another one or a new pair, she -went hunting it everywhere. One day she came -by Smat’s house. He, sitting by one of the windows, -and wishing that he could see his father -and brother, paid no attention to the passers-by. -But this beautiful girl saw him at the window -and spoke to him.</p> -<div id='i232' class='figcenter id021'> -<img src='images/i232.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>“HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING OF A STRAY SHOE?”</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“‘Kind sir,’ she said, ‘have you seen anything -of a stray shoe? I have lost one of mine, and -I’m in great trouble about it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Smat looked at the girl, and she was so beautiful -that he couldn’t help but blush. Seeing -this, the girl began to blush. And so there they -were, two young things a-blushing at one another, -and wondering what was the matter.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I have seen no stray shoe,’ said Smat; ‘but -if you’ll come in and show me the one you have -on, I think I’ll know its fellow when I see it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The girl went into the house and sat on a -chair, and showed Smat the shoe that she hadn’t -lost. She had the smallest and the neatest foot -he had ever seen.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I hope you are no kin to Cinderella,’ said -Smat, ‘for then you couldn’t get a shoe to fit -your other foot until some kind fairy made it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I never heard of Cinderella,’ the girl replied. -‘I only know that I have lost my shoe, -and I’m afraid I’ll never get another just like it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Smat scratched his head, and then he thought -about the awl and the axe and the shoemaker’s -wax, and the pegs and the leather that were -found close together. So he said to the beautiful -girl:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Just sit here a little while, and I’ll see if I -can’t get you a shoe to fit your foot. But I must -have the other shoe as a pattern to work by.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“At first the girl didn’t want to trust him -with the shoe, but she saw that he was in earnest, -and so she pulled off the only shoe she had and -placed it in Smat’s hands. He saw at once that -the leather he had was a match for that in the -shoe, and he set to work with a light heart,—with -a light heart, but his hand was heavy. -And yet, somehow or other, he found that he -knew all about making shoes, although he had -never learned how. The leather fitted itself to -the last, and everything went smoothly. But the -beautiful girl, instead of feeling happy that she -would soon have a mate to her shoe, began to -grow sad. She sat in a corner with her head -between her hands and her hair hanging down to -her feet, and sighed every time Smat bored a hole -in the leather with his awl or drove in a peg. -Finally, when he handed her the shoe entirely -finished, she looked at it, sighed, and let it fall -from her hands.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Of course,’ said Smat, ‘I don’t feel bad -over a little thing like that. But you don’t have -to pay anything for the shoe, and you don’t have -to wear it unless you want to.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh, it is not that,’ cried the beautiful girl. -‘The shoe will do very well, but the moment I -put it on, your troubles will begin.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ replied Smat, ‘we must have troubles -of some sort anyhow, and the sooner they begin, -the sooner they’ll be ended. So put on your -shoe.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, it happened that just as the girl put -on the shoe, which fitted her foot exactly, King -Stuff and his councilors came driving up to the -door. King Stuff was not a large man, but he -was very fierce-looking. He called out from his -carriage of state and asked what sort of a person -lived in that house that he couldn’t come out -and salute when the king and his councilors went -riding by. Smat went to the door and bowed as -politely as he could, and said that he would have -been glad to bow and salute, if he had known his -royal highness and their excellent excellencies intended -to honor his poor house even so much as -to pass by it. The king and his councilors looked -at one another and shook their heads.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘This man is none of us,’ said the oldest and -wisest of the councilors. ‘We must be careful.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How long have you lived here?’ asked the -king.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Longer than I wanted to,’ replied Smat. -‘My house is so far from the palace that I have -not been able to call and pay my respects to your -majesty.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I see you are a maker of shoes,’ remarked -the king, seeing the awl in Smat’s hand.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘No, your majesty, not a maker of shoes, but -simply a shoemaker. Thus far I have succeeded -in making only one shoe.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“At this the king and his councilors began to -shake and tremble. ‘What was the prophecy?’ -cried the king to the oldest and wisest. ‘Repeat -it!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The oldest and the wisest closed his eyes, -allowed his head to drop to one side, and said in -solemn tones:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘Wherever you go, and whatever you do,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Beware of the man that makes but one shoe;</div> - <div class='line in1'>Beware of the man with the awl and the axe,</div> - <div class='line in1'>With the pegs and the leather and the shoemaker’s wax.</div> - <div class='line in1'>If you’re out of your palace when you meet this man,</div> - <div class='line in1'>You’d better get back as fast as you can.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“Smat felt very much like laughing at the -solemn way in which the oldest and wisest councilor -repeated this prophecy, or whatever it might -be called. ‘Your majesty needn’t be worried -about that prophecy,’ said he. ‘It’s the easiest -thing in the world to break the force of it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘How?’ asked the king.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Why, having made one shoe, I’ll go to work -and make another,’ replied Smat.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The oldest and wisest of the councilors said -that was a pretty good plan,—anyhow, it was -worth trying. Smat promised to make another -shoe, and have it ready in two days. But this -was easier said than done. In the first place, he -had used nearly all his leather in making a shoe -for the beautiful girl. In the second place, the -awl point wouldn’t stay in the handle. In the -third place, the pegs split and broke every time -he tried to drive them, and the shoemaker’s wax -wouldn’t stick. Everything went wrong at first -and grew worse at last, so that when the king -sent his officers for the shoe it was no nearer done -than it had been before Smat began.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The beautiful girl had not gone very far -away, and she came every day to see how Smat -prospered in making the second shoe. She was -watching him when the king’s officers came for -the shoe, and when she saw them she began to -weep. But Smat looked as cheerful as ever, and -even began to whistle when the officers knocked -at the door.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘We are in a fix,’ said he, ‘but we’ll get -out of it. Lend me the shoe I made for you. -I’ll send that to the king and then get it back -again.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The girl tried to take the shoe from her foot, -but nothing would move it. ‘That is a sign,’ -said Smat, ‘that it ought not to come off. I’ll -just go to the king myself and tell him the facts -in the case. That is the best way.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So he gathered the awl and the axe and the -shoemaker’s wax, and the scraps of leather, and -bundled them together. Then he told the officers -that he would go with them and carry the shoe -himself, so as to be sure that it came safely into -the king’s hands. They went toward the palace, -and Smat noticed, as they went along, that it -grew darker and darker as they came nearer to -the palace. The officers seemed to notice it too. -By the time they reached the palace, it was so -dark that Smat had great trouble in keeping up -with the officers.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There was great commotion in the palace. -Nobody had ever seen it so dark before except -just at the stroke of midnight, when the shadows -grow thick and heavy and run together and over -everything.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, old King Stuff was a sort of magician -himself (as, indeed, he had to be in those times, -in order to manage a kingdom properly), and as -soon as he saw the great darkness coming on at -the wrong time of day, he thought at once of the -prophecy in regard to the man who made but one -shoe. So he hustled and bustled around the -palace, calling for the officers he had sent after -the shoe. But nobody had seen them return before -the dark began to fall, and after that it was -impossible to see them.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“In the midst of it all, the officers, followed -by Smat, stumbled into the palace and went -groping about from room to room hunting for -old King Stuff and his ministers. At last, they -heard him grumbling and growling, and felt their -way toward him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The shoe! the shoe!’ cried King Stuff, -when the officers had made themselves known.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I have something that will answer just as -well,’ said Smat.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The shoe! give me the shoe!’ cried the -king.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Take this, your majesty,’ said Smat, handing -him the bundle.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No sooner had the king’s hands touched the -bundle than there was a rumbling noise in the -air, the building began to shake and totter and -crumble away. In the midst of it all some one -cried out in a loud voice:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘Wherever you go, and whatever you do,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Beware of the man that makes but one shoe!’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“In the twinkling of an eye, King Stuff and -his army and his palace had disappeared from -sight. At the same time the darkness had cleared -away, and Smat saw his father and his brother -standing near, dazed and frightened, and not far -away was the beautiful girl. The father and the -brother were very much astonished when they -found that Smat had been the means of their -rescue. They talked about it until night fell, -and then the Man in the Moon, with his tiny lantern-bearers, -came and escorted them to their own -country.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now it happened that the beautiful girl was -a princess, the daughter of the king. It fell to -the lot of Smat to take the princess home. Not -long after that the king gave a great festival, to -celebrate the return of his daughter. Smat’s -father and brother got close enough to the palace -to see him standing in a large room, where there -was a large crowd of people and music and -flowers. They saw, too, that he was holding the -princess by the hand.