Goldilocks And The Three Bears.

 Once upon a time there were three bears who lived in a house in the forest. There was a great big father bear, a middle-sized mother bear and a tiny little baby bear.

 One morning, their breakfast porridge was too hot to eat, so they went for a walk in the forest. While they were out, a little girl called Goldilocks came through the trees and found their house. She knocked on the door and, as there was no answer, she pushed it open and went in.

 In front of her was a table with three chairs, one great big chair, one middle-sized chair and one tiny little chair. On the table were three bowls of porridge, one great big bowl, one middle-sized bowl and one tiny little bowl - and three spoons.

 Goldilocks was hungry, so she sat in the great big chair, picked up the biggest spoon and tried some of the porridge from the great big bowl. But the chair was far too big and hard, the spoon was too heavy and the porridge too hot.

 So Goldilocks went over to the middle-sized chair. But this chair was far too soft, and when she tried the porridge from the middle-sized bowl it was too cold. So she went over to the tiny little chair and picked up the smallest spoon and tried some of the porridge from the tiny little bowl.

 This time it was neither too hot nor too cold. It was just right and so delicious that Goldilocks ate it all up. But she was too heavy for the tiny little chair and it broke in pieces.

 Then Goldilocks went upstairs where she found three beds. There was a great big bed, a middle-sized bed and a tiny little bed. First she lay down on the great big bed, but it was very big and far too hard. Next she lay down on the middle-sized bed, but that was far too soft. Then she lay down on the tiny little bed. It was neither too hard nor too soft. In fact, it felt just right, and Goldilocks fell fast asleep.

 In a little while, the three bears came back from their walk in the forest.

 Father Bear looked around, then roared in a great big growly voice,

 "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!"

 Mother Bear said in a quiet gentle voice,

 "Somebody has been sitting in my chair!"

 And Little Bear said in a small squeaky baby voice, "Somebody has been sitting in my chair, and has broken it!"

 Then Father Bear looked at his bowl of porridge and said in his great big growly voice.

 "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN EATING MY PORRIDGE!"

 Mother Bear looked at her bowl and said in her quiet gentle voice, "Somebody has been eating my porridge!"

 And Little Bear looked at his bowl and said in his small squeaky baby voice,

 "Somebody has been eating my porridge, and has eaten ii all."

 Then the three hears went upstairs. Father Bear saw at once that his bed was untidy, and he said in his great big growly voice,

 "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED!"

 Mother Bear saw that her bed, too, had the bedclothes turned hack, and she said in her quiet gentle voice.

 "Somebody has been sleeping in my bed!"

 And Little Bear looked at his bed, and he said in his small squeaky baby voice,

 "Somebody is sleeping in my bed, NOW!"

 He squeaked so loudly that Goldilocks woke up with a start. She jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs and out into the forest. And the three bears never saw her again.

 The Great Big Turnip.

 Once upon a time, in Russia, an old man planted some turnip seeds. Each year he grew good turnips, but this year he was especially proud of one very big turnip. He left it in the ground longer than the others and watched with amazement and delight as it grew bigger and bigger. It grew so big that no one could remember ever having seen such a huge turnip before.

 At last the old man decided that the time had come to pull it up. He took hold of the leaves of the great big turnip and pulled and pulled, but the turnip did not move.

 So the old man called his wife to come and help. The old woman took hold of the old man, and the old man took hold of the turnip. Together they pulled and pulled, but still the turnip did not move.

 So the old woman called her granddaughter to come and help. The granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, and the old man took hold of the turnip. They pulled and pulled, but still the turnip did not move.

 The granddaughter called to the dog to come and help. The dog took hold of the granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, and the old man took hold of the turnip. They pulled and pulled, but still the turnip did not move.

 The dog called to the cat to come and help pull up the turnip. The cat took hold of the dog, the clog took hold of the granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, and the old man took hold of the turnip. They all pulled and pulled as hard as they could, but still the turnip did not move.

 Then the cat called to a mouse to come and help pull up the great big turnip. The mouse took hold of the cat, the cat took hold of the dog, the dog took hold of the granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, and he took hold of the turnip. Together they pulled and pulled and pulled as hard as they could.

 Suddenly, the great big turnip came out of the ground, and everyone fell over.

 The old woman chopped up the great big turnip and made a great big pot of delicious turnip soup. There was enough soup for every body - the mouse, the cat, the dog, the granddaughter, the old woman and the old man. There was even some left over.

 Cinderella.

 There was once a gentleman who lived in a fine house, with his kind and gentle wife and their pretty daughter. His wife died, so the gentleman married again. His new wife was not at all kind or pretty. She had been married before and had two daughters who were known, behind their backs, as the Ugly Sisters.

 Although they had no reason to be unkind, the two sisters were horrid to their new stepsister. They ordered her about, scolded her and made her do all the work in the big house. Her clothes became ragged and thin and far too small. The poor girl was always cold and tired. In the evenings she would rest on a stool close to the fire, almost in the cinders and ashes.

 "Cinderella, That's the perfect name for you", jeered the stepsisters when they saw her trying to keep warm.

 Now the king and queen of their country had a son, and they planned a big ball for the prince in the hope that he might find a bride. Invitations were sent to all the big houses. When a large invitation card to the royal ball arrived at Cinderella's house, there was a great flurry of excitement. New dresses were chosen for the Ugly Sisters and their mother, and nobody talked about anything except the ball.

 "I am sure the prince will fall in love with me", said one sister, smiling at herself in the mirror.

 "You silly fool", said the other, pushing her aside. "He won't be able to resist falling in love with me. Just think, one day I could he queen", and she pretended she was the queen already as she ordered Cinderella to get another pair of shoes for her to try on. No one thought of asking Cinderella if she would like to go to the ball. They scarcely even noticed her as they rushed around trying on different wigs, fans and gloves to go with their new ball dresses.

 At last the day of the ball came, and Cinderella worked harder than ever, helping the Ugly Sisters and her stepmother to get ready. They quarrelled with each other all day, and by the time the carriage drove away to the king's palace, with all the family in it, Cinderella was glad to have some peace. But as she sat on her stool by the fire she could not help a tear falling onto the ashes, for she wished that she could have gone with them.

 Suddenly she realized that she was not alone. A beautiful lady stood before her with a silver wand in her hand.

 "Cinderella", she said. "I am your fairy godmother. Tell me, what are those tears for?"

 Cinderella looked away.

 "I wish, oh how I wish, I could have gone to the ball too".

 "So you shall", said her fairy, "godmother, but first we have some work to do. For if you are to go to the ball, I cannot send you as you are. Fetch me the largest pumpkin you can find in the garden".

 Cinderella fetched the largest pumpkin she could see and with just a wave of her wand, her fairy godmother turned it into a gleaming golden coach.

 "Now we need a few horses", said her godmother. "Look in the mouse trap and see if there is anything we can use".

 Cinderella ran to the larder and found six mice running around in a cage. She watched her godmother wave her wand and suddenly, harnessed to the coach, there were six shining dappled horses, stamping their feet.

 Those horses need a coachman, decided her godmother. Look in the rat trap, Cinderella. There were three rats in the trap and as the godmother touched the largest rat with her wand, it disappeared. But now up at the front of the coach sat a fine plump whiskery coachman in a smart uniform.

 "Go and look behind the water barrel, Cinderella", said her godmother. "and see if you can find something we can use for footmen".

 Cinderella ran to the water barrel and brought two lizards to her godmother. At the wave of her wand they were transformed into splendid footmen.

 "There now, Cinderella, your coach is ready", said her godmother with a smile. "You will be able to go to the ball after all".

 "How can I go like this?" sighed Cinderella, looking down in despair at her ragged clothes and bare feet. Her godmother touched her with her wand - her rags turned into a shimmering gown and on her feet she was wearing the prettiest pair of glass shoes she had ever seen.

 As Cinderella stepped into the coach her godmother gave her a strict warning. "The magic will only last until midnight, and then everything will return to what it was before. Be sure you leave the ball before midnight, Cinderella".

 When Cinderella's coach arrived at the palace the word went round that a beautiful lady had arrived in such a splendid coach that she must be a princess. The prince himself came down the steps to greet her and led her to the ballroom. As they entered, the other guests fell silent in wonder and the musicians stopped playing. The prince signaled to the musicians to play again and danced with Cinderella.

 The prince stayed at Cinderella's side all evening. No one knew who she was. Not even the Ugly Sisters recognized her. Cinderella was so happy that she did not notice how quickly the time was flying by.

 Suddenly she heard the clock strike the first stroke of midnight. With a cry she left the prince and ran out of the ballroom. As she flew down the steps, one of her shoes fell off, but she could not stop to pick it up.

 Although the prince tried to follow Cinderella through the crowd, he soon lost sight of her. He questioned everyone carefully but no one had seen the beautiful lady leave. The guards said that the only person who had gone out was a young raggedly-dressed girl. No one noticed the pumpkin in the corner of the courtyard or some mice, a rat and a pair of lizards that slunk into the shadows. But the prince did find the glass shoe on the steps, and lie recognized it as one of the elegant shoes the mysterious and lovely lady had worn.

 The next day the Ugly Sisters could talk of nothing but the beautiful lady who had captured the prince's heart and how she had disappeared so suddenly and how no one knew her name.

 The palace issued a proclamation that the prince was looking for the lady who had worn the glass shoe. His servants would tour the country with it until they found the lady whose foot it fitted and the prince would marry that lady. The prince traveled around with his servants but time and again he was disappointed as the shoe failed to fit any lady's foot.

 At last they came to Cinderella's house. The Ugly Sisters were waiting.

 "Let me try first", cried one, holding out her foot, and pushing as hard as she could to squeeze it into the shoe. But it was no good. She gave up and laughed at her sister's efforts as she, too, tried to force her foot into the tiny glass shoe. When she had failed, Cinderella stepped forward.

 "You!" sneered the Ugly Sisters. "But you were not even at the ball".

 Cinderella slipped her foot into the glass shoe - it fitted perfectly. Then she drew from behind her back a second shoe which she put on her other foot. At the same moment the fairy godmother appeared and touched Cinderella with her wand. Instantly her ragged clothes changed back into the beautiful shimmering dress, and Cinderella once again became the lovely stranger.

 The delighted prince asked Cinderella to marry him and Cinderella replied that there was nothing she would like more. The Ugly Sisters begged Cinderella to forgive them for their unkindness and she happily agreed. There was a fine royal wedding for Cinderella and the prince, and they lived happily ever after.

 Cinderella found two husbands for the Ugly Sisters at court, and they too lived happily ever after - well, almost.

 The Ugly Duckling.

 One summer's day, when the corn was golden yellow and the hay was being dried in the fields, a mother duck was sitting on her nest of eggs. She sat in the rushes of a deep moat that surrounded a lovely country manor and waited for her eggs to hatch. They were taking a very long time and she was getting very tired.

 At last she felt a movement beneath her. The eggs began to crack and out popped tiny fluffy ducklings. All the eggs hatched except for one, which was larger than the rest. The mother duck was impatient to take her new ducklings swimming but could not leave the last egg unhatched. She sat, and she sat, and she sat, and just as she was about to give up, she heard a tap. Out of the egg tumbled the oddest ugliest duckling imaginable.

 She took the babies into the water and proudly watched as they all swam straightaway, even the ugly duckling. She led them in a procession around the moat, showing them off to the other ducks. As they bobbed along behind her she heard many quacks of admiration and praise for her fine family. But she also heard quacks of laughter and scorn poured on the ugly duckling at the end of the line.

 "He was too long in the egg", she explained. "He has not come out quite the right shape. But he will soon grow into a fine duck, just like the others".

 As the weeks went by, and the corn was harvested in the fields, the ducklings grew up into ducks. But the ugly duckling with his grey feathers and clumsy shape remained different. All the ducks on the moat made fun of him and refused to let him join in their games on the water.

 The ugly duckling could bear it no more. As the autumn leaves began to fall he flew away to a great marsh. There he stayed alone, hiding from the ducks among the reeds.

 One day he heard a strange cry and the sound of wings in the air. Looking up he saw three dazzling white birds flying majestically overhead. The ugly duckling felt a strange longing. He did not know the name of those birds but he felt he loved them more than he had loved anything before. He watched as they passed over his head and flew beyond until they were out of sight.

 Autumn turned to winter, and the ugly duckling suffered many hardships. The marshy water froze and for a while he was trapped fast in the ice. A kind man broke the ice and took him to his home, but the ugly duckling was frightened by the noise and confusion inside the house. He flapped his wings, upset a bucket of milk and fled as people shouted at him.

 At last spring came, and with it warm sunshine. The ugly duckling flapped his wings. To his surprise they felt bigger and stronger, and he found he was flying easily away from the marsh towards a large and beautiful lake.

 On the lake were the three wonderful birds the ugly duckling had seen flying overhead several months before. As the swans glided smoothly over the lake, he felt drawn to them, but he was sure they would tease him like the ducks because he was so ugly. He hung his head in shame.

 All at once he saw a reflection in the smooth lake waters. A beautiful swan with glossy white feathers and a fine yellow beak stared up at him. He moved; the swan moved. He opened his wings; so did the swan. The ugly duckling suddenly realized - he was a swan.

 The other swans swam gracefully towards him, welcoming him. Some children ran down to the lake, calling, "Look, a new swan has appeared", and they threw bread into the water for him.

 The young and beautiful swan felt quite shy with all this attention, and hid his head under his wing. But, as the lilac trees bent their branches down over the water and the sun shone warm and bright, he felt a deep happiness. He rustled his feathers, arched his sleek long neck and said to himself, "I never dreamed of such great happiness when I was the Ugly Duckling".

 The Elves And The Shoemaker.

 Once upon a time there was a shoemaker who made very good shoes. But though he worked hard in his shop, times were difficult and he became poorer and poorer. One evening he realized he had only enough leather to make one more pair of shoes. He cut up the leather and laid the pieces out on his workbench to sew in the morning when the light was better.

 "I may never make another pair of shoes", he sighed as he put up the shutters over his shop window.

 The next morning when he went back to his workbench he found a beautiful pair of shoes. He examined them carefully and discovered they were made from the leather he had cut out the night before. The stitches were exquisite, very tiny and neat, and he knew the shoes were far better than any he could have made. Quickly he took down his shutters and placed the shoes in his shop window.

 Soon the door opened and in came a grand gentleman. He bought the shoes and paid four times more than the price of an ordinary pair. With this money the shoemaker bought more leather and enough food for several days.

 That evening he sat at his workbench and cut out two pairs of shoes from his new leather. He left the pieces laid out as before, all ready to sew in the morning, and put up the shutters.

 In the morning he could scarcely believe his eyes, for there on his workbench were two beautiful pairs of shoes.

 "Who could sew such tiny stitches?" he wondered, "and who could work so fast?"

 He placed the shoes in the shop window. Rich people who had never visited his shop before came in to buy them and paid a lot of money for them.

 Each night for many weeks the same thing happened. Two pairs, sometimes four pairs, were made in a night.

 The shoemaker cut out all sorts of shoes: men's shoes, ladies' shoes, little children's shoes, dancing shoes, party shoes, shoes with laces, shoes with straps and buckles. He became well known for the excellent shoes he sold, and each week he took even more money in his shop.

 One evening, just before Christmas, his wife suggested they should peep around the door of the workroom to see if they could find out who was making the shoes. As the town clock struck midnight, there was a scuffling and a scurrying by the window, and two tiny little men squeezed through a crack in the shutters and hurried over to the workbench. They took tiny tools from their workbags and began to work. They stitched and hammered, stitched and hammered, until a row of new shoes lay, on the workbench. Then, their work finished, the elves left everything neat and tidy and vanished.

 As it was just before Christmas, the shoemaker's wife suggested that they should give presents to the two little men who had helped them so much during the year. The next day she made two little green jackets and trousers and green hats to match, and her husband stitched two tiny pairs of boots.

 The shoemaker and his wife laid these gifts out on the workbench that evening, together with two little glasses of wine and plates with little cakes and biscuits. They then kept watch again. At the stroke of midnight, they saw the elves scramble into the workshop and climb onto the workbench as they had done before. When they saw the little green jackets, trousers and hats and tiny boots the elves gave a shout of joy. They tried on their new clothes straightaway and they were so delighted they danced around the workbench, waving their hats in the air. Then they sat down and ate all the food that had been left out, and disappeared as before.

 After Christmas the shoemaker still cut out the shoes and left the pieces on his workbench but the elves never returned. They knew the shoemaker and his wife must have seen them, for their clothes were exactly the right size, and fairy people do not like to be seen. But the shoemaker was now so well known that he had plenty of customers. Although his stitches were not as tiny and neat as the elves stitches no one ever noticed. For many years he was known as the best shoemaker in town and he and his wife were never poor again.

 Nail Soup.

 One dark and stormy night, a tramp knocked on the door of a cottage and asked for shelter. An old woman answered the door and told the tramp sourly that he could come in if he wanted, but he must not expect any food for she had none in the house.

 "And don't think you'll get a bed to sleep on either", she added, "as I only have one and that is where I sleep".

 The tramp was hungry, but he could see he wasn't going to get any food, so he sat by the fire and took an old nail out of his pocket and tossed it from hand to hand.

 "Do you see this nail here?" he said at last. "You'd never believe it, but last night I made the finest soup I have ever eaten by cooking this nail, and what is more I still have it to make more tonight. Would you like me to make you some nail soup?"

 "Nail soup!" snorted the old woman. "I have never heard of such a thing. Don't talk nonsense". But the tramp could see she was curious.

 "All I did", he told her, "was to boil it up in an old saucepan, and it was delicious".

 "Well, since we have nothing else to do, and I have no food in the house, perhaps you would be good enough to show me how you do it", she said after a few moments.

 "You haven't a large pot and some water, have you?" asked the tramp.

 "Why yes", said the old woman, handing a big cooking pot to the tramp and showing him where the water was. She watched as the tramp carefully filled the pot half full with water, placed it on the stove, and dropped in the nail. Then he sat down to wait.

 From time to time, the old woman peeped into the pot to see how the soup was doing, and once when she lifted the lid the tramp said, "Last night all that was needed was a little salt and pepper. I don't suppose you have any in the house?"

 "I might have", said the old woman ungraciously, and from a cupboard she took salt and pepper which she dropped into the water with the nail.

 The next time she lifted the lid, the tramp sighed, "What a pity you haven't got half an onion for that would make the soup even better than it was last night".

 "I think I might have an onion", said the old woman, quite excited by now at the thought of the nail soup, and she went to the larder to fetch an onion. As she opened the door, the tramp caught a glimpse of shelves stacked with food, but he said nothing until the onion had been in the pot for about ten minutes.

 Then, stirring the soup again, he murmured to himself, "How sad that this fine onion has no carrots and potatoes to go with it". Just as he had hoped, the old woman quickly fetched some carrots and potatoes from the larder.

 By now, the soup was beginning to smell good, and it was not long before the tramp said that on nights when he could add a little meat to his nail soup, it was fit even for kings and queens. In a flash, the old woman had fetched some meat for the pot.

 While the soup was bubbling, the tramp looked round at the table. "It's a funny thing", he remarked, "but my nail soup always tastes better when I eat it at a table that is laid with pretty china and when there is a candle or two on the table".

 The old woman, not to be outdone, put out her best table cloth and got the best china off the dresser.

 What a shame, said the tramp, "that we have no bread to eat with this nail soup, but I remember you telling me there is no food in the house".

 "I'll just look in the bread crock", said the old woman, and she pulled out a loaf that had been baked that morning.

 The soup now smelled quite delicious, and the tramp was longing to eat it, but he waited a few more minutes before saying, "I am sorry there is no wine to drink with our nail soup, as I would have liked you to enjoy it with a glass of wine".

 "Just a minute", said the old woman, and she fetched a fine looking bottle of wine from the back of a cupboard and put it on the table with two glasses.

 "Now the soup is ready. I hope you enjoy it", said the tramp heartily, and he fished the nail out with a spoon and put it in his pocket before carrying the soup over to the table.

 They both had a wonderful meal. After the soup, which the old woman agreed was the best she'd ever tasted, she found some cheese and other good things in the larder. They told each other many stories, laughed a lot and had a very pleasant evening.

 As the candles burnt low, the old woman told the tramp to go and sleep in her bed, saying that she would be quite comfortable in a chair by the fire. They both slept soundly.

 The next morning, the tramp thanked the old woman for her kindness, but she said.

 "No, no, I must thank you for showing me how to make soup from an old nail".

 "It's what you add that makes the difference!" said the tramp, smiling.

 The Gingerbread Man.

 An old woman was baking one day, and she made some gingerbread. She had some dough left over, so she made the shape of a little man. She made eyes for him, a nose and a smiling mouth all of currants, and put currants down his front to look like buttons. Then she laid him on a baking tray and put him in the oven.

 After a little while, she heard something rattling at the oven door. She opened it and to her surprise out jumped the little gingerbread man. She tried to catch him, but he slipped past her, calling as he ran, "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"

 She chased after him into the garden where her husband was digging. He put down his spade and tried to catch him too, but the gingerbread man ran past him, calling "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"

 He ran down the road with the old woman and the old man following. Soon he passed a cow. The cow called out, "Stop, gingerbread man! You look good enough to eat!" But the gingerbread man laughed and shouted over his shoulder, "I've run from an old woman. And an old man. Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

 He ran on with the old woman and the old man and the cow following, and soon they all passed a horse. "Stop!" called the horse. "I'd like to eat you". But the gingerbread man called out. "I've run from an old woman. And an old man. And a cow! Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

 He ran on, with the old woman and the old man and the cow and the horse following, and soon they passed some people making hay. "Stop!" they shouted. "You look good enough to eat". But the gingerbread man called out,

 "I've run from an old woman. And from an old man. And a cow and a horse!

 Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

 He ran across the fields with the old woman and the old man, the cow and the horse and the haymakers all following. Soon he met a fox and called out, "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

 The sly fox thought to himself, "That gingerbread man looks good enough to eat", but he said nothing. He waited until the gingerbread man reached a wide deep swift-flowing river, with the old woman and the old man, the cow and the horse and the haymakers all chasing after him. Now the sly fox said, "Jump on my back, Gingerbread Man, and I'll take you across the river!"

 The gingerbread man jumped on the fox's back and the fox began to swim. As they reached the middle of the river, where the water was deep, the fox said, "Stand on my head, Gingerbread Man, or you will get wet". So the gingerbread man stood on the fox's head. As the current flowed more swiftly, the fox said.

 "Move onto my nose, Gingerbread Man, so that I can carry you more safely. I would not like you to drown".

 The gingerbread man slid onto the fox's nose. But when they reached the hank on the far side of the river, the fox suddenly went SNAP! The gingerbread man disappeared into the fox's mouth and was never seen or heard of again.

 The Story Of Persephone.

 This story is one of the tales that the ancient Greeks told about their gods. It is the story of Persephone, the lovely daughter of Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest.

 Demeter travelled around the world with Persephone, visiting all the trees and plants that produce food. As she passed by, they grew and flourished, and their fruit ripened. On hot days as she walked through a field of corn, the husks would swell and the corn would turn golden. Whenever she visited orchards and vineyards, the apples, peaches, pears and grapes would be sweet and ready to eat. Persephone would dance with joy to see how lovely the flowers looked when Demeter touched them.

 One day Persephone asked her mother if she could go and play with her friends on the mountainside. Demeter agreed, but warned her not to stray too far. While Demeter visited some valleys where the harvest was late, Persephone and her friends scrambled happily over the mountainside. They found many flowers growing in the mountain meadows, and began to pick them to make garlands and chains. Further and further they wandered, until they were a long way from the valley where they had started.

 Soon the meadows were shimmering in the hot mid-day sun, Persephone grew tired and dropped behind her friends. She sat down on the grass to rest while she finished the garland she was making.

 Suddenly there was a great crack and a roar. The side of the mountain seemed to split open and out galloped six great black horses, pulling a gleaming black chariot. Persephone was terrified and called out, "Mother, Mother, help me!" But even as she called, the man driving the chariot leant out and swept Persephone up into the chariot. He pulled at the reins to turn the horses and they galloped back into the mountain. With another roar and a crash the gap closed, leaving no trace of what had happened.

 Persephone's friends soon missed her and came back to look for her. They hunted everywhere and called and called, but there was no sign of her anywhere. At last they gave up and went back to tell Demeter.

 Together they searched for hours up and down the mountain, but could find no trace of Persephone until, in the evening, they came upon a fading garland of flowers lying in the grass. Now Demeter knew that something dreadful must have happened to her daughter.

 Something terrible had happened indeed. Persephone had been snatched by Hades, God of the Underworld, in his great black chariot. He drove her back to his palace of dark caverns deep inside the earth. The palace was full of beautiful things but Persephone was very unhappy there. She missed the sunlight and the flowers, and all the colours of the world she had known, and most of all she longed to see her mother. She was so unhappy that she refused to eat. She just sat in a corner, pining for her old home. Hades loved her and hoped to marry her, but Persephone time and again refused, saying that she wished only to return to the world above and her mother.

 Meanwhile, Demeter continued to look for her daughter from one end of the world to the other. While she searched, she gave no thought at all to the harvest. Everywhere the crops failed and the farmers watched in despair as their corn failed to ripen and their fruit withered on the trees.

 Even Zeus, the King of the Gods, was worried. He did not wish to see the people on earth go hungry, so when Demeter asked him to help her find Persephone, he agreed to do what he could. His messengers soon came back with the information that she was with Hades in the Underworld. Zeus had no power over those who lived in the Underworld but there was a chance that Persephone might he saved. She had not yet eaten anything there and so had not yet become part of the Underworld. Each day Hades' servants brought her tempting dishes of exquisite fruit and sweets, but Persephone over and over again refused to touch them because she was so unhappy.

 Zeus's messengers arrived in the Underworld once more and demanded that Persephone be returned to her mother. Hades knew that unless he could make her eat he would lose the lovely girl he wanted to marry. He ordered his servants to prepare a bowl of beautiful fruit and he himself carried it to Persephone. On the top he put a sweet-smelling pomegranate which he knew was her favourite fruit. Persephone, after much coaxing, reluctantly ate six seeds from the pomegranate, for she felt Hades had been kind to her and did not want to hurt his feelings. Then she turned her head away and refused to eat any more, for the taste reminded her of the warm sunshine and the happy life that she missed so much. But Hades was triumphant, knowing that, because she had eaten food, she belonged forever to the Underworld.

 Demeter was heartbroken. She grieved so much at the loss of her daughter that she had no heart to travel the earth as Goddess of the Harvest, and people began to grow hungry. Zeus was sorry for Demeter and for the people of the earth, so he sent his messengers to Hades once more to make a bargain: Persephone should spend six months of each year in the Underworld, one for each pomegranate seed she had eaten, but for the remaining six months she should return to the earth and join her mother.

 And so it has been ever since. You will know when Persephone is in the Underworld with Hades as leaves fall and plants wither and die. During the six months we call Autumn and Winter Demeter is too unhappy to give any thought to the harvest. But when Persephone returns to the earth her mother is overjoyed and in her happiness makes the flowers open and new shoots spring from the ground. Crops flourish and fruit ripens to produce food. These six months when Persephone once more dances through the fields and orchards with her mother we call Spring and Summer.

 The Hare And The Tortoise.

 In the forest there was a clearing where all the animals gathered each evening after going to the river to drink. The tortoise was usually the last to arrive, and the other animals would laugh at him as he plodded into the clearing.

 "Come on, Slowcoach", they would call out as he came through the grass towards them. The tortoise would blink at them and continue slowly on his way until he reached the spot where he wanted to settle down.

 The liveliest of all the animals in the forest was the hare. He ran so fast that he was always the first to arrive at the clearing. "Just look at me", he was boasting one evening. "I can run faster than any of you".

 The tortoise ambled into the clearing, last as usual. To everyone's surprise, he went slowly across to the hare.

 "Since you run so fast, could you beat me in a race?" he asked.

 "I, beat you, in a race!" exclaimed the hare, and he fell on the ground laughing. "Of course I would beat you. You name the distance, Tortoise, but don't make it too far for your short little legs", and he roared with laughter again.

 Most of the other animals laughed too. It did seem a very comic idea. The fox said, "Come on then, Tortoise, name the distance and the time and then we will all come to watch".

 "Let us stall tomorrow morning, at sunrise", suggested the tortoise. "Well run from this clearing to the edge of the forest and return along the bank of the river to this spot again".

 "Why, it will take you all day to go so far, Tortoise. Are you sure you want to go ahead with it?" asked the hare. He grinned at the thought of the easy victory he would have.

 "I am sure", replied the tortoise. "The first one back to this clearing will be the winner".

 "Agreed!" said the hare, as the tortoise settled down in some long grass to sleep for the night.

 The next morning the clearing was full of animals who had come to see the start of the great race. Some ran along to the edge of the forest, others chose good places to watch along the way.

 The hare and the tortoise stood side by side. As the sun rose, the fox called,

 "Ready, steady, go!"

 The hare jumped up and in no time at all he was far ahead of the tortoise, almost out of sight. The tortoise started off in the same direction. He plodded along, slowly picking up his feet, then slowly putting them down only a little in front of where they had been before.

 "Come on, Tortoise", called his friends anxiously. But he did not lift up his foot to wave at them as the hare had done. He kept on moving slowly forwards.

 In a few minutes the hare was a long way from the starting line so he slowed down. "It's going to take the tortoise all day", he thought, "so there is no need for me to hurry". He stopped to talk to friends and nibble juicy grass here and there along the path.

 By the time he reached half-way the sun was high in the sky and the day became very hot. The animals who were waiting there saw the hare turn back towards the clearing. They settled down for a long wait for the tortoise.

 As he returned by the river, the hot sun and the grass he had eaten made the hare feel sleepy.

 "There's no need to hurry", he told himself. "Here's a nice shady spot", and he stretched himself out comfortably on the ground. With paws beneath his head, he murmured sleepily. "It won't matter if Tortoise passes me, I'm much faster than he is. I'll still get back first and win the race". He drifted off to sleep.

 Meanwhile the tortoise went on slowly. He reached the edge of the forest quite soon after the hare, for he had not stopped to talk to friends or eat tempting fresh grass. Before long, smiling gently, he passed the hare sleeping in the shade.

 The animals in the clearing waited all day for the hare to return, but he did not arrive. The sun was setting before they saw the tortoise plodding towards them.

 "Where is the hare?" they called out. The tortoise did not waste his breath in answering but came steadily towards them.

 "Hurrah, Tortoise has won. Well done, Slowcoach!" the animals cheered.

 Only when he knew he had won the race did Tortoise speak.

 "Hare? Oh, he's asleep back there by the river".

 There was a sudden flurry and at great speed the hare burst into the clearing. He had woken and, seeing how long the shadows were, realized he had slept for much longer than he intended. He raced back to the clearing but he was too late.

 Tortoise smiled and said, "Slow and steady wins the race".

 Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs.

