Princess Finola And The Dwarf
: MODERN FAIRY TALES: Boys And Girls Bookshelf
BY EDMUND LEAMY
A long, long time ago there lived in a little hut in the midst of a
bare, brown, lonely moor an old woman and a young girl. The old woman
was withered, sour-tempered, and dumb. The young girl was as sweet and
as fresh as an opening rosebud, and her voice was as musical as the
whisper of a stream in the woods in the hot days of summer. The little
hut, made of branches woven cl
bee-hive. In the center of the hut a fire burned night and day from
year's end to year's end, though it was never touched or tended by human
hand. In the cold days and nights of winter it gave out light and heat
that made the hut cozy and warm, but in the summer nights and days it
gave out light only. With their heads to the wall of the hut and their
feet toward the fire were two sleeping-couches--one of plain woodwork,
in which slept the old woman; the other was Finola's. It was of bog-oak,
polished as a looking-glass, and on it were carved flowers and birds of
all kinds that gleamed and shone in the light of the fire. This couch
was fit for a Princess, and a Princess Finola was, though she did not
know it herself.
Outside the hut the bare, brown, lonely moor stretched for miles on
every side, but toward the east it was bounded by a range of mountains
that looked to Finola blue in the daytime, but which put on a hundred
changing colors as the sun went down. Nowhere was a house to be seen,
nor a tree, nor a flower, nor sign of any living thing. From morning
till night, nor hum of bee, nor song of bird, nor voice of man, nor any
sound fell on Finola's ear. When the storm was in the air the great
waves thundered on the shore beyond the mountains, and the wind shouted
in the glens; but when it sped across the moor it lost its voice, and
passed as silently as the dead. At first the silence frightened Finola,
but she got used to it after a time, and often broke it by talking to
herself and singing.
The only other person beside the old woman Finola ever saw was a dumb
Dwarf who, mounted on a broken-down horse, came once a month to the hut,
bringing with him a sack of corn for the old woman and Finola. Although
he couldn't speak to her, Finola was always glad to see the Dwarf and
his old horse, and she used to give them cake made with her own white
hands. As for the Dwarf he would have died for the little Princess, he
was so much in love with her, and often and often his heart was heavy
and sad as he thought of her pining away in the lonely moor.
It chanced that he came one day, and she did not, as usual, come out to
greet him. He made signs to the old woman, but she took up a stick and
struck him, and beat his horse and drove him away; but as he was leaving
he caught a glimpse of Finola at the door of the hut, and saw that she
was crying. This sight made him so very miserable that he could think of
nothing else but her sad face, that he had always seen so bright; and he
allowed the old horse to go on without minding where he was going.
Suddenly he heard a voice saying: "It is time for you to come."
The Dwarf looked, and right before him, at the foot of a green hill, was
a little man not half as big as himself, dressed in a green jacket with
brass buttons, and a red cap and tassel.
"It is time for you to come," he said the second time; "but you are
welcome, anyhow. Get off your horse and come in with me, that I may
touch your lips with the wand of speech, that we may have a talk
together."
The Dwarf got off his horse and followed the little man through a hole
in the side of a green hill. The hole was so small that he had to go on
his hands and knees to pass through it, and when he was able to stand he
was only the same height as the little Fairyman. After walking three or
four steps they were in a splendid room, as bright as day. Diamonds
sparkled in the roof as stars sparkle in the sky when the night is
without a cloud. The roof rested on golden pillars, and between the
pillars were silver lamps, but their light was dimmed by that of the
diamonds. In the middle of the room was a table, on which were two
golden plates and two silver knives and forks, and a brass bell as big
as a hazelnut, and beside the table were two little chairs.
"Take a chair," said the Fairy, "and I will ring for the wand of
speech."
The Dwarf sat down, and the Fairyman rang the little brass bell, and in
came a little weeny Dwarf no bigger than your hand.
"Bring me the wand of speech," said the Fairy, and the weeny Dwarf bowed
three times and walked out backward, and in a minute he returned,
carrying a little black wand with a red berry at the top of it, and,
giving it to the Fairy, he bowed three times and walked out backward as
he had done before.
