A long time ago there lived in an old mansion in the country a rich
gentleman and his wife, who had two dear little children, of whom
they were very fond. Sad to relate, the gentleman and lady were both
taken ill, and, feeling they were about to die, sent for the uncle of
the children, and begged him to take care of them till they were old
enough to inherit the estates.
Now this uncle was a bad and cruel man, who wanted to take the house,
the estates, and the money for himself,--so after the death of the
parents he began to think how he could best get rid of the children.
For some time he kept them till he claimed for them all the goods
that should have been theirs. At last he sent for two robbers, who
had once been his companions, and showing them the boy and girl, who
were at play, offered them a large sum of money to carry them away
and never let him see them more.
One of the two robbers began coaxing the little boy and girl, and
asking them if they would not like to go out for a nice ride in the
woods, each of them on a big horse. The boy said he should if his
sister might go too, and the girl said she should not be afraid if
her brother went with her. So the two robbers enticed them away from
the house, and, mounting their horses, went off into the woods, much
to the delight of the children, who were pleased with the great
trees, the bright flowers, and the singing of the birds.
Now, one of these men was not so bad and cruel as the other, and he
would not consent to kill the poor little creatures, as the other had
threatened he would do. He said that they should be left in the woods
to stray about, and perhaps they might then escape. This led to a
great quarrel between the two, and at last the cruel one jumped off
his horse, saying he would kill them, let who would stand in the way.
Upon this the other drew his sword to protect the children, and after
a fierce fight succeeded in killing his companion.
But though he had saved them from being murdered, he was afraid to
take them back or convey them out of the wood, so he pointed out a
path, telling them to walk straight on and he would come back to them
when he had bought some bread for their supper; he rode away and left
them there all alone, with only the trees, and birds and flowers.
They loved each other so dearly, and were so bold and happy, that
they were not much afraid though they were both very hungry.
The two children soon got out of the path, which led into the
thickest part of the wood, and then they wandered farther and farther
into the thicket till they were both sadly tired, but they found some
wild berries, nuts and fruits, and began to eat them to satisfy their
hunger. The dark night came on and the robber did not return. They
were cold, and still very hungry, and the boy went about looking for
fresh fruit for his sister, and tried to comfort her as they lay down
to sleep on the soft moss under the trees.
The next day, and the next, they roamed about, but there was nothing
to eat but wild fruits; and they lived on them till they grew so weak
that they could not go far from the tree where they had made a little
bed of grass and weeds. There they laid down as the shades of night
fell upon them, and in the morning they were both in heaven, for they
died there in the forest, and as the sun shone upon their little pale
faces, the robins and other birds came and covered their bodies with
leaves, and so died and were buried the poor Babes in the Wood.
[Page 17--Girl's Stories]