 One winter a beautiful queen sat sewing by a window. As she gazed down at the snow-covered garden she saw a black raven and, at the same moment, she happened to prick her finger on her needle - a drop of blood fell on the snow. The colours were so strong that the queen said to herself'. If only I could have a child whose skin was as white as snow, with hair as black as a raven and lips as red as blood.

 Not long afterwards the queen had a baby daughter, and when she saw her jet black hair, snowy white skin and red lips she remembered her strange wish on that winter's day and named her Snow White.

 But after a few years Snow Whites mother died and her father married again. The new queen, Snow White's stepmother, was beautiful too, but she was also proud and vain. She had a magic mirror and each day she would admire herself in it and ask,

 "Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

 Who is the fairest one of all?"

 and the mirror would always reply,

 "You, Queen, are the fairest one of all".

 The queen would smile when she heard this for she knew the mirror always spoke the truth. As the years went by, Snow White grew prettier and prettier, until one day, when the queen looked in the magic mirror, the mirror replied,

 "You, Queen, are fair, ‘tis true,

 But Snow White is fairer now than you",

 The queen was filled with envy. From that day on she hated Snow White. Finally she called for a hunter and told him to take Snow White deep into the forest and kill her.

 "Cut out her heart and bring it back to me to prove she is dead", she commanded.

 The hunter felt very sad. Like every one in the kings household he loved Snow White, but he knew he must obey the queens orders. He took Snow White deep into the forest and pulled out his knife. Snow White fell to her knees in terror. The hunter took pity on her and told her to hide. Then he killed a deer and cut out its heart to take back to the cruel queen.

 On her own in the forest, Snow White felt afraid. She began to run here and there through the trees, but she did not know which way to go. In the evening she came to a clearing and found a little house. She wondered if it was a woodman's cottage where she might be able to stay. When she knocked at the door, there was no answer.

 Snow White lifted the latch and went inside. There she saw a room all neat and tidy with a little table laid with seven places - seven little knives and forks, seven little wooden plates and drinking cups. Snow White was hungry and thirsty so she ate some food from each plate and drank a drop from each cup. She did not want to empty one person's plate and cup only.

 Beyond the table were seven little beds all neatly made. Snow White tried them all out and the seventh bed was just right. She lay down and fell into a deep sleep, exhausted by her long journey through the forest.

 The cottage was the home of seven dwarfs. All day long they worked in a mine nearby, digging diamonds from deep inside the mountain. When they returned home that night, they were startled to see that someone had entered their cottage and had taken some food and drink from each place at their table. They were even more surprised to find their beds disturbed. When the seventh dwarfs found Snow White in his bed he called to the others. They all gathered around her and marveled at her beauty. Being kind little men they decided not to disturb her.

 When Snow White awoke the next day she told the dwarfs her story. "I have no home now", she said sadly, and at once the dwarfs asked her to stay with them in the cottage. Snow White agreed happily, and each morning when the dwarfs went off to work, she stayed behind and kept their cottage clean and cooked their supper.

 At the palace the queen welcomed the hunter when he returned with the deer's heart. She was certain that once again she was the most beautiful woman in the world. As soon as she was alone she looked in her magic mirror and said,

 "Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

 Who is the fairest one of all?"

 To her horror, the mirror replied,

 "You, Queen, are fair, ‘tis true,

 But Snow White is fairer still than you".

 The queen trembled with rage as she realized that the hunter had tricked her. She decided that she would seek out Snow White and kill her herself.

 The queen disguised herself as an old pedlar woman with a tray of ribbons and pretty things to sell and she set off into the forest. When she came to the dwarfs' cottage she knocked and cried out, "Pretty goods for sale! Pretty goods for sale!"

 Snow White came to the door and looked eagerly at the tray. The queen noticed that she was attracted by some lacing ribbons and asked if Snow White would like to try one on. Snow White nodded, so the queen threaded a ribbon through her bodice. Then she tugged the lacing so tight that Snow White could not breathe and fell to the ground. The queen hurried back to the palace sure that this time Snow White was truly dead.

 When the dwarfs returned that evening, they found Snow White lying on the floor, deathly cold and still. They gathered around her in dismay. Then they noticed that she had a new lacing on her dress which had been tied too tightly. Quickly they cut it open and Snow White started breathing again.

 All seven dwarfs gave a tremendous sigh of relief as by now they loved Snow White dearly. She told them what had happened. The dwarfs suspected that the old pedlar woman was Snow Whites wicked stepmother and that she would try to harm Snow White again if she ever found out that she was still alive. They begged her not to allow anyone into the cottage while she was alone and told her not to buy anything from strangers.

 At the palace the queen smiled at her reflection in the magic mirror and asked,

 "Mirror, mirror, on the wall.

 Who is the fairest one of all?

 and the mirror replied,

 You, Queen, are fair, 'tis true.

 But Snow White is fairer still than you".

 The queen was speechless with rage. She realized that yet again her plan to kill Snow White had failed. She resolved to try again and this time she was determined to succeed. She chose an apple with one rosy-red side and one yellow side. Carefully she injected poison into the red part of the apple and carefully she placed it in a basket of apples, on the very top.

 The wicked queen, disguised this time as a peasant woman, set out once more into the forest. Once more she knocked at the dwarfs' cottage. She knew that Snow White would be wary by now so she simply chatted to her and, as Snow White became less nervous, she offered her an apple as a present. Snow White was tempted as the rosy apple looked delicious but she refused, explaining that she had been told not to accept anything from strangers.

 "I will show you how harmless it is", said the disguised queen. "I will take a bite first and if I am unharmed you will know that it is safe".

 The queen had not poisoned the yellow side of the apple so she took a bite from there. When nothing happened, Snow White stretched out her hand for the apple. She too took a bite, but from the rosy-red side. Instantly the poison attacked Snow White and she fell down as though dead. The triumphant queen cackled with glee as she returned to the palace.

 When the dwarfs found Snow White that evening they could not revive her. All night they watched over her, but when morning came and still she did not move or speak, they decided she must be dead.

 Weeping bitterly, the dwarfs laid her in a coffin and placed a glass lid over the top so that all could admire her beauty even though she was dead. Then they carried the coffin to the top of a hill where night and day they stood guard over their beautiful Snow White.

 The wicked queen was delighted that day when she looked in her mirror and asked,

 "Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

 Who is the fairest one of all?"

 and the mirror replied,

 "You, Queen, are the fairest one of all".

 She gave a cruel laugh when she heard those words. They meant that her plan to kill Snow White had at last succeeded.

 As the years passed, the story of Snow White's beauty spread far and wide. One day a prince came to see the coffin for himself. Snow White looked so lovely that he fell in love with her at once and asked the dwarfs to allow him to take the coffin with him back to his own country. The dwarfs loved Snow White too much to permit him to do this, but they agreed to let him kiss her.

 As the prince gently raised Snow White's head to kiss her, the piece of poisoned apple fell from her lips and she stirred a little. She was alive.

 "Where am I?" she asked, looking at the prince.

 "Safe with me", replied the prince, and Snow White too fell in love.

 At that moment, the wicked queen was looking in her mirror and the mirror said,

 "You, Queen, are fair ‘tis true,

 But Snow White is fairer still than you".

 The queen cursed Snow White in fury. But by now the king had discovered what evil deeds the queen had planned and he banished her from his kingdom. That night she left the palace and no one ever saw her or her mirror again.

 Snow White said farewell to her kind friends, the seven dwarfs, and rode away with her prince. They were married at his father's castle and lived for a long time afterwards in happiness and peace.

 The Little Jackal.

 There was once a little jackal who lived in the jungle. He was a greedy little jackal, and one of his favourite meals was fresh crabs from the river. One day he went down to the big river near his home and put his paw in the water to pull out a crab.

 Snap! A large, lazy crocodile who had been lying in the water snapped his jaws and caught the jackal's paw. The little jackal did not cry out, although he was very frightened. Instead he laughed.

 "Ha! Ha! That crocodile in the river thinks he has caught my paw, but the stupid animal does not realize he has snapped up a piece of wood and is holding it in his jaws".

 The crocodile immediately opened his mouth for he did not want to be seen with a log of wood in his jaws. Quickly the little jackal danced away and called cheekily from a safe distance:

 "I'll catch some crabs another day, Mr. Crocodile".

 The crocodile lashed his tail with rage and resolved to catch the little jackal and eat him the next time he came to the river.

 A week later, when his paw was healed, the jackal came back to the river to catch crabs. He did not want to be eaten by the crocodile, so he called out from a safe distance:

 "I can't see any crabs lying on the bank. I'll have to dip my paw into the water near the edge", and he watched the river for a few minutes.

 The crocodile thought, "Now is my chance to catch the jackal", and he swam close to the river bank.

 When the little jackal saw the water move, he called out:

 Thank you, Mr. Crocodile. Now I know you are there, I'll come back another day.

 The crocodile lashed his tail with rage until he stirred up the mud from the bottom of the river. He swore he would not let the little jackal trick him again.

 The jackal could not stop thinking about the crabs, so a few days later he went down to the river again. He could not see the crocodile so he called out:

 "I know crabs make bubbles in the water, so as soon as I see bubbles I'll dip my paw in and then I'll catch them easily".

 When he heard this, the crocodile, who was lying just beneath the water started to blow bubbles as fast as he could. He was sure that the jackal would put his paw in where the bubbles were rising and Snap! This time he would have the little jackal.

 But when the jackal saw the bubbles, he called out:

 "Thank you, Mr Crocodile, for showing me where you are. I'll come back another day for the crabs".

 The crocodile was so angry at being tricked again that he waited till the jackal's back was turned, then he jumped out of the river and followed the jackal, determined to catch him and eat him this time.

 Now the jackal, who was very hungry, made his way to the fig grove to eat some figs. By the time the crocodile arrived, he was having a lovely feast munching the ripe blue fruit, and licking his lips with pleasure.

 The crocodile was exhausted by walking on land which he found was much more difficult than swimming in the river. "I am too tired to catch the jackal now", he said to himself. "But I'll set a trap and catch him next time he comes for the figs".

 The next day, the greedy jackal returned to the fig grove. He did love eating figs! To his surprise he saw a large and rather untidy pile of figs that had not been there before. "I wonder if my friend the crocodile has anything to do with this?" he said to himself, and he called out:

 "What a lovely pile of figs! All I need to do is to see which figs wave in the breeze, for it is always the ripest and most delicious figs that wave in the breeze. I shall then know which ones to eat".

 Of course the crocodile was buried under the pile of figs and when he heard this he smiled a big toothy crocodile smile. "All I have to do is to wriggle a bit", he thought. "When the jackal sees the figs move he will come and eat them and this time I will certainly catch him".

 The little jackal watched as the crocodile wriggled under the pile of figs, and he day laughed and laughed.

 "Thank you, Mr. Crocodile", he said, "I'll come back another day when you are not here".

 Now the crocodile was really in a rage so he followed the little jackal to his house to catch him there. There was no one at home when the crocodile got there, but the crocodile thought, "I will wait here, and catch him when he comes home tonight".

 He was too big to go through the gate, so he broke it and then he was too big to go through the door, so he smashed that. "Never mind", he said to himself. "I will eat the little jackal tonight whatever happens", and he lay in wait for the jackal in the jackal little house.

 When the jackal came home he saw the broken gate, and smashed door, and he said to himself, "I wonder if my friend the crocodile has anything to do with this?"

 "Little house", he called out, "Why haven't you said HELLO to me as you do each night when I come home?"

 The crocodile heard this, and thought he ought to make everything seem as normal as possible, so he shouted out:

 "Hello little jackal!"

 Then a wicked smile appeared on the jackal's face. He fetched some twigs and branches, piled them up outside his house, and set fire to it. As the house burned he called out:

 "A roast crocodile is safer than a live crocodile! I shall go and build myself a new house by the river where I can catch all the crabs I want".

 With that he skipped off to the river bank and for all I know he is still there today, eating crabs all day long, and laughing at the way he tricked the crocodile.

 Rapunzel.

 A long time ago, a husband and wife lived happily in a cottage at the edge of a wood. But one day the wife fell ill. She could eat nothing and grew thinner and thinner. The only thing that could cure her, she believed, was a strange herb that grew in the beautiful garden next to their cottage. She begged her husband to find a way into the garden and steal some of this herb, which was called rapunzel.

 Now this garden belonged to a wicked witch, who used it to grow herbs for her spells. One day, she caught the husband creeping into her garden. When he told her what he had come for, the witch gave him some rapunzel, but she made him promise to give her their first-born child in return. The husband agreed, thinking that the witch would soon forget the promise. He took the rapunzel back to the cottage and gave it to his wife. As soon as she had eaten it she felt better.

 A year later, a baby girl was born and the witch did come and take her away. She told the couple they would be able to see their daughter in the garden behind their house. Over the years they were able to watch her grow up into a beautiful child, with long fair hair. The witch called her Rapunzel after the plant her father had come to take.

 When she was twelve years old, the witch decided to lock Rapunzel up in a high tower in case she tried to run away. The tower had no door or staircase, but Rapunzel was quite happy up there as she could sit at the window watching the life of the forest and talking to the birds. Yet sometimes she would sigh, for, she longed to be back in the beautiful garden where she could play in the sunshine. Then she would sing to cheer herself up.

 Each day, the witch came to see her, bringing her fresh food. She would stand at the bottom of the tower and call out, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair".

 Rapunzel, whose long golden hair was plaited, would twist it round one of the bars and drop it out of the window, and the witch would climb up it. When she left, Rapunzel would let down her golden hair again, and the witch would slide nimbly down.

 One day, the king's son was riding through the forest when he heard Rapunzel singing. Mystified, he rode to the tower, but could see no door, so could not understand how anyone could be there. He decided to stay and watch the tower and listen to the singing. After a while the witch came along and the prince watched her carefully as she stood at the bottom of the tower and called out, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair".

 To the prince's amazement, a long golden plait of hair fell almost to the ground. When he saw the witch climb up the hair and disappear through the window, he made up his mind he would wait until she had gone and see if he could do the same.

 So after the witch had gone, he stood where the witch had been and called, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair".

 When the golden plait came tumbling down, he climbed up as the witch had done and found to his astonishment the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. They talked for a long time and then the prince left, promising to come again. Rapunzel looked forward to his visits, for she had been lonely. He told her all about the world outside her tower, and they fell deeply in love.

 One day Rapunzel said to the witch, "Why is it when you climb up my hair you are so heavy? The handsome prince who comes is much lighter than you". At this, the witch flew into a rage. She took Rapunzel out of the tower and led her deep into the forest to a lonely spot, and told her she must stay there without food or shelter. The witch cut off Rapunzel's long plait of golden hair and then hurried back to the tower.

 That evening when the prince came by, he called out as usual, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair".

 The witch, who had fastened the plait of golden hair inside the window, threw it down. The prince climbed up eagerly, only to be confronted with the wicked witch. ‘Aha', she cackled, so you are the visitor who has been coming to see my little Rapunzel. I will make sure you won't ever see her again, and she tried to scratch out his eyes.

 The prince jumped out of the high window and landed in a clump of thorny bushes. His face, however, was badly scratched and his eyes hurt so much that he could not see, and he stumbled off blindly into the forest.

 After several days of wandering and suffering, he heard somebody singing. Following the sound, he drew closer and realized he had found Rapunzel, who was singing as she worked to make a house for herself in the forest. He ran towards her, calling her name, and she came and kissed him. As she did so, his eyes were healed and he could see again.

 The prince took Rapunzel to his father's palace, where he told their story. She was reunited with her parents, and then a grand wedding took place. Rapunzel married the prince and lived with him happily for many years. As for the witch, a royal proclamation banished her from the kingdom and she was never seen again.

 The Little Red Hen.

 Once upon a time there was a little red hen. She lived with a pig, a duck and a cat. They all lived in a house which the little red hen kept clean and tidy. The others never helped. Although they said they meant to, they were all far too lazy. The pig liked to grunt in the mud outside, the duck used to swim in the pond all day, and the cat enjoyed lying in the sun, purring.

 One day the little red hen found a grain of corn.

 "Who will plant this grain of corn?" she asked.

 "Not I", grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

 "Not I", quacked the duck from her pond.

 "Not I", purred the cat from his place in the sun.

 So the little red hen found a nice bit of earth, scratched it with her feet and planted the grain of corn herself.

 During the summer the grain of corn grew. First it grew into a tall green stalk, then it ripened in the sun until it had turned a lovely golden colour.

 "Who will help me cut the corn?" asked the little red hen.

 "Not I", grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

 "Not I", quacked the duck from her pond.

 "Not I", purred the cat from his place in the sun.

 "Very well then, I shall cut it myself", said the little red hen.

 Carefully she cut the stalk and took out all the grains of corn from the husks.

 "Who will take the corn to the mill, so that it can be ground into flour?" asked the little red hen.

 "Not I", grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

 "Not I", quacked the duck from her pond.

 "Not I", purred the cat from his place in the sun.

 "Very well, I shall take it myself", said the little red hen.

 So the little red hen took the corn to the mill herself, and asked the miller to grind it into flour.

 In time the miller sent a little bag of flour down to the house where the little red hen lived with the pig, the duck and the cat.

 "Who will help me to make the flour into bread?" asked the little red hen.

 "Not I", grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden. "Not I", quacked the duck from her pond.

 "Not I", purred the cat from his place in the Sun.

 "Very well", said the little red hen. "I shall make the bread myself".

 She mixed the flour into dough. She kneaded the dough and put it into the oven to bake.

 Soon there was a lovely smell of hot fresh bread. It filled all the corners of the house and wafted out into the garden. The pig came into the kitchen from his muddy patch in the garden, the duck came in from the pond and the cat left his place in the sun. When the little red hen opened the oven door the dough had risen and turned into the most delicious-looking loaf.

 "Who is going to eat this bread?" asked the little red hen.

 "I will", grunted the pig.

 "I will", quacked the duck.

 "I will", purred the cat.

 "Oh no, you won't", said the little red hen. "I planted the seed, I cut the corn, I took it to the mill to be made into flour, and I made the bread, all by myself. I shall eat it all by myself".

 The pig, the duck and the cat all stood and watched as the little red hen ate the loaf all by herself. It was delicious and she enjoyed it, right to the very last crumb.

 Little Red Hiding Hood.

 There was once a pretty little girl who lived in a cottage on the edge of a wood. Her grandmother, who lived at the other side of the wood, had made her a warm red cape with a hood and, as she often wore it, she became known as Little Red Riding Hood.

 One day her mother called her and said, "Little Red Riding Hood, will you take this basket of food to your grandmother? She isn't very well; Carry the basket carefully for I have filled it with some cakes, some fresh bread and some butter".

 Little Red Riding Hood put on her red cape and, carrying the basket carefully, she set off through the wood to her grandmother's cottage. By and by she wandered off the path to pick some flowers. Then, quite unexpectedly, she met a wolf. He could have eaten her there and then, but he could hear some woodcutters working close by.

 "Where are you going, little girl?" he asked instead.

 "I'm going to my grandmother", Little Red Riding Hood answered. "She is ill and I have a basket of food for her".

 "And where does your grandmother live?" asked the wolf, thinking if he was clever he might be able to eat the little girl and her grandmother.

 "Through the wood and hers is the first cottage you can see", replied Little Red Riding Hood. She went on slowly through the wood, stopping here and there to add some more flowers to the bunch she was holding. The wolf watched her go and then he ran through the trees to the grandmother's cottage.

 He knocked at the door.

 "Who is there?" he heard the old lady call.

 Making his voice sound as much like Little Red Riding Hood's as he could, the wicked wolf answered, "It's me, Grandmother. It's Little Red Riding Hood with some presents for you".

 "Pull the bobbin and the latch will go up", called the old lady from her bed.

 The wolf pulled the bobbin, the latch went up, and he bounded into the room. In a trice he had gobbled up the poor old lady. He put on her shawl and nightcap and got into her bed to wait for Little Red Riding Hood.

 In a while there was a knock at the door.

 Trying to make his voice sound as much like the old lady's as possible, the wolf quavered, "Who is there?"

 "It's me, Little Red Riding Hood", answered the girl. "I have brought -you some food from my mother".

 "Pull the bobbin and the latch will go up", called the wolf.

 The voice sounded rather gruff to Little Red Riding Hood. She thought her grandmother must have a sore throat. The wolf tugged the bedclothes up under his chin as Little Red Riding Hood pulled the bobbin and walked into the cottage.

 Although she saw someone in the bed wearing a shawl and nightcap Little Red Riding Hood was rather puzzled. Her grand mother seemed quite different.

 "What big eyes you have, Grandmother!" she said.

 "All the better to see you with!" said the wolf.

 "What big ears you have, Grandmother!"

 "All the better to hear you with!" said the wolf.

 "What big teeth you have, Grandmother!"

 "All the better to eat you with!" said the wolf and he sprang out of bed.

 Little Red Riding Hood screamed with fright. Luckily the woodcutters were passing by and heard her screams. They rushed inside and killed the wolf instantly. Out jumped the old lady, alive and well but feeling rather shaken by her adventure. She was delighted to see Little Red Riding Hood and her basket of food.

 Little Red Riding Hood took care never to talk to wolves again, and she always stayed on the path whenever she went through the wood to visit her grandmother.

 Three Little Pigs.

 Once upon a time there were three little pigs. One day they set out from the farm where they had been born. They were going out into the world to make their fortune.

 The first little pig met a man carrying some straw, and he asked him if he might have some to build himself a house.

 "Of course, little pig", said the man.

 He gave the little pig a big bundle of straw, and the little pig built himself a lovely little house of golden straw.

 By and by a big bad wolf came along and saw the new house. Feeling rather hungry and thinking he would like to eat a little pig for supper, he called out,

 "Little pig, little pig, let me come in".

 To which the little pig replied,

 "No, no, by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I'll not let you in".

 So the wolf shouted crossly,

 "Then I'll huff and I'll puff, Till I blow your house in!"

 And he huffed and he puffed until the house of straw fell in, and he ate the little pig for supper.

 The second little pig was walking along the road when he met a man with a bundle of sticks. "Please. Sir", he said, "can you let me have some of those sticks so that I can build a house?"

 "Of course", said the man, and he gave him a big pile of sticks. In no time at all, the little pig had built himself a lovely little house of sticks.

 By and by along came the same big bad wolf. When he saw another little pig, this time in a wooden house, he called out,

 Little pig, little pig, let me come in,

 To which the little pig replied,

 No, no, by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I'll not let you in,

 So the wolf shouted,

 "Then I'll huff and I'll puff, Till I blow your house in!"

 And he huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed until the house of sticks fell in, and he gobbled up the little pig.

 The third little pig met a man with a cartload of bricks. "Please, Sir, can I have some bricks to build myself a house?" he asked, and when the man had given him some, he built himself a lovely little brick house.

 By and by the big bad wolf came along, and licked his lips as he thought about the third little pig. He called out,

 "Little pig, little pig, let me come in".

 And the little pig replied,

 "No, by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I'll not let you in".

 So the wolf shouted,

 "Then I'll huff and I'll puff, Till I blow your house in!"

 And the wolf huffed and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed, and he HUFFED again and he PUFFED again, but still the house, which had been so well built with bricks, did not fall in.

 The wolf went away to think how he could trick the little pig.

 He came back and called through the window of the brick house,

 "Little pig, there are some juicy turnips in the farmer's field.

 Shall we go there tomorrow morning at six o'clock and get some?"

 The little pig thought this was a good idea, as he was fond of turnips, but he went at five o'clock, not six o'clock, and collected all the turnips he needed before the wolf arrived.

 The wolf was furious, but he soon thought of another trick. He told the little pig about the apples in the farmer's orchard, and suggested they, both went to get some at five o'clock the next morning. The little pig agreed, and went, as before, an hour earlier. But this time the wolf came early too and arrived while the little pig was still in the apple tree. The little pig pretended to be pleased to see him and threw an apple down to the wolf. While the wolf was picking it up, the little pig jumped down from the tree and got into a barrel. He rolled quickly down the hill inside this barrel and rushed into his house of bricks.

 The wolf was furious that the little pig had got the better of him again, and chased him in the barrel back to his house. When he got there, he climbed onto the roof, intending to come down the chimney and catch the little pig that way. But the little pig was waiting for him with a large cauldron of boiling water on the fire. The wolf came down the chimney and fell into the cauldron with a big SPLASH, and the little pig quickly put the lid on it.

 The wicked wolf was never seen again, and the little pig lived happily in his house of bricks for many years.

 Rannpelstiltskin.

 One day a king was riding through a village in his kingdom when he heard a woman singing.

 "My daughter has burnt five cakes today. My daughter has burnt five cakes today".

 It was the miller's wife who was cross with her daughter for being so careless. The king stopped to hear her song again. The millers wife hoped to impress the king so she sang, "My daughter has spun fine gold today. My daughter has spun fine gold today".

 And she boasted that her daughter could spin straw into gold. The king was greatly impressed and said to the miller's wife, "If your daughter will spin for me in my palace, I'll give her many presents. I might even make her my queen".

 "What a wonderful opportunity", thought the miller's wife, and she fetched her daughter.

 The king took the girl back to the palace. He ordered a spinning wheel to be placed in a room filled with straw.

 "Spin this into gold by the morning or you will die", he commanded, and he locked her in.

 The poor girl wept bitterly. For of course she could not spin straw into gold as her mother had foolishly boasted.

 Suddenly a little man appeared from nowhere. "What will you give me, pretty girl, if I spin this straw into gold for you?" he asked.

 "My necklace", said the girl.

 The little man sat down by the spinning wheel. Singing strange songs, he spun all the straw into fine gold thread. Then he took the girl's necklace and, with a skip and a hop and a stamp of his foot, he disappeared.

 When the king unlocked the room the next morning he was delighted to see the skeins of golden thread. But that evening he took the miller's daughter to another room with an even bigger pile of straw.

 "Spin this into gold by the morning", he ordered, "or you will die". And out he went, locking the door behind him.

 The poor girl stared at the straw and the spinning wheel. Suddenly the same little man stood before her.

 "What will you give me this time if I spin your gold for you?"

 "My bracelet", said the miller's daughter.

 The little man set the spinning wheel whirring. Singing his strange songs, he quickly turned the straw into gold thread. By dawn he had finished and, snatching the bracelet, he disappeared with a skip and a hop and a stamp of his foot.

 The king was delighted that morning, but still not satisfied. "If this girl can really spin gold from straw", he thought to himself greedily, "I shall always be rich if I make her my wife and keep her here. I shall try her once more".

 So on the third night the king took the miller's daughter into another room with an even greater pile of straw.

 "Spin this into gold", he commanded. "If you succeed, I shall marry you and you shall be queen. If you fail, I shall chop off your head". And out he went, locking the door behind him.

 Once more, as the girl wept bitterly before the pile of straw and the spinning wheel, the little man appeared from nowhere.

 "I see you need my help again", he said. "How will you reward me this time if I save your life?"

 "I have nothing more to give you", the miller's daughter said in despair.

 "Ah!" said the little man, "but if the straw is spun into gold tonight, you will become queen. Will you promise to give me your first child when it is born?"

 "Yes! Yes!" cried the girl. She was sure that when this time came she could somehow save her child.

 So the little man sat and twirled the spinning wheel, tap - tapping his foot on the floor and singing his strange songs. Then, with a skip and a hop and a stamp of his foot, he was gone.

 The next day the king was delighted with the gold, and he made the miller's daughter his queen as he had promised.

 And as queen the miller's daughter forgot all about her promise to the little man. About a year later, a fine son was born, and she was horrified when the little man appeared again.

 "I have come to claim the child you promised me", he said, stamping his foot as he spoke.

 "Take my jewels and all this gold", pleaded the queen, "only leave me my little son".

 The little man thought for a moment and said, "Very well, I will give you three days in which to guess my name. You may have three guesses each night. If you fail, the baby is mine".

 The queen sent for all her servants and asked them to go throughout the kingdom asking if anyone had heard of the little man and if they knew his name. The first night the little man came the queen tried some unusual names.

 "Is it Caspar?" she asked.

 "No!" he said and stamped his foot in delight.

 "Is it Balthazar?"

 "No!" he said and stamped his foot again.

 "Is it Meichior?"

 "No!" he cried. He stamped his foot and disappeared.

 The next evening the queen thought she would try some everyday names. So when the little man appeared she asked, "Is your name John?"

 "No!" he said with his usual stamp.

 "Is it Michael?"

 "Is it James?"

 "No! No!" he cried, stamping his foot each time, and again he disappeared.

 On the third and final day the queen was distraught for she could not see how she could guess the little man's name.

 The palace servants came back without arm news, all except for one who returned to the palace towards the end of the day. He went straight to the queen and told her that at the very edge of the kingdom, under the mountains, he had heard a little man singing this strange song as he danced around his fire:

 "Today I brew, tomorrow I bake. Next day the queen's child I'll take. How glad I am that nobody knows. My name is Rumpelstiltskin".

 The queen clapped her hands with joy and rewarded the servant for his discovery. That night the little man appeared and asked if she had guessed his name.

 "Is it Ichabod?"

 "No!" he cried with pleasure as he stamped his foot.

 "Is it Carl?"

 "No!" he shouted and stamped his foot with glee.

 "Is it the queen hesitated. Is it Rumpelstiltskin?"

 Now it was the queens turn to laugh. The little man stamped his foot so hard it went right through the floor and that was the end of Rumpelstiltskin.

 Brer Rabbit's New House.

 Long ago an old man called Uncle Remus used to tell stories to a little boy. The two of them lived on a plantation in the southern states of America, and the stories were always about certain animals. Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox in particular, but several others too, Brer Bear and Brer Possum for instance. All too often Brer Rabbit, who was an impudent scoundrel, came out best, although he was one of the smaller creatures. Of course, to do this he had to use his wits.

 One evening, Uncle Remus ate his supper as usual and then looked at the child over his spectacles.

 "Now then, honey", he said. "Let's see if I can call to mind how old Brer Rabbit got himself a two-storey house without paying much for it".

 He paused a moment. Then he began:

 It turned out one time that a whole lot of creatures decided to build a house together. Old Brer Bear, he was among them, and Brer Fox and Brer Wolf and Brer Coon and Brer Possum, and possibly Brer Mink too. Anyway, there was a whole bunch of them, and they set to work and built a house in less than no time.

 Brer Rabbit, he pretended it made his head swim to climb the scaffolding, and that it made him feel dizzy to work in the sun, but he got a board, and he stuck a pencil behind his ear, and he went round measuring and marking, measuring and marking.

 He looked so busy that all the other creature were sure he was doing the most work, and folks going along the road said, "My, my, that Brer Rabbit is doing more work than the whole lot of them put together". Yet all the time Brer Rabbit was doing nothing, and he had plenty of time to lie in the shade.

 Meanwhile, the other creatures, they built the house, and it sure was a fine one. It had an upstairs and a downstairs, and chimneys all round, and it had rooms for all the creatures who had helped to make it.

