The Little Soldier
: The Green Fairy BookI
Once upon a time there was a little soldier who had just come back
from the war. He was a brave little fellow, but he had lost
neither arms nor legs in battle. Still, the fighting was ended and
the army disbanded, so he had to return to the village where he
was born.
Now the soldier's name was really John, but for some reason or
other his friends always called him the Kinglet;
knew, but so it was.
As he had no father or mother to welcome him home, he did not
hurry himself, but went quietly along, his knapsack on his back
and his sword by his side, when suddenly one evening he was seized
with a wish to light his pipe. He felt for his match-box to strike
a light, but to his great disgust he found he had lost it.
He had only gone about a stone's throw after making this discovery
when he noticed a light shining through the trees. He went towards
it, and perceived before him an old castle, with the door standing
open.
The little soldier entered the courtyard, and, peeping through a
window, saw a large fire blazing at the end of a low hall. He put
his pipe in his pocket and knocked gently, saying politely:
'Would you give me a light?'
But he got no answer.
After waiting for a moment John knocked again, this time more
loudly. There was still no reply.
He raised the latch and entered; the hall was empty.
The little soldier made straight for the fireplace, seized the
tongs, and was stooping down to look for a nice red hot coal with
which to light his pipe, when clic! something went, like a spring
giving way, and in the very midst of the flames an enormous
serpent reared itself up close to his face.
And what was more strange still, this serpent had the head of a
woman.
At such an unexpected sight many men would have turned and run for
their lives; but the little soldier, though he was so small, had a
true soldier's heart. He only made one step backwards, and grasped
the hilt of his sword.
'Don't unsheath it,' said the serpent. 'I have been waiting for
you, as it is you who must deliver me.'
'Who are you?'
'My name is Ludovine, and I am the daughter of the King of the Low
Countries. Deliver me, and I will marry you and make you happy for
ever after.'
Now, some people might not have liked the notion of being made
happy by a serpent with the head of a woman, but the Kinglet had
no such fears. And, besides, he felt the fascination of Ludovine's
eyes, which looked at him as a snake looks at a little bird. They
were beautiful green eyes, not round like those of a cat, but long
and almond-shaped, and they shone with a strange light, and the
golden hair which floated round them seemed all the brighter for
their lustre. The face had the beauty of an angel, though the body
was only that of a serpent.
'What must I do?' asked the Kinglet.
'Open that door. You will find yourself in a gallery with a room
at the end just like this. Cross that, and you will see a closet,
out of which you must take a tunic, and bring it back to me.'
The little soldier boldly prepared to do as he was told. He
crossed the gallery in safety, but when he reached the room he saw
by the light of the stars eight hands on a level with his face,
which threatened to strike him. And, turn his eyes which way he
would, he could discover no bodies belonging to them.
He lowered his head and rushed forward amidst a storm of blows,
which he returned with his fists. When he got to the closet, he
opened it, took down the tunic, and brought it to the first room.
'Here it is,' he panted, rather out of breath.
'Clic!' once more the flames parted. Ludovine was a woman down to
her waist. She took the tunic and put it on.
It was a magnificent tunic of orange velvet, embroidered in
pearls, but the pearls were not so white as her own neck.
'That is not all,' she said. 'Go to the gallery, take the
staircase which is on the left, and in the second room on the
first story you will find another closet with my skirt. Bring this
to me.'
The Kinglet did as he was told, but in entering the room he saw,
instead of merely hands, eight arms, each holding an enormous
stick. He instantly unsheathed his sword and cut his way through
with such vigour that he hardly received a scratch.
He brought back the skirt, which was made of silk as blue as the
skies of Spain.
'Here it is,' said John, as the serpent appeared. She was now a
woman as far as her knees.
'I only want my shoes and stockings now,' she said. 'Go and get
them from the closet which is on the second story.'
The little soldier departed, and found himself in the presence of
eight goblins armed with hammers, and flames darting from their
eyes. This time he stopped short at the threshold. 'My sword is no
use,' he thought to himself; 'these wretches will break it like
glass, and if I can't think of anything else, I am a dead man.' At
this moment his eyes fell on the door, which was made of oak,
thick and heavy. He wrenched it off its hinges and held it over
his head, and then went straight at the goblins, whom he crushed
beneath it. After that he took the shoes and stockings out of the
closet and brought them to Ludovine, who, directly she had put
them on, became a woman all over.
When she was quite dressed in her white silk stockings and little
blue slippers dotted over with carbuncles, she said to her
deliverer, 'Now you must go away, and never come back here,
whatever happens. Here is a purse with two hundred ducats. Sleep
to-night at the inn which is at the edge of the wood, and awake
early in the morning: for at nine o'clock I shall pass the door,
and shall take you up in my carriage.' 'Why shouldn't we go now?'
asked the little soldier. 'Because the time has not yet come,'
said the Princess. 'But first you may drink my health in this
glass of wine,' and as she spoke she filled a crystal goblet with
a liquid that looked like melted gold.
John drank, then lit his pipe and went out.
II
When he arrived at the inn he ordered supper, but no sooner had he
sat down to eat it than he felt that he was going sound asleep.
'I must be more tired than I thought,' he said to himself, and,
after telling them to be sure to wake him next morning at eight
o'clock, he went to bed.
