1. Facts for Little Folks. Tea is prepared from the leaf of a tree; Honey is gathered and made by the bee. Butter is made from the milk of the cow; Pork is the flesh of the pig or the snow. The juice of the apple makes cider so fine; The juice of the grape is made into wine. Oil is obtained from fish and from flax; Candles are made of tallow and wax. Worsted is made from wool soft and warm; Silk is prepared and spun by a worm. Water is drawn from the well deep and cool; The air in the mountain is pure as a rule. 2.Bread. I am an English boy. I will tell you something about bread. Bread is what all of us eat, and we all eat more bread than any other kind of food. Bread is therefore called " the staff of life." Bread is made of wheat, and wheat is grown in the broad fields of England and Scotland. But we eat more wheat than those fields can produce. So wheat is brought to us from the far West?from America, and also from the far East?from India. Before wheat can be sown the ground must be ploughed. The plough breaks up the ground, and opens it to take in the seed. Then comes the sower, and scatters the seed over the ground far and wide. Then the plough comes again; and, as it goes along, lays the earth on the seed , and covers it up so that the birds can eat it. Then come the sun-shine, dew and rain; and they turn the seed into golden grain. The grain is sent to the mill, and it is there ground into flour. The flour is sent to the baker, who makes it into dough. The dough is put into the oven, and comes out bread. So I have told you what I know about bread. Tell me now, Taro-san, what you know about rice. We English boys like so much to hear anything about Japan. 3. Rice. I am a Japanese boy. I thank you for telling me so much about bread. Now I will tell you about rice, which is our "staff of life." Rice is a grass-like plant. It is grown where there is a great deal of water. Where water is scarce, it will not thrive. The plant bears its seed in ears like wheat, only the ears are not so close. Do I know about wheat? Yes, I do, for wheat is also grown in this country. When rice is ripe, the water is drawn off from the fields. Then the sickles begin their work, and rice is tied up in bundles and piled up in heaps till it is dry. The ears are then taken off the straw, and passed between a kind of grinding-stone. This removes the husk, but the grain is not yet fit to be boiled. It is pounded and washed clean before it is boiled in an iron pot. We sometimes eat bread, but we like rice better. Indeed, we can not do without it. Much rice is sent out to Europe, where I am told, it is used in making starch. I wonder if any comes to your country. SHORTER PIECES. 1.Can You Tell My Name? Perhaps you think I am not a giant. Let me tell you some things I can do. I carry great ships on my back. I can make a great noise. You can hear me far away. I can break a ship into little pieces. I can throw down great piled of rocks. I dig great holes in the hardest rocks. Is not this a giant's work? Men cannot always hold me back. They make high banks of sand to keep me out. Can you tell my name? 4.Does the Sun Move? Kate: Oh, father, I have just seen such a lovely sight! We went to the top of the hill to see the sun go down. I never saw anything half so beautiful. Father: I am glad you had a good time. You say you went to see the sun go down. Do you know that the sun does not really go down? Kate: What do you mean, father? Father: I mean to say that the sun stands still. It is the earth that moves. Kate: Why, father, we can see the sun move. I saw it move to-day. It went down the hills. Father: Kate, were you ever in a car when another train was close beside you? As you looked at the other train, it began to move, you thought. But you soon found it was you train that was moving. Kate: Oh yes, father, I have often seen that. Father: So it is with the earth and the sun. We think the sun moves. Really it is the earth that moves. Kate: I shall believe so, father, since you tell me so; but it is very hard for me to believe it. Father: You know the earth we live on is round like this orange, Kate. Kate: Yes, father, you told me that. Father: Take this orange. I have marked some letters on each side of it. Go across the room, Kate, and hold the orange up between the thumb and fore-finger of you r left hand. I will stand here with the candle. Kate: Yes, father, I will. Father: Now tell me, does the light of the candle shine on the whole of the orange? Kate: Oh no, father, I see the light only on half of it. The side toward me is quite dark. Father: What letters do you read on the side towards the candle? Kate: "U.S." That stands for the United States where we live, does it not, father? Father: Yes, Kate, you are right. Now without moving your left hand, turn the orange gently toward me with your right hand, till the light of the candle shines on the other letters. Kate: Yes, father, and I can read the letters that were in the dark just now. They are C-h-i-n-a ?China. Father: Now, Kate, the candle is the sun, and the orange is the earth. When the earth turns away from the sun, it is night. So when it is day in the United States, it is night in China. Kate: Yes, father; and when we are all asleep at night here, the little boys and girls in China are all awake. How funny! 5.It was the Dog! I. (Told in 15 sentences) Once there lived a beggar in New York. He used to sit every day in one of its streets. He had a dog with him. He held it by means of a short string. A card was tied to the neck of the dog. On the card were written the words, "I am blind." A kind old merchant took pity on the poor man. Every morning, on his way to his office, he dropped a penny into the beggar's hat. One morning he was in great haste. So he did not give the poor man the usual penny. (to be continued on page 18) II. It was the Dog! (told in 8 sentences) Once there lived a beggar in New York, who used to sit every day in one of its streets. He had with him a dog, which he held by means of a short string. A card was tied to the neck of the dog, on which were written the words, "I am blind." A kind old merchant took pity on the poor man; and every morning, on his way to his office, he dropped a penny into the beggar's hat. One morning, as he was in great haste, he did not give the poor man the usual penny. (to be continued on page 19. ) (Continued from page 16.) The beggar ran after him as fast as he could. He asked the merchant for the penny. The merchant turned in surprise. He said to the beggar, "Are you not blind?" The beggar coolly replied, "Oh, no, sir! It is the dog, Doesn't the card say so?" (Continued from page17.) The beggar ran after him as fast as he could, and asked him for the penny. The merchant, turning in surprise, said, "Are you not blind?" The beggar coolly replied, "Oh, no, sir! It is the dog. Doesn't the card say so?" 6.The Nut in the Forest. This is the nut in the forest. This is the plant so green and small Which lay hid in the nut in the forest. This is the tree so straight and tall That grew from the plant so green and small Which lay hid in the nut in the forest. This is the woodman near the stone wall Who is cutting the tree so straight and tall That grew from the plant so green and small Which lay hid in the nut in the forest. This is the mill and the waterfall Which belong to the woodman near the stone wall Who is cutting the tree so straight and tall That grew from the plant so green and small Which lay hid in the nut in the forest. These are the boards for the floor of our hall That were made by the mill and the water-fall Which belong to the woodman near the stone wall Who is cutting the tree so straight and tall That grew from the plant so green and small Which lay hid in the nut in the forest. This is the workman who came at out call To lay the boards in the floor of our hall Which were made by the mill and the waterfall Which belong to the woodman near the stone wall Who is cutting the tree so straight and tall That grew from the plant so green and small Which lay hid in the nut in the forest. And how many men do you think in all We must thank for the smooth floor in our hall? SHORTER PIECES. 