Drakestail
: The Red Fairy BookDRAKESTAIL was very little, that is why he was called Drakestail;
but tiny as he was he had brains, and he knew what he
was about, for having begun with nothing he ended by amassing a
hundred crowns. Now the King of the country, who was very
extravagant and never kept any money, having heard that Drakestail
had some, went one day in his own person to borrow his hoard, and,
my word, in those days Drakestail was not a li
lent money to the King. But after the first and second year, seeing
that they never even dreamed of paying the interest, he became
uneasy, so much so that at last he resolved to go and see His Majesty
himself, and get repaid. So one fine morning Drakestail, very spruce
and fresh, takes the road, singing: `Quack, quack, quack, when shall
I get my money back?'
He had not gone far when he met friend Fox, on his rounds
that way.
`Good-morning, neighbour,' says the friend, `where are you off
to so early?'
`I am going to the King for what he owes me.'
`Oh! take me with thee!'
Drakestail said to himself: `One can't have too many friends.'
. . . `I will,' says he, `but going on all-fours you will soon be tired.
Make yourself quite small, get into my throat--go into my gizzard
and I will carry you.'
`Happy thought!' says friend Fox.
He takes bag and baggage, and, presto! is gone like a letter into
the post.
And Drakestail is off again, all spruce and fresh, still singing:
`Quack, quack, quack, when shall I have my money back?'
He had not gone far when he met his lady-friend Ladder,
leaning on her wall.
`Good morning, my duckling,' says the lady friend, `whither
away so bold?'
`I am going to the King for what he owes me.'
`Oh! take me with thee!'
Drakestail said to himself: `One can't have too many friends.'
. . . `I will,' says he, `but with your wooden legs you will soon be
tired. Make yourself quite small, get into my throat--go into my
gizzard and I will carry you.'
`Happy thought!' says my friend Ladder, and nimble, bag and
baggage, goes to keep company with friend Fox.
And `Quack, quack, quack.' Drakestail is off again, singing and
spruce as before. A little farther he meets his sweetheart, my friend
River, wandering quietly in the sunshine.
`Thou, my cherub,' says she, `whither so lonesome, with arching
tail, on this muddy road?'
`I am going to the King, you know, for what he owes me.'
`Oh! take me with thee!'
Drakestail said to himself: `We can't be too many friends.' . . . `I
will,' says he, `but you who sleep while you walk will soon be tired.
Make yourself quite small, get into my throat--go into my gizzard
and I will carry you.'
`Ah! happy thought!' says my friend River.
She takes bag and baggage, and glou, glou, glou, she takes her
place between friend Fox and my friend Ladder.
And `Quack, quack, quack.' Drakestail is off again singing.
A little farther on he meets comrade Wasp's-nest, manoeuvring
his wasps.
`Well, good-morning, friend Drakestail,' said comrade Wasp's-
nest, `where are we bound for so spruce and fresh?'
`I am going to the King for what he owes me.'
`Oh! take me with thee!'
Drakestail said to himself, `One can't have too many friends.' . . .
`I will,' says he, `but with your battalion to drag along, you will soon
be tired. Make yourself quite small, go into my throat--get into my
gizzard and I will carry you.'
`By Jove I that's a good idea!' says comrade Wasp's-nest.
And left file! he takes the same road to join the others with all
his party. There was not much more room, but by closing up a bit
they managed. . . . And Drakestail is off again singing.
He arrived thus at the capital, and threaded his way straight up
the High Street, still running and singing `Quack, quack, quack,
when shall I get my money back?' to the great astonishment of the
good folks, till he came to the King's palace.
He strikes with the knocker: `Toc! toc!'
`Who is there?' asks the porter, putting his head out of the
wicket.
` 'Tis I, Drakestail. I wish to speak to the King.'
`Speak to the King! . . . That's easily said. The King is
dining, and will not be disturbed.'
`Tell him that it is I, and I have come he well knows why.'
The porter shuts his wicket and goes up to say it to the King,
who was just sitting down to dinner with a napkin round his neck,
and all his ministers.
`Good, good!' said the King laughing. `I know what it is!
Make him come in, and put him with the turkeys and chickens.'
The porter descends.
`Have the goodness to enter.'
