A little house, beside a wood,
Where dwelt a worthy man, but poor.
Thither he went, knocked at the door.
The good man came. Saint Swithin said,
"I prithee give a crust of bread
To ease my hunger."
"Brother," quoth
The good man, "I am sadly loath
To say" (here tears stood on his cheeks)
"I've had no bread for weeks and weeks,
Save what I've begged. Had I one bit,
I'd gladly give thee half of it."
"How," said the Saint, "can one so good
Go lacking of his daily food,
Go lacking means to aid the poor,
Yet weep to turn them from his door?
Here--take this purse. Mark what I say:
Thou'lt find within it every day
Two golden coins."
Years passed. Once more
Saint Swithin knocked upon the door.
The good man came. He'd grown fat
And lusty, like a well-fed cat.
Thereat the Saint was pleased. Quoth he,
"Give me a crust for charity."
"A crust, thou say'st? Hut, tut! How now?
Wouldst come a-begging here? I trow,
Thou lazy rascal, thou couldst find
Enough of work hadst thou a mind!
'Tis thine own fault if thou art poor.
Begone, sir!" _Bang!_--he shut the door.
Saint Swithin slowly scratched his head.
"Well, I _am_--humph!--just so," he said.
"How very different the fact is
'Twixt the profession and the practice!"
HP
[Illustration: A Tale of a Tub. This full page illustrated poem shows
the man in the tub on the sea, dreaming of the roasted pig.]
A TALE OF A TUB
1
You may bring to mind I've sung you a song,
Of a man of Haarlem town.
I'll sing of another,--'t will not take long--,
Of equally great renown.
2
"I've read," said he, "there's a land afar,
O'er the boundless rolling sea,
Where fat little pigs ready roasted are:
Now, that is the land for me.
3
Where tarts may be plucked from the wild tart tree,
And puddings like pumpkins grow,
Where candies, like pebbles, lie by the sea,--
Now, thither I'll straightway go."
4
Now, what do you think I've heard it said
Was his boat, his oar, his sail?
A tub, a spoon, and a handkerchief red,
For to breast both calm and gale.
5
So he sailed away, for a livelong day;
And the sun was warm and mild,
And the small waves laughed as they seemed to play,
And the sea-gulls clamored wild.
6
So he sailed away, for a livelong day;
Till the wind began to roar,
And the waves rose high, and, to briefly say,
He never was heard of more.
H. PYLE.
[Illustration]
FARMER GRIGG'S BOGGART
Did you ever hear of a boggart? No! Then I will tell you. A boggart is a
small imp that lives in a man's house, unseen by any one, doing a little
good and much harm. This imp was called a boggart in the old times, now
we call such by other names--ill-temper, meanness, uncharitableness, and
the like. Even now, they say, you may find a boggart in some houses.
There is no placing reliance on a boggart; sometimes he may seem to be
of service to his master, but there is no telling when he may do him an
ill turn.
Rap! tap! tap! came a knock at the door.
The wind was piping Jack Frost's, for the time was winter, and it blew
from the north. The snow lay all over the ground, like soft feathers,
and the hay-ricks looked as though each one wore a dunce-cap, like the
dull boy in Dame Week's school over by the green. The icicles hung down
by the thatch, and the little birds crouched shivering in the bare and
leafless hedge-rows.
But inside the farm-house all was warm and pleasant; the great logs
snapped and crackled and roared in the wide chimney-place, throwing red
light up and down the walls, so that the dark night only looked in
through the latticed windows. Farmer Griggs sat warming his knees at
the blaze, smoking his pipe in great comfort, while his crock of ale,
with three roasted crab-apples bobbing about within it, warmed in the
hot ashes beside the blazing logs, simmering pleasantly in the ruddy
heat.
[Illustration: Farmer Georgie Griggs.]
Dame Griggs's spinning-wheel went humm-m-m! hum-m-m-m-m! like a whole
hiveful of bees, the cat purred in the warmth, the dog basked in the
blaze, and little red sparks danced about the dishes standing all along
in a row on the dresser.
But, rap! tap! tap! came a knock at the door.
Then Farmer Griggs took his pipe from out his mouth. "Did'ee hear un,
dame?" said he. "Zooks now, there be somebody outside the door."
"Well then, thou gert oaf, why don't 'ee let un in?" said Dame Griggs.
"Look'ee now," said Georgie Griggs to himself, "sure women be of quicker
wits than men!" So he opened the door. Whoo! In rushed the wind, and the
blaze of the logs made as though it would leap up the chimney for fear.
