THE THREE STRANGERS
: Stories By English Authors: EnglandAmong the few features of agricultural England which retain an
appearance but little modified by the lapse of centuries may be
reckoned the high, grassy, and furzy downs, coombs, or eweleases,
as they are indifferently called, that fill a large area of certain
counties in the south and southwest. If any mark of human occupation
is met with hereon it usually takes the form of the solitary cottage
of some shepherd.
Fifty years ago such a lonely cottage stood on such a down, and
may possibly be standing there now. In spite of its loneliness,
however, the spot, by actual measurement, was not more than five
miles from a county town. Yet what of that? Five miles of irregular
upland, during the long, imnimical seasons, with their sleets,
snows, rains, and mists, afford withdrawing space enough to isolate
a Timon or a Nebuchadnezzar; much less, in fair weather, to please
that less repellent tribe, the poets, philosophers, artists, and
others who "conceive and meditate of pleasant things."
Some old earthen camp or barrow, some clump of trees, at least some
starved fragment of ancient hedge, is usually taken advantage of
in the execution of these forlorn dwellings; but in the present
case such a kind of shelter had been disregarded. Higher Crowstairs,
as the house was called, stood quite detached and undefended. The
only reason for its precise situation seemed to be the crossing
of two foot-paths at right angles hard by, which may have crossed
there and thus for a good five hundred years. The house was thus
exposed to the elements on all sides. But, though the wind up here
blew unmistakably when it did blow, and the rain hit hard whenever
it fell, the various weathers of the winter season were not quite
so formidable on the coomb as they were imagined to be by dwellers
on low ground. The raw rimes were not so pernicious as in the hollows,
and the frosts were scarcely so severe. When the shepherd and his
family who tenanted the house were pitied for their sufferings
from the exposure, they said that upon the whole they were less
inconvenienced by "wuzzes and flames" (hoarses and phlegms) than
when they had lived by the stream of a snug neighbouring valley.
The night of March 28, 182-, was precisely one of the nights that
were wont to call forth these expressions of commiseration. The
level rain-storm smote walls, slopes, and hedges like the cloth-yard
shafts of Senlac and Crecy. Such sheep and outdoor animals as had
no shelter stood with their buttocks to the wind, while the tails
of little birds trying to roost on some scraggy thorn were blown
inside out like umbrellas. The gable end of the cottage was stained
with wet, and the eaves-droppings flapped against the wall. Yet
never was commiseration for the shepherd more misplaced. For that
cheerful rustic was entertaining a large party in glorification of
the christening of his second girl.
The guests had arrived before the rain began to fall, and they
were all now assembled in the chief or living room of the dwelling.
A glance into the apartment at eight o'clock on this eventful
evening would have resulted in the opinion that it was as cosey and
comfortable a nook as could be wished for in boisterous weather.
The calling of its inhabitant was proclaimed by a number of highly
polished sheep-crooks without stems, that were hung ornamentally
over the fireplace, the curl of each shining crook varying, from
the antiquated type engraved in the patriarchal pictures of old
family Bibles to the most approved fashion of the last local sheep
fair. The room was lighted by half a dozen candles, having wicks
only a trifle smaller than than the grease which enveloped them,
in sticks that were never used but at high-days, holy days, and
family feasts. The lights were scattered about the room, two of
them standing on the chimney-piece. This position of candles was
in itself significant. Candles on the chimney-piece always meant
a party.
On the hearth, in front of a back brand to give substance, blazed
a fire of thorns, that crackled "like the laughter of the fool."
Nineteen persons were gathered here. Of these, five women, wearing
gowns of various bright hues, sat in chairs along the wall; girls
shy and not shy filled the window-bench; four men, including Charley
Jake, the hedge-carpenter, Elijah New, the parish clerk, and John
Pitcher, a neighbouring dairyman, the shepherd's father-in-law,
lolled in the settle; a young man and maid, who were blushing over
tentative pourparlers on a life-companionship, sat beneath the
corner cupboard; and an elderly engaged man of fifty or upward
moved restlessly about from spots where his betrothed was not to
the spot where she was. Enjoyment was pretty general, and so much
the more prevailed in being unhampered by conventional restrictions.