`Good!' says Drakestail to himself, `I shall now see how they
eat at court.'
`This way, this way,' says the porter. `One step further. . . .
There, there you are.'
`How? what? in the poultry yard?'
Fancy how vexed Drakestail was!
`Ah! so that's it,' says he. `Wait! I will compel you to receive
me. Quack, quack, quack, when shall I get my money back?'
But turkeys and chickens are creatures who don't like people that
are not as themselves. When they saw the new-comer and how he
was made, and when they heard him crying too, they began to look
black at him.
`What is it? what does he want?'
Finally they rushed at him all together, to overwhelm him with
pecks.
`I am lost!' said Drakestail to himself, when by good luck he
remembers his comrade friend Fox, and he cries:
`Reynard, Reynard, come out of your earth,
Or Drakestail's life is of little worth.'
Then friend Fox, who was only waiting for these words, hastens
out, throws himself on the wicked fowls, and quick! quack! he tears
them to pieces; so much so that at the end of five minutes there
was not one left alive. And Drakestail, quite content, began to sing
again, `Quack, quack, quack, when shall I get my money back?'
When the King who was still at table heard this refrain, and the
poultry woman came to tell him what had been going on in the yard,
he was terribly annoyed.
He ordered them to throw this tail of a drake into the well, to
make an end of him.
And it was done as he commanded. Drakestail was in despair
of getting himself out of such a deep hole, when he remembered his
lady friend, the Ladder.
`Ladder, Ladder, come out of thy hold,
Or Drakestail's days will soon be told.'
My friend Ladder, who was only waiting for these words, hastens
out, leans her two arms on the edge of the well, then Drakestail
climbs nimbly on her back, and hop! he is in the yard, where he
begins to sing louder than ever.
When the King, who was still at table and laughing at the good
trick he had played his creditor, heard him again reclaiming his
money, he became livid with rage.
He commanded that the furnace should be heated, and this
tail of a drake thrown into it, because he must be a sorcerer.
The furnace was soon hot, but this time Drakestail was not so
afraid; he counted on his sweetheart, my friend River.
`River, River, outward flow,
Or to death Drakestail must go.'
My friend River hastens out, and errouf! throws herself into the
furnace, which she floods, with all the people who had lighted it;
after which she flowed growling into the hall of the palace to the
height of more than four feet.
And Drakestail, quite content, begins to swim, singing deafeningly,
`Quack, quack, quack, when shall I get my money back?'
The King was still at table, and thought himself quite sure of his
game; but when he heard Drakestail singing again, and when they
told him all that had passed, he became furious and got up from
table brandishing his fists.
`Bring him here, and I'll cut his throat! bring him here quick!'
cried he.
And quickly two footmen ran to fetch Drakestail.
`At last,' said the poor chap, going up the great stairs, `they
have decided to receive me.'
Imagine his terror when on entering he sees the King as red as
a turkey cock, and all his ministers attending him standing sword
in hand. He thought this time it was all up with him. Happily,
he remembered that there was still one remaining friend, and he
cried with dying accents:
`Wasp's-nest, Wasp's-nest, make a sally,
Or Drakestail nevermore may rally.'
Hereupon the scene changes.
`Bs, bs, bayonet them! `The brave Wasp's-nest rushes out
with all his wasps. They threw themselves on the infuriated King
and his ministers, and stung them so fiercely in the face that they
lost their heads, and not knowing where to hide themselves they all
jumped pell-mell from the window and broke their necks on the
pavement.
Behold Drakestail much astonished, all alone in the big saloon
and master of the field. He could not get over it.
Nevertheless, he remembered shortly what he had come for to
the palace, and improving the occasion, he set to work to hunt for
his dear money. But in vain he rummaged in all the drawers; he
found nothing; all had been spent.
And ferreting thus from room to room he came at last to the one
with the throne in it, and feeling fatigued, he sat himself down on it
to think over his adventure. In the meanwhile the people had found
their King and his ministers with their feet in the air on the pavement,
and they had gone into the palace to know how it had occurred.
On entering the throne-room, when the crowd saw that there was
already someone on the royal seat, they broke out in cries of surprise
and joy:
`The King is dead, long live the King!