"Will you let me in out of the cold, Georgie Griggs?" piped a small
voice. Farmer Griggs looked down and saw a little wight no taller than
his knee standing in the snow on the door-step. His face was as brown as
a berry, and he looked up at the farmer with great eyes as bright as
those of a toad. The red light of the fire shone on him, and Georgie
Griggs saw that his feet were bare and that he wore no coat.
"Who be 'ee, little man?" said Farmer Griggs.
"I'm a boggart, at your service."
"Na, na," said Farmer Griggs, "thee's at na sarvice o'mine. I'll give na
room in my house to the likes o' thee"; and he made as though he would
have shut the door in the face of the little urchin.
"But listen, Georgie Griggs," said the boggart; "I will do you a good
service."
Then Farmer Griggs did listen. "What sarvice will'ee do me, then?" said
he.
[Illustration: Dame Mally Griggs.]
"I'll tend your fires," said the manikin, "I'll bake your bread, I'll
wash your dishes, I'll scour your pans, I'll scrub your floors, I'll
brew your beer, I'll roast your meat, I'll boil your water, I'll stuff
your sausages, I'll skim your milk, I'll make your butter, I'll press
your cheese, I'll pluck your geese, I'll spin your thread, I'll knit
your stockings, I'll mend your clothes, I'll patch your shoes--I'll be
everywhere and do all of the work in your house, so that you will not
have to give so much as a groat for wages to cook, scullion, or serving
wench!"
[Illustration: Farmer Griggs and the Boggart.]
Then Farmer Griggs listened a little longer without shutting the door,
and so did Dame Griggs. "What's thy name, boggart?" said he.
"Hardfist," said the boggart; and he came a little farther in at the
door, for he saw that Farmer Griggs had a mind to let him in all of the
way.
"I don't know," said Georgie Griggs, scratching his head doubtfully;
"it's an ill thing, lettin' mischief intull the house! Thee's better
outside, I doubt."
"Shut the door, Georgie!" called out Dame Griggs; "thou'rt lettin' th'
cold air intull th' room."
Then Farmer Griggs shut the door, but the boggart was on the inside.
This is the way in which the boggart came into Farmer Griggs's house,
and there he was to stay, for it is no such easy matter getting rid of
the likes of him when we once let him in, I can tell you.
The boggart came straightway over to the warm fire, and the dog
growled--"chur-r-r-r!"--and showed his teeth, and the cat spit anger and
jumped up on the dresser, with her back arched and her tail on end. But
the boggart cared never a whit for this, but laid himself comfortably
down among the warm ashes.
Now imps, like this boggart, can only be seen as the frost is seen--when
it is cold. So as he grew warmer and warmer, he grew thin, like a
jelly-fish, and at last, when he had become thoroughly warmed through,
Farmer Griggs and the dame could see him no more than though he was thin
air. But he was in the house, and he stayed there, I can tell you. For a
time everything went as smooth as cream; all of the work of the house
was done as though by magic, for the boggart did all that he had
promised; he made the fires, he baked the bread, he washed the dishes,
he scoured the pans, he scrubbed the floors, he brewed the beer, he
roasted the meat, he stuffed the sausages, he skimmed the milk, he made
the butter, he pressed the cheese, he plucked the geese, he spun the
thread, he knit the stockings, he mended the clothes, he patched the
shoes--he was everywhere and did all of the work of the house. When
Farmer Griggs saw these things done, and so deftly, he rubbed his hands
and chuckled to himself. He sent cook and scullion and serving maid
a-packing, there being nothing for them to do, for, as I said, all of
these things were done as smooth as cream. But after a time, and when
the boggart's place had become easy to him, like an old shoe, mischief
began to play the pipes and he began to show his pranks. The first thing
that he did was to scrape the farmer's butter, so that it was light of
weight, and all of the people of the market town hooted at him for
giving less than he sold. Then he skimmed the children's milk, so that
they had nothing but poor watery stuff to pour over their pottage of a
morning. He took the milk from the cat, so that it was like to starve;
he even pilfered the bones and scrapings of the dishes from the poor
house-dog, as though he was a very magpie. He blew out the rush-lights,
so that they were all in the dark after sunset; he made the fires burn
cold, and played a hundred and forty other impish tricks of the like
kind. As for the poor little children, they were always crying and
complaining that the boggart did this and the boggart did that; that he
scraped the butter from their bread and pulled the coverlids off of them
at night.
Still the boggart did his work well, and so Farmer Griggs put up with
his evil ways as long as he could. At last the time came when he could
bear it no longer. "Look'ee, now, Mally," said he to his dame, "it's all
along o' thee that this trouble's coome intull th' house. I'd never let
the boggart in with my own good-will!" So spoke Farmer Griggs, for even
nowadays there are men here and there who will now and then lay their
own bundle of faults on their wives' shoulders.