2. The Boys and the Frogs. One day, a number of boys were playing by the side of a pond, and some of them threw stones into the water for fun. Now, in this pond there lived many frogs, and one frog after another was hit by the stones which the boys threw. So at last, an old frog put his head up out of the pond, and said, "Boys, please don't pelt us so." "We are only playing," said the boys. "I know that," said the frog, "but see how the stones hurt us! If you don't stop it at once, we shall all be killed." Who can tell what this little story teaches us? 7.If. 1. If all the seas were one great sea, What a great sea that would be! 2. And if all the trees were one great tree, What a great tree that would be! 3. And if all the axes were one great ax, What a great ax hat would be! 4. And if all the men were one great man, What a great man that would be" 5. And if the great man took the great ax, And cut down the great tree, And let it fall into the great sea, What a great fall that would be! 8.The Broken Eggs. Boy: Oh dear me! What shall I do? Girl: Why, what is the matter, little boy? Boy: My mother sent me to buy six eggs. I paid for them with the ten cents she gave me. The man put the eggs in my basket. Girl: Well, and what then, my little boy? Boy: Why, my legs were too short to get down from this wall, and so I let my basket fall, and there are the eggs all broken. Girl: Well, you ought to be glad you did not break your legs as well as your eggs. I would not cry so, if I were you. Boy: Oh dear! My mother will say I was a bad boy to let the eggs fall. Girl: I do not think she will scold you if you run home and tell the truth. Boy: I did not mean to break the eggs Oh! I did not mean to break them. Girl: Well, do not cry. Come! I will help you down from the wall. Look! Here are two eggs that are not broken. Boy: I thank you. Now I will run home to my mother. I do not think she will scold me if I tell the truth. Questions on the Picture. 1. What do you see in the picture? 2. How old do you think the boy is? 3. Which do you think is the older, the boy or the girl? 4. Where is the boy? 5. What is he doing? 6. Do the boy's feet reach the ground? 7. What is the girl trying to do? 8. What do you see on the ground? 9. Are there any eggs on the basket? 10. Are the eggs all broken? 11. How many of them are left unbroken? 12. Did the boy throw the basket over the wall? 13. Did the boy mean to break the eggs? 14. How came the eggs to be broken? 15. Why does the boy not run home to his mother? 16. Does the girl too think the boy's mother will scold him? 17. What advice is the girl giving the boy? 18. Would you cry if you were the boy? 19. Would you tell a lie? 20. What would you do? 9. The History of "One Cent." My name is One Cent. Sometimes I am called Penny, but Penny is not my name at all. It is just One Cent, and nothing else. Shall I tell you where I come from? I lived deep down in the ground under a hill, where the light of day in sever seen. A long time ago some men dug down to my home. A man with a very dirty face first found me. I was not One Cent then. I think your teacher will tell you what I was. I came out of the ground and never went back. I do not wish to go back. It was always dark there. By and by I was made into a cent. What a hard time I had of it! I was very pretty when I was new. I forget who first had me after I was a cent. One day a kind little boy gave me to a blind man. He had nothing to eat, and he looked very, very poor. The old man bought some bread with me. I was glad to help him. Then another little boy got me, but he did not keep me long. He gave me to the baby, and the baby threw me away. Then a very pretty little girl found me. How happy I was to get out of the dirt again! I should have been glad to live with the little girl always. She gave me for something sweet. Do you know what it was? Most children like me very much, but they do not keep me long. So I am going, going, going all the time. I can have not rest. SHORTER PIECES. 3. My Ten Friends. Jack: ( with a yawn). I wish I had some good friends to help me on in life! Master: Good friends! Why, you have ten! Jack: I am sure I have not half so many, and those I have are too poor to help me. Master: Count your fingers, my boy.(Jack looks down on his big strong hands.) Master: Count thumbs and all. Jack: I have?there are ten. Master: Then never say you have not ten good friends that are able to help you on in life. Try if they can not do for you more than any other friends can. 10. The Desert. 1 Here you see a camel and his master. They are in the desert. They have come a long way, and now, weary and weak, they have lain down to die. You ask why? I will tell you. The desert is a great plain of dry sand. If you have ever seen the sand on the sea-shore, you know how dry and hot it becomes under a burning sun. Now, the desert is a place covered with sand, and it is always dry and hot, for it is every day under a hot burning sun. This camel and his master have come many miles over the desert. They are very tired, very hot, and very thirsty, and they can not find any water to drink. They have been in this sad state for many days, and so weary and weak are they that can not walk, and can hardly stand. So they have lain down to die. But there is seen a little speck far away in the sky. The camel has pricked up his ears, and is sniffing with his nose. He seems to smell something. What do you think that something is? It is rain. Camels can tell when it is going t rain. When the rain comes, the man will cheer up, and spread out his tent-sheet to catch the drops Soon the sweet rain will fall, and both the man and the camel will get a little to drink. The air, too, will be cooled by the rain, and the weary man and beast will both be made strong again. So they will not die, but very thankful for the shower, they will go on their way and soon cross the desert. The Desert. 2 Once a camel and his master were seen in a desert. They had come a long way, and weary and weak, they had lain down to die. You ask why? I will tell you. The desert is a great plain of dry sand. If you have ever seen the sand on the sea-shore, you know how dry and hot it becomes under a burning sun. Now, the desert is a place covered with sand, and it is always dry and hot, for it is every day under a hot burning sun. The camel and his master had come many miles over the desert. They were very tired, very hot, and very thirsty, and they could not find any water to drink. They had been in this sad state for many days, and so weary and weak were they that they could not walk, and could hardly stand. So they had lain down to die. But just then there was seen a little speck far way in the sky. The camel pricked up his ears, and sniffed with his nose. He seemed to smell something. What do you think that something was? It was rain, Camels can tell when it is going to rain. By and by the sweet rain did come, and the man cheered up and spreading out his tent-sheet to catch the drops, both the and the camel got a little to drink. The air too was cooled by the rain, and the weary man and beast were both made strong again. So they did not die, but very thankful for the shower, they went on their way and soon crossed the desert. 11.George Washington. George Washington was a great and good man, who lived many years ago in the United States of America. When he was a little boy, his father gave him a hatchet. George was much pleased with his new hatchet, and went about the yard, trying it on trees and other things, to see how well it would cut. His father had some trees that he took great care of, because their fruit was very fine. One of these was a small cherry-tree. George did not think it was wrong to cut the trees; so when he came to this tree, he cut it down. When his father saw what had been done, he did not like it. and sent for George. "George," said he, "some one has cut down one of my fine trees. So you know who did it?" Poor George saw at once that he had done wrong, but he was too good to tell a lie about it. It did not take him long to make up his mind what to do. Looking up at his father, he said, "Father, I did it. I can not tell a lie about it. I cut it with my little hatchet." His father was very much pleased to know that his boy would not tell a lie. He took him in his arms, and said, "My dear boy, I would rather lose all my fine trees than have you tell one lie." 12. Taro's Letter to His Mother. My dear Mother, This morning at school we read about George Washington and his new hatchet. The story has deeply moved me, and made me remember a very bad thing that I had done to you. In your last letter you asked me if I did not at times take too much exercise and neglect my lessons. I replied that I did not, But I now find that it was not the truth; for I remember that three afternoons during the week before last, I played ball much longer than I meant to, so that in the evening I felt too sleepy to study, and had to go to school the next morning without good preparation. At the time I wrote the letter, I did not remember this, so I can honestly say that I did not mean to deceive you, but all the same I am sorry that I have told you what was not true. Pray, dear mother, forgive me this time. I shall try to be a better boy; indeed, I mean to be as good as George Washington. Please write me as soon as you can. I shall not be happy till I hear that you have forgiven me. I am, Your repentant son, Taro. SHORTER PIECES. 