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“And so,” said little Mr. Thimblefinger, wiping -the perspiration from his forehead, “the story -ended.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch20' class='c007'>XX.<br /> <br />THE WOOG AND THE WEEZE.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Phew!” exclaimed Mr. Rabbit, when he was -sure that little Mr. Thimblefinger had finished. -“That beats anything I ever heard.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I’m glad you like it,” said Mr. Thimblefinger.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, hold on there!” protested Mr. Rabbit, -“you are going too fast. I never said I liked it. -I said it beat any story I ever heard, and so it -does,—for length. I didn’t know that such a -little chap could be so long-winded. It was such -a long story that I’ve forgotten what the moral -ought to be.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, I thought you said you didn’t believe -much in stories that had morals tacked to them,” -remarked Mrs. Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No doubt I did,” replied Mr. Rabbit,—“No -doubt I did. But this story was long enough -to have a dozen morals cropping out in different -places, like dog fennel in a cow pasture.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” said Mr. Thimblefinger, “there was a -moral or two in the story, but I didn’t call attention -to them in the telling, and I’ll not dwell on -them now.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I thought it was a tolerably fair story,” said -Buster John, yet with a tone of doubt.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, I thought it was splendid all the way -through,” said Sweetest Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There are some stories that are hard to tell,” -suggested Mrs. Meadows. “They go in such a -rambledy-wambledy way that it’s not easy to -keep the track of them. I remember I once heard -Chickamy Crany Crow trying to repeat a story -that she heard the Looking-glass Children tell. -I never found head nor tail to it, but I sat and -listened almost without shutting my eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What was the story?” asked Sweetest Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>In reply, Mrs. Meadows said she would call -Chickamy Crany Crow, and ask her to tell it. -As usual, Chickamy Crany Crow was off at play -with Tickle-My-Toes. They both came when -Mrs. Meadows called them, and Chickamy Crany -Crow, after some persuasion, began to tell the -story.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“One day,” she said, brushing her hair behind -her ears with her fingers, “I wanted to see the -Looking-glass Children. Tickle-My-Toes was off -playing by himself, and I was lonesome; so I -went to the Looking-glass, whirled it around in -its frame, and waited for the children to come -out. But they didn’t come. I called them, but -they made no answer. I went close to the Glass, -and looked in. At first, I couldn’t see anything; -but after a while I saw, away off in the Glass, -one of the children,—the one they all say looks -like me. I called her; but she was so far off in -the Glass that she couldn’t hear me, and, as she -had her face turned the other way, she couldn’t -see me.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“After so long a time, she came up to the -frame of the Glass, and then stepped out and sat -down on the ground. I saw she had been crying.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says I, ‘Honey, what in the world is the -matter?’ I always call her Honey when we are -by ourselves.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says she, ‘There’s enough the matter. I’m -e’en about scared to death, and I expect that all -the other children in this Looking-glass are either -captured, or killed, or scared to death.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says I, ‘Why didn’t you holler for help?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says she, ‘What good would that have done? -You all could help us very well on dry land, out -here, but how could you have helped us in the -Looking-glass, when you can’t even get in at -the door? I’ve seen you try to follow us, but -you’ve always failed. You stop at the Glass, -and you can’t get any farther.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says I, ‘You are right about that; but if -we outside folks can’t get in the Glass to play -with you and keep you company, how can anybody -or anything get in there to scare you and -hurt you?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says she, ‘The thing that scared us has been -in there all the time. It was born in there, I -reckon, but I’ve never seen it before; and I tell -you right now I never want to see it again.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says I, ‘What sort of a thing is it?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says she in a whisper, ‘<i>It’s the Woog!</i>‘</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘The what?’ says I.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘<i>The Woog!</i>‘ says she.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says I, ‘It’s new to me. I never heard of it -before.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says she, ‘To hear of it is as close as you -want to get to it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Why, I heard of the Woog in my younger -days,” remarked Mr. Thimblefinger. “I thought -the thing had gone out of fashion.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Don’t you believe a word of it,” said Chickamy -Crany Crow. “It’s just as much in fashion -now as ever it was, especially at certain seasons of -the year. The little girl in the Looking-glass—I -say little girl, though she’s about my size and -shape—told me all about it; and as she lives in -the same country with the Woog, she ought to -know.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What did she say about it?” asked Buster -John, who had a vague idea that he might some -day be able to organize an expedition to go in -search of the Woog.</p> -<div id='i244' class='figcenter id022'> -<img src='images/i244.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>A HORRIBLE MONSTER GLARED AT THEM</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Well,” replied Chickamy Crany Crow, “she -said this,—she said that she and the other children -were sitting under the shade of a bazzle-bush -in the Looking-glass, telling fairy stories. -It had come her turn to tell a story, and she was -trying to remember the one about the little girl -who had a silk dress made out of a muscadine -skin, when all of a sudden there was a roaring -noise in the bushes near by. While they were -shaking with fright, a most horrible monster came -rushing out, and glared at them, growling all the -while. It wore great green goggles. Its hair -stood out from its head on all sides, except in the -bald place on top, and its ears stuck out as big as -the wings of a buzzard.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Do you know who I am?’ it growled. -‘No, you don’t; but I’ll show you. I am the -Woog. Do you hear that? The Woog! Don’t -forget that. What did I hear you talking about -just now? You were talking about fairies. -Don’t say you weren’t, for I heard you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ says one of the Looking-glass Children, -‘what harm is there in that?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Harm!’ screamed the Woog. ‘Do you -want to defy me? I have caught and killed and -crushed and smoked out all the fairies that ever -lived on the earth, except a few that have hid -themselves in this Looking-glass country. What -harm, indeed!—a pretty question to ask me, -when I’ve spent years and years trying to run -down and smother out the whole fairy tribe.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Looking-glass Children,” Chickamy -Crany Crow continued, “told the Woog that they -didn’t know there was any harm in the fairies -themselves, or in talking about them. The Woog -paid no attention to their apologies. He just -stood and glared at them through his green goggles, -gnashing his teeth and clenching his hands.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says the monster after awhile, ‘How dare -any of you wish that you could see a fairy, or -that you had a fairy godmother? What shall I -do with you? I crushed a whole population of -fairies between the lids of this book’ (he held -up a big book, opened it, and clapped it together -again so hard that it sounded like some one had -fired off a gun), ‘and I’ve a great mind to -smash every one of you good-for-nothing children -the same way.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“You may be sure that by this time the poor -little Looking-glass Children were very much -frightened, especially when they saw that the -Woog was fixing to make an attack on them. -He dropped his big book, and when the children -saw him do this they broke and run: some went -one way and some another. The last they saw of -him, he was rushing through the bushes like a -blind horse, threshing his arms about, and doing -more damage to himself than to anybody else. -But the children had a terrible scare, and if he -hasn’t made way with some of them it’s not -because he is too good to do it.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The poor dears!” exclaimed Mrs. Meadows -sympathetically.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Dat ar creetur can’t come out’n dat Lookin’-glass -like de yuthers, kin he?” inquired Drusilla, -moving about uneasily: “kaze ef he kin, I’m -gwine ’way fum here. I dun seed so many quare -doin’s an’ gwine’s on dat I’ll jump an’ holler ef -anybody pints der finger at me.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, Tar-Baby,” replied Mr. Rabbit with -some dignity, “he hasn’t never come out yet. -That’s all that can be said in that line. He may -come out, but if he does you’ll be in no danger -at all. The Woog would never mistake you for -a fairy, no matter whether he had his green -goggles on or whether he had them off.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No matter ’bout dat,” remarked Drusilla. -“I mayn’t look like no fairy, but I don’t want -no Woog fer ter be cuttin’ up no capers ’roun’ -me. I tell you dat, an’ I don’t charge nothin’ -fer tellin’ it. Black folks don’t stan’ much chance -wid dem what knows ’em, let ’lone dem ar Woog -an’ things what don’t know ’em. Ef you all hear -’im comin’, des give de word, and I boun’ you’ll -say ter yo’se’f dat Drusilla got wings. Now you -min’ dat.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What does the Woog want to kill the fairies -for?” asked Sweetest Susan. “He must be very -mean and cruel.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He’s all of that, and more,” replied Mrs. -Meadows. “The fairies please the children, and -give them something beautiful to think about in -the day and to dream about at night, and the -Woog doesn’t like that. He hates the fairies -because it pleases the children to hear about -them, and he hates the children because they like -to hear about the fairies.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, I never want to see him until I am big -enough to tote a gun,” said Buster John. “After -that, I don’t care how soon I meet him.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, turning to Mrs. -Meadows with a solemn air, “didn’t you say -that all this about the Woog was a tale, or something -of that sort.