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+ <head>
+ <title>
+ The Project Gutenberg E-text of The Miraculous Pitcher, by Nathaniel
+ Hawthorne
+ </title>
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+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Miraculous Pitcher, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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
+
+
+Title: The Miraculous Pitcher
+
+Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
+
+
+Release Date: November, 2005 [EBook #9258]
+First Posted: September 25, 2003
+Last Updated: December 15, 2016
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger and Al Haines
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+ <p>
+ <br /><br />
+ </p>
+ <h4>
+ A WONDER-BOOK FOR GIRLS AND BOYS<br />
+ </h4>
+ <h3>
+ By Nathaniel Hawthorne<br />
+ </h3>
+ <p>
+ <br />
+ </p>
+ <h2>
+ THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER<br />
+ </h2>
+ <p>
+ <br /><br /><br />
+ </p>
+ <p class="noindent">
+ CONTENTS: <br /><br /> <a href="#hillside">THE HILLSIDE.&mdash;Introductory
+ to &ldquo;The Miraculous Pitcher"</a><br /> <a href="#pitcher">THE MIRACULOUS
+ PITCHER</a><br /> <a href="#after">THE HILLSIDE&mdash;After the Story</a><br />
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <br /><br /><br /> <a name="hillside"></a>
+ </p>
+ <h3>
+ INTRODUCTORY TO &ldquo;THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER&rdquo;
+ </h3>
+ <p>
+ And when, and where, do you think we find the children next? No longer in
+ the winter-time, but in the merry month of May. No longer in Tanglewood
+ play-room, or at Tanglewood fireside, but more than half-way up a
+ monstrous hill, or a mountain, as perhaps it would be better pleased to
+ have us call it. They had set out from home with the mighty purpose of
+ climbing this high hill, even to the very tiptop of its bald head. To be
+ sure, it was not quite so high as Chimborazo, or Mont Blanc, and was even
+ a good deal lower than old Graylock. But, at any rate, it was higher than
+ a thousand ant-hillocks, or a million of mole hills; and, when measured by
+ the short strides of little children, might be reckoned a very respectable
+ mountain.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ And was Cousin Eustace with the party? Of that you may be certain; else
+ how could the book go on a step further? He was now in the middle of the
+ spring vacation, and looked pretty much as we saw him four or five months
+ ago, except that, if you gazed quite closely at his upper lip, you could
+ discern the funniest little bit of a mustache upon it. Setting aside this
+ mark of mature manhood, you might have considered Cousin Eustace just as
+ much a boy as when you first became acquainted with him. He was as merry,
+ as playful, as good-humored, as light of foot and of spirits, and equally
+ a favorite with the little folks, as he had always been. This expedition
+ up the mountain was entirely of his contrivance. All the way up the steep
+ ascent, he had encouraged the elder children with his cheerful voice; and
+ when Dandelion, Cowslip, and Squash-blossom grew weary, he had lugged them
+ along, alternately, on his back. In this manner, they had passed through
+ the orchards and pastures on the lower part of the hill, and had reached
+ the wood, which extends thence towards its bare summit.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The month of May, thus far, had been more amiable than it often is, and
+ this was as sweet and genial a day as the heart of man or child could
+ wish. In their progress up the hill, the small people had found enough of
+ violets, blue and white, and some that were as golden as if they had the
+ touch of Midas on them. That sociablest of flowers, the little Housatonia,
+ was very abundant. It is a flower that never lives alone, but which loves
+ its own kind, and is always fond of dwelling with a great many friends and
+ relatives around it. Sometimes you see a family of them, covering a space
+ no bigger than the palm of your hand; and sometimes a large community,
+ whitening a whole tract of pasture, and all keeping one another in
+ cheerful heart and life.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Within the verge of the wood there were columbines, looking more pale than
+ red, because they were so modest, and had thought proper to seclude
+ themselves too anxiously from the sun. There were wild geraniums, too, and
+ a thousand white blossoms of the strawberry. The trailing arbutus was not
+ yet quite out of bloom; but it hid its precious flowers under the last
+ year&rsquo;s withered forest-leaves, as carefully as a mother-bird hides its
+ little young ones. It knew, I suppose, how beautiful and sweet-scented
+ they were. So cunning was their concealment, that the children sometimes
+ smelt the delicate richness of their perfume, before they knew whence it
+ proceeded.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Amid so much new life, it was strange and truly pitiful to behold, here
+ and there, in the fields and pastures, the hoary periwig of dandelions
+ that had already gone to seed. They had done with summer before the summer
+ came. Within those small globes of winged seeds it was autumn now!
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Well, but we must not waste our valuable pages with any more talk about
+ the spring-time and wild flowers. There is something, we hope, more
+ interesting to be talked about. If you look at the group of children, you
+ may see them all gathered around Eustace Bright, who, sitting on the stump
+ of a tree, seems to be just beginning a story. The fact is, the younger
+ part of the troop have found out that it takes rather too many of their
+ short strides to measure the long ascent of the hill. Cousin Eustace,
+ therefore, has decided to leave Sweet Fern, Cowslip, Squash-blossom, and
+ Dandelion, at this point, midway up, until the return of the rest of the
+ party from the summit. And because they complain a little, and do not
+ quite like to stay behind, he gives them some apples out of his pocket,
+ and proposes to tell them a very pretty story. Hereupon they brighten up,
+ and change their grieved looks into the broadest kind of smiles.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ As for the story, I was there to hear it, hidden behind a bush, and shall
+ tell it over to you in the pages that come next.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <br /><br /><br /> <a name="pitcher"></a>
+ </p>
+ <h3>
+ THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER.
