The Mermaid And The Boy
: The Brown Fairy BookLong, long ago, there lived a king who ruled over a country by the sea.
When he had been married about a year, some of his subjects, inhabiting
a distant group of islands, revolted against his laws, and it became
needful for him to leave his wife and go in person to settle their
disputes. The queen feared that some ill would come of it, and implored
him to stay at home, but he told her that nobody could do his work for
his voyage.
The vessel had not gone very far when she ran upon a rock, and stuck so
fast in a cleft that the strength of the whole crew could not get her
off again. To make matters worse, the wind was rising too, and it was
quite plain that in a few hours the ship would be dashed to pieces and
everybody would be drowned, when suddenly the form of a mermaid was seen
dancing on the waves which threatened every moment to overwhelm them.
'There is only one way to free yourselves,' she said to the king,
bobbing up and down in the water as she spoke, 'and that is to give me
your solemn word that you will deliver to me the first child that is
born to you.'
The king hesitated at this proposal. He hoped that some day he might
have children in his home, and the thought that he must yield up the
heir to his crown was very bitter to him; but just then a huge wave
broke with great force on the ship's side, and his men fell on their
knees and entreated him to save them.
So he promised, and this time a wave lifted the vessel clean off the
rocks, and she was in the open sea once more.
The affairs of the islands took longer to settle than the king had
expected, and some months passed away before he returned to his palace.
In his absence a son had been born to him, and so great was his joy that
he quite forgot the mermaid and the price he had paid for the safety of
his ship. But as the years went on, and the baby grew into a fine big
boy, the remembrance of it came back, and one day he told the queen
the whole story. From that moment the happiness of both their lives was
ruined. Every night they went to bed wondering if they should find his
room empty in the morning, and every day they kept him by their sides,
expecting him to be snatched away before their very eyes.
At last the king felt that this state of things could not continue, and
he said to his wife:
'After all, the most foolish thing in the world one can do is to keep
the boy here in exactly the place in which the mermaid will seek him.
Let us give him food and send him on his travels, and perhaps, if the
mermaid ever blocs come to seek him, she may be content with some other
child.' And the queen agreed that his plan seemed the wisest.
So the boy was called, and his father told him the story of the voyage,
as he had told his mother before him. The prince listened eagerly, and
was delighted to think that he was to go away all by himself to see
the world, and was not in the least frightened; for though he was now
sixteen, he had scarcely been allowed to walk alone beyond the palace
gardens. He began busily to make his preparations, and took off his
smart velvet coat, putting on instead one of green cloth, while he
refused a beautiful bag which the queen offered him to hold his food,
and slung a leather knapsack over his shoulders instead, just as he had
seen other travellers do. Then he bade farewell to his parents and went
his way.
All through the day he walked, watching with interest the strange birds
and animals that darted across his path in the forest or peeped at him
from behind a bush. But as evening drew on he became tired, and looked
about as he walked for some place where he could sleep. At length he
reached a soft mossy bank under a tree, and was just about to stretch
himself out on it, when a fearful roar made him start and tremble all
over. In another moment something passed swiftly through the air and a
lion stood before him.
'What are you doing here?' asked the lion, his eyes glaring fiercely at
the boy.
'I am flying from the mermaid,' the prince answered, in a quaking voice.
'Give me some food then,' said the lion, 'it is past my supper time, and
I am very hungry.'
The boy was so thankful that the lion did not want to eat him, that he
gladly picked up his knapsack which lay on the ground, and held out some
bread and a flask of wine.
'I feel better now,' said the lion when he had done, 'so now I shall go
to sleep on this nice soft moss, and if you like you can lie down beside
me.' So the boy and the lion slept soundly side by side, till the sun
rose.
'I must be off now,' remarked the lion, shaking the boy as he spoke;
'but cut off the tip of my ear, and keep it carefully, and if you are
in any danger just wish yourself a lion and you will become one on the
spot. One good turn deserves another, you know.'
The prince thanked him for his kindness, and did as he was bid, and the
two then bade each other farewell.
'I wonder how it feels to be a lion,' thought the boy, after he had gone
a little way; and he took out the tip of the ear from the breast of his
jacket and wished with all his might. In an instant his head had swollen
to several times its usual size, and his neck seemed very hot and heavy;
and, somehow, his hands became paws, and his skin grew hairy and yellow.
But what pleased him most was his long tail with a tuft at the end,
which he lashed and switched proudly. 'I like being a lion very much,'
he said to himself, and trotted gaily along the road.
