ugly witch turned me into a bear, but every night I am myself again,
and if you had waited only a year, and had not tried to find me out, I
should have been free.
"Now I must go back to my other castle and marry an ugly princess with
a nose three yards long."
The girl cried and cried and cried, but it did no good.
She asked if she could go with him, but he said that she could not.
"Tell me the way there," she said, "and I will find you."
"It is East of the Sun and West of the Moon, but there is no way to
it," he said.
Next morning when the girl awoke, she found herself all alone in the
deep woods.
She set out and walked and walked till she came to a very old woman
sitting under a hill. The old woman had a golden apple in her hand.
The girl asked the woman to tell her the way to the castle of the
prince who lived East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
The old woman didn't know, but she gave the girl the golden apple, and
lent her a horse, and said to her:
"Ask my next neighbor. Maybe she will know. And when you find her,
switch my horse under the left ear and tell him to be off home."
So the girl got on the horse and rode until she came to an old woman
with a golden comb. This old woman answered her as the first had done,
and lent her another horse and gave her the golden comb.
The girl got on the horse and rode till she came to another old woman
spinning on a golden spinning wheel. This old woman did as the others
had done, and lent her another horse and gave her the golden spinning
wheel.
"You might ask the East Wind. Maybe he will know," she said.
So the girl rode on until she came to the house of the East Wind.
"I have heard of the prince and his castle, but I never went so far as
that," said the East Wind.
"Get on my back, and I will carry you to my brother, the West Wind.
Maybe he will know."
She got on his back, and away they went. O how fast they went!
At last they found the West Wind, but he had never been so far as the
castle of the prince.
"Get on my back," said West Wind, "and I will take you to our brother,
the South Wind. He will know, for he has been everywhere."
So she got on the West Wind, and away they went to the South Wind.
"It is a long way to that castle," said the South Wind, with a sigh.
"I have never been so far as that, but our brother, the North Wind, is
stronger than any of us. If he has not been there, you will never
find the way, and you might as well give it up. So get on my back, and
I will take you to him."
The girl got on the back of the South Wind, and soon they came to
where the North Wind lived.
"Boo-oo-oo! What do you want?" roared the North Wind.
"Here is a girl who is looking for the prince that lives East of the
Sun and West of the Moon. Do you know where that is?" asked the South
Wind.
"Yes, once I blew a leaf as far as that, and I was so tired after it
that I couldn't blow for a long time. But if you are sure you want to
go and are not afraid, I'll take you."
Yes, she was sure she wanted to go.
North Wind blew himself out so big that he was dreadful to look at.
But she jumped on his back, and away they went.
How they did go!
The North Wind grew so tired that he almost had to stop.
His feet began to trail in the sea.
"Are you afraid?" he asked.
No, she was not afraid.
So they kept going on and on, till at last they came to the castle,
and the North Wind put her down and went away and left her.
The next morning, as she sat there, Princess Long-Nose looked out of
the window.
"What will you take for your big golden apple?" asked Long-Nose.
"It is not for sale," said the girl.
"I will give you anything you ask," said Long-Nose.
"Let me speak to the prince, and you may have it," said the girl.
"Very well," said Long-Nose.
She made the girl wait till night, and then let her in, but the prince
was fast asleep.
He would not wake up.
Long-Nose had given him a kind of drink to make him sleep soundly.
So the girl went sadly out.
Next morning Long-Nose looked out of the window and said to her, "What
will you take for the comb?"
"It is not for sale," said the girl.
Long-Nose said that the girl might see the prince again if she would
give her the comb.
So she saw the prince again, but he was asleep as before.
Next morning Long-Nose looked out and saw the spinning wheel.
She wanted that too. So she said she would let the girl come in and
see the prince once more if she would give her the spinning wheel.
Some one told the prince about it, and that night he did not take the
drink which Long-Nose gave to him. He threw it out of the window.
When the girl came, he was awake, and she told him her story.
"You are just in time," said the prince, "for to-morrow I was to be
married to Long-Nose.
"Now I will have no one but you. I will tell Long-Nose that I will
marry no one who cannot wash three drops of candle grease out of my
coat. She cannot do it, but I know that you can."
So the next morning the prince said that he must have three drops of
grease washed out of his coat, and that he would marry no one who
couldn't wash them out.
Long-Nose began to wash the coat, but she couldn't get the grease out.
It turned black.
Then the old witch tried, but she had no better luck.