+ </h3>
+ <p>
+ One evening, in times long ago, old Philemon and his old wife Baucis sat
+ at their cottage-door, enjoying the cahn and beautiful sunset. They had
+ already eaten their frugal supper, and intended now to spend a quiet hour
+ or two before bedtime. So they talked together about their garden, and
+ their cow, and their bees, and their grapevine, which clambered over the
+ cottage-wall, and on which the grapes were beginning to turn purple. But
+ the rude shouts of children and the fierce barking of dogs, in the village
+ near at hand, grew louder and louder, until, at last, it was hardly
+ possible for Baucis and Philemon to hear each other speak.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Ah, wife.&rdquo; cried Philemon, &ldquo;I fear some poor traveller is seeking
+ hospitality among our neighbors yonder, and, instead of giving him food
+ and lodging, they have set their dogs at him, as their custom is!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Well-a-day!&rdquo; answered old Baucis, &ldquo;I do wish our neighbors felt a little
+ more kindness for their fellow-creatures. And only think of bringing up
+ their children in this naughty way, and patting them on the head when they
+ fling stones at strangers!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Those children will never come to any good,&rdquo; said Philemon, shaking his
+ white head. &ldquo;To tell you the truth, wife, I should not wonder if some
+ terrible thing were to happen to all the people in the village, unless
+ they mend their manners. But, as for you and me, so long as Providence
+ affords us a crust of bread, let us be ready to give half to any poor,
+ homeless stranger, that may come along and need it.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;That &lsquo;s right, husband!&rdquo; said Baucis. &ldquo;So we will!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ These old folks, you must know, were quite poor, and had to work pretty
+ hard for a living. Old Philemon toiled diligently in his garden, while
+ Baucis was always busy with her distaff, or making a little butter and
+ cheese with their cow&rsquo;s milk, or doing one thing and another about the
+ cottage. Their food was seldom anything but bread, milk, and vegetables,
+ with sometimes a portion of honey from their beehive, and now and then a
+ bunch of grapes, that had ripened against the cottage-wall. But they were
+ two of the kindest old people in the world, and would cheerfully have gone
+ without their dinners, any day, rather than refuse a slice of their brown
+ loaf, a cup of new milk, and a spoonful of honey, to the weary traveller
+ who might pause before their door. They felt as if such guests had a sort
+ of holiness, and that they ought, therefore, to treat them better and more
+ bountifully than their own selves.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Their cottage stood on a rising ground, at some short distance from a
+ village, which lay in a hollow valley, that was about half a mile in
+ breadth. This valley, in past ages, when the world was new, had probably
+ been the bed of a lake. There, fishes had glided to and fro in the depths,
+ and water-weeds had grown along the margin, and trees and hills had seen
+ their reflected images in the broad, and peaceful mirror. But, as the
+ waters subsided, men had cultivated the soil, and built houses on it, so
+ that it was now a fertile spot, and bore no traces of the ancient lake,
+ except a very small brook, which meandered through the midst of the
+ village, and supplied the inhabitants with water. The valley had been dry
+ land so long, that oaks had sprung up, and grown great and high, and
+ perished with old age, and been succeeded by others; as tall and stately
+ as the first. Never was there a prettier or more fruitful valley. The very
+ sight of the plenty around them should have made the inhabitants kind and
+ gentle, and ready to show their gratitude to Providence by doing good to
+ their fellow-creatures.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ But, we are sorry to say, the people of this lovely village were not
+ worthy to dwell in a spot on which Heaven had smiled so beneficently. They
+ were a very selfish and hard-hearted people, and had no pity for the poor,
+ nor sympathy with the homeless. They would only have laughed, had anybody
+ told them that human beings owe a debt of love to one another, because
+ there is no other method of paying the debt of love and care which all of
+ us owe to Providence. You will hardly believe what I am going to tell you.
+ These naughty people taught their children to be no better than
+ themselves, and used to clap their hands, by way of encouragement, when
+ they saw the little boys and girls run after some poor stranger, shouting
+ at his heels, and pelting hum with stones. They kept large and fierce
+ dogs, and whenever a traveller ventured to show himself in the village
+ street, this pack of disagreeable curs scampered to meet him, barking,
+ snarling, and showing their teeth. Then they would seize him by his leg,
+ or by his clothes, just as it happened; and if he were ragged when he
+ came, he was generally a pitiable object before he had time to run away.