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I believe I did,” replied Mrs. Meadows. -“What about it?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Just this,” said Mr. Rabbit,—“a tale’s a -tale, and it never stops until all is told.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“If that’s the case, I’ve heard some here -that overshot the mark,” remarked Mrs. Meadows.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No doubt, no doubt,” responded Mr. Rabbit. -“But what became of the Woog?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I know! I know!” cried Tickle-My-Toes, -who had been listening to all that was said about -the Woog.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Very well; let’s hear about it,” suggested -Mr. Rabbit.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“’Taint much,” said Tickle-My-Toes modestly. -“The chap in the Looking-glass that looks like -me, he was the one that fell into the hands or the -claws of the Woog. He could have got away -with the rest, but a piece of straw was caught -between his toes, and it tickled him so that he -laughed until he couldn’t run. He just fell on -the ground and rolled over and over, laughing all -the time. In this way the Woog caught up with -him and grabbed him, and carried him away off -in the woods in the Looking-glass country. They -were away off in that part of the country where -there was no green grass on the ground. There -were no green leaves on the trees, no flowers -blooming, and no birds singing.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The Woog carried the little chap that looks -like me to that dark place, and nearly scared him -to death.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You pretend to be something or somebody, -do you?—you, a shadow in a glass,’ growled the -Woog.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’m what I am,’ said the little chap.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘You are not,’ cried the Woog. ‘You are -nothing. Why do you pretend to be somebody -or something?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The little chap didn’t say anything in reply, -because there was nothing to say. There’s no use -in disputing when you can’t help yourself. So -the Woog took him and tied him to a dead tree, -leaving his big book lying near. There is no -telling what would have happened to the little -chap; but just as soon as the Woog got out of -sight, a strong, tall man, with gray hair combed -straight back over his head, suddenly made his -appearance, and untied the cords, and set the -little chap free.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Don’t be frightened,’ said the tall man; ‘I -am the Weeze. I have been hunting the Woog -for many a long day, and now I think I’ll put -an end to him.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Presently the Woog came back growling and -grumbling. When he looked up and saw the -Weeze, it was too late for him to escape. But he -turned and tried to run. Just then the Weeze -seized the big book and threw it at the Woog. -As it hit him, there was a big explosion, and the -Woog and his big book both disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The little chap that looks like me,” said -Tickle-My-Toes, “was telling me about it to-day; -and he said that it wasn’t long after the explosion -before the flowers began to bloom in that -place, and the birds to sing, and the leaves began -to grow on the trees. And after awhile the -fairies began to peep out from their hiding-places; -and when the little chap came away he -could see them playing Ring-Around-Rosy on the -green grass.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It was mighty funny, wasn’t it?” asked -Tickle-My-Toes, in conclusion.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch21' class='c007'>XXI.<br /> <br />UNCLE RAIN AND BROTHER DROUTH.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Now I’m not so mighty certain that that is a -real tale after all,” said Mr. Rabbit, “although it -took two to tell it. There’s something the matter -with it somewhere. The running-gear is out -of order. I’m not complaining, because what -might suit me might not suit other people. It’s -all a matter of taste, as Mrs. Meadows’s grandmother -said when she wiped her mouth with her -apron and kissed the cow.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” remarked Mr. Thimblefinger, “there’s -no telling what happens in a Looking-glass when -nobody is watching. I’ve often wanted to know. -The little that I’ve heard about the Woog and -the Weeze will do me until I can hear more.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I remember a story that I thought was a -very good one when I first heard it,” said Mrs. -Meadows. “But sometimes a great deal more -depends on the time, place, and company than -on the stories that are told. I’m such a poor -hand at telling tales that I’m almost afraid to tell -any that I know. I’ve heard a great many in -my day and time, but the trouble is to pick out -them that don’t depend on a wink of the eye and -a wave of the hand.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Give us a taste of it, anyhow,” suggested -Mr. Rabbit. “I’ll do the winking, the Tar-Baby -can do the blinking, and Mr. Thimblefinger can -wave his hands.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” said Mrs. Meadows, “once upon a -time there lived in a country not very far from -here a man who had a wife and two children,—a -boy and a girl. This was not a large family, -but the man was very poor, and he found it a hard -matter to get along. He was a farmer, and farming, -no matter what they say, depends almost -entirely on the weather. Now, this farmer never -could get the weather he wanted. One year the -Rain would come and drown out his crops, and -the next year the Drouth would come and burn -them up.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Matters went from bad to worse, and the -farmer and his wife talked of nothing else but -the Rain and the Drouth. One year they said -they would have made a living but for the -Drouth, and the next they said they would have -been very well off but for the Rain. So it went -on from year to year until the two children,—the -boy and the girl,—grew up large enough -to understand what their father and mother were -talking about. One year they’d hear they could -have no Sunday clothes and shoes because of the -Drouth. The next year they’d hear they could -have no shoes and Sunday clothes because of the -Rain.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“All this set them to thinking. The boy was -about ten years old and the girl was about nine. -One day at their play they began to talk as they -had heard their father and mother talk. It was -early in the spring, and their father was even -then ploughing and preparing his fields for planting -another crop.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘We will have warm shoes and good clothes -next winter if the Rain doesn’t come and stay -too long,’ said the boy.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Yes,’ replied the girl, ‘and we’ll have good -clothes and warm shoes if the Drouth doesn’t -come and stay too long.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I wonder why they’ve got such a spite -against us,’ remarked the boy.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’m sure I don’t know,’ replied the girl. -‘If we go and see them, and tell them who we -are, and beg them not to make us so cold and -hungry when the ice grows in the ponds and on -the trees, maybe they’ll take pity on us.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This plan pleased the boy, and the two children -continued to talk it over, until finally they -agreed to go in search of the Rain and the -Drouth. ‘Do you,’ said the boy, ‘go in search -of Brother Drouth, and I will go in search of -Uncle Rain. When we have found them, we -must ask them to visit our father’s house and -farm, and see the trouble and ruin they have -caused.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“To this the girl agreed; and early the next -morning, after eating a piece of corn bread, which -was all they had for breakfast, they started on -their journey, the boy going to the east and the -girl to the south. The boy traveled a long way, -and for many days. Sometimes he thought he -would never come to the end of his journey; but -finally he came to Cousin Mist’s house, and there -he inquired his way.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What do you want with Uncle Rain?’ asked -Cousin Mist. ‘He is holding court now, and he -is very busy. Besides, you are not dressed -properly. When people go to court, they have -to wear a certain kind of dress. In your case, -you ought to have a big umbrella and an oilcloth -overcoat.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Well,’ replied the boy, ‘I haven’t got ’em, -and that’s the end of that part of it. If you’ll -show me the way to Uncle Rain’s house, I’ll go -on and be much obliged to boot.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Cousin Mist looked at the boy and laughed. -‘You are a bold lad,’ he said, ‘and since you are -so bold, I’ll lend you an umbrella and an oilcloth -overcoat, and go a part of the way with -you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So the boy put on the overcoat and hoisted -the umbrella, and trudged along the muddy road -toward the house of Uncle Rain. When they -came in sight of it, Cousin Mist pointed it out, -told the boy good-by, and then went drizzling -back home. The boy went forward boldly, and -knocked at the door of Uncle Rain’s house.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Who is there?’ inquired Uncle Rain in a -hoarse and wheezy voice. He seemed to have the -asthma, the choking quinsy, and the croup, all -at the same time.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘It’s only me,’ said the boy. ‘Please, Uncle -Rain, open the door.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“With that, Uncle Rain opened the door and -invited the little fellow in. He did more than -that: he went to the closet and got out a dry -spot, and told the boy to make himself as comfortable -as he could.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Got out a—what?” asked Buster John, -trying hard to keep from laughing.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“A dry spot,” replied Mrs. Meadows solemnly. -“Uncle Rain went to the closet and got out a -dry spot. Of course,” she continued, “Uncle -Rain had to keep a supply of dry spots on hand, -so as to make his visitors comfortable. It’s a -great thing to be polite. Well, the boy sat on -the dry spot, and, after some remarks about the -weather, Uncle Rain asked him why he had come -so far over the rough roads. Then the boy told -Uncle Rain the whole story about how poor his -father was, and how he had been made poorer -year after year, first by Brother Drouth and then -by Uncle Rain. And then he told how he and -his little sister had to go without shoes and wear -thin clothes in cold weather, all because the crops -were ruined year after year, either by Brother -Drouth or Uncle Rain.</p> -<div id='i258' class='figcenter id023'> -<img src='images/i258.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>THE BOY TOLD UNCLE RAIN THE WHOLE STORY</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“He told his story so simply and with so much -feeling that Uncle Rain was compelled to wipe -his eyes on a corner of the fog that hung on the -towel rack behind the door. He asked the boy a -great many questions about his father and his -mother.