All night long he slept like a dead man. At eight o'clock they
came to wake him, and at half-past, and a quarter of an hour
later, but it was no use; and at last they decided to leave him in
peace.
The clocks were striking twelve when John awoke. He sprang out of
bed, and, scarcely waiting to dress himself, hastened to ask if
anyone had been to inquire for him.
'There came a lovely princess,' replied the landlady, 'in a coach
of gold. She left you this bouquet, and a message to say that she
would pass this way to-morrow morning at eight o'clock.'
The little soldier cursed his sleep, but tried to console himself
by looking at his bouquet, which was of immortelles.
'It is the flower of remembrance,' thought he, forgetting that it
is also the flower of the dead.
When the night came, he slept with one eye open, and jumped up
twenty times an hour. When the birds began to sing he could lie
still no longer, and climbed out of his window into the branches
of one of the great lime-trees that stood before the door. There
he sat, dreamily gazing at his bouquet till he ended by going fast
asleep.
Once asleep, nothing was able to wake him; neither the brightness
of the sun, nor the songs of the birds, nor the noise of
Ludovine's golden coach, nor the cries of the landlady who sought
him in every place she could think of.
As the clock struck twelve he woke, and his heart sank as he came
down out of his tree and saw them laying the table for dinner.
'Did the Princess come?' he asked.
'Yes, indeed, she did. She left this flower-coloured scarf for
you; said she would pass by to-morrow at seven o'clock, but it
would be the last time.'
'I must have been bewitched,' thought the little soldier. Then he
took the scarf, which had a strange kind of scent, and tied it
round his left arm, thinking all the while that the best way to
keep awake was not to go to bed at all. So he paid his bill, and
bought a horse with the money that remained, and when the evening
came he mounted his horse and stood in front of the inn door,
determined to stay there all night.
Every now and then he stooped to smell the sweet perfume of the
scarf round his arm; and gradually he smelt it so often that at
last his head sank on to the horse's neck, and he and his horse
snored in company.
When the Princess arrived, they shook him, and beat him, and
screamed at him, but it was all no good. Neither man nor horse
woke till the coach was seen vanishing away in the distance.
Then John put spurs to his horse, calling with all his might
'Stop! stop!' But the coach drove on as before, and though the
little soldier rode after it for a day and a night, he never got
one step nearer.
Thus they left many villages and towns behind them, till they came
to the sea itself. Here John thought that at last the coach must
stop, but, wonder of wonders! it went straight on, and rolled over
the water as easily as it had done over the land. John's horse,
which had carried him so well, sank down from fatigue, and the
little soldier sat sadly on the shore, watching the coach which
was fast disappearing on the horizon.
III
However, he soon plucked up his spirits again, and walked along
the beach to try and find a boat in which he could sail after the
Princess. But no boat was there, and at last, tired and hungry, he
sat down to rest on the steps of a fisherman's hut.
In the hut was a young girl who was mending a net. She invited
John to come in, and set before him some wine and fried fish, and
John ate and drank and felt comforted, and he told his adventures
to the little fisher-girl. But though she was very pretty, with a
skin as white as a gull's breast, for which her neighbours gave
her the name of the Seagull, he did not think about her at all,
for he was dreaming of the green eyes of the Princess.
When he had finished his tale, she was filled with pity and said:
'Last week, when I was fishing, my net suddenly grew very heavy,
and when I drew it in I found a great copper vase, fastened with
lead. I brought it home and placed it on the fire. When the lead
had melted a little, I opened the vase with my knife and drew out
a mantle of red cloth and a purse containing fifty crowns. That is
the mantle, covering my bed, and I have kept the money for my
marriage-portion. But take it and go to the nearest seaport, where
you will find a ship sailing for the Low Countries, and when you
become King you will bring me back my fifty crowns.'
And the Kinglet answered: 'When I am King of the Low Countries, I
will make you lady-in-waiting to the Queen, for you are as good as
you are beautiful. So farewell,' said he, and as the Seagull went
back to her fishing he rolled himself in the mantle and threw
himself down on a heap of dried grass, thinking of the strange
things that had befallen him, till he suddenly exclaimed:
'Oh, how I wish I was in the capital of the Low Countries!'
IV
In one moment the little soldier found himself standing before a
splendid palace. He rubbed his eyes and pinched himself, and when
he was quite sure he was not dreaming he said to a man who was
smoking his pipe before the door, 'Where am I?'
'Where are you? Can't you see? Before the King's palace, of
course.'
'What King?'
'Why the King of the Low Countries!' replied the man, laughing and
supposing that he was mad.
Was there ever anything so strange? But as John was an honest
fellow, he was troubled at the thought that the Seagull would
think he had stolen her mantle and purse. And he began to wonder
how he could restore them to her the soonest. Then he remembered
that the mantle had some hidden charm that enabled the bearer to
transport himself at will from place to place, and in order to
make sure of this he wished himself in the best inn of the town.
In an instant he was there.
Enchanted with this discovery, he ordered supper, and as it was
too late to visit the King that night he went to bed.
The next day, when he got up, he saw that all the houses were
wreathed with flowers and covered with flags, and all the church
bells were ringing. The little soldier inquired the meaning of all
this noise, and was told that the Princess Ludovine, the King's
beautiful daughter, had been found, and was about to make her
triumphal entry. 'That will just suit me,' thought the Kinglet; 'I
will stand at the door and see if she knows me.'