+ This was a very terrible thing to poor travellers, as you may suppose,
+ especially when they chanced to be sick, or feeble, or lame, or old. Such
+ persons (if they once knew how badly these unkind people, and their unkind
+ children and curs, were in the habit of behaving) would go miles and miles
+ out of their way, rather than try to pass through the village again.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ What made the matter seem worse, if possible, was that when rich persons
+ came in their chariots, or riding on beautiful horses, with their servants
+ in rich liveries attending on them, nobody could be more civil and
+ obsequious than the inhabitants of the village. They would take off their
+ hats, and make the humblest bows you ever saw. If the children were rude,
+ they were pretty certain to get their ears boxed; and as for the dogs, if
+ a single cur in the pack presumed to yelp, his master instantly beat him
+ with a club, and tied him up without any supper. This would have been all
+ very well, only it proved that the villagers cared much about the money
+ that a stranger had in his pocket, and nothing whatever for the human
+ soul, which lives equally in the beggar and the prince.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ So now you can understand why old Philemon spoke so sorrowfully, when he
+ heard the shouts of the children and the barking of the dogs, at the
+ farther extremity of the village street. There was a confused din, which
+ lasted a good while, and seemed to pass quite through the breadth of the
+ valley.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;I never heard the dogs so loud!&rdquo; observed the good old man.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Nor the children so rude!&rdquo; answered his good old wife.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ They sat shaking their heads, one to another, while the noise came nearer
+ and nearer; until, at the foot of the little eminence on which their
+ cottage stood, they saw two travellers approaching on foot. Close behind
+ them came the fierce dogs, snarling at their very heels. A little farther
+ off, ran a crowd of children, who sent up shrill cries, and flung stones
+ at the two strangers, with all their might. Once or twice, the younger of
+ the two men (he was a slender and very active figure) turned about, and
+ drove back the dogs with a staff which he carried in his hand. His
+ companion, who was a very tall person, walked calmly along, as if
+ disdaining to notice either the naughty children, or the pack of curs,
+ whose manners the children seemed to imitate.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Both of the travellers were very humbly clad, and looked as if they might
+ not have money enough in their pockets to pay for a night&rsquo;s lodging. And
+ this, I am afraid, was the reason why the villagers had allowed their
+ children and dogs to treat them so rudely.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Come, wife,&rdquo; said Philemon to Baucis, &ldquo;let us go and meet these poor
+ people. No doubt, they feel almost too heavy-hearted to climb the hill.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Go you and meet them,&rdquo; answered Baucis, &ldquo;while I make haste within doors,
+ and see whether we can get them anything for supper. A comfortable bowl of
+ bread and milk would do wonders towards raising their spirits.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Accordingly, she hastened into the cottage. Philemon, on his part, went
+ forward, and extended his hand with so hospitable an aspect that there was
+ no need of saying, what nevertheless he did say, in the heartiest tone
+ imaginable,&mdash;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Welcome, strangers! welcome!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Thank you!&rdquo; replied the younger of the two, in a lively kind of way,
+ notwithstanding his weariness and trouble. &ldquo;This is quite another greeting
+ than we have met with yonder, in the village. Pray, why do you live in
+ such a bad neighborhood?&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; observed old Philemon, with a quiet and benign smile, &ldquo;Providence
+ put me here, I hope, among other reasons, in order that I may make you
+ what amends I can for the inhospitality of my neighbors.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Well said, old father!&rdquo; cried the traveller, laughing; &ldquo;and, if the truth
+ must be told, my companion and myself need some amends. Those children
+ (the little rascals!) have bespattered us finely with their mud-ball; and
+ one of the curs has torn my cloak, which was ragged enough already. But I
+ took him across the muzzle with my staff; and I think you may have heard
+ him yelp, even thus far off.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Philemon was glad to see him in such good spirits; nor, indeed, would you
+ have fancied, by the traveller&rsquo;s look and manner, that he was weary with a
+ long day&rsquo;s journey, besides being disheartened by rough treatment at the
+ end of it. He was dressed in rather an odd way, with a sort of cap on his
+ head, the brim of which stuck out over both ears. Though it was a summer
+ evening, he wore a cloak, which he kept wrapt closely about him, perhaps
+ because his under garments were shabby. Philemen perceived, too, that he
+ had on a singular pair of shoes; but, as it was now growing dusk, and as
+ the old man&rsquo;s eyesight was none the sharpest, he could not precisely tell
+ in what the strangeness consisted. One thing, certainly, seemed queer. The
+ traveller was so wonderfully light and active, that it appeared as if his
+ feet sometimes rose from the ground of their own accord, or could only be
+ kept down by an effort.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;I used to be light-footed, in my youth,&rdquo; said Philemen to the traveller.
+ &ldquo;But I always found my feet grow heavier towards nightfall.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;There is nothing like a good staff to help one along,&rdquo; answered the
+ stranger; &ldquo;and I happen to have an excellent one, as you see.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ This staff, in fact, was the oddest-looking staff that Philemon had ever
+ beheld. It was made of olive-wood, and had something like a little pair of
+ wings near the top. Two snakes, carved in the wood, were represented as
+ twining themselves about the staff, and were so very skilfully executed
+ that old Philemon (whose eyes, you know, were getting rather dim) almost
+ thought them alive, and that he could see them wriggling and twisting.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;A curious piece of work, sure enough!&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;A staff with wings! It
+ would be an excellent kind of stick for a little boy to ride astride of!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ By this time, Philemon and his two guests had reached the cottage-door.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Friends,&rdquo; said the old man, &ldquo;sit down and rest yourselves here on this
+ bench. My good wife Baucis has gone to see what you can have for supper.