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I reckon,’ said Uncle Rain finally, ‘that I -have done all of you a great deal of damage -without knowing it, but I think I can pay it -back. Bring the dry spot with you, and come -with me.’ He went into the barnyard, and the -boy followed. They went into the barn, and -there the boy saw, tied by a silver cord, a little -black sheep. It was very small, but seemed to -be full grown, because it had long horns that -curled round and round on the sides of its head. -And, although the horns were long and hard, the -little sheep was very friendly. It rubbed its head -softly against the boy’s hand, and seemed to be -fond of him at first sight.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Uncle Rain untied the silver cord, and placed -the loose end in the boy’s hand. ‘Here is a -sheep,’ he said, ‘that is worth more than all the -flocks in the world. When you want gold, all -you have to do is to press the golden spring -under the left horn. The horn will then come -off, and you will find it full of gold. When you -want silver, press the silver spring under the -right horn. The horn will come off, and you will -find it full of silver. When the horns have been -emptied, place them back where they belong. -This may be done once, twice, or fifty times a -day.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The boy didn’t know how to thank Uncle -Rain enough for this wonderful gift. He was so -anxious to get home that he would have started -off at once.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Wait a minute,’ said Uncle Rain. ‘You -may tell your father about this, but he must tell -no one else. The moment the secret of the sheep -is told outside your family, it will no longer be -valuable to you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The boy thanked Uncle Rain again, and -started home, leading his wonderful sheep, which -trotted along after him, as if it were glad to go -along. The boy went home much faster than he -had gone away, and it was not long before he -reached there.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But what became of the little girl?” asked -Sweetest Susan, as Mrs. Meadows paused a moment.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“I am coming to her now,” said Mrs. Meadows. -“The girl, according to the bargain that had -been made between her and her brother, was to -visit Brother Drouth, and lay her complaints before -him. So she started on her way. As she -went along, the roads began to get drier and -drier, and the grass on the ground and the leaves -on the trees began to look as if they had been -sprinkled with yellow powder. By these signs, -the girl knew that she was not far from the house -of Cousin Dust, and presently she saw it in the -distance. She went to the door, which was -open, and inquired the way to Brother Drouth’s. -Cousin Dust was much surprised to see a little -girl at his door; but, after a long fit of coughing, -he recovered himself, and told her that she -was now in Brother Drouth’s country.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘If you’ll show me the way,’ said the girl, -‘I’ll be more than obliged to you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’ll go a part of the way with you,’ said -Cousin Dust, ‘and lend you a fan besides.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So they went along until they came in sight -of Brother Drouth’s house, and then Cousin Dust -went eddying back home in the shape of a small -whirlwind. The girl went to Brother Drouth’s -door and knocked. Brother Drouth came at -once and opened the door, and invited her in.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’ll not deny that I’m surprised,’ said he, -‘for I never expected to find a little girl knocking -at my door at this time of day. But you -are welcome. I’m glad to see you. You must -have come a long journey, for you look hot.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“With that he went to the cupboard and got -her a cool place to sit on, and this she found very -comfortable. But still Brother Drouth wasn’t -satisfied. As his visitor was a little girl, he -wanted to be extra polite, and so he went to his -private closet and brought her a fresh breeze with -a handle to it; and, as the cool place had a -cushioned back and the fresh breeze a handle that -the girl could manage, she felt better in Brother -Drouth’s house than she had at any time during -her long journey. She sat there on the cool -place and fanned with the fresh breeze, and -Brother Drouth sat in his big armchair and -smiled at her. The little girl noticed this after -awhile, and so she said:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Oh, you can laugh, but it’s no laughing matter. -If you could see the trouble you’ve caused -at our house, you’d laugh on the other side of -your mouth.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When he heard this, Brother Drouth at -once became very serious, and apologized. He -said he wasn’t laughing, but just smiling because -he thought she was enjoying herself.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I may be enjoying myself now,’ said the -little girl, ‘and I’m much obliged to you; but if -I was at home, I shouldn’t be enjoying myself.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then she went on to tell Brother Drouth -how her father’s crops had been ruined year after -year, either by Uncle Rain or by Brother Drouth, -and how the family got poorer and poorer all the -time on that account, so that the little children -couldn’t have warm shoes and thick clothes in -cold weather, but had to go barefooted and wear -rags. Brother Drouth listened with all his ears; -and when the little girl had told her story, he -shook his head, and said that he was to blame -as well as Uncle Rain. He explained that, for -many years, there had been a trial of strength -going on between him and Uncle Rain, and they -had become so much interested in overcoming -each other that they had paid no attention to -poor people’s crops. He said he was very sorry -that he had taken part in any such affair. Then -he told the little girl that he thought he could -pay her back for a part of the damage he had -done, and that he would be more than glad to -do so.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says he, ‘Bring your cool place and your -fresh breeze with you, and come with me.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“She followed Brother Drouth out into the -barnyard, and into the barn; and there, tied by -a golden cord, she saw a snow-white goat.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘This goat,’ said Brother Drouth, ‘is worth -more than all the goats in the world, tame or -wild.’ With that he untied the golden cord, and -placed the loose end in the girl’s hand. The -goat was small, but seemed to be old; for its -horns, which were of the color of ivory, curved -upward and over its back. They were so long -that, by turning its head a bit, the snow-white -goat could scratch itself on its ham. And -though it seemed to be old, it was very gentle; -for it rubbed its nose and face against the little -girl’s frock, and appeared to be very glad to see -her.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now then,’ said Brother Drouth, ‘this goat -is yours. Take it, and take care of it. On the -under side of each horn, you will find a small -spring. Touch it, and the horn will come off; -and each horn, no matter how many times you -touch the spring, you will always find full of gold -and silver. But this is not all. At each change -of the moon, you will find the right horn full of -diamonds, and the left horn full of pearls. Now -listen to me. You may tell your father about -this treasure; but as soon as the secret is told -out of the family, your goat will be worth no -more to you than any other goat.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The little girl thanked Brother Drouth until -he would allow her to thank him no more. She -would have left the cool place and the fresh -breeze, but Brother Drouth said she was welcome -to both of them. ‘When the weather is cold,’ -said he, ‘you can put them away; but when it is -warm, you will find that the cool place and the -fresh breeze will come in right handy.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Thanking Brother Drouth again and again, -the girl started on her journey home, leading her -wonderful goat, and carrying with her the cool -place and the fresh breeze. In this way, she -made the long journey with ease and comfort, -and came to her father’s house without any -trouble. She reached the gate, too, just as her -brother did. They were very glad to see each -other, and the sheep and the goat appeared to be -old friends; for they rubbed their noses together -in friendly fashion.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’ll make our father and mother rich,’ said -the boy proudly.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘And I’ll make them richer,’ said the girl -still more proudly.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So they took their wonderful goat and sheep -into the stable, gave them some hay to eat, and -then went into the house.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch22' class='c007'>XXII.<br /> <br />THE SNOW-WHITE GOAT AND THE COAL-BLACK SHEEP.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“Please don’t say that is the end of the -story,” said Sweetest Susan, as Mrs. Meadows -made a longer pause than usual.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, it ought to be the end,” replied Mrs. -Meadows. “The two children had come home -with treasure and riches enough to suit anybody. -That ought to be the end of the story. -You ought to be able to say that they all lived -happily together forever after. That’s the way -they put it down in the books; but this is not a -book story, and so we’ll have to stick to the -facts.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, then, when the boy and the girl returned -home, one with the wonderful sheep and -the other with the wonderful goat, they found -their father and mother in a great state of mind. -The whole country round about had been searched -for the children. The mother was sure they had -been stolen and carried off. The father, who had -his own miseries always in mind, was sure that -they had grown tired of the poverty that surrounded -them, and had run away to see if they -couldn’t do better among strangers.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So, when the children had returned home, -as happy as larks, their mother fell to weeping, -and cried out: ‘I am so glad you have escaped, -my pretty dears.’ The father grinned and said: -‘Why do you come back? Is it because the -fare elsewhere is no better than it is here?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, of course, the children didn’t know -what to make of all this. They stood with their -fingers in their mouths, and wondered what the -trouble was. Then they were compelled to answer -a shower of questions; and by the time the -inquiries had come to an end, they were not feeling -very comfortable at all. Finally the boy -said:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘My sister and myself were tired of wearing -ragged clothes and having little to eat, and so we -concluded to seek our fortunes. We knew that -Uncle Rain and Brother Drouth had caused all -the trouble, and so we thought the best way to do -would be to hunt them up and tell them the -trouble they were causing to one poor family. I -went to see Uncle Rain, and my sister went to see -Brother Drouth. We found them at home, and -both were in good humor. Uncle Rain gave me -a coal-black sheep, and Brother Drouth gave my -sister a snow-white goat, and told us that with -these we could make our fortunes.