"I bade thee do naught but shut the door!" answered Dame Griggs.
"Ay; it's easy enough to shut the door after the trouble's come in!"
"Then turn it out again!"
"Turn un out! Odds bodkins, that's woman's wit! Dost'ee not see that
there's no turnin' o' un out? Na, na; there's naught to do but to go out
ourselves!"
Yes; there was nothing else to be done. Go they must, if they would be
rid of the boggart. So one fine bright day in the blessed spring-time,
they packed all of their belongings into a great wain, or cart, and set
off to find a new home.
Oft they trudged, just as you see in the picture, the three little
children seated high up in the wain, and the farmer and the dame
plodding ahead.
[Illustration: THE DEPARTURE.]
[Illustration: Farmer Griggs and the Wise Man.]
Now, as they came to the bottom of Shooter's Hill, whom should they meet
but their good neighbor and gossip, Jerry Jinks. "So, Georgie," said he,
"you're leavin' th' ould house at last?"
"High, Jerry," quoth Georgie. "We were forced tull it, neighbor, for
that black boggart torments us so that there was no rest night or day
for it. The poor bairns' stomachs are empty, and the good dame's nigh
dead for it. So off we go, like th' field-fares in the autumn--we're
flittin', we're flittin'!"
Now on the wain was a tall, upright churn; as soon as Georgie had ended
his speech, the lid of the churn began to clipper-clapper, and who
should speak out of it but the boggart himself. "Ay, Jerry!" said he,
"we're a flittin', we're a flittin', man! Good-day to ye, neighbor,
good-day to ye! Come and see us soon time!"
"High!" cried Georgie Griggs, "art thou there, thou black imp? Dang un!
We'll all go back tull th' old house, for sure it's better to bear
trouble there than in a new place."
So back they went again--boggart and all.
By this you may see, my dear, if you warm an imp by your fire, he will
soon turn the whole house topsy-turvy. Likewise, one cannot get rid of a
boggart by going from here to there, for it is sure to be in the cart
with the household things.
But how did Georgie Griggs get rid of his boggart? That I will tell you.
He went to Father Grimes, the wise man, who lived on in a little house
on the moor. "Father Grimes," said he, "how shall I get rid of my
boggart?"
Then Father Grimes told him to take this and that, and to do thus and so
with them, and see what followed. So Farmer Griggs went to Hugh the
tailor's, and told him to make a pretty red coat and a neat pair of blue
breeches. Then he went to William the hatter's, and bade him to make a
nice little velvet cap with a bell at the top of it. Then he went to
Thomas the shoemaker's, and bade him to make a fine little pair of
shoes. So they all did as he told them, and after these things were
made he took them home with him. He laid them on a warm spot on the
hearth where the boggart used to come to sleep at night. Then he and his
dame hid in the closet to see what would follow.
Presently came the boggart, whisking here and dancing there, though
neither the farmer nor the dame could see him any more than though he
had been a puff of wind.
"Heigh-ho!" cried the boggart, "these be fine things for sure." So
saying, he tried the hat upon his head, and it fitted exactly. Then he
tried the coat on his shoulders, and it fitted like wax. Then he tried
the breeches on his legs, and they fitted as though they grew there.
Then he tried the shoes on his feet, and there never was such a fit. So
he was clad in all his new clothes from top to toe, whereupon he began
dancing until he made the ashes on the hearth spin around with him as
though they had gone mad, and, as he danced, he sang:
"Cap for the head, alas poor head!
Coat for the back, alas poor back!
Breeks for the legs, alas poor legs!
Shoen for the feet, alas poor feet!
If these be mine, mine cannot be
The house of honest man, Georgie!"
So he went singing and dancing, and skipping and leaping, out of the
house and away. As for Georgie Griggs and his dame, they never heard a
squeak from him afterwards.
Thus it was that Farmer Griggs got rid of his boggart. All I can say is,
that if I could get rid of mine as easily (for I have one in my own
house), I would make him a suit of clothes of the finest silks and
satins, and would hang a bell of pure silver on the point of his cap.
But, alackaday! there are no more wise men left to us, like good Father
Grimes, to tell one an easy way to get rid of one's boggart.
[Illustration: The Boggart Rejoices]
[Illustration: YE STORY OF A BLUE CHINA PLATE. This illustrated page
depicts the father seeing the man sing to his daughter, the father
chasing them with a whip, and then the two flying away from his as
birds.]
YE STORY OF A BLUE CHINA PLATE.