 Brer Rabbit, he picked out one of the upstairs rooms, and he got a gun and a brass cannon, and when no one was looking he put them up in the room. Then he got a big bowl of dirty water and carried it up there when no one was looking.

 When the house was finished and all the animals were sitting in the parlour after supper, Brer Rabbit, he got up and stretched himself, and made excuses, saying he believed he'd go to his room. When he got there, and while all the others were laughing and chatting and being sociable downstairs, Brer Rabbit stuck his head out of the room and hollered.

 "When a big man wants to sit down, whereabouts is he going to sit?" says he.

 The other creatures laughed, and called back, "If a big man like you can't sit in a chair he'd better sit on the floor".

 "Watch out, down there", says old Brer Rabbit, "because I'm going to sit down", says he.

 With that bang! Went Brer Rabbit's gun. The other creatures looked round at one another in astonishment as much as to say, "What in the name of gracious is that?"

 They listened and listened, but they didn't hear any more fuss and it wasn't long before they were all chatting and talking again.

 Then Brer Rabbit stuck his head out his room again, and hollered, "When a big man like me wants to sneeze, whereabouts is he going to sneeze?"

 The other creatures called back, "A big man like you can sneeze anywhere he wants".

 "Watch out down there, then", says Brer Rabbit, "because I'm going to sneeze right here", says he.

 With that Brer Rabbit let off his cannon - bidder-um-m-m! The window panes rattled. The whole house shook as though it would come down, and old Brer Bear fell out of his rocking chairkerblurnp!

 When they all settled down again Brer Possum and Brer Mink suggested that as Brer Rabbit had such a had cold they would step outside and get some fresh air. The other creatures said that they would stick it out, and before long they all got their hair smoothed down and began to talk again.

 After a while, when they were beginning to enjoy themselves once more, Brer Rabbit hollered out:

 "When a big man like me chews tobacco, where is he going to spit?"

 The other creatures called back as though they were getting pretty angry:

 "Big man or little man, spit where you please!"

 Then Brer Rabbit called out, "This is the way a big man spits", and with that he tipped over the bowl of dirty water, and when the other creatures heard it coming sloshing down the stairs, my, how they rushed out of the house! Some went out the back door, some went out the front door, some fell out of the windows, some went one way and some another way; but they all got out as quickly as they could.

 Then Brer Rabbit, he shut up the house, and fastened the windows and went to bed. He pulled the covers up round his ears, and he slept like a man who doesn't owe anybody anything.

 "And neither did he, owe them", said Uncle Remus to the little boy, "for if the other creatures got scared and ran off from their own house, what business is that of Brer Rabbit? That's what I'd like to know".

 Country Mouse, Town Mouse.

 There was once a little mouse who lived very happily in the country. He ate grains of wheat and grass seeds, nibbled turnips in the fields, and had a safe snug house in a hedgerow. On sunny days he would curl up on the bank near his nest and warm himself, and in the winter he would scamper in the fields with his friends.

 He was delighted when he heard his cousin from the town was coming to visit him, and fetched some of the best food from his store cupboard so he could share it with him. When his cousin arrived, he proudly offered him some fine grains of dried wheat and some particularly good nuts he had put away in the autumn.

 His cousin, the town mouse, however, was not impressed.

 "You call this good food?" he asked. "My dear fellow, you must come and stay with me in the city. I will then show you what fine living is all about. Come with me tomorrow, for not a day should be lost before you see the excellent hospitality I can offer".

 So the two mice travelled up to town. From his cousin's mousehole, the country mouse watched with wonder a grand dinner which the people who lived in the house were giving. He stared in amazement at the variety of cheese, the beautiful vegetables, the fresh white rolls, the fruit, and the wine served from glittering decanters.

 "Now's our chance", said the town mouse, as the dining-room emptied. The two mice came out of the hole, and scurried across the floor to where the crumbs lay scattered beneath the table. Never had the country mouse eaten such delicacies, or tasted such fine food. "My cousin was right", he thought as he nibbled at a fine juicy grape. "This is the good life!"

 All of a sudden a great fierce furry beast leapt into the room and pounced on the mice.

 "Run for it, little cousin!" shouted the town mouse, and together they reached the mousehole gasping for breath and shaking with fright. The cat settled down outside the hole, tail twitching, to wait for them.

 "Don't worry. He will get bored soon, and go and amuse himself elsewhere. We can then go and finish our feast", said the town mouse.

 "You can go out there again, if you like", said the country mouse. "I shall not. I am leaving tonight by the back door to return to my country home. I would rather gnaw a humble vegetable there than live here amidst these dangers".

 So the country mouse lived happily in the country, the town mouse in the town. Each was content with the way of life he was used to, and had no desire to change.

 The Selfish Giant.

 Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giants garden.

 It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. "How happy we are here!" they cried to each other.

 One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited, and he was determined to return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.

 "What are you doing here?" he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.

 "My own garden is my own garden", said the Giant; "anyone can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself". So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.

 TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED

 He was a very selfish giant.

 The poor children had nowhere to play. They tried to play in the road, but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones, and they did not like it. They used to wander around the high walls when their lessons were over, and talk about the beautiful garden inside. "How happy we were there!" they said to each other.

 Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped back into the ground again and went off to sleep. The only people who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost.

 "Spring has forgotten this garden", they cried, "so we will live here all the year round".

 The Snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew the chimney-pots down. "This is a delightful spot", he said. "We must ask the hail on a visit".

 So the Hail came. Every day for three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most of the slates, and then ran round and round the garden as fast as he could. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like ice.

 "I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming", said the Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold, white garden; "I hope there will be a change in the weather".

 But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant's garden she gave none. "He is too selfish", she said. So it was always winter there, and the North Wind and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced about through the trees.

 One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the King's musicians passing by. It was really only a little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world. Then the Hail stopped dancing over his head, and the North Wind stopped roaring, and a delicious perfume came to him through the open casement. "I believe the Spring has come at last", said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed and looked out.

 What did he see?

 He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again that they had covered themselves with blossom, and were waving their arms gently above the children's heads. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing.

 It was a lovely scene, only in one corner was it still winter. It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree, and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The poor tree was still covered with frost and snow, and the North Wind was blowing and roaring above it. "Climb up! little boy", said the Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could: but the boy was too tiny.

 And the Giant's heart melted as he looked out. "How selfish I have been!" he said "now I know why the Spring would not come here. I will put that little boy on the top of the tree, and then I will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children's playground for ever and ever". He was really very sorry for what he had done.

 So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became winter again. Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so full of rears that he did not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into the tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them around the Giants neck, and kissed him. And the other children when they saw that the Giant was not wicked any longer, came running back, and with them came the Spring. "It is your garden now, little children", said the Giant, and he took a great axe and knocked down the wall. And when the people were going to market at twelve o'clock they found the giant playing with the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen.

 All day long they played, and in the evening the children came to the Giant to bid him good-bye.

 "But where is your little companion?" he said, "the boy I put into the tree". The Giant loved him best because he had kissed him.

 "We don't know", answered the children: "he has gone away".

 "You must tell him to be sure and come tomorrow", said the Giant. But the children said that they did not know where he lived, and had never seen him before and the Giant felt very sad.

 Every afternoon, when school was over, the children played with the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never seen again. The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet he longed for his first little friend, and often spoke of him. "How I would like to see him!" he used to say.

 Years went over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could not play about any more, so he sat in a huge armchair, and watched the children at their games, and admired his garden. "I have many beautiful flowers", he said; "but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all".

 One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing. He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew it was merely the Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting.

 Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder and looked and looked. It certainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its branches were golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.

 Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, "Who hath dared to wound thee?" For on the palms of the child's hands were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet.

 "Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the Giant; "tell me that I may take my big sword and slay him".

 "Nay", answered the child: "but these are the wounds of Love".

 "Who art thou?" said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him and he knelt before the little child.

 And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, "You let me play once in your garden, today you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise".

 And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.

 The Three Wishes.

 One day a poor woodcutter was working in the forest chopping down trees and sawing them into logs. He stopped for a moment and saw a fairy sitting on a leaf nearby.

 "I have come", she told him, "to give you three wishes. The next three wishes you make will come true. Use them wisely".

 After work, the woodcutter returned home and told his wife what had happened. She did not believe a word he said.

 "You've just dreamt it", she laughed. "Still, just in case, you'd better think carefully before you wish".

 Together they wondered. Should they wish for gold, jewels, a fine home? They argued and disagreed about everything until the woodcutter shouted crossly, "I'm hungry after all my work. Let's eat first".

 "I'm afraid there's only soup", his wife replied. "I'd no money to buy any meat".

 "Soup again!" grumbled the woodcutter. "How I wish that we had a fine fat sausage to eat tonight".

 Before they could blink, a fine fat sausage appeared on their kitchen table.

 "You idiot!" screeched his wife. "Now you've wasted one of our precious wishes. You make me so angry". She went on scolding until he could stand it no more and he shouted.

 "I wish that sausage was on the end of your nose!"

 Immediately the large sausage jumped in the air and attached itself to the wife's nose. There she stood with the big fat sausage hanging clown in front of her. It was difficult to talk with it hanging there and she became really angry when the woodcutter laughed at her because she looked so ridiculous. She pulled and pulled, he pulled and pulled. But the sausage stayed there, stuck on the end of her nose.

 The woodcutter soon stopped laughing when he remembered they only had one of the fairy's wishes left.

 "Let's wish", he said quickly, "for all the riches in the world".

 "What good would that do", she asked, "with a long sausage hanging from my nose? I could not enjoy them for a minute!"

 The woodcutter and his wife finally agreed that they could do nothing except get rid of that sausage-nose.

 The woodcutter wished and in a flash the sausage was gone, and he and his wife sat down to eat the soup that she had prepared for their supper. The only point they could agree on for a long while was how foolish they had both been to use the fairy's wishes so unwisely. They also wished - too late by now - that they had eaten the sausage when it had first appeared.

 The Little House.

 Once upon a time a large earthenware jar rolled off the back of a cart that was going to market. It came to rest in the grass at the side of the road.

 By and by a mouse came along and looked at the jar. "What a fine house that would make", he thought, and he called out: "Little house, little house. Who lives in the little house?"

 Nobody answered so the mouse peeped in and saw that it was empty. He moved in straightaway and began to live there.

 Before long a frog came along and saw the jar. "What a fine house that would make", he thought, and he called out:

 "Little house, little house. Who lives in the little house?"

 and he heard: "I, Mr. Mouse. I live in the little house. Who are you?"

 "I am Mr. Frog", came the reply.

 "Come in Mr. Frog, and we can live here together", called out the mouse.

 So the mouse and the frog lived happily together in the little house. Then one day a hare came running along the road and saw the little house. He called out:

 "Little house, little house. Who lives in the little house?"

 and he heard: "Mr. Frog and Mr. Mouse. We live in the little house. Who are you?"

 "I am Mr. Hare", he replied.

 "Come in Mr. Hare and live with us", called the mouse and the frog.

 The hare went in and settled down with the frog and the mouse in the little house.

 Some time later a fox came along, and spied the little house.

 "That would make a fine house", he thought, and he called out:

 "Little house, little house. Who lives in the little house?"

 and he heard: "Mr. Hare, Mr. Frog and Mr. Mouse. We all live in the little house. Who are you?"

 "I am Mr. Fox", he replied.

 "Then come in and live with us, Mr. Fox", they called back. Mr. Fox went in and found there was just room for him too, although it was a bit of a squeeze.

 The next day a bear came ambling along the road, and saw the little house. He called out:

 "Little house, little house. Who lives in the little house?"

 and he heard: "Mr. Fox, Mr. Hare, Mr. Frog and Mr. Mouse. We all live in the little house. Who are you?"

 "I am Mr. Bear. Squash-you-all-flat", said the bear.

 He then sat down on the little house, and squashed it all flat. That was the end of the little house.

 The Fisherman's Son.

 Along time ago, when impossible things were possible, there was a fisherman and his son. One day when the fisherman hauled in his net he found a huge gleaming red fish amongst the rest of his catch. For a few moments he was so excited he could only stare at it. This fish will make me famous, he thought. "Never before has a fisherman caught such a fish".

 "Stay here", he said to his son, "and look after these fish, while I go and fetch the cart to take them home".

 The fisherman's son, too, was amazed by the great red fish, and while he was waiting for his father, he stroked it and started to talk to it.

 "It seems a shame that a beautiful creature like you should not swim free", he said, and no sooner had he spoken than he decided to put the fish back into the sea. The great red fish slipped gratefully into the water, raised its head and spoke to the boy.

 "It was kind of you to save my life. Take this bone which I have pulled from my fin. If ever you need my help, hold it up, call me, and I will come at once".

 The fisherman's son placed the bone carefully in his pocket just as his father reappeared with the cart. When the father saw that the great red fish was gone he was angry beyond belief.

 "Get out of my sight", he shouted at his son, "and never let me set eyes on you again".

 The boy went off sadly. He did not know where to go or what to do. In time he found himself in a great forest. He walked on and on, till suddenly he was startled by a stag rushing through the trees towards him. It was being chased by a pack of ferocious hounds followed by hunters, and it was clearly exhausted and could run no further. The boy felt sorry for the stag and took hold of its antlers as the hounds and then the hunters appeared.

 "Shame on you", he said, "for chasing a tame stag. Go and find a wild beast to hunt for your sport".

 The hunters, seeing the stag standing quietly by the boy, thought it must be a pet and so they turned and rode off to another part of the forest.

 "It was kind of you to save my life", said the stag, and it pulled a fine brown hair from its coat. "Take this and if ever you need help, hold it out and call me. I will come at once".

 The fisherman's son put the hair in his pocket with the fishbone. He thanked the stag which disappeared among the trees and wandered on once more.

 As he walked he heard a strange flutteting sound overhead and, looking up, he saw a great bird - a crane - being attacked by an eagle. The crane was weak and could fight no more, and the eagle was about to kill it. The kind-hearted boy picked up a stick and threw it at the eagle, which flew off at once, fearful of this new enemy. The crane sank to the ground.

 "It was kind of you to save my life", it said as it recovered its breath. "Take this feather and keep it safe. If ever you need help, hold it out and call me, and I will come".

 As the fisherman's son walked on with the feather in his pocket, he met a fox running for its life, with the hounds and the huntsmen close behind. The boy just had time to hide the fox under his coat before the hounds were all around him.

 "I think the fox went that way", he cried to the huntsmen, and they called off the hounds and went in the direction the boy was pointing.

 "It was kind of you to save my life", said the fox. "Take this hair from my coat and keep it safe. If ever you need help, hold it out and call me. I will come at once".

 The fisherman's son went on his way, and in time he reached the edge of the forest and found himself by a lovely castle.

 "Who lives there?" he asked.

 "A beautiful princess", he was told. "Are you one of her suitors? She plays a curious game of hide-and-seek with all who come, and says she will marry the first man who hides so well that she cannot find him".

 The fisherman's son thought he would try, so boldly he went to the castle and asked to see the princess. She was indeed very beautiful, and he thought what a fine thing it would be if he could marry her.

 "Princess, I will hide where you cannot find me", he said, "but will you give me four chances?"

 The princess was intrigued by this shabby boy, and agreed, thinking she would at least have some fun looking for him. The fisherman's son went straightaway to the place where he had last seen the fish and, taking the fishbone from his pocket, he called its name.

 "I am here", said the great red fish. "What can I do for you?"

 "Can you take me where the princess will never find me? If you do, I shall be able to marry her".

 The red fish took the boy on its back and swam deep down into the sea to some caverns where it hid him.

 Now the princess had a magic mirror which she used in her games of hide-and-seek. With it she could see far and wide even through houses and hillsides. She looked in her mirror, but could not find the fisherman's son.

 "What a wizard he must be", she said to herself, as she turned her mirror this way and that. Then she saw him sitting in a rocky cavern deep down in the sea and she laughed.

 The next day when the boy came to the palace she smiled and said, "That was easy. You were deep down in a cavern under the sea. You will have to do better than that if you are going to marry me!"

 "What an enchantress she must be", said the boy to himself, and he resolved to win this contest.

 He went next to the forest and held out the stag's hair and called. When the stag came he told it that he wanted to hide and the stag took him on its back far far away to the other side of the mountains and hid him in a little cave. The stag then stood in front of the cave so that no one could see inside.

 Once more the princess took out her mirror and searched far and wide for the boy. "How clever he is", she said to herself, and then the mirror picked him out hiding in the cave.

 The next day she said to the boy, "Pooh! It was easy to see you in that cave".

 The boy became even more determined to marry her and he set out to summon the crane. It came as soon as the boy waved the feather and called its name.

 "Come with me high up into the clouds", said the crane, and took the boy on its back. All day long they hovered in the sky, while the princess searched this way and that in her mirror.

 Just as she was about to give up, she spied him above her. "He is cleverer, than I thought!" she said to herself.

 But the next day when the boy came to the castle, she laughed and said, "You thought I would never find you among the clouds, but I spotted you easily. You only have one more chance to outwit me!

 The boy now went to the forest and, holding up the fox's hair he called the fox. When it came he explained what he wanted. "Ask her to give you fourteen days", said the fox, "and I should be able to hide you where she cannot find you".

 The princess agreed, and for fourteen days the fox tunnelled and dug beneath the princess's castle until it had made a hole large enough for the boy to hide in right under the princess's room. Down he went and lay there quietly. The princess took out her mirror and searched. She looked to the north, to the south, to the east, to the west; she looked high and low, round and round, and at last, exasperated, she called out:

 "I give up. Where are you, fisherman's son?"

 "Here!" he called. "Just below you!" And he jumped out from the hole the fox had dug.

 "You win, wizard", she said, and was happy to marry the fisherman's son.

 He was delighted to marry such a beautiful princess. They had a great wedding in the castle, and the celebrations went on for many days.

 Sleeping Beauty.

 Long ago there lived a king and queen who had no children, which made them very sad.

 Then, one day, the queen was delighted to find she was going to have a baby. She and the king looked forward with great excitement to the day of their first child's birth.

 When that day came, a lovely daughter was born and they arranged a large party for her christening. They invited many guests, including twelve fairies as they felt certain the fairies would make wishes for their little daughter.

 At the christening party, the guests and the fairies all agreed that the princess was a beautiful baby. One fairy wished for her the gift of Happiness, another Beauty, others Wisdom, Health, Goodness, Contentment... Eleven fairies had made their wishes when suddenly the gates of the castle flew open and in swept a thirteenth fairy. She was furious that she had not been invited to the christening party, and as she glared at the other fairies a shiver ran down everyone's spine. All felt her evil spirit. She waved her wand over the baby and cast not a wish but a terrible spell.

 "On her sixteenth birthday", she wished, "the princess will prick herself with a spindle. And she will die". A terrible hush fell over the king and queen and their guests.

 The twelfth fairy had not yet made her wish. She had been going to give the gift of Joy to the baby but now she wanted to save the princess. Her magic was not strong enough to break the wicked spell but she could weaken its evil. So she wished that the princess, instead of dying on her sixteenth birthday, would fall asleep for a hundred years.

 As she grew lip the princess became the happiest, sweetest and most beautiful child anyone had ever seen. It seemed as though all the wishes of the first eleven fairies had come true. The king and queen hoped to prevent the wicked fairy's spell from working by making sure the princess never saw a spindle. All spinning was forbidden everywhere and all the cotton and wool in their country had to be sent away to be spun.

 For their daughters sixteenth birthday the king and queen decided to give a party in the castle. They felt sure there would be no chance of her finding a spindle there on the day.

 People came from far and near to the grand birthday ball for the princess and a magnificent feast was provided. After the guests had eaten and drunk as much as they wanted and danced in the great hall, the princess asked if they could all play her favourite childhood game, hide-and-seek. She ran off to a far corner of the castle and found herself climbing a spiral staircase in a turret she did not remember even noticing before. "They will never find me here", she thought as she crept into a little room at the top. To her astonishment there was an old woman dressed in black and sitting on a stool, spinning.

 "What are you doing?" asked the princess as she watched the twirling spindle. She was puzzled as she had never seen anything like it anywhere in the kingdom.

 "Come and see", replied the old woman. She pulled strands of wool from the sheep's fleece on the floor and, twisting it neatly with her fingers, she fed it through the spindle. The-princess was fascinated and edged nearer.

 "Would you like to try?" asked the old woman cunningly.

 The princess forgot all about playing hide-and-seek and picked up the spindle. As she did so she pricked her thumb. With a small cry she fell to the ground, as though dead. The wicked fairy's spell seemed to have worked after all.

 But so did the twelfth fairy's wish. The princess did not die but fell into a deep deep sleep. The spell worked on everyone else in the castle too. The king and queen slept on their thrones in the great hail. The guests dropped off to sleep as they played hide-and-seek. And in the kitchen the cook fell asleep with her hand raised to box the pot-boy's ears. All over the castle a great silence descended.

 As time went by a thorn hedge grew up around the castle. Passers-by wondered what lay behind the hedge but no one now remembered the castle where the king and queen had lived with their lovely daughter. Sometimes curious travellers tried to force their way through but the hedge was so prickly that they soon gave up.

 One day, many many years later, a prince came riding pass. He too marvelled at the thorn hedge which had now grown very tall and thick. An old man told him a story he had heard as a child long ago, about a mysterious castle there, and the prince became curious. He decided to cut his way through the thorns. To his surprise the hedge seemed to open out before his sword and very soon the young prince was inside the grounds. He ran across the gardens and through an open door into the lovely old castle.

 Everywhere he looked - in the great hall, in the kitchen, in the ballroom and on the staircase - he saw people asleep. He hurried through many rooms until he found himself climbing a winding stair to an old turret. There in the small room at the top he was startled to discover the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was so lovely that without thinking he knelt down and gently kissed her.

 The spell was broken. The princess opened her eyes and fell in love then and there with the prince. She told him what had happened and he kissed her again. Together they came down the turret stairs and saw that the castle was coming alive.

 In the great hail the king and queen were stretching and yawning, puzzled and worried that they had dropped off to sleep during their daughter's party. Their guests too were shaking their heads, rubbing their eyes, and wondering why they felt so sleepy. In the kitchen the cook boxed the pot-boy's ear. Outside horses neighed, dogs barked and birds burst into song. The hundred-year spell had been completely broken.

 The princess told her parents that she truly loved the handsome young man who had kissed her. The king and queen gave the couple their blessing and a grand royal wedding was arranged.

 The twelve good fairies who had come to the christening were invited once more and everyone rejoiced to see the happiness of the prince and princess. Towards evening they rode off together to their new home in the prince's kingdom, where they lived happily ever afterwards. The thirteenth fairy was never seen again.

 Jerome, The Lion And The Donkey.

 Jerome was a holy man who lived in a monastery many hundreds of years ago. One hot afternoon, he and some of the other monks were sitting together, when a lion appeared in the courtyard of the monastery. There was panic and confusion as several of the monks thought the lion had come to kill them, but then Jerome saw that the lion was limping.

 "Calm yourselves, brothers", he said, "and bring me some clean cloths and warm water. The poor creature has come to us for help. We need not be afraid of him".

 Cautiously they gathered round, and one man fetched warm water, another a clean cloth for a bandage, and another some ointment made from healing herbs. Very gently, Jerome bathed and bandaged the torn foot. The lion then lady down peacefully in the shade of the courtyard and slept.

 The next day the lion was still there, and Jerome bathed his paw again. It was less swollen, and again the lion seemed grateful for the help he had received. So it was for several days, until the paw was completely healed. The monks were pleased to hear he was cured, as they thought he would now go away.

 But the lion did not go. He stayed and followed Jerome when he went to work in the fields, and lay down in the courtyard when Jerome was in the monastery. Several monks felt certain that a fully grown lion, no longer in pain, must be savage, and that sooner or later someone would be hurt. But whenever they tried sending the lion away he always came back to the monastery.

 "It's no good", said Jerome. "He has come to stay. It is not right that he should stay for he does no work", said one of the monks. "None of us stays here without working".

 So Jerome said, "Well, let us think of some work he can do".

 Then one old monk whose job it was to take the donkey to the woods every day to collect logs for the fire, said, "Let the lion go with the donkey each day. He will stop wild beasts attacking the donkey better than I can, and I will then be free to do other jobs".

 So it was agreed, and each day the lion and the donkey set out together for the woods. On the way the donkey would eat grass in the pasture while the lion guarded him. The woodmen would then fill the baskets that were strapped to the donkey's back with logs, and together they would return.

 "What a useful member of the community he is", said some of the monks, while others still took care not to get too close.

 One day, as the donkey was grazing, the lion found a shady spot to lie and wait for his friend, and in the still of the hot day he dropped off to sleep. As he slept some travelling merchants with a string of camels came by, and saw the donkey grazing alone.

 "Look at that", they said to each other. "A donkey is just what we want to lead our camels. No one seems to be looking after it. Let's take it quickly".

 The merchants threw the donkeys baskets behind a bush, and led him off at the head of their camels.

 When the lion awoke and found the donkey had disappeared, he roared in misery. That evening he returned to the monastery, his head hanging low with shame. The monks crowded round him, wondering where the donkey was.

 "A wild beast should never be trusted", some of them said.

 "He has killed and eaten our dear donkey, even after all these months of appearing to be such a gentle animal".

 Jerome said, "Do not judge him too quickly, brothers. Let us go to the wood and see if we find something to show us what happened to the donkey".

 So a group of monks set off, and when they found the donkey's baskets, they said, "Look, here is the evidence we wanted. This shows the donkey was killed by the savage lion".

 But the lion still showed no sign of being fierce, so Jerome suggested to the angry monks that the lion should now do the donkey's work. "Let him go to the woods each day with the donkey's baskets strapped to his back", he said, "and let him carry the logs we need as the little donkey used to do."

 The monks agreed to Jerome's plan, and each morning after that the lion set out for the woods alone to collect the logs.

 A whole year went by, and during this time Jerome was made the head monk in the monastery. The lion, still Jerome's friend and companion, continued to go each day to get wood for the monastery. He did the task without complaining, almost as if he were saying, "I am sorry about the donkey", each time they strapped the baskets on him.

 One day, when he was returning from the woods, the lion caught sight of his old friend the donkey. The travelling merchants were once more on their old route and the little donkey they had stolen was leading their string of camels. Without hesitating: the lion gave a great roar and bounded over to the donkey. The merchants, thinking they were being attacked by a wild and ferocious lion, fled in terror, while the donkey gave a bray of delight and trotted over to his friend the lion.

 Together they set off towards the monastery, for the lion wished to show the monks that he had found the little donkey. For a whole ear the camels had followed the donkey, and now they continued to do so. The merchants were all hiding and could do nothing to stop them.

 At the monastery, the monks looked up in astonishment to see the strange procession of lion, donkey and camels.

 "I see", said Jerome, "that the lion has made good his fault. He has found the donkey he so carelessly lost a year ago. We have been harsh to think he might have killed him".

 Just then the courtyard was filled with angry merchants who had followed the camels. Now they asked to speak to the head of the monastery, and Jerome stepped forward.

 You have stolen our donkey, our camels and all our wares, they shouted angrily. "We demand you return them at once."

 "We have stolen nothing", Jerome replied quietly. "Your camels and the goods they carry are yours to take away. The camels came here of their own accord. But the donkey is not yours to take. He was ours, and he was stolen last year. It must have been you who took him, and hid his baskets behind the bush. Now he has come back with his friend the lion to his real owners".

 The merchants now looked ashamed. Promising they would not steal again and still eyeing the lion with fear, they went on their way, taking their camels and goods with them.

 The donkey and the lion went out together each day as before, and the monks who had thought the lion a savage beast were sorry that they had misjudged him. The lion lived for many more years in the monastery, and in his old age he would sit at Jerome's feet as the holy man wrote books. The monastery was known far and wide as a place where wisdom and gentleness were always to be found.

 Beauty And The Beast.

 A rich merchant who had three sons and three daughters lived in a big house in the city. His youngest daughter was so beautiful she as called Beauty by all who knew her. She was as sweet and good as she was beautiful. Sadly all of the merchant's ships were lost at sea and he and his family had to move to a small cottage in the country. His sons worked hard on the land and Beauty was happy working in the house, but his two elder daughters complained and grumbled all day long, especially about Beauty.

 One day news came that a ship had arrived which would make the merchant wealthy again. The merchant set off to the city, and just before he left he said "Tell me, daughters, what gifts would you like me to bring back for you!"

 The two older girls asked for fine clothes and jewels, but Beauty wanted nothing. Realizing this made her sisters look greedy, she thought it best to ask for something. "Bring me a rose, father", she said, "just a beautiful red rose".

 When the merchant reached the city he found disaster had struck once more and the ships cargo was ruined. He took the road home wondering how to break the news to his children. He was so deep in thought that he lost his way. Worse still, it started to snow, and he feared he would never reach home alive. Just as he despaired he noticed lights ahead, and tiding towards them he saw a fine castle. The gates stood open and flares were alight in the courtyard. In the stables a stall stood empty with hay in the manger and clean bedding on the floor ready for his horse.

 The castle itself seemed to be deserted, but a fire was burning in the dining-hall where a table was laid with food. The merchant ate well, and still finding no one went upstairs to a bedroom which had been prepared. "It is almost as if I were expected", he thought.

 In the morning he found clean clothes had been laid out for him and breakfast was on the table in the dining-hall. After he had eaten he fetched his horse and as he rode away he saw a spray of red roses growing from a rose bush. Remembering Beauty's request, and thinking he would he able to bring a present for at least one daughter, he plucked a rose from the bush.

 Suddenly a beast-like monster appeared. "Is this how you repay my hospitality?" it roared. "You eat my food, sleep in my guest-room and then insult me by stealing my flowers. You shall die for this".

 The merchant pleaded for his life, and begged to see his children once more before he died. At last the beast relented.

 "I will spare your life", it said, "if one of your daughters will come here willingly and die for you. Otherwise you must promise to return within three months and die yourself."

 The merchant agreed to return and went on his way. At home his children listened with sorrow to his tales of the lost cargo and his promise to the monster. His two elder daughters turned on Beauty. saying "Your stupid request for a rose has brought all this trouble on us. It is your fault that father must die".

 When the three months were up Beauty insisted on going to the castle with her father, pretending only to ride with him for company on the journey. The beast met them, and asked Beauty if she had come of her own accord, and she told him she had.

 "Good", he said. "Now your father can go home and you will stay with me."

 "What shall I call you?" she asked bravely.

 "You may call me Beast", he replied.

 Certainly he was very ugly and it seemed a good name for him. Beauty waved a sad farewell to her father. But she was happy that at least she had saved his life.

 As Beauty wondered through the castle she found many lovely rooms and beautiful courtyards with gardens. At last she came to a room which was surely meant just for her. It had many of her favorite books and objects in it. On the wall hung a beautiful minor and to her surprise, as she looked into it, she saw her father arriving back at their home and her brothers and sisters greeting him. The picture only lasted a few seconds then faded. "This Beast may be ugly, but he is certainly kind", she thought. "He gives me all the things I like and allows me to know how my family is without me".