He had scarcely time to dress himself when the golden coach of
Ludovine went by. She had a crown of gold upon her head, and the
King and Queen sat by her side. By accident her eyes fell upon the
little soldier, and she grew pale and turned away her head.
'Didn't she know me?' the little soldier asked himself, 'or was
she angry because I missed our meetings?' and he followed the
crowd till he got to the palace. When the royal party entered he
told the guards that it was he who had delivered the Princess, and
wished to speak to the King. But the more he talked the more they
believed him mad and refused to let him pass.
The little soldier was furious. He felt that he needed his pipe to
calm him, and he entered a tavern and ordered a pint of beer. 'It
is this miserable soldier's helmet,' said he to himself 'If I had
only money enough I could look as splendid as the lords of the
Court; but what is the good of thinking of that when I have only
the remains of the Seagull's fifty crowns?'
He took out his purse to see what was left, and he found that
there were still fifty crowns.
'The Seagull must have miscounted,' thought he, and he paid for
his beer. Then he counted his money again, and there were still
fifty crowns. He took away five and counted a third time, but
there were still fifty. He emptied the purse altogether and then
shut it; when he opened it the fifty crowns were still there!
Then a plan came into his head, and he determined to go at once to
the Court tailor and coachbuilder.
He ordered the tailor to make him a mantle and vest of blue velvet
embroidered with pearls, and the coachbuilder to make him a golden
coach like the coach of the Princess Ludovine. If the tailor and
the coachbuilder were quick he promised to pay them double.
A few days later the little soldier was driven through the city in
his coach drawn by six white horses, and with four lacqueys richly
dressed standing behind. Inside sat John, clad in blue velvet,
with a bouquet of immortelles in his hand and a scarf bound round
his arm. He drove twice round the city, throwing money to the
right and left, and the third time, as he passed under the palace
windows, he saw Ludovine lift a corner of the curtain and peep
out.
V
The next day no one talked of anything but the rich lord who had
distributed money as he drove along. The talk even reached the
Court, and the Queen, who was very curious, had a great desire to
see the wonderful Prince.
'Very well,' said the King; 'let him be asked to come and play
cards with me.'
This time the Kinglet was not late for his appointment.
The King sent for the cards and they sat down to play. They had
six games, and John always lost. The stake was fifty crowns, and
each time he emptied his purse, which was full the next instant.
The sixth time the King exclaimed, 'It is amazing!'
The Queen cried, 'It is astonishing!'
The Princess said, 'It is bewildering!'
'Not so bewildering,' replied the little soldier, 'as your change
into a serpent.'
'Hush!' interrupted the King, who did not like the subject.
'I only spoke of it,' said John, 'because you see in me the man
who delivered the Princess from the goblins and whom she promised
to marry.'
'Is that true?' asked the King of the Princess.
'Quite true,' answered Ludovine. 'But I told my deliverer to be
ready to go with me when I passed by with my coach. I passed three
times, but he slept so soundly that no one could wake him.'
'What is your name?' said the King, 'and who are you?'
'My name is John. I am a soldier, and my father is a boatman.'
'You are not a fit husband for my daughter. Still, if you will
give us your purse, you shall have her for your wife.'
'My purse does not belong to me, and I cannot give it away.'
'But you can lend it to me till our wedding-day,' said the
Princess with one of those glances the little soldier never could
resist.
'And when will that be?'
'At Easter,' said the monarch.
'Or in a blue moon!' murmured the Princess; but the Kinglet did
not hear her and let her take his purse.
Next evening he presented himself at the palace to play picquet
with the King and to make his court to the Princess. But he was
told that the King had gone into the country to receive his rents.
He returned the following day, and had the same answer. Then he
asked to see the Queen, but she had a headache. When this had
happened five or six times, he began to understand that they were
making fun of him.
'That is not the way for a King to behave,' thought John. 'Old
scoundrel!' and then suddenly he remembered his red cloak.
'Ah, what an idiot I am!' said he. 'Of course I can get in
whenever I like with the help of this.'
That evening he was in front of the palace, wrapped in his red
cloak.
On the first story one window was lighted, and John saw on the
curtains the shadow of the Princess.
'I wish myself in the room of the Princess Ludovine,' said he, and
in a second he was there.
The King's daughter was sitting before a table counting the money
that she emptied from the inexhaustible purse.
'Eight hundred and fifty, nine hundred, nine hundred and fifty--'
'A thousand,' finished John. 'Good evening everybody!'
The Princess jumped and gave a little cry. 'You here! What
business have you to do it? Leave at once, or I shall call--'
'I have come,' said the Kinglet, 'to remind you of your promise.
The day after to-morrow is Easter Day, and it is high time to
think of our marriage.'
Ludovine burst out into a fit of laughter. 'Our marriage! Have you
really been foolish enough to believe that the daughter of the
King of the Low Countries would ever marry the son of a boatman?'
'Then give me back the purse,' said John.
'Never,' said the Princess, and put it calmly in her pocket.
'As you like,' said the little soldier. 'He laughs best who laughs
the last;' and he took the Princess in his arms. 'I wish,' he
cried, 'that we were at the ends of the earth;' and in one second
he was there, still clasping the Princess tightly in his arms.