4.The Crow and the Pitcher. A thirsty crow was looking everywhere for water, but no water was to be found. In the hayfield under a tree she saw a pitcher. She flew to it and looked in. There was a little water in the pitcher, but she could not reach it. "I must have that water, thought the crow. "How can I get it?" She looked all about. In the dry brook near by, there were stones and pebbles. "Caw, caw, caw," said the crow "Now I know what to do." Away she flew to the dry brook-bed. Then she brought small stones and pebbles, and dropped them, one by one, into the pitcher. The water rose higher and higher. At last it came to the top where she could reach it with her bill. This story teaches that where there's a will there's a way. 13. The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Hamelin is a little town in a country called Germany. Long ago a strange thing happened in Hamelin. A great many rats came into the town. They were big, fierce rats. They killed the cats and dogs and bit the children. They ate the food on the tables, They ran up and down the streets in the daytime. The Wise Men tried to think of a way to drive the rats out of the town. Cats and dogs could not do it, and the rats would not eat poison. The Mayor said, "I wish I had a trap big and strong enough to catch the rats. I would give all my gold for it." Just then a knock was heard at the door. "Come in," said the Mayor. The door opened, and in came a very strange man. He was tall and thin, with bright blue eyes and light hair. His long coat was half of yellow and half of red. No one had ever seen him before. The strange man went up to the Mayor and said, "I can drive the rats out of the town." "Who are you," cried the Wise Men, "and how can you do this thing?" "I am called the Pied Piper. I can not tell you what I shall do. If you will promise to give me a thousand pieces of gold, I will soon show you." "A thousand!" cried the Mayor. "I will give you five thousand." Then the Pied Piper went into the street. He took a pipe from his long coat and began to play a merry tune. Soon the rats came running from the houses. "Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats, Brown rats, black rats, gray rats, tawny rats, Grave old plodders, gay young friskers, Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins, Cocking tails, and pricking whiskers, Families by tens and dozens, Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives-- Followed the Piper for their lives." The Piper walked slowly down the street, playing a merry tune, and the rats followed, dancing. They thought the music was about good things to eat. They forgot everything else as they ran after the Piper. When they came to the river, every rat danced into the water and was drowned. How happy the people were! They rang the bells and shouted for joy. Then the Pied Piper said to the Mayor, "Now, if you please, give me the thousand pieces of gold." "A thousand pieces of gold!" cried the Mayor. "That is too much money. I will give you fifty." "If you do not give me the money, you will be sorry," said the strange man. "You can do us no harm," said the Mayor. "The rats are dead. You can not bring them back." Then the Pied Piper went into the street again. He played a few sweet notes on his pipe. At once the children came out of the houses. "All the little boys and girls, With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls, And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls, Tripping and skipping ran merrily after, The wonderful music with shouting and laughter." The Piper walked down the street and through the fields. When he reached the foot of the hill, a door opened and he went in, still playing the beautiful tune. All the children followed him, and the door closed. One little boy, who was lame, could not run as fast as the other children. When the Mayor and the Wise Men came running up, they found him crying. "Why do you cry?" said the mayor. "I wished to go with the other children." he said. "When the man played on his pipe, it told us about a beautiful land. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. The children played in the fields. They were never ill nor lame. I ran as fast as I could, but when I came, the children were gone, and I could not find the door." The Mayor sent men north, south, east, and west, to find the Piper. He said, "Tell him that I will give him all the gold in the town, if he will come back and bring the children with him." The father and mothers of Hamelin waited and waited, but their little ones did not come back. All this was long ago, but no one has ever seen the Piper or the children since. If you go to Hamelin, the people will show you the hill and the river. You may walk down Pied Piper Street, but you will hear no music. No one is allowed to sing or play a tune on the street, down which the children followed the Pied Piper to the land beyond the hills. 14.Aunt Mary's Parrot. My Aunt Mary had a parrot, whose name was "Polly." All the parrots I ever knew were called "Polly." Polly was a very pretty bird. She had bright feathers of red, green, and blue. She did not like to get into the water and wash, so my aunt had to wash her. Sometimes this made Polly cross, and it was very funny to hear her scold Aunt Mary. After she had been washed, she would begin to lay her feathers. If a feather fell out, she would pick it up with her beak and try to put it on her head or back. She seemed to feel sad because she had lost a feather. Polly learned to say many words, such as "Good-day, sir," "Good morning, sir," and "Polly wants something to eat." Uncle John had a way of saying, "There's no doubt about it;" and soon Polly learned that, too. One time Aunt Mary was sick, and Polly missed her very much. Polly got out of her cage and went into every room. When she came to Aunt Mary's room, she climbed up on the bed. Aunt Mary said, "Polly, I'm glad to see you. I'm very sick." "There's no doubt about it!" said Polly. Polly was very playful, but she did many naughty things that Uncle John did not like. She would walk about the room, and pick the tacks out of the carpet, and bite pieces out of the chairs and table. At last Uncle John sent for a man to come and buy Polly. "How much do you want for her?" said the man. "Twelve dollars," said Uncle John. "Polly, are you worth twelve dollars?" said the man. "There's no doubt about it!" said Polly. This answer so pleased the man that he gave Uncle John the twelve dollars and took Polly home. After a while he found out the naughty things Polly did, and was sorry that he had bought her. One day he said to her, "Polly, what a dunce I was to give so much money for you!" "There's no doubt about it!" cried Polly. And this time Polly was right. 