After a while, however, he got tired of walking in this unaccustomed
way--it made his back ache and his front paws felt sore. So he wished
himself a boy again, and in the twinkling of an eye his tail disappeared
and his head shrank, and the long thick mane became short and curly.
Then he looked out for a sleeping place, and found some dry ferns, which
he gathered and heaped up.
But before he had time to close his eyes there was a great noise in the
trees near by, as if a big heavy body was crashing through them. The boy
rose and turned his head, and saw a huge black bear coming towards him.
'What are you doing here?' cried the bear.
'I am running away from the mermaid,' answered the boy; but the bear
took no interest in the mermaid, and only said: 'I am hungry; give me
something to eat.'
The knapsack was lying on the ground among the fern, but the prince
picked it up, and, unfastening the strap, took out his second flask
of wine and another loaf of bread. 'We will have supper together,' he
remarked politely; but the bear, who had never been taught manners, made
no reply, and ate as fast as he could. When he had quite finished, he
got up and stretched himself.
'You have got a comfortable-looking bed there,' he observed. 'I really
think that, bad sleeper as I am, I might have a good night on it. I can
manage to squeeze you in,' he added; 'you don't take up a great deal of
room.' The boy was rather indignant at the bear's cool way of talking;
but as he was too tired to gather more fern, they lay down side by side,
and never stirred till sunrise next morning.
'I must go now,' said the bear, pulling the sleepy prince on to his
feet; 'but first you shall cut off the tip of my ear, and when you are
in any danger just wish yourself a bear and you will become one. One
good turn deserves another, you know.' And the boy did as he was bid,
and he and the bear bade each other farewell.
'I wonder how it feels to be a bear,' thought he to himself when he had
walked a little way; and he took out the tip from the breast of his coat
and wished hard that he might become a bear. The next moment his body
stretched out and thick black fur covered him all over. As before, his
hands were changed into paws, but when he tried to switch his tail
he found to his disgust that it would not go any distance. 'Why it
is hardly worth calling a tail!' said he. For the rest of the day he
remained a bear and continued his journey, but as evening came on the
bear-skin, which had been so useful when plunging through brambles in
the forest, felt rather heavy, and he wished himself a boy again. He was
too much exhausted to take the trouble of cutting any fern or seeking
for moss, but just threw himself down under a tree, when exactly
above his head he heard a great buzzing as a bumble-bee alighted on a
honeysuckle branch. 'What are you doing here?' asked the bee in a cross
voice; 'at your age you ought to be safe at home.'
'I am running away from the mermaid,' replied the boy; but the bee, like
the lion and the bear, was one of those people who never listen to
the answers to their questions, and only said: 'I am hungry. Give me
something to eat.'
The boy took his last loaf and flask out of his knapsack and laid them
on the ground, and they had supper together. 'Well, now I am going to
sleep,' observed the bee when the last crumb was gone, 'but as you are
not very big I can make room for you beside me,' and he curled up his
wings, and tucked in his legs, and he and the prince both slept soundly
till morning. Then the bee got up and carefully brushed every scrap of
dust off his velvet coat and buzzed loudly in the boy's ear to waken
him.
'Take a single hair from one of my wings,' said he, 'and if you are in
danger just wish yourself a bee and you will become one. One good turn
deserves another, so farewell, and thank you for your supper.' And
the bee departed after the boy had pulled out the hair and wrapped it
carefully in a leaf.
'It must feel quite different to be a bee from what it does to be a lion
or bear,' thought the boy to himself when he had walked for an hour or
two. 'I dare say I should get on a great deal faster,' so he pulled out
his hair and wished himself a bee.
In a moment the strangest thing happened to him. All his limbs seemed
to draw together, and his body to become very short and round; his head
grew quite tiny, and instead of his white skin he was covered with the
richest, softest velvet. Better than all, he had two lovely gauze wings
which carried him the whole day without getting tired.
Late in the afternoon the boy fancied he saw a vast heap of stones a
long way off, and he flew straight towards it. But when he reached the
gates he saw that it was really a great town, so he wished himself back
in his own shape and entered the city.
He found the palace doors wide open and went boldly into a sort of
hall which was full of people, and where men and maids were gossiping
together. He joined their talk and soon learned from them that the king
had only one daughter who had such a hatred to men that she would never
suffer one to enter her presence. Her father was in despair, and had
had pictures painted of the handsomest princes of all the courts in the
world, in the hope that she might fall in love with one of them; but it
was no use; the princess would not even allow the pictures to be brought
into her room.