'Ouf,' said John, laying her gently at the foot of a tree. 'I
never took such a long journey before. What do you say, madam?'
The Princess understood that it was no time for jesting, and did
not answer. Besides she was still feeling giddy from her rapid
flight, and had not yet collected her senses.
VI
The King of the Low Countries was not a very scrupulous person,
and his daughter took after him. This was why she had been changed
into a serpent. It had been prophesied that she should be
delivered by a little soldier, and that she must marry him, unless
he failed to appear at the meeting-place three times running. The
cunning Princess then laid her plans accordingly.
The wine that she had given to John in the castle of the goblins,
the bouquet of immortelles, and the scarf, all had the power of
producing sleep like death. And we know how they had acted on
John.
However, even in this critical moment, Ludovine did not lose her
head.
'I thought you were simply a street vagabond,' said she, in her
most coaxing voice; 'and I find you are more powerful than any
king. Here is your purse. Have you got my scarf and my bouquet?'
'Here they are,' said the Kinglet, delighted with this change of
tone, and he drew them from his bosom. Ludovine fastened one in
his buttonhole and the other round his arm. 'Now,' she said, 'you
are my lord and master, and I will marry you at your good
pleasure.'
'You are kinder than I thought,' said John; 'and you shall never
be unhappy, for I love you.'
'Then, my little husband, tell me how you managed to carry me so
quickly to the ends of the world.'
The little soldier scratched his head. 'Does she really mean to
marry me,' he thought to himself, 'or is she only trying to
deceive me again?'
But Ludovine repeated, 'Won't you tell me?' in such a tender voice
he did not know how to resist her.
'After all,' he said to himself, 'what does it matter telling her
the secret, as long as I don't give her the cloak.'
And he told her the virtue of the red mantle.
'Oh dear, how tired I am!' sighed Ludovine. 'Don't you think we
had better take a nap? And then we can talk over our plans.'
She stretched herself on the grass, and the Kinglet did the same.
He laid his head on his left arm, round which the scarf was tied,
and was soon fast asleep.
Ludovine was watching him out of one eye, and no sooner did she
hear him snore than she unfastened the mantle, drew it gently from
under him and wrapped it round her, took the purse from his
pocket, and put it in hers, and said: 'I wish I was back in my own
room.' In another moment she was there.
VII
Who felt foolish but John, when he awoke, twenty-four hours after,
and found himself without purse, without mantle, and without
Princess? He tore his hair, he beat his breast, he trampled on the
bouquet, and tore the scarf of the traitress to atoms.
Besides this he was very hungry, and he had nothing to eat.
He thought of all the wonderful things his grandmother had told
him when he was a child, but none of them helped him now. He was
in despair, when suddenly he looked up and saw that the tree under
which he had been sleeping was a superb plum, covered with fruit
as yellow as gold.
'Here goes for the plums,' he said to himself, 'all is fair in
war.'
He climbed the tree and began to eat steadily. But he had hardly
swallowed two plums when, to his horror, he felt as if something
was growing on his forehead. He put up his hand and found that he
had two horns!
He leapt down from the tree and rushed to a stream that flowed
close by. Alas! there was no escape: two charming little horns,
that would not have disgraced the head of a goat.
Then his courage failed him.
'As if it was not enough,' said he, 'that a woman should trick me,
but the devil must mix himself up in it and lend me his horns.
What a pretty figure I should cut if I went back into the world!'
But as he was still hungry, and the mischief was done, he climbed
boldly up another tree, and plucked two plums of a lovely green
colour. No sooner had he swallowed two than the horns disappeared.
The little soldier was enchanted, though greatly surprised, and
came to the conclusion that it was no good to despair too quickly.
When he had done eating an idea suddenly occurred to him.
'Perhaps,' thought he, 'these pretty little plums may help me to
recover my purse, my cloak, and my heart from the hands of this
wicked Princess. She has the eyes of a deer already; let her have
the horns of one. If I can manage to set her up with a pair, I
will bet any money that I shall cease to want her for my wife. A
horned maiden is by no means lovely to look at.' So he plaited a
basket out of the long willows, and placed in it carefully both
sorts of plums. Then he walked bravely on for many days, having no
food but the berries by the wayside, and was in great danger from
wild beasts and savage men. But he feared nothing, except that his
plums should decay, and this never happened.
At last he came to a civilised country, and with the sale of some
jewels that he had about him on the evening of his flight he took
passage on board a vessel for the Low Countries. So, at the end of
a year and a day, he arrived at the capital of the kingdom.
VIII
The next day he put on a false beard and the dress of a date
merchant, and, taking a little table, he placed himself before the
door of the church.
He spread carefully out on a fine white cloth his Mirabelle plums,
which looked for all the world as if they had been freshly
gathered, and when he saw the Princess coming out of church he
began to call out in a feigned voice: 'Fine plums! lovely plums!'
'How much are they?' said the Princess.
'Fifty crowns each.'
'Fifty crowns! But what is there so very precious about them? Do
they give one wit, or will they increase one's beauty?'
'They could not increase what is perfect already, fair Princess,
but still they might add something.'
Rolling stones gather no moss, but they sometimes gain polish; and
the months which John had spent in roaming about the world had not
been wasted. Such a neatly turned compliment flattered Ludovine.