+ We are poor folks; but you shall be welcome to whatever we have in the
+ cupboard.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The younger stranger threw himself carelessly on the bench, letting his
+ staff fall, as he did so. And here happened something rather marvellous,
+ though trifling enough, too. The staff seemed to get up from the ground of
+ its own accord, and, spreading its little pair of wings, it half hopt,
+ half flew, and leaned itself against the wall of the cottage. There it
+ stood quite still, except that the snakes continued to wriggle. But, in my
+ private opinion, old Philemon&rsquo;s eyesight had been playing him tricks
+ again.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Before he could ask any questions, the elder stranger drew his attention
+ from the wonderful staff, by speaking to him.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Was there not,&rdquo; asked the stranger, in a remarkably deep tone of voice,
+ &ldquo;a lake, in very ancient times, covering the spot where now stands yonder
+ village?&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Not in my day, friend,&rdquo; answered Philemon; &ldquo;and yet I am an old man, as
+ you see. There were always the fields and meadows, just as they are now,
+ and the old trees, and the little stream murmuring through the midst of
+ the valley. My father, nor his father before him, ever saw it otherwise,
+ so far as I know; and doubtless it will still be the same, when old
+ Philemon shall be gone and forgotten!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;That is more than can be safely foretold,&rdquo; observed the stranger; and
+ there was something very stern in his deep voice. He shook his head, too,
+ so that his dark and heavy curls were shaken with the movement, &ldquo;Since the
+ inhabitants of yonder village have forgotten the affections and sympathies
+ of their nature, it were better that the lake should be rippling over
+ their dwellings again!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The traveller looked so stern, that Philemon was really almost frightened;
+ the more so, that, at his frown, the twilight seemed suddenly to grow
+ darker, and that, when he shook his head, there was a roll as of thunder
+ in the air.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ But, in a moment afterwards, the stranger&rsquo;s face became so kindly and
+ mild, that the old man quite forgot his terror. Nevertheless, he could not
+ help feeling that this elder traveller must be no ordinary personage,
+ although he happened now to be attired so humbly, and to be journeying on
+ foot. Not that Philemon fancied him a prince in disguise, or any character
+ of that sort; but rather some exceedingly wise man, who went about the
+ world in this poor garb, despising wealth and all worldly objects, and
+ seeking everywhere to add a mite to his wisdom. This idea appeared the
+ more probable, because, when Philemon raised his eyes to the stranger&rsquo;s
+ face, he seemed to see more thought there, in one look, than he could have
+ studied out in a lifetime.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ While Baucis was getting the supper, the travellers both began to talk
+ very sociably with Philemon. The younger, indeed, was extremely
+ loquacious, and made such shrewd and witty remarks, that the good old man
+ continually burst out a-laughing, and pronounced him the merriest fellow
+ whom he had seen for many a day.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Pray, my young friend,&rdquo; said he, as they grew familiar together, &ldquo;what
+ may I call your name?&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Why, I am very nimble, as you see,&rdquo; answered the traveller. &ldquo;So, if you
+ call me Quicksilver, the name will fit tolerably well.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Quicksilver? Quicksilver?&rdquo; repeated Philemon, looking in the traveller&rsquo;s
+ face, to see if he were making fun of him. &ldquo;It is a very odd name! And
+ your companion there? Has he as strange a one?&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;You must ask the thunder to tell it you!&rdquo; replied Quicksilver, putting on
+ a mysterious look. &ldquo;No other voice is loud enough.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ This remark, whether it were serious or in jest, might have caused
+ Philemon to conceive a very great awe of the elder stranger, if, on
+ venturing to gaze at him, he had not beheld so much beneficence in his
+ visage; But, undoubtedly, here was the grandest figure that ever sat so
+ humbly beside a cottage-door. When the stranger conversed, it was with
+ gravity, and in such a way that Philemon felt irresistibly moved to tell
+ him everything which he had most at heart. This is always the feeling that
+ people have, when they meet with any one wise enough to comprehend all
+ their good and evil, and to despise not a tittle of it.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ But Philemon, simple and kind-hearted old man that he was, had not many
+ secrets to disclose. He talked, however, quite garrulously, about the
+ events of his past life, in the whole course of which he had never been a
+ score of miles from this very spot. His wife Baucis and himself had dwelt
+ in the cottage from their youth upward, earning their bread by honest
+ labor, always poor, but still contented. He told what excellent butter and
+ cheese Baucis made, and how nice were the vegetables which he raised in
+ his garden. He said, too, that, because they loved one another so very
+ much, it was the wish of both that death might not separate them, but that
+ they should die, as they had lived, together.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ As the stranger listened, a smile beamed over his countenance, and made
+ its expression as sweet as it was grand.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;You are a good old man,&rdquo; said he to Philemon, &ldquo;and you have a good old
+ wife to be your helpmeet. It is fit that your wish be granted.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ And it seemed to Philemon, just then, as if the sunset clouds threw up a
+ bright flash from the west, and kindled a sudden light in the sky.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Baucis had now got supper ready, and, coming to the door, began to make
+ apologies for the poor fare which she was forced to set before her guests.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Had we known you were coming,&rdquo; said she, &ldquo;my good man and myself would
+ have gone without a morsel, rather than you should lack a better supper.