The little man waved the rod three times over the Dwarf, and struck him
once on the right shoulder and once on the left shoulder, and then
touched his lips with the red berry, and said: "Speak!"
The Dwarf spoke, and he was so rejoiced at hearing the sound of his own
voice that he danced about the room.
"Who are you at all, at all?" said he to the Fairy.
"Who is yourself?" said the Fairy. "But come, before we have any talk
let us have something to eat, for I am sure you are hungry."
Then they sat down to table, and the Fairy rang the little brass bell
twice, and the weeny Dwarf brought in two boiled snails in their shells,
and when they had eaten the snails he brought in a dormouse, and when
they had eaten the dormouse he brought in two wrens, and when they had
eaten the wrens he brought in two nuts full of wine, and they became
very merry, and the Fairyman sang "Cooleen Dhas," and the Dwarf sang
"The Little Blackbird of the Glen."
"Did you ever hear the 'Foggy Dew'?" said the Fairy.
"No," said the Dwarf.
"Well, then, I'll give it to you; but we must have some more wine."
And the wine was brought, and he sang the "Foggy Dew," and the Dwarf
said it was the sweetest song he had ever heard, and that the Fairyman's
voice would coax the birds off the bushes!
"You asked me who I am?" said the Fairy.
"I did," said the Dwarf.
"And I asked you who is yourself?"
"You did," said the Dwarf.
"And who are you, then?"
"Well, to tell the truth, I don't know," said the Dwarf, and he blushed
like a rose.
"Well, tell me what you know about yourself."
"I remember nothing at all," said the Dwarf, "before the day I found
myself going along with a crowd of all sorts of people to the great fair
of the Liffey. We had to pass by the King's palace on our way, and as we
were passing the King sent for a band of jugglers to come and show their
tricks before him. I followed the jugglers to look on, and when the play
was over the King called me to him, and asked me who I was and where I
came from. I was dumb then, and couldn't answer; but even if I could
speak I could not tell him what he wanted to know, for I remembered
nothing of myself before that day. Then the King asked the jugglers, but
they knew nothing about me, and no one knew anything, and then the King
said he would take me into his service; and the only work I have to do
is to go once a month with a bag of corn to the hut in the lonely moor."
"And there you fell in love with the little Princess," said the Fairy,
winking at the Dwarf.
The poor Dwarf blushed twice as much as he had done before.
"You need not blush," said the Fairy; "it is a good man's case. And now
tell me, truly, do you love the Princess, and what would you give to
free her from the spell of enchantment that is over her?"
"I would give my life," said the Dwarf.
"Well, then, listen to me," said the Fairy. "The Princess Finola was
banished to the lonely moor by the King, your master. He killed her
father, who was the rightful King, and would have killed Finola, only he
was told by an old sorceress that if he killed her he would die himself
on the same day, and she advised him to banish her to the lonely moor,
and she said she would fling a spell of enchantment over it, and that
until the spell was broken Finola could not leave the moor. And the
sorceress also promised that she would send an old woman to watch over
the Princess by night and by day, so that no harm should come to her;
but she told the King that he himself should select a messenger to take
food to the hut, and that he should look out for someone who had never
seen or heard of the Princess, and whom he could trust never to tell
anyone anything about her; and that is the reason he selected you."
"Since you know so much," said the Dwarf, "can you tell me who I am, and
where I came from?"
"You will know that time enough," said the Fairy. "I have given you back
your speech. It will depend solely on yourself whether you will get back
your memory of who and what you were before the day you entered the
King's service. But are you really willing to try and break the spell of
enchantment and free the Princess?"
"I am," said the Dwarf.
"Whatever it will cost you?"
"Yes, if it cost me my life," said the Dwarf; "but tell me, how can the
spell be broken?"
"Oh, it is easy enough to break the spell if you have the weapons," said
the Fairy.
"And what are they, and where are they?" said the Dwarf.