15.The Country Mouse and the City Mouse. One day a City Mouse went to visit his friend in the country. The Country Mouse was very glad to see his old friend. He took him for a walk in the fields, and then gave him the best dinner that he could find. He was afraid that there was not enough for two, so he nibbled an ear of corn. His friend had some green peas, a bit of new cheese, and a ripe, red apple. After the City Mouse had eaten all the dinner, he said, "How can you live in the country, my friend? You can see nothing here but woods and rivers, meadows and mountains. You must be very tired of hearing nothing but the birds' songs. "Come with me to the City. There you can live in a beautiful house and have good things for dinner every day. "Where you have lived in the city a week, you will forget that you ever lived in the country." So the two mice set off for the city. They reached the home of the City Mouse in the night. "You must be hungry after your long walk," said the City Mouse to his friend. "We will have some dinner at once." So they went to the dinner-room, and the City Mouse found some cake and fruit. "Help yourself," he said. "There is enough for both of us." "This is a very good dinner," said the Country Mouse. "How rich you are, my friend!" Just then the door opened, and in came a dog. The mice jumped off the table, and ran into a hole in the floor. The poor little Country Mouse was so frightened! "Do not be afraid," said his friend. "The dog can not come in here." Then the mice went to the kitchen. They found an apple-pie on the shelf, and were helping themselves to a piece of it, when they saw two bright eyes watching them. "The cat! The cat!" cried the City Mouse, and the mice ran through a hole in the well as fast as they could go. When the Country Mouse could speak, he said, "Good-by, my friend. You may live in the city with the dogs and cats. I like my home in the country. "The birds sing to me while I eat my corn and apples. The cats watch you while you eat your cake and pie. "I like my corn in safety better than your cake in fear." SHORTER PIECES. 5.Second Class is Good Enough. An old lady from the mountains visited a town for the first time. When she arrived at the station she engaged a 'kuruma' to take her to the street where some friends of hers were living. Getting into the jinrikisha,' she seated herself on the floor, and looked quite comfortable there. When the 'kurumaya' asked her to take the seat, she said, "Thank you, but I am not used to traveling first class; a second-class seat is good enough for me." 16. The First Steamboat. Here is a picture of the first steamboat. It was built more than a hundred years ago by a man whose name was John Fitch. It was thought then to be very wonderful. It looks like a queer rowboat. Its engine turned a small wheel which moved the oars. Six oars went into the water as six oars came out. As Fitch was too poor to buy a good engine for his boat, it went very slowly. In fact, a man could walk as fast as this boat could go. Some people laughed at Fitch for trying to make a boat go by steam power. They said his boat was not a very useful one, and this was quite true. But it was a great thing to build the first steamboat. John Fitch and his steamboat were forgotten in a few years. "Steamboats are only toys," men said, and they went on building ships to be moved by sails. After a while a man named Robert Fulton thought that he could make a useful steamboat. He thought about it for a long time. At last the steamboat was built, and in it was a fine engine which had been brought from England. The engine moved paddle wheels instead of oars. Though the boat was small and clumsy, it looked like the side-wheel steamers we see to-day. Fulton named his boat the "Clermont." He made a trial trip in it from New York to Albany, and found that it would travel five miles an hour. The banks of the river were lined with people who were eager to see the new boat. Before long many such steamboats were in use. Now our steamboats are like beautiful floating castles. There are so many of them that we forget how wonderful they are. In some boats the engines turn great screws instead of wheels. Our ocean steamers instead of wheels. Our ocean steamers are moved by these immense screws. An ocean steamer can cross the Atlantic Ocean in a few days. It has beautiful rooms and rich furniture, and it can carry hundreds of people. It is very different from the queer little rowboat in our first picture; but when we see one of these great steamboats, we ought not to forget John Fitch. 17. Robinson Crusoe,-1 Did you ever hear of Robinson Crusoe? Crusoe was a sailor. He was wrecked on a lone island, far, far away over the sea. There he lived all alone, many long, weary years. He had no one to speak to, no one to love him, no one to take care of him when he was ill, no one to do anything at all for him. He had to build his own house; sow, and reap, and grind his corn; cook his food, and make his tables and chairs, pots and pans, plates and dishes. He had to make and mend his own clothes. These he cut out of the skins of wild goats, which he shot with his gun. And very odd he looked, in this strange dress,-hat, shoes, and all, made of goat's skin. I think you would stare very hard if you saw a man walking down the street in such a dress. I said Crusoe was all alone. Ah, but he was not quite alone; for he caught some wild goats and made them tame. These gave him nice, warm milk every day. Then he had a dog which knew almost everything his master said to him. You may be sure Crusoe was as fond of the dog was of him. Crusoe had a parrot, too. He taught her to speak, and Polly could say all she knew, just as well as you or I. Then Crusoe had two cats-such nice, smooth, sleek cats, with soft fur and sharp claws. They were very fond of Robinson Crusoe, because he was very fond of them. His goats, his dog, his parrot, his cats,-these were Crusoe's little family. 18. Robinson Crusoe.-2 Crusoe's little family-the dog, and Polly, and the cats- sat at table and dined with him. The dog sat at his feet, the cats one on each side of the table, and Polly perched on his shoulder. Was not this a happy family? Crusoe did not beat or scold his pets. Not he! He gave them nice tit-bits to eat, and fresh milk to drink. But what noisy pets they were! The dog would bark, the cats would mew, and Polly would chat, chat, chatter all day long. One day Crusoe went sailing in a little boat which he had made. The wind blew so hard that his tiny boat was almost upset, and Crusoe was afraid he would be drowned. But at last the wind blew him back to the land, and he was glad to jump ashore. He was very tired, so he lay down under a tree and fell fast asleep. Soon he awoke in a great fright. He heard a voice calling, "Robin! Robin! Robin! Crusoe! Where are you, Robin Crusoe? Where are you? Where have you been? Poor Robin Crusoe!" When he was wide awake, he found it was only Polly that was calling his name. She was glad to see him, for he had been away from home so long. But I must not forget to tell you about Crusoe's man Friday. One day when he was walking on the sea-shore, Crusoe saw a boat come in. It was full of savages, who had come to kill and eat a prisoner. All at once this poor man sprang away from them, and ran to the place where Crusoe was hiding, Another savage ran after him, to bring him back. But Robinson Crusoe did not want the poor black man to be caught and killed. So he shot the bad men. Then the poor black man stopped and looked at Robinson Crusoe. At first the man was afraid, but Crusoe made sings to him to come near. Then he made friends with him and called him Friday. Friday loved Crusoe very much, because he had saved his life. And poor, lonely Crusoe was very glad to have some one to talk to, and to help him. These two friends lived together on the island for many years. But at last a ship came in sight, and some of the sailors went ashore. And so Robinson Crusoe was saved, and set sail for his own country, taking his friend Friday with him. SHORTER PIECES. 