Absolute confidence in one another's good opinion begat perfect
ease, while the finishing stroke of manner, amounting to a truly
princely serenity, was lent to the majority by the absence of any
expression or trait denoting that they wished to get on in the
world, enlarge their minds, or do any eclipsing thing whatever,
which nowadays so generally nips the bloom and bonhomie of all
except the two extremes of the social scale.
Shepherd Fennel had married well, his wife being a dairyman's daughter
from the valley below, who brought fifty guineas in her pocket--and
kept them there till they should be required for ministering to
the needs of a coming family. This frugal woman had been somewhat
exercised as to the character that should be given to the gathering.
A sit-still party had its advantages; but an undisturbed position
of ease in chairs and settles was apt to lead on the men to such
an unconscionable deal of toping that they would sometimes fairly
drink the house dry. A dancing-party was the alternative; but this,
while avoiding the foregoing objection on the score of good drink,
had a counterbalancing disadvantage in the matter of good victuals,
the ravenous appetites engendered by the exercise causing immense
havoc in the buttery. Shepherdess Fennel fell back upon the
intermediate plan of mingling short dances with short periods of
talk and singing, so as to hinder any ungovernable rage in either.
But this scheme was entirely confined to her own gentle mind; the
shepherd himself was in the mood to exhibit the most reckless phases
of hospitality.
The fiddler was a boy of those parts, about twelve years of age,
who had a wonderful dexterity in jigs and reels, though his fingers
were so small and short as to necessitate a constant shifting for
the high notes, from which he scrambled back to the first position
with sounds not of unmixed purity of tone. At seven the shrill
"tweedledee" of this youngster had begun, accompanied by a booming
ground bass from Elijah New, the parish clerk, who had thoughtfully
brought with him his favourite musical instrument, the serpent. Dancing
was instantaneous, Mrs. Fennel privately enjoining the players on
no account to let the dance exceed the length of a quarter of an
hour.
But Elijah and the boy, in the excitement of their position, quite
forgot the injunction. Moreover, Oliver Giles, a man of seventeen,
one of the dancers, who was enamoured of his partner, a fair girl of
thirty-three rolling years, had recklessly handed a new crown-piece
to the musicians as a bribe to keep going as long as they had muscle
and wind. Mrs. Fennel, seeing the steam begin to generate on the
countenances of her guests, crossed over and touched the fiddler's
elbow and put her hand on the serpent's mouth. But they took no
notice, and, fearing she might lose her character of genial hostess
if she were to interfere too markedly, she retired and sat down
helpless. And so the dance whizzed on with cumulative fury, the
performers moving in their planet-like courses, direct and retrograde,
from apogee to perigee, till the hand of the well-kicked clock at
the bottom of the room had travelled over the circumference of an
hour.
While these cheerful events were in course of enactment within
Fennel's pastoral dwelling, an incident having considerable bearing
on the party had occurred in the gloomy night without. Mrs. Fennel's
concern about the growing fierceness of the dance corresponded in
point of time with the ascent of a human figure to the solitary
hill of Higher Crowstairs from the direction of the distant town.
This personage strode on through the rain without a pause, following
the little worn path which, farther on in its course, skirted the
shepherd's cottage.
It was nearly the time of full moon, and on this account, though
the sky was lined with a uniform sheet of dripping cloud, ordinary
objects out of doors were readily visible. The sad, wan light
revealed the lonely pedestrian to be a man of supple frame; his
gait suggested that he had somewhat passed the period of perfect
and instinctive agility, though not so far as to be otherwise
than rapid of motion when occasion required. In point of fact, he
might have been about forty years of age. He appeared tall; but a
recruiting sergeant, or other person accustomed to the judging of
men's heights by the eye, would have discerned that this was chiefly
owing to his gauntness, and that he was not more than five feet
eight or nine.
Notwithstanding the regularity of his tread, there was caution in
it, as in that of one who mentally feels his way; and, despite the
fact that it was not a black coat nor a dark garment of any sort
that he wore, there was something about him which suggested that he
naturally belonged to the black-coated tribes of men. His clothes
were of fustian and his boots hobnailed, yet in his progress he
showed not the mud-accustomed bearing of hobnailed and fustianed
peasantry.