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘A likely story—a very likely story indeed!’ -exclaimed the father. ‘If you have brought the -sheep and the goat home, you would do well to -take them back where you got them, else we shall -all be put in jail for stealing and for harboring -stolen property.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Now don’t talk that way to your own children,’ -said the tender-hearted mother. ‘For my -part, I believe every word they say;’ then she -kissed them, and hugged them, and cried over -them a little, while the father sat by, looking sour -and glum. The children, when they placed the -goat and the sheep in the stable, had each taken -a handful of gold and silver coins from the horns -of the wonderful animals. So now the boy went -forward and placed upon the table near his father -a handful of gold and silver. The girl did the -same.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The father heard the rattle and jingle of coin, -and, looking around, saw there at his elbow more -money than he had ever seen before in all his -life. He was both astonished and alarmed.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Worse and worse!’ he cried, throwing up -his hands. ‘Worse and worse! We are ruined! -Tell me where you got that treasure, that I may -take it back to its owner. Make haste! If there’s -any delay about it, we shall all be thrown into -prison.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Come with us,’ said the boy, ‘and we will -show you where we found the treasure.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So they went out of the house and into the -stable, and there the children showed their father -where the treasure came from.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Wonderful! most wonderful!’ exclaimed -the father. ‘Wonderful! most wonderful!’ cried -the mother. Then they hugged and kissed their -children again and again, and all were very happy. -It made no difference now whether crops were -good or bad.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The man was mighty honest,” remarked Mr. -Rabbit.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Yes,” said Mrs. Meadows. “But a man can -be honest and thick-headed at the same time, and -that was the way with this man. He was too -honest to keep other people’s money, and too -thick-headed to know how to keep his own.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Excuse me!” exclaimed Mr. Rabbit, with a -bow that made his ears flop; “excuse me! I -thought the story had come to an end. You said -they were all very happy; so I says to myself, -‘Now is the time to make a slight remark.’”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“No; the end of the story is yet to come,” -replied Mrs. Meadows. “But if these children are -getting tired, I’m ready to quit. Goodness -knows, I don’t want to worry them, and I don’t -want to make them think that I want to do all the -talking.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Please go on,” said Sweetest Susan.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, when the father found where the -money and treasure came from, he was willing to -believe that his children had visited Uncle Rain -and Brother Drouth; for he knew perfectly well -that the wonderful black sheep and the wonderful -snow-white goat were not bred on any farm in -that country. So his mind was easy; and, as I -said, the father, the mother, and the two children -were all happy together.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The mother and the children were so happy -that they stayed at home and enjoyed one another’s -company, and the father was so happy -that it made him restless in the mind. He got -in the habit of going to the tavern every day, -and sometimes more than once a day; and he -got to drinking more ale and wine than was good -for him. And on these occasions his legs would -wobble under him, as if one leg wanted to go -home, and the other wanted to go back to the -tavern.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Sometimes, at the tavern, he would get to -gaming; and when he lost his money, as he always -did, he’d ask his companions to wait until -he could go home and get more. He would -soon come back with his pockets full. This happened -so often that people began to talk about it, -and to wonder how a man who had been so very -poor could suddenly become so wealthy that he -had money to throw away at the gaming-table. -His neighbors were very curious about it, but -they asked him no questions, and he went on -drinking and gambling for many long days.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But finally there came to that village a company -of five men, who let it be understood that -they were peddlers. They came into the village -on foot, carrying packs on their backs, and put -up at the tavern. They were not peddlers, but -robbers, who had been attracted to the village by -rumors about the poor man who was rich enough -to throw away money night after night at the -gaming-table.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Shortly after nightfall, three of the five men -arranged themselves around a table; and when -the man came in, they invited him to join them. -Two of the five sat by the fire, and appeared to -be watching the game. The man didn’t wait -for two invitations, but seated himself at the -table, and called for wine. Then the gaming -began. Aided by their two companions, the -three robbers at the table had no difficulty in -swindling the man. Though he came with all -his pockets filled with gold and silver, they were -soon emptied. The robbers plied him with wine, -and he played wildly.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When his money was all gone, he excused -himself and said he would go and get more, and -then continue the game. He went out; and, at -a sign from the leader, the two robbers who had -been sitting by the fire, rose and followed him. -They had no trouble in doing this, for the man’s -legs were already getting wobbly. One leg -wanted to go home and go to bed, and the other -wanted to go back and be stretched out under -the table.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But, though the man’s legs were wobbly, -his head was pretty clear. He knew his way -home, and he knew his way into the stable, where -the coal-black sheep and the snow-white goat -were housed. The two robbers followed him as -closely as they dared, but it was too dark for -them to see what he was doing. They knew -that he went into the stable, and presently they -heard the jingle and clinking of gold and silver, -and then he came out with his pockets full.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“They waited until he had gone on toward -the tavern and was out of sight. Then they -slipped into the yard, and crept into the stable. -It was very dark in the stable, but not too dark -to see dimly. The two men felt their way along, -and soon saw that there were but two stalls in -the stable. Each went into a stall, and began to -feel around. They expected to find bags of gold -and silver stacked around, but they were mistaken. -Finally they stooped to feel along the -ground; and, as they did so, there was a loud -thump in each stall and a yell of pain from both -robbers. When they stooped to feel along the -ground, the coal-black sheep and the snow-white -goat rushed at them, and gave each one a thump -that nearly jarred the senses out of him. The -robbers rolled over with a howl, and the goat -and the sheep thumped them again, and kept on -thumping them.</p> -<div id='i274' class='figcenter id024'> -<img src='images/i274.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>AT LAST THE ROBBERS MANAGED TO ESCAPE</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“But at last the robbers managed to escape, -though they made a pretty looking sight. Their -hats were lost, their clothes were torn and -muddy, their heads were bleeding, their eyes -were knocked black and blue, and they felt as if -there was not a whole bone in their body. They -were too frightened to talk, but finally their -voices came to them.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What was it hit you?’ says one.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I’m blessed if I know,’ says the other. -‘What hit you?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Something hard,’ says one.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What did it look like?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Satan dressed in white, and he had his maul -and wedge with him. What did yours look -like?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Satan dressed in black, and he had all his -horns and hoofs with him; and I think he must -have struck me one or two licks with his forked -tail.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“They went off to the nearest branch, and -bathed themselves the best they could, but even -then they made a sorry spectacle. Their heads -and faces were still swollen, their eyes were -nearly closed, and their clothes were split and -ripped from heel to collar. They didn’t know -where to go. They knew that it wouldn’t do to -go back to the tavern and present themselves -among the guests, for that would cast suspicion -on their companions. Finally, they went outside -the village, and hid themselves under a haystack, -where they soon fell asleep, and would have slept -soundly if their dreams had not been disturbed -by visions of a black Satan and a white Satan, -both armed with long, hard horns and sharp -hoofs.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“All this time, the father of the children, -wobbly as he was, sat at the gaming-table with -the three robbers. The robbers were waiting for -the return of their companions, and at last they -became so uneasy that they played loosely, and the -man began to win his gold and silver back again. -At last the robbers concluded to go in search of -their companions; and the man went home, carrying -with him more gold and silver than he had -ever before brought away from the tavern. The -robbers failed to find their companions until the -next day, and the story they told was so alarming -that the band concluded to leave that part -of the country, at least for awhile.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But reports and rumors of the great wealth -of the poor farmer continued to travel about, and -finally they came to the ears of a company of -merchants, who were more cunning in their line -of business than the robbers were in theirs. So -these merchants journeyed to the village, and put -up at the tavern. There they soon made the acquaintance -of the fortunate farmer who owned -the wonderful coal-black sheep and the wonderful -snow-white goat.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“They talked business with him from the word -go. They wanted him to put his money in all -sorts of schemes that were warranted to double it -in a few months. But the man said he didn’t -want his money doubled. He already had as -much as he wanted. He told them that if he -were to sit on the street and throw away a million -dollars a minute for ten years he’d be just as rich -at the end of that time as he was before he threw -away the first million.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Of course, the merchants didn’t understand -this. Some said the man was crazy, but the -shrewder ones concluded that there must be some -secret behind it all. So they set to work to find -it out. They flattered him in every way. They -made him rich presents for himself, his wife, and -children. For the first time he began to wear -fine clothes and put on airs. The shrewd merchants -asked his advice about their own business, -and went about telling everybody what a wise -man he was. They pretended to tell him all their -own business secrets.