Then the younger witches tried.
"You cannot wash," said the prince. "I believe the poor girl out under
the window can wash better than you. Let her try."
So the girl came in and tried, and as soon as she put the coat into
the water it was white as snow.
"You are the girl for me!" said the prince.
At this the old witch flew into such a rage that she fell to pieces,
and Princess Long-Nose fell to pieces, and the younger witches all
fell to pieces. And no one could ever put them together again.
The prince married the poor girl, and they flew away as far as they
could from the castle that lay East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
POEMS BY ABBIE FARWELL BROWN
THE SAILOR
Little girl, O little girl,
Where did you sail to-day?
The greeny grass is all about;
I cannot see the bay.
"The greeny grass is water, sir;
I'm sailing on the sea,
I'm tacking to the Island there
Beneath the apple tree.
"You ought to come aboard my boat,
Or you will soon be drowned!
You're standing in the ocean, sir,
That billows all around!"
Little girl, O little girl,
And must I pay a fare?
"A penny to the apple tree,
A penny back from there.
"A penny for a passenger,
But sailors voyage free;
O, will you be a sailor, sir,
And hold the sheet for me?"
A MUSIC BOX
I am a little music box,
Wound up and made to go,
And play my little living tune
The best way that I know.
If I am naughty, cross, or rude,
The music will go wrong,
My little works be tangled up
And spoil the pretty song.
I must be very sweet and good
And happy all the day,
And then the little music box
In tune will always play.
AMERICAN INDIAN LEGENDS
LITTLE SCAR-FACE
Among the pine trees, by a quiet lake, stood the wigwam of a great
Indian whose name was Big Moose. His sister kept the wigwam for him,
and took care of all that was his. Her name was White Maiden.
No one but White Maiden had ever seen Big Moose. The Indians could see
the marks of his feet in the snow, and they could hear his sled as it
ran over the ice, but they could not see him.
It was said that this was because they were not kind and good.
White Maiden was kind and good, and she could always see him.
One day White Maiden called all the Indian maidens and said:
"My brother, Big Moose, wishes to marry, but he will not marry any one
who cannot see him, and only those who are good can see him."
All the Indian maidens were glad when they heard that Big Moose wished
to marry. They had all heard how brave and strong he was, and what a
great hunter he was, and how kind and good and wonderful he was, in
every way.
Each wished that he would choose her for his wife, and each was very
sure that she could see him.
For a long time after that the Indian maidens would go down to the
wigwam of Big Moose, by the lake, and try to see him. Every evening
some of them would go at sunset and sit and watch for him.
When he came they would hear him, and the door of the wigwam would be
opened, and he would go in, but they could not see him.
At the other end of the village lived an old Indian with his three
daughters. The two older daughters were not kind to the youngest one.
They made her do all the work and gave her little to eat.
The oldest sister had a very hard heart. Once, when she was angry, she
threw a pail of hot ashes at the youngest sister.
The child's face was burned, and she was called Little Scar-Face.
One day in early winter, when the first white snow lay on the ground,
the oldest sister said:
"Come, Scar-Face, bring me my shell beads and help me to dress. I am
going to marry Big Moose."
Little Scar-Face brought the beads and put them on the oldest sister
and helped her to dress.
At sunset the oldest sister went down to the wigwam by the lake. White
Maiden asked her to come in. By and by they heard Big Moose. They
could hear his sled running through the snow.
White Maiden took the sister to the door of the wigwam and said, "Can
you see my brother?"
"Yes, I can see him very well," answered the other.
"Then look and tell me what the string of his sled is made of," said
White Maiden.
"It is made of moose skin," said the sister of Little Scar-Face.
"No, it is not made of moose skin. You have not seen my brother. You
must go away," said White Maiden.
So she drove out the oldest sister. Next day the next to the oldest
sister said to Little Scar-Face:
"Come, Scar-Face, bring me my shell beads and help me to dress. I am
going to marry Big Moose."
Little Scar-Face brought the beads and helped her sister to dress.
In the evening, just at sunset, the sister went down through the pine
trees to the lake.
"Come in," said White Maiden.
Soon they heard Big Moose coming.
"Can you see my brother?" asked White Maiden.
"Yes, I can see him very well," said the other.
"Then what is his sled string made of?" asked White Maiden.
"It is made of deerskin," said the other.
"No, it is not made of deerskin," said White Maiden.
"You have not seen my brother. You must go away."
