The Gude Wallace
: Tales From Scottish Ballads"Would ye hear of William Wallace,
An' sek him as he goes,
Into the lan' of Lanark,
Amang his mortal foes?
There were fyfteen English sojers,
Unto his ladye came,
Said, 'Gie us William Wallace,
That we may have him slain.'"
I will tell you a tale of the Good Wallace, that brave and noble patriot
who rose
spent his strength, and at last laid down his life, for that one end.
As all the world knows, the English King, Edward I., had defeated John
Baliol at Dunbar, and he had laid claim to the kingdom of Scotland, and
had poured his soldiers into that land.
Some of these soldiers, hearing of the strength, and wisdom, and prowess
of the young champion who had arisen, like Gideon of old, for the
succour of his people, determined to try to take him by stealth, before
venturing to meet him in the open field.
'Twas known that Wallace was in the habit of visiting a lady, a friend
of his, in the town of Lanark, so a band of these soldiers went to her
house, and surrounded it, while the captain knocked at the door. When
the lady opened it, and saw him, and saw also that her house was
surrounded by his men, she was very much alarmed, which perhaps was not
to be wondered at, for everyone was afraid of the English at that time.
The officer spoke to her in quite a friendly manner, however, and began
to tell her about his own country, and how much richer and finer
everything was there than in Scotland, and at last, when she was
thoroughly interested, he hinted that it was in her power to marry an
English lord if she cared to do so, and go and live in England
altogether.
Now I am afraid that the lady was both silly and discontented, and it
seemed to her that it would be a very fine thing indeed to be an English
nobleman's wife, so she blushed and bridled, and looked up and down, and
at last she asked how the thing could be managed.
"Well," said the officer cautiously, "there is only one condition, and
that doth not seem to me to be a very hard one. It hath been told me
that there is a rough and turbulent fellow who visits this house. His
name is William Wallace, and because he is likely to stir up riots among
the common people, it seems good to His Majesty, King Edward, that he
should be taken prisoner. Would it be possible," and here his voice
became very soft and persuasive, "for thee to let us know what night he
intends to visit thee?"
At first the lady started back, and was very indignant with him for
daring to suggest that she should do such a dishonourable thing.
"I am no traitor," she said proudly, "nor am I like Jael of old, who
murdered the man who took shelter in her tent."
But the captain's voice was low and sweet, and the lady's nature was
vain and fickle, and the prospect of marrying an English lord was very
enticing, and so it came about that at last she yielded, and she told
him how she was expecting young Wallace that very night at seven
o'clock, and she promised to put a light in the window when he arrived.
Then the false woman went into her house and shut the door, and the
soldiers set themselves to watch for the coming of their enemy.
How it happened I know not, but Wallace came, and walked boldly into the
house without one of them seeing him, and he ran upstairs and knocked at
the door of his friend's room.
When she opened it, he stood still, and stared at her in astonishment,
for her face was pale and wild, and she looked at him with terror in her
eyes. I warrant she had been wrestling with her conscience ever since
she had spoken with the soldiers, and she had seen what an awful thing
it is to be guilty of the blood of an innocent man.
"What ails thee?" cried Wallace, in his bluff, hearty way. "Thou lookest
all distraught, as if thou hadst seen a ghost."
Then he held out his hand as if to greet her, but she stretched forth
hers and pushed him away.
"Touch me not. I am like Judas,--Judas," she moaned, "who betrayed the
innocent blood, and whose fate is written in the Holy Book for a warning
to all poor recreants like to me."
Sir William Wallace thought that she had gone mad. "Vex not thyself," he
said kindly. "Methinks thou hast been reading, and thinking, till thou
hast fevered thy poor brain. Thou art no Judas, but mine own true
friend, in whose house I find safe shelter when I need to visit Lanark."