Heaven has sent us down this thing.'
Drakestail, who was no longer surprised at anything, received the
acclamations of the people as if he had never done anything else all
his life.
A few of them certainly murmured that a Drakestail would make
a fine King; those who knew him replied that a knowing Drakestail
was a more worthy King than a spendthrift like him who was lying
on the pavement. In short, they ran and took the crown off the
head of the deceased, and placed it on that of Drakestail, whom it
fitted like wax.
Thus he became King.
`And now,' said he after the ceremony,; ladies and gentlemen,
let's go to supper. I am so hungry!'[15]
[15] Contes of Ch. Marelles.
More
-
Daffy-down-dilly
Daffy-down-dilly is new come to town, With a petticoat green, and a bright yellow gown, And her white blossoms are peeping around. ... Dame Cricket's Story
"Come, children, it is time to get up," said Dame Cricket to her ten little crickets. "Hurry, now, and take your bath and put on your little black caps and your little brown suits. The sun has almost gone down over the hill and the birds will... Dame Grumble And Her Curious Apple Tree
I Long, long ago, in a country quite close to the top of the earth, where the North Wind blew fiercely each spring, there lived a woman called Dame Grumble. Now Dame Grumble had an Apple Tree which she loved exceedingly, although it vexed her b... Dame Martha's Step-daughter Or The Grandmother Of The Gnomes
Dame Martha lived at the foot of a high mountain. Her cottage was large enough to give shelter only to herself and two young girls, one of them her own child and the other the child of Dame Martha's late husband, who, about six months before this ... Dancing Looby
Now we dance looby, looby, looby, Now we dance looby, looby, light. Shake your right hand a little And turn you round about. Now we dance looby, looby, looby, Shake your right hand a little, Shake your ... Daphne
BY OVID (ADAPTED) In ancient times, when Apollo, the god of the shining sun, roamed the earth, he met Cupid, who with bended bow and drawn string was seeking human beings to wound with the arrows of love. "Silly boy," said Apollo, "what dost th... Daphne
Daphne was the daughter of the River Peneus. She was a beautiful child and her father loved her more than anything else in the world. Her home was in a cave which he had cut for her in a great white cliff. The walls of the cave were of marb... Dapplegrim
THERE was once upon a time a couple of rich folks who had twelve sons, and when the youngest was grown up he would not stay at home any longer, but would go out into the world and seek his fortune. His father and mother said that they thought he was... David Livingstone
At one time many people believed that the middle of Africa was a sandy desert, where nothing could live but camels and ostriches. But they were mistaken. The great traveller, David Livingstone, journeyed into this unknown country, and he found tha... Day-dreaming
Now there was once a man at Bagdad who had seven sons, and when he died he left to each of them one hundred dirhems; and his fifth son, called Alnaschar the Babbler, invested all this money in some glassware, and, putting it in a big tray, from wh... Days Of Birth
Monday's child is fair in face, Tuesday's child is full of grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go, Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child works hard for its living... Deep-sea Violets
In a modest hut upon the sea-shore, half-hidden from sight by an enormous bank of drifted sand, lived a fisherman and his wife, with their twin-children, John and Emma. Theirs was a hard life, and full of privations; but the husband and wife lo... Denmark
Justice is administered in Denmark in the first instance by the judges of the hundreds in the rural communities and by the city magistrates in the urban districts. Appeals from such courts lie to the superior courts of Copenhagen and Viborg, and i... Diablo And The Dogwood
<div> <img src="/images/i038.png" alt="The Dogwood Bloom" title="The Dogwood Bloom" height="400" width="267" /> The Dogwood Bloom </div> <p>What a glorious thing is the Maytime Dogwood in our woods! How it does sing out its song! More loudly and clear... Diamond Cut Diamond
In a village in Hindustan there once lived a merchant who, although he rose early, worked hard, and rested late, remained very poor; and ill-luck so dogged him that he determined at last to go to some distant country and there to try his fortune. ... Dick O' The Cow
"Now Liddesdale has layen lang in, There is na ryding there at a'; The horses are a' grown sae lither fat, They downa stir out o' the sta'. Fair Johnie Armstrong to Willie did say-- 'Billy, a riding we will gae; ... Dick Swiveller And The Marchioness