 That night at supper the Beast joined her. He sat and stared at her. At the end of the meal he asked: "Will you marry me?"

 Beauty was startled by the question but said as gently as she could, "No, Beast, you are kind but I cannot marry you".

 Each day it was the same. Beauty had everything she wanted during the day and each evening the Beast asked her to marry him, and she always said no.

 One night Beauty dreamt that her father lay sick. She asked the Beast if she could go to him, and he refused, saying that if she left him he would die of loneliness. But when he saw how unhappy Beauty was, he said:

 "If you go to your family, will you return within a week?"

 "Of course". Beauty replied.

 "Very well, just place this ring on your dressing table the night you wish to return, and you shall come back here. But do not stay away longer than a week, or I shall die".

 The next morning Beauty awoke to find herself in her own home. Her father was indeed sick, buts Beauty nursed him lovingly. Beauty's sisters jealous once more. They thought that if the stayed at home longer than a week the Beast would kill her. So they pretended to love her and told her how much they had missed her. Before Beauty knew what had happened ten days had passed. Then she had a dream that the Beast was lying still as though he were dead by the lake near his castle.

 "I must return at once", she cried and she placed her ring on the dressing table.

 The next morning she found herself once more in the Beast's castle. All that day she expected to see him, but he never came. "I have killed the Beast", she cried, "I have killed him". Then she remembered that in her dream he had been by the lake and quickly she ran there. He lay still as death, down by the water's edge.

 "Oh, Beast!" she wept, "Oh, Beast! I did not mean to stay away so long. Please do not die. Please come back to me. You are so good and kind". She knelt and kissed his ugly head.

 Suddenly no Beast was there, but a handsome prince stood before her. "Beauty, my dear one", he said, "I was bewitched by a spell that could only be broken when a beautiful girl loved me and wanted me in spite of my ugliness. When you kissed me just now you broke the enchantment".

 Beauty rode with the prince to her father's house and then they all went together to the prince's kingdom. There he and Beauty were married. In time they became king and queen, and ruled for many happy years.

 The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

 Once upon a time there were three billy goats who had curly horns and tufted beards. They were known as the Three Billy Goats Gruff. They lived in a village where there was not always enough food for them, so they used to cross over a wooden bridge to the other side of the valley to munch the rich grass in the meadows there.

 A deep river ran under the bridge, and beside the river and under the bridge lived a fierce troll. He had a nose as long as a poker, eyes like saucers, and teeth as sharp as knives. He hated people or animals to cross the bridge. If he could catch them, he would eat them. The three billy goats had to try and get across to the valley without disturbing the troll if they possibly could.

 One day the troll was lying under the bridge when he heard the sound of steps trip trap, trip trap on the wooden planks above him.

 "Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?" roared the troll.

 The smallest Billy Goat Gruff was on the bridge, and he called out in a small, frightened voice, "It is only I, the little Billy Goat Gruff".

 "Then I shall eat you for my dinner", roared the troll.

 "No, don't", pleaded the little Billy Goat Gruff. "Let me cross over and eat the grass on the other side and I will grow fatter. My brother, the middle-sized Billy Goat Gruff, will be coming along soon. He's bigger than me. Why don't you wait and eat him?"

 "Very well", grumbled the troll, and settled down under the bridg to wait for the middle-sized Billy Goat Gruff. Before long, he heard trip trap, trip trap on the wooden planks above him.

 "Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?" roared the troll.

 "It is I, the middle-sized Billy Goat Gruff", replied the goat in a middle-sized voice.

 "Then I shall eat you for my dinner", roared the troll.

 "I think", said the middle-sized Billy Goat Gruff, "you would do better to wait for my brother, the big Billy Goat Gruff. He will make a much better dinner, and meanwhile I shall be able to get fatter in those meadows over there".

 "Very well", grumbled the troll and settled down to wait for the big Billy Goat Gruff.

 Before long the big Billy Goat Gruff came along. The troll heard his hooves on the wooden planks above him. This time the trip trap, trip trap was loud and heavy.

 "Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?" roared the troll.

 "It is I, the big Billy Goat Gruff", called the goat in a big gruff voice and he sounded almost as fierce as the troll.

 "Then I shall eat you for my dinner", bellowed the troll. "Oh no you won't", replied the big Billy Goat Gruff, "for I have sharp horns and will kill you first".

 The troll was so angry that he leapt out from underneath the bridge. But the big Billy Goat Gruff was waiting for him with his head down and his horns ready. The troll was tossed up into the air and down into the deep river - SPLASH!

 The big Billy Goat Gruff went on his way to join his two brothers, trip trap, trip trap over the bridge and into the meadows. Now every morning and evening the Three Billy Goats Gruff could come and go over the bridge as they pleased, and they an grew very fat indeed.

 The Black Bull Of Norroway.

 Long ago, in a country far away in the north there lived a widow and her three daughters. She had once been a queen, but her husband, the king, had been killed in a battle and she was now very, very poor.

 One day her eldest daughter said to her, "Mother, bake me a cake to take to the fortune-teller so that she will tell me my fortune".

 The fortune-teller accepted the fine cake the girl had brought, and then she said to her, "Stand by the back door, my dear, and tell me if anything comes down the road."

 By and by the girl cried out that a carriage drawn by six grey horses was coming towards them.

 "Go with it", said the fortune-teller, "for there your fortune lies".

 Before long the second daughter asked her mother to bake a cake for the fortune-teller, for she too wanted to know what life had to offer her.

 "Stand by the back door, my dear", said the fortuneteller, "and tell me if anything comes down the road". When a carriage drawn by six gleaming chestnut horses came by, she told the girl to get into it, for there lay her fortune.

 In time the youngest asked her mother to bake a cake for her to take to the fortune-teller. Just as before, the fortune-teller said, "Stand by the back door, my dear, and tell me if anything comes down the road". Soon the girl saw a great black bull.

 "Go with the bull, girl", said the fortune-teller, "your fortune lies with the bull".

 The young girl was very disappointed, for she wanted to drive away carriage like her sisters, but she did as the fortune-teller told her.

 She rode on the back of the great black bull for many miles, until she was faint with hunger and thirst. "Eat out of my left ear" said the bull, "and drink out of my right". The girl did as he suggested and to her amazement found in each ear all the food and drink she wanted.

 In the evening they came to a fine castle. "We will spend the night here", said the bull, "in my brother's castle".

 The girl was lifted off his back and taken into the castle while the bull was led into a field. To her surprise she found her eldest sister living there as the lady of the house. They greeted each other joyfully, then her sister said. "The black bull is really the Lord of Norroway. A spell was cast many years ago which turned him into a bull."

 That night the girl slept in great luxury and the next day her sister gave her a beautiful apple. "Keep it", she said, "and do not break it until you are in great trouble".

 All that day the girl travelled on the black bull's back, until evening when they came to another fine castle. "We will stay the night here, in this castle where my second brother lives", said the bull.

 This time the girl found her other sister living there as a grand lady. She spent the night in a room hung with gold tapestries and in the morning her sister gave her a pear.

 "Keep it safe", she said, "until the day when you are in great need. Only then should you break it open".

 That day, the girl and the black bull travelled on again. Further and further they journeyed further than the girl thought possible. She was exhausted when they arrived in the evening at a castle that was grander than any she had seen.

 "This is my home", said the bull, "and we will stay here for tonight". The girl was well looked after as before and the next morning she was given a beautiful plum.

 "Keep this carefuly", she was told, "until the day when you are in great need. Only then should you break it open".

 On the fourth day the great black bull took her to a deep dark valley, where he asked her to get off his back. "You must Stay here", he said, "while I go and fight the devil. You will know if I win, for everything around will turn blue, but if I lose, everything you see will turn red. Sit on this boulder and remember you must not move, not even a hand or a foot, until I return. For if you move, I shall never find you again".

 The girl promised to do as she was told, for by now she loved and trusted the bull. For hours and hours she sat on the boulder without moving, then, just when she felt she could wait no longer, everything around her suddenly went blue. She was so delighted that she moved one foot. She moved it only a little, just enough to cross it over the other, forgetting her promise for a moment.

 The bull returned after his victory but, just as he had said, he could not find her anywhere. The girl stayed in the valley for hours weeping for what she had done, and at last she set off alone, although she did not know where to go.

 After she had wandered from valley to valley for several days, the young girl came to a glass mountain. She tried to climb it, but each time her feet slipped backwards, and eventually she gave up. Soon after this she met a blacksmith who told her that if she worked for him for seven years he would make her special shoe of iron that would take her over the glass mountain.

 For seven long years she worked hard for the blacksmith, and at the end of that time he kept his promise and made her the shoes to take her on her way. On the other side of the mountain she stopped at a little house where a washerwoman and her daughter were scrubbing some bloodstained clothes in a tub.

 "The finest lord I have ever seen left these clothes here seven years ago", said the washerwoman. "He told us that whoever washed out the bloodstains would be his wife. But for seven long years we have washed and rinsed, and the stains remain".

 "Let me try", said the girl, and the first time she washed the clothes the bloodstains disappeared. Absolutely delighted, the washerwoman rushed off and told the lord of the castle nearby that the clothes were clean. Now this lord was the Lord of Norroway, and the old woman lied to him, saying that it was her own daughter who had done the task. She thought it would be a fine thing for her daughter to marry a lord. The wedding was arranged for the next day, and there seemed nothing the young girl could do to stop it.

 Then she remembered the apple she had been given so long ago. Surely the time had come to open it. Inside were jewels, which sparkled and shone. She showed these to the washerwoman, and asked if she could see the lord alone that evening. "The jewels will all be yours if you arrange this for me", she said.

 The washerwoman took the jewels greedily, but before she allowed the girl to go to the lord's room, she put a sleeping potion in his drink, so that he slept deeply the whole night through.

 The girl sat by his bedside, and she cried: "Seven long years I served for thee,

 The glassy hill I climbed for thee,

 The bloodstained clothes I washed for thee,

 Wilt thou not wake, and turn to me?" but the Lord of Norroway slept on.

 The next day the girl was overcome with grief because she had failed to stop the wedding, so she broke open the pear. It contained even more lovely jewels than the apple. She took these to the washerwoman. "Marry your daughter tomorrow", she begged once again, "not today, and let me see the lord alone once more. In return the jewels will be yours".

 The washerwoman agreed, but again slipped a sleeping potion into the lord's drink.

 For the second time the girl sat by his bedside and cried:

 "Seven long years I served for them,

 The glassy hill I climbed for thee,

 The bloodstained clothes I washed for thee,

 Wilt thou not wake and turn to me?"

 but the Lord of Norroway slept on.

 The next morning the girl broke open the beautiful plum she had been given, and found an even greater collection of splendid jewels. She offered them to the greedy washerwoman who agreed to put off the wedding one more day. That night she once more put the sleeping potion into the lord's drink. But this time the lord poured away the drink when the washerwoman was not looking for he suspected trickery of some kind.

 When the girl came to his room for the third time and cried:

 "Seven long years I served for thee,

 The glassy hill I climbed for thee,

 The bloodstained clothes I washed for thee,

 Wilt thou not wake and turn to me?"

 the Lord of Narraway turned and saw her.

 As they talked he told her his story: how a spell had been cast on him turning him into a bull, how he had fought and beaten the devil and the spell had been broken. "Ever since then", he said, "I have been searching for you".

 The Lord of Narraway and the youngest daughter were married next day, and lived happily in the castle. "I little thought", she said, "the day I saw the black bull coming down the road, that I had truly found my fortune."

 The Rats' Daughter.

 Mr and Mrs Rat had the most beautiful daughter. She had the longest slinkiest tail you could imagine, and the most remarkable long elegant whiskers. Her silky coat was a lovely glowing pinkish brown colour, and her teeth were gleaming white with sharp points. She was in every way a very lovely young rat.

 Mr Rat was hoping to find a handsome young rat as a husband for this daughter. Mrs Rat, however, was more ambitious and hoped to marry her daughter to the most powerful creature in the world.

 "I have been thinking, my dear", she said to Mr Rat one day, "that there is nothing more powerful in the world than the Sun. I feel sure the Sun would like to marry our lovely daughter".

 Mr Rat was rather taken aback by this idea, but seeing that his wife's mind was made up, he agreed. So they all set off to call on the Sun.

 Now the Sun was not at all interested in the idea of marrying a rat - even a very beautiful rat - but he listened politely to what the parents had to say, and thought for a few moments before replying.

 "You flatter me when you say I am the most powerful thing in the world, for I am not as powerful as that Cloud you can see over there. He can stand in front of me, and shut off my light and heat whenever he wants. I think your daughter would do better to marry the Cloud".

 Mr and Mrs Rat were delighted with his suggestion, for they could see at once that what the Sun had said was true. Certainly the Cloud was more powerful than the Sun, for at any time he could cover the Sun whether the Sun wanted it or not. "We should go to the Cloud with our daughter", they agreed, "and offer him the chance to marry a bride of the greatest beauty".

 The Cloud was rather surprised when Mr and Mrs Rat called on him to offer him their daughter's hand in marriage. He agreed with them that she was indeed a most beautiful rat, but he did not like the idea of marrying at all. He considered carefully before replying.

 "My friend the Sun is kind to describe me as the most powerful thing in the world but I'm afraid he's mistaken. The Wind is for more powerful than I am. The Wind can blow me across the sky at a moment's notice. I think you should call on the Wind and suggest he marries your daughter".

 Mr and Mrs Rat saw at once that what the Cloud said was true so they took their daughter to visit the Wind.

 The Wind stopped blowing for a few minutes to talk to the Rat family, but he did not like the idea of marrying at all. He was for too busy to stay still in one place for long, even for a few minutes.

 So the Wind said to Mr and Mrs Rat:

 "The Cloud was right to say I am more powerful than he, but have you considered that the Wall over there is more powerful than me? However hard I blow, I can never blow him down. I think you should take your beautiful daughter to him. He is the most powerful of all".

 The Wind rushed off, leaving Mr and Mrs Rat nodding at his wisdom. "Come along child", they said to their daughter. "We will go and see the Wall. He will surely be glad to have such a beautiful bride".

 When they arrived at the Wall, Mr and Mrs Rat bowed low before him, for they could see he was extremely strong and powerful. They explained that they had come to offer him their beautiful daughter as a wife and the Wall replied that he would think over the idea very carefully. But while he was thinking, there was a sudden and unexpected interruption.

 "I don't want to marry a Wall", shouted Miss Rat, twitching her whiskers and stamping her foot. "I would have married the Sun, or the Cloud, or the Wind, but I don't want to have a Wall for my husband", and she burst into tears.

 Mr and Mrs Rat were horrified at their daughter's rudeness, but the Wall said with great tact, "Your daughter is right. She should not marry me. There is only one animal who can reduce me, a Wall, into dust. That animal is the rat, who can gnaw through me with his sharp teeth. I would advise you to marry your daughter to the finest rat you can find. She will never have a more powerful husband".

 And so it ended happily. Mr Rat was glad because he had always thought there was no finer creature on earth than the rat. Mrs Rat was pleased now that she knew how powerful a rat husband would be. As for the Rats' Daughter, she thought she would be very happy indeed married to a handsome young rat.

 Pegas The Winged Horse.

 Long, long ago, there lived the fiercest monster imaginable, called the Chimera. He had three heads, each of them different, and could breathe fire from all three mouths at once. One head was shaped like a goat, one like a lion, and the third was in the form of a serpent. All might have been well if the monster had lived quietly in the mountains, but he was forever coming down into the cities and villages, eating people, destroying buildings and burning up crops on the farms. No one could get near enough to kill him and it looked as though the whole of the country would be destroyed by the Chimera.

 The king of this land offered a great reward to anyone who would rid him of the Chimera. There was a young man called Bellerophon, who wanted to prove his bravery, and so he came forward. He had an idea that if he could attack the monster from the air he might have a chance of winning.

 One night, in a dream, Athene, the Goddess of Wisdom, came to Bellerophon and told him about Pegasus, the winged horse of the gods, of the fountain where the horse liked to drink, and where he might find a golden bridle which would help him tame the horse. After a long journey Bellerophon reached the fountain and found the bridle of gold. He hid until Pegasus came to drink, then crept up and slipped the bridle over the horse's neck.

 Pegasus, who had never been touched by a man before, jumped away, and as he did so Bellerophon leapt onto his back. A great snuggle then took place between them for Pegasus tried every trick he knew to throw Bellerophon. He soared up into the sky; he twisted, bucked, reared, spun round. Somehow Bellerophon hung on, and at last he was able to get the bit into Pegasus's mouth. Soon after this Pegasus gave in and came to rest on the ground, his sides heaving with exhaustion.

 Bellerophon explained to the beautiful white winged horse why he had captured him, and how he needed his help to save the kingdom from the fire-eating monster. As he spoke, he saw that there were tears in the horses eyes, and said, "I cannot do this to you. It is no quarrel of yours. You shall go free and I must find some other way to win this victory". He took off the bridle and watched Pegasus soar into the sky.

 In a few minutes, just as he was about to start his journey home, he felt a gentle nuzzle by his arm. To Bellerophon's delight the horse had returned of his own free will.

 For many days they trained together so that they would have the best possible chance against the Chimera. At last, the day came. Bellerophon took out his finest armour, sharpened his sword and flew off on Pegasus's back to seek the monster.

 The Chimera was outside his cave, preparing to raid another village. Before he knew what was happening, and without hearing more than a faint whirr in the air above him, he felt an agonizing blow. Bellerophon had chopped off one of his heads. It was the goat's head, and it lay in the dust while the monster roared with pain and lashed his tail with rage. Smoke and flames shot out in every direction as he tried to find his attacker.

 Hidden by the smoke, Pegasus and Bellerophon were able to swoop down on him again and in a flash the sword swept through another neck. This time the lion's head rolled in the dust. The monster was wild and savage with pain and anger. He hurled himself at his attackers, and clung to Pegasus with his huge scaly claws as the horse rose into the air. Bellerophon thought they would surely die; the heat from the flames was terrible, and the serpents head was only inches from his own. But the horse never wavered, soaring higher and higher into the air.

 As the serpent's head stretched out to strike, Bellerophon saw a weak spot under its neck and drove his sword in with all his strength. The Chimera gave a ghastly scream. His hold on Pegasus loosened and he tumbled backwards in a shower of sparks. He crashed to the ground burning as he went.

 Bellerophon became a great hero, and so did the winged horse. They had other adventures together, but when Bellerophon tried to fly to heaven with Pegasus he was thrown. Some people said that Zeus, the king of the gods, was jealous, and sent an insect to tickle Pegasus and make him throw his rider. Pegasus went on flying up to heaven where he was changed into a group of stars, which you may see shining in the sky on a clear night.

 More Tales Of Brer Rabbit.

 One hot summer's day Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and the other animals were clearing some ground so that it could be planted for the next year. The sun got hot and Brer Rabbit got tired. By and by he hollered out that he had a thorn in his hand and he slipped off to find a cool place to rest. He came across a well with two buckets hanging over it.

 "That looks cool!", says Brer Rabbit to himself. "I'll just get in there and take a nap". And with that, in he jumped.

 He was no sooner in the bucket than it began to drop down the well. There has never been a more scared creature than Brer Rabbit at that moment. Suddenly he felt the bucket hit the water. And Brer Rabbit, he kept as still as he could and just lay there and shook and shivered.

 Now Brer Fox always had one eye on Brer Rabbit, and when he slipped off Brer Fox sneaked after him. He knew Brer Rabbit was up to something. Brer Fox saw Brer Rabbit go to the well, jump in the bucket and disappear out of sight.

 Brer Fox was the most astonished fox that you ever laid eyes on. He sat there in the bushes and thought and thought and thought but could not make head or tail of; What was going on.

 Then he said to himself, "Right down in that well is where Brer Rabbit keeps his money hidden. If that's not it, then he's discovered a gold mine. I'm going to find out".

 Brer Fox crept a little nearer, but he heard nothing. So he crept a little nearer again and still heard nothing. Then he got right up close and peered down into the well.

 All this time Brer Rabbit was lying in the bucket scared out of his skin. If he moved the bucket might tip over and spill him out into the water. As he was saying his prayers, old Brer Fox hollered out,

 "Heyo, Brer Rabbit, who are you visiting down there?"

 "Who? Me? Oh, I'm just fishing, Brer Fox", says Brer Rabbit. "I just said to myself I'd sort of surprise you with a lot of fishes for dinner, so here I am, and here are all the fishes. I'm fishing for suckers, Brer Fox", says Brer Rabbit.

 "Are there many down there, Brer Rabbit?" says Brer Fox.

 "Lots of them, Brer Fox. Scores and scores of them. The water is alive with them. Come down and help me haul them in".

 "How am I going to get down, Brer Rabbit?"

 "Jump into the bucket, Brer Fox. It will bring you down safe and sound".

 Brer Rabbit sounded so happy, that Brer Fox jumped into the other bucket and it began to fall. As he went down into the well, his weight pulled Brer Rabbit's bucket up. When they passed one another, half-way up and half-way down, Brer Rabbit called out,

 "Goodbye, Brer Fox, take care of your clothes,

 For this is the way the world goes,

 Some goes up and some goes down,

 You'll get to the bottom safe and sound".

 Brer Rabbit's bucket reached the top of the well and he jumped out. He galloped off to the people who owned the well and told them that Brer Fox was down in the well muddying their drinking water. Then he galloped back to the well and hollered down to Brer Fox,

 "Here comes a man with a great big gun,

 When he hauls you up, you jump and run".

 Well, in about half an hour both of them were back on the ground that was being cleared, working as though they'd never heard of any well, except every now and then Brer Rabbit burst out laughing. And Brer Fox, he looked mighty sore.

 Now this is how Brer Fox got his revenge. One day he got some tar, mixed it with some turpentine and fixed up a contraption which he called a Tar-Baby. He took this Tar-Baby and he sat her in the middle of the road and then he lay in the bushes to see what was going to happen.

 Brer Fox did not have to wait long because by and by along came Brer Rabbit all dressed up as fine as a jay-bird. Lippity-clippity clippity-lippity, Brer Rabbit pranced along until he spied the Tar-Baby. He stopped in Astonishment.

 "Morning!" says Brer Rabbit. "Nice weather this morning!" he says. But the Tar-Baby said nothing and Brer Fox, he lay low.

 "Are you deaf?" says Brer Rabbit, "for if you are, I can holler louder". And he hollers, "can you hear me now?"

 The Tar-Baby stayed still and Brer Fox, he lay low.

 "You're stuck up, that's what you are", shouts Brer Rabbit.

 "I'm going to teach you how to talk to respectable folks. If you don't take that hat off, I'll hit you".

 But of course the Tar-Baby stayed still and Brer Fox, he lay low. Brer Rabbit drew back his fist and blip, he hit the side of the Tar-Baby's head. His fist stuck and he couldn't pull loose.

 "If you don't let me - loose I'll hit you again", says Brer Rabbit, and he swiped at the Tar-Baby with his other hand and that stuck too.

 "Let me loose before I kick the stuffing out of you", hollers Brer Rabbit.

 But the Tar-Baby said nothing. She just held on and Brer Rabbit soon found his feet stuck in the same way. Then he butted the Tar-Baby with his head and that stuck too.

 Now Brer Fox sauntered out of the bushes, looking as innocent as a mocking-bird.

 "Howdy, Brer Rabbit", he says, "you look sort of stuck up this morning", and he rolled on the ground with laughter.

 As Brer Rabbit struggled on the ground with the Tar-Baby, Brer Fox crowed triumphantly,

 "Had! I've got you this time and it's your own fault. No one asked you to strike up and acquaintance with the Tar-Baby. You just stuck yourself on to it, and now I'm going to make a fire and barbecue you".

 Then Brer Rabbit began to talk in a very humble voice.

 "I don't care what you do to me", he says, "as long as you don't throw me in that briar patch".

 "It's so much trouble to kindle a fire, I think I'll hang you or drown you instead," says Brer Fox.

 "Hang me as high as you please, drown me as deep as you please, Brer Fox, but don't fling me in that briar patch".

 Now Brer Fox wanted to hurt Brer Rabbit as much as possible, so he picked him up by the hind legs and slung him right into the middle of the briar patch. With that, Brer Fox turned his back on Brer Rabbit and sauntered off down the road, looking mighty pleased with himself.

 Suddenly he heard someone calling him. Way up the hill was Brer Rabbit sitting cross-legged on a log, combing tar out of his fur. Then Brer Fox knew he'd been tricked, and just to rub it in Brer Rabbit called out,

 "Bred and born in a briar patch, Brer Fox, bred and born in a briar patch".

 With that, he skipped off as lively as a cricket and lived to trick Brer Fox another day.

 The Tinder Box.

 A soldier was marching along the road on his way home from the wars one day when an old woman came out from behind a tree and stopped him. She was as ugly as a witch but she seemed friendly enough as she admired the soldier's sword.

 "How would you like to take home with you as much money as you can carry, soldier?" she asked.

 "I'd like it a lot", he said, "only where can I find the money, old woman?"

 "Listen and I'll tell you", the witch woman replied. "If you climb into this tree, you will find it is hollow. Go down inside it and you will find yourself in a deep shaft. At the bottom there is a passage and you will see three doors".

 "The first door leads to a room guarded by a fierce dog with eyes as big as tea cups. In it you will find as much bronze money as you could want. Take this apron of mine and spread it out on the floor. If the dog sits on it he will do you no harm. But if you prefer it, go on to the second door".

 "What shall I find there?" interrupted the soldier.

 "Ah!" said the old woman. "There you will find as much silver as you can carry, and more. But this room is guarded by a dog whose eyes are as big as mill wheels. He too is fierce, but will not hurt you once he has sat on my apron."

 "In the last room you will find gold coins, masses and masses of gold coins, but take care here, for the dog that guards the gold has eyes as big as towers. He is even fiercer, but he too will not hurt you if he sits on my apron".

 "It all sounds very good, old woman", said the soldier cheerfully, "but what are you going to get out of it? I can't believe you would give me this chance to get rich without wanting a favour of some kind yourself".

 "Quite right, soldier", she replied. "You must bring me the tinder box that lies on the table at the end of the passage. My grandmother gave it to me, but I forgot to bring it up last time I was down there. I'm too old now to climb down the shaft to fetch it. Tie this rope round your waist so that I can help pull you up when you have finished".

 The soldier tied the rope round his waist and climbed into the hollow tree. It was just as the old woman had described and the soldier clambered down a long shaft deep into the ground, and found himself in a passage. It was lit by many candles so he could see the three doors quite clearly.

 He opened the first door and gasped with pleasure. There before him were chests and chests of bronze money but standing in front of them was a fierce-looking dog with eyes as big as tea cups. The soldier whistled cheerfully and laid the apron on the floor.

 To his relief the dog sat on the apron and the soldier went over to the chests and stuffed his pockets with the bronze money. Then he picked up the apron and returned to the passage.

 The soldier went on to the second door, and when he peeped inside he saw an even fiercer dog with eyes as big as mill wheels. Behind him were caskets full of silver. The greedy soldier put the witchs apron on the ground and as soon as the dog was sitting on it, he emptied all the bronze money out of his pockets, picked up handfuls of silver coins and filled his pockets and his knapsack. He was so weihed down when he left the room he could scarcely pick up the witch's apron. He then staggered on down the passage to the third door.

 Inside, the whole room seemed to sparkle from the gold the soldier could see, but between him and the gold stood the fiercest-looking dog he had ever seen with eyes as big as towers. The soldier spread the apron on the floor very carefully and to his relief the dog sat on it. The soldier quickly threw out all the silver he had collected, and picked up gold coins as fast as he could, cramming them into his pockets, his knapsack and even his hat.

 The soldier went back to the shaft to climb up into the hollow tree. He tugged at the rope so the old woman could help him, but she called down:

 "Did you get my tinder box, soldier?"

 "Why no, I forgot!" called back the soldier. "I'll get it now". He went back along the passage and found the tinder box where she had said it would be, and he picked it up and returned to the bottom of the shaft.

 As soon as he was out of the hollow tree the soldier asked the old woman why the tinder box was so important to her but she would not tell him.

 "If you don't answer me", he shouted, "I shall cut off your head with my fine sword", but the old woman just held out her hand for the tinder box. The soldier, who was used to getting his own way, drew his sword and with one swift stroke he chopped off her head.

 The soldier went on his way cheerfully, and in the evening he came to a big town and took rooms in the best inn. The innkeeper was surprised that a mere soldier wanted such an expensive room, and the boot boy wondered at the shabby old boots put out to be cleaned, but they said nothing, for they had seen the gleam of gold in the soldier's hand.

 The next day, the soldier went out and bought himself fine clothes and new boots. For many months he stayed in the inn, and lived like a rich gentleman. He made many friends and gave wild expensive parties. Each day his supply of gold got less until the day came when he had nothing at all.

 Now the soldier had to move into a small dismal attic room. His new friends disappeared and the soldier found himself alone and cold and hungry. One dark night as he sat huddled in a chair he caught sight of an old candle stub. It was all he had left to give him a few moments of warmth and light. Remembering the old woman's tinder box, he struck it once to light the candle. To his amazement he saw the dog with eyes as big as tea cups in the room with him.

 "What do you want, master?" the dog asked. "Shall I fetch you some money?" and even as the soldier nodded the dog disappeared and returned with a bag of bronze coins in his mouth.

 The soldier struck the tinder box twice and the dog with eyes as big as mill wheels was there, saying, "What do you want, master?" and he too disappeared and came back with a bag of money, but this time it was in silver coins.

 The soldier struck the tinder box again three times, and there was the huge dog with eyes as big as towers. In a flash, he too disappeared and returned with a bag of gold coins.

 "Now I know why the old woman was so anxious to get this tinder box", said the soldier, smiling to himself.

 The next day he moved to fine lodgings and all his friends came to see him again, and the parties started once more. The soldier seemed to have everything he could want, but there was one thing he could not do, and this annoyed him very much. At the end of the town was the king's palace, and it was said the king had a most beautiful daughter. The soldier longed to see her but his friends told him it was impossible.

 "No one is allowed to see her", they said. "The king was once told that she would marry a common soldier so now he keeps her in the palace here she will never meet anyone but a prince".

 The soldier often thought about the princess and wondered how he could arrange to see her. One night he had an idea. He struck the tinder box once and when the dog with eyes as big as tea cups appeared, he did not ask for money as he usually did, but told the dog he wished to see the princess. In no time at all the dog returned carrying the sleeping princess on its back. The soldier found her extremely beautiful and made up his mind that each night one of the dogs should bring the princess to him.

 One morning the princess told her parents of a dream she often had. It is a strange dream, she said. "A huge dog with enormous eyes appears and carries me into the town and then to a room where there is a fine rich gentleman."