"The spear of the shining haft and the dark blue blade and the silver
shield," said the Fairy. "They are on the farther bank of the Mystic
Lake in the Island of the Western Seas. They are there for the man who
is bold enough to seek them. If you are the man who will bring them back
to the lonely moor you will only have to strike the shield three times
with the haft, and three times with the blade of the spear, and the
silence of the moor will be broken forever, the spell of enchantment
will be removed, and the Princess will be free."
"I will set out at once," said the Dwarf, jumping from his chair.
"And whatever it cost you," said the Fairy, "will you pay the price?"
"I will," said the Dwarf.
"Well, then, mount your horse, give him his head, and he will take you
to the shore opposite the Island of the Mystic Lake. You must cross to
the island on his back, and make your way through the water-steeds that
swim around the island night and day to guard it; but woe betide you if
you attempt to cross without paying the price, for if you do the angry
water-steeds will rend you and your horse to pieces. And when you come
to the Mystic Lake you must wait until the waters are as red as wine,
and then swim your horse across it, and on the farther side you will
find the spear and shield; but woe betide you if you attempt to cross
the lake before you pay the price, for if you do, the black Cormorants
of the Western Seas will pick the flesh from your bones."
"What is the price?" said the Dwarf.
"You will know that time enough," said the Fairy; "but now go, and good
luck go with you."
The Dwarf thanked the Fairy, and said good-by. He then threw the reins
on his horse's neck, and started up the hill, that seemed to grow bigger
and bigger as he ascended, and the Dwarf soon found that what he took
for a hill was a great mountain. After traveling all the day, toiling up
by steep crags and heathery passes, he reached the top as the sun was
setting in the ocean, and he saw far below him out in the waters the
island of the Mystic Lake.
He began his descent to the shore, but long before he reached it the sun
had set, and darkness, unpierced by a single star, dropped upon the sea.
The old horse, worn out by his long and painful journey, sank beneath
him, and the Dwarf was so tired that he rolled off his back and fell
asleep by his side.
He awoke at the breaking of the morning, and saw that he was almost at
the water's edge. He looked out to sea, and saw the island, but nowhere
could he see the water-steeds, and he began to fear he must have taken a
wrong course in the night, and that the island before him was not the
one he was in search of. But even while he was so thinking he heard
fierce and angry snortings, and, coming swiftly from the island to the
shore, he saw the swimming and prancing steeds. Sometimes their heads
and manes only were visible, and sometimes, rearing, they rose half out
of the water, and, striking it with their hoofs, churned it into foam,
and tossed the white spray to the skies. As they approached nearer and
nearer their snortings became more terrible, and their nostrils shot
forth clouds of vapor. The Dwarf trembled at the sight and sound, and
his old horse, quivering in every limb, moaned piteously, as if in pain.
On came the steeds, until they almost touched the shore, then rearing,
they seemed about to spring on to it.
The frightened Dwarf turned his head to fly, and as he did so he heard
the twang of a golden harp, and right before him whom should he see but
the little man of the hills, holding a harp in one hand and striking the
strings with the other.
"Are you ready to pay the price?" said he, nodding gayly to the Dwarf.
As he asked the question, the listening water-steeds snorted more
furiously than ever.
"Are you ready to pay the price?" said the little man a second time.
A shower of spray, tossed on shore by the angry steeds, drenched the
Dwarf to the skin, and sent a cold shiver to his bones, and he was so
terrified that he could not answer.
"For the third and last time, are you ready to pay the price?" asked the
Fairy, as he flung the harp behind him and turned to depart.
When the Dwarf saw him going he thought of the little Princess in the
lonely moor, and his courage came back, and he answered bravely:
"Yes, I am ready."
The water-steeds, hearing his answer, and snorting with rage, struck the
shore with their pounding hoofs.
"Back to your waves!" cried the little harper; and as he ran his fingers
across his lyre, the frightened steeds drew back into the waters.
"What is the price?" asked the Dwarf.
"Your right eye," said the Fairy; and before the Dwarf could say a word,
the Fairy scooped out the eye with his finger, and put it into his
pocket.