'It is late,' remarked one of the women at last; 'I must go to my
mistress.' And, turning to one of the lackeys, she bade him find a bed
for the youth.
'It is not necessary,' answered the prince, 'this bench is good enough
for me. I am used to nothing better.' And when the hall was empty he
lay down for a few minutes. But as soon as everything was quiet in the
palace he took out the hair and wished himself a bee, and in this shape
he flew upstairs, past the guards, and through the keyhole into the
princess's chamber. Then he turned himself into a man again.
At this dreadful sight the princess, who was broad awake, began to
scream loudly. 'A man! a man!' cried she; but when the guards rushed in
there was only a bumble-bee buzzing about the room. They looked under
the bed, and behind the curtains, and into the cupboards, then came
to the conclusion that the princess had had a bad dream, and bowed
themselves out. The door had scarcely closed on them than the bee
disappeared, and a handsome youth stood in his place.
'I knew a man was hidden somewhere,' cried the princess, and screamed
more loudly than before. Her shrieks brought back the guards, but though
they looked in all kinds of impossible places no man was to be seen, and
so they told the princess.
'He was here a moment ago--I saw him with my own eyes,' and the guards
dared not contradict her, though they shook their heads and whispered to
each other that the princess had gone mad on this subject, and saw a
man in every table and chair. And they made up their minds that--let her
scream as loudly as she might--they would take no notice.
Now the princess saw clearly what they were thinking, and that in future
her guards would give her no help, and would perhaps, besides, tell some
stories about her to the king, who would shut her up in a lonely tower
and prevent her walking in the gardens among her birds and flowers. So
when, for the third time, she beheld the prince standing before her, she
did not scream but sat up in bed gazing at him in silent terror.
'Do not be afraid,' he said, 'I shall not hurt you'; and he began to
praise her gardens, of which he had heard the servants speak, and the
birds and flowers which she loved, till the princess's anger softened,
and she answered him with gentle words. Indeed, they soon became so
friendly that she vowed she would marry no one else, and confided to
him that in three days her father would be off to the wars, leaving his
sword in her room. If any man could find it and bring it to him he would
receive her hand as a reward. At this point a cock crew, and the youth
jumped up hastily saying: 'Of course I shall ride with the king to
the war, and if I do not return, take your violin every evening to the
seashore and play on it, so that the very sea-kobolds who live at the
bottom of the ocean may hear it and come to you.'
Just as the princess had foretold, in three days the king set out for
the war with a large following, and among them was the young prince, who
had presented himself at court as a young noble in search of adventures.
They had left the city many miles behind them, when the king suddenly
discovered that he had forgotten his sword, and though all his
attendants instantly offered theirs, he declared that he could fight
with none but his own.
'The first man who brings it to me from my daughter's room,' cried he,
'shall not only have her to wife, but after my death shall reign in my
stead.'
At this the Red Knight, the young prince, and several more turned their
horses to ride as fast as the wind back to the palace. But suddenly a
better plan entered the prince's head, and, letting the others pass him,
he took his precious parcel from his breast and wished himself a lion.
Then on he bounded, uttering such dreadful roars that the horses were
frightened and grew unmanageable, and he easily outstripped them, and
soon reached the gates of the palace. Here he hastily changed himself
into a bee, and flew straight into the princess's room, where he became
a man again. She showed him where the sword hung concealed behind a
curtain, and he took it down, saying as he did so: 'Be sure not to
forget what you have promised to do.'
The princess made no reply, but smiled sweetly, and slipping a golden
ring from her finger she broke it in two and held half out silently to
the prince, while the other half she put in her own pocket. He kissed
it, and ran down the stairs bearing the sword with him. Some way off he
met the Red Knight and the rest, and the Red Knight at first tried to
take the sword from him by force. But as the youth proved too strong for
him, he gave it up, and resolved to wait for a better opportunity.
This soon came, for the day was hot and the prince was thirsty.
Perceiving a little stream that ran into the sea, he turned aside, and,
unbuckling the sword, flung himself on the ground for a long drink.
Unluckily, the mermaid happened at that moment to be floating on the
water not very far off, and knew he was the boy who had been given her
before he was born. So she floated gently in to where he was lying, she
seized him by the arm, and the waves closed over them both. Hardly had
they disappeared, when the Red Knight stole cautiously up, and could
hardly believe his eyes when he saw the king's sword on the bank. He
wondered what had become of the youth, who an hour before had guarded
his treasure so fiercely; but, after all, that was no affair of his! So,
fastening the sword to his belt, he carried it to the king.