By the time that he had arrived abreast of the shepherd's premises,
the rain came down, or rather came along, with yet more determined
violence. The outskirts of the little homestead partially broke
the force of wind and rain, and this induced him to stand still.
The most salient of the shepherd's domestic erections was an empty
sty at the forward corner of his hedgeless garden, for in these
latitudes the principle of masking the homelier features of your
establishment by a conventional frontage was unknown. The traveller's
eye was attracted to this small building by the pallid shine of
the wet slates that covered it. He turned aside, and, finding it
empty, stood under the pentroof for shelter.
While he stood, the boom of the serpent within and the lesser
strains of the fiddler reached the spot, as an accompaniment to
the surging hiss of the flying rain on the sod, its louder beating
on the cabbage-leaves of the garden, on the eight or ten beehives
just discernible by the path, and its dripping from the eaves into
a row of buckets and pans that had been placed under the walls
of the cottage; for at Higher Crowstairs, as at all such elevated
domiciles, the grand difficulty of housekeeping was an insufficiency
of water, and a casual rainfall was utilised by turning out as catchers
every utensil that the house contained. Some queer stories might be
told of the contrivances for economy in suds and dish-waters that
are absolutely necessitated in upland habitations during the
droughts of summer. But at this season there were no such exigencies;
a mere acceptance of what the skies bestowed was sufficient for an
abundant store.
At last the notes of the serpent ceased and the house was silent.
This cessation of activity aroused the solitary pedestrian from
the reverie into which he had lapsed, and, emerging from the shed,
with an apparently new intention, he walked up the path to the
house door. Arrived here, his first act was to kneel down on a
large stone beside the row of vessels and to drink a copious draught
from one of them. Having quenched his thirst, he rose and lifted
his hand to knock, but paused with his eye upon the panel. Since
the dark surface of the wood revealed absolutely nothing, it was
evident that he must be mentally looking through the door, as if
he wished to measure thereby all the possibilities that a house of
this sort might include, and how they might bear upon the question
of his entry.
In his indecision he turned and surveyed the scene around. Not a
soul was anywhere visible. The garden path stretched downward from
his feet, gleaming like the track of a snail; the roof of the little
well (mostly dry), the well-cover, the top rail of the garden gate,
were varnished with the same dull liquid glaze; while, far away in
the vale, a faint whiteness of more than usual extent showed that
the rivers were high in the meads. Beyond all this winked a few
bleared lamplights through the beating drops, lights that denoted
the situation of the county town from which he had appeared to
come. The absence of all notes of life in that direction seemed to
clinch his intentions, and he knocked at the door.
Within a desultory chat had taken the place of movement and musical
sound. The hedge-carpenter was suggesting a song to the company,
which nobody just then was inclined to undertake, so that the knock
afforded a not unwelcome diversion.
"Walk in!" said the shepherd, promptly.
The latch clicked upward, and out of the night our pedestrian
appeared upon the door-mat. The shepherd arose, snuffed two of the
nearest candies, and turned to look at him.
Their light disclosed that the stranger was dark in complexion and
not unprepossessing as to feature. His hat, which for a moment he
did not remove, hung low over his eyes, without concealing that
they were large, open, and determined, moving with a flash rather
than a glance round the room. He seemed pleased with the survey,
and, baring his shaggy head, said, in a rich, deep voice, "The rain
is so heavy, friends, that I ask leave to come in and rest awhile."
"To be sure, stranger," said the shepherd. "And, faith, you've
been lucky in choosing your time, for we are having a bit of a fling
for a glad cause--though, to be sure, a man could hardly wish that
glad cause to happen more than once a year."
"Nor less," spoke up a woman; "for 'tis best to get your family
over and done with as soon as you can, so as to be all the earlier
out of the fag o't."
"And what may be this glad cause?" asked the stranger.
"A birth and christening," said the shepherd.
The stranger hoped his host might not be made unhappy either by too
many or too few of such episodes, and, being invited by a gesture
to a pull at the mug, he readily acquiesced. His manner, which
before entering had been so dubious, was now altogether that of a
careless and candid man.