'What will they add?' she smilingly asked.
'You will see, fair Princess, when you taste them. It will be a
surprise for you.'
Ludovine's curiosity was roused. She drew out the purse and shook
out as many little heaps of fifty crowns as there were plums in
the basket. The little soldier was seized with a wild desire to
snatch the purse from her and proclaim her a thief, but he managed
to control himself.
His plums all sold, he shut up shop, took off his disguise,
changed his inn, and kept quiet, waiting to see what would happen.
No sooner had she reached her room than the Princess exclaimed,
'Now let us see what these fine plums can add to my beauty,' and
throwing off her hood, she picked up a couple and ate them.
Imagine with what surprise and horror she felt all of a sudden
that something was growing out of her forehead. She flew to her
mirror and uttered a piercing cry.
'Horns! so that was what he promised me! Let someone find the
plum-seller at once and bring him to me! Let his nose and ears be
cut off! Let him be flayed alive, or burnt at a slow fire and his
ashes scattered to the winds! Oh, I shall die of shame and
despair!'
Her women ran at the sound of her screams, and tried to wrench off
the horns, but it was of no use, and they only gave her a violent
headache.
The King then sent round a herald to proclaim that he would give
the hand of the Princess to anyone who would rid her of her
strange ornaments. So all the doctors and sorcerers and surgeons
in the Low Countries and the neighbouring kingdoms thronged to the
palace, each with a remedy of his own. But it was all no good, and
the Princess suffered so much from their remedies that the King
was obliged to send out a second proclamation that anyone who
undertook to cure the Princess, and who failed to do it, should be
hanged up to the nearest tree.
But the prize was too great for any proclamation to put a stop to
the efforts of the crowd of suitors, and that year the orchards of
the Low Countries all bore a harvest of dead men.
IX
The King had given orders that they should seek high and low for
the plum-seller, but in spite of all their pains, he was nowhere
to be found.
When the little soldier discovered that their patience was worn
out, he pressed the juice of the green Queen Claude plums into a
small phial, bought a doctor's robe, put on a wig and spectacles,
and presented himself before the King of the Low Countries. He
gave himself out as a famous physician who had come from distant
lands, and he promised that he would cure the Princess if only he
might be left alone with her.
'Another madman determined to be hanged,' said the King. 'Very
well, do as he asks; one should refuse nothing to a man with a
rope round his neck.'
As soon as the little soldier was in the presence of the Princess
he poured some drops of the liquid into a glass. The Princess had
scarcely tasted it, when the tip of the horns disappeared.
'They would have disappeared completely,' said the pretended
doctor, 'if there did not exist something to counteract the
effect. It is only possible to cure people whose souls are as
clean as the palm of my hand. Are you sure you have not committed
some little sin? Examine yourself well.'
Ludovine had no need to think over it long, but she was torn in
pieces between the shame of a humiliating confession, and the
desire to be unhorned. At last she made answer with downcast eyes,
'I have stolen a leather purse from a little soldier.'
'Give it to me. The remedy will not act till I hold the purse in
my hands.'
It cost Ludovine a great pang to give up the purse, but she
remembered that riches would not benefit her if she was still to
keep the horns.
With a sigh, she handed the purse to the doctor, who poured more
of the liquid into the glass, and when the Princess had drunk it,
she found that the horns had diminished by one half.
'You must really have another little sin on your conscience. Did
you steal nothing from this soldier but his purse?'
'I also stole from him his cloak.'
'Give it me.'
'Here it is.'
This time Ludovine thought to herself that when once the horns had
departed, she would call her attendants and take the things from
the doctor by force.
She was greatly pleased with this idea, when suddenly the
pretended physician wrapped himself in the cloak, flung away the
wig and spectacles, and showed to the traitress the face of the
Little Soldier.
She stood before him dumb with fright.
'I might,' said John, 'have left you horned to the end of your
days, but I am a good fellow and I once loved you, and besides--
you are too like the devil to have any need of his horns.'
X
John had wished himself in the house of the Seagull. Now the
Seagull was seated at the window, mending her net, and from time
to time her eyes wandered to the sea as if she was expecting
someone. At the noise made by the little soldier, she looked up
and blushed.
'So it is you!' she said. 'How did you get here?' And then she
added in a low voice, 'And have you married your Princess?'
Then John told her all his adventures, and when he had finished,
he restored to her the purse and the mantle.
'What can I do with them?' said she. 'You have proved to me that
happiness does not lie in the possession of treasures.'
'It lies in work and in the love of an honest woman,' replied the
little soldier, who noticed for the first time what pretty eyes
she had. 'Dear Seagull, will you have me for a husband?' and he
held out his hand.
'Yes, I will,' answered the fisher maiden, blushing very red, 'but
only on condition that we seal up the purse and the mantle in the
copper vessel and throw them into the sea.'
And this they did.