"Safe shelter!" she cried, with a bitter laugh, and she dragged him to
the window, and pointed out in the dusk the figures of four soldiers who
were leaning against the garden gate. "Safe shelter, say ye, when I have
betrayed thee to the English; for this house is watched by fifteen
soldiers; and I have but to put a lamp in the window, as a signal that
thou art within, and they will come and slay thee."
"And what is thy reward for this deed of treachery?" asked Wallace, a
look of contempt coming over his open face. "What pay did the English
loons promise thee?"
"They promised me an English lord for a husband," sobbed the wretched
woman, who now would have done anything in her power to undo the wrong
that she had done. "But oh, sir, I fear me I have wrought sore dule to
thee this day, and sore dule to Scotland. If thou canst get free from
this house, which I fear me thou wilt never do, thou canst denounce me
as a traitor. I care not if I die the death."
"Now Heaven forfend!" said Wallace, whose kindly heart was touched by
her distress, although he despised her for her false deed; "it shall
never be said that William Wallace avenged himself on a woman, no matter
what her crime might be. I trusted thee, and thou hast proved false, and
so from henceforth we must go our different ways; but if thou art truly
sorry, thou mayest yet help me, and, as for me, if once I get clear away
from these Southron knaves outside. I will think no more of the matter."
"But canst thou get clear away?" questioned the lady anxiously. "I fear
me, now that it is past seven o'clock, they will keep stricter watch
than they did when thou camest in. 'Twill be impossible for thee to pass
out in safety, and if thou remainest here, they will search the house
when they tire of waiting for my signal."
Wallace laughed.
"Impossible is not a word that I am well acquaint with, madam," he said,
"and if, for the sake of the friendship that was between us in the days
that are gone, thou wilt lend me some of thine attire, a gown and kirtle
maybe, and a decent petticoat of homespun, and a cap such as wenches
wear to shield their faces from the sun, I hope I may make good my
escape under the very noses of these fellows."
Wondering to herself, the lady did as he asked her. She brought him a
dark-coloured gown and kirtle, and a stout winsey petticoat, such as
serving-maids wear, and after long search she found at the bottom of a
drawer a milk-maid's cap.
Wallace proceeded to dress himself in these, and, when he had put them
all on, and had clasped a leather belt round his waist, and wound an
apron about his head, as lassies do to protect themselves from the rain
or sun, and put the milk-maid's bonnet on top of all, I warrant even his
own mother would not have known him.
"Now fetch me a milk-can," he said, "for I am no longer a soldier, but a
modest maiden going to the well to draw water."
When she had brought it he bent low over her hand and gave it one kiss
for the sake of old times; then he said farewell to her for ever, and
opened the door, and walked boldly down the garden.
The four soldiers at the gate looked at one another in surprise when a
tall damsel with a milk-can stood still at the foot of the garden path,
and waited for them to open it. They had not known that the lady had a
serving-maid.
"If it please thee, good sirs, to let me bye," broke in the maiden's
voice in the gloom. "My mistress hath a sharp temper, and this water
ought to have been fetched an hour ago."
She spoke with a lisp, and her accent was so outlandish that the men
scarce understood what she said; but this they saw, that she wanted to
go and draw water from the well, and they opened the gate to let her
pass.
"If I dare leave my post, I would fain come and draw for thee," said
one; "shame is it that such a pretty wench be left to go to the well
alone."
The maiden paid no heed to the fellow's words, but tossed her head, and
went quickly down the path to the well, taking such gigantic strides
that the men gazed after her in wonder.
"Marry, but she covers the ground," said one.
"Certs, but I would rather walk one mile with her than two," said
another.
"Methinks that we had better go after her and bring her back," cried a
third. "I have heard say that this William Wallace, whom we are in
search of, hath mighty long legs."
Horrified at the thought that they might have let the very man they were
looking for escape, they hurried down the path after the serving-maid,
and when they overtook her they found out in good sooth that she was
William Wallace, for she drew a sword from under her kirtle, and killed
all four of them, before they could lay hands on her.