"Late to be traipsing athwart this coomb--hey?" said the engaged
man of fifty.
"Late it is, master, as you say. I'll take a seat in the chimney-corner
if you have nothing to urge against it, ma'am, for I am a little
moist on the side that was next the rain."
Mrs. Shepherd Fennel assented, and made room for the self-invited
comer, who, having got completely inside the chimney-corner, stretched
out his legs and his arms with the expansiveness of a person quite
at home.
"Yes, I am rather thin in the vamp," he said, freely, seeing that
the eyes of the shepherd's wife fell upon his boots, "and I am not
well fitted, either. I have had some rough times lately, and have
been forced to pick up what I can get in the way of wearing; but
I must find a suit better fit for working-days when I reach home."
"One of hereabouts?" she inquired.
"Not quite that--farther up the country."
"I thought so. And so am I; and by your tongue you come from my
neighbourhood."
"But you would hardly have heard of me," he said, quickly. "My time
would be long before yours, ma'am, you see."
This testimony to the youthfulness of his hostess had the effect
of stopping her cross-examination.
"There is only one thing more wanted to make me happy," continued
the new-comer; "and that is a little 'baccy, which I am sorry to
say I am out of."
"I'll fill your pipe," said the shepherd.
"I must ask you to lend me a pipe likewise."
"A smoker, and no pipe about ye?"
"I have dropped it somewhere on the road."
The shepherd filled and handed him a new clay pipe, saying as
he did so, "Hand me your 'baccy-box; I'll fill that too, now I am
about it."
The man went through the movement of searching his pockets.
"Lost that too?" said his entertainer, with some surprise.
"I am afraid so," said the man, with some confusion "Give it to me
in a screw of paper."
Lighting his pipe at the candle with a suction that drew the whole
flame into the bowl, he resettled himself in the corner, and bent
his looks upon the faint steam from his damp legs as if he wished
say no more.
Meanwhile the general body of guests had been taking little notice
of this visitor by reason of an absorbing discussion in which they
were engaged with the band about a tune for the next dance The matter
being settled, they were about to stand up, when an interruption
came in the shape of another knock at the door.
At sound of the same the man in the chimney-corner took up the
poker and began stirring the fire as if doing it thoroughly were
the one aim of his existence, and a second time the shepherd said,
"Walk in!" In a moment another man stood upon the straw-woven
door-mat. He too was a stranger.
This individual was one of a type radically different from
the first. There was more of the commonplace in his manner, and a
certain jovial cosmopolitanism sat upon his features. He was several
years older than the first arrival, his hair being slightly frosted,
his eyebrows bristly, and his whiskers cut back from his cheeks.
His face was rather full and flabby, and yet it was not altogether
a face without power. A few grog-blossoms marked the neighbourhood
of his nose. He flung back his long drab greatcoat, revealing that
beneath it he wore a suit of cinder-gray shade throughout, large,
heavy seals, of some metal or other that would take a polish,
dangling from his fob as his only personal ornament. Shaking the
water-drops from his low-crowned, glazed hat, he said, "I must ask
for a few minutes' shelter, comrades, or I shall be wetted to my
skin before I get to Casterbridge."
"Make yerself at home, master," said the shepherd, perrhaps a trifle
less heartily than on the first occasion. Not that Fennel had the
least tinge of niggardliness in his composition, but the room was
far from large, spare chairs were not numerous, and damp companions
were not altogether comfortable at close quarters for the women
and girls in their bright-coloured gowns.
However, the second comer, after taking off his greatcoat and
hanging his hat on a nail in one of the ceiling beams as if he had
been specially invited to put it there, advanced, and sat down at
the table. This had been pushed so closely into the chimney-corner,
to give all available room to the dancers, that its inner edge
grazed the elbow of the man who had ensconced himself by the fire,
and thus the two strangers were brought into close companionship.
They nodded to each other way of breaking the ice of unacquaintance,
and the first stranger handed his neighbour the large mug--a
huge vessel of brown ware, having its upper edge worn away, like
a threshold, by the rub of whole genealogies of thirsty lips that
had gone the way of all flesh, and bearing the following inscription
burned upon its rotund side in yellow letters:
More
-
THE STOLEN PLOW
At one time there were two traders who were great friends. One of them lived in a small village, and one lived in a large town near-by. One day the village trader took his plow to the large town to have it mended. Then he left it with the trader... THE STORY OF A BROKEN LIFE.