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This, of course, pleased the man very much; -and, at last, one day, when he had more wine in -his head than wit, he told his merchant friends -that he made all his gold and silver by shearing a -black sheep and milking a white goat.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Where do you keep these wonderful creatures?’ -one of the merchants asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘In my stable,’ replied the man,—’in my -stable night and day.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The greedy merchants were not long in finding -out that the man kept a coal-black sheep and -a snow-white-goat in his stable sure enough; and, -after a good deal of persuading and flattering, -they got him to consent to bring his coal-black -sheep and his snow-white goat to the tavern, so -that they might see for themselves how rare and -valuable the animals were.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, one night after his wife and children -had gone to bed, the man carried the sheep and -the goat to the tavern, and showed them to the -merchants. They offered him immense sums of -money for the animals, but he refused them all. -Then they invited him to remain to a banquet -which they had prepared. He wanted to carry -his sheep and his goat back home, and then return -to the banquet; but the merchants said the -table was already spread, and he could tie his -wonderful animals in the rear hall, where nobody -would bother them.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Meantime, the merchants had sent out into -the country and bought a black sheep and a white -goat; and while some of them were pouring wine -down the man’s goozle, others were untying the -wonderful black sheep and white goat, and putting -in their place the animals that had been -bought. When the time came for the man to go -home, he was so wobbly in the legs and so befuddled -in the head that he couldn’t tell the -difference between a sheep and a goat. In fact, -he had forgotten all about them, until one of the -merchants asked him if he wasn’t going to take -his rare and valuable animals back home.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The strange sheep and goat were not used -to being led about at night by a man with wobbly -legs and a befuddled head, and they cut up such -queer capers that it was much as the man could -do to keep on his feet at all. But, after so long -a time, he managed to get them home, and tied -them in the stable.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So far, so good: but the next morning, when -the boy and the girl got up betimes and went -out to feed their pets, as they were in the habit of -doing, they saw at once that something had happened. -Their precious pets had been made way -with, and these rough, dirty, and mean-looking -animals put in their place. One glance was -enough to satisfy the children of this, and they -set up such a wail that the whole neighborhood -was aroused. Even their father stuck his head -out of the window and asked what was the matter. -His head was still befuddled by the night’s -banquet, but his alarm sobered him instantly -when he heard what his children said. He -wouldn’t believe it at first; but when he went -out into the stable and saw for himself, he was -nearly beside himself with grief. He declared -that it was all his fault, and told what he had -done the night before.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“He was now as poor as he ever was; and his -wife said she wasn’t sorry a bit, because he would -now have a chance to go to work and an excuse -for not hanging around the tavern. But the children -begged him to go after their coal-black -sheep and their snow-white goat.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This he promised to do, and he made haste to -go to the tavern. The merchants were still there, -but they only laughed at him when he asked them -for his sheep and his goat. They called on the -tavern-keeper to witness that the man had started -home with a black sheep and a white goat.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That is true,’ said the man, ‘and I have -them there now. But they are not mine. Some -of you ruffians stole mine and put these in their -place.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The merchants pretended to be very angry at -this, and made as if they would fall on the man -with their fists. But he was a stout fellow, and -was armed with a stout hickory, and so they -merely threatened. But the man failed to get his -coal-black sheep and his snow-white goat, and -went home full of grief and remorse.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch23' class='c007'>XXIII.<br /> <br />THE BUTTING COW AND THE HITTING STICK.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“I hope that isn’t the end of the story,” -remarked Buster John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” replied Mr. Rabbit, “we can either -cut it off here, or we can carry it on for weeks -and weeks.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Speak for yourself,” said Mrs. Meadows; “or, -if you want to, you can tell the rest of the story -yourself. No doubt you can tell it a great deal -better than I can.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now you’ll have to excuse me,” remarked -Mr. Rabbit. “I thought maybe you were getting -tired, and wanted to rest. Go on with the -tale. I’m getting old and trembly in the limbs, -but I can stand it if the rest can.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” said Mrs. Meadows, turning to Buster -John and Sweetest Susan, “the children were -very much worried over the loss of the coal-black -sheep and the snow-white goat, and they made up -their minds to try and get them back. The boy -said he would go and ask Uncle Rain’s advice, -and the girl said she would visit Brother Drouth -once more. So they started on their journey, one -going east and the other going south.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“They met with no adventure by the way, and, -having traveled the road once, they were not long -in coming to the end of their journey. The boy -found Uncle Rain at home, and told him all about -the loss of his beautiful black sheep. Uncle Rain -grunted at the news, and looked very solemn.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘That’s about the way I thought it would -be,’ said he. ‘It takes a mighty strong-minded -person to stand prosperity. But you needn’t be -afraid. Your sheep is not lost. The men who -have stolen him can stand great prosperity no -better than your father can. They will wrangle -among themselves, and they will never take the -sheep away from the tavern. But they shall be -punished. Come with me.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Uncle Rain went out into his barnyard, and -the boy followed him. He went to a stall where -a black cow was tied. ‘This,’ said he, ‘is the -butting cow. You are to take her with you. -She will allow no one to come near her but you, -and when you give her the word she will run over -and knock down whoever and whatever is in -sight. She knows the black sheep, too, for they -have long been in the barn together. When she -begins to low, the black sheep will bleat, and in -that way you may know when you have found it. -More than that, the cow will give you the most -beautiful golden butter that ever was seen.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Uncle Rain untied the cow, placed the end of -the rope in the boy’s hand, and bade him good-by. -The boy went back the way he came, the cow following -closely and seeming to be eager to go with -him.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The girl, who had taken the road to Brother -Drouth’s house, arrived there safely and told her -trouble. Brother Drouth said he was very sorry -about it, but as it was not a thing to weep over, -he didn’t propose to shed any tears.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What’s done,’ he said, ‘can’t be undone; -but I’ll see that it’s not done over again.’ He -went to a corner of the room, picked up a walking-stick, -and gave it to the little girl. ‘We have -here,’ he said, ‘a walking-stick. It is called the -hitting stick. Whenever you are in danger, or -whenever you want to punish your enemies, you -have only to say: “Hit, stick! Stick, hit!” and -neither one man nor a hundred can stand up -against it. It is not too heavy for you to carry, -but if your hands grow tired of carrying it, just -say, “Jump, stick!” and the stick will jump along -before you or by your side, just as you please.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then Brother Drouth bade the girl good-by; -and she went on her way, sometimes carrying the -hitting stick, and sometimes making it jump along -the road before her.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, then, while all this was going on, the -greedy merchants found themselves in a fix. -When they first got hold of the coal-black sheep -and the snow-white goat, they thought that they -had had a good deal of trouble for nothing. But -merchants, especially the merchants of those days, -when there was not as much trade as there is now, -had very sharp eyes, and it was not long before -they found the springs under the horns of the -sheep and the goat. Having found the treasure, -they remembered that the man had spent more -money in two days than the horns of the animals -would hold, and this led them to discover that the -horns were always full of treasure.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“For a little while they were very happy, and -congratulated one another many times over. But -in the midst of their enjoyment the thought came -to them that there must be a division of this treasure. -The moment the subject was broached, the -wrangle began. There were more than a dozen -of the merchants, and the question was how to -divide the treasure so that each might have an -equal share. Though they took millions from the -horns of the black sheep and the white goat, yet -whoever had the animals would still have the most.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“It was a mighty serious question. They argued, -they reasoned, they disputed, and they wrangled, -and once or twice they came near having a -pitched battle. But finally, after many days, it -was decided that one party of merchants should -have the black sheep and that another party -should have the white goat. This didn’t satisfy -all of them, but it was the best that could be done; -and so they departed, the party with the white -goat going south, and the party with the black -sheep going east.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, a very curious thing happened. If -either party had kept on traveling, it would have -met the boy or the girl; one with the butting cow, -and the other with the hitting stick. But both -parties were dissatisfied; and they had gone but a -little way before they stopped, and after some talk -determined to go back. The merchants with the -white goat determined to follow on after the merchants -that had the black sheep, and secure the -animal by fair means or foul. The merchants with -the black sheep determined to follow the merchants -with the white goat, and buy the animal or -seize him. So each party turned back.