 The king and queen were worried and asked one of the ladies-in-waiting to watch the princess during the night. That night the lady-in-waiting kept watch and saw a great dog with eyes as big as mill wheels carry the princess away on its back. Quickly she followed them through the town to the house where the dog took the princess. Then she made a cross on the door with chalk. But the dog saw her and, after he had returned the princess to the palace, he put chalk crosses on all the doors in the town.

 The next day the king and queen, led by the lady-in-waiting, set out to find the scoundrel who sent his dog each night to fetch their daughter, but as they found each door marked with a cross they were completely confused. The queen was determined to find out what happened to their daughter each night, so she made another plan. She filled a little silk bag with fine flour, snipped a small hole in the corner and tied this to her daughter before she went to bed.

 The next morning she and the king were able in follow the trail of flour to the soldier's lodgings. Immediately the king had the soldier thrown into prison, and announced that he would be executed the next day.

 As the soldier sat in his cell waiting for death, a boy outside tripped and lost his shoe through the cell grating. "If you want it back", called the soldier, "go to my lodgings and bring me my tinder box. I'll give you four pence too". The boy went willingly to fetch the tinder box fox he was glad to earn four pence.

 A large crowd gathered to see the soldier executed. As he climbed the scaffold the soldier asked for one last wish.

 "Let me smoke my pipe one last time before I die", he said.

 "Very well, soldier", said the king. "Your wish is granted".

 The soldier took out his tinder box, lie struck it once, then twice, then three times.

 Immediately the three huge dogs appeared and their master shouted, "Save me!"

 The dogs bounded forward and the king and queen and all the guards were slain. Most of the crowd ran away, but those who stayed decided that the soldier should be their new king. They could see he was very powerful!

 The soldier gladly accepted and the first thing he did was to marry the beautiful princess. They lived together in the palace and the soldier always had everything he wanted, for the dog with eyes as big as tea cups, the dog with eyes as big as mill wheels and the dog with eyes as big as towers were always there to carry out his orders. And from that day onwards, the soldier was careful to carry the tinder box with him wherever he went.

 The Old Woman And Her Pig.

 There was once an old woman who found some money under the floorboards of her house. "How lucky I am", she said. "I can go to the market and buy myself a pig".

 So the old woman went to the market and bought herself a fine pig. Now it's easy to take a pig home from market if you have a lorry or truck, or even a cart, but the old woman had none of these and so she had to walk home with the pig.

 On the way she decided to take a short cut through the fields. But she had forgotten that there was a stile between two fields on her way and now, however hard she tried, the old woman could not make the pig climb over the stile.

 The old woman saw a dog so she said:

 "Dog! Dog! Bite the pig!

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the dog would not bite the pig.

 Then the old woman saw a stick, and she said:

 "Stick! Stick! Beat the dog!

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the stick would not beat the dog.

 The old woman went a little farther and she found a fire, and she said:

 "Fire! Fire! Burn the stick!

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the fire would not burn the stick.

 The old woman was getting very cross wondering how she was ever going to get the pig over the stile, when she saw a bucket of water. So she said:

 "Water! Water! Put out the fire!

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the water would not put out the fire.

 The old woman went a little farther and she saw a bull standing in the field. So she said:

 "Bull! Bull! Drink the water!

 The water won't put out the fire.

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the bull would not drink the water.

 The old woman went a little farther and met a butcher. So she said:

 "Butcher! Butcher! Kill the bull!

 The bull won't drink the water,

 The water won't put out the fire.

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig.

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the butcher would not kill the bull.

 The old woman went a little farther and saw a rope, and she said:

 "Rope! Rope! Hang the butcher!

 The butcher won't kill the bull,

 The bull won't drink the water.

 The water won't put out the fire,

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the rope would not hang the butcher.

 Then the old woman went a little farther and caught sight of a rat, and she said:

 "Rat! Rat! Gnaw the rope!

 The rope won't hang the butcher,

 The butcher won't kill the bull,

 The bull won't drink the water,

 The water won't put out the fire,

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb oer the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the rat would not gnaw the rope.

 The old woman wondered what on earth she was going to do when she saw a cat, and she said:

 Cat! Cat! Catch the rat!

 The rat won't gnaw the rope,

 The rope won't hang the butcher,

 The butcher won't kill the bull,

 The bull won't drink the water,

 The water won't put out the fire,

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!

 The cat said, "if you bring me a saucer of milk I will catch the rat for you".

 The old woman jumped for joy and ran over to a cow in the next field, crying, "Cow! Cow! Will you give me some milk for the cat?" and the cow said:

 "If you bring me some hay from that haystack over there I will give you some milk".

 So the old woman fetched some hay for the cow and the cow let the old woman milk her. She took the milk to the cat and the cat lapped it up.

 Then the cat began to chase the rat,

 The rat began to gnaw the rope,

 The rope began to hang the butcher,

 The butcher began to kill the bull,

 The bull began to drink the water,

 The water began to put out the fire,

 The fire beg an to burn the stick,

 The stick began to beat the dog,

 The dog began to bite the pig,

 The pig got a tremendous fright and leapt over the stile and the old lady got home that night.

 Alladin And His Wonderful Lamp.

 Far off in a beautiful city in China a ragged urchin called Aladdin used to play in the street. His father, a poor tailor, tried to make him work, but Aladdin was lazy and disobedient, and refused even to help in his father's shop. Even after his father died Aladdin still preferred to roam in the streets with his friends, and did not feel ashamed to eat the food his mother bought with the money she earned by spinning cotton.

 One day a wealthy stranger came to the city. He noticed Aladdin in the street and thought, "That lad looks as though he has no purpose in life. It will not matter if I use him, then kill him."

 The stranger quickly found out that Aladdin's father, Mustapha, was now dead. He called Aladdin over to him.

 "Greetings, nephew", he said, "I am your father's brother. I have returned to China only to find my dear brother, Mustapha, is dead. Take this money and tell your mother I shall visit her".

 Aladdin's mother was puzzled when Aladdin told her the stranger's message. "You have no uncle", she said. "I don't understand why this man should give us money".

 The next day the stranger came to their house and talked about how he had loved his brother and offered to buy a fine shop where Aladdin could sell beautiful things to the rich people in the city. He gave Aladdin some new clothes and in a short while. Aladdin's mother began to believe this man was a relation.

 The stranger now invited Aladdin to go with him to the rich part of the city. Together they walked through beautiful gardens and parks where Aladdin had never been before, until he found himself far from home. At last the stranger showed Aladdin a flat stone with an iron ring set into it.

 "Lift this stone for me, nephew", he said, "and go into the cavern below. Walk through three caves where you will see gold and silver stored. Do not touch it. You will then pass through a garden full of wonderful fruit and beyond the trees you will find a lamp. Pour out the oil and bring the lamp to me. Pick some of the fruit on your return if you wish".

 Aladdin lifted the stone and saw some steps leading down into a cave. He was frightened to go down but the stranger placed a gold ring with a great green emerald on his finger.

 "Take this ring as a gift", he said, "but you must go or I shall not buy you a shop".

 Now the stranger was in fact a magician. He had read about a lamp with magical powers and he had travelled far to find it. He knew the magic would not work for him unless the lamp was fetched from the cavern and handed to him by someone else. After Aladdin had brought him the lamp the magician planned to shut him in the cave to die.

 Down in the cavern Aladdin found all as he had been told. He hurried through the rooms filled with silver and gold, and passed through the garden where the trees were hung with shimmering fruit of all colours. At the far end stood an old lamp. Aladdin took it, poured out the oil, and then picked some of the dazzling fruit from the trees as the magician had suggested. To his surprise they were all made from stones. Aladdin took as many as he could carry and returned to the steps.

 "Give me the lamp", demanded the magician as soon as Aladdin came into sight.

 "Help me out first", replied Aladdin who could not hand him the lamp because his arms were so full. They argued fiercely until crash, the stone slab fell back into place. The magician could not move the stone from the outside, nor Aladdin from within. He was trapped. The magician knew he had failed in his quest and decided to leave the country at once.

 For two days Aladdin tried to get out of the cave. He became weak with hunger and thirst and finally as he sat in despair he rubbed his hands together. By chance he rubbed the gold ring that the stranger had given him. There was a blinding flash and a genie appeared. "I am the genie of the ring. What can I do for you, master?" it said.

 "Get me out of here", Aladdin gasped. He was terrified of the great burning spirit of the genie glowing in the cavern. Before he knew what had happened he was standing on the ground above the entrance to the cavern. Of the stone slab there was no sign. Aladdin set off for home and collapsed with hunger as he entered the house.

 His mother was overjoyed to see him. She gave him all the scraps of food she had and when she said she had no more Aladdin suggested selling the lamp to buy some food.

 "I'll get a better price for it, if it's clean", she thought, and she rubbed the lamp with a cloth. In a flash the genie appeared. Aladdin's mother fainted in horror but Aladdin seized the lamp. When the genie saw him with the lamp it said:

 "I am the genie of the lamp. What can I do for you, master?"

 "Get me some food", ordered Aladdin.

 By the time his mother had recovered there were twelve silver dishes of food and twelve silver cups on the table. Aladdin and his mother ate as they had never eaten before. They had enough for several days, and then Aladdin began to sell the silver dishes and cups. He and his mother lived comfortably in this way for some time.

 Then it happened that Aladdin saw the sultan's daughter, Princess Badroulboudoir. Aladdin loved her at first sight and sent his mother to the sultan's court to ask the sultan's permission for the princess to marry him. He told her to take as a gift the stone fruits he had brought from the cave.

 It was several days before Aladdin's mother could speak with the sultan, but at last she was able to give him the stone fruits. The sultan was truly amazed.

 "Your son has such fine jewels he would make a good husband for my daughter, I am sure", he told Aladdin's mother.

 But the sultan's chief courtier was jealous. He wanted his son to marry the princess. Quickly, he advised the sultan to say he would decide on the marriage in three months time. Aladdin was happy when he heard the news. He felt sure he would marry the princess in three months time.

 But at the palace, the chief courtier spoke against Aladdin and when Aladdin's mother returned in three months, the sultan asked her:

 "Can your son send me forty golden bowls full of jewels like the ones he sent before only this time carried by forty servants?"

 Aladdin rubbed the lamp once more and before long forty servants each carrying a gold bowl filled with sparkling jewel were assembled in the courtyard of their little house.

 When the sultan saw them, he said:

 "I am sure now that the owner of these riches will make a fine husband for my daughter".

 But the chief courtier suggested yet another test. "Ask the woman", he said, "if her son has a palace fit for your daughter to live in".

 "I'll give him the land and he can build a new palace", declared the sultan, and he presented Aladdin with land in front of his own palace.

 Aladdin summoned the genie of the lamp once more. Overnight the most amazing palace appeared with walls of gold and silver, huge windows, beautiful halls and courtyards and rooms filled with treasures. A carpet of red velvet was laid from the old palace to the new, for the princess to walk on to her new home. Aladdin then asked the genie for some fine clothes for himself and his mother, and a glorious wedding took place with a splendid banquet eaten off golden dishes.

 Aladdin took care always to keep the wonderful lamp safe. One day the princess gave it to an old beggar who was the magician in disguise, but that story, and the story of how Aladdin got it back again, will have to keep for another time.

Goldilocks And The Three Bears.

 Once upon a time there were three bears who lived in a house in the forest. There was a great big father bear, a middle-sized mother bear and a tiny little baby bear.

 One morning, their breakfast porridge was too hot to eat, so they went for a walk in the forest. While they were out, a little girl called Goldilocks came through the trees and found their house. She knocked on the door and, as there was no answer, she pushed it open and went in.

 In front of her was a table with three chairs, one great big chair, one middle-sized chair and one tiny little chair. On the table were three bowls of porridge, one great big bowl, one middle-sized bowl and one tiny little bowl - and three spoons.

 Goldilocks was hungry, so she sat in the great big chair, picked up the biggest spoon and tried some of the porridge from the great big bowl. But the chair was far too big and hard, the spoon was too heavy and the porridge too hot.

 So Goldilocks went over to the middle-sized chair. But this chair was far too soft, and when she tried the porridge from the middle-sized bowl it was too cold. So she went over to the tiny little chair and picked up the smallest spoon and tried some of the porridge from the tiny little bowl.

 This time it was neither too hot nor too cold. It was just right and so delicious that Goldilocks ate it all up. But she was too heavy for the tiny little chair and it broke in pieces.

 Then Goldilocks went upstairs where she found three beds. There was a great big bed, a middle-sized bed and a tiny little bed. First she lay down on the great big bed, but it was very big and far too hard. Next she lay down on the middle-sized bed, but that was far too soft. Then she lay down on the tiny little bed. It was neither too hard nor too soft. In fact, it felt just right, and Goldilocks fell fast asleep.

 In a little while, the three bears came back from their walk in the forest.

 Father Bear looked around, then roared in a great big growly voice,

 "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!"

 Mother Bear said in a quiet gentle voice,

 "Somebody has been sitting in my chair!"

 And Little Bear said in a small squeaky baby voice, "Somebody has been sitting in my chair, and has broken it!"

 Then Father Bear looked at his bowl of porridge and said in his great big growly voice.

 "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN EATING MY PORRIDGE!"

 Mother Bear looked at her bowl and said in her quiet gentle voice, "Somebody has been eating my porridge!"

 And Little Bear looked at his bowl and said in his small squeaky baby voice,

 "Somebody has been eating my porridge, and has eaten ii all."

 Then the three hears went upstairs. Father Bear saw at once that his bed was untidy, and he said in his great big growly voice,

 "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED!"

 Mother Bear saw that her bed, too, had the bedclothes turned hack, and she said in her quiet gentle voice.

 "Somebody has been sleeping in my bed!"

 And Little Bear looked at his bed, and he said in his small squeaky baby voice,

 "Somebody is sleeping in my bed, NOW!"

 He squeaked so loudly that Goldilocks woke up with a start. She jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs and out into the forest. And the three bears never saw her again.

 The Great Big Turnip.

 Once upon a time, in Russia, an old man planted some turnip seeds. Each year he grew good turnips, but this year he was especially proud of one very big turnip. He left it in the ground longer than the others and watched with amazement and delight as it grew bigger and bigger. It grew so big that no one could remember ever having seen such a huge turnip before.

 At last the old man decided that the time had come to pull it up. He took hold of the leaves of the great big turnip and pulled and pulled, but the turnip did not move.

 So the old man called his wife to come and help. The old woman took hold of the old man, and the old man took hold of the turnip. Together they pulled and pulled, but still the turnip did not move.

 So the old woman called her granddaughter to come and help. The granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, and the old man took hold of the turnip. They pulled and pulled, but still the turnip did not move.

 The granddaughter called to the dog to come and help. The dog took hold of the granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, and the old man took hold of the turnip. They pulled and pulled, but still the turnip did not move.

 The dog called to the cat to come and help pull up the turnip. The cat took hold of the dog, the clog took hold of the granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, and the old man took hold of the turnip. They all pulled and pulled as hard as they could, but still the turnip did not move.

 Then the cat called to a mouse to come and help pull up the great big turnip. The mouse took hold of the cat, the cat took hold of the dog, the dog took hold of the granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold of the old woman, the old woman took hold of the old man, and he took hold of the turnip. Together they pulled and pulled and pulled as hard as they could.

 Suddenly, the great big turnip came out of the ground, and everyone fell over.

 The old woman chopped up the great big turnip and made a great big pot of delicious turnip soup. There was enough soup for every body - the mouse, the cat, the dog, the granddaughter, the old woman and the old man. There was even some left over.

 Cinderella.

 There was once a gentleman who lived in a fine house, with his kind and gentle wife and their pretty daughter. His wife died, so the gentleman married again. His new wife was not at all kind or pretty. She had been married before and had two daughters who were known, behind their backs, as the Ugly Sisters.

 Although they had no reason to be unkind, the two sisters were horrid to their new stepsister. They ordered her about, scolded her and made her do all the work in the big house. Her clothes became ragged and thin and far too small. The poor girl was always cold and tired. In the evenings she would rest on a stool close to the fire, almost in the cinders and ashes.

 "Cinderella, That's the perfect name for you", jeered the stepsisters when they saw her trying to keep warm.

 Now the king and queen of their country had a son, and they planned a big ball for the prince in the hope that he might find a bride. Invitations were sent to all the big houses. When a large invitation card to the royal ball arrived at Cinderella's house, there was a great flurry of excitement. New dresses were chosen for the Ugly Sisters and their mother, and nobody talked about anything except the ball.

 "I am sure the prince will fall in love with me", said one sister, smiling at herself in the mirror.

 "You silly fool", said the other, pushing her aside. "He won't be able to resist falling in love with me. Just think, one day I could he queen", and she pretended she was the queen already as she ordered Cinderella to get another pair of shoes for her to try on. No one thought of asking Cinderella if she would like to go to the ball. They scarcely even noticed her as they rushed around trying on different wigs, fans and gloves to go with their new ball dresses.

 At last the day of the ball came, and Cinderella worked harder than ever, helping the Ugly Sisters and her stepmother to get ready. They quarrelled with each other all day, and by the time the carriage drove away to the king's palace, with all the family in it, Cinderella was glad to have some peace. But as she sat on her stool by the fire she could not help a tear falling onto the ashes, for she wished that she could have gone with them.

 Suddenly she realized that she was not alone. A beautiful lady stood before her with a silver wand in her hand.

 "Cinderella", she said. "I am your fairy godmother. Tell me, what are those tears for?"

 Cinderella looked away.

 "I wish, oh how I wish, I could have gone to the ball too".

 "So you shall", said her fairy, "godmother, but first we have some work to do. For if you are to go to the ball, I cannot send you as you are. Fetch me the largest pumpkin you can find in the garden".

 Cinderella fetched the largest pumpkin she could see and with just a wave of her wand, her fairy godmother turned it into a gleaming golden coach.

 "Now we need a few horses", said her godmother. "Look in the mouse trap and see if there is anything we can use".

 Cinderella ran to the larder and found six mice running around in a cage. She watched her godmother wave her wand and suddenly, harnessed to the coach, there were six shining dappled horses, stamping their feet.

 Those horses need a coachman, decided her godmother. Look in the rat trap, Cinderella. There were three rats in the trap and as the godmother touched the largest rat with her wand, it disappeared. But now up at the front of the coach sat a fine plump whiskery coachman in a smart uniform.

 "Go and look behind the water barrel, Cinderella", said her godmother. "and see if you can find something we can use for footmen".

 Cinderella ran to the water barrel and brought two lizards to her godmother. At the wave of her wand they were transformed into splendid footmen.

 "There now, Cinderella, your coach is ready", said her godmother with a smile. "You will be able to go to the ball after all".

 "How can I go like this?" sighed Cinderella, looking down in despair at her ragged clothes and bare feet. Her godmother touched her with her wand - her rags turned into a shimmering gown and on her feet she was wearing the prettiest pair of glass shoes she had ever seen.

 As Cinderella stepped into the coach her godmother gave her a strict warning. "The magic will only last until midnight, and then everything will return to what it was before. Be sure you leave the ball before midnight, Cinderella".

 When Cinderella's coach arrived at the palace the word went round that a beautiful lady had arrived in such a splendid coach that she must be a princess. The prince himself came down the steps to greet her and led her to the ballroom. As they entered, the other guests fell silent in wonder and the musicians stopped playing. The prince signaled to the musicians to play again and danced with Cinderella.

 The prince stayed at Cinderella's side all evening. No one knew who she was. Not even the Ugly Sisters recognized her. Cinderella was so happy that she did not notice how quickly the time was flying by.

 Suddenly she heard the clock strike the first stroke of midnight. With a cry she left the prince and ran out of the ballroom. As she flew down the steps, one of her shoes fell off, but she could not stop to pick it up.

 Although the prince tried to follow Cinderella through the crowd, he soon lost sight of her. He questioned everyone carefully but no one had seen the beautiful lady leave. The guards said that the only person who had gone out was a young raggedly-dressed girl. No one noticed the pumpkin in the corner of the courtyard or some mice, a rat and a pair of lizards that slunk into the shadows. But the prince did find the glass shoe on the steps, and lie recognized it as one of the elegant shoes the mysterious and lovely lady had worn.

 The next day the Ugly Sisters could talk of nothing but the beautiful lady who had captured the prince's heart and how she had disappeared so suddenly and how no one knew her name.

 The palace issued a proclamation that the prince was looking for the lady who had worn the glass shoe. His servants would tour the country with it until they found the lady whose foot it fitted and the prince would marry that lady. The prince traveled around with his servants but time and again he was disappointed as the shoe failed to fit any lady's foot.

 At last they came to Cinderella's house. The Ugly Sisters were waiting.

 "Let me try first", cried one, holding out her foot, and pushing as hard as she could to squeeze it into the shoe. But it was no good. She gave up and laughed at her sister's efforts as she, too, tried to force her foot into the tiny glass shoe. When she had failed, Cinderella stepped forward.

 "You!" sneered the Ugly Sisters. "But you were not even at the ball".

 Cinderella slipped her foot into the glass shoe - it fitted perfectly. Then she drew from behind her back a second shoe which she put on her other foot. At the same moment the fairy godmother appeared and touched Cinderella with her wand. Instantly her ragged clothes changed back into the beautiful shimmering dress, and Cinderella once again became the lovely stranger.

 The delighted prince asked Cinderella to marry him and Cinderella replied that there was nothing she would like more. The Ugly Sisters begged Cinderella to forgive them for their unkindness and she happily agreed. There was a fine royal wedding for Cinderella and the prince, and they lived happily ever after.

 Cinderella found two husbands for the Ugly Sisters at court, and they too lived happily ever after - well, almost.

 The Ugly Duckling.

 One summer's day, when the corn was golden yellow and the hay was being dried in the fields, a mother duck was sitting on her nest of eggs. She sat in the rushes of a deep moat that surrounded a lovely country manor and waited for her eggs to hatch. They were taking a very long time and she was getting very tired.

 At last she felt a movement beneath her. The eggs began to crack and out popped tiny fluffy ducklings. All the eggs hatched except for one, which was larger than the rest. The mother duck was impatient to take her new ducklings swimming but could not leave the last egg unhatched. She sat, and she sat, and she sat, and just as she was about to give up, she heard a tap. Out of the egg tumbled the oddest ugliest duckling imaginable.

 She took the babies into the water and proudly watched as they all swam straightaway, even the ugly duckling. She led them in a procession around the moat, showing them off to the other ducks. As they bobbed along behind her she heard many quacks of admiration and praise for her fine family. But she also heard quacks of laughter and scorn poured on the ugly duckling at the end of the line.

 "He was too long in the egg", she explained. "He has not come out quite the right shape. But he will soon grow into a fine duck, just like the others".

 As the weeks went by, and the corn was harvested in the fields, the ducklings grew up into ducks. But the ugly duckling with his grey feathers and clumsy shape remained different. All the ducks on the moat made fun of him and refused to let him join in their games on the water.

 The ugly duckling could bear it no more. As the autumn leaves began to fall he flew away to a great marsh. There he stayed alone, hiding from the ducks among the reeds.

 One day he heard a strange cry and the sound of wings in the air. Looking up he saw three dazzling white birds flying majestically overhead. The ugly duckling felt a strange longing. He did not know the name of those birds but he felt he loved them more than he had loved anything before. He watched as they passed over his head and flew beyond until they were out of sight.

 Autumn turned to winter, and the ugly duckling suffered many hardships. The marshy water froze and for a while he was trapped fast in the ice. A kind man broke the ice and took him to his home, but the ugly duckling was frightened by the noise and confusion inside the house. He flapped his wings, upset a bucket of milk and fled as people shouted at him.

 At last spring came, and with it warm sunshine. The ugly duckling flapped his wings. To his surprise they felt bigger and stronger, and he found he was flying easily away from the marsh towards a large and beautiful lake.

 On the lake were the three wonderful birds the ugly duckling had seen flying overhead several months before. As the swans glided smoothly over the lake, he felt drawn to them, but he was sure they would tease him like the ducks because he was so ugly. He hung his head in shame.

 All at once he saw a reflection in the smooth lake waters. A beautiful swan with glossy white feathers and a fine yellow beak stared up at him. He moved; the swan moved. He opened his wings; so did the swan. The ugly duckling suddenly realized - he was a swan.

 The other swans swam gracefully towards him, welcoming him. Some children ran down to the lake, calling, "Look, a new swan has appeared", and they threw bread into the water for him.

 The young and beautiful swan felt quite shy with all this attention, and hid his head under his wing. But, as the lilac trees bent their branches down over the water and the sun shone warm and bright, he felt a deep happiness. He rustled his feathers, arched his sleek long neck and said to himself, "I never dreamed of such great happiness when I was the Ugly Duckling".

 The Elves And The Shoemaker.

 Once upon a time there was a shoemaker who made very good shoes. But though he worked hard in his shop, times were difficult and he became poorer and poorer. One evening he realized he had only enough leather to make one more pair of shoes. He cut up the leather and laid the pieces out on his workbench to sew in the morning when the light was better.

 "I may never make another pair of shoes", he sighed as he put up the shutters over his shop window.

 The next morning when he went back to his workbench he found a beautiful pair of shoes. He examined them carefully and discovered they were made from the leather he had cut out the night before. The stitches were exquisite, very tiny and neat, and he knew the shoes were far better than any he could have made. Quickly he took down his shutters and placed the shoes in his shop window.

 Soon the door opened and in came a grand gentleman. He bought the shoes and paid four times more than the price of an ordinary pair. With this money the shoemaker bought more leather and enough food for several days.

 That evening he sat at his workbench and cut out two pairs of shoes from his new leather. He left the pieces laid out as before, all ready to sew in the morning, and put up the shutters.

 In the morning he could scarcely believe his eyes, for there on his workbench were two beautiful pairs of shoes.

 "Who could sew such tiny stitches?" he wondered, "and who could work so fast?"

 He placed the shoes in the shop window. Rich people who had never visited his shop before came in to buy them and paid a lot of money for them.

 Each night for many weeks the same thing happened. Two pairs, sometimes four pairs, were made in a night.

 The shoemaker cut out all sorts of shoes: men's shoes, ladies' shoes, little children's shoes, dancing shoes, party shoes, shoes with laces, shoes with straps and buckles. He became well known for the excellent shoes he sold, and each week he took even more money in his shop.

 One evening, just before Christmas, his wife suggested they should peep around the door of the workroom to see if they could find out who was making the shoes. As the town clock struck midnight, there was a scuffling and a scurrying by the window, and two tiny little men squeezed through a crack in the shutters and hurried over to the workbench. They took tiny tools from their workbags and began to work. They stitched and hammered, stitched and hammered, until a row of new shoes lay, on the workbench. Then, their work finished, the elves left everything neat and tidy and vanished.

 As it was just before Christmas, the shoemaker's wife suggested that they should give presents to the two little men who had helped them so much during the year. The next day she made two little green jackets and trousers and green hats to match, and her husband stitched two tiny pairs of boots.

 The shoemaker and his wife laid these gifts out on the workbench that evening, together with two little glasses of wine and plates with little cakes and biscuits. They then kept watch again. At the stroke of midnight, they saw the elves scramble into the workshop and climb onto the workbench as they had done before. When they saw the little green jackets, trousers and hats and tiny boots the elves gave a shout of joy. They tried on their new clothes straightaway and they were so delighted they danced around the workbench, waving their hats in the air. Then they sat down and ate all the food that had been left out, and disappeared as before.

 After Christmas the shoemaker still cut out the shoes and left the pieces on his workbench but the elves never returned. They knew the shoemaker and his wife must have seen them, for their clothes were exactly the right size, and fairy people do not like to be seen. But the shoemaker was now so well known that he had plenty of customers. Although his stitches were not as tiny and neat as the elves stitches no one ever noticed. For many years he was known as the best shoemaker in town and he and his wife were never poor again.

 Nail Soup.

 One dark and stormy night, a tramp knocked on the door of a cottage and asked for shelter. An old woman answered the door and told the tramp sourly that he could come in if he wanted, but he must not expect any food for she had none in the house.

 "And don't think you'll get a bed to sleep on either", she added, "as I only have one and that is where I sleep".

 The tramp was hungry, but he could see he wasn't going to get any food, so he sat by the fire and took an old nail out of his pocket and tossed it from hand to hand.

 "Do you see this nail here?" he said at last. "You'd never believe it, but last night I made the finest soup I have ever eaten by cooking this nail, and what is more I still have it to make more tonight. Would you like me to make you some nail soup?"

 "Nail soup!" snorted the old woman. "I have never heard of such a thing. Don't talk nonsense". But the tramp could see she was curious.

 "All I did", he told her, "was to boil it up in an old saucepan, and it was delicious".

 "Well, since we have nothing else to do, and I have no food in the house, perhaps you would be good enough to show me how you do it", she said after a few moments.

 "You haven't a large pot and some water, have you?" asked the tramp.

 "Why yes", said the old woman, handing a big cooking pot to the tramp and showing him where the water was. She watched as the tramp carefully filled the pot half full with water, placed it on the stove, and dropped in the nail. Then he sat down to wait.

 From time to time, the old woman peeped into the pot to see how the soup was doing, and once when she lifted the lid the tramp said, "Last night all that was needed was a little salt and pepper. I don't suppose you have any in the house?"

 "I might have", said the old woman ungraciously, and from a cupboard she took salt and pepper which she dropped into the water with the nail.

 The next time she lifted the lid, the tramp sighed, "What a pity you haven't got half an onion for that would make the soup even better than it was last night".

 "I think I might have an onion", said the old woman, quite excited by now at the thought of the nail soup, and she went to the larder to fetch an onion. As she opened the door, the tramp caught a glimpse of shelves stacked with food, but he said nothing until the onion had been in the pot for about ten minutes.

 Then, stirring the soup again, he murmured to himself, "How sad that this fine onion has no carrots and potatoes to go with it". Just as he had hoped, the old woman quickly fetched some carrots and potatoes from the larder.

 By now, the soup was beginning to smell good, and it was not long before the tramp said that on nights when he could add a little meat to his nail soup, it was fit even for kings and queens. In a flash, the old woman had fetched some meat for the pot.

 While the soup was bubbling, the tramp looked round at the table. "It's a funny thing", he remarked, "but my nail soup always tastes better when I eat it at a table that is laid with pretty china and when there is a candle or two on the table".

 The old woman, not to be outdone, put out her best table cloth and got the best china off the dresser.

 What a shame, said the tramp, "that we have no bread to eat with this nail soup, but I remember you telling me there is no food in the house".

 "I'll just look in the bread crock", said the old woman, and she pulled out a loaf that had been baked that morning.

 The soup now smelled quite delicious, and the tramp was longing to eat it, but he waited a few more minutes before saying, "I am sorry there is no wine to drink with our nail soup, as I would have liked you to enjoy it with a glass of wine".

 "Just a minute", said the old woman, and she fetched a fine looking bottle of wine from the back of a cupboard and put it on the table with two glasses.

 "Now the soup is ready. I hope you enjoy it", said the tramp heartily, and he fished the nail out with a spoon and put it in his pocket before carrying the soup over to the table.