And she drove her out.
The next morning Little Scar-Face worked very hard. She built the fire
and carried out all the ashes and brought in the wood and did
everything that she could.
Then she said to her two sisters, "Sisters, let me take your beads. I
too should like to find out if I can see Big Moose."
Her sisters laughed loud and long. They would not let her take their
beads. No, indeed!
At last one of the sisters said she had an old broken string of beads
that Scar-Face might take.
So Little Scar-Face took the old broken string of beads and tied it
together and put it on. Then she made a queer little dress out of
birch bark, and she washed herself all fresh and clean, and brushed
her hair, and put on the dress and the old string of beads. So she
went down through the village and the dark pine woods to the wigwam of
Big Moose.
She was not a pretty child, for her face and hair were burned, and her
clothes were very queer.
But White Maiden asked her to come in and spoke kindly to her. So she
went in and sat down.
Soon she heard Big Moose coming.
White Maiden took her to the door of the wigwam and said:
"Little Scar-Face, can you see my brother?"
"Yes, indeed, and I am afraid, for his face is very wonderful and very
beautiful."
"What is his sled string made of?" asked White Maiden.
"How wonderful! how wonderful!" cried Little Scar-Face.
"His sled string is the rainbow!"
Big Moose heard her and said, "Sister, wash the eyes and hair of
Little Scar-Face in the magic water."
White Maiden did so, and every scar faded away, and the hair of Little
Scar-Face grew long and black, and her eyes were like two stars.
White Maiden put a wonderful dress of deerskin and a string of golden
beads on Little Scar-Face, and she was more beautiful than any of the
other maidens.
And Big Moose made her his wife.
THE HUNTER WHO FORGOT
Once there was a great hunter who was very rich. He had many strings
of shell money around his neck. The Indians call these shells wampum.
In the woods near his home lived a big white elk that used to come and
talk to him. The elk told him what was right and what was wrong. The
Great Spirit sent the elk to him.
When he obeyed the elk, he was happy and everything went well, but
when he did not obey, he was not happy, and everything went wrong.
One day the elk said to him:
"You are too hungry for wampum. Look! your neck and shoulders are
covered with long strings of wampum. Some of it belongs to your wife.
You took it from her. You took some of it from other Indians and gave
them deer meat that was not fit to eat. You are not honest."
The hunter was much ashamed, but he would not give back the wampum. He
thought too much of it to give it back.
"I will give you enough wampum to fill your heart," said the elk, "but
you must do just as I tell you. Will you do it?"
"I will do it," said the hunter.
"Go to the top of the great white mountain. There you will find a
black lake. Across the lake are three black rocks. One of them is like
the head of a moose.
"Dig in the earth before this rock. There you will find a cave full of
wampum. It is on strings of elk skin. Take all you want.
"While you dig, twelve otters will come out of the black lake. Put a
string of wampum around the neck of each of the otters and upon each
of the three black rocks."
The hunter went back to the village. There he got an elk-horn pick and
set out. No one knew where he went.
He made his camp that night at the foot of the great white mountain.
As soon as it was light, he began to climb up the mountain side. At
last he stood on the top, and there before him was a great hollow. It
was so great that he could not shoot an arrow across it.
The hollow was white with snow, but in the middle was a black lake,
and on the other side of the lake stood the three black rocks.
The hunter walked around the lake over the snow. Then he took the
elk-horn pick and struck one blow before the black rock which looked
like the head of a moose.
Four great otters came up out of the black lake and sat beside him.
He struck another blow. Four more otters came and sat behind him.
He struck again. Four more otters came and sat on the other side.
At last the pick struck a rock. The hunter dug it out, and beneath it
was a cave full of wampum.
The hunter put both of his hands into the wampum and played with it.
It felt good. He took out great strings of it and put them around his
neck and over his shoulders.
He worked fast, for the sun was now going down, and he must go home.
He put so many strings of wampum around his neck and shoulders that he
could hardly walk.
But he did not put any around the necks of the twelve otters, nor on
the three black rocks. He did not give them one string--not one
shell.
He forgot what the white elk had told him. He did not obey.
Soon it grew dark. He crept along by the shore of the big black lake.
The otters jumped into it and swam and beat the water into white foam.
A black mist came over the mountain.
Then the storm winds came, and the Great Spirit was in the storm.
It seemed as if the storm said, "You did not obey! You did not obey!"
Then the thunder roared at him, "You did not obey!"
