"It is a cold day to turn an old man out in. Look at my grey hairs." "Ay!" said Hans," there are enough of them to keep you warm. Walk! "I'm very hungry, sir; couldn't you spare me a bit of bread before I go?" Bread, indeed!" said Schwartz. "Do you suppose we've nothing to do with our bread, but to give it to such red-nosed fellows as you?" "Why don't you sell your feather?" said Hans sneeringly. "Out with you!" A little bit," said the old gentleman. Be off!" said Schwartz. 66 very there they lay, all three. Then the old gentleman spun himself round, and replied with perfect coolness: Gentlemen, I wish you a good morning. At twelve o'clock to-night I'll call again; after such a refusal of hospitality as I have just experienced, you will not be surprised if that visit is the last I ever pay you." "If ever I catch you here again." muttered Schwartz, coming, half frightened, out of the corner-but, before he could finish his sentence, the old gentleman had shut the house Pray, gentlemen." "Off, and be hanged!" cried Hans, seizing him by the collar. But he had. no sooner touched the old gentleman's collar than away he went after the rolling-pin, till he fell into the corner on the top of it. Then Schwartz was very angry and ran at the old gentleman to turn him out; but he also had hardly touched him, when away he went after Hans and the rolling-pin, and hit his head against the wall as he tumbled into the corner. And so door behind him with a great bang; and there drove past the window, at the same instant, a wreath of ragged cloud, that whirled and rolled away down the valley in all manner of shapes, melting away at last in a gush of rain. A very pretty business, indeed, Mr. Gluck!" said Schwartz. "Dish the mutton, sir. If ever I catch you at such a trick againBless me, why, the mutton's been cut! "You promised me one slice, brother, you know," said Gluck. The fairy gave him a golden coach and twelve white horses, and as he rode in state to Rome he met the young and unmarried Queen of Italy. She was struck by his wonderful beauty, and invited him into her palace. The shepherd saw that he had won the queen's heart, and he resolved to marry her and become King of Italy, and let the fairy go. So when he and the queen were alone together, he knelt down and took her hand, saying: "Marry me, dearest, and I will help you to govern Italy." But as soon as he spoke he turned into an old, ugly, and ragged shepherd. "What is this horrible beggar doing here?" cried the queen. Whip him out of the palace." The miserable And this was done. shepherd went back to the marshlands to find the fairy, but she never came to him again, and so he remained a shepherd. THE MINSTREL QUEEN OF SPAIN A LONG time ago the fierce Moors invaded Spain, and defeated the Spaniards and captured their king. The lovely Queen of Spain at once dressed herself in boy's clothes and went to the tent of the Moorish chieftain, and sang to him as he sat feasting. What a divine voice! said the Moor. "Boy, you shall have a royal footstool! He forced the King of Spain down on the ground, and the singer put her feet softly on his neck. When the singing was done, the Moor cried: "Boy, you sing like an angel! Ask what you will, and I will grant it." "Let me take this young king back to his people," said the singer. Her request was granted, so she led the king into the northern mountains, and there they met the Spanish Minister. THE CHOICE M 66 Sire, you must marry again, "he said. "Your queen has joined our enemies." A feast was held, and the cunning Minister put his daughter next to the king, and she made love to him. But the king turned sadly away from her, and said to the singer : "Boy, sing me something merry." And the singer sang: "Down the hills and along the plain, Lute in hand went the Queen of Spain, The King of Spain then recognised him; but Marpessa said, "No, Apollo! So she married Idas, and they lived as happily together in their old age as they did in the flower of their youth; and they had many tall, handsome children to love and help them in the decline of their life. so sticky and smeared with the honey that they were all stuck together, and only a few of them succeeded in getting out and flying away. All the rest stayed in the jar, and in a short time died. If we get into bad habits it is very difficult to get out of them. THE FAT AND THE LEAN FOWLS ONCE NCE upon a time there were a quantity of fowls living together, in a yard. Some of them were very fine and fat, while others were thin and ill-looking. The fat ones were often making fun of the lean ones, calling them starvelings and skeletons and other names. On page 294 we read about the wonderful adventures of Captain James Cook. In this picture we see this famous navigator on his little ship, the "Endeavour," sailing round the mountainous shores of New Zealand. It was during his first voyage, which lasted from the year 1768 to 1771, that Captain Cook found New Zealand. He sailed right round New Zealand, being the first man to do so, and brought home to England a description of the wonderful island, which is very similar to the United Kingdom in size and climate. Not content with his discoveries on his first voyage, Cook made two more voyages to this part of the world, and cruised about discovering many of the islands in Oceania. In his last voyage Captain Cook discovered the Sandwich Islands and other groups, but he was unfortunately killed by the natives when trying to land at Hawaii on February 14, 1779. |