The war was soon over, and the king returned to his people, who welcomed
him with shouts of joy. But when the princess from her window saw that
her betrothed was not among the attendants riding behind her father, her
heart sank, for she knew that some evil must have befallen him, and
she feared the Red Knight. She had long ago learned how clever and how
wicked he was, and something whispered to her that it was he who would
gain the credit of having carried back the sword, and would claim her as
his bride, though he had never even entered her chamber. And she could
do nothing; for although the king loved her, he never let her stand in
the way of his plans.
The poor princess was only too right, and everything came to pass
exactly as she had foreseen it. The king told her that the Red Knight
had won her fairly, and that the wedding would take place next day, and
there would be a great feast after it.
In those days feasts were much longer and more splendid than they are
now; and it was growing dark when the princess, tired out with all she
had gone through, stole up to her own room for a little quiet. But the
moon was shining so brightly over the sea that it seemed to draw her
towards it, and taking her violin under her arm, she crept down to the
shore.
'Listen! listen! said the mermaid to the prince, who was lying stretched
on a bed of seaweeds at the bottom of the sea. 'Listen! that is your old
love playing, for mermaids know everything that happens upon earth.'
'I hear nothing,' answered the youth, who did not look happy. 'Take me
up higher, where the sounds can reach me.'
So the mermaid took him on her shoulders and bore him up midway to the
surface. 'Can you hear now?' she asked.
'No,' answered the prince, 'I hear nothing but the water rushing; I must
go higher still.'
Then the mermaid carried him to the very top. 'You must surely be able
to hear now?' said she.
'Nothing but the water,' repeated the youth. So she took him right to
the land.
'At any rate you can hear now?' she said again.
'The water is still rushing in my ears,' answered he; 'but wait a
little, that will soon pass off.' And as he spoke he put his hand into
his breast, and seizing the hair wished himself a bee, and flew straight
into the pocket of the princess. The mermaid looked in vain for him, and
coated all night upon the sea; but he never came back, and never more
did he gladden her eyes. But the princess felt that something strange
was about her, though she knew not what, and returned quickly to the
palace, where the young man at once resumed his own shape. Oh, what joy
filled her heart at the sight of him! But there was no time to be lost,
and she led him right into the hall, where the king and his nobles were
still sitting at the feast. 'Here is a man who boasts that he can do
wonderful tricks,' said she, 'better even than the Red Knight's! That
cannot be true, of course, but it might be well to give this impostor a
lesson. He pretends, for instance, that he can turn himself into a
lion; but that I do not believe. I know that you have studied the art
of magic,' she went on, turning to the Red Knight, 'so suppose you just
show him how it is done, and bring shame upon him.'
Now the Red Knight had never opened a book of magic in his life; but he
was accustomed to think that he could do everything better than other
people without any teaching at all. So he turned and twisted himself
about, and bellowed and made faces; but he did not become a lion for all
that.
'Well, perhaps it is very difficult to change into a lion. Make yourself
a bear,' said the princess. But the Red Knight found it no easier to
become a bear than a lion.
'Try a bee,' suggested she. 'I have always read that anyone who can do
magic at all can do that.' And the old knight buzzed and hummed, but he
remained a man and not a bee.
'Now it is your turn,' said the princess to the youth. 'Let us see if
you can change yourself into a lion.' And in a moment such a fierce
creature stood before them, that all the guests rushed out of the hall,
treading each other underfoot in their fright. The lion sprang at the
Red Knight, and would have torn him in pieces had not the princess held
him back, and bidden him to change himself into a man again. And in a
second a man took the place of the lion.
'Now become a bear,' said she; and a bear advanced panting and
stretching out his arms to the Red Knight, who shrank behind the
princess.
By this time some of the guests had regained their courage, and returned
as far as the door, thinking that if it was safe for the princess
perhaps it was safe for them. The king, who was braver than they, and
felt it needful to set them a good example besides, had never left
his seat, and when at a new command of the princess the bear once more
turned into a man, he was silent from astonishment, and a suspicion of
the truth began to dawn on him. 'Was it he who fetched the sword?' asked
the king.
'Yes, it was,' answered the princess; and she told him the whole story,
and how she had broken her gold ring and given him half of it. And the
prince took out his half of the ring, and the princess took out hers,
and they fitted exactly. Next day the Red Knight was hanged, as he
richly deserved, and there was a new marriage feast for the prince and
princess.