 They both had a wonderful meal. After the soup, which the old woman agreed was the best she'd ever tasted, she found some cheese and other good things in the larder. They told each other many stories, laughed a lot and had a very pleasant evening.

 As the candles burnt low, the old woman told the tramp to go and sleep in her bed, saying that she would be quite comfortable in a chair by the fire. They both slept soundly.

 The next morning, the tramp thanked the old woman for her kindness, but she said.

 "No, no, I must thank you for showing me how to make soup from an old nail".

 "It's what you add that makes the difference!" said the tramp, smiling.

 The Gingerbread Man.

 An old woman was baking one day, and she made some gingerbread. She had some dough left over, so she made the shape of a little man. She made eyes for him, a nose and a smiling mouth all of currants, and put currants down his front to look like buttons. Then she laid him on a baking tray and put him in the oven.

 After a little while, she heard something rattling at the oven door. She opened it and to her surprise out jumped the little gingerbread man. She tried to catch him, but he slipped past her, calling as he ran, "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"

 She chased after him into the garden where her husband was digging. He put down his spade and tried to catch him too, but the gingerbread man ran past him, calling "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"

 He ran down the road with the old woman and the old man following. Soon he passed a cow. The cow called out, "Stop, gingerbread man! You look good enough to eat!" But the gingerbread man laughed and shouted over his shoulder, "I've run from an old woman. And an old man. Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

 He ran on with the old woman and the old man and the cow following, and soon they all passed a horse. "Stop!" called the horse. "I'd like to eat you". But the gingerbread man called out. "I've run from an old woman. And an old man. And a cow! Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

 He ran on, with the old woman and the old man and the cow and the horse following, and soon they passed some people making hay. "Stop!" they shouted. "You look good enough to eat". But the gingerbread man called out,

 "I've run from an old woman. And from an old man. And a cow and a horse!

 Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

 He ran across the fields with the old woman and the old man, the cow and the horse and the haymakers all following. Soon he met a fox and called out, "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

 The sly fox thought to himself, "That gingerbread man looks good enough to eat", but he said nothing. He waited until the gingerbread man reached a wide deep swift-flowing river, with the old woman and the old man, the cow and the horse and the haymakers all chasing after him. Now the sly fox said, "Jump on my back, Gingerbread Man, and I'll take you across the river!"

 The gingerbread man jumped on the fox's back and the fox began to swim. As they reached the middle of the river, where the water was deep, the fox said, "Stand on my head, Gingerbread Man, or you will get wet". So the gingerbread man stood on the fox's head. As the current flowed more swiftly, the fox said.

 "Move onto my nose, Gingerbread Man, so that I can carry you more safely. I would not like you to drown".

 The gingerbread man slid onto the fox's nose. But when they reached the hank on the far side of the river, the fox suddenly went SNAP! The gingerbread man disappeared into the fox's mouth and was never seen or heard of again.

 The Story Of Persephone.

 This story is one of the tales that the ancient Greeks told about their gods. It is the story of Persephone, the lovely daughter of Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest.

 Demeter travelled around the world with Persephone, visiting all the trees and plants that produce food. As she passed by, they grew and flourished, and their fruit ripened. On hot days as she walked through a field of corn, the husks would swell and the corn would turn golden. Whenever she visited orchards and vineyards, the apples, peaches, pears and grapes would be sweet and ready to eat. Persephone would dance with joy to see how lovely the flowers looked when Demeter touched them.

 One day Persephone asked her mother if she could go and play with her friends on the mountainside. Demeter agreed, but warned her not to stray too far. While Demeter visited some valleys where the harvest was late, Persephone and her friends scrambled happily over the mountainside. They found many flowers growing in the mountain meadows, and began to pick them to make garlands and chains. Further and further they wandered, until they were a long way from the valley where they had started.

 Soon the meadows were shimmering in the hot mid-day sun, Persephone grew tired and dropped behind her friends. She sat down on the grass to rest while she finished the garland she was making.

 Suddenly there was a great crack and a roar. The side of the mountain seemed to split open and out galloped six great black horses, pulling a gleaming black chariot. Persephone was terrified and called out, "Mother, Mother, help me!" But even as she called, the man driving the chariot leant out and swept Persephone up into the chariot. He pulled at the reins to turn the horses and they galloped back into the mountain. With another roar and a crash the gap closed, leaving no trace of what had happened.

 Persephone's friends soon missed her and came back to look for her. They hunted everywhere and called and called, but there was no sign of her anywhere. At last they gave up and went back to tell Demeter.

 Together they searched for hours up and down the mountain, but could find no trace of Persephone until, in the evening, they came upon a fading garland of flowers lying in the grass. Now Demeter knew that something dreadful must have happened to her daughter.

 Something terrible had happened indeed. Persephone had been snatched by Hades, God of the Underworld, in his great black chariot. He drove her back to his palace of dark caverns deep inside the earth. The palace was full of beautiful things but Persephone was very unhappy there. She missed the sunlight and the flowers, and all the colours of the world she had known, and most of all she longed to see her mother. She was so unhappy that she refused to eat. She just sat in a corner, pining for her old home. Hades loved her and hoped to marry her, but Persephone time and again refused, saying that she wished only to return to the world above and her mother.

 Meanwhile, Demeter continued to look for her daughter from one end of the world to the other. While she searched, she gave no thought at all to the harvest. Everywhere the crops failed and the farmers watched in despair as their corn failed to ripen and their fruit withered on the trees.

 Even Zeus, the King of the Gods, was worried. He did not wish to see the people on earth go hungry, so when Demeter asked him to help her find Persephone, he agreed to do what he could. His messengers soon came back with the information that she was with Hades in the Underworld. Zeus had no power over those who lived in the Underworld but there was a chance that Persephone might he saved. She had not yet eaten anything there and so had not yet become part of the Underworld. Each day Hades' servants brought her tempting dishes of exquisite fruit and sweets, but Persephone over and over again refused to touch them because she was so unhappy.

 Zeus's messengers arrived in the Underworld once more and demanded that Persephone be returned to her mother. Hades knew that unless he could make her eat he would lose the lovely girl he wanted to marry. He ordered his servants to prepare a bowl of beautiful fruit and he himself carried it to Persephone. On the top he put a sweet-smelling pomegranate which he knew was her favourite fruit. Persephone, after much coaxing, reluctantly ate six seeds from the pomegranate, for she felt Hades had been kind to her and did not want to hurt his feelings. Then she turned her head away and refused to eat any more, for the taste reminded her of the warm sunshine and the happy life that she missed so much. But Hades was triumphant, knowing that, because she had eaten food, she belonged forever to the Underworld.

 Demeter was heartbroken. She grieved so much at the loss of her daughter that she had no heart to travel the earth as Goddess of the Harvest, and people began to grow hungry. Zeus was sorry for Demeter and for the people of the earth, so he sent his messengers to Hades once more to make a bargain: Persephone should spend six months of each year in the Underworld, one for each pomegranate seed she had eaten, but for the remaining six months she should return to the earth and join her mother.

 And so it has been ever since. You will know when Persephone is in the Underworld with Hades as leaves fall and plants wither and die. During the six months we call Autumn and Winter Demeter is too unhappy to give any thought to the harvest. But when Persephone returns to the earth her mother is overjoyed and in her happiness makes the flowers open and new shoots spring from the ground. Crops flourish and fruit ripens to produce food. These six months when Persephone once more dances through the fields and orchards with her mother we call Spring and Summer.

 The Hare And The Tortoise.

 In the forest there was a clearing where all the animals gathered each evening after going to the river to drink. The tortoise was usually the last to arrive, and the other animals would laugh at him as he plodded into the clearing.

 "Come on, Slowcoach", they would call out as he came through the grass towards them. The tortoise would blink at them and continue slowly on his way until he reached the spot where he wanted to settle down.

 The liveliest of all the animals in the forest was the hare. He ran so fast that he was always the first to arrive at the clearing. "Just look at me", he was boasting one evening. "I can run faster than any of you".

 The tortoise ambled into the clearing, last as usual. To everyone's surprise, he went slowly across to the hare.

 "Since you run so fast, could you beat me in a race?" he asked.

 "I, beat you, in a race!" exclaimed the hare, and he fell on the ground laughing. "Of course I would beat you. You name the distance, Tortoise, but don't make it too far for your short little legs", and he roared with laughter again.

 Most of the other animals laughed too. It did seem a very comic idea. The fox said, "Come on then, Tortoise, name the distance and the time and then we will all come to watch".

 "Let us stall tomorrow morning, at sunrise", suggested the tortoise. "Well run from this clearing to the edge of the forest and return along the bank of the river to this spot again".

 "Why, it will take you all day to go so far, Tortoise. Are you sure you want to go ahead with it?" asked the hare. He grinned at the thought of the easy victory he would have.

 "I am sure", replied the tortoise. "The first one back to this clearing will be the winner".

 "Agreed!" said the hare, as the tortoise settled down in some long grass to sleep for the night.

 The next morning the clearing was full of animals who had come to see the start of the great race. Some ran along to the edge of the forest, others chose good places to watch along the way.

 The hare and the tortoise stood side by side. As the sun rose, the fox called,

 "Ready, steady, go!"

 The hare jumped up and in no time at all he was far ahead of the tortoise, almost out of sight. The tortoise started off in the same direction. He plodded along, slowly picking up his feet, then slowly putting them down only a little in front of where they had been before.

 "Come on, Tortoise", called his friends anxiously. But he did not lift up his foot to wave at them as the hare had done. He kept on moving slowly forwards.

 In a few minutes the hare was a long way from the starting line so he slowed down. "It's going to take the tortoise all day", he thought, "so there is no need for me to hurry". He stopped to talk to friends and nibble juicy grass here and there along the path.

 By the time he reached half-way the sun was high in the sky and the day became very hot. The animals who were waiting there saw the hare turn back towards the clearing. They settled down for a long wait for the tortoise.

 As he returned by the river, the hot sun and the grass he had eaten made the hare feel sleepy.

 "There's no need to hurry", he told himself. "Here's a nice shady spot", and he stretched himself out comfortably on the ground. With paws beneath his head, he murmured sleepily. "It won't matter if Tortoise passes me, I'm much faster than he is. I'll still get back first and win the race". He drifted off to sleep.

 Meanwhile the tortoise went on slowly. He reached the edge of the forest quite soon after the hare, for he had not stopped to talk to friends or eat tempting fresh grass. Before long, smiling gently, he passed the hare sleeping in the shade.

 The animals in the clearing waited all day for the hare to return, but he did not arrive. The sun was setting before they saw the tortoise plodding towards them.

 "Where is the hare?" they called out. The tortoise did not waste his breath in answering but came steadily towards them.

 "Hurrah, Tortoise has won. Well done, Slowcoach!" the animals cheered.

 Only when he knew he had won the race did Tortoise speak.

 "Hare? Oh, he's asleep back there by the river".

 There was a sudden flurry and at great speed the hare burst into the clearing. He had woken and, seeing how long the shadows were, realized he had slept for much longer than he intended. He raced back to the clearing but he was too late.

 Tortoise smiled and said, "Slow and steady wins the race".

 Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs.

 One winter a beautiful queen sat sewing by a window. As she gazed down at the snow-covered garden she saw a black raven and, at the same moment, she happened to prick her finger on her needle - a drop of blood fell on the snow. The colours were so strong that the queen said to herself'. If only I could have a child whose skin was as white as snow, with hair as black as a raven and lips as red as blood.

 Not long afterwards the queen had a baby daughter, and when she saw her jet black hair, snowy white skin and red lips she remembered her strange wish on that winter's day and named her Snow White.

 But after a few years Snow Whites mother died and her father married again. The new queen, Snow White's stepmother, was beautiful too, but she was also proud and vain. She had a magic mirror and each day she would admire herself in it and ask,

 "Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

 Who is the fairest one of all?"

 and the mirror would always reply,

 "You, Queen, are the fairest one of all".

 The queen would smile when she heard this for she knew the mirror always spoke the truth. As the years went by, Snow White grew prettier and prettier, until one day, when the queen looked in the magic mirror, the mirror replied,

 "You, Queen, are fair, ‘tis true,

 But Snow White is fairer now than you",

 The queen was filled with envy. From that day on she hated Snow White. Finally she called for a hunter and told him to take Snow White deep into the forest and kill her.

 "Cut out her heart and bring it back to me to prove she is dead", she commanded.

 The hunter felt very sad. Like every one in the kings household he loved Snow White, but he knew he must obey the queens orders. He took Snow White deep into the forest and pulled out his knife. Snow White fell to her knees in terror. The hunter took pity on her and told her to hide. Then he killed a deer and cut out its heart to take back to the cruel queen.

 On her own in the forest, Snow White felt afraid. She began to run here and there through the trees, but she did not know which way to go. In the evening she came to a clearing and found a little house. She wondered if it was a woodman's cottage where she might be able to stay. When she knocked at the door, there was no answer.

 Snow White lifted the latch and went inside. There she saw a room all neat and tidy with a little table laid with seven places - seven little knives and forks, seven little wooden plates and drinking cups. Snow White was hungry and thirsty so she ate some food from each plate and drank a drop from each cup. She did not want to empty one person's plate and cup only.

 Beyond the table were seven little beds all neatly made. Snow White tried them all out and the seventh bed was just right. She lay down and fell into a deep sleep, exhausted by her long journey through the forest.

 The cottage was the home of seven dwarfs. All day long they worked in a mine nearby, digging diamonds from deep inside the mountain. When they returned home that night, they were startled to see that someone had entered their cottage and had taken some food and drink from each place at their table. They were even more surprised to find their beds disturbed. When the seventh dwarfs found Snow White in his bed he called to the others. They all gathered around her and marveled at her beauty. Being kind little men they decided not to disturb her.

 When Snow White awoke the next day she told the dwarfs her story. "I have no home now", she said sadly, and at once the dwarfs asked her to stay with them in the cottage. Snow White agreed happily, and each morning when the dwarfs went off to work, she stayed behind and kept their cottage clean and cooked their supper.

 At the palace the queen welcomed the hunter when he returned with the deer's heart. She was certain that once again she was the most beautiful woman in the world. As soon as she was alone she looked in her magic mirror and said,

 "Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

 Who is the fairest one of all?"

 To her horror, the mirror replied,

 "You, Queen, are fair, ‘tis true,

 But Snow White is fairer still than you".

 The queen trembled with rage as she realized that the hunter had tricked her. She decided that she would seek out Snow White and kill her herself.

 The queen disguised herself as an old pedlar woman with a tray of ribbons and pretty things to sell and she set off into the forest. When she came to the dwarfs' cottage she knocked and cried out, "Pretty goods for sale! Pretty goods for sale!"

 Snow White came to the door and looked eagerly at the tray. The queen noticed that she was attracted by some lacing ribbons and asked if Snow White would like to try one on. Snow White nodded, so the queen threaded a ribbon through her bodice. Then she tugged the lacing so tight that Snow White could not breathe and fell to the ground. The queen hurried back to the palace sure that this time Snow White was truly dead.

 When the dwarfs returned that evening, they found Snow White lying on the floor, deathly cold and still. They gathered around her in dismay. Then they noticed that she had a new lacing on her dress which had been tied too tightly. Quickly they cut it open and Snow White started breathing again.

 All seven dwarfs gave a tremendous sigh of relief as by now they loved Snow White dearly. She told them what had happened. The dwarfs suspected that the old pedlar woman was Snow Whites wicked stepmother and that she would try to harm Snow White again if she ever found out that she was still alive. They begged her not to allow anyone into the cottage while she was alone and told her not to buy anything from strangers.

 At the palace the queen smiled at her reflection in the magic mirror and asked,

 "Mirror, mirror, on the wall.

 Who is the fairest one of all?

 and the mirror replied,

 You, Queen, are fair, 'tis true.

 But Snow White is fairer still than you".

 The queen was speechless with rage. She realized that yet again her plan to kill Snow White had failed. She resolved to try again and this time she was determined to succeed. She chose an apple with one rosy-red side and one yellow side. Carefully she injected poison into the red part of the apple and carefully she placed it in a basket of apples, on the very top.

 The wicked queen, disguised this time as a peasant woman, set out once more into the forest. Once more she knocked at the dwarfs' cottage. She knew that Snow White would be wary by now so she simply chatted to her and, as Snow White became less nervous, she offered her an apple as a present. Snow White was tempted as the rosy apple looked delicious but she refused, explaining that she had been told not to accept anything from strangers.

 "I will show you how harmless it is", said the disguised queen. "I will take a bite first and if I am unharmed you will know that it is safe".

 The queen had not poisoned the yellow side of the apple so she took a bite from there. When nothing happened, Snow White stretched out her hand for the apple. She too took a bite, but from the rosy-red side. Instantly the poison attacked Snow White and she fell down as though dead. The triumphant queen cackled with glee as she returned to the palace.

 When the dwarfs found Snow White that evening they could not revive her. All night they watched over her, but when morning came and still she did not move or speak, they decided she must be dead.

 Weeping bitterly, the dwarfs laid her in a coffin and placed a glass lid over the top so that all could admire her beauty even though she was dead. Then they carried the coffin to the top of a hill where night and day they stood guard over their beautiful Snow White.

 The wicked queen was delighted that day when she looked in her mirror and asked,

 "Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

 Who is the fairest one of all?"

 and the mirror replied,

 "You, Queen, are the fairest one of all".

 She gave a cruel laugh when she heard those words. They meant that her plan to kill Snow White had at last succeeded.

 As the years passed, the story of Snow White's beauty spread far and wide. One day a prince came to see the coffin for himself. Snow White looked so lovely that he fell in love with her at once and asked the dwarfs to allow him to take the coffin with him back to his own country. The dwarfs loved Snow White too much to permit him to do this, but they agreed to let him kiss her.

 As the prince gently raised Snow White's head to kiss her, the piece of poisoned apple fell from her lips and she stirred a little. She was alive.

 "Where am I?" she asked, looking at the prince.

 "Safe with me", replied the prince, and Snow White too fell in love.

 At that moment, the wicked queen was looking in her mirror and the mirror said,

 "You, Queen, are fair ‘tis true,

 But Snow White is fairer still than you".

 The queen cursed Snow White in fury. But by now the king had discovered what evil deeds the queen had planned and he banished her from his kingdom. That night she left the palace and no one ever saw her or her mirror again.

 Snow White said farewell to her kind friends, the seven dwarfs, and rode away with her prince. They were married at his father's castle and lived for a long time afterwards in happiness and peace.

 The Little Jackal.

 There was once a little jackal who lived in the jungle. He was a greedy little jackal, and one of his favourite meals was fresh crabs from the river. One day he went down to the big river near his home and put his paw in the water to pull out a crab.

 Snap! A large, lazy crocodile who had been lying in the water snapped his jaws and caught the jackal's paw. The little jackal did not cry out, although he was very frightened. Instead he laughed.

 "Ha! Ha! That crocodile in the river thinks he has caught my paw, but the stupid animal does not realize he has snapped up a piece of wood and is holding it in his jaws".

 The crocodile immediately opened his mouth for he did not want to be seen with a log of wood in his jaws. Quickly the little jackal danced away and called cheekily from a safe distance:

 "I'll catch some crabs another day, Mr. Crocodile".

 The crocodile lashed his tail with rage and resolved to catch the little jackal and eat him the next time he came to the river.

 A week later, when his paw was healed, the jackal came back to the river to catch crabs. He did not want to be eaten by the crocodile, so he called out from a safe distance:

 "I can't see any crabs lying on the bank. I'll have to dip my paw into the water near the edge", and he watched the river for a few minutes.

 The crocodile thought, "Now is my chance to catch the jackal", and he swam close to the river bank.

 When the little jackal saw the water move, he called out:

 Thank you, Mr. Crocodile. Now I know you are there, I'll come back another day.

 The crocodile lashed his tail with rage until he stirred up the mud from the bottom of the river. He swore he would not let the little jackal trick him again.

 The jackal could not stop thinking about the crabs, so a few days later he went down to the river again. He could not see the crocodile so he called out:

 "I know crabs make bubbles in the water, so as soon as I see bubbles I'll dip my paw in and then I'll catch them easily".

 When he heard this, the crocodile, who was lying just beneath the water started to blow bubbles as fast as he could. He was sure that the jackal would put his paw in where the bubbles were rising and Snap! This time he would have the little jackal.

 But when the jackal saw the bubbles, he called out:

 "Thank you, Mr Crocodile, for showing me where you are. I'll come back another day for the crabs".

 The crocodile was so angry at being tricked again that he waited till the jackal's back was turned, then he jumped out of the river and followed the jackal, determined to catch him and eat him this time.

 Now the jackal, who was very hungry, made his way to the fig grove to eat some figs. By the time the crocodile arrived, he was having a lovely feast munching the ripe blue fruit, and licking his lips with pleasure.

 The crocodile was exhausted by walking on land which he found was much more difficult than swimming in the river. "I am too tired to catch the jackal now", he said to himself. "But I'll set a trap and catch him next time he comes for the figs".

 The next day, the greedy jackal returned to the fig grove. He did love eating figs! To his surprise he saw a large and rather untidy pile of figs that had not been there before. "I wonder if my friend the crocodile has anything to do with this?" he said to himself, and he called out:

 "What a lovely pile of figs! All I need to do is to see which figs wave in the breeze, for it is always the ripest and most delicious figs that wave in the breeze. I shall then know which ones to eat".

 Of course the crocodile was buried under the pile of figs and when he heard this he smiled a big toothy crocodile smile. "All I have to do is to wriggle a bit", he thought. "When the jackal sees the figs move he will come and eat them and this time I will certainly catch him".

 The little jackal watched as the crocodile wriggled under the pile of figs, and he day laughed and laughed.

 "Thank you, Mr. Crocodile", he said, "I'll come back another day when you are not here".

 Now the crocodile was really in a rage so he followed the little jackal to his house to catch him there. There was no one at home when the crocodile got there, but the crocodile thought, "I will wait here, and catch him when he comes home tonight".

 He was too big to go through the gate, so he broke it and then he was too big to go through the door, so he smashed that. "Never mind", he said to himself. "I will eat the little jackal tonight whatever happens", and he lay in wait for the jackal in the jackal little house.

 When the jackal came home he saw the broken gate, and smashed door, and he said to himself, "I wonder if my friend the crocodile has anything to do with this?"

 "Little house", he called out, "Why haven't you said HELLO to me as you do each night when I come home?"

 The crocodile heard this, and thought he ought to make everything seem as normal as possible, so he shouted out:

 "Hello little jackal!"

 Then a wicked smile appeared on the jackal's face. He fetched some twigs and branches, piled them up outside his house, and set fire to it. As the house burned he called out:

 "A roast crocodile is safer than a live crocodile! I shall go and build myself a new house by the river where I can catch all the crabs I want".

 With that he skipped off to the river bank and for all I know he is still there today, eating crabs all day long, and laughing at the way he tricked the crocodile.

 Rapunzel.

 A long time ago, a husband and wife lived happily in a cottage at the edge of a wood. But one day the wife fell ill. She could eat nothing and grew thinner and thinner. The only thing that could cure her, she believed, was a strange herb that grew in the beautiful garden next to their cottage. She begged her husband to find a way into the garden and steal some of this herb, which was called rapunzel.

 Now this garden belonged to a wicked witch, who used it to grow herbs for her spells. One day, she caught the husband creeping into her garden. When he told her what he had come for, the witch gave him some rapunzel, but she made him promise to give her their first-born child in return. The husband agreed, thinking that the witch would soon forget the promise. He took the rapunzel back to the cottage and gave it to his wife. As soon as she had eaten it she felt better.

 A year later, a baby girl was born and the witch did come and take her away. She told the couple they would be able to see their daughter in the garden behind their house. Over the years they were able to watch her grow up into a beautiful child, with long fair hair. The witch called her Rapunzel after the plant her father had come to take.

 When she was twelve years old, the witch decided to lock Rapunzel up in a high tower in case she tried to run away. The tower had no door or staircase, but Rapunzel was quite happy up there as she could sit at the window watching the life of the forest and talking to the birds. Yet sometimes she would sigh, for, she longed to be back in the beautiful garden where she could play in the sunshine. Then she would sing to cheer herself up.

 Each day, the witch came to see her, bringing her fresh food. She would stand at the bottom of the tower and call out, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair".

 Rapunzel, whose long golden hair was plaited, would twist it round one of the bars and drop it out of the window, and the witch would climb up it. When she left, Rapunzel would let down her golden hair again, and the witch would slide nimbly down.

 One day, the king's son was riding through the forest when he heard Rapunzel singing. Mystified, he rode to the tower, but could see no door, so could not understand how anyone could be there. He decided to stay and watch the tower and listen to the singing. After a while the witch came along and the prince watched her carefully as she stood at the bottom of the tower and called out, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair".

 To the prince's amazement, a long golden plait of hair fell almost to the ground. When he saw the witch climb up the hair and disappear through the window, he made up his mind he would wait until she had gone and see if he could do the same.

 So after the witch had gone, he stood where the witch had been and called, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair".

 When the golden plait came tumbling down, he climbed up as the witch had done and found to his astonishment the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. They talked for a long time and then the prince left, promising to come again. Rapunzel looked forward to his visits, for she had been lonely. He told her all about the world outside her tower, and they fell deeply in love.

 One day Rapunzel said to the witch, "Why is it when you climb up my hair you are so heavy? The handsome prince who comes is much lighter than you". At this, the witch flew into a rage. She took Rapunzel out of the tower and led her deep into the forest to a lonely spot, and told her she must stay there without food or shelter. The witch cut off Rapunzel's long plait of golden hair and then hurried back to the tower.

 That evening when the prince came by, he called out as usual, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair".

 The witch, who had fastened the plait of golden hair inside the window, threw it down. The prince climbed up eagerly, only to be confronted with the wicked witch. ‘Aha', she cackled, so you are the visitor who has been coming to see my little Rapunzel. I will make sure you won't ever see her again, and she tried to scratch out his eyes.

 The prince jumped out of the high window and landed in a clump of thorny bushes. His face, however, was badly scratched and his eyes hurt so much that he could not see, and he stumbled off blindly into the forest.

 After several days of wandering and suffering, he heard somebody singing. Following the sound, he drew closer and realized he had found Rapunzel, who was singing as she worked to make a house for herself in the forest. He ran towards her, calling her name, and she came and kissed him. As she did so, his eyes were healed and he could see again.

 The prince took Rapunzel to his father's palace, where he told their story. She was reunited with her parents, and then a grand wedding took place. Rapunzel married the prince and lived with him happily for many years. As for the witch, a royal proclamation banished her from the kingdom and she was never seen again.

 The Little Red Hen.

 Once upon a time there was a little red hen. She lived with a pig, a duck and a cat. They all lived in a house which the little red hen kept clean and tidy. The others never helped. Although they said they meant to, they were all far too lazy. The pig liked to grunt in the mud outside, the duck used to swim in the pond all day, and the cat enjoyed lying in the sun, purring.

 One day the little red hen found a grain of corn.

 "Who will plant this grain of corn?" she asked.

 "Not I", grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

 "Not I", quacked the duck from her pond.

 "Not I", purred the cat from his place in the sun.

 So the little red hen found a nice bit of earth, scratched it with her feet and planted the grain of corn herself.

 During the summer the grain of corn grew. First it grew into a tall green stalk, then it ripened in the sun until it had turned a lovely golden colour.

 "Who will help me cut the corn?" asked the little red hen.

 "Not I", grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

 "Not I", quacked the duck from her pond.

 "Not I", purred the cat from his place in the sun.

 "Very well then, I shall cut it myself", said the little red hen.

 Carefully she cut the stalk and took out all the grains of corn from the husks.

 "Who will take the corn to the mill, so that it can be ground into flour?" asked the little red hen.

 "Not I", grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

 "Not I", quacked the duck from her pond.

 "Not I", purred the cat from his place in the sun.

 "Very well, I shall take it myself", said the little red hen.

 So the little red hen took the corn to the mill herself, and asked the miller to grind it into flour.

 In time the miller sent a little bag of flour down to the house where the little red hen lived with the pig, the duck and the cat.

 "Who will help me to make the flour into bread?" asked the little red hen.

 "Not I", grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden. "Not I", quacked the duck from her pond.

 "Not I", purred the cat from his place in the Sun.

 "Very well", said the little red hen. "I shall make the bread myself".

 She mixed the flour into dough. She kneaded the dough and put it into the oven to bake.

 Soon there was a lovely smell of hot fresh bread. It filled all the corners of the house and wafted out into the garden. The pig came into the kitchen from his muddy patch in the garden, the duck came in from the pond and the cat left his place in the sun. When the little red hen opened the oven door the dough had risen and turned into the most delicious-looking loaf.

 "Who is going to eat this bread?" asked the little red hen.

 "I will", grunted the pig.

 "I will", quacked the duck.

 "I will", purred the cat.

 "Oh no, you won't", said the little red hen. "I planted the seed, I cut the corn, I took it to the mill to be made into flour, and I made the bread, all by myself. I shall eat it all by myself".

 The pig, the duck and the cat all stood and watched as the little red hen ate the loaf all by herself. It was delicious and she enjoyed it, right to the very last crumb.

 Little Red Hiding Hood.

 There was once a pretty little girl who lived in a cottage on the edge of a wood. Her grandmother, who lived at the other side of the wood, had made her a warm red cape with a hood and, as she often wore it, she became known as Little Red Riding Hood.

 One day her mother called her and said, "Little Red Riding Hood, will you take this basket of food to your grandmother? She isn't very well; Carry the basket carefully for I have filled it with some cakes, some fresh bread and some butter".

 Little Red Riding Hood put on her red cape and, carrying the basket carefully, she set off through the wood to her grandmother's cottage. By and by she wandered off the path to pick some flowers. Then, quite unexpectedly, she met a wolf. He could have eaten her there and then, but he could hear some woodcutters working close by.

 "Where are you going, little girl?" he asked instead.

 "I'm going to my grandmother", Little Red Riding Hood answered. "She is ill and I have a basket of food for her".

 "And where does your grandmother live?" asked the wolf, thinking if he was clever he might be able to eat the little girl and her grandmother.

 "Through the wood and hers is the first cottage you can see", replied Little Red Riding Hood. She went on slowly through the wood, stopping here and there to add some more flowers to the bunch she was holding. The wolf watched her go and then he ran through the trees to the grandmother's cottage.

 He knocked at the door.

 "Who is there?" he heard the old lady call.

 Making his voice sound as much like Little Red Riding Hood's as he could, the wicked wolf answered, "It's me, Grandmother. It's Little Red Riding Hood with some presents for you".

 "Pull the bobbin and the latch will go up", called the old lady from her bed.

 The wolf pulled the bobbin, the latch went up, and he bounded into the room. In a trice he had gobbled up the poor old lady. He put on her shawl and nightcap and got into her bed to wait for Little Red Riding Hood.

 In a while there was a knock at the door.

 Trying to make his voice sound as much like the old lady's as possible, the wolf quavered, "Who is there?"