RICHARD SWIVELLER, a good-hearted, though somewhat queer young man, the clerk of Sampson Brass, a scheming lawyer, often found time hanging heavily on his hands; and for the better preservation of his cheerfulness therefore, and to prevent his fac... Dick Whittington And His Cat
In the reign of King Edward the Third there was a poor orphan boy, named Dick Whittington, living in a country village a long way from London. He was a sharp little lad, and the stories that he heard of London being paved with gold made him lon... Dick Whittington And His Cat
More than five hundred years ago there was a little boy named Dick Whittington, and this is true. His father and mother died when he was too young to work, and so poor little Dick was very badly off. He was quite glad to get the parings of the pot... Ding-dong-bell
Ding-- Dong-- Bell! Pussy's in the well. Who put her in? Little Johnny Green. Who pulled her out? Big Johnny Stout. What a naughty boy was that, To drown poor pussy cat,... Diplomacy
BY LUCY FITCH PERKINS The Widow Hill has a fine plum-tree! The Widow Hill is fond o' me. I'll call on her to-day! The plum-tree grows by her front door. I've been meaning to call for a week or more To pass the ... Discontented Dewdrop
One morning a little Dewdrop was resting on the petal of a wild rose that grew beside a river. The sun shining on it made it glisten like a diamond and a lady who was passing stopped to admire its beauty. "It is the most beautiful thing in t... Disobedience
"Wait, Kitty; here's soap and water, And I must wash your face; For the way you do it with your paws Is simply a disgrace!" But Kitty didn't wait! ... Dock
Nettle in, dock out, Dock rub nettle out! If a person is stung with a nettle, a certain cure will be effected by rubbing dock leaves over the part, repeating the above charm very slowly. Mr. Akerman gives us another version of it as c... Doctor Knowall
There was once upon a time a poor peasant called Crabb, who drove with two oxen a load of wood to the town, and sold it to a doctor for two talers. When the money was being counted out to him, it so happened that the doctor was sitting at table, and... Doll-in-the-grass
Once upon a time there was a King who had twelve sons. These sons did not like to do useful things--they only liked to ride and to hunt in the woods, and to do what pleased them. One day the King said: "You shall each one go forth into the world... Dolly's Doctor
MARY Come and see my baby dear; Doctor, she is ill, I fear. Yesterday, do what I would, She would touch no kind of food; And she tosses, moans, and cries. Doctor, what do you advise? DOCTOR JOHN ... Domestic Poultry
The clucking conversation of poultry, the cackling of the hen, and the replying chuckle of the cock, is represented by the following dialogue: Hen. Cock, cock, I have la-a-a-yed! Cock. Hen, hen, that's well sa-a-a-yed! Hen. Alth... Dominion Of Canada And Newfoundland
The Dominion of Canada now consists of the Provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan, together with certain territories not as yet included in any Province.... Dominion Of New Zealand
The Dominion of New Zealand is a colony of Great Britain consisting of North, South and Stewart Islands, or New Zealand proper, and certain outlying islands, including Cook Island, in the Pacific Ocean. Its present form of government was establi... Don Giovanni De La Fortuna
Sicilianische Mahrchen There was once a man whose name was Don Giovanni de la Fortuna, and he lived in a beautiful house that his father had built, and spent a great deal of money. Indeed, he spent so much that very soon there was none left, an... Donkey Skin
There was once upon a time a king who was so much beloved by his subjects that he thought himself the happiest monarch in the whole world, and he had everything his heart could desire. His palace was filled with the rarest of curiosities, and hi... Dorani
Once upon a time there lived in a city of Hindustan a seller of scents and essences, who had a very beautiful daughter named Dorani. This maiden had a friend who was a fairy, and the two were high in favour with Indra, the king of fairyland, becau... Dorothea's School Gifts
BY EUNICE WARD "It seems very queer," said Dorothea thoughtfully, "people who are going to do something nice always have presents given them, but people who are going to do something horrid never get a thing, and they need it twice as much." "... Dot's Birthday Cake
Once there was a little girl called Dot. And she was just five years old. And she had a fine birthday cake. It was big and round, and it had five beautiful little pink candles set in pink rosebuds on top. Dot sat at the big table at dinner that da... Dragon-flies