+ But I took the most part of to-day&rsquo;s milk to make cheese; and our last
+ loaf is already half eaten. Ah me! I never feel the sorrow of being poor,
+ save when a poor traveller knocks at our door.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;All will be very well; do not trouble yourself, my good dame,&rdquo; replied
+ the elder stranger, kindly. &ldquo;An honest, hearty welcome to a guest works
+ miracles with the fare, and is capable of turning the coarsest food to
+ nectar and ambrosia.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;A welcome you shall have,&rdquo; cried Baucis, &ldquo;and likewise a little honey
+ that we happen to have left, and a bunch of purple grapes besides.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Why, Mother Baucis, it, is a feast!&rdquo; exclaimed Quicksilver, laughing, &ldquo;an
+ absolute feast! and you shall see how bravely I will play my part at it! I
+ think I never felt hungrier in my life.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Mercy on us!&rdquo; whispered Baucis to her husband. &ldquo;If the young man has such
+ a terrible appetite, I am afraid there will not be half enough supper!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ They all went into the cottage.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ And now, my little auditors, shall I tell you something that will make you
+ open your eyes very wide? It is really one of the oddest circumstances in
+ the whole story. Quicksilver&rsquo;s staff, you recollect, had set itself up
+ against the wall of the cottage. Well; when its master entered the door,
+ leaving this wonderful staff behind, what should it do but immediately
+ spread its little wings, and go hopping and fluttering up the doorsteps!
+ Tap, tap, went the staff, on the kitchen floor; nor did it rest until it
+ had stood itself on end, with the greatest gravity and decorum, beside
+ Quicksilver&rsquo;s chair. Old Philemon, however, as well as his wife, was so
+ taken up in attending to their guests, that no notice was given to what
+ the staff had been about.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ As Baucis had said, there was but a scanty supper for two hungry
+ travellers. In the middle of the table was the remnant of a brown loaf,
+ with a piece of cheese on one side of it, and a dish of honeycomb on the
+ other. There was a pretty good bunch of grapes for each of the guests. A
+ moderately sized earthen pitcher, nearly full of milk, stood at a corner
+ of the board; and when hands had filled two bowls, and set them before the
+ strangers, only a little milk remained in the bottom of the pitcher. Alas!
+ it is a very sad business, when a bountiful heart finds itself pinched and
+ squeezed among narrow circumstances. Poor Baucis kept wishing that she
+ might starve for a week to come, if it were possible, by so doing, to
+ provide these hungry folks a more plentiful supper.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ And, since the supper was so exceedingly small, she could not help wishing
+ that their appetites had not been quite so large. Why, at their very first
+ sitting down, the travellers both drank off all the milk in their two
+ bowls, at a draught.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;A little more milk, kind Mother Baucis, if you please,&rdquo; said Quicksilver.
+ &ldquo;The day has been hot, and I am very much athirst.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Now, my dear people,&rdquo; answered Baucis, in great confusion, &ldquo;I am so sorry
+ and ashamed! But the truth is, there is hardly a drop more milk in the
+ pitcher. O husband! husband! why did n&rsquo;t we go without our supper?&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Why, it appears to me,&rdquo; cried Quicksilver, starting up from table and
+ taking the pitcher by the handle, &ldquo;it really appears to me that matters
+ are not quite so bad as you represent them. Here is certainly more milk in
+ the pitcher.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ So saying, and to the vast astonishment of Baucis, he proceeded to fill,
+ not only his own bowl, but his companion&rsquo;s likewise, from the pitcher,
+ that was supposed to be almost empty. The good woman could scarcely
+ believe her eyes. She had certainly poured out nearly all the milk, and
+ had peeped in afterwards, and seen the bottom of the pitcher, as she set
+ it down upon the table.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;But I am old,&rdquo; thought Baucis to herself, &ldquo;and apt to be forgetful. I
+ suppose I must have made a mistake. At all events, the pitcher cannot,
+ help being empty now, after filling the bowls twice over.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;What excellent milk!&rdquo; observed Quicksilver, after quaffing the contents
+ of the second bowl. &ldquo;Excuse me, my kind hostess, but I must really ask you
+ for a little more.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Now Baucis had seen, as plainly as she could see anything, that
+ Quicksilver had turned the pitcher upside down, and consequently had
+ poured out every drop of milk, in filling the last bowl. Of course, there
+ could not possibly be any left. However, in order to let him know
+ precisely how the case was, she lifted the pitcher, and made a gesture as
+ if pouring milk into Quicksilver&rsquo;s bowl, but without the remotest idea
+ that any milk would stream forth. What was her surprise, therefore, when
+ such an abundant cascade fell bubbling into the bowl, that it was
+ immediately filled to the brim, and overflowed upon the table! The two
+ snakes that were twisted about Quicksilver&rsquo;s staff (but neither Baucis nor
+ Philemon happened to observe this circumstance) stretched out their heads,
+ and began to lap up the spilt milk.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ And then what a delicious fragrance the milk had! It seemed as if
+ Philemon&rsquo;s only cow must have pastured, that day, on the richest herbage
+ that could be found anywhere in the world. I only wish that each of you,
+ my beloved little souls, could have a bowl of such nice milk, at
+ supper-time!
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;And now a slice of your brown loaf, Mother Baucis,&rdquo; said Quicksilver,
+ &ldquo;and a little of that honey!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Baucis cut him a slice, accordingly; and though the loaf, when she and her
+ husband ate of it, had been rather too dry and crusty to be palatable, it
+ was now as light and moist as if but a few hours out of the oven. Tasting
+ a crumb, which had fallen on the table, she found it more delicious than
+ bread ever was before, and could hardly believe that it was a loaf of her
+ own kneading and baking. Yet, what other loaf could it possibly be?
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ But, oh the honey! I may just as well let it alone, without trying to
+ describe how exquisitely it smelt and looked. Its color was that of the
+ purest and most transparent gold; and it had the odor of a thousand
+ flowers; but of such flowers as never grew in an earthly garden, and to
+ seek which the bees must have flown high above the clouds. The wonder is,
+ that, after alighting on a flower-bed of so delicious fragrance and
+ immortal bloom, they should have been content to fly down again to their
+ hive in Philemon&rsquo;s garden. Never was such honey tasted, seen, or smelt.