This was the idea that occurred to both uncle and nephews, but they had seen and heard enough to excuse all that, and Professor Featherwit spoke again, in mildly curious tones: "Sorry I am unable to give you better tidings, my good friend, but, s... THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS
There was once a nation which was very powerful, very fortunate, and very proud. Its lands were fruitful; its armies were victorious in battle; and it had strong kings, wise lawgivers, and great poets. But after a great many years, everything change... THE STORY OF EPAMINONDAS AND HIS AUNTIE
Epaminondas used to go to see his Auntie 'most every day, and she nearly always gave him something to take home to his Mammy. One day she gave him a big piece of cake; nice, yellow, rich gold-cake. Epaminondas took it in his fist and held it a... THE STORY OF JAIRUS'S DAUGHTER
Once, while Jesus was journeying about, He passed near a town where a man named Jairus lived. This man was a ruler in the synagogue, and he had just one little daughter about twelve years of age. At the time that Jesus was there the little daugh... THE STORY OF JOSEPH
And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and wi... THE STORY OF LITTLE BLACK MINGO
Once upon a time there was a little black girl, and her name was Little Black Mingo. She had no father and mother, so she had to live with a horrid cross old woman called Black Noggy, who used to scold her every day, and sometimes beat he... THE STORY OF LITTLE BLACK SAMBO
Prefix There is very little to say about the story of LITTLE BLACK SAMBO. Once upon a time there was an English lady in India, where black children abound and tigers are everyday affairs, who had two little girls. To amuse these little girls sh... THE STORY OF LITTLE TAVWOTS
This is the story an Indian woman told a little white boy who lived with his father and mother near the Indians' country; and Tavwots is the name of the little rabbit. But once, long ago, Tavwots was not little,--he was the largest of all four-fo... THE STORY OF REBEKAH.
When Abraham had grown old, he desired that his son, Isaac, should take a wife. But he did not wish him to choose one from among the women of Canaan, for they worshipped idols. So he called his oldest servant, and commanded him to make a journey t... THE STORY OF SAMSON
And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a ... THE STORY OF THE AMBER BEADS
Do you know Mother Nature? She it is to whom God has given the care of the earth, and all that grows in or upon it, just as he has given to your mother the care of her family of boys and girls. You may think that Mother Nature, like the famous "... THE STORY OF THE LITTLE RID HIN
There was once't upon a time A little small Rid Hin, Off in the good ould country Where yees ha' nivir bin. Nice and quiet shure she was, And nivir did any harrum; She lived alane all be herself, ... THE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
There was once an old sow with three little pigs, and as she had not enough to keep them, she sent them out to seek their fortune. The first that went off met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him: "Please, man, give me that straw ... The Story of the Three Little Pigs
<img src="/images/imgcover.jpg" alt="Front cover" title="Front cover" /><br> <img src="/images/imginsidefront.jpg" alt="Inside front" title="Inside front" /><br> <img src="/images/imgtitle.jpg" alt="Title page" title="Title page" /> <br> <img src=... THE STORY OF WYLIE
This is a story about a dog,--not the kind of dog you often see in the street here; not a fat, wrinkly pugdog, nor a smooth-skinned bulldog, nor even a big shaggy fellow, but a slim, silky-haired, sharp-eared little dog, the prettiest thing you ... THE STUPID MONKEYS
Once upon a time a king gave a holiday to all the people in one of his cities. The king's gardener thought to himself: "All my friends are having a holiday in the city. I could go into the city and enjoy myself with them if I did not have to wa... THE SUN AND THE WIND
The Sun and the Wind once had a quarrel as to which was the stronger. Each believed himself to be the more powerful. While they were arguing they saw a traveller walking along the country highway, wearing a great cloak. "Here is a chance to tes... THE SUN CHILDREN'S PERIL.