More
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The Lion The Fox And The Ass
The Lion, the Fox, and the Ass entered into an agreement to assist each other in the chase. Having secured a large booty, the Lion, on their return from the forest, asked the Ass to allot his due portion to each of the three partners in the treaty... The Lion, Jupiter, and the Elephant
THE LION wearied Jupiter with his frequent complaints. "It is true, O Jupiter!" he said, "that I am gigantic in strength, handsome in shape, and powerful in attack. I have jaws well provided with teeth, and feet furnished with claws, and I lord i... The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox
A LION and a Bear seized a Kid at the same moment, and fought fiercely for its possession. When they had fearfully lacerated each other and were faint from the long combat, they lay down exhausted with fatigue. A Fox, who had gone round them at a ... The Lion, the Fox, and the Ass
THE LION, the Fox and the Ass entered into an agreement to assist each other in the chase. Having secured a large booty, the Lion on their return from the forest asked the Ass to allot his due portion to each of the three partners in the treaty. T... The Lion, the Mouse, and the Fox
A LION, fatigued by the heat of a summer's day, fell fast asleep in his den. A Mouse ran over his mane and ears and woke him from his slumbers. He rose up and shook himself in great wrath, and searched every corner of his den to find the Mouse. A... The Lion, the Wolf, and the Fox
A LION, growing old, lay sick in his cave. All the beasts came to visit their king, except the Fox. The Wolf therefore, thinking that he had a capital opportunity, accused the Fox to the Lion of not paying any respect to him who had the rule over ... The Lioness
A CONTROVERSY prevailed among the beasts of the field as to which of the animals deserved the most credit for producing the greatest number of whelps at a birth. They rushed clamorously into the presence of the Lioness and demanded of her the sett... The Little Bear's Story
BY C. F. HOLDER "Yes," the little bear cub would say, "that is my picture. I am a native of the State of California. I don't remember distinctly where I was born, but it was up in the Sierras, where the snow lies in great banks, and the giant tre... The Little Brawl At Allen
CHAPTER I "I think," said Cairell Whiteskin, "that although judgement was given against Fionn, it was Fionn had the rights of it." "He had eleven hundred killed," said Cona'n amiably, "and you may call that the rights of it if you like." ... The Little Brother Of Loo-lee Loo
By MARGARET JOHNSON In flowery, fair Cathay, That kingdom far away, Where, odd as it seems, 't is always night when here we are having day, In the time of the great Ching-Wang, In the cit... The Little Brown Man
Once upon a time, there lived at the top of a very tall tree a little magic sprite. Now this magic sprite was called the Little Brown Man, and the tree was called the Tall Pine Tree. The Little Brown Man was so very small that had you ever seen hi... The Little China Shepherdess
On the parlor mantel of a farmhouse stood little China Shepherdess. In one hand she held a gilt crook and with the other she shaded her eyes and gazed far away. Probably she was looking for her sheep. Her dress was of red and green, and it was... The Little Drummer-boy
BY ALBERT BUSHNELL HART (ADAPTED) A few days before a certain regiment received orders to join General Lyon, on his march to Wilson's Creek, the drummer-boy of the regiment was taken sick, and carried to the hospital. Shortly after this there a... The Little Fairies
Once there was a little girl who was very beautiful. This little girl was a princess, and her name was Hilda. Hilda had many servants in her home to do her bidding. She had two little servants to wait on her, and each of these little servants had ... The Little Girl And The Butterfly
Virginia is a little girl who lives in Not Far-Away Land. Her mother is a wise woman, and she wants her little girl to grow up into a strong and beautiful young woman. Some days Virginia pouts and is cross. She does not go out to play. She c... The Little Golden Sister
My little golden sister Rides a golden horse slow, And we'll use a golden whip If the horse doesn't go. A little gold fish In a gold bowl we see, And a gold-colored bird On a gold-blossomed tree.... The Little Good Mouse
ONCE upon a time there lived a King and Queen who loved each other so much that they were never happy unless they were together. Day after day they went out hunting or fishing; night after night they went to balls or to the opera; they sang, and dan... The Little Gray Kitten
BY MARY LAWRENCE TURNBULL Once upon a time there was a little gray kitten, who had wandered far away from home. At first she liked all the strange sights she saw, but by and by she began to feel very homesick, and wished she was once more cuddled... The Little Gray Man
A nun, a countryman, and a blacksmith were once wandering through the world together. One day they lost their way in a thick, dark forest, and were thankful when they saw, in the distance, the walls of a house, where they hoped they might obtain... The Little Green Frog
Cabinet des Fees. In a part of the world whose name I forget lived once upon a time two kings, called Peridor and Diamantino. They were cousins as well as neighbours, and both were under the protection of the fairies; though it is only fair to ... The Little Hare
Contes populaires des Bassoutos. Recueillis et traduits par E. Jacottet. Paris: Leroux, Editeur. A long, long way off, in a land where water is very scarce, there lived a man and his wife and several children. One day the wife said to her husba... The Little Hare Of Oki
A Japanese Fairy Tale RETOLD BY B. M. BURRELL Alice lived in New York, but she still had the nurse who had taken care of her when she was a tiny baby in far-away Japan. Nurse wore the picturesque kimono and obi of her native land, and looked ... The Little House
There was once a man named Prudent, who was a widower and he lived alone with his little daughter. His wife had died a few days after the birth of this little girl, who was named Rosalie. Rosalie's father had a large fortune. He lived in a great... The Little Hunchback