The Dwarf suffered most terrible agony; but he resolved to bear it for
the sake of the little Princess. Then the Fairy sat down on a rock at
the edge of the sea, and, after striking a few notes, he began to play
the "Strains of Slumber."
The sound crept along the waters, and the steeds, so ferocious a moment
before, became perfectly still. They had no longer any motion of their
own, and they floated on the top of the tide like foam before a breeze.
"Now," said the Fairy, as he led the Dwarf's horse to the edge of the
tide.
The Dwarf urged the horse into the water, and once out of his depth, the
old horse struck out boldly for the island. The sleeping water-steeds
drifted helplessly against him, and in a short time he reached the
island safely, and he neighed joyously as his hoofs touched solid
ground.
The Dwarf rode on and on, until he came to a bridle-path, and following
this, it led him up through winding lanes, bordered with golden furze
that filled the air with fragrance, and brought him to the summit of the
green hills that girdled and looked down on the Mystic Lake. Here the
horse stopped of his own accord, and the Dwarf's heart beat quickly as
his eye rested on the lake, that, clipped round by the ring of hills,
seemed in the breezeless and sunlit air--
"As still as death.
And as bright as life can be."
After gazing at it for a long time, he dismounted, and lay at his ease
in the pleasant grass. Hour after hour passed, but no change came over
the face of the waters; and when the night fell, sleep closed the
eyelids of the Dwarf.
The song of the lark awoke him in the early morning, and, starting up,
he looked at the lake, but its waters were as bright as they had been
the day before.
Toward midday he beheld what he thought was a black cloud sailing across
the sky from east to west. It seemed to grow larger as it came nearer
and nearer, and when it was high above the lake he saw it was a huge
bird, the shadow of whose outstretched wings darkened the waters of the
lake; and the Dwarf knew it was one of the Cormorants of the Western
Seas. As it descended slowly, he saw that it held in one of its claws a
branch of a tree larger than a full-grown oak, and laden with clusters
of ripe red berries. It alighted at some distance from the Dwarf, and,
after resting for a time, it began to eat the berries and to throw the
stones into the lake, and wherever a stone fell a bright red stain
appeared in the water. As he looked more closely at the bird the Dwarf
saw that it had all the signs of old age, and he could not help
wondering how it was able to carry such a heavy tree.
Later in the day, two other birds, as large as the first, but younger,
came up from the west and settled down beside him. They also ate the
berries, and throwing the stones into the lake it was soon as red as
wine.
When they had eaten all the berries, the young birds began to pick the
decayed feathers off the old bird and to smooth his plumage. As soon as
they had completed their task, he rose slowly from the hill and sailed
out over the lake, and dropping down on the waters dived beneath them.
In a moment he came to the surface, and shot up into the air with a
joyous cry, and flew off to the west in all the vigor of renewed youth,
followed by the other birds.
When they had gone so far that they were like specks in the sky, the
Dwarf mounted his horse and descended toward the lake.
He was almost at the margin, and in another minute would have plunged
in, when he heard a fierce screaming in the air, and before he had time
to look up, the three birds were hovering over the lake.
The Dwarf drew back frightened.
The birds wheeled over his head, and then, swooping down, they flew
close to the water, covering it with their wings, and uttering harsh
cries.
Then, rising to a great height, they folded their wings and dropped
headlong, like three rocks, on the lake, crashing its surface, and
scattering a wine-red shower upon the hills.
Then the Dwarf remembered what the Fairy told him, that if he attempted
to swim the lake, without paying the price, the three Cormorants of the
Western Seas would pick the flesh off his bones. He knew not what to do,
and was about to turn away, when he heard once more the twang of the
golden harp, and the little fairy of the hills stood before him.
"Faint heart never won fair lady," said the little harper. "Are you
ready to pay the price? The spear and shield are on the opposite bank,
and the Princess Finola is crying this moment in the lonely moor."
At the mention of Finola's name the Dwarf's heart grew strong.