There was a Cochin Chinaman,
Whose name it was Ah-Lee
And the same was just as fine a man
As you could wish to see,
For he was rich and strong,
And his queue was extra long,
And he lived on rice and fish and chiccory.
Which he had a lovely daughter,
And her name was Mai-Ri-An,
And the youthful Wang who sought her
Hand was but a poor young man;
So her haughty father said,
"You shall never, never wed
Such a pauper as this penniless young man!"
So the daughter and her lover,
They eloped one summer day,
Which Ah-Lee he did discover,
And pursued without delay;
But the Goddess Loo, I've heard,
Changed each lover to a bird,
And from the bad Ah-Lee they flew away.
Ah me! Ah-Lee; the chance is,
That we all of us may know
Of unpleasant circumstances
We would like to stay, but oh!
The inevitable things
Will take unto them wings,
And will fly where we may never hope to go.
I would further like to state,
That the tale which I relate,
You can see on any plate
That was made in Cochin China years ago.
[Illustration: Moral Blindness. This illustrated poem depicts the two
woman fighting, people plugging their ears near the goose, and running
away from the goat.]
MORAL BLINDNESS
There was an old woman, as I've heard say,
Who owned but a single goose.
And the dame lived over toward Truxton way,
And the animal ran at loose.
It cackled up and it cackled down,
Disturbing the peace of all the town:
Gentle and simple, knight and clown,
From the dawn to the close of the day.
Another old woman, of not much note,
Lived over toward Truxton way,
Who owned a goat with a shaggy black coat,
As I've heard the neighbours say.
And it was the fear of one and all;
Butting the great, butting the small,--
No matter whom,--who happened to fall
In the way of this evil goat.
Said the first old woman, "This ugly goat
Should never thus run at loose."
Said the second, "I wish they'd cut the throat
Of that noisy cackling goose."
And so it happened when e'er that they
Would meet each other upon the way
They'd bicker and hicker the livelong day
In the key of a scolding note.
But all the neighbours, great and small,
Complained of both with grievous tone.
From which I gather that we all
See other's faults and not our own.
H. PYLE
[Illustration: OVERCONFIDENCE. This illustrated poem shows the people
gazing upon the peacock, and later running away covering their ears.]
OVERCONFIDENCE
A peacock sat on ye garden wall
(See picture here to ye right),
An ye folk came crowding-great and small
For it chanced that none in ye town at all
Had ever seen such a sight
If you'd have been there perhaps you'd have heard
Ye folk talk thus, as they looked at ye bird:
"O crickety!--Law!--
O jimmeny me!--
I never yet saw!--
Who ever did see
Such a beautiful sight in the world before,
Since ye animals marched from ye old ark door?
O! Look at ye spots
In his tail! And ye lots
Of green and of blue in his beautiful wings!
I'd give a new shilling to know if he sings!"
Ye peacock says, "Surely, they'll greatly rejoice
To hear but a touch of my delicate voice."
(_Sings._)
"O dear! O dear!--
O stop it!--O do!--
We never did hear
Such a hullballoo!
'Tis worse than ye noise that ye carpenters make
When they sharpen their saws!--Now, for charity's sake,
Give over this squalling,
And catermawalling!"
Cried all ye good people who chanced to be near;
Each thrusting a finger-tip into each ear.
You see ye poor dunce had attempted to shine
In a way that was out of his natural line.
H. Pyle.
[Illustration: THE FORCE OF NEED. This page has the poem on one side,
with the lady gazing up into the tree with the robin, and the lady warm
in a house and robin outside in the snow at the bottom of the page.]
THE FORCE OF NEED
"Hey, Robin! ho, Robin!
Singing on the tree,
I will give you white bread,
If you will come to me."
"Oh! the little breeze is singing
To the nodding dairies white,
And the tender grass is springing,
And the sun is warm and bright;
And my little mate is waiting
In the budding hedge for me;
So, on the whole, I'll not accept
Your kindly courtesy."
"Hey, Robin! ho, Robin!
Now the north winds blow
Wherefore do you come here,
In the ice and snow?"
"The wind is raw, the flowers are dead,
The frost is on the thorn,
So I'll gladly take a crust of bread,
And come where it is warm."
Oh, Children! little Children!
Have _you_ ever chanced to see
One beg for crust that sneered at crumb
In bright prosperity?
HP
[Illustration]
THE BIRD IN THE LINDEN TREE
Once there was a prince, and his name was John. One day his father said
to him, "See, John; I am growing old, and after a while the time will
come when I must go the way of everybody else. Now I would like to see
you married before I leave you."
"Very well," said the Prince, for he always answered the King in seemly
fashion; "and who shall it be?"