In some parts of the Isle of Wight, these insects are found of a peculiarly large size, and their colours are extremely beautiful. There is an old legend respecting them which is still current. It is supposed by the country people that their sting o... Drakestail
DRAKESTAIL was very little, that is why he was called Drakestail; but tiny as he was he had brains, and he knew what he was about, for having begun with nothing he ended by amassing a hundred crowns. Now the King of the country, who was very extrav... Drop-cap
In the game where the following lines are used, one person goes round inside a ring of children, clapping a cap between his hands. When he drops it at the foot of any one, that one leaves his position and gives chase, and is obliged to thread the ve... Drop-glove
Children stand round in a circle, leaving a space between each. One walks round the outside, and carries a glove in her hand, saying, I've a glove in my hand, Hittity Hot! Another in my other hand, ... Dutchman's Breeches
<div> <img src="/images/i078.png" alt="Dutchman's Dive Dutchman's Breeches" title="Dutchman's Dive Dutchman's Breeches" height="400" width="278" /> </div> <p>Of course they are not, for no Dutchman I ever saw could wear such tiny things. I will tell yo... Eagles And Ravens
"Some white-tailed eagles were boasting one day of their bravery," commenced daddy. "They were also saying how fine they were in every way and that their very name meant something splendid and free and strong. "As a matter of fact, though the... Early And Late
BY W. S. REED Go to bed early--wake up with joy; Go to bed late--cross girl or boy. Go to bed early--ready for play; Go to bed late--moping all day. Go to bed early--no pains or ills; Go to bed late--doctors and pills. Go to bed e... Earsdon
Hartley and Hallowell, a' ya' bonnie lassie, Fair Seaton-Delaval, a' ya'; Earsdon stands on a hill, a' ya', Near to the Billy-mill, a' ya'. ... East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon
Once upon a time there was a poor husbandman who had many children and little to give them in the way either of food or clothing. They were all pretty, but the prettiest of all was the youngest daughter, who was so beautiful that there were no bo... East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon
Once on a time there was a poor husbandman who had so many children that he hadn't much of either food or clothing to give them. Pretty children they all were, but the prettiest was the youngest daughter, who was so lovely there was no end to her ... Easter-gloves
Love, to thee I send these gloves, If you love me, Leave out the G, And make a pair of loves! It appears from Hall's Satires, 1598, that it was customary to make presents of gloves at Easter. In Much Ado About... Echo And Narcissus
BY OVID (ADAPTED) Long ago, in the ancient world, there was born to the blue-eyed Nymph Liriope, a beautiful boy, whom she called Narcissus. An oracle foretold at his birth that he should be happy and live to a good old age if he "never saw himse... Edith's Tea-party
BY LOIS WALTERS Edith was a little girl who was just learning to write. Her mother told her one day that she could have a tea-party on the next Tuesday, if the weather was fine, and that she could invite her little friend Helen, who lived on the ... Edward S Ellis
Edward S. Ellis, the popular writer of boys' books, is a native of Ohio, where he was born somewhat more than a half-century ago. His father was a famous hunter and rifle shot, and it was doubtless his exploits and those of his associates, with th... Edwy And The Echo
It was in the time of good Queen Anne, when none of the trees in the great forest of Norwood, near London, had begun to be cut down, that a very rich gentleman and lady lived in that neighborhood. Their name was Lawley, and they had a fine old hou... Eglamour And Crystabell
(From Ellis' Abstract of Copy in Garrick Collection.) Count Prinsamour, an independent sovereign of Artois, was famed for his skill in training young men in the courtesy and accomplishments of chivalry. His court was the resort of all youths ... Ein Mohr
The old man went and did his errand. When he had brought the precious robes, the Crab put on the golden garment and then crept upon the golden cushion, and in this way the fisherman carried him to the castle, where the Crab presented the other ga... Eisenkopf
Once upon a time there lived an old man who had only one son, whom he loved dearly; but they were very poor, and often had scarcely enough to eat. Then the old man fell ill, and things grew worse than ever, so he called his son and said to him: '... Elder-tree Mother
THERE was once a little boy who had taken cold by going out and getting his feet wet. No one could think how he had managed to do so, for the weather was quite dry. His mother undressed him and put him to bed, and then she brought in the teapot to... Eliduc And Guilliadun