When the four men lay dead before him, Wallace wasted no time over their
burial, but drawing their bodies under a bush, where they were somewhat
hidden from the passers-by, he hung the milk-can on a branch of a tree,
and walked quietly away in the gathering darkness. No one who met a
simple country girl walking out into the country ever dreamt of asking
her who she was, or where she was going, and ere morning came, I promise
you, her garments had been cast, and buried in a hole in the ground, and
Wallace was making his way northward as fast as ever he could.
He had to be very careful which way he travelled, for there were
soldiers quartered in many of the towns, who knew that there was a price
set on his head, and who were only too anxious to catch him.
So he dare not venture into the towns, or into the districts where there
were many houses, and it came to pass that, as he was nearing Perth, he
was like to famish for want of food.
He had eaten almost nothing for three days, nor had he money wherewith
to buy it.
Now, near to Perth there is a beautiful haugh or common, called the
North Inch, which stretches along the river Tay, and as he was crossing
that, he saw a pretty, rosy country girl washing clothes under a tree,
and spreading them out to bleach in the sun. She looked so kind and so
good-tempered that he thought he would speak to her, and mayhap, if he
found that she lived near, he would ask her to give him something to
eat.
So he went up to her, and greeted her pleasantly, and asked her what
news there was in that part of the world.
"News," said she, looking up at him with a roguish smile, for it was not
often that she had the opportunity of talking with such a gallant
knight. "Nay, by my troth, I have no news, for I am but a poor working
maiden, who toils hard for her living; but one thing I can tell thee,
an' if thou be a true Scot at heart, thou wilt do all in thy power to
shield him."
"To shield whom?" asked Wallace in surprise. "I know not of whom thou
speakest."
"Why! Sir William Wallace," answered the girl, "that gallant man who
will deliver this poor country of ours. 'Tis known that he is in these
parts; he hath been traced from Lanark, and 'tis thought that he is
making for the hills, where his followers are; and this very day a body
of these cursed English have marched into the town, in order to search
the country and take him. Look, seest thou that little hostelry yonder?
There hath a band of them gone in there not half an hour ago. Certs, had
I been a man, I would e'en have gone myself, and measured my strength
against theirs. I tell thee this, because thou seemest a gallant fellow,
and perchance thou canst do something to save the knight."
Wallace smiled. "Had I but a penny in my pocket," he said, "I would
betake me to that little inn, just to see these English loons."
The maiden hesitated. She was poor, as she had said, and had to work
hard for her living, but it chanced that that day she had half a crown
in her pocket, which she had intended to spend in the town on her way
home. But her kind heart was stirred with pity at the thought of such a
goodly young man having no money in his pocket, and at last she took out
the half-crown and gave it to him.
"Take this," she said, "and go and buy meat and drink with it, and if
thou knowest where Wallace is, for the love of Heaven, betray him not to
these English knaves."
"I will serve Wallace e'en as I serve myself," he said, "and more can no
man promise," and, thanking her heartily for the piece of silver, he
strode off in the direction of the little hostler-house, leaving her
wondering what he meant by his strange answer.
Wallace had not gone very far on his way before he met a beggar man,
coming limping along, clad in an old patched cloak. This was the very
thing the knight wanted.
"Hullo, old man," he said; "how goes the world with thee, and what news
is there abroad in Perth?"
"News, master?" said the beggar. "No news that I know of, save that 'tis
said that Sir William Wallace is somewhere hereabouts, and a party of
English soldiers have come to hunt for him. As I craved a bite of bread
at the door of that hostler-house down yonder, I saw fifteen of them
within, eating and drinking."
"Say ye so, old man?" said Wallace. "That is right good news to me, for
I have long had a desire to see an English soldier close at hand. See,"
and he drew the bright silver half-crown, which he had just received
from the maiden, from his pocket, "here is a piece of white money for
thee, if thou wilt sell me that old cloak of thine, and thy wallet.
Faith, there be as many holes as patches in the cloak; it can scarce
serve thee for a covering, and 'twill answer my purpose right well."