In the kingdom of Kashgar, which is, as everybody knows, situated on the frontiers of Great Tartary, there lived long ago a tailor and his wife who loved each other very much. One day, when the tailor was hard at work, a little hunchback came and... The Little Lame Fox
There was once a wealthy farmer who had three sons. The oldest was a selfish overbearing fellow. The second was a weak chap who always did everything his brother suggested. The youngest whose name was Janko was not as bright and clever as his brot... The Little Match Girl
It was dreadfully cold, it was snowing fast, and almost dark; the evening--the last evening of the Old Year--was drawing in. But cold and dark as it was, a poor little girl, with bare head and feet, was still wandering about the streets. When she ... The Little Match Girl
BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (TRANSLATED) It was very, very cold; it snowed and it grew dark; it was the last evening of the year, New Year's Eve. In the cold and dark a poor little girl, with bare head and bare feet, was walking through the streets... The Little Match Girl
IT was dreadfully cold; it was snowing fast, and was almost dark, as evening came on--the last evening of the year. In the cold and the darkness, there went along the street a poor little girl, bareheaded and with naked feet. When she left home sh... The Little Mermaid
FAR out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could sound it, and many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ... The Little Old Woman Who Lived In A Vinegar-bottle
There was once upon a time a little old woman who lived in a vinegar-bottle. One day, as she was sweeping out her house, she found a silver coin, and she thought she should like to buy a fish. So off she went to the place where the fishermen wer... The Little Peasant
There was a certain village wherein no one lived but really rich peasants, and just one poor one, whom they called the little peasant. He had not even so much as a cow, and still less money to buy one, and yet he and his wife did so wish to have one... The Little Pig
BY MAUD LINDSAY Once upon a time a little black-and-white pig with a curly tail went out to take a morning walk. He intended to go to the Mud Puddle, but before he got there he came to a garden gate that was stretched wide open. "Umph, umph,... The Little Pink Pig And The Big Road
BY JASMINE STONE VAN DRESSER Once there was a little pink pig with five little spotted brothers and sisters. They had a nice home in the wood lot with their mama, and a nice yard with a little white fence around it. The little pigs were very happ... The Little Princess Of The Fearless Heart
BY B. J. DASKAM Once upon a time the great, yellow stork carried a baby Princess to the Queen of that country which lies next to fairy-land. All throughout the kingdom the bells rang, the people shouted, and the King declared a holiday for a ... The Little Purse With Two Half-pennies
There was once an old man and an old woman. The old woman had a hen and the old man had a rooster; the old woman's hen laid two eggs a day and she ate a great many, but she would not give the old man a single one. One day the old man lost patience an... The Little Singing Frog
There was once a poor laborer and his wife who had no children. Every day the woman would sigh and say: If only we had a child! Then the man would sigh, too, and say: It would be pleasant to have a little daughter, wouldn't it? At last... The Little Soldier
I Once upon a time there was a little soldier who had just come back from the war. He was a brave little fellow, but he had lost neither arms nor legs in battle. Still, the fighting was ended and the army disbanded, so he had to return to the... The Little Tree That Longed For Other Leaves
BY FRIEDRICH RUCHERT (TRANSLATED) There was a little tree that stood in the woods through both good and stormy weather, and it was covered from top to bottom with needles instead of leaves. The needles were sharp and prickly, so the little tree s... The Little Tree That Never Grew Up
Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very littl... The Little Weaver Of Duleek Gate
BY SAMUEL LOVER You see, there was a waiver lived, wanst upon a time, in Duleek here, hard by the gate, and a very honest, industherous man he was, by all accounts. He had a wife, and av coorse they had childhre, and small blame to them, and pl... The Little Window
A Froebel Finger Play Look, my dear, at this window clear. See how the light shines through in here. If you would always see the light, Keep your heart's window clean and bright. ... The Lizards
A Naturalist, cruel as a Turk, Two Lizards in his garden catches, And coolly sets himself at work To anatomize the little wretches. The plumpest now he has dissected, And torn the reptile limb from limb; With microscope he ... The Lochmaben Harper
"Oh, heard ye of a silly harper, Wha lang lived in Lochmaben town, How he did gang to fair England, To steal King Henry's wanton brown?" Once upon a time, there was an old man in Lochmaben, who made his livelihood by going ... The Lost Half-hour
Once upon a time there was an old widow woman who had three sons: the first two were clever enough, but the third, Bobo by name, was little better than a silly simpleton. All his mother's scoldings and beatings--and she smacked the poor lad soundly ... The Lost Money
BY BOLTON HALL Doris's papa gave her a five-dollar bill, such a lot of money! Doris went to a big bank and asked if they could give her smaller money for it. The banker said he thought they could. So he gave her two two-dollar bills and a big sil... The Loveliest Rose In The World
BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (ADAPTED) Once there reigned a queen, in whose garden were found the most glorious flowers at all seasons and from all the lands of the world. But more than all others she loved the roses, and she had many kinds of this ... The Loving Pair
A WHIPPING Top and a Ball lay close together in a drawer among other playthings. One day the Top said to the Ball, "Since we are living so much together, why should we not be lovers?" But the Ball, being made of morocco leather, thought herself ... The Lute Player
Once upon a time there was a king and queen who lived happily and comfortably together. They were very fond of each other and had nothing to worry them, but at last the king grew restless. He longed to go out into the world, to try his strength in... The Macaw And The Marmot