+ The perfume floated around the kitchen, and made it so delightful, that,
+ had you closed your eyes, you would instantly have forgotten the low
+ ceiling and smoky walls, and have fancied yourself in an arbor, with
+ celestial honeysuckles creeping over it.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Although good Mother Baucis was a simple old dame, she could not but think
+ that there was something rather out of the common way, in all that had
+ been going on. So, after helping the guests to bread and honey, and laying
+ a bunch of grapes by each of their plates, she sat down by Philemon, and
+ told him what she had seen, in a whisper.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Did you ever hear the like?&rdquo; asked she.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;No, I never did,&rdquo; answered Philemon, with a smile. &ldquo;And I rather think,
+ my dear old wife, you have been walking about in a sort of a dream. If I
+ had poured out the milk, I should have seen through the business, at once.
+ There happened to be a little more in the pitcher than you thought,&mdash;that
+ is all.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Ah, husband,&rdquo; said Baucis, &ldquo;say what you will, these are very uncommon
+ people.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Well, well,&rdquo; replied Philemon, still smiling, &ldquo;perhaps they are. They
+ certainly do look as if they had seen better days; and I am heartily glad
+ to see them making so comfortable a supper.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Each of the guests had now taken his bunch of grapes upon his plate.
+ Baucis (who rubbed her eyes, in order to see the more clearly) was of
+ opinion that the clusters had grown larger and richer, and that each
+ separate grape seemed to be on the point of bursting with ripe juice. It
+ was entirely a mystery to her how such grapes could ever have been
+ produced from the old stunted vine that climbed against the cottage-wall.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Very admirable grapes these!&rdquo; observed Quicksilver, as he swallowed one
+ after another, without apparently diminishing his cluster. &ldquo;Pray, my good
+ host, whence did you gather them?&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;From my own vine,&rdquo; answered Philemon. &ldquo;You may see one of its branches
+ twisting across the window, yonder. But wife and I never thought the
+ grapes very fine ones.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;I never tasted better,&rdquo; said the guest. &ldquo;Another cup of this delicious
+ milk, if you please, and I shall then have supped better than a prince.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ This time, old Philemon bestirred himself, and took up the pitcher; for he
+ was curious to discover whether there was any reality in the marvels which
+ Baucis had whispered to him. He knew that his good old wife was incapable
+ of falsehood, and that she was seldom mistaken in what she supposed to be
+ true; but this was so very singular a case, that he wanted to see into it
+ with his own eyes. On taking up the pitcher, therefore, he slyly peeped
+ into it, and was fully satisfied that it contained not so much as a single
+ drop. All at once, however, he beheld a little white fountain, which
+ gushed up from the bottom of the pitcher, and speedily filled it to the
+ brim with foaming and deliciously fragrant milk. It was lucky that
+ Philemon, in his surprise, did not drop the miraculous pitcher from his
+ hand.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Who are ye, wonder-working strangers?&rdquo; cried he, even more bewildered
+ than his wife had been.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Your guests, my good Philemon, and your friends,&rdquo; replied the elder
+ traveller, in his mild, deep voice, that had something at once sweet and
+ awe-inspiring in it. &ldquo;Give me likewise a cup of the milk; and may your
+ pitcher never be empty for kind Baucis and yourself, any more than for the
+ needy wayfarer!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The supper being now over, the strangers requested to be shown to their
+ place of repose. The old people would gladly have talked with them a
+ little longer, and have expressed the wonder which they felt, and their
+ delight at finding the poor and meagre supper prove so much better and
+ more abundant than they hoped. But the elder traveller had inspired them
+ with such reverence, that they dared not ask him any questions. And when
+ Philemon drew Quicksilver aside, and inquired how under the sun a fountain
+ of milk could have got into air old earthen pitcher, this latter personage
+ pointed to his staff.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;There is the whole mystery of the affair,&rdquo; quoth Quicksilver; &ldquo;and if you
+ can make it out, I&rsquo;ll thank you to let me know. I can&rsquo;t tell what to make
+ of my staff. It is always playing such odd tricks as this; sometimes
+ getting me a supper, and, quite as often, stealing it away. If I had any
+ faith in such nonsense, I should say the stick was bewitched!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ He said no more, but looked so slyly in their faces, that they rather
+ fancied he was laughing at them. The magic staff went hopping at his
+ heels, as Quicksilver quitted the room. When left alone, the good old
+ couple spent some little time in conversation about the events of the
+ evening, and then lay down on the floor, and fell fast asleep. They had
+ given up their sleeping-room to the guests, and had no other bed for
+ themselves, save these planks, which I wish had been as soft as their own
+ hearts.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The old man and his wife were stirring, betimes, in the morning, and the
+ strangers likewise arose with the sun, and made their preparations to
+ depart. Philemon hospitably entreated them to remain a little longer,
+ until Baucis could milk the cow, and bake a cake upon the hearth, and,
+ perhaps, find them a few fresh eggs, for breakfast. The guests, however,
+ seemed to think it better to accomplish a good part of their journey
+ before the heat of the day should come on. They, therefore, persisted in
+ setting out immediately, but asked Philemon and Baucis to walk forth with
+ them a short distance, and show them the road which they were to take.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ So they all four issued from the cottage, chatting together like old
+ friends. It was very remarkable indeed, how familiar the old couple
+ insensibly grew with the elder traveller, and how their good and simple