Not until the two young men passed beneath those heavy curtains did either one of the Sun Children really give thought to their own possible peril, but stood close together, arm of mother about daughter as they listened to the ominous sounds without... THE SWAGMAN
Oh, he was old and he was spare; His bushy whiskers and his hair Were all fussed up and very grey He said he'd come a long, long way And had a long, long way to go. Each boot was broken at the toe, And he'd a swag upon his back. His billy-can, a... THE TAILOR AND THE THREE BEASTS
There was once a tailor in Galway, and he started out on a journey to go to the king's court at Dublin. He had not gone far when he met a white horse, and he saluted him. "God save you," said the tailor. "God save you," said the horse. "Whe... THE TALE OF BETSY BUTTERFLY
Betsy Butterfly is the owner of a pair of such beautifully colored wings and her sweet disposition matches them so perfectly that it is a very common occurrence to hear one of the tiny dwellers in Farmer Green's meadow remark: "Why, the sun just has... THE TALE OF DADDY LONG-LEGS
Daddy is a person of such unusual appearance with, his eight scrawny legs in contrast to ordinary people's two, and everything about his private life is such a mystery to his neighbors that his acquaintances give him credit for having a marvelous ab... THE TALE OF FREDDIE FIREFLY
Freddie Firefly is most anxious to lighten the cares of his friends in Pleasant Valley for he is a most unselfish fellow and enjoys nothing more than seeing other people as happy as he. He has one grave fault, however, that prevents him from being a... THE TALE OF JOLLY ROBIN
Of course, there is a time when Jolly Robin is only a nestling. Then one day, after he tumbles out of the apple tree and falls squawking and fluttering to the ground, he takes his first lesson in flying. So pleased is Jolly to know that he can actua... THE TALE OF KIDDIE KATYDID
Kiddy Katydid and his relatives were in possession of a secret that none of the Pleasant Valley folk can solve, though they waste much time and energy trying to guess it. Even to this day it is doubtful if anyone other than Kiddie himself really kno... THE TALE OF OLD MR. CROW
Mr. Crow has a very solemn look--unless you regard him closely. But it is a very sly, knowing look, if you take pains to stare boldly into his eyes. Like many human beings, he is fond of clothes, and he particularly likes gay ones, but perhaps that ... THE TALE OF SOLOMON OWL
All the folks down in Pleasant Valley know Solomon Owl. Well, It's this way. If you hear Solomon Owl on a dark night when his "Wha-Wha! Whoo-ah!" sends a chill 'way up your spine, and if you see him you can never forget him, either. He has great, bi... THE TALK OF THE TREES THAT STAND IN THE VILLAGE STREET
How still it is! Nobody in the village street, the children all at school, and the very dogs sleeping lazily in the sunshine. Only a south wind blows lightly through the trees, lifting the great fans of the horse-chestnut, tossing the slight branc... THE TALKATIVE TORTOISE
Once upon a time, a Tortoise lived in a pond with two Ducks, who were her very good friends. She enjoyed the company of the Ducks, because she could talk with them to her heart's content; the Tortoise liked to talk. She always had something to say... THE TEACHER
I'd like to be a teacher, and have a clever brain, Calling out, "Attention, please!" and "Must I speak in vain?" I'd be quite strict with boys and girls whose minds I had to train, And all the books and maps and things I'd carefully explain; I'd ma... THE TELLTALE TILE
It begins with a bit of gossip of a neighbour who had come in to see Miss Bennett, and was telling her about a family who had lately moved into the place and were in serious trouble. "And they do say she'll have to go to the poorhouse," she ende... THE TEMPEST
Charles and Mary Lamb There was a certain island in the sea, the only inhabitants of which were an old man, whose name was Prospero, and his daughter Miranda, a very beautiful young lady. She came to this island so young, that she had no memo... THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
The Israelites journeyed onward and encamped before Mount Sinai. There God talked with Moses, and instructed him to remind the people of the great things He had done for them; and to say that if they obeyed Him, and kept His covenant, they should ... THE TEN FAIRIES
Once upon a time there was a dear little girl, whose name was Elsa. Elsa's father and mother worked very hard and became rich. But they loved Elsa so much that they did not like her to do any work; very foolishly, they let her play all the time. S... THE THREE FISHES
Once upon a time three Fishes lived in a far-away river. They were named Thoughtful, Very-Thoughtful, and Thoughtless. One day they left the wild country where no men lived, and came down the river to live near a town. Very-Thoughtful said to... THE THREE STRANGERS
Among the few features of agricultural England which retain an appearance but little modified by the lapse of centuries may be reckoned the high, grassy, and furzy downs, coombs, or eweleases, as they are indifferently called, that fill a ... THE TORTOISE AND THE GEESE
the Geese, and Other Fables of Bidpai,_ retold by Maude Barrows Button.] A Tortoise and two Geese lived together in a pond for many years. At last there came a drought and dried up the pond. Then the Geese said to one another,-- "We must se... THE TOWER OF BABEL.