A brilliantly-colored Macaw, A wandering clown, near the spot Where she hung in a balcony, saw-- A Savoyard, more likely than not. He was showing--a penny to gain-- An animal ugly and squat; Which he lauded in high-... The Mad Goose And The Tiger Forest
Hu-lin was a little slave girl. She had been sold by her father when she was scarcely more than a baby, and had lived for five years with a number of other children in a wretched houseboat. Her cruel master treated her very badly. He made her g... The Magic Bon Bons
There lived in Boston a wise and ancient chemist by the name of Dr. Daws, who dabbled somewhat in magic. There also lived in Boston a young lady by the name of Claribel Sudds, who was possessed of much money, little wit and an intense desire to go... The Magic Book
There was once an old couple named Peder and Kirsten who had an only son called Hans. From the time he was a little boy he had been told that on his sixteenth birthday he must go out into the world and serve his apprenticeship. So, one fine... The Magic Kettle
Right in the middle of Japan, high up among the mountains, an old man lived in his little house. He was very proud of it, and never tired of admiring the whiteness of his straw mats, and the pretty papered walls, which in warm weather always slid ba... The Magic Mirror
From the Senna A long, long while ago, before ever the White Men were seen in Senna, there lived a man called Gopani-Kufa. One day, as he was out hunting, he came upon a strange sight. An enormous python had caught an antelope and coiled i... The Magic Of The Mermaids
When Trot and Cap'n Bill entered the Rose Chamber they found the two mermaids reclining before an air fountain that was sending thousands of tiny bubbles up through the water. "These fountains of air are excellent things," remarked Queen Aquare... The Magic Palace
Ibrahim, the most learned and pious man of the city, whom everybody held in esteem, fell on troubled days. To none did he speak of his sufferings, for he was proud and would have been compelled to refuse the help which he knew would have been offe... The Magic Ring
Once upon a time there lived an old couple who had one son called Martin. Now when the old man's time had come, he stretched himself out on his bed and died. Though all his life long he had toiled and moiled, he only left his widow and son two hun... The Magic Swan
There were once upon a time three brothers, of whom the eldest was called Jacob, the second Frederick, and the youngest Peter. This youngest brother was made a regular butt of by the other two, and they treated him shamefully. If anything went w... The Magic Tears
There was once a king named Theophile who lived in a dim castle on the edge of the ocean, but so far above the water that the flying spray never reached its lowest terrace; and only the strongest-winged seagulls could circle its towers and turrets... The Magician And His Pupil
From the German of A. Godin. THERE was once a poor shoemaker renowned far and wide as a drunkard. He had a good wife and many daughters, but only one son. As soon as this son was old enough his mother dressed him in his best clothes, combed his... The Magician's Horse
Once upon a time, there was a king who had three sons. Now it happened that one day the three princes went out hunting in a large forest at some distance from their father's palace, and the youngest prince lost his way, so his brothers had to re... The Magnet
I. In olden days there was a shepherd whose name was Magnes. Magnes lost a sheep. He went to the mountains to find it. He came to a place where there were barren rocks. He walked over these rocks, and felt that his boots were sticking to them. ... The Magpie's Nest
BY JOSEPH JACOBS All the birds of the air came to the magpie and asked her to teach them how to build nests. For the magpie is the cleverest bird of all at building nests. So she put all the birds round her and began to show them how to do it. Fi... The Maiden And The Frog
[This tale of the frog-lover is known in every part of Germany, and is alluded to by several old writers of that country. It is the tale "Der Froschkoenig, oder der Eiserne Heinrich," in Grimm. "These enchanted frogs," says Sir W. Scott, "have migra... The Maiden Of Unai
The Maiden of Unai was fair as an earthly deity, but the eyes of man might not behold her. She dwelt in a hidden place in her father's house, and of what cheer she made the live-long day not a soul could tell, but her father who kept watch, and he... The Maiden With The Wooden Helmet
In a little village in the country of Japan there lived long, long ago a man and his wife. For many years they were happy and prosperous, but bad times came, and at last nothing was left them but their daughter, who was as beautiful as the morning.... The Mail-coach Passengers
BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (ADAPTED) It was bitterly cold. The sky glittered with stars, and not a breeze stirred. "Bump,"--an old pot was thrown at a neighbor's door; and, "Bang! Bang!" went the guns, for they were greeting the New Year. It wa... The Mallet
There were once two farmer men who were brothers. Both of them worked hard in seed-time and in harvest-time. They stood knee-deep in water to plant out the young rice, bending their backs a thousand times an hour; they wielded the sickle when the ... The Man and His Two Sweethearts
A MIDDLE-AGED MAN, whose hair had begun to turn gray, courted two women at the same time. One of them was young, and the other well advanced in years. The elder woman, ashamed to be courted by a man younger than herself, made a point, whenever her... The Man and His Wife
A MAN had a Wife who made herself hated by all the members of his household. Wishing to find out if she had the same effect on the persons in her father's house, he made some excuse to send her home on a visit to her father. After a short time she... The Man and the Lion
A MAN and a Lion traveled together through the forest. They soon began to boast of their respective superiority to each other in strength and prowess. As they were disputing, they passed a statue carved in stone, which represented "a Lion strangle... The Man and the Satyr
A MAN and a Satyr once drank together in token of a bond of alliance being formed between them. One very cold wintry day, as they talked, the Man put his fingers to his mouth and blew on them. When the Satyr asked the reason for this, he told him ...