 "It's me, Little Red Riding Hood", answered the girl. "I have brought -you some food from my mother".

 "Pull the bobbin and the latch will go up", called the wolf.

 The voice sounded rather gruff to Little Red Riding Hood. She thought her grandmother must have a sore throat. The wolf tugged the bedclothes up under his chin as Little Red Riding Hood pulled the bobbin and walked into the cottage.

 Although she saw someone in the bed wearing a shawl and nightcap Little Red Riding Hood was rather puzzled. Her grand mother seemed quite different.

 "What big eyes you have, Grandmother!" she said.

 "All the better to see you with!" said the wolf.

 "What big ears you have, Grandmother!"

 "All the better to hear you with!" said the wolf.

 "What big teeth you have, Grandmother!"

 "All the better to eat you with!" said the wolf and he sprang out of bed.

 Little Red Riding Hood screamed with fright. Luckily the woodcutters were passing by and heard her screams. They rushed inside and killed the wolf instantly. Out jumped the old lady, alive and well but feeling rather shaken by her adventure. She was delighted to see Little Red Riding Hood and her basket of food.

 Little Red Riding Hood took care never to talk to wolves again, and she always stayed on the path whenever she went through the wood to visit her grandmother.

 Three Little Pigs.

 Once upon a time there were three little pigs. One day they set out from the farm where they had been born. They were going out into the world to make their fortune.

 The first little pig met a man carrying some straw, and he asked him if he might have some to build himself a house.

 "Of course, little pig", said the man.

 He gave the little pig a big bundle of straw, and the little pig built himself a lovely little house of golden straw.

 By and by a big bad wolf came along and saw the new house. Feeling rather hungry and thinking he would like to eat a little pig for supper, he called out,

 "Little pig, little pig, let me come in".

 To which the little pig replied,

 "No, no, by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I'll not let you in".

 So the wolf shouted crossly,

 "Then I'll huff and I'll puff, Till I blow your house in!"

 And he huffed and he puffed until the house of straw fell in, and he ate the little pig for supper.

 The second little pig was walking along the road when he met a man with a bundle of sticks. "Please. Sir", he said, "can you let me have some of those sticks so that I can build a house?"

 "Of course", said the man, and he gave him a big pile of sticks. In no time at all, the little pig had built himself a lovely little house of sticks.

 By and by along came the same big bad wolf. When he saw another little pig, this time in a wooden house, he called out,

 Little pig, little pig, let me come in,

 To which the little pig replied,

 No, no, by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I'll not let you in,

 So the wolf shouted,

 "Then I'll huff and I'll puff, Till I blow your house in!"

 And he huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed until the house of sticks fell in, and he gobbled up the little pig.

 The third little pig met a man with a cartload of bricks. "Please, Sir, can I have some bricks to build myself a house?" he asked, and when the man had given him some, he built himself a lovely little brick house.

 By and by the big bad wolf came along, and licked his lips as he thought about the third little pig. He called out,

 "Little pig, little pig, let me come in".

 And the little pig replied,

 "No, by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I'll not let you in".

 So the wolf shouted,

 "Then I'll huff and I'll puff, Till I blow your house in!"

 And the wolf huffed and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed, and he HUFFED again and he PUFFED again, but still the house, which had been so well built with bricks, did not fall in.

 The wolf went away to think how he could trick the little pig.

 He came back and called through the window of the brick house,

 "Little pig, there are some juicy turnips in the farmer's field.

 Shall we go there tomorrow morning at six o'clock and get some?"

 The little pig thought this was a good idea, as he was fond of turnips, but he went at five o'clock, not six o'clock, and collected all the turnips he needed before the wolf arrived.

 The wolf was furious, but he soon thought of another trick. He told the little pig about the apples in the farmer's orchard, and suggested they, both went to get some at five o'clock the next morning. The little pig agreed, and went, as before, an hour earlier. But this time the wolf came early too and arrived while the little pig was still in the apple tree. The little pig pretended to be pleased to see him and threw an apple down to the wolf. While the wolf was picking it up, the little pig jumped down from the tree and got into a barrel. He rolled quickly down the hill inside this barrel and rushed into his house of bricks.

 The wolf was furious that the little pig had got the better of him again, and chased him in the barrel back to his house. When he got there, he climbed onto the roof, intending to come down the chimney and catch the little pig that way. But the little pig was waiting for him with a large cauldron of boiling water on the fire. The wolf came down the chimney and fell into the cauldron with a big SPLASH, and the little pig quickly put the lid on it.

 The wicked wolf was never seen again, and the little pig lived happily in his house of bricks for many years.

 Rannpelstiltskin.

 One day a king was riding through a village in his kingdom when he heard a woman singing.

 "My daughter has burnt five cakes today. My daughter has burnt five cakes today".

 It was the miller's wife who was cross with her daughter for being so careless. The king stopped to hear her song again. The millers wife hoped to impress the king so she sang, "My daughter has spun fine gold today. My daughter has spun fine gold today".

 And she boasted that her daughter could spin straw into gold. The king was greatly impressed and said to the miller's wife, "If your daughter will spin for me in my palace, I'll give her many presents. I might even make her my queen".

 "What a wonderful opportunity", thought the miller's wife, and she fetched her daughter.

 The king took the girl back to the palace. He ordered a spinning wheel to be placed in a room filled with straw.

 "Spin this into gold by the morning or you will die", he commanded, and he locked her in.

 The poor girl wept bitterly. For of course she could not spin straw into gold as her mother had foolishly boasted.

 Suddenly a little man appeared from nowhere. "What will you give me, pretty girl, if I spin this straw into gold for you?" he asked.

 "My necklace", said the girl.

 The little man sat down by the spinning wheel. Singing strange songs, he spun all the straw into fine gold thread. Then he took the girl's necklace and, with a skip and a hop and a stamp of his foot, he disappeared.

 When the king unlocked the room the next morning he was delighted to see the skeins of golden thread. But that evening he took the miller's daughter to another room with an even bigger pile of straw.

 "Spin this into gold by the morning", he ordered, "or you will die". And out he went, locking the door behind him.

 The poor girl stared at the straw and the spinning wheel. Suddenly the same little man stood before her.

 "What will you give me this time if I spin your gold for you?"

 "My bracelet", said the miller's daughter.

 The little man set the spinning wheel whirring. Singing his strange songs, he quickly turned the straw into gold thread. By dawn he had finished and, snatching the bracelet, he disappeared with a skip and a hop and a stamp of his foot.

 The king was delighted that morning, but still not satisfied. "If this girl can really spin gold from straw", he thought to himself greedily, "I shall always be rich if I make her my wife and keep her here. I shall try her once more".

 So on the third night the king took the miller's daughter into another room with an even greater pile of straw.

 "Spin this into gold", he commanded. "If you succeed, I shall marry you and you shall be queen. If you fail, I shall chop off your head". And out he went, locking the door behind him.

 Once more, as the girl wept bitterly before the pile of straw and the spinning wheel, the little man appeared from nowhere.

 "I see you need my help again", he said. "How will you reward me this time if I save your life?"

 "I have nothing more to give you", the miller's daughter said in despair.

 "Ah!" said the little man, "but if the straw is spun into gold tonight, you will become queen. Will you promise to give me your first child when it is born?"

 "Yes! Yes!" cried the girl. She was sure that when this time came she could somehow save her child.

 So the little man sat and twirled the spinning wheel, tap - tapping his foot on the floor and singing his strange songs. Then, with a skip and a hop and a stamp of his foot, he was gone.

 The next day the king was delighted with the gold, and he made the miller's daughter his queen as he had promised.

 And as queen the miller's daughter forgot all about her promise to the little man. About a year later, a fine son was born, and she was horrified when the little man appeared again.

 "I have come to claim the child you promised me", he said, stamping his foot as he spoke.

 "Take my jewels and all this gold", pleaded the queen, "only leave me my little son".

 The little man thought for a moment and said, "Very well, I will give you three days in which to guess my name. You may have three guesses each night. If you fail, the baby is mine".

 The queen sent for all her servants and asked them to go throughout the kingdom asking if anyone had heard of the little man and if they knew his name. The first night the little man came the queen tried some unusual names.

 "Is it Caspar?" she asked.

 "No!" he said and stamped his foot in delight.

 "Is it Balthazar?"

 "No!" he said and stamped his foot again.

 "Is it Meichior?"

 "No!" he cried. He stamped his foot and disappeared.

 The next evening the queen thought she would try some everyday names. So when the little man appeared she asked, "Is your name John?"

 "No!" he said with his usual stamp.

 "Is it Michael?"

 "Is it James?"

 "No! No!" he cried, stamping his foot each time, and again he disappeared.

 On the third and final day the queen was distraught for she could not see how she could guess the little man's name.

 The palace servants came back without arm news, all except for one who returned to the palace towards the end of the day. He went straight to the queen and told her that at the very edge of the kingdom, under the mountains, he had heard a little man singing this strange song as he danced around his fire:

 "Today I brew, tomorrow I bake. Next day the queen's child I'll take. How glad I am that nobody knows. My name is Rumpelstiltskin".

 The queen clapped her hands with joy and rewarded the servant for his discovery. That night the little man appeared and asked if she had guessed his name.

 "Is it Ichabod?"

 "No!" he cried with pleasure as he stamped his foot.

 "Is it Carl?"

 "No!" he shouted and stamped his foot with glee.

 "Is it the queen hesitated. Is it Rumpelstiltskin?"

 Now it was the queens turn to laugh. The little man stamped his foot so hard it went right through the floor and that was the end of Rumpelstiltskin.

 Brer Rabbit's New House.

 Long ago an old man called Uncle Remus used to tell stories to a little boy. The two of them lived on a plantation in the southern states of America, and the stories were always about certain animals. Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox in particular, but several others too, Brer Bear and Brer Possum for instance. All too often Brer Rabbit, who was an impudent scoundrel, came out best, although he was one of the smaller creatures. Of course, to do this he had to use his wits.

 One evening, Uncle Remus ate his supper as usual and then looked at the child over his spectacles.

 "Now then, honey", he said. "Let's see if I can call to mind how old Brer Rabbit got himself a two-storey house without paying much for it".

 He paused a moment. Then he began:

 It turned out one time that a whole lot of creatures decided to build a house together. Old Brer Bear, he was among them, and Brer Fox and Brer Wolf and Brer Coon and Brer Possum, and possibly Brer Mink too. Anyway, there was a whole bunch of them, and they set to work and built a house in less than no time.

 Brer Rabbit, he pretended it made his head swim to climb the scaffolding, and that it made him feel dizzy to work in the sun, but he got a board, and he stuck a pencil behind his ear, and he went round measuring and marking, measuring and marking.

 He looked so busy that all the other creature were sure he was doing the most work, and folks going along the road said, "My, my, that Brer Rabbit is doing more work than the whole lot of them put together". Yet all the time Brer Rabbit was doing nothing, and he had plenty of time to lie in the shade.

 Meanwhile, the other creatures, they built the house, and it sure was a fine one. It had an upstairs and a downstairs, and chimneys all round, and it had rooms for all the creatures who had helped to make it.

 Brer Rabbit, he picked out one of the upstairs rooms, and he got a gun and a brass cannon, and when no one was looking he put them up in the room. Then he got a big bowl of dirty water and carried it up there when no one was looking.

 When the house was finished and all the animals were sitting in the parlour after supper, Brer Rabbit, he got up and stretched himself, and made excuses, saying he believed he'd go to his room. When he got there, and while all the others were laughing and chatting and being sociable downstairs, Brer Rabbit stuck his head out of the room and hollered.

 "When a big man wants to sit down, whereabouts is he going to sit?" says he.

 The other creatures laughed, and called back, "If a big man like you can't sit in a chair he'd better sit on the floor".

 "Watch out, down there", says old Brer Rabbit, "because I'm going to sit down", says he.

 With that bang! Went Brer Rabbit's gun. The other creatures looked round at one another in astonishment as much as to say, "What in the name of gracious is that?"

 They listened and listened, but they didn't hear any more fuss and it wasn't long before they were all chatting and talking again.

 Then Brer Rabbit stuck his head out his room again, and hollered, "When a big man like me wants to sneeze, whereabouts is he going to sneeze?"

 The other creatures called back, "A big man like you can sneeze anywhere he wants".

 "Watch out down there, then", says Brer Rabbit, "because I'm going to sneeze right here", says he.

 With that Brer Rabbit let off his cannon - bidder-um-m-m! The window panes rattled. The whole house shook as though it would come down, and old Brer Bear fell out of his rocking chairkerblurnp!

 When they all settled down again Brer Possum and Brer Mink suggested that as Brer Rabbit had such a had cold they would step outside and get some fresh air. The other creatures said that they would stick it out, and before long they all got their hair smoothed down and began to talk again.

 After a while, when they were beginning to enjoy themselves once more, Brer Rabbit hollered out:

 "When a big man like me chews tobacco, where is he going to spit?"

 The other creatures called back as though they were getting pretty angry:

 "Big man or little man, spit where you please!"

 Then Brer Rabbit called out, "This is the way a big man spits", and with that he tipped over the bowl of dirty water, and when the other creatures heard it coming sloshing down the stairs, my, how they rushed out of the house! Some went out the back door, some went out the front door, some fell out of the windows, some went one way and some another way; but they all got out as quickly as they could.

 Then Brer Rabbit, he shut up the house, and fastened the windows and went to bed. He pulled the covers up round his ears, and he slept like a man who doesn't owe anybody anything.

 "And neither did he, owe them", said Uncle Remus to the little boy, "for if the other creatures got scared and ran off from their own house, what business is that of Brer Rabbit? That's what I'd like to know".

 Country Mouse, Town Mouse.

 There was once a little mouse who lived very happily in the country. He ate grains of wheat and grass seeds, nibbled turnips in the fields, and had a safe snug house in a hedgerow. On sunny days he would curl up on the bank near his nest and warm himself, and in the winter he would scamper in the fields with his friends.

 He was delighted when he heard his cousin from the town was coming to visit him, and fetched some of the best food from his store cupboard so he could share it with him. When his cousin arrived, he proudly offered him some fine grains of dried wheat and some particularly good nuts he had put away in the autumn.

 His cousin, the town mouse, however, was not impressed.

 "You call this good food?" he asked. "My dear fellow, you must come and stay with me in the city. I will then show you what fine living is all about. Come with me tomorrow, for not a day should be lost before you see the excellent hospitality I can offer".

 So the two mice travelled up to town. From his cousin's mousehole, the country mouse watched with wonder a grand dinner which the people who lived in the house were giving. He stared in amazement at the variety of cheese, the beautiful vegetables, the fresh white rolls, the fruit, and the wine served from glittering decanters.

 "Now's our chance", said the town mouse, as the dining-room emptied. The two mice came out of the hole, and scurried across the floor to where the crumbs lay scattered beneath the table. Never had the country mouse eaten such delicacies, or tasted such fine food. "My cousin was right", he thought as he nibbled at a fine juicy grape. "This is the good life!"

 All of a sudden a great fierce furry beast leapt into the room and pounced on the mice.

 "Run for it, little cousin!" shouted the town mouse, and together they reached the mousehole gasping for breath and shaking with fright. The cat settled down outside the hole, tail twitching, to wait for them.

 "Don't worry. He will get bored soon, and go and amuse himself elsewhere. We can then go and finish our feast", said the town mouse.

 "You can go out there again, if you like", said the country mouse. "I shall not. I am leaving tonight by the back door to return to my country home. I would rather gnaw a humble vegetable there than live here amidst these dangers".

 So the country mouse lived happily in the country, the town mouse in the town. Each was content with the way of life he was used to, and had no desire to change.

 The Selfish Giant.

 Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giants garden.

 It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. "How happy we are here!" they cried to each other.

 One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited, and he was determined to return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.

 "What are you doing here?" he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.

 "My own garden is my own garden", said the Giant; "anyone can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself". So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.

 TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED

 He was a very selfish giant.

 The poor children had nowhere to play. They tried to play in the road, but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones, and they did not like it. They used to wander around the high walls when their lessons were over, and talk about the beautiful garden inside. "How happy we were there!" they said to each other.

 Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped back into the ground again and went off to sleep. The only people who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost.

 "Spring has forgotten this garden", they cried, "so we will live here all the year round".

 The Snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew the chimney-pots down. "This is a delightful spot", he said. "We must ask the hail on a visit".

 So the Hail came. Every day for three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most of the slates, and then ran round and round the garden as fast as he could. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like ice.

 "I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming", said the Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold, white garden; "I hope there will be a change in the weather".

 But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant's garden she gave none. "He is too selfish", she said. So it was always winter there, and the North Wind and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced about through the trees.

 One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the King's musicians passing by. It was really only a little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world. Then the Hail stopped dancing over his head, and the North Wind stopped roaring, and a delicious perfume came to him through the open casement. "I believe the Spring has come at last", said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed and looked out.

 What did he see?

 He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again that they had covered themselves with blossom, and were waving their arms gently above the children's heads. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing.

 It was a lovely scene, only in one corner was it still winter. It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree, and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The poor tree was still covered with frost and snow, and the North Wind was blowing and roaring above it. "Climb up! little boy", said the Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could: but the boy was too tiny.

 And the Giant's heart melted as he looked out. "How selfish I have been!" he said "now I know why the Spring would not come here. I will put that little boy on the top of the tree, and then I will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children's playground for ever and ever". He was really very sorry for what he had done.

 So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became winter again. Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so full of rears that he did not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into the tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them around the Giants neck, and kissed him. And the other children when they saw that the Giant was not wicked any longer, came running back, and with them came the Spring. "It is your garden now, little children", said the Giant, and he took a great axe and knocked down the wall. And when the people were going to market at twelve o'clock they found the giant playing with the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen.

 All day long they played, and in the evening the children came to the Giant to bid him good-bye.

 "But where is your little companion?" he said, "the boy I put into the tree". The Giant loved him best because he had kissed him.

 "We don't know", answered the children: "he has gone away".

 "You must tell him to be sure and come tomorrow", said the Giant. But the children said that they did not know where he lived, and had never seen him before and the Giant felt very sad.

 Every afternoon, when school was over, the children played with the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never seen again. The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet he longed for his first little friend, and often spoke of him. "How I would like to see him!" he used to say.

 Years went over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could not play about any more, so he sat in a huge armchair, and watched the children at their games, and admired his garden. "I have many beautiful flowers", he said; "but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all".

 One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing. He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew it was merely the Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting.

 Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder and looked and looked. It certainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its branches were golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.

 Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, "Who hath dared to wound thee?" For on the palms of the child's hands were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet.

 "Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the Giant; "tell me that I may take my big sword and slay him".

 "Nay", answered the child: "but these are the wounds of Love".

 "Who art thou?" said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him and he knelt before the little child.

 And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, "You let me play once in your garden, today you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise".

 And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.

 The Three Wishes.

 One day a poor woodcutter was working in the forest chopping down trees and sawing them into logs. He stopped for a moment and saw a fairy sitting on a leaf nearby.

 "I have come", she told him, "to give you three wishes. The next three wishes you make will come true. Use them wisely".

 After work, the woodcutter returned home and told his wife what had happened. She did not believe a word he said.

 "You've just dreamt it", she laughed. "Still, just in case, you'd better think carefully before you wish".

 Together they wondered. Should they wish for gold, jewels, a fine home? They argued and disagreed about everything until the woodcutter shouted crossly, "I'm hungry after all my work. Let's eat first".

 "I'm afraid there's only soup", his wife replied. "I'd no money to buy any meat".

 "Soup again!" grumbled the woodcutter. "How I wish that we had a fine fat sausage to eat tonight".

 Before they could blink, a fine fat sausage appeared on their kitchen table.

 "You idiot!" screeched his wife. "Now you've wasted one of our precious wishes. You make me so angry". She went on scolding until he could stand it no more and he shouted.

 "I wish that sausage was on the end of your nose!"

 Immediately the large sausage jumped in the air and attached itself to the wife's nose. There she stood with the big fat sausage hanging clown in front of her. It was difficult to talk with it hanging there and she became really angry when the woodcutter laughed at her because she looked so ridiculous. She pulled and pulled, he pulled and pulled. But the sausage stayed there, stuck on the end of her nose.

 The woodcutter soon stopped laughing when he remembered they only had one of the fairy's wishes left.

 "Let's wish", he said quickly, "for all the riches in the world".

 "What good would that do", she asked, "with a long sausage hanging from my nose? I could not enjoy them for a minute!"

 The woodcutter and his wife finally agreed that they could do nothing except get rid of that sausage-nose.

 The woodcutter wished and in a flash the sausage was gone, and he and his wife sat down to eat the soup that she had prepared for their supper. The only point they could agree on for a long while was how foolish they had both been to use the fairy's wishes so unwisely. They also wished - too late by now - that they had eaten the sausage when it had first appeared.

 The Little House.

 Once upon a time a large earthenware jar rolled off the back of a cart that was going to market. It came to rest in the grass at the side of the road.

 By and by a mouse came along and looked at the jar. "What a fine house that would make", he thought, and he called out: "Little house, little house. Who lives in the little house?"

 Nobody answered so the mouse peeped in and saw that it was empty. He moved in straightaway and began to live there.

 Before long a frog came along and saw the jar. "What a fine house that would make", he thought, and he called out:

 "Little house, little house. Who lives in the little house?"

 and he heard: "I, Mr. Mouse. I live in the little house. Who are you?"

 "I am Mr. Frog", came the reply.

 "Come in Mr. Frog, and we can live here together", called out the mouse.

 So the mouse and the frog lived happily together in the little house. Then one day a hare came running along the road and saw the little house. He called out:

 "Little house, little house. Who lives in the little house?"

 and he heard: "Mr. Frog and Mr. Mouse. We live in the little house. Who are you?"

 "I am Mr. Hare", he replied.

 "Come in Mr. Hare and live with us", called the mouse and the frog.

 The hare went in and settled down with the frog and the mouse in the little house.

 Some time later a fox came along, and spied the little house.

 "That would make a fine house", he thought, and he called out:

 "Little house, little house. Who lives in the little house?"

 and he heard: "Mr. Hare, Mr. Frog and Mr. Mouse. We all live in the little house. Who are you?"

 "I am Mr. Fox", he replied.

 "Then come in and live with us, Mr. Fox", they called back. Mr. Fox went in and found there was just room for him too, although it was a bit of a squeeze.

 The next day a bear came ambling along the road, and saw the little house. He called out:

 "Little house, little house. Who lives in the little house?"

 and he heard: "Mr. Fox, Mr. Hare, Mr. Frog and Mr. Mouse. We all live in the little house. Who are you?"

 "I am Mr. Bear. Squash-you-all-flat", said the bear.

 He then sat down on the little house, and squashed it all flat. That was the end of the little house.

 The Fisherman's Son.

 Along time ago, when impossible things were possible, there was a fisherman and his son. One day when the fisherman hauled in his net he found a huge gleaming red fish amongst the rest of his catch. For a few moments he was so excited he could only stare at it. This fish will make me famous, he thought. "Never before has a fisherman caught such a fish".

 "Stay here", he said to his son, "and look after these fish, while I go and fetch the cart to take them home".

 The fisherman's son, too, was amazed by the great red fish, and while he was waiting for his father, he stroked it and started to talk to it.

 "It seems a shame that a beautiful creature like you should not swim free", he said, and no sooner had he spoken than he decided to put the fish back into the sea. The great red fish slipped gratefully into the water, raised its head and spoke to the boy.

 "It was kind of you to save my life. Take this bone which I have pulled from my fin. If ever you need my help, hold it up, call me, and I will come at once".

 The fisherman's son placed the bone carefully in his pocket just as his father reappeared with the cart. When the father saw that the great red fish was gone he was angry beyond belief.

 "Get out of my sight", he shouted at his son, "and never let me set eyes on you again".

 The boy went off sadly. He did not know where to go or what to do. In time he found himself in a great forest. He walked on and on, till suddenly he was startled by a stag rushing through the trees towards him. It was being chased by a pack of ferocious hounds followed by hunters, and it was clearly exhausted and could run no further. The boy felt sorry for the stag and took hold of its antlers as the hounds and then the hunters appeared.

 "Shame on you", he said, "for chasing a tame stag. Go and find a wild beast to hunt for your sport".

 The hunters, seeing the stag standing quietly by the boy, thought it must be a pet and so they turned and rode off to another part of the forest.

 "It was kind of you to save my life", said the stag, and it pulled a fine brown hair from its coat. "Take this and if ever you need help, hold it out and call me. I will come at once".

 The fisherman's son put the hair in his pocket with the fishbone. He thanked the stag which disappeared among the trees and wandered on once more.

 As he walked he heard a strange flutteting sound overhead and, looking up, he saw a great bird - a crane - being attacked by an eagle. The crane was weak and could fight no more, and the eagle was about to kill it. The kind-hearted boy picked up a stick and threw it at the eagle, which flew off at once, fearful of this new enemy. The crane sank to the ground.

 "It was kind of you to save my life", it said as it recovered its breath. "Take this feather and keep it safe. If ever you need help, hold it out and call me, and I will come".

 As the fisherman's son walked on with the feather in his pocket, he met a fox running for its life, with the hounds and the huntsmen close behind. The boy just had time to hide the fox under his coat before the hounds were all around him.

 "I think the fox went that way", he cried to the huntsmen, and they called off the hounds and went in the direction the boy was pointing.

 "It was kind of you to save my life", said the fox. "Take this hair from my coat and keep it safe. If ever you need help, hold it out and call me. I will come at once".

 The fisherman's son went on his way, and in time he reached the edge of the forest and found himself by a lovely castle.

 "Who lives there?" he asked.

 "A beautiful princess", he was told. "Are you one of her suitors? She plays a curious game of hide-and-seek with all who come, and says she will marry the first man who hides so well that she cannot find him".

 The fisherman's son thought he would try, so boldly he went to the castle and asked to see the princess. She was indeed very beautiful, and he thought what a fine thing it would be if he could marry her.

 "Princess, I will hide where you cannot find me", he said, "but will you give me four chances?"

 The princess was intrigued by this shabby boy, and agreed, thinking she would at least have some fun looking for him. The fisherman's son went straightaway to the place where he had last seen the fish and, taking the fishbone from his pocket, he called its name.

 "I am here", said the great red fish. "What can I do for you?"

 "Can you take me where the princess will never find me? If you do, I shall be able to marry her".

 The red fish took the boy on its back and swam deep down into the sea to some caverns where it hid him.

 Now the princess had a magic mirror which she used in her games of hide-and-seek. With it she could see far and wide even through houses and hillsides. She looked in her mirror, but could not find the fisherman's son.

 "What a wizard he must be", she said to herself, as she turned her mirror this way and that. Then she saw him sitting in a rocky cavern deep down in the sea and she laughed.

 The next day when the boy came to the palace she smiled and said, "That was easy. You were deep down in a cavern under the sea. You will have to do better than that if you are going to marry me!"

 "What an enchantress she must be", said the boy to himself, and he resolved to win this contest.

 He went next to the forest and held out the stag's hair and called. When the stag came he told it that he wanted to hide and the stag took him on its back far far away to the other side of the mountains and hid him in a little cave. The stag then stood in front of the cave so that no one could see inside.

 Once more the princess took out her mirror and searched far and wide for the boy. "How clever he is", she said to herself, and then the mirror picked him out hiding in the cave.

 The next day she said to the boy, "Pooh! It was easy to see you in that cave".

 The boy became even more determined to marry her and he set out to summon the crane. It came as soon as the boy waved the feather and called its name.

 "Come with me high up into the clouds", said the crane, and took the boy on its back. All day long they hovered in the sky, while the princess searched this way and that in her mirror.

 Just as she was about to give up, she spied him above her. "He is cleverer, than I thought!" she said to herself.

 But the next day when the boy came to the castle, she laughed and said, "You thought I would never find you among the clouds, but I spotted you easily. You only have one more chance to outwit me!

 The boy now went to the forest and, holding up the fox's hair he called the fox. When it came he explained what he wanted. "Ask her to give you fourteen days", said the fox, "and I should be able to hide you where she cannot find you".

 The princess agreed, and for fourteen days the fox tunnelled and dug beneath the princess's castle until it had made a hole large enough for the boy to hide in right under the princess's room. Down he went and lay there quietly. The princess took out her mirror and searched. She looked to the north, to the south, to the east, to the west; she looked high and low, round and round, and at last, exasperated, she called out:

 "I give up. Where are you, fisherman's son?"

 "Here!" he called. "Just below you!" And he jumped out from the hole the fox had dug.

 "You win, wizard", she said, and was happy to marry the fisherman's son.

 He was delighted to marry such a beautiful princess. They had a great wedding in the castle, and the celebrations went on for many days.

 Sleeping Beauty.

 Long ago there lived a king and queen who had no children, which made them very sad.

 Then, one day, the queen was delighted to find she was going to have a baby. She and the king looked forward with great excitement to the day of their first child's birth.

 When that day came, a lovely daughter was born and they arranged a large party for her christening. They invited many guests, including twelve fairies as they felt certain the fairies would make wishes for their little daughter.

 At the christening party, the guests and the fairies all agreed that the princess was a beautiful baby. One fairy wished for her the gift of Happiness, another Beauty, others Wisdom, Health, Goodness, Contentment... Eleven fairies had made their wishes when suddenly the gates of the castle flew open and in swept a thirteenth fairy. She was furious that she had not been invited to the christening party, and as she glared at the other fairies a shiver ran down everyone's spine. All felt her evil spirit. She waved her wand over the baby and cast not a wish but a terrible spell.

 "On her sixteenth birthday", she wished, "the princess will prick herself with a spindle. And she will die". A terrible hush fell over the king and queen and their guests.

 The twelfth fairy had not yet made her wish. She had been going to give the gift of Joy to the baby but now she wanted to save the princess. Her magic was not strong enough to break the wicked spell but she could weaken its evil. So she wished that the princess, instead of dying on her sixteenth birthday, would fall asleep for a hundred years.

 As she grew lip the princess became the happiest, sweetest and most beautiful child anyone had ever seen. It seemed as though all the wishes of the first eleven fairies had come true. The king and queen hoped to prevent the wicked fairy's spell from working by making sure the princess never saw a spindle. All spinning was forbidden everywhere and all the cotton and wool in their country had to be sent away to be spun.

 For their daughters sixteenth birthday the king and queen decided to give a party in the castle. They felt sure there would be no chance of her finding a spindle there on the day.

 People came from far and near to the grand birthday ball for the princess and a magnificent feast was provided. After the guests had eaten and drunk as much as they wanted and danced in the great hall, the princess asked if they could all play her favourite childhood game, hide-and-seek. She ran off to a far corner of the castle and found herself climbing a spiral staircase in a turret she did not remember even noticing before. "They will never find me here", she thought as she crept into a little room at the top. To her astonishment there was an old woman dressed in black and sitting on a stool, spinning.