Babel means confusion. Was it not a strange name to give a tower? How did it get this? After Noah left the ark, God made a promise to him that He would no more destroy the earth by a flood, and blessed him and his sons. In course of time many l... THE TRAM-MAN
I'd like to be a Tram-man, and ride about all day, Calling out, "Fares, please!" in quite a 'ficious way, With pockets full of pennies which I'd make the people pay. But in the hottest days I'd take my tram down to the Bay; And when I saw the nice ... THE TRAVELLER
As I rode in to Burrumbeet, I met a man with funny feet; And, when I paused to ask him why His feet were strange, he rolled his eye And said the rain would spoil the wheat; So I rode on to Burrumbeet. As I rode in to Beetaloo, I met a man whos... THE TRIANTIWONTIGONGOLOPE
There's a very funny insect that you do not often spy, And it isn't quite a spider, and it isn't quite a fly; It is something like a beetle, and a little like a bee, But nothing like a wooly grub that climbs upon a tree. Its name is quite a hard on... THE TRICKY WOLF AND THE RATS
Once upon a time a Big Rat lived in the forest, and many hundreds of other Rats called him their Chief. A Tricky Wolf saw this troop of Rats, and began to plan how he could catch them. He wanted to eat them, but how was he to get them? At last ... THE TWO BLIND MEN.
When Jesus had left the house of the ruler Jairus, there followed Him two blind men. They called out to Him, "Thou Son of David, have mercy upon us." Then Jesus looked at them, and asked if they really believed that He had power to cure them an... THE UGLY DUCKLING
Hans Christian Andersen It was glorious out in the country. It was summer, and the cornfields were yellow, and the oats were green; the hay had been put up in stacks in the green meadows, and the stork went about on his long red legs, and chatt... THE UNDER-WORLD
"How dark it is here, and how difficult for one to make his way through the thick atmosphere!" so thought little Alba, as he pushed and pushed slowly into the soft mud. Presently a busy hum sounded all about him; and, becoming accustomed to the da... THE UNFRUITFUL TREE.
A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit thereon, but found none. Then he called to the gardener who attended to his vineyard, and said to him, "Behold these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tr... THE UNJUST STEWARD.
See where the steward, worldly wise, With wicked cunning in his eyes, Shows his lord's debtors how to cheat His master of his oil and wheat. "A hundred measures dost thou owe Of oil? My friend, 'tis scarcely so: He... THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT.
A certain King took account of his servants and began to reckon what they owed him. And there was brought to him one that owed him nearly _ten million dollars_. But as he had not the money to pay, the King commanded that he should be sold, togethe... THE UNSOCIABLE WALLABY
Willie spied a wallaby hopping through the fern-- Here a jump, here a thump, there a sudden turn. Willie called the wallaby, begging him to stop, But he went among the wattles with a flip, ... THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm One summer's morning a little tailor was sitting on his table by the window; he was in good spirits, and sewed with all his might. Then came a peasant woman down the street, crying, "Good jams, cheap! Good jams, cheap!" ... THE VENTURESOME RAT.