+ spirits melted into his, even as two drops of water would melt into the
+ illimitable ocean. And as for Quicksilver, with his keen, quick, laughing
+ wits, he appeared to discover every little thought that but peeped into
+ their minds, before they suspected it themselves. They sometimes wished,
+ it is true, that he had not been quite so quick-witted, and also that he
+ would fling away his staff, which looked so mysteriously mischievous, with
+ the snakes always writhing about it. But then, again, Quicksilver showed
+ himself so very good-humored, that they would have been rejoiced to keep
+ him in their cottage, staff, snakes, and all, every day, and the whole day
+ long.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Ah me! Well-a-day!&rdquo; exclaimed Philemon, when they had walked a little way
+ from their door. &ldquo;If our neighbors only knew what a blessed thing it is to
+ show hospitality to strangers, they would tie up all their dogs, and never
+ allow their children to fling another stone.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;It is a sin and shame for them to behave so,&mdash;that it is!&rdquo; cried
+ good old Baucis, vehemently. &ldquo;And I mean to go this very day, and tell
+ some of then what naughty people they are!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;I fear,&rdquo; remarked Quicksilver, slyly smiling, &ldquo;that you will find none of
+ them at home.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The elder traveller&rsquo;s brow, just then, assumed such a grave, stern, and
+ awful grandeur, yet serene withal, that neither Baucis nor Philemon dared
+ to speak a word. They gazed reverently into his face, as if they had been
+ gazing at the sky.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;When men do not feel towards the humblest stranger as if he were a
+ brother,&rdquo; said the traveller, in tones so deep that they sounded like
+ those of an organ, &ldquo;they are unworthy to exist on earth, which was created
+ as the abode of a great human brotherhood!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;And, by the by, my dear old people,&rdquo; cried Quicksilver, with the
+ liveliest look of fun and mischief in his eyes, &ldquo;where is this same
+ village that you talk about? On which side of us does it lie? Methinks I
+ do not see it hereabouts.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Philemon and his wife turned towards the valley, where, at sunset, only
+ the day before, they had seen the meadows, the houses, the gardens, the
+ clumps of trees, the wide, green-margined street, with children playing in
+ it, and all the tokens of business, enjoyment, and prosperity. But what
+ was their astonishment! There was no longer any appearance of a village!
+ Even the fertile vale, in the hollow of which it lay, had ceased to have
+ existence. In its stead, they beheld the broad, blue surface of a lake,
+ which filled the great basin of the valley, from brim to brim, and
+ reflected the surrounding bills in its bosom, with as tranquil an image as
+ if it had been there ever since the creation of the world. For an instant,
+ the lake remained perfectly smooth. Then, a little breeze sprang up, and
+ caused the water to dance, glitter, and sparkle in the early sunbeams, and
+ to dash, with a pleasant rippling murmur, against the hither shore.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The lake seemed so strangely familiar, that the old couple were greatly
+ perplexed, and felt as if they could only have been dreaming about a
+ village having lain there. But, the next moment, they remembered the
+ vanished dwellings, and the faces and characters of the inhabitants, far
+ too distinctly for a dream. The village had been there yesterday, and now
+ was gone!
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; cried these kind-hearted old people, &ldquo;what has become of our poor
+ neighbors?&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;They exist no longer as men and women,&rdquo; said the elder traveller, in his
+ grand and deep voice, while a roll of thunder seemed to echo it at a
+ distance. &ldquo;There was neither use nor beauty in such a life as theirs: for
+ they never softened or sweetened the hard lot of mortality by the exercise
+ of kindly affections between man and man. They retained no image of the
+ better life in their bosoms; therefore, the lake, that was of old, has
+ spread itself forth again, to reflect the sky!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;And as for those foolish people,&rdquo; said Quicksilver, with his mischievous
+ smile, &ldquo;they are all transformed to fishes. There needed but little
+ change, for they were already a scaly set of rascals, and the
+ coldest-blooded beings in existence. So, kind Mother Baucis, whenever you
+ or your husband have an appetite for a dish of broiled trout, he can throw
+ in a line, and pull out half a dozen of your old neighbors!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Ah,&rdquo; cried Baucis, shuddering, &ldquo;I would not, for the world, put one of
+ them on the gridiron!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;No,&rdquo; added Philemon, making a wry face, &ldquo;we could never relish them!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;As for you, good Philemon,&rdquo; continued the elder traveller,&mdash;&ldquo;and
+ you, kind Baucis,&mdash;you, with your scanty means, have mingled so much
+ heartfelt hospitality with your entertainment of the homeless stranger,
+ that the milk became an inexhaustible fount of nectar, and the brown loaf
+ and the honey were ambrosia. Thus, the divinities have feasted, at your
+ board, off the same viands that supply their banquets on Olympus. You have
+ done well, my dear old friends. Wherefore, request whatever favor you have
+ most at heart, and it is granted.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Philemon and Baucis looked at one another, and then,&mdash;I know not
+ which of the two it was who spoke, but that one uttered the desire of both
+ their hearts.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Let us live together, while we live, and leave the world at the same
+ instant, when we die! For we have always loved one another!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Be it so!&rdquo; replied the stranger, with majestic kindness. &ldquo;Now, look
+ towards your cottage!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ They did so. But what was their surprise, on beholding a tall edifice of
+ white marble, with a wide-open portal, occupying the spot where their
+ humble residence had so lately stood!