(From one of Marie's Lays.) Eliduc was a knight of Brittany who, through the cabals of enemies, fell under the displeasure of the king and was banished from his dominions. Sir Eliduc did not wish to forsake his country, still less did he wish t... Elton
The following lines are still remembered by the members of the Elton family: Upon Sir Abraham Elt being knighted, and taking the name of Elton. In days of yore old Abraham Elt, When living, had nor sword nor belt; ... England
INTRODUCTION.--The law of England regards marriage as a contract, a status and an institution. As a contract it is in its essence an expressed consent on the part of a man and woman, competent to make the contract, to cohabit with each other as hu... Ermak
In the reign of Ivan Vasilevich the Terrible there were the rich merchants, the Stroganovs, and they lived in Perm, on the river Kama. They heard that along the river Kama, in a circle of 140 versts, there was good land: the soil had not been plou... Ermine And The Hunter
Far away in the Canadian North Country an old man lived with his wife and children. They lived far from other people, but they were never lonely, for they had much work to do. The old man was a great hunter, and in summer he and his wife ... Esben And The Witch
From the Danish. There was once a man who had twelve sons: the eleven eldest were both big and strong, but the twelfth, whose name was Esben, was only a little fellow. The eleven eldest went out with their father to field and forest, but Esben ... Ethelinda Or The Ice King's Bride
Ethelinda lived alone with her father, Count Constant, in a quiet country place, which had always been her home. Her mother was dead, and her father had long before fallen under the displeasure of his king, and was sentenced to exile for life in t... Evening Song
BY C. FRANCES ALEXANDER Little birds sleep sweetly In their soft round nests, Crouching in the cover Of their mother's breasts. Little lambs lie quiet, All the summer night, With their old ewe mothers, ... Every-day Verses
BY ALDEN ARTHUR KNIPE PICTURES BY EMILIE BENSON KNIPE THIRSTY FLOWERS I have a little wat'ring-pot, It holds two quarts I think, And when the days are very hot I give the plants a drink. They lift their heads... Everything In Its Right Place
MORE than a hundred years ago, behind the wood and by a deep lake, stood an old baronial mansion. Round it lay a deep moat, in which grew reeds and rushes, and close by the bridge, near the entrance gate, stood an old willow that bent itself over ... Exploring The Ocean
The queen now requested her guests to recline upon couches that they might rest themselves from their long swim and talk more at their ease. So the girl and the sailor allowed themselves to float downward until they rested their bodies on two of t... Face-songs
Bo Peeper, Nose dreeper, Chin chopper, White lopper, Red rag, And little gap. These lines are said to a very young child, touching successively for each line the eye, nose, chin, tooth, tongue, and mouth. So... Fair Brown And Trembling
King Hugh Curucha lived in Tir Conal, and he had three daughters, whose names were Fair, Brown, and Trembling. Fair and Brown had new dresses, and went to church every Sunday. Trembling was kept at home to do the cooking and work. They would not... Fairer-than-a-fairy
Once there lived a King who had no children for many years after his marriage. At length heaven granted him a daughter of such remarkable beauty that he could think of no name so appropriate for her as 'Fairer-than-a-Fairy.' It never occurred to... Fairy Days
BY WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY Beside the old hall fire, upon my nurse's knee, Of happy fairy days, what tales were told to me! I thought the world was once all peopled with princesses, And my heart would beat to hear their love... Fairy Gifts
It generally happens that people's surroundings reflect more or less accurately their minds and dispositions, so perhaps that is why the Flower Fairy lived in a lovely palace, with the most delightful garden you can imagine, full of flowers, and... Faithful And Unfaithful
Once upon a time there was a couple of humble cottagers who had no children until, at last, the man's wife was blessed with a boy, which made both of them very happy. They named him Faithful and when he was christened a huldra came to the hut, sea... Family Council
While Rosette was only occupied with smiling and pleasant thoughts, the king, the queen and the princesses Orangine and Roussette were choking with rage. They had all assembled in the queen's apartment. "This is too horrible," said the princesse...