Joyfully the beggar agreed to the bargain, and Wallace was left with the
cloak, which he threw over his shoulders, and which covered him from
head to foot. Pulling his cap well over his eyes, and choosing a trusty
thorn cudgel from a neighbouring thicket, he went limping up to the door
of the little inn, and knocked.
The captain who was with the English soldiers opened it. He looked the
lame beggar up and down.
"What dost thou want, thou cruikit carle?" he asked haughtily.
"An alms, master," answered the beggar humbly. "I am a poor lame man,
and unable to work, and I travel the country from end to end, begging my
daily bread."
"Ah," thought the captain to himself, "this man must hear all the
country gossip. Likely enough he knows where Wallace is, or the
direction in which 'tis thought he will travel."
He took a handful of gold from his pouch, and held it before the
beggar's eyes.
"Did you ever hear of a man called William Wallace?" he asked slowly;
"the country folk hereabouts talk a great deal of him. They call him
'hero,' and such-like names. But he is a traitor to our rightful King,
King Edward, and I am here to take him, alive or dead. Hast ever heard
of the fellow?"
"Ay," said the beggar, "I have both heard of him and seen him.
Moreover," and he looked at the gold, "I know where he is to be found."
An eager look came into the English knight's face. "I will pay thee
fifty pounds down," he said, "fifty pounds of good red money, if thou
wilt lead me to Sir William Wallace."
"Tell down the money on this bench," cried the beggar, "for it is in my
power to grant thy request, and verily, I will never have a better
offer, no, not if I wait till King Edward comes himself."
The English captain counted down the money on the old worm-eaten wooden
bench that stood beside the door of the inn, and the beggar counted it
after him, and picked it up, and put it carefully away in his wallet.
Then he faced the Englishman with a strange gleam in his eyes.
"Thou wouldst fain see William Wallace," he said. "Then see him thou
shalt, and feel the might of his arm too, which is more, belike, than
thou bargainedst for," and, before the astonished captain could grasp
his sword, he had let the beggar's cloak fall to the ground, and,
lifting his stout cudgel, he had given him such a clout over the head,
that his skull cracked like a nut, and he fell dead at his feet.
Without waiting to take breath, Wallace drew his sword, and, running
lightly upstairs, he burst into the room where the soldiers were just
finishing their meal, and before they could rise from the table and
grasp their weapons, he had stabbed every one of them to the heart.
The innkeeper's wife, who had just come from the kitchen, and was
serving the men rather unwillingly, for she had no love for the English,
stood still and stared in amazement.
"God save us!" she said at last, as Wallace stopped and wiped his sword.
"But are ye a man, or do you come from the Evil One himself?"
"I am William Wallace," said the stranger, "and I wish that all English
soldiers who are in Scotland were even as these men are."
"Amen to that," said the old woman heartily, and then she dropped down
on her knees before the embarrassed knight. "Hech, sirs," she said
fervently, "to think that my eyes are looking on the Gude Wallace!"
"The Hungry Wallace, ye mean," said the knight with a laugh. "If ye love
me, woman, get up from thy knees, and set on meat and drink, for I have
scarce tasted food these three days, and my strength is well-nigh gone."
"That will I, right speedily," she cried, and, jumping up, she ran to
her husband and told him who the stranger was.
With great goodwill they began to prepare a meal, but hardly had it been
dished up, and placed upon the table, before another band of soldiers
marched up and surrounded the house. The beggar man had gone into Perth,
and told people about the mysterious knight who had bought his old cloak
in order that he might go and see the English soldiers, and when the
rest of the soldiers in the town got to hear of it, they had suspected
at once who he really was, and had come to the help of their companions.
Their suspicions proved true when they caught sight of Wallace through
one of the windows.
"Come out, come out, thou false knight," they cried exultingly, "and
think not that thou canst escape out of our hands. The tod[1] is taken
in his hole this time, and right speedily shall he die."
[Footnote 1: Fox.]