6. Quite a man. "I think I shall soon be quite a man," said Tom to a girl he knew well, as she sat by the gate of her home. "Well," said she, "some boys think they are men, but they act as boys for all that. If you were a man, Tom, you would not throw plum stones at me. You would not tease my dog. You would not put your foot out to make me fall down. You would not laugh when you see rude boys do things which you know to be wrong. "You may be a big boy, and you may be an old boy, but I shall not think you a man till you act as a man. No true man would do a mean thing. A true man is brave and just. He will do what is right and fear not. Think of that, Tom." "Yes," said Tom. "I will. What you say is quite true. I must try to be a good boy, so that I may grow up to be a good man." 19. The Questioner. For a girl dressed as a young lady, and a small boy. The former is trying t study. The latter wanders restlessly around while asking the questions. George: Oh, auntie! Aunt: Well, what is it, George? George: (Brings a book and points to a picture.) What is this man doing? Aunt: He seems to be walking. George: What does he walk for? Aunt: Oh, I don't know. Perhaps he wants to. George: What does he want to for? Aunt: Oh, look out of the window. ( Aside.) Anything to divert him. George: (From the window.) What are they doing? Aunt: They are making hay. George: What is hay, auntie? Aunt: Why, hay is hay, I suppose. I don't know, I'm sure. George: What is hay made of? Aunt: Do keep still, George! Hay is made of dirt, water and air. George: Who makes it out of dirt and water? Aunt: God makes it. George: When does he make it? In the night or the daytime? Aunt: In both, dear. George: (After a pause.) Does he make it on Sundays? Aunt: Yes, Sundays and week-days, too. George: Isn't it wicked to make hay on Sunday? Aunt: Now, Georgie, you must stop asking questions and leave me alone. I am learning my French lesson. (A pause. George reaches up to a shelf and knocks down a plate. Aunt jumps and screams.) Aunt: Now, what have you done? George: What made the plate break? Aunt: All china is brittle. George: What is brittle? Aunt: Now you must keep still and not speak to me till your mother comes in. Look out of the window, there's a good boy. It will soon be time for tea. (A pause.) George: Auntie, I see the moon. Aunt: Yes, I suppose so. George: But no stars are out. Where do the stars come from? Aunt: I don't know. No one knows. George: Does the moon lay them? Aunt: (Absently.) Yes, I suppose so. No, I mean. I don't know. Don't ask me such questions. George: Can whales lay eggs? Aunt: I guess so. George: Do they lay them in the water or on land? Aunt: I don't know. Oh, George, you will make me crazy. George: What will make you crazy? Aunt: You will, asking me so many questions. ( A pause.) George: Oh, auntie, look there, quick! Aunt: (Jumps.) Where? What is it? George: Only a fly on the glass. Aunt: Well, try to look at it for a while, and keep still. I will give you a stick of candy. George: What kind of candy? Aunt: A nice kind. George: Will it be peppermint? Aunt: I guess so. George: How many other kinds of candy are there besides peppermint? Aunt: Lots of others. ( A pause.) George: When will you get me the candy? Aunt: Now, right away. Come along with me. (Takes him out.) George: (At the door.) Where will you get the candy? 20. Seeds and Plants. 1 Plant a bean in the warm, soft ground, and what do you think will take place? In two or three weeks a vine will grow taller and taller every day. It will climb up a pole, twining round and round it as it goes. After a while it will blossom. Then pods will grow from the blossoms. In each pod there will be beans just like the one that you planted in the ground. Many things have come from that one little bean: the twining vine, the broad green leaves, the pretty flowers, the long pods. Is it not wonderful? Put a grain of corn into the ground. By and by two leaves will push themselves up into the sun-light and the air. Then a stalk will begin to shoot up between them. From the stalk, one broad leaf after another will grow. Every day it will get taller and taller. A tassel will come out on top. An ear of corn will begin to form and push out near the middle of the stalk. Then the stalk will grow no more. Can you name all the things that have come from the grain which you planted? They are all very different from it, except the new grains that are on the ear. 2 An acorn falls from an oak-tree. It is the seed of the tree. Thousands and thousands of acorns may fall from the same tree; and yet not one of them will grow unless it is covered with earth. It may be that one acorn falls into a hole in the ground. The autumn rains wash the loose earth down upon it, and it is covered up. It lies hidden in the ground, safe and sound, through the long winter months. In the spring the warm sun-shine falls upon the acorn's hiding-place; the spring rains wet the earth. The acorn begins to show signs of life. It first sends a strong root deep down below it; then it sends two green leaves upwards into the air. Between the two green leaves you can see a tiny twig. The twig grows very slowly, but it grows a little every sunny day. Many, many years pass by, and at last it becomes a great tree. Now think how much has come from the tiny acorn that was covered up when the autumn rains were falling, and was afterwards is brought to life by the spring showers! 3 How is it that so much comes from so small a seed? How is it that the same kind of plants always grow from the same kind of seeds? These are questions which wise men can not answer. Why do the roots of plants always grow downwards? Why do the stalks always shoot upward? Why do neither roots nor stalks ever make a mistake? Nobody can tell. All that we can say about it, is that they follow a law of Nature. If they did not do so, what a queer world we should have! As the plant grows larger and stronger, more roots are sent down into the ground, and each of these brings up something which serves as food for stalk and leaves. More leaves, too, unfold in the air. The air and the sun-light help to make them grow and become strong; and from the air and the sun-light they take in much food for the whole plant. Through the stalk and branches the sap is flowing all the time. This sap carries to the stalk the food which the roots have taken from the ground. It carries also to the stalk and roots the food which the leaves have taken from the sun-light and the air. Is there anything more wonderful than the growing of a plant? 21, The Man on the Chimney. Some workmen were building the tall chimney of a new factory. It would have amused you to see the men go to and from their work on this chimney. It was so tall that no ladder could reach the top of it, so the men got up and down by means of a rope passed through a pulley firmly fixed to the top of the chimney. The men were very glad when it was all finished, and came down as quickly as they could. Sad to say, the last man but one pulled the rope from the pulley. When he got down to the ground, he looked back and saw a man standing on the top of the chimney. The comrades of the poor man on the chimney were so frightened that they knew not what to do. First they looked at their friend standing alone, high up in the air; then they looked at the rope, which lay in a coil upon the ground. "Poor fellow!" they said; "he must die, for he will starve if he has to stay there, and he will be killed if he tries to get down!" Just then the man's wife came up. She did not begin to cry, scold, or fret; she only said to herself, "How shall I save him?" In a moment she had thought of a plan; and she shouted at the top of her voice,-"John! John! Unravel your stocking! Begin at the toe!" He heard what she said, and taking off his stocking, knit by this same good wife, he cut off the end, and began to pull out the yarn, When he had pulled out a long piece, he fastened one end around a little piece of brick, which he gently let down. The men were waiting for it, with upraised hands, When they got hold of the yarn, they fastened it to the end of a ball of twine, which the wife brought. Then they shouted,- "Pull up the twine till you get the ripe!" "Ay, ay!" said John; and in a few minutes he had hold of the rope. Then snatching up the rest of the stocking for a keep-sake, he let himself down as the other men had done, and reached the ground in safety. SHORTER PIECES. 7. A Narrow Escape. A man was once out hunting, when he saw a lion a long way off. The lion also saw the man, and began to follow him. When the man walked fast, the lion walked fast too, and when he stopped, the lion stopped. He saw that the lion meant to watch him until dark, and then it would spring upon him and kill him. He felt that he could not run away from the lion, so he thought he would cheat him in some way. When he came to a high cliff below which was a deep rocky hollow, he went down, and lay below the rock, where the lion could not see him. It was now dark, but the man knew the lion had come after him, so he did a very cleaver thing to save his life. He took off his hat and coat, and put them on his gun, to make them look like a man. Then he waved them above the edge of the rock. As soon as the lion came up and saw the coat and hat, he made a spring at them. He jumped right over the cliff where the man lay, and was killed on the rocks below. 