"Yes," he said; "I am ready--win or die. What is the price?"
"Your left eye," said the Fairy. And as soon as said he scooped out the
eye, and put it in his pocket.
The poor blind Dwarf almost fainted with pain.
"It's your last trial," said the Fairy, "and now do what I tell you.
Twist your horse's mane round your right hand, and I will lead him to
the water. Plunge in, and fear not. I gave you back your speech. When
you reach the opposite bank you will get back your memory, and you will
know who and what you are."
Then the Fairy led the horse to the margin of the lake.
"In with you now, and good luck go with you," said the Fairy.
The Dwarf urged the horse. He plunged into the lake, and went down and
down until his feet struck the bottom. Then he began to ascend, and
as he came near the surface of the water the Dwarf thought he saw a
glimmering light, and when he rose above the water he saw the bright sun
shining and the green hills before him, and he shouted with joy at
finding his sight restored.
But he saw more. Instead of the old horse he had ridden into the lake he
was bestride a noble steed, and as the steed swam to the bank the Dwarf
felt a change coming over himself, and an unknown vigor in his limbs.
When the steed touched the shore he galloped up the hillside, and on the
top of the hill was a silver shield, bright as the sun, resting against
a spear standing upright in the ground.
The Dwarf jumped off, and, running toward the shield, he saw himself as
in a looking-glass.
He was no longer a dwarf, but a gallant knight. At that moment his
memory came back to him, and he knew he was Conal, one of the Knights of
the Red Branch, and he remembered now that the spell of dumbness and
deformity had been cast upon him by the Witch of the Palace of the
Quicken Trees.
Slinging his shield upon his left arm, he plucked the spear from the
ground and leaped on to his horse. With a light heart he swam back over
the lake, and nowhere could he see the black Cormorants of the Western
Seas, but three white swans floating abreast followed him to the bank.
When he reached the bank he galloped down to the sea, and crossed to the
shore.
Then he flung the reins upon his horse's neck, and swifter than the wind
the gallant horse swept on and on, and it was not long until he was
bounding over the enchanted moor. Wherever his hoofs struck the ground,
grass and flowers sprang up, and great trees with leafy branches rose on
every side.
At last the knight reached the little hut. Three times he struck the
shield with the haft and three times with the blade of his spear. At the
last blow the hut disappeared, and standing before him was the little
Princess.
The knight took her in his arms and kissed her; then he lifted her on to
the horse, and, leaping up before her, he turned toward the north, to
the palace of the Red Branch Knights; and as they rode on beneath the
leafy trees, from every tree the birds sang out, for the spell of
deathly silence over the lonely moor was broken forever.
[H] From "The Golden Spear," by Edmund Leamy; used by permission of the
publisher, Desmond Fitzgerald, New York.
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Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who, though it is a very long while since they died, were much the same in their tastes and pursuits as people nowadays. The King, who was called Cloverleaf, liked hunting better than anything else; ... Prince Ring
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[Illustration: In a cave filled with icicles, a small dog and a giant are looking into an open chest.] Once upon a time a king and a queen gave a magnificent party in honor of the christening of their new-born son, Prince Rolandor. To this party... Prince Vivien And The Princess Placida
Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who loved one another dearly. Indeed the Queen, whose name was Santorina, was so pretty and so kind-hearted that it would have been a wonder if her husband had not been fond of her, while King Gridel... Princess Crystal Or The Hidden Treasure
A Story by Isabel Bellerby. THERE were the four Kings: the King of the North, the region of perpetual snow; the King of the South, where the sun shines all the year round; the King of the East, from whence the cold winds blow; and the King of t... Princess Finola And The Dwarf
BY EDMUND LEAMY A long, long time ago there lived in a little hut in the midst of a bare, brown, lonely moor an old woman and a young girl. The old woman was withered, sour-tempered, and dumb. The young girl was as sweet and as fresh as an open... Princess Minon-minette