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A long, long time ago there lived in a quiet spot a young man and his wife. They had one child, a little daughter, whom they both loved with all their hearts. I cannot tell you their names, for they have long since been forgotten; but the name ... The Mecha-meck
<p>That fearful time when the forest fire set all the Brownies busy burying their food and dishes at the feast-hall, you remember it took six of them to carry and hide the Mecha-meck. For it is a large fat white root as big as a baby, and sometimes i... The Medicine In The Sky
<p>This is one of the greatest and best secrets of Woodcraft—The Medicine in the Sky.</p> <p>Let me tell you a story about it. There was once an Indian who left his own people, to live with the white man, in the East. But the Great Spirit was d... The Mermaid And The Boy
Long, long ago, there lived a king who ruled over a country by the sea. When he had been married about a year, some of his subjects, inhabiting a distant group of islands, revolted against his laws, and it became needful for him to leave his wif... The Mermaids
The next morning, as soon as Trot had helped wipe the breakfast dishes and put them away in the cupboard, the little girl and Cap'n Bill started out toward the bluff. The air was soft and warm and the sun turned the edges of the waves into sparkli... The Merry Cobbler And His Coat
Spare, the merry cobbler, of whom we read in the last story, was treated like a prince at the King's court; and the news of his good fortune reached his brother Scrub in the moorland cottage one first of April, when the cuckoo came again with two ... The Merry Wives
From the Danish There lay three houses in a row, in one of which there lived a tailor, in another a carpenter, and in the third a smith. All three were married, and their wives were very good friends. They often talked about how stupid their hu... The Messenger
Here in the morning we're starting so soon, Give us a message, we'll ride to the moon, Straight through the meadows and hop o'er the stile, And we will but charge you a farthing a mile. A farthing a mile! a farthing a mile!... The Metal King
A GERMAN FOLE-TALE (ADAPTED) Once long ago there was a high mountain whose rocks were veined with gold and silver and seamed with iron. At times, from a huge rent in the mountain-side, there shot out roaring, red flames, and clouds of black sm... The Metal Pig
IN THE city of Florence, not far from the Piazza del Granduca, runs a little cross street called Porta Rosa. In this street, just in front of the market place where vegetables are sold, stands a pig, made of brass and curiously formed. The color h... The Mice and the Weasels
THE WEASELS and the Mice waged a perpetual war with each other, in which much blood was shed. The Weasels were always the victors. The Mice thought that the cause of their frequent defeats was that they had no leaders set apart from the general a... The Mice in Council
THE MICE summoned a council to decide how they might best devise means of warning themselves of the approach of their great enemy the Cat. Among the many plans suggested, the one that found most favor was the proposal to tie a bell to the neck of t... The Mid-day Rock
FROM THE FRENCH of J. JARRY. ONCE upon a time there was a poor man, who lived somewhere in the middle of the woods near a place called Gatines de Treigny. Everybody called him Father Rameau. Not that he had any children--he had not even ever be... The Milk-white Doo
There was once a man who got his living by working in the fields. He had one little son, called Curly-Locks, and one little daughter, called Golden-Tresses; but his wife was dead, and, as he had to be out all day, these children were often left al... The Milk-Woman and Her Pail
A FARMER'S daughter was carrying her Pail of milk from the field to the farmhouse, when she fell a-musing. "The money for which this milk will be sold, will buy at least three hundred eggs. The eggs, allowing for all mishaps, will produce two hundr... The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass
A MILLER and his son were driving their Ass to a neighboring fair to sell him. They had not gone far when they met with a troop of women collected round a well, talking and laughing. "Look there," cried one of them, "did you ever see such fellows,... The Mink And The Wolf
In a big forest in the north of America lived a quantity of wild animals of all sorts. They were always very polite when they met; but, in spite of that, they kept a close watch one upon the other, as each was afraid of being killed and eate... The Mischievous Dog
A DOG used to run up quietly to the heels of everyone he met, and to bite them without notice. His master suspended a bell about his neck so that the Dog might give notice of his presence wherever he went. Thinking it a mark of distinction, the Do... The Miser
A MISER sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried in a hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to look at daily. One of his workmen observed his frequent visits to the spot and decided to watch his movements. H... The Miser And His Wife