The hunter was greatly frightened. He broke a great string of wampum
and threw it to the storm winds, but the storm winds only laughed.
He broke another string and threw it to the thunder voices, but the
thunder roared louder than before.
He threw away one string after another until all of them were gone.
Then he fell upon the ground and went to sleep. He slept long.
When he woke up he was an old man with white hair. He did not know
what had happened, but he sat there and looked at the great mountain,
and his heart was full of peace.
"I have no wampum. I have given it all away. I am not hungry for it
any more. I will go home," he said.
He could hardly find his way, for the trees had grown across the
trail.
When at last he got home, no one but his wife knew him. She was now
very old and had white hair like himself. She showed him a tall man
near by, and said it was their baby.
The hunter looked at them.
"I have slept many moons," he said.
He lived among the Indians long after that and taught them much. He
taught them to keep their word, and to obey the Great Spirit.
THE WATER LILY
One summer evening, many years ago, some Indians were sitting out
under the stars, telling stories.
All at once they saw a star fall. It fell halfway down the sky.
That night one of the Indians had a dream about the star. It seemed to
come and stand beside him, and it was like a young girl, dressed all
in white.
She said, "I have left my home in the sky because I love the Indians
and want to live among them. Call your wise men together and ask them
what shape I shall take."
The Indian woke up and called all the wise men together.
Then he told them his dream.
The wise men said, "Let her choose what shape she will take. She may
live in the top of a tree, or she may live in a flower, or she may
live where she will."
Every night the star came down a little lower in the sky, and stood
over the valley where the Indians lived, and made it very bright.
Then one night it fell down upon the side of the mountain and became a
white rose.
But it was lonely on the mountain. The rose could see the Indians, but
it could not hear them talk. So one day it left the mountain and came
down into the plain and became a great white prairie flower.
Here it lived for a time. But the buffaloes and the other wild beasts
of the prairie ran all around it and over it, and it was afraid.
One night the Indians saw a star go up from the prairie.
They knew that it was the prairie flower and they thought that it was
going back into the sky.
But it floated toward them until it came over the lake that lay just
beside them.
It looked down into the lake, and there it saw its shadow and the
shadows of the other stars that live in the sky.
It came down lower and lower, and at last floated on the top of the
water.
The next morning the lake was covered with water lilies.
"See! the stars have blossomed!" said all the children.
But the wise men answered:
"It is the white star and her sisters. They will stay with us."
RUSSIAN FABLES
FORTUNE AND THE BEGGAR
A poor beggar, with a ragged old bag, crept along the road one day,
begging his bread.
As he went he grumbled to himself because there were so many rich men
in the world.
"The rich never think that they have enough," he said to himself.
"They always want more than they have. Now if I had a very little
money, I should be happy. I should not want too much."
A fairy named Fortune, who brought good gifts to men, heard the poor
beggar grumbling to himself and came to him.
"Friend," said Fortune, "I have wanted to help you. Open your bag. I
will give you all the gold that it will hold. But if any falls out
upon the ground, it will turn to dust. Your bag is old. Don't try to
have it too full, for if you do, it will break, and you will lose
all."
The beggar was so happy that he began to dance up and down.
He opened his bag and let the gold run into it in a big, yellow
stream. Soon the bag was almost full.
"Is that enough?" asked Fortune.
"No," said the beggar, "not yet."
"The bag is old. It is going to break," said Fortune.
"Never fear!" said the beggar.
"But you are now a rich man. Isn't that enough?" asked Fortune.
"A little more," said the beggar.
"Now," said Fortune, "the bag is full, but take care, or you will lose
it."
"Just a little more," said the beggar.
Fortune put in just a little more. The bag broke. All the gold fell
through upon the ground and turned to dust.
The beggar had nothing left but his old broken bag. He was as poor as
he had been before.
THE SPIDER AND THE BEE
A merchant brought some linen to a fair and opened a shop. It was good
linen, and many came to buy of him.
A spider saw what was going on, and said to herself:
"I can spin. Why shouldn't I open a shop, too?"
So the spider opened a little shop in the corner of a window, and
spun all night, and made a beautiful web. She hung it out where
everybody could see it.
"That is fine!" said the spider. "Surely, when the morning comes, all
will want to buy it."
At last the morning came.
A man saw the web in the corner and swept it away, spider and all.
"That is a pretty thing to do!" cried the spider. "I should like to
ask whose work is the finer, mine or that merchant's?"