Bibliotheque des Fees et aes Genies Once upon a time there lived a young king whose name was Souci, and he had been brought up, ever since he was a baby, by the fairy Inconstancy. Now the fairy Girouette had a kind heart, but she was a very tryi... Princess Miranda And Prince Hero
Far away, in the wide ocean there was once a green island where lived the most beautiful princess in the world, named Miranda. She had lived there ever since her birth, and was queen of the island. Nobody knew who were her parents, or how she had ... Princess Rosette
ONCE upon a time there lived a King and Queen who had two beautiful sons and one little daughter, who was so pretty that no one who saw her could help loving her. When it was time for the christening of the Princess, the Queen--as she always did-- ... Prisoner's Valentine
BY MILLICENT OLMSTED (ADAPTED) Charles, Duke of Orleans, who was taken prisoner at the battle of Agincourt in 1415, and detained in England twenty-five years, was the author of the earliest known written valentines. He left about sixty of them. T... Prisoners Of The Sea Monster
The room in the enchanted castle which Zog called the "den" and in which the wicked sea monster passed most of his time was a perfectly shaped dome of solid gold. The upper part of this dome was thickly set with precious jewels--diamonds, rubies, ... Prometheus
Greece is far away to the east over a great ocean. It is a very small country with high mountains in every part of it. The people who lived there long ago could not easily go from one place to another. Some of the mountains reached above the ... Proverb-rhymes
Metrical proverbs are so numerous, that a large volume might be filled with them without much difficulty; and it is, therefore, unnecessary to say that nothing beyond a very small selection is here attempted. We may refer the curious reader to the... Prunella
There was once upon a time a woman who had an only daughter. When the child was about seven years old she used to pass every day, on her way to school, an orchard where there was a wild plum tree, with delicious ripe plums hanging from the br... Puddocky
There was once upon a time a poor woman who had one little daughter called 'Parsley.' She was so called because she liked eating parsley better than any other food, indeed she would hardly eat anything else. Her poor mother hadn't enough money... Puss In Boots
A Miller, dying, divided all his property between his three children. This was a very simple matter, as he had nothing to leave but his mill, his ass, and his cat; so he made no will, and called in no lawyer, who would, probably, have taken a larg... Puss In Boots
[One of the tales of Perrault, 1697. The plot was taken from the first novel of the eleventh night of Straparola. Its moral is that talents are equivalent to fortune. We have inserted this in our collection, although generally remembered, as a speci... Puss-in-boots
There was once a Miller, who, at his death, had nothing to leave to his three sons except his mill, his ass, and his cat. The eldest son took the mill, the second took the ass--and as for the youngest, all that remained for him was the cat. ... Pussy And The Mice
Nine little mice sat down to spin; Pussy passed by, and she peeped in. "What are you at, my little men?" "Making coats for gentlemen." "Shall I come in and bite off your threads?" "No, no, Miss Pussy, you'll snip off ... Pussy Cat Pussy Cat
"Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?" "I've been to London, to see the Queen." "Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?" "I frightened a little mouse under the chair." "What did you say when you'd made your best ... Pussy Sits Beside The Fire
"Pussy sits beside the fire How can she be fair? Then comes in the little dog. "Pussy, are you there? So so, dear Mistress Pussy, Pray tell me how you do?" "Indeed, I thank you little dog, I'... Pussy Willow's Furs
Miss Pussy Willow put on her furs one day in March and stepped out into the sunshine; but, while the sun was warm, March's breath was cold, so she hugged her furs closer about her and sat on a swaying bough. It was early and Miss Pussy knew it,... Pussy's Wheels
BY ANNIE W. McCULLOUGH I wonder what you're thinking of, my darling little cat. It may be meat, it may be cream, that makes you nice and fat; It may be all the fun you have in barn-loft warm and dry; It may be mice you try to ... Putting The Fingers To Sleep
My fingers are so sleepy It's time they went to bed, So first, you Baby Finger Tuck in your Little Head. Ringman, come now its your turn, And then come, Tallman Great; Now, Pointer Finger, hurry Because ... Queen Anne