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The merchants with the white goat reached -the tavern first. They had hardly refreshed themselves, -when the tavern-keeper came running in, to -tell them that the other merchants were coming.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Then take our white goat and hide it in your -stable,’ they said.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The landlord did as he was bid; and then -meeting the merchants with the black sheep, he -told them that their companions of the morning -had also returned.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Then take our black sheep and hide it in -your stable,’ they said. This the landlord quickly -did, and returned to the tavern in time to hear -the merchants greet each other.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘What are you doing here?’ asked the black -sheep merchants.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘We have lost our white goat,’ they replied, -‘and have come here to hunt it. Why have you -returned?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘We have come on the same errand,’ said the -others. ‘We have lost our black sheep, and have -returned to find it.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, the tavern-keeper was not a very smart -man, but he had no lack of shrewdness and cunning. -He had heard the merchants wrangling -and quarreling over the black sheep and the -white goat, and now he saw them coming back -pretending to be hunting for both the animals, -though neither one was lost. He had sense enough -to see that there must be something very valuable -about the black sheep and the white goat; and so, -while the merchants were taking their refreshments, -each party eyeing the other with suspicion, -the tavern-keeper slipped out into his stable, and -carried the black sheep and the white goat to an -outhouse out of sight and hearing of the guests.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“As for the merchants, they were in a pickle. -Neither party wanted to go away and leave the -other at the tavern; so they waited and waited,—the -black sheep party waiting for the white goat -party to go, and the white goat party waiting for -the black sheep party to go.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘When do you leave?’ says one.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘As soon as we find our sheep. When do -you leave?’ says the other.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Quite as soon.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There was not much satisfaction in this for -either side. Finally, one of the merchants called -the tavern-keeper aside, and asked him where he -had put the black sheep.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘In my stable, your honor,’ replied the man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then another merchant called the tavern-keeper -aside, and asked him where he had put -the white goat.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘In my stable, your honor,’ he replied.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now as each of these merchants went out to -see that his precious animal was safe, it was perfectly -natural that they should see each other -slipping about in the yard, and that they should -meet face to face in the stable. Both made the -excuse that they thought they might find their -lost animals at that point, and both were terribly -worked up when they saw that the stable was -empty. Each went back and told his companions, -and pretty soon there was the biggest uproar -in that house that the tavern-keeper had ever -heard.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Both parties went running to the stable, falling -over each other on the way; but the black -sheep and the white goat were gone. Then the -merchants went running back into the tavern, and -all began yelling at the tavern-keeper. Instead -of making any answer, that cunning chap put his -fingers in his ears, and politely asked the merchants -if they wanted to jar the roof off of the -house. They danced around him, yelling and -shaking their fists at him, but he kept his fingers -in his ears.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Finally, they caught hold of the man, and -began to pull and haul him around at a great -rate. In this way they compelled him to take his -fingers out of his ears; but he could hear little -better, for the whole crowd was dancing around -and squalling like a lot of crazy people at a picnic. -All the tavern-keeper could hear was:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Where’s our’—‘You’ve got our’—‘Sheep!’ -‘Goat!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There was more noise than sense to this rippit. -There was so much noise that it roused the -whole neighborhood, and the people of the village -came running in to see what the trouble was. -Among them was the mayor; and he succeeded in -quieting the rumpus, not because he was mayor, -but because he had a louder voice than any of -them.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“When everything was quiet, the mayor asked -the merchants why they were acting like crazy -people.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Because this man has robbed us,’ they cried, -pointing to the tavern-keeper.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Of what has he robbed you?’ asked the -mayor.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Of a black sheep and a white goat,’ they -replied.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Your honor,’ said the tavern-keeper, when -the mayor had turned to him, ‘you have known -me all my life, and have never heard that I was a -thief. I want to ask these men a few questions.’ -By this time the two parties of merchants had -ranged themselves on different sides of the room. -The tavern-keeper turned to the black sheep -party. ‘Didn’t the men over there come into -this house and tell you that they had lost their -white goat?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘They certainly did,’ was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Then he turned to the white goat party. -‘Didn’t the men over there tell you that they -had lost their black sheep and had come back to -hunt it?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘They certainly did,’ came the answer.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Both parties tried to explain that they had -placed their animals in charge of the tavern-keeper, -but while they were hemming and hawing -a queer thing happened. The boy had come up -with his butting cow; and seeing the merchants -still in the tavern, he led her to the door, and told -her to do her whole duty, and nothing but her -duty.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“While the merchants were trying to explain, -the cow rushed into the room with a bellow, her -tail curled over her back, and went at the men -with head down and horn points up. Tables and -chairs were nothing to the butting cow. She -ran over them and through them; and in a little -while the room was cleared of the merchants, and -some of them were hurt so badly that they could -scarcely crawl away.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The mayor had jumped through a window, and -the village people had scattered in all directions. -By this time the tavern-keeper, who had remained -unhurt, was laughing to himself at the fix the -merchants found themselves in, for the butting -cow was still pursuing them. But he laughed too -soon. The little girl came to the door with her -hitting stick.</p> -<div id='i292' class='figcenter id025'> -<img src='images/i292.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>“HIT STICK! STICK HIT!” SHE CRIED</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“‘Hit, stick! Stick, hit!’ she cried; and in -an instant the stick was mauling the tavern-keeper -over the head and shoulders and all about -the body.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Help! help!’ shouted the tavern-keeper. -‘Somebody run here! Help! I’ll tell you where -they are! I’ll show you where they are!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Stop, stick!’ said the girl. ‘Now show me -where my snow-white goat is.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Yes!’ exclaimed the boy. ‘Show me where -my coal-black sheep is!’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Come,’ said the tavern-keeper; and he went -as fast as he could to the outhouse where he had -hid the animals. They were in there, safe and -sound, and the children made haste to carry them -home.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So the farmer was once more rich and prosperous. -He shunned the tavern and kept at work, -and in this way prosperity brought happiness and -content to all the family. And by giving freely -to the poor they made others happy too.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch24' class='c007'>XXIV.<br /> <br />THE FATE OF THE DIDDYPAWN.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“It has always been mighty curious to me,” -said Mr. Rabbit, “why everything and everybody -is not contented with what they’ve got. There’d -be lots less trouble in the country next door if -everybody was satisfied.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well,” remarked Mr. Thimblefinger, “some -people have nothing at all. I hope you don’t -want a man who has nothing to be satisfied. -An empty pocket makes an empty stomach, and -an empty stomach has a way of talking so it can -be heard.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“That is true,” replied Mr. Rabbit; “but there -is a living in the world for every creature, if he -will only get out of bed and walk about and look -for it. But a good many folks and a heap of the -animals think that if there is a living in the world -for everybody, it ought to be handed round in a -silver dish. Then there are some folks and a -great many creatures that are not satisfied with -what they are, but want to be somebody or something -else. That sort of talk puts me in mind of -the Diddypawn.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What is the Diddypawn?” asked Buster -John.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, it would be hard to tell you at this -time of day,” replied Mr. Rabbit, rubbing his chin -thoughtfully. “There are no Diddypawns now, -and I don’t know that I ever saw but one. He -is the chap I’m going to tell you about. He was -a great big strong creature, with a long head and -short ears, and eyes that could see in the dark. -He had legs that could carry him many a mile in -a day, and teeth strong enough to crunch an -elephant’s hind leg. The Diddypawn would have -weeded a wide row if he had been a mind to; but, -instead of doing that, he just lay in the mud on -the river bank, and let the sun shine and the rain -fall. He had but to reach down in the water to -pick up a fish, or up in the bushes to catch a -bird.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But all this didn’t make his mind easy. He -wasn’t contented. The thought came to him -that a fine large creature such as he was ought -to be able to swim as fast as a fish, and fly as -high as a bird. So he worried and worried -and worried about it, until there was no peace -in that neighborhood. All the creatures that -crawled, or walked, or swam, or flew, heard of -the Diddypawn’s troubles. At first they paid -no attention to him, but he groaned so long -and he groaned so loud that they couldn’t -help but pay attention. They couldn’t sleep at -night, and they couldn’t have any peace in the -daytime.