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;There is your home,&rdquo; said the stranger, beneficently smiling on them
+ both. &ldquo;Exercise your hospitality in yonder palace, as freely as in the
+ poor hovel to which you welcomed us last evening.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The old folks fell on their knees to thank him; but, behold! neither he
+ nor Quicksilver was there.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ So Philemon and Baucis took up their residence in the marble palace, and
+ spent their time, with vast satisfaction to themselves, in making
+ everybody jolly and comfortable who happened to pass that way. The
+ milk-pitcher, I must not forget to say, retained its marvellous quality of
+ being never empty, when it was desirable to have it full. Whenever an
+ honest, good-humored, and free-hearted guest took a draught from this
+ pitcher, he invariably found it the sweetest and most invigorating fluid
+ that ever ran down his throat. But, if a cross and disagreeable curmudgeon
+ happened to sip, he was pretty certain to twist his visage into a hard
+ knot, and pronounce it a pitcher of sour milk!
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Thus the old couple lived in their palace a great, great while, and grew
+ older and older, and very old indeed. At length, however, there came a
+ summer morning when Philemon and Baucis failed to make their appearance,
+ as on other mornings, with one hospitable smile overspreading both their
+ pleasant faces, to invite the guests of overnight to breakfast. The guests
+ searched everywhere, from top to bottom of the spacious palace, and all to
+ no purpose. But, after a great deal of perplexity, they espied, in front
+ of the portal, two venerable trees, which nobody could remember to have
+ seen there the day before. Yet there they stood, with their roots fastened
+ deep into the soil, and a huge breadth of foliage overshadowing the whole
+ front of the edifice. One was an oak, and the other a linden-tree. Their
+ boughs it was strange and beautiful to see&mdash;were intertwined
+ together, and embraced one another, so that each tree seemed to live in
+ the other tree&rsquo;s bosom, much more than in its own.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ While the guests were marvelling how these trees, that must have required
+ at least a century to grow, could have come to be so tall and venerable in
+ a single night, a breeze sprang up, and set their intermingled boughs
+ astir. And then there was a deep, broad murmur in the air, as if the two
+ mysterious trees were speaking.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;I am old Philemon!&rdquo; murmured the oak.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;I am old Baucis!&rdquo; murmured the linden-tree.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ But, as the breeze grew stronger, the trees both spoke at once,&mdash;&ldquo;Philemon!
+ Baucis! Baucis! Philemon!&rdquo;&mdash;as if one were both and both were one,
+ and talking together in the depths of their mutual heart. It was plain
+ enough to perceive that the good old couple had renewed their age, and
+ were now to spend a quiet and delightful hundred years or so, Philemon as
+ an oak, and Baucis as a linden-tree. And oh, what a hospitable shade did
+ they fling around them! Whenever a wayfarer paused beneath it, he heard a
+ pleasant whisper of the leaves above his head, and wondered how the sound
+ should so much resemble words like these:&mdash;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;Welcome, welcome, dear traveller, welcome!&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ And some kind soul, that knew what would have pleased old Baucis and old
+ Philemon best, built a circular seat around both their trunks, where, for
+ a great while afterwards, the weary, and the hungry, and the thirsty used
+ to repose themselves, and quaff milk abundantly out of the miraculous
+ pitcher.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ And I wish, for all our sakes, that we had the pitcher here now!
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <br /><br /><br /> <a name="after"></a>
+ </p>
+ <h3>
+ THE HILLSIDE.
+ </h3>
+ <h4>
+ AFTER THE STORY.
+ </h4>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;How much did the pitcher hold?&rdquo; asked Sweet Fern.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;It did not hold quite a quart,&rdquo; answered the student; &ldquo;but you might keep
+ pouring milk out of it, till you should fill a hogshead, if you pleased.
+ The truth is, it would run on forever, and not be dry even at midsummer,&mdash;which
+ is more than can be said of yonder rill, that goes babbling down the
+ hillside.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;And what has become of the pitcher now?&rdquo; inquired the little boy.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;It was broken, I am sorry to say, about twenty-five thousand years ago,&rdquo;
+ replied Cousin Eustace. &ldquo;The people mended it as well as they could; but,
+ though it would hold milk pretty well, it was never afterwards known to
+ fill itself of its own accord. So, you see, it was no better than any
+ other cracked earthen pitcher.&rdquo;
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ &ldquo;What a pity!&rdquo; cried all the children at once.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The respectable dog Ben had accompanied the party, as did likewise a
+ half-grown Newfoundland puppy, who went by the name of Bruin, because he
+ was just as black as a bear. Ben, being elderly, and of very circumspect
+ habits, was respectfully requested, by Cousin Eustace, to stay behind with
+ the four little children, in order to keep them out of mischief. As for
+ black Bruin, who was himself nothing but a child, the student thought it
+ best to take him along, lest, in his rude play with the other children, he
+ should trip them up, and send them rolling and tumbling down the bill.
+ Advising Cowslip, Sweet Fern, Dandelion, and Squashblossom to sit pretty
+ still, in the spot where he left them, the student, with Primrose and the
+ elder children, began to ascend, and were soon out of sight among the
+ trees.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <br /><br /><br /><br />
+ </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg&rsquo;s The Miraculous Pitcher, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
+
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+</pre>
+ </body>
+</html>