Queen Anne, Queen Anne, who sits on her throne, As fair as a lily, as white as a swan; The king sends you three letters, And begs you'll read one. This is said by all the children but one, who represents the Queen, they h... Queen Crane
Once upon a time there was a poor, poor boy. He went to the king and begged to be taken into service as a shepherd, and all called him "Sheep-Peter." While he was herding his sheep, he used to amuse himself with his crossbow. One day he saw a cran... Queen Mab
BY THOMAS HOOD A little fairy comes at night; Her eyes are blue, her hair is brown, With silver spots upon her wings, And from the moon she flutters down. She has a little silver wand, And when a good child... Queen Margaret And The Robbers
There were once two kings of England at the same time. One was Henry VI. He was the rightful king, but a very weak and feeble man, and quite unfit to rule his kingdom. The other was young Edward, Duke of York, called Edward IV. He was made king... Queen Margaret And The Robbers
BY ALBERT F. BLAISDELL (ADAPTED) One day when roses were in bloom, two noblemen came to angry words in the Temple Gardens, by the side of the river Thames. In the midst of their quarrel one of them plucked a white rose from a bush, and, turning t... Queen Victoria And Her Soldiers
Queen Victoria was always proud of her brave soldiers. In time of war, she gave orders that news of them was to be sent to her every day, and when the generals returned home, they were commanded to visit her, and to tell her of the bravery of the ... Quickness
<p>Put down 12 potatoes (or other round things) in a row, each one exactly 6 feet from the last, and the last 12 feet from a box with a hole in it, just large enough to take in one potato. Now at the word "go," run and get the first potato, ... Quicksight
<p>Take two boards, cards or papers, each about half a foot square; divide them with black lines into 25 squares each, i. e. 5 each way; get 6 nuts and 4 pebbles, or 6 pennies and 4 beans; or any other set of two things differing in size and shape.</... Rabbit And The Grain Buyers
Once long ago when the Indians lived in Canada before the white men came, Rabbit was very lazy. He had worked long for Glooskap, the great ruler of the people, as a forest guide, but his toil was not appreciated or rewarded. He saw all th... Rabbit And The Indian Chief
Long ago an Indian Chief was living with his people far in the Canadian forest. Life was good and food was plentiful and the people were all very happy. But one day a wicked giant and his old witch wife came crashing into the land from a ... Rabbit And The Moon-man
Once, long ago, Rabbit lived with his old grandmother deep in the Canadian forest, far from all other people. He was a great hunter, and all around, far and near, he laid snares and set traps to catch game for food. It was winter, and he ... Raggedy Ann And The Chickens
When Marcella was called into the house she left Raggedy sitting on the chicken yard fence. "Now you sit quietly and do not stir," Marcella told Raggedy Ann, "If you move you may fall and hurt yourself!" So, Raggedy Ann sat quietly, just as Marc... Raggedy Ann And The Fairies' Gift
All the dolls were tucked snugly in their little doll-beds for the night and the large house was very still. Every once in a while Fido would raise one ear and partly open one eye, for his keen dog sense seemed to tell him that something was abo... Raggedy Ann And The Kite
Raggedy Ann watched with interest the preparations. A number of sticks were being fastened together with strings and covered with light cloth. Raggedy Ann heard some of the boys talk of "The Kite," so Raggedy Ann knew this must be a kite. ... Raggedy Ann And The Kittens
Raggedy Ann had been away all day. Marcella had come early in the morning and dressed all the dolls and placed them about the nursery. Some of the dolls had been put in the little red chairs around the little doll table. There was nothing to ... Raggedy Ann And The Mouse
Jeanette was a new wax doll, and like Henny, the Dutch doll, she could say "Mamma" when anyone tipped her backward or forward. She had lovely golden brown curls of real hair. It could be combed and braided, or curled or fluffed without tangling, a... Raggedy Ann And The Painter
When housecleaning time came around, Mistress' mamma decided that she would have the nursery repainted and new paper put upon the walls. That was why all the dolls happened to be laid helter-skelter upon one of the high shelves. Mistress had be...