He was a fine young rat and lived with his father and mother, and brothers and sisters in a farm-cellar. Now this young rat was not of a very quiet disposition. In fact he was quite gay, and thought the life in the farm-cellar was very dull and s... THE VIOLET
Down in a green and shady bed A modest violet grew, Its stalk was bent, it hung its head, As if to hide from view. And yet it was a lovely flower, Its color bright and fair; It might have graced a rosy bower Instead of hiding there. ... THE VOYAGE OF THE WEE RED CAP
It was the night of St. Stephen, and Teig sat alone by his fire with naught in his cupboard but a pinch of tea and a bare mixing of meal, and a heart inside of him as soft and warm as the ice on the water-bucket outside the door. The tuft was ne... THE WALRUS AND THE CARPENTER
The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might; He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright-- And this was odd, because it was The middle of the night. The moon was shining sulkily, Because she thought the ... THE WAY TO BE HAPPY
How pleasant it is at the end of the day, No follies to have to repent, But reflect on the past and be able to say, My time has been properly spent! When I've done all my business with patience and care, And been good, and obliging, and kind... THE WEDDING GARMENT.
There was a certain King who gave a great feast upon the occasion of his son's wedding. And he sent out his servants to bring in those that had been invited, but they would not come. Then he sent forth other servants, saying, "Tell them which were... THE WHOLE DUTY OF CHILDREN
A child should always say what's true And speak when he is spoken to, And behave mannerly at table; At least as far as he is able. ... THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN.
One day when the priests and elders of the Temple were asking questions of Jesus, He told them this parable. There was a certain man who had a vineyard which was hedged or walled round, and had a tower. But he was going away into a country far o... THE WIND
Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I But when the leaves hang trembling The wind is passing by. Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I But when the trees bow down their heads The wind is passing by. ... THE WIND
I saw you toss the kites on high And blow the birds about the sky; And all around I heard you pass, Like ladies' skirts across the grass-- O wind, a-blowing all day long, O wind, that sings so loud a song! I saw the different things you d... THE WIND AND THE SUN
A dispute once arose betwixt the North Wind and the Sun about the superiority of their power; and they agreed to try their strength upon a traveler, which should be able to get his cloak off first. The North Wind began, and blew a very cold blast,... THE WIND'S TALE
... THE WISE GOAT AND THE WOLF
Once upon a time, many, many wild Goats lived in a cave in the side of a hill. A Wolf lived with his mate not far from this cave. Like all Wolves they liked the taste of Goat-meat. So they caught the Goats, one after another, and ate them all but ... THE WISE MEN'S VISIT.
The birth of Jesus Christ was announced by two remarkable events: the coming of wise men from the East, and the appearance of angels to some shepherds at Bethlehem. The wise men were probably astronomers; and in watching the stars they had seen... THE WOLF AND THE STORK
The wolves are prone to play the glutton. One, at a certain feast, 'tis said, So stuffed himself with lamb and mutton, He seemed but little short of dead. Deep in his throat a bone stuck fast. Well for this wolf, who could not speak, That... THE WOMAN OF CANAAN.
Jesus came unto the borders of Tyre and Sidon, where the people were not Jews, but Gentiles. And there came to Him a woman of Canaan, who cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with ... THE WONDERFUL DRAUGHT OF FISHES
One day, as the crowds pressed round Him to hear the Word of God, Jesus came to the Lake of Gennesaret and saw two boats drawn up on the shore. Now one of these belonged to a man named Simon Peter, who was at the water's edge washing his nets. Jes... THE WOODPECKER AND THE LION
One day while a Lion was eating his dinner a bone stuck in his throat. It hurt so that he could not finish his dinner. He walked up and down, up and down, roaring with pain. A Woodpecker lit on a branch of a tree near-by, and hearing the Lion, ... THE WOODPECKER, TURTLE, AND DEER
Once upon a time a Deer lived in a forest near a lake. Not far from the same lake, a Woodpecker had a nest in the top of a tree; and in the lake lived a Turtle. The three were friends, and lived together happily. A hunter, wandering about in th... THE WORLD TURNS WHITE
After he outwitted the strange dog, Tommy Fox became more of a braggart than ever. He thought that he knew just about all there was to know. But with the coming of winter Tommy found that he had many things to learn. It was almost like living in a... THE WRECK OF THE HESPERUS
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow It was the schooner _Hesperus_, That sailed the wintry sea; And the skipper had taken his little daughter, To bear him company. Blue were her eyes as the fairy-flax, Her cheeks like the dawn of day, And h...