22. The Foolish Wishes.-1. Long ago there lived a man who was very poor. He lived with his wife in a little hut in the woods. Every morning he went into the forest to cut wood. Every day he said to himself, "How poor I am! I work all day cutting wood, and yet can not get enough to eat. Yet, I am very unhappy." One day as he said this, he saw before him a fairy. The fairy said to him, "I have heard all you have said. I know how poor you are, and I am sorry for you. I will give you three wishes Wish whatever you please, and you will get it." The poor woodcutter, who had stood with his eyes upon the ground, looked up to thank the fairy, but she was gone. He was alone in the forest, but he was no longer unhappy. He said to himself, the three wishes the fairy has given me." He went home and told his wife that he had seen a fairy in the forest, and that she had given him three wishes. His wife was greatly pleased. She said, "Let us sit down and think what we shall wish for." "Let us have something to eat," said the woodcutter. I am very hungry. We can talk about the wishes while we eat." The poor woodcutter and his wife sat down at the table, and began to eat and to talk about what they should wish for. "We can wish for great riches," said the woman. "We can ask for a beautiful house," said the woman. "We can wish to be a king and a queen," said the woodcutter. "We can ask for gold and pearls and diamonds," said his wife. So they talked on, but could not make up their minds what to wish for first. The man was very hungry, and, as he ate his dry bread, he thought how good a sausage would taste, and said without thinking, "I wish I had a nice sausage to eat with this dry bread." As he spoke, a large sausage fell upon the table. The man and his wife looked at the sausage in great surprise. 23. The Foolish Wishes.-2 Then his wife said, "You have been very foolish. You have wished for nothing but a sausage. Now one wish is gone, and we have only two left," "Yes," said the man, "I have been foolish, but we have two wishes left. We can still ask for great riches and to be king and a queen. "Yes," said his wife, "we can ask for great riches and to be a king and a queen, but we can not ask for gold and pearls and diamonds. "Why were you so foolish as to ask for nothing but a sausage? I never would have done that! Would you rather have a sausage than gold and pearls and diamonds? You are very, very foolish!" So his wife went on finding fault, until the poor man became angry and cried out without thinking "I wish the sausage was hanging from the end of your nose!" He had hardly spoken the words before the sausage was hanging from the end of his wife's nose. She could not pull it off. It seemed to have grown on and to have become a part of her. Then she began to cry, and said to the woodcutter, "Oh, how very foolish you are! First you wished for a sausage, and now you have wished that it was hanging from the end of my nose. Two wishes are gone. We have only one left." "Yes," said the man, "but we can wish to be a king and queen." "Yes, we can wish to be a king and a queen," said the woman, "but I shall have this sausage hanging from the end of my nose. How I look! How would a queen look with such a nose? "I would rather be the wife of a poor woodcutter and have my own nose, than be a queen with this nose. It is all your fault!" "Well," said the man, "I am sorry. I wish the sausage was not there." He had hardly finished the sentence when the sausage was gone. But the three wishes were also gone, and the woodcutter and his wife were as poor as ever. Every day when he went into the forest to cut wood, he would say, "How poor I am! How unhappy I am!" But he never saw the fairy again. He had had his three wishes, but he had not got great riches, nor had he become a king, nor got gold and pearls and diamonds. He had not even eaten the sausage with his dry bread. 24. Weighing on Elephant. Mother: An eastern king had been saved from some great danger. To show his gratitude for his deliverance, he vowed he would give to the poor the weight of his favorite elephant in silver. Lily: Oh, what a great quantity that would be! Teddy: But how could you weigh an elephant? Mother: There was the difficulty. The wise and learned men of the court stroked their long beards, and talked the matter over, but no one found out how to weigh the elephant. At last a poor sailor found a safe and simple means, by which to weigh the enormous beast. The thousands and thousands of pieces of silver were counted out to the people, and crowds of the poor were relieved by the clever thought of the sailor. Lily: Oh, mamma, do tell us how he did it. Teddy: Stop, stop! I want to think for myself-think hard-and find out how an elephant's weight could be told with but little trouble and expense. Mother; I am very much pleased that my little boy should set his mind to work on the subject. If he can find out the sailor's secret, he shall have that orange for his pains. Lily: ( Laughing at her brother's grave looks, as he sits leaning his head on his hands.) Can you weigh an elephant, Teddy? Teddy: (Suddenly.) I have it now! Mother: Do you think so? Lily: How would you do it? Teddy: First I would have a big boat brought very close to the shore, and would have planks laid across, so that the elephant could walk right into it. Lily: Oh, such a great heavy beast would make it sink low in the water. Teddy: Of course it would. Then I would mark on the outside of the boat the exact height to which the water had risen all around it while the elephant was inside. Then he should march on shore, leaving the boat quite empty. Lily: But I do not see the use of all this. Teddy: Don't you? Why, I should then bring the heaps of silver, and throw them into the boat, till their weight would sink it to the mark made by the elephant. That would show that the weight of each was the same. Lily: How funny! You would make a weighing machine of the boat? Teddy: That is my plan. Mother: That was the sailor's plan. You have earned the orange, my boy. SHORTER PIECES. 8. Union is Strength. When Mori Motonari found that his death was approaching, he called all his sons around him; and, holding a bundle of arrows in his hand, he gave it to each of them in turn, and told them to break it. Each son took hold of the bundle, and used all his strength in trying to break it. But the bundle was too strong to be broken, and each of them tried in vain. Motonari then took a knife and cut the string which bound the arrows together. So all the arrows fell apart. He then told each of them to take up a single stick and see if he could break it. Every arrow was snapped in two without any effort. "See, my sons," said Motonari, "the power of union. As long as the arrows were bound together in one bundle, you could not break them. Bind yourselves together, then, with brotherly love, and no one will be able to harm you. But if you are divided by discord, you will fall an easy prey to every one who seeks to injure you." 25.William Tell.-1 Very far from here, in the central part of Europe, there is a beautiful country called Switzerland. In that country there are many high mountains, with green valleys and pretty lakes between. And there are towns and pleasant country homes where many free and happy people live. But the people of Switzerland were not always free and happy. A long time ago, an army of strangers crossed the mountains, and came down into the valleys, and tried to rob the Swiss of all that they had. Swiss, and these fought for their country and their homes as long as they could. But they were beaten in every battle. The strangers took their houses and their fields and their cattle, and left them almost nothing to call their own. One of the strangers, whose name was Gessler, became the ruler of the Swiss. He was very cruel and treated them as slaves. Among the mountains there lived a brave huntsman called William Tell. In all the world there was no one who could shoot with a bow and arrows as well as he. Tell hated the cruel Gessler and the strangers that had come with him into Switzerland; and he longed for the day to come when they could be driven out of the land. One day Gessler had a tall pole put up in the public square. On the top of the pole his own hat was hung. Then he gave orders that every man