With that they entered the house, and rushed upstairs, thinking that it
would be an easy matter to capture the Scottish leader, for they knew
that he had no follower with him. But the weak things of this world are
able sometimes to confound the mighty, and they had not reckoned that
the two old people to whom the inn belonged were prepared to shed the
last drop of their blood, rather than that Wallace should come to harm
in their house.
So the old man had taken down his broad claymore from the wall, and the
old woman had seized a lance, and they stood one on each side of their
guest, grasping their weapons with fevered zeal.
Then began a fierce and deadly onslaught in that little room, and many a
time it seemed as if the three brave defenders must go down; but
Wallace's arm had the strength of ten, and the old man laid on right
bravely, and the old woman gave many a deadly thrust with her lance from
behind, where she saw it was needed, and so it came to pass that at last
every Englishman was slain, and Wallace and his bold helpers were left
triumphant.
"Now, surely, I can eat in peace," said he, sitting down to his sorely
needed meal, "and then must I begone. For, with thy help, I have done a
work here this day that will raise all the English 'twixt Perth and
Edinburgh. Mayhap, goodman, thou canst get help to throw these bodies
into the river. 'Twill be better for thee that the English find them not
in thy house, for I must up and away."
"That can I," said the old man, "for the good folk of Perth think much
of thee, and very little of the English, therefore will they give me a
hand."[2]
[Footnote 2: Help me.]
So once more Wallace took the road to the North, and as he retraced his
steps across the North Inch, he passed the rosy-cheeked maiden again,
busy at her work. She was laying the clothes out to bleach now, and she
gave him a friendly nod as he approached.
"I hope, fair sir, that thou hast seen the English," she said, "and that
thou hast come by food at the same time?"
"That have I," said Wallace; "thanks to thy gentle charity, I have eaten
and drunk to my heart's content. I have seen the English soldiers too,
and, by my troth, the English soldiers have also seen me. The day that I
visited that little hostler-house is not likely to be forgotten by the
English army."
Then he put his hand in his pocket, and drew out twenty pounds in good
red gold.
"Take that," he said to the astonished damsel, pressing the money into
her hand as he spoke. "Thy half-crown brought me luck, and this is but
thy rightful share of it."
So saying, he took his way quickly towards the hills, leaving the girl
so bewildered, that, had it not been for the money in her hand, she
would have been inclined to think that it was all a dream.
As it was, she never quite believed that it was a human being who had
taken away her silver half-crown, and brought her back twenty gold
pieces, but talked of ghosts, and visions; and some people, when they
heard of the thirty English soldiers who lay dead in the little
hostler-house, were inclined to be of her opinion.
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<p>Some fairies are Brownies and some are Greenies, and of all that really and truly dance in the moonlight right here in America, Luna Greenie seems the most wonderful; and this is her history:</p> <p>Once upon a time there was a seed pearl that dro... The Green Knight
There lived once a king and queen who had an only daughter, a charming and beautiful girl, dearer to them than anything else in the world. When the princess was twelve years old the queen fell sick, and nothing that could be done for her was of an... The Greenies
A ROSE TREE stood in the window. But a little while ago it had been green and fresh, and now it looked sickly--it was in poor health, no doubt. A whole regiment was quartered on it and was eating it up; yet, notwithstanding this seeming greediness... The Groac'h Of The Isle Of Lok
In old times, when all kinds of wonderful things happened in Brittany, there lived in the village of Lanillis, a young man named Houarn Pogamm and a girl called Bellah Postik. They were cousins, and as their mothers were great friends, and co... The Gude Wallace
"Would ye hear of William Wallace, An' sek him as he goes, Into the lan' of Lanark, Amang his mortal foes? There were fyfteen English sojers, Unto his ladye came, Said, 'Gie us William Wallace, That we m... The Hack Mule
Full fed and antic, A Hack Mule pushed With speed so frantic Forth from her stable, That her rider Scarcely was able With rein to guide her. Half our journey Not long will bide her In such a race. ... The Hairy Man