A bee happened to fly past.
"Yours is the finer," said the bee. "We all know that. But what is it
good for? It will neither warm nor cover any one."
THE STONE AND THE WORM
(A stone lay in a field. A farmer and his son were talking near
by.)
FARMER. That was a fine rain we had this morning.
SON. Yes, indeed! A rain like that makes everybody glad.
FARMER. I have been wishing a long time for such a rain as that.
SON. It was better than gold.
(As they walked away, a worm crept out from under the stone.
The stone called to the worm.)
STONE. Friend Worm, did you hear what those men were saying?
WORM. Yes, they were saying how good the rain was.
STONE. What has the rain done, I should like to know? It rained two
hours and made me all wet.
WORM. That didn't hurt you.
STONE. Yes, it did. But it hurts me more to hear everybody saying how
fine the rain was. Why don't they talk about me? I have been here for
hundreds of years. I hurt nobody. I wet nobody. I stay quietly where I
am put. Yet nobody ever has a kind word for me.
WORM. Stop your talk. This rain has helped the wheat and made it grow.
And the wheat will help the farmer. It will give him bread. What have
you ever given to anybody?
THE FOX IN THE ICE
Very early one winter morning a fox was drinking at a hole in the ice.
While he was drinking, the end of his tail got into the water, and
there it froze fast.
He could have pulled it out and left some of the hairs behind, but he
would not do this.
"How can I spoil such a beautiful tail!" said the fox to himself.
"No, I will wait a little. The men are asleep and will not catch me.
Perhaps when the sun comes up the ice will melt."
So he waited, and the water froze harder and harder.
At last the sun came up.
The fox could see men coming down to the pond. He pulled and pulled,
but now his tail was frozen so fast that he could not pull it out.
Just then a wolf came by.
"Help me, friend," cried the fox, "or I shall be lost."
The wolf helped him, and set him free very quickly. He bit off the
tail of the fox.
So the fox lost all of his fine great tail because he would not give
up a little hair from it.
POEMS BY FRANK D. SHERMAN
CLOUDS
The sky is full of clouds to-day,
And idly, to and fro,
Like sheep across the pasture, they
Across the heavens go.
I hear the wind with merry noise
Around the housetops sweep,
And dream it is the shepherd boys--
They're driving home their sheep.
The clouds move faster now, and see!
The west is red and gold;
Each sheep seems hastening to be
The first within the fold.
I watch them hurry on until
The blue is clear and deep,
And dream that far beyond the hill
The shepherds fold their sheep.
Then in the sky the trembling stars
Like little flowers shine out,
While Night puts up the shadow bars,
And darkness falls about.
I hear the shepherd wind's good night,
"Good night, and happy sleep!"
And dream that in the east, all white,
Slumber the clouds, the sheep.
GHOST FAIRIES
When the open fire is lit,
In the evening after tea,
Then I like to come and sit
Where the fire can talk to me.
Fairy stories it can tell,
Tales of a forgotten race--
Of the fairy ghosts that dwell
In the ancient chimney place.
They are quite the strangest folk
Anybody ever knew,
Shapes of shadow and of smoke
Living in the chimney flue.
"Once," the fire said, "long ago,
With the wind they used to rove,
Gypsy fairies, to and fro,
Camping in the field and grove.
"Hither with the trees they came
Hidden in the logs; and here,
Hovering above the flame,
Often some of them appear."
So I watch, and sure enough,
I can see the fairies! Then
Suddenly there comes a puff--
Whish!--and they are gone again!
DAISIES
At evening when I go to bed
I see the stars shine overhead;
They are the little daisies white
That dot the meadow of the night.
And often while I'm dreaming so,
Across the sky the moon will go;
It is a lady, sweet and fair,
Who comes to gather daisies there.
For when at morning I arise,
There's not a star left in the skies;
She's picked them all and dropped them down
Into the meadows of the town.
OLD GREEK STORIES
THE SUN, THE MOON, AND THE STAR GIANT
A great many years ago the Greeks told beautiful stories about what
they saw in the earth and in the sky and in the sea.
They said the Sun drove each day across the sky in a car of fire, and
gave light and heat to men.
He always had a bow and arrows with him, and his arrows were the
sunbeams.
When he shot them very hard and struck men with them, the men were
said to be sun-struck, but when he let the arrows fall gently on the
earth, they did only good.
The Sun was called Apollo.