who passed by the square should bow to this hat. There was one man who would not do this. That man was William Tell. When Gessler heard that Tell had passed the pole and had not bowed to the hat on top of it, he was glad. Why? He had now a good excuse for putting Tell in prison. For he was afraid of the huntsman, and wanted very much to put him where he could do no harm. And so, William Tell was thrown into prison and kept there for a long time. Gessler did not mean that he should ever be free again. A little boy of Tell's was also put into prison; for, like his father, he would not bow to Gessler's hat. One day Gessler thought of a cruel plan. He ordered Tell to be brought before him. "I hear," he said, "that you can shoot well with a bow and arrow." Tell answered, "If I had my bow in my hand, I might show you." "That is just what I want you to do," said Gessler; "and that is what you shall do. To-morrow, your son shall stand at one side of the public, with an apple on his head. You shall stand at the other side and shoot the apple with an arrow." "You do not mean it," said Tell. "I do mean it," said Gessler. "If you will not do it, your son shall be killed before your eyes. One of my men shall shoot him with an arrow." Tell begged that Gessler would not make him do this thing. "You want me to kill my boy," he said. "No," said Gessler, "I want you to shoot the apple; and if you do not hit it, both you and your boy shall die." "And what if I do hit it?" asked Tell. "Then both of you shall go free," said Gessler. And so at last Tell said he would try. 26. William Tell.-2 The next day the little boy was made to stand up at one side of the public square with a small apple on his head. "I am not afraid, father," he said. "I know you will hit it." William Tell, with his bow and arrow, stood at the other side of the square. "It is a long way to shoot," he said, "and the sun shines in my eyes." "Say not a word," said Gessler. Tell lifted his strong bow. He drew the arrow back. There was not another man in Switzerland who could bend that bow. Then, twang and the arrow went flying through the air. There was a great shout from the people that stood around. What did it mean? Tell had turned his face. He would not look, for he was afraid that he had shot his child. Then he felt a little arm around his neck. "Father, I am safe! The arrow went right through the center of the apple!" That was why the people shouted. Even Gessler's men were glad. But Gessler was angry. He would have broken his word and sent Tell back to prison, if he had dared. But he saw that Tell had more friends than he. "You may go free, now," he said. "But do not come in my way again." Just then an arrow dropped from under Tell's coat. Gessler saw it. "What do you mean?" he cried. "What do you mean?" he cried. "What were you going to do with that arrow? "Shoot you with it if I had harmed my child," said Tell. The huntsman and his child went back to their home among the mountains; and the good wishes of all the people went with them. It is said that, not long after this, Tell did shoot Gessler with the very bow which he had used to shoot the apple. Soon the Swiss people drove the army of strangers back across the mountains, and their country was free again. 27. The Trial of the Woodchuck. Daniel Webster, the great lawyer, was ten years old when he tried his first law case. Webster's father was a poor farmer; and besides Daniel, he had an older son, Ezekiel. The boys used to help in the farm work. Ezekiel one day set a trap to catch a woodchuck which had been stealing its breakfasts from the garden of the Websters. At last the woodchuck was caught. "Now," cried Ezekiel, "we'll kill the thief. You've done harm enough to die, Mr. Woodchuck; and die you shall!" Daniel who had a kind heart, begged his brother not to kill the poor woodchuck, but to take him into the woods and let him go. Ezekiel would not do this; and so, as they could not agree, the two lads went to their father, and asked him what should be done. "Well," said old Mr. Webster, "here is the prisoner; let us try him for his life. You, Ezekiel, shall be lawyer for him. You may both speak. I will be the judge." Ezekiel began telling of the harm the woodchuck had done to the garden. He told how much time and trouble it took to catch the robber. He asked if the prisoner would not surely take to his bad habit again if they should let him go. And he ended with these words; "The prisoner must die; and to pay for the harm he has done, let us sell his skin!" Ezekiel spoke well, and Mr. Webster seemed to think he was right. But he turned to Daniel and said, "I'll hear now what you have to say." Daniel was very much afraid that Ezekiel had won the case. But, seeing the poor woodchuck trembling in his prison, the boy was moved with pity. Looking the judge full in the face with his deep, black eyes, Daniel began: "Ezekiel has spoken well, but he forgets some things. I say that the woodchuck has a right to life, to food, and to freedom. God made him to live in the bright sunshine, in the free fields and woods. "He is not like the cruel fox, for he kills nothing. He only eats a little of our corn, and I am sure we have plenty. Has he taken anything but the little food he needed to keep him alive? And is not that food as sweet to him as the food on mother's table is to us? "You can't say that he has broken the laws, as men often do; he has only done what it is his nature to do. How, then, can you blame him? Look at the poor dumb, trembling creature, and answer me this: How dare you take away that life which you can never give back again?" Daniel paused. There were tears in his father's eyes. The plea for mercy had touched the old man's heart; and , forgetting that he was the "judge," he started up, and cried in a loud voice, "Zeke, Zeke, you let that woodchuck go!" SHORTER PIECES. 9.The Horse-Shoe Nail. "Your horse has lost a nail out of one of his hind shoes," said the hostler to a farmer who had put up at the village in. "Never mind," replied the farmer, "I can't stop to attend to it now." "Your horse has lost a shoe, sir." Said the hostler at the next hotel where the farmer stopped; "shall I take him to the blacksmith's shop across the road?" "No, I think not; I shall soon get home." Before he had ridden a mile, his horse began to limp; next he began to stumble; and finally, he fell down and broke his leg. The farmer, going on foot through a dark forest, was waylaid and killed by robbers. Thus for want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe, the horse was lost; and for want of a horse, the rider was lost. 28. Fritz and the Wolf. Fritz was the son of a farmer who lived in a lonely part of Russia. The rude cabin which was his home stood in a dark forest several miles from the nearest village. One day Fritz was sent to the village with a letter. It was the middle of winter, and snow lay on the ground. After doing his errand, he spent the evening in visiting his friends. It was late, and the moon was up before he set out for home. When he was a short distance from his father's house, Fritz saw a dark object before him in the path. At first he thought it was a dog. As he came nearer, he found that it was a fierce wolf that stood in his way. He must think of some other means of escape. He had heard that hunters sometimes escaped from bears, by lying flat on the ground as if they were dead, and he thought he would try this plan with the wolf. Without a moment's delay, he threw himself down on the snow. The wolf came slowly toward him. It stood beside him for a minute, quite still, and then began to sniff about him. Fritz did not dare to move. By and by the wolf reached his neck, and resting one foot on his body, looked at him closely. Fritz felt the water from the jaws of the wolf dropping on his face. "Death or life now!" said Fritz to himself. Quick as thought, he seized the paws which were resting on either side of his neck, drew them tightly over his shoulders, sprung up and walked of with the wolf hanging on his back. So tightly did he draw the wolf's neck against his shoulders, that the animal could scarcely breathe and tried in vain to use its teeth. With its hind paws, however, it scratched furiously at Fritz's legs, and made it difficult for him to walk. At length with his strange load he reached his father's door. "Father! father!" he