Somewhere or other, but I don't know where, there lived a king who owned two remarkably fine fields of rape, but every night two of the rape heaps were burnt down in one of the fields. The king was extremely angry at this, and sent out soldiers to c... The Half-chick
Once upon a time there was a handsome black Spanish hen, who had a large brood of chickens. They were all fine, plump little birds, except the youngest, who was quite unlike his brothers and sisters. Indeed, he was such a strange, queer-looking ... The Handless Brigade
Have you ever thought what it would be like to have no arms, and be obliged to use your toes for everything? If not, try it on a wet day, and see how much you can manage to do. Yet, there are plenty of true stories of people born without hands, wh... The Happy Family
THE largest green leaf in this country is certainly the burdock. Put one in front of your waist, and it is just like an apron; or lay it upon your head, and it is almost as good as an umbrella, it is so broad. Burdock never grows singly; where y... The Hare And The Hedgehog
BY THE BROTHERS GRIMM This tale, my young readers, will seem to you to be quite false; but still it must be true, for my Grandfather, who used to tell it to me, would wind up by saying, "All this is true, my son, else it would never have been tol... The Hare and the Hound
A HOUND started a Hare from his lair, but after a long run, gave up the chase. A goat-herd seeing him stop, mocked him, saying "The little one is the best runner of the two." The Hound replied, "You do not see the difference between us: I was onl... The Hare and the Tortoise
A HARE one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise, who replied, laughing: "Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat you in a race." The Hare, believing her assertion to be simply impossible, assented to the proposal; and t... The Hare And The Tortoise
A hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the tortoise. The latter laughing, said: "Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat you in a race." The hare, deeming her assertion to be simply impossible assented to the proposal; and t... The Hares and the Foxes
THE HARES waged war with the Eagles, and called upon the Foxes to help them. They replied, "We would willingly have helped you, if we had not known who you were, and with whom you were fighting." Count the cost before you commit yourselves. ... The Hares and the Frogs
THE HARES, oppressed by their own exceeding timidity and weary of the perpetual alarm to which they were exposed, with one accord determined to put an end to themselves and their troubles by jumping from a lofty precipice into a deep lake below. As... The Hares And The Frogs
The Hares, oppressed with a sense of their own exceeding timidity, and weary of the perpetual alarm to which they were exposed, with one accord determined to put an end to themselves and their troubles, by jumping from a lofty precipice into a dee... The Hares and the Lions
THE HARES harangued the assembly, and argued that all should be equal. The Lions made this reply: "Your words, O Hares! are good; but they lack both claws and teeth such as we have." ... The Hart and the Hunter
The Hart was once drinking from a pool and admiring the noble figure he made there. "Ah," said he, "where can you see such noble horns as these, with such antlers! I wish I had legs more worthy to bear such a noble crown; it is a pity they are s... The Hart and the Vine
A HART, hard pressed in the chase, hid himself beneath the large leaves of a Vine. The huntsmen, in their haste, overshot the place of his concealment. Supposing all danger to have passed, the Hart began to nibble the tendrils of the Vine. One of... The Harvest
Henry walked a long, long time but he walked in vain for he saw that he was no farther from the foot of the mountain and no nearer to the summit than he had been when he crossed the river. Any other child would have retraced his steps but the brav... The Hawk and the Nightingale
A NIGHTINGALE, sitting aloft upon an oak and singing according to his wont, was seen by a Hawk who, being in need of food, swooped down and seized him. The Nightingale, about to lose his life, earnestly begged the Hawk to let him go, saying that he... The Hawk, the Kite, and the Pigeons
THE PIGEONS, terrified by the appearance of a Kite, called upon the Hawk to defend them. He at once consented. When they had admitted him into the cote, they found that he made more havoc and slew a larger number of them in one day than the Kite c... The Hazel-nut Child