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“For I don’t know how long the Diddypawn -rolled and tumbled in the mud, and moaned and -groaned because he didn’t have as many fins as -the fishes and as many feathers as the birds. He -moaned and mumbled in the daytime, and -groaned and grumbled at night. The other creatures -paid no attention to him at first; but matters -went from bad to worse, and they soon found -that they had to do something or leave the -country.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“So, after awhile the fishes held a convention, -and the porpoise and the catfish made speeches, -saying that the Diddypawn was in a peck of -trouble, and asking what could be done for him. -Finally, after a good deal of talk about one thing -and another, the convention of fishes concluded -to call on the Diddypawn in a body, and ask him -what in the name of goodness he wanted.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This they did; and the reply that the Diddypawn -made was that he wanted to know how to -swim as well as any fish. There wasn’t anything -unreasonable in this; and so the convention, after -a good deal more talk, said that the best way to -do would be for every fish to lend the Diddypawn -a fin.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The convention told the Diddypawn about -this, and it made him grin from one ear to the -other to think that he would be able to swim as -fast as the fishes. He rolled from the bank into -the shallow water, and the fishes, as good as their -word, loaned him each a fin. With these the -Diddypawn found he was able to get about in the -water right nimbly. He swam around and around, -far and near, and finally reached an island where -there were some trees.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Don’t go too near the land,’ says the catfish. -‘Don’t go too near the land,’ says the perch.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Don’t bother about me,’ says the Diddypawn. -“I can walk on the land as well as I can -swim in the water.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘But our fins!’ says the catfish and the -perch. ‘If you go on land and let them dry in -the sun, they’ll be no good to either us or you.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘No matter,’ says the Diddypawn, ‘on the -land I’ll go, and I’ll be bound the fins will be -just as limber after they get dry as they were -when they were wet.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the fishes set up such a cry and made -such a fuss that the Diddypawn concluded to give -them back their fins, while he went on dry land -and rested himself. He went on the island, and -stretched himself out in the tall grass at the foot -of the big trees, and soon fell asleep. When he -awoke, the sun was nearly down. He crawled -to the waterside, and soon saw that the fishes had -all gone away. He had no way of calling them -up or of sending them a message, and so there he -was.</p> -<div id='i298' class='figcenter id026'> -<img src='images/i298.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>IT MADE HIM GRIN FROM EAR TO EAR</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c012'>“While the Diddypawn was lying there wondering -how he was going to get back home, he -heard a roaring and rustling noise in the air. -Looking up, he saw that the sky was nearly black -with birds. They came in swarms, in droves, and -in flocks. There were big birds and little birds, -and all sorts and sizes of birds. The trees on the -island were their roosting-place, but they were -coming home earlier than usual, because they -wanted to get rid of the moanings and groanings -of the Diddypawn.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The birds came and settled in the trees, and -were about to say good-night to one another, when -the Diddypawn rolled over, and began to moan -and groan and growl and grumble. At once the -birds ceased their chattering, and began to listen. -Then they knew they would have no sound sleep -that night if something wasn’t done; and so the -King-Bird flew down, lit close to the Diddypawn’s -ear, and asked him what in the name of goodness -gracious he was doing there, how he got there, -and what the trouble was anyway.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“All the answer the Diddypawn made was to -roll over on his other side, and moan and mumble. -Once more the King-Bird fluttered in the -air, and lit near the Diddypawn’s ear, and asked -him what in the name of goodness gracious he -was doing there, how he got there, and what the -trouble was anyway. For answer, the Diddypawn -turned on the other side, and groaned and grumbled.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“How long this was kept up I’ll never tell you, -but after a while, the Diddypawn said the trouble -with him was that he wanted to fly. He said he -would fly well enough if he only had feathers; -but, as it was, he didn’t have a feather to his -name, or to his hide either.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Well, the birds held a convention over this -situation, and after a good deal of loud talk, it -was decided that each bird should lend the Diddypawn -a feather. This was done in the midst of a -good deal of fluttering and chattering. When -the Diddypawn was decked out in his feathers, he -strutted around and shook his wings at a great -rate.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Where shall I fly to?’ he asked.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Now, there was another island not far away, -on which everything was dead,—the trees, the -bushes, the grass, and even the honeysuckle vines. -But some of the trees were still standing. With -their lack of leaf and twig they looked like a -group of tall, black lighthouses. When the Diddypawn -asked where he should fly, Brother Turkey -Buzzard made this remark:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“‘If you want to fly fast and not fly far,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Fly to the place where the dead trees are!’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“To this the Diddypawn made reply,—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“‘I want to fly fast and not too far,</div> - <div class='line in1'>So I’ll fly to the place where the dead trees are!’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“Then the Diddypawn fluttered his feathers -and hopped about, and, after a while, took a running -start and began to fly. He didn’t fly very -well at first, being a new hand at the business. -He wobbled from side to side, and sometimes it -seemed that he was going to fall in the water, but -he always caught himself just in time. After a -while he reached the island where everything was -dead, and landed with a tremendous splash and -splutter in the wet marsh grass.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“As dark had not set in, the most of the birds -flew along with the Diddypawn, to see how he -was going to come out. The Diddypawn had -hardly lit, before Brother Turkey Buzzard ups -and says:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘I don’t want my feather to get wet, and so -I’ll just take it back again.’ This was the sign -for all the birds. None wanted his feather to get -wet, so they just swooped down on the Diddypawn -and took their feathers one by one. When the -fluttering was over, the Diddypawn had no more -feathers than fins. But he made no complaint. -He had it in his mind that he’d rest easy during -the night and begin his complaints the next morning.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Says he, ‘I’ve got the birds and the fishes so -trained that when I want to fly, all I’ve got to do -is to turn over on my left side and grunt, and -when I want to swim, all I’ve got to do is to turn -over on my right side and groan.’ Then the -Diddypawn smiled, until there were wrinkles in -his countenance as deep and as wide as a horse-trough.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“But the birds went back to their roosting-place -that night, and there was nothing to disturb -them; and the fishes swam around the next day, -and there was nothing to bother them.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Matters went on in this way for several days, -and at last some of the birds began to ask about -the Diddypawn. ‘Had anybody seen him?’ -or ‘Did anybody know how he was getting -on?’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“This was passed around among the birds, -until at last it came to the ears of Brother Turkey -Buzzard. He stretched out his wings and -gaped, and said that he had been thinking about -taking his family and calling on the Diddypawn. -So that very day, Brother Turkey Buzzard, his -wife and his children and some of his blood kin, -went down to the dead island, to call on the -Diddypawn. They went and stayed several days. -The rest of the birds, when they came home to -roost, could see the Turkey Buzzard family sitting -in the dead trees; and after so long a time -they came back, and went to roost with the rest -of the birds. Some of them asked how the Diddypawn -was getting on, and Brother Turkey -Buzzard made this reply:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“‘The Diddypawn needs neither feather nor fin,</div> - <div class='line in1'>He’s been falling off, till he’s grown quite thin,</div> - <div class='line in1'>He has lost all his meat and all of his skin,</div> - <div class='line in1'>And he needs now a bag to put his bones in.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>“This made Brother Owl hoot a little, but it -wasn’t long before all the birds were fast asleep.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Mr. Rabbit never knew how the children liked -the story of the Diddypawn. Buster John was -about to say something, but he saw little Mr. -Thimblefinger pull out his watch and look up at -the bottom of the spring.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“What time is it?” asked Mrs. Meadows, seeing -that Mr. Thimblefinger still held his watch in -his hand.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“A quarter to twelve.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh,” cried Sweetest Susan, “we promised -mamma to be back by dinner time.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“There’s plenty of time for that,” said Mrs. -Meadows. “I do hope you’ll come again. It -rests me to see you.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>The children shook hands all around when Mr. -Thimblefinger said he was ready to go, and Mr. -Rabbit remarked to Buster John:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Don’t forget what I told you about Aaron.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>There was no danger of that, Buster John said; -and then the children followed Mr. Thimblefinger, -who led them safely through the spring, and they -were soon at home again.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<p class='c013'> </p> - -<div class='tnbox'> - - <ul class='ul_1'> - <li>Transcriber’s Notes: - <ul class='ul_2'> - <li>Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - </li> - <li>Typographical errors were silently corrected. - </li> - <li>Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a predominant - form was found in this book. - </li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> - -</div> -<p class='c013'> </p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Mr. Rabbit at Home, by Joel Chandler Harris - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR. RABBIT AT HOME *** - -***** This file should be named 60098-h.htm or 60098-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/0/9/60098/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - - </body> - <!-- created with ppgen.py 3.57c on 2019-08-14 16:12:58 GMT --> -</html> |