"Why not the Princess of the White Mountain?" said the old King.
"Why not, indeed?" said the young Prince, "only she is too short."
"Why not the Princess of the Blue Mountain?" said the old King.
"Why not, indeed?" said the young Prince, "only she is too tall."
"Why not the Princess of the Red Mountain?" said the old King.
"Why not, indeed?" said the young Prince, "only she is too dark."
"Then whom will you have?" said the old King.
"That I do not know," said the young Prince, "only this: that her brow
shall be as white as milk, and her cheeks shall be as red as blood, and
her eyes shall be as blue as the skies, and her hair shall be like spun
gold."
"Then go and find her!" said the old King, in a huff, for his temper was
as short as chopped flax. "And don't come back again till you've found
her!" he bawled after the Prince as he went out to the door.
So the Prince went out into the wide world to find such a maiden as he
spoke of--whose brow was as white as milk, whose cheeks were as red as
blood, whose eyes were as blue as the skies, and whose hair was like
spun gold--and he would have to travel a long distance to find such a
one nowadays, would he not?
So off he went, tramp! tramp! tramp! till his shoes were dusty and his
clothes were gray. Nothing was in his wallet but a lump of brown bread
and a cold sausage, for he had gone out into the world in haste, as many
a one has done before and since his day.
So he went along, tramp! tramp! tramp! and by-and-by he came to a place
where three roads met, and there sat an old woman.
"Hui! hui! but I am hungry!" said the old woman.
Now the Prince was a good-hearted fellow, so he said to the old woman,
"It is little I have, but such as it is you are welcome to it."
Thereupon he gave the old woman the lump of brown bread and the cold
sausage that was in his wallet, and the old woman ate it up at a bite.
"Hui! hui! but I am cold!" said she.
"It is little that I have, but such as it is you are welcome to it,"
said the Prince, and he gave the old woman the dusty coat off his back.
After that he had nothing more to give her.
[Illustration: Ye King Prince John]
"One does not give something for nothing," said the old woman, so she
began fumbling about in her pocket until she found an old rusty key. And
the best part of the key was, that whenever one looked through the ring
of it, one saw everything just as it really was and not as it seemed to
be.
Who would not give his dinner and the coat off his back for such a key?
After that the Prince stepped out again, right foot foremost, tramp!
tramp! tramp! until evening had come, and he felt as hungry as one is
like to do when one goes without one's dinner. At last he came to a dark
forest, and to a gray castle that stood just in the middle of it. This
castle belonged to a great, ugly troll, though the Prince knew nothing
of that.
"Now I shall have something to eat," said he, and he opened the door of
the castle and went in.
Only one person was within, and that was a maiden; but she was as black
from head to foot as Fritz the charcoal burner. The Prince had never
seen the like of her in all of his life before, so he drew the rusty key
out of his pocket and took a peep at her through the ring of it, to see
what manner of body she really was.
Then he saw that she was no longer black and ugly, but as beautiful as a
ripe apple; for her forehead was as white as milk, her cheeks were as
red as blood, her eyes were as blue as the skies, and her hair was like
spun gold. Moreover, any one could see with half an eye that she was a
real princess, for she wore a gold crown on her head, such as real
princesses are never without.
"You are the one whom I seek," said the Prince.
"Yes, I am the one you seek," said she.
"And how can I free you from your enchantment?" said he.
"If you will abide here three nights, and will bear all that shall
happen to you without a word, then I shall be free," said she.
"Oh yes, I will do that," said the Prince.
After that the black Princess set a good supper before him, and the
Prince ate like three men.
By-and-by there was a huge noise, and the door opened and in came an
ugly troll with a head as big as a bucket. He rolled his great saucer
eyes around till he saw the Prince where he sat beside the fire.
[Illustration: The Prince aids the Old Woman]
"Black cats and spotted toads!" bellowed he, "what are you doing here?"
But to this the Prince answered never a word.
"We shall see whether or no there is sound in you!" roared the troll.
Thereupon he caught the Prince by the hair and dragged him out into the
middle of the room. Then he snatched up a great cudgel and began beating
the Prince as though he were a sack of barley-flour; but the Prince said
never a word. At last the troll had to give over beating him, for the
morning had come and the troll was afraid the sun would catch him; and
if that were to happen, he would swell up and burst with a great noise.
"We shall see whether you will come again!" said he, and then he left
the Prince lying on the floor more dead than alive; and if anybody was
sore in all of the world, the Prince was that man.
After the troll had left the house, the black Princess came and wept
over the Prince; and when her tears fell on him, pain and bruise left
him, and he was as whole as ever. When he looked he saw that the black
Princess's feet were as white as silver.