cried, but there was no reply. Fritz was nearly tired out. He could not knock with his hands, and he did not dare to lift his foot for fear of falling. All that he could do was to turn round and dash the wolf against the door with all his might. The noise awoke every one in the cabin. "Father!" he cried again, "help, father! I have a live wolf." The farmer lost no time in opening the door and stood, gun in hand, ready to shoot. "Do not shoot," said the boy, "the wolf is on my back. The dogs! the dogs!" At this moment Fritz's mother let loose two great dogs that were tied in the cabin, and that had been barking furiously. Suddenly Fritz threw the wolf from his shoulders, and the dogs seeing the danger of their young master, flew at the wolf, and soon had it in their power. Fritz did not wish the wolf to be killed by the dogs, for then he could not say that he had caught a live wolf. As quick as thought he took a rope and tied it round the wolf's neck, at the same time telling his father to pull the dogs away. When this was done, Fritz put the badly wounded and much frightened animal into a box. There he kept it until, a short time afterward, a man came along and bought it to send to a menagerie. I suppose the wolf is still looking out through the bars of its cage, and showing its white teeth to the crowds of boys and girls who go to look at the wild animals. 29. Why the Sea is Salt.-1 There were, in very ancient times, two brothers, one of whom was rich, and the other poor. Christmas was approaching, but the poor man had nothing in the house for a Christmas dinner; so he went to his brother and asked him for a trifling gift. The rich man was ill-natured, he looked very surly. But, as Christmas is a time when even the worst people give gifts, he took a fine ham down from the chimney, where it was hanging to smoke, threw it to his brother, and bade him begone and never let him see his face again. The poor man thanked his brother for the ham, put it under his arm, and went on his way. He had to pass through a great forest on his way home. When he had reached the thickest part of it, he saw an old man, with a long, white beard, hewing timber. "Good evening," said he to him. "Good evening," returned the old man, raising himself up from his work, and looking at him. "That is a fine ham you are carrying." On this, the poor man told him all about it. "It is lucky for you," said the old man, "that you have met with me. If you will take that ham into the land of the dwarfs, the entrance to which lies just under the roots of this tree, you can make a capital bargain with it; for the dwarfs a re very fond of ham, and rarely get any. But mind what I say: you must not sell it for money, but demand for it the 'old handmill which stands behind the door.' When you come back, I'll show you how to use it." The poor man thanked his new friend, who showed him the door under a stone below the roots of the tree, and by this door he entered into the land of the dwarfs. No sooner had he set his foot in it, than the dwarfs swarmed about him, attracted by the smell of the ham. They offered him queer, old-fashioned money and gold and silver ore for it; but he refused all their tempting offers, and said that he would sell it only for the old hand-mill that stood behind the door. At this, the dwarfs held up their little old hands, and looked quite perplexed. "We cannot make a bargain, it seems," said the poor man, "so I'll bid you all a very good day." The fragrance of the ham had by this time reached the remotest parts of the dwarf-land. The dwarfs came flocking round in little troops, leaving their work of digging out gold and silver and precious ores, all eager for the ham. "Let him have the old mill," said some of the new-comers; "it is quite out of order, and he won't know how to use it. Let him have it, and we shall have the ham." So the bargain was made. The poor man took the old hand-mill, which was a little thing not half so large as the ham, and went back to the woods. Here the old man showed him how to use it. All this had taken up a great deal of time, and it was midnight before he reached home. "Where in the world have you been?" said his wife. "Here I have been waiting and waiting, and we have no wood to make a fire, nor anything to put into the porridge pot for our Christmas supper." The house was dark and cold, but the poor man bade his wife wait and see what would happen. He placed the little handmill on the table, and began to turn the crank. First, out there came some grand, lighted wax-candles, and a fire on the hearth, and a porridge pot boiling over it, because in his mind he said they should come first. Then he ground out a table-cloth, and dishes, and spoons, and knives, and forks. He was himself utterly astonished at his good luck, as you may believe; and his wife too was almost beside herself with astonishment and joy. Well, they had a capital supper; and after it was eaten, they ground out of the mill every possible thing to make their house and themselves warm and comfortable. And thus they spent a very merry Christmas eve and morning. 30. Why the Sea is Salt.-2 When, next day, the people went by the house to church, they could hardly believe their eyes. There was glass in the windows instead of a wooden shutter, and the poor man and his wife, dressed in nice new clothes, were seen devoutly kneeling in the church. "There is something very strange in all this," said every one. "Something very strange indeed," said the rich man, when, three days afterwards, he received an invitation from his once poor brother to a grand feast. And what a feast it was! The table was covered with a cloth as white as snow, and the dishes were all of silver or gold. The rich man could not, in his great house, and with all his wealth, set out such a table. "Where did you get all these things?" exclaimed he. His brother told him all about the bargain he had made with the dwarfs, and putting the mill on the table, ground out boots and shoes, coats and cloaks, stockings, gowns, and blankets, and bade his wife give them to the poor people that had gathered about the house. They had come to get a sight of the grand feast the poor brother had made for the rich one. The rich man was very envious of his brother's good fortune, and wanted to borrow the mill, intending - for he was not an honest man - never to return it again. His brother would not lend it, for the old man with the white beard had told him never to sell or to lend it to any one. Some years went on, and, at last, the possessor of the mill built himself a grand castle on a rock by the sea, facing the west. Its windows, reflecting the golden sunset, could be seen far out from the shore. It became a noted landmark for sailors. Strangers from foreign parts often came to see this castle and the wonderful mill, of which the most extraordinary tales were told. At length, a great foreign merchant came, and when he had seen the mill, inquired whether it would grind salt. Being told that it would, he wanted to buy it; for he traded in salt, and thought that if he owned it he could supply all his customers, without taking long and dangerous voyages. The man refused to sell it, of course. He was so rich now that he did not want to use it for himself; but every Christmas he ground out food and clothes and coal for the poor, and nice presents for the little children. So he rejected all the offers of the merchant. The merchant, however, determined to have it; he bribed one of the man's servants to let him go into the castle at night, and he stole the mill and sailed away with it in triumph. He had scarcely got out to sea, before he determined to set the mill to work, "Now , mill, grinds salt," said he; "grind salt with all your might!- Salt, salt, and nothing but salt!" The mill began to grind and the sailors to fill the sacks; but these were soon full, and in spite of all that could be done, it began to fill the ship. The dishonest merchant was now very much frightened. What was to be done? The mill would not stop grinding; and at last the ship was overloaded, and down it went, making a great whirlpool where it sank. The ship soon went to pieces; but the mill stands there still at the bottom of the sea, and keeps grinding out "salt, salt, nothing but salt!" That is the reason, say the peasants of Denmark and Norway, why the sea is salt.