["Let us cast away nothing," says Mr. Gifford, "for we know not what use we may have for it." So will every one admit whose reading has been sufficiently extensive to enable him to judge of the value of the simplest traditional tales. The present il... The Miser In The Bush
A farmer had a faithful and diligent servant, who had worked hard for him three years, without having been paid any wages. At last it came into the man's head that he would not go on thus without pay any longer; so he went to his master, and said, '... The Mishaps Of Handy Andy
Andy Rooney was a fellow who had the most singularly ingenious knack of doing everything the wrong way. He grew up in his humble Irish home full of mischief to the eyes of every one save his admiring mother. But, to do him justice, he never meant ... The Mohammedan Law Of Turkey Persia Egypt India Morocco And Algeria
The laws of Mohammedanism which are founded on the Koran and the Traditions of Mohammed to-day constitute the civil and religious code of many millions of the world's inhabitants. A country that is subject to the government of Mohammedans is ter... The Mole and His Mother
A MOLE, a creature blind from birth, once said to his Mother: "I am sure than I can see, Mother!" In the desire to prove to him his mistake, his Mother placed before him a few grains of frankincense, and asked, "What is it?' The young Mole said, ... The Mole And Other Animals
Some four-footed creatures Assembled one day, At the game of the blind man Together to play. A Dog and a Monkey, Brimful of his tricks-- With a Fox, Hare and Eat, And a Squirrel--made six. The Monkey, he... The Monday Story
Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a very saintly king. One day he formed the wish to fill the shrine of Shiva, the moon-god, with milk up to the ceiling. He consulted his chief minister, and the latter sent a crier th... The Money Box
IN a nursery where a number of toys lay scattered about, a money box stood on the top of a very high wardrobe. It was made of clay in the shape of a pig and had been bought of the potter. In the back of the pig was a slit, and this slit had been e... The Monkey
A Monkey, clothed in silk, Will a Monkey still remain; So says an ancient proverb, And so say I again; As to all, it clearly will appear, Who listen to our fable here. In dress of gaudy hues, Such as harlequin would c... The Monkey and the Camel
THE BEASTS of the forest gave a splendid entertainment at which the Monkey stood up and danced. Having vastly delighted the assembly, he sat down amidst universal applause. The Camel, envious of the praises bestowed on the Monkey and desiring to ... The Monkey and the Dolphin
A SAILOR, bound on a long voyage, took with him a Monkey to amuse him while on shipboard. As he sailed off the coast of Greece, a violent tempest arose in which the ship was wrecked and he, his Monkey, and all the crew were obliged to swim for thei... The Monkey and the Fishermen
A MONKEY perched upon a lofty tree saw some Fishermen casting their nets into a river, and narrowly watched their proceedings. The Fishermen after a while gave up fishing, and on going home to dinner left their nets upon the bank. The Monkey, who i... The Monkey And The Jelly-fish
Children must often have wondered why jelly-fishes have no shells, like so many of the creatures that are washed up every day on the beach. In old times this was not so; the jelly-fish had as hard a shell as any of them, but he lost it through his ... The Monkey And The Magpie
To her friend, the crafty Monkey, Said a Magpie,--"If you'll go With me unto my dwelling, I've some pretty things to show. For, sure you know, I've skill A thousand things to steal. You shall see them, if you will, ... The Monkeys and Their Mother
THE MONKEY, it is said, has two young ones at each birth. The Mother fondles one and nurtures it with the greatest affection and care, but hates and neglects the other. It happened once that the young one which was caressed and loved was smothered... The Moon
The inhabitants of most of our rural districts still retain the old dislike to a new moon on Friday, and perpetuate it by the saying,-- Friday's moon, Come when it wool, It comes too soon. Or by the following,-- Frid... The Moon Maiden
There was an old bamboo cutter called Take Tori. He was an honest old man, very poor and hard-working, and he lived with his good old wife in a cottage on the hills. Children they had none, and little comfort in their old age, poor souls. Take ... The Morning Star And The Evening Star
Once upon a time something extraordinary happened. If it had not happened it would not be told. There was once an emperor and empress who were childless. So they sought out all the wizards and witches, all the old women and astrologers; but their ... The Mother and the Wolf
A FAMISHED WOLF was prowling about in the morning in search of food. As he passed the door of a cottage built in the forest, he heard a Mother say to her child, "Be quiet, or I will throw you out of the window, and the Wolf shall eat you." The Wol... The Mother Murre
BY DALLAS LORE SHARP One of the most striking cases of mother-love which has ever come under my observation, I saw in the summer of 1912 on the bird rookeries of the Three-Arch Rocks Reservation off the coast of Oregon. We were making our slow ...