From the Bukowniaer. Van Wliolocki. There was once upon a time a couple who had no children, and they prayed Heaven every day to send them a child, though it were no bigger than a hazel-nut. At last Heaven heard their prayer and sent them a ch... The Headless Dwarfs
There was once a minister who spent his whole time in trying to find a servant who would undertake to ring the church bells at midnight, in addition to all his other duties. Of course it was not everyone who cared to get up in the middle of the n... The Heart Of A Monkey
A long time ago a little town made up of a collection of low huts stood in a tiny green valley at the foot of a cliff. Of course the people had taken great care to build their houses out of reach of the highest tide which might be driven on sh... The Heifer and the Ox
A HEIFER saw an Ox hard at work harnessed to a plow, and tormented him with reflections on his unhappy fate in being compelled to labor. Shortly afterwards, at the harvest festival, the owner released the Ox from his yoke, but bound the Heifer wit... The Heir Of Linne
"Lithe and listen, gentlemen, To sing a song I will beginne; It is of a lord of faire Scotland, Which was the unthrifty heire of Linne." There was trouble in the ancient Castle of Linne. Upstairs in his low-roofed, oak-pane... The Hen and the Golden Eggs
A COTTAGER and his wife had a Hen that laid a golden egg every day. They supposed that the Hen must contain a great lump of gold in its inside, and in order to get the gold they killed it. Having done so, they found to their surprise that the Hen ... The Hen And The Golden Eggs
A Cottager and his wife had a hen which laid every day a golden egg. They supposed that it must contain a great lump of gold in its inside, and killed it in order that they might get it, when to their surprise they found that the hen differed in n... The Hen and the Swallow
A HEN finding the eggs of a viper and carefully keeping them warm, nourished them into life. A Swallow, observing what she had done, said, "You silly creature! why have you hatched these vipers which, when they shall have grown, will inflict injury... The Hen That Hatched Ducks
BY HARRIET BEECHER STOWE Once there was a nice young hen that we will call Mrs. Feathertop. She was a hen of most excellent family, being a direct descendant of the Bolton Grays, and as pretty a young fowl as you wish to see of a summer's day. ... The Herdsman and the Lost Bull
A HERDSMAN tending his flock in a forest lost a Bull-calf from the fold. After a long and fruitless search, he made a vow that, if he could only discover the thief who had stolen the Calf, he would offer a lamb in sacrifice to Hermes, Pan, and the ... The Heron Who Was Hard To Please
A heron having bolted down too large a fish, burst its deep gullet-bag and lay down on the shore to die. A kite seeing it, exclaimed: "You richly deserve your fate; for a bird of the air has no business to seek its food from the sea." Everyone ... The Hickory Horn-devil
<p>Hush, whisper! Did you ever meet a Hickory Horn-devil? No! Well I did, and I tell you he is a terror. Look at this picture of him. It is true, only he is not quite so big as that, though he looks as if he might be. And I was not quite so small as ... The Higgledy-piggledy Palace
Sarah, the wife of the patriarch Abraham, and the great mother of the Jewish people, was the most beautiful woman who ever lived. Everybody who saw her marveled at the dazzling radiance of her countenance; they stood spellbound before the glorious... The Hillman And The Housewife
BY JULIANA HORATIA EWING (ADAPTED) It is well known that the Fairy People cannot abide meanness. They like to be liberally dealt with when they beg or borrow of the human race; and, on the other hand, to those who come to them in need, they are i... The Hind Of The Forest
A beautiful queen, whose subjects adored her, and whose husband thought her the best woman in the world, had but one sorrow, which was equally a sorrow both to the king and the country--she brought him no heir to the throne. She, at last, grew so ... The Hindu Law
For every person in the world whose rule of civil conduct is based upon the English system of jurisprudence there are two others to whom Hindu law is both binding by political authority and the rule of conscience. The student of law and world po... The History Of Ali Cogia A Merchant Of Bagdad
In the reign of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid there lived at Bagdad a merchant named Ali Cogia, who was neither of the richest nor yet of the lowest order. He dwelt in his paternal house without either wife or children. He lived contented with what...