 "What are you doing?" asked the princess as she watched the twirling spindle. She was puzzled as she had never seen anything like it anywhere in the kingdom.

 "Come and see", replied the old woman. She pulled strands of wool from the sheep's fleece on the floor and, twisting it neatly with her fingers, she fed it through the spindle. The-princess was fascinated and edged nearer.

 "Would you like to try?" asked the old woman cunningly.

 The princess forgot all about playing hide-and-seek and picked up the spindle. As she did so she pricked her thumb. With a small cry she fell to the ground, as though dead. The wicked fairy's spell seemed to have worked after all.

 But so did the twelfth fairy's wish. The princess did not die but fell into a deep deep sleep. The spell worked on everyone else in the castle too. The king and queen slept on their thrones in the great hail. The guests dropped off to sleep as they played hide-and-seek. And in the kitchen the cook fell asleep with her hand raised to box the pot-boy's ears. All over the castle a great silence descended.

 As time went by a thorn hedge grew up around the castle. Passers-by wondered what lay behind the hedge but no one now remembered the castle where the king and queen had lived with their lovely daughter. Sometimes curious travellers tried to force their way through but the hedge was so prickly that they soon gave up.

 One day, many many years later, a prince came riding pass. He too marvelled at the thorn hedge which had now grown very tall and thick. An old man told him a story he had heard as a child long ago, about a mysterious castle there, and the prince became curious. He decided to cut his way through the thorns. To his surprise the hedge seemed to open out before his sword and very soon the young prince was inside the grounds. He ran across the gardens and through an open door into the lovely old castle.

 Everywhere he looked - in the great hall, in the kitchen, in the ballroom and on the staircase - he saw people asleep. He hurried through many rooms until he found himself climbing a winding stair to an old turret. There in the small room at the top he was startled to discover the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was so lovely that without thinking he knelt down and gently kissed her.

 The spell was broken. The princess opened her eyes and fell in love then and there with the prince. She told him what had happened and he kissed her again. Together they came down the turret stairs and saw that the castle was coming alive.

 In the great hail the king and queen were stretching and yawning, puzzled and worried that they had dropped off to sleep during their daughter's party. Their guests too were shaking their heads, rubbing their eyes, and wondering why they felt so sleepy. In the kitchen the cook boxed the pot-boy's ear. Outside horses neighed, dogs barked and birds burst into song. The hundred-year spell had been completely broken.

 The princess told her parents that she truly loved the handsome young man who had kissed her. The king and queen gave the couple their blessing and a grand royal wedding was arranged.

 The twelve good fairies who had come to the christening were invited once more and everyone rejoiced to see the happiness of the prince and princess. Towards evening they rode off together to their new home in the prince's kingdom, where they lived happily ever afterwards. The thirteenth fairy was never seen again.

 Jerome, The Lion And The Donkey.

 Jerome was a holy man who lived in a monastery many hundreds of years ago. One hot afternoon, he and some of the other monks were sitting together, when a lion appeared in the courtyard of the monastery. There was panic and confusion as several of the monks thought the lion had come to kill them, but then Jerome saw that the lion was limping.

 "Calm yourselves, brothers", he said, "and bring me some clean cloths and warm water. The poor creature has come to us for help. We need not be afraid of him".

 Cautiously they gathered round, and one man fetched warm water, another a clean cloth for a bandage, and another some ointment made from healing herbs. Very gently, Jerome bathed and bandaged the torn foot. The lion then lady down peacefully in the shade of the courtyard and slept.

 The next day the lion was still there, and Jerome bathed his paw again. It was less swollen, and again the lion seemed grateful for the help he had received. So it was for several days, until the paw was completely healed. The monks were pleased to hear he was cured, as they thought he would now go away.

 But the lion did not go. He stayed and followed Jerome when he went to work in the fields, and lay down in the courtyard when Jerome was in the monastery. Several monks felt certain that a fully grown lion, no longer in pain, must be savage, and that sooner or later someone would be hurt. But whenever they tried sending the lion away he always came back to the monastery.

 "It's no good", said Jerome. "He has come to stay. It is not right that he should stay for he does no work", said one of the monks. "None of us stays here without working".

 So Jerome said, "Well, let us think of some work he can do".

 Then one old monk whose job it was to take the donkey to the woods every day to collect logs for the fire, said, "Let the lion go with the donkey each day. He will stop wild beasts attacking the donkey better than I can, and I will then be free to do other jobs".

 So it was agreed, and each day the lion and the donkey set out together for the woods. On the way the donkey would eat grass in the pasture while the lion guarded him. The woodmen would then fill the baskets that were strapped to the donkey's back with logs, and together they would return.

 "What a useful member of the community he is", said some of the monks, while others still took care not to get too close.

 One day, as the donkey was grazing, the lion found a shady spot to lie and wait for his friend, and in the still of the hot day he dropped off to sleep. As he slept some travelling merchants with a string of camels came by, and saw the donkey grazing alone.

 "Look at that", they said to each other. "A donkey is just what we want to lead our camels. No one seems to be looking after it. Let's take it quickly".

 The merchants threw the donkeys baskets behind a bush, and led him off at the head of their camels.

 When the lion awoke and found the donkey had disappeared, he roared in misery. That evening he returned to the monastery, his head hanging low with shame. The monks crowded round him, wondering where the donkey was.

 "A wild beast should never be trusted", some of them said.

 "He has killed and eaten our dear donkey, even after all these months of appearing to be such a gentle animal".

 Jerome said, "Do not judge him too quickly, brothers. Let us go to the wood and see if we find something to show us what happened to the donkey".

 So a group of monks set off, and when they found the donkey's baskets, they said, "Look, here is the evidence we wanted. This shows the donkey was killed by the savage lion".

 But the lion still showed no sign of being fierce, so Jerome suggested to the angry monks that the lion should now do the donkey's work. "Let him go to the woods each day with the donkey's baskets strapped to his back", he said, "and let him carry the logs we need as the little donkey used to do."

 The monks agreed to Jerome's plan, and each morning after that the lion set out for the woods alone to collect the logs.

 A whole year went by, and during this time Jerome was made the head monk in the monastery. The lion, still Jerome's friend and companion, continued to go each day to get wood for the monastery. He did the task without complaining, almost as if he were saying, "I am sorry about the donkey", each time they strapped the baskets on him.

 One day, when he was returning from the woods, the lion caught sight of his old friend the donkey. The travelling merchants were once more on their old route and the little donkey they had stolen was leading their string of camels. Without hesitating: the lion gave a great roar and bounded over to the donkey. The merchants, thinking they were being attacked by a wild and ferocious lion, fled in terror, while the donkey gave a bray of delight and trotted over to his friend the lion.

 Together they set off towards the monastery, for the lion wished to show the monks that he had found the little donkey. For a whole ear the camels had followed the donkey, and now they continued to do so. The merchants were all hiding and could do nothing to stop them.

 At the monastery, the monks looked up in astonishment to see the strange procession of lion, donkey and camels.

 "I see", said Jerome, "that the lion has made good his fault. He has found the donkey he so carelessly lost a year ago. We have been harsh to think he might have killed him".

 Just then the courtyard was filled with angry merchants who had followed the camels. Now they asked to speak to the head of the monastery, and Jerome stepped forward.

 You have stolen our donkey, our camels and all our wares, they shouted angrily. "We demand you return them at once."

 "We have stolen nothing", Jerome replied quietly. "Your camels and the goods they carry are yours to take away. The camels came here of their own accord. But the donkey is not yours to take. He was ours, and he was stolen last year. It must have been you who took him, and hid his baskets behind the bush. Now he has come back with his friend the lion to his real owners".

 The merchants now looked ashamed. Promising they would not steal again and still eyeing the lion with fear, they went on their way, taking their camels and goods with them.

 The donkey and the lion went out together each day as before, and the monks who had thought the lion a savage beast were sorry that they had misjudged him. The lion lived for many more years in the monastery, and in his old age he would sit at Jerome's feet as the holy man wrote books. The monastery was known far and wide as a place where wisdom and gentleness were always to be found.

 Beauty And The Beast.

 A rich merchant who had three sons and three daughters lived in a big house in the city. His youngest daughter was so beautiful she as called Beauty by all who knew her. She was as sweet and good as she was beautiful. Sadly all of the merchant's ships were lost at sea and he and his family had to move to a small cottage in the country. His sons worked hard on the land and Beauty was happy working in the house, but his two elder daughters complained and grumbled all day long, especially about Beauty.

 One day news came that a ship had arrived which would make the merchant wealthy again. The merchant set off to the city, and just before he left he said "Tell me, daughters, what gifts would you like me to bring back for you!"

 The two older girls asked for fine clothes and jewels, but Beauty wanted nothing. Realizing this made her sisters look greedy, she thought it best to ask for something. "Bring me a rose, father", she said, "just a beautiful red rose".

 When the merchant reached the city he found disaster had struck once more and the ships cargo was ruined. He took the road home wondering how to break the news to his children. He was so deep in thought that he lost his way. Worse still, it started to snow, and he feared he would never reach home alive. Just as he despaired he noticed lights ahead, and tiding towards them he saw a fine castle. The gates stood open and flares were alight in the courtyard. In the stables a stall stood empty with hay in the manger and clean bedding on the floor ready for his horse.

 The castle itself seemed to be deserted, but a fire was burning in the dining-hall where a table was laid with food. The merchant ate well, and still finding no one went upstairs to a bedroom which had been prepared. "It is almost as if I were expected", he thought.

 In the morning he found clean clothes had been laid out for him and breakfast was on the table in the dining-hall. After he had eaten he fetched his horse and as he rode away he saw a spray of red roses growing from a rose bush. Remembering Beauty's request, and thinking he would he able to bring a present for at least one daughter, he plucked a rose from the bush.

 Suddenly a beast-like monster appeared. "Is this how you repay my hospitality?" it roared. "You eat my food, sleep in my guest-room and then insult me by stealing my flowers. You shall die for this".

 The merchant pleaded for his life, and begged to see his children once more before he died. At last the beast relented.

 "I will spare your life", it said, "if one of your daughters will come here willingly and die for you. Otherwise you must promise to return within three months and die yourself."

 The merchant agreed to return and went on his way. At home his children listened with sorrow to his tales of the lost cargo and his promise to the monster. His two elder daughters turned on Beauty. saying "Your stupid request for a rose has brought all this trouble on us. It is your fault that father must die".

 When the three months were up Beauty insisted on going to the castle with her father, pretending only to ride with him for company on the journey. The beast met them, and asked Beauty if she had come of her own accord, and she told him she had.

 "Good", he said. "Now your father can go home and you will stay with me."

 "What shall I call you?" she asked bravely.

 "You may call me Beast", he replied.

 Certainly he was very ugly and it seemed a good name for him. Beauty waved a sad farewell to her father. But she was happy that at least she had saved his life.

 As Beauty wondered through the castle she found many lovely rooms and beautiful courtyards with gardens. At last she came to a room which was surely meant just for her. It had many of her favorite books and objects in it. On the wall hung a beautiful minor and to her surprise, as she looked into it, she saw her father arriving back at their home and her brothers and sisters greeting him. The picture only lasted a few seconds then faded. "This Beast may be ugly, but he is certainly kind", she thought. "He gives me all the things I like and allows me to know how my family is without me".

 That night at supper the Beast joined her. He sat and stared at her. At the end of the meal he asked: "Will you marry me?"

 Beauty was startled by the question but said as gently as she could, "No, Beast, you are kind but I cannot marry you".

 Each day it was the same. Beauty had everything she wanted during the day and each evening the Beast asked her to marry him, and she always said no.

 One night Beauty dreamt that her father lay sick. She asked the Beast if she could go to him, and he refused, saying that if she left him he would die of loneliness. But when he saw how unhappy Beauty was, he said:

 "If you go to your family, will you return within a week?"

 "Of course". Beauty replied.

 "Very well, just place this ring on your dressing table the night you wish to return, and you shall come back here. But do not stay away longer than a week, or I shall die".

 The next morning Beauty awoke to find herself in her own home. Her father was indeed sick, buts Beauty nursed him lovingly. Beauty's sisters jealous once more. They thought that if the stayed at home longer than a week the Beast would kill her. So they pretended to love her and told her how much they had missed her. Before Beauty knew what had happened ten days had passed. Then she had a dream that the Beast was lying still as though he were dead by the lake near his castle.

 "I must return at once", she cried and she placed her ring on the dressing table.

 The next morning she found herself once more in the Beast's castle. All that day she expected to see him, but he never came. "I have killed the Beast", she cried, "I have killed him". Then she remembered that in her dream he had been by the lake and quickly she ran there. He lay still as death, down by the water's edge.

 "Oh, Beast!" she wept, "Oh, Beast! I did not mean to stay away so long. Please do not die. Please come back to me. You are so good and kind". She knelt and kissed his ugly head.

 Suddenly no Beast was there, but a handsome prince stood before her. "Beauty, my dear one", he said, "I was bewitched by a spell that could only be broken when a beautiful girl loved me and wanted me in spite of my ugliness. When you kissed me just now you broke the enchantment".

 Beauty rode with the prince to her father's house and then they all went together to the prince's kingdom. There he and Beauty were married. In time they became king and queen, and ruled for many happy years.

 The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

 Once upon a time there were three billy goats who had curly horns and tufted beards. They were known as the Three Billy Goats Gruff. They lived in a village where there was not always enough food for them, so they used to cross over a wooden bridge to the other side of the valley to munch the rich grass in the meadows there.

 A deep river ran under the bridge, and beside the river and under the bridge lived a fierce troll. He had a nose as long as a poker, eyes like saucers, and teeth as sharp as knives. He hated people or animals to cross the bridge. If he could catch them, he would eat them. The three billy goats had to try and get across to the valley without disturbing the troll if they possibly could.

 One day the troll was lying under the bridge when he heard the sound of steps trip trap, trip trap on the wooden planks above him.

 "Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?" roared the troll.

 The smallest Billy Goat Gruff was on the bridge, and he called out in a small, frightened voice, "It is only I, the little Billy Goat Gruff".

 "Then I shall eat you for my dinner", roared the troll.

 "No, don't", pleaded the little Billy Goat Gruff. "Let me cross over and eat the grass on the other side and I will grow fatter. My brother, the middle-sized Billy Goat Gruff, will be coming along soon. He's bigger than me. Why don't you wait and eat him?"

 "Very well", grumbled the troll, and settled down under the bridg to wait for the middle-sized Billy Goat Gruff. Before long, he heard trip trap, trip trap on the wooden planks above him.

 "Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?" roared the troll.

 "It is I, the middle-sized Billy Goat Gruff", replied the goat in a middle-sized voice.

 "Then I shall eat you for my dinner", roared the troll.

 "I think", said the middle-sized Billy Goat Gruff, "you would do better to wait for my brother, the big Billy Goat Gruff. He will make a much better dinner, and meanwhile I shall be able to get fatter in those meadows over there".

 "Very well", grumbled the troll and settled down to wait for the big Billy Goat Gruff.

 Before long the big Billy Goat Gruff came along. The troll heard his hooves on the wooden planks above him. This time the trip trap, trip trap was loud and heavy.

 "Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?" roared the troll.

 "It is I, the big Billy Goat Gruff", called the goat in a big gruff voice and he sounded almost as fierce as the troll.

 "Then I shall eat you for my dinner", bellowed the troll. "Oh no you won't", replied the big Billy Goat Gruff, "for I have sharp horns and will kill you first".

 The troll was so angry that he leapt out from underneath the bridge. But the big Billy Goat Gruff was waiting for him with his head down and his horns ready. The troll was tossed up into the air and down into the deep river - SPLASH!

 The big Billy Goat Gruff went on his way to join his two brothers, trip trap, trip trap over the bridge and into the meadows. Now every morning and evening the Three Billy Goats Gruff could come and go over the bridge as they pleased, and they an grew very fat indeed.

 The Black Bull Of Norroway.

 Long ago, in a country far away in the north there lived a widow and her three daughters. She had once been a queen, but her husband, the king, had been killed in a battle and she was now very, very poor.

 One day her eldest daughter said to her, "Mother, bake me a cake to take to the fortune-teller so that she will tell me my fortune".

 The fortune-teller accepted the fine cake the girl had brought, and then she said to her, "Stand by the back door, my dear, and tell me if anything comes down the road."

 By and by the girl cried out that a carriage drawn by six grey horses was coming towards them.

 "Go with it", said the fortune-teller, "for there your fortune lies".

 Before long the second daughter asked her mother to bake a cake for the fortune-teller, for she too wanted to know what life had to offer her.

 "Stand by the back door, my dear", said the fortuneteller, "and tell me if anything comes down the road". When a carriage drawn by six gleaming chestnut horses came by, she told the girl to get into it, for there lay her fortune.

 In time the youngest asked her mother to bake a cake for her to take to the fortune-teller. Just as before, the fortune-teller said, "Stand by the back door, my dear, and tell me if anything comes down the road". Soon the girl saw a great black bull.

 "Go with the bull, girl", said the fortune-teller, "your fortune lies with the bull".

 The young girl was very disappointed, for she wanted to drive away carriage like her sisters, but she did as the fortune-teller told her.

 She rode on the back of the great black bull for many miles, until she was faint with hunger and thirst. "Eat out of my left ear" said the bull, "and drink out of my right". The girl did as he suggested and to her amazement found in each ear all the food and drink she wanted.

 In the evening they came to a fine castle. "We will spend the night here", said the bull, "in my brother's castle".

 The girl was lifted off his back and taken into the castle while the bull was led into a field. To her surprise she found her eldest sister living there as the lady of the house. They greeted each other joyfully, then her sister said. "The black bull is really the Lord of Norroway. A spell was cast many years ago which turned him into a bull."

 That night the girl slept in great luxury and the next day her sister gave her a beautiful apple. "Keep it", she said, "and do not break it until you are in great trouble".

 All that day the girl travelled on the black bull's back, until evening when they came to another fine castle. "We will stay the night here, in this castle where my second brother lives", said the bull.

 This time the girl found her other sister living there as a grand lady. She spent the night in a room hung with gold tapestries and in the morning her sister gave her a pear.

 "Keep it safe", she said, "until the day when you are in great need. Only then should you break it open".

 That day, the girl and the black bull travelled on again. Further and further they journeyed further than the girl thought possible. She was exhausted when they arrived in the evening at a castle that was grander than any she had seen.

 "This is my home", said the bull, "and we will stay here for tonight". The girl was well looked after as before and the next morning she was given a beautiful plum.

 "Keep this carefuly", she was told, "until the day when you are in great need. Only then should you break it open".

 On the fourth day the great black bull took her to a deep dark valley, where he asked her to get off his back. "You must Stay here", he said, "while I go and fight the devil. You will know if I win, for everything around will turn blue, but if I lose, everything you see will turn red. Sit on this boulder and remember you must not move, not even a hand or a foot, until I return. For if you move, I shall never find you again".

 The girl promised to do as she was told, for by now she loved and trusted the bull. For hours and hours she sat on the boulder without moving, then, just when she felt she could wait no longer, everything around her suddenly went blue. She was so delighted that she moved one foot. She moved it only a little, just enough to cross it over the other, forgetting her promise for a moment.

 The bull returned after his victory but, just as he had said, he could not find her anywhere. The girl stayed in the valley for hours weeping for what she had done, and at last she set off alone, although she did not know where to go.

 After she had wandered from valley to valley for several days, the young girl came to a glass mountain. She tried to climb it, but each time her feet slipped backwards, and eventually she gave up. Soon after this she met a blacksmith who told her that if she worked for him for seven years he would make her special shoe of iron that would take her over the glass mountain.

 For seven long years she worked hard for the blacksmith, and at the end of that time he kept his promise and made her the shoes to take her on her way. On the other side of the mountain she stopped at a little house where a washerwoman and her daughter were scrubbing some bloodstained clothes in a tub.

 "The finest lord I have ever seen left these clothes here seven years ago", said the washerwoman. "He told us that whoever washed out the bloodstains would be his wife. But for seven long years we have washed and rinsed, and the stains remain".

 "Let me try", said the girl, and the first time she washed the clothes the bloodstains disappeared. Absolutely delighted, the washerwoman rushed off and told the lord of the castle nearby that the clothes were clean. Now this lord was the Lord of Norroway, and the old woman lied to him, saying that it was her own daughter who had done the task. She thought it would be a fine thing for her daughter to marry a lord. The wedding was arranged for the next day, and there seemed nothing the young girl could do to stop it.

 Then she remembered the apple she had been given so long ago. Surely the time had come to open it. Inside were jewels, which sparkled and shone. She showed these to the washerwoman, and asked if she could see the lord alone that evening. "The jewels will all be yours if you arrange this for me", she said.

 The washerwoman took the jewels greedily, but before she allowed the girl to go to the lord's room, she put a sleeping potion in his drink, so that he slept deeply the whole night through.

 The girl sat by his bedside, and she cried: "Seven long years I served for thee,

 The glassy hill I climbed for thee,

 The bloodstained clothes I washed for thee,

 Wilt thou not wake, and turn to me?" but the Lord of Norroway slept on.

 The next day the girl was overcome with grief because she had failed to stop the wedding, so she broke open the pear. It contained even more lovely jewels than the apple. She took these to the washerwoman. "Marry your daughter tomorrow", she begged once again, "not today, and let me see the lord alone once more. In return the jewels will be yours".

 The washerwoman agreed, but again slipped a sleeping potion into the lord's drink.

 For the second time the girl sat by his bedside and cried:

 "Seven long years I served for them,

 The glassy hill I climbed for thee,

 The bloodstained clothes I washed for thee,

 Wilt thou not wake and turn to me?"

 but the Lord of Norroway slept on.

 The next morning the girl broke open the beautiful plum she had been given, and found an even greater collection of splendid jewels. She offered them to the greedy washerwoman who agreed to put off the wedding one more day. That night she once more put the sleeping potion into the lord's drink. But this time the lord poured away the drink when the washerwoman was not looking for he suspected trickery of some kind.

 When the girl came to his room for the third time and cried:

 "Seven long years I served for thee,

 The glassy hill I climbed for thee,

 The bloodstained clothes I washed for thee,

 Wilt thou not wake and turn to me?"

 the Lord of Narraway turned and saw her.

 As they talked he told her his story: how a spell had been cast on him turning him into a bull, how he had fought and beaten the devil and the spell had been broken. "Ever since then", he said, "I have been searching for you".

 The Lord of Narraway and the youngest daughter were married next day, and lived happily in the castle. "I little thought", she said, "the day I saw the black bull coming down the road, that I had truly found my fortune."

 The Rats' Daughter.

 Mr and Mrs Rat had the most beautiful daughter. She had the longest slinkiest tail you could imagine, and the most remarkable long elegant whiskers. Her silky coat was a lovely glowing pinkish brown colour, and her teeth were gleaming white with sharp points. She was in every way a very lovely young rat.

 Mr Rat was hoping to find a handsome young rat as a husband for this daughter. Mrs Rat, however, was more ambitious and hoped to marry her daughter to the most powerful creature in the world.

 "I have been thinking, my dear", she said to Mr Rat one day, "that there is nothing more powerful in the world than the Sun. I feel sure the Sun would like to marry our lovely daughter".

 Mr Rat was rather taken aback by this idea, but seeing that his wife's mind was made up, he agreed. So they all set off to call on the Sun.

 Now the Sun was not at all interested in the idea of marrying a rat - even a very beautiful rat - but he listened politely to what the parents had to say, and thought for a few moments before replying.

 "You flatter me when you say I am the most powerful thing in the world, for I am not as powerful as that Cloud you can see over there. He can stand in front of me, and shut off my light and heat whenever he wants. I think your daughter would do better to marry the Cloud".

 Mr and Mrs Rat were delighted with his suggestion, for they could see at once that what the Sun had said was true. Certainly the Cloud was more powerful than the Sun, for at any time he could cover the Sun whether the Sun wanted it or not. "We should go to the Cloud with our daughter", they agreed, "and offer him the chance to marry a bride of the greatest beauty".

 The Cloud was rather surprised when Mr and Mrs Rat called on him to offer him their daughter's hand in marriage. He agreed with them that she was indeed a most beautiful rat, but he did not like the idea of marrying at all. He considered carefully before replying.

 "My friend the Sun is kind to describe me as the most powerful thing in the world but I'm afraid he's mistaken. The Wind is for more powerful than I am. The Wind can blow me across the sky at a moment's notice. I think you should call on the Wind and suggest he marries your daughter".

 Mr and Mrs Rat saw at once that what the Cloud said was true so they took their daughter to visit the Wind.

 The Wind stopped blowing for a few minutes to talk to the Rat family, but he did not like the idea of marrying at all. He was for too busy to stay still in one place for long, even for a few minutes.

 So the Wind said to Mr and Mrs Rat:

 "The Cloud was right to say I am more powerful than he, but have you considered that the Wall over there is more powerful than me? However hard I blow, I can never blow him down. I think you should take your beautiful daughter to him. He is the most powerful of all".

 The Wind rushed off, leaving Mr and Mrs Rat nodding at his wisdom. "Come along child", they said to their daughter. "We will go and see the Wall. He will surely be glad to have such a beautiful bride".

 When they arrived at the Wall, Mr and Mrs Rat bowed low before him, for they could see he was extremely strong and powerful. They explained that they had come to offer him their beautiful daughter as a wife and the Wall replied that he would think over the idea very carefully. But while he was thinking, there was a sudden and unexpected interruption.

 "I don't want to marry a Wall", shouted Miss Rat, twitching her whiskers and stamping her foot. "I would have married the Sun, or the Cloud, or the Wind, but I don't want to have a Wall for my husband", and she burst into tears.

 Mr and Mrs Rat were horrified at their daughter's rudeness, but the Wall said with great tact, "Your daughter is right. She should not marry me. There is only one animal who can reduce me, a Wall, into dust. That animal is the rat, who can gnaw through me with his sharp teeth. I would advise you to marry your daughter to the finest rat you can find. She will never have a more powerful husband".

 And so it ended happily. Mr Rat was glad because he had always thought there was no finer creature on earth than the rat. Mrs Rat was pleased now that she knew how powerful a rat husband would be. As for the Rats' Daughter, she thought she would be very happy indeed married to a handsome young rat.

 Pegas The Winged Horse.

 Long, long ago, there lived the fiercest monster imaginable, called the Chimera. He had three heads, each of them different, and could breathe fire from all three mouths at once. One head was shaped like a goat, one like a lion, and the third was in the form of a serpent. All might have been well if the monster had lived quietly in the mountains, but he was forever coming down into the cities and villages, eating people, destroying buildings and burning up crops on the farms. No one could get near enough to kill him and it looked as though the whole of the country would be destroyed by the Chimera.

 The king of this land offered a great reward to anyone who would rid him of the Chimera. There was a young man called Bellerophon, who wanted to prove his bravery, and so he came forward. He had an idea that if he could attack the monster from the air he might have a chance of winning.

 One night, in a dream, Athene, the Goddess of Wisdom, came to Bellerophon and told him about Pegasus, the winged horse of the gods, of the fountain where the horse liked to drink, and where he might find a golden bridle which would help him tame the horse. After a long journey Bellerophon reached the fountain and found the bridle of gold. He hid until Pegasus came to drink, then crept up and slipped the bridle over the horse's neck.

 Pegasus, who had never been touched by a man before, jumped away, and as he did so Bellerophon leapt onto his back. A great snuggle then took place between them for Pegasus tried every trick he knew to throw Bellerophon. He soared up into the sky; he twisted, bucked, reared, spun round. Somehow Bellerophon hung on, and at last he was able to get the bit into Pegasus's mouth. Soon after this Pegasus gave in and came to rest on the ground, his sides heaving with exhaustion.

 Bellerophon explained to the beautiful white winged horse why he had captured him, and how he needed his help to save the kingdom from the fire-eating monster. As he spoke, he saw that there were tears in the horses eyes, and said, "I cannot do this to you. It is no quarrel of yours. You shall go free and I must find some other way to win this victory". He took off the bridle and watched Pegasus soar into the sky.

 In a few minutes, just as he was about to start his journey home, he felt a gentle nuzzle by his arm. To Bellerophon's delight the horse had returned of his own free will.

 For many days they trained together so that they would have the best possible chance against the Chimera. At last, the day came. Bellerophon took out his finest armour, sharpened his sword and flew off on Pegasus's back to seek the monster.

 The Chimera was outside his cave, preparing to raid another village. Before he knew what was happening, and without hearing more than a faint whirr in the air above him, he felt an agonizing blow. Bellerophon had chopped off one of his heads. It was the goat's head, and it lay in the dust while the monster roared with pain and lashed his tail with rage. Smoke and flames shot out in every direction as he tried to find his attacker.

 Hidden by the smoke, Pegasus and Bellerophon were able to swoop down on him again and in a flash the sword swept through another neck. This time the lion's head rolled in the dust. The monster was wild and savage with pain and anger. He hurled himself at his attackers, and clung to Pegasus with his huge scaly claws as the horse rose into the air. Bellerophon thought they would surely die; the heat from the flames was terrible, and the serpents head was only inches from his own. But the horse never wavered, soaring higher and higher into the air.

 As the serpent's head stretched out to strike, Bellerophon saw a weak spot under its neck and drove his sword in with all his strength. The Chimera gave a ghastly scream. His hold on Pegasus loosened and he tumbled backwards in a shower of sparks. He crashed to the ground burning as he went.

 Bellerophon became a great hero, and so did the winged horse. They had other adventures together, but when Bellerophon tried to fly to heaven with Pegasus he was thrown. Some people said that Zeus, the king of the gods, was jealous, and sent an insect to tickle Pegasus and make him throw his rider. Pegasus went on flying up to heaven where he was changed into a group of stars, which you may see shining in the sky on a clear night.

 More Tales Of Brer Rabbit.

 One hot summer's day Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and the other animals were clearing some ground so that it could be planted for the next year. The sun got hot and Brer Rabbit got tired. By and by he hollered out that he had a thorn in his hand and he slipped off to find a cool place to rest. He came across a well with two buckets hanging over it.

 "That looks cool!", says Brer Rabbit to himself. "I'll just get in there and take a nap". And with that, in he jumped.

 He was no sooner in the bucket than it began to drop down the well. There has never been a more scared creature than Brer Rabbit at that moment. Suddenly he felt the bucket hit the water. And Brer Rabbit, he kept as still as he could and just lay there and shook and shivered.

 Now Brer Fox always had one eye on Brer Rabbit, and when he slipped off Brer Fox sneaked after him. He knew Brer Rabbit was up to something. Brer Fox saw Brer Rabbit go to the well, jump in the bucket and disappear out of sight.

 Brer Fox was the most astonished fox that you ever laid eyes on. He sat there in the bushes and thought and thought and thought but could not make head or tail of; What was going on.

 Then he said to himself, "Right down in that well is where Brer Rabbit keeps his money hidden. If that's not it, then he's discovered a gold mine. I'm going to find out".

 Brer Fox crept a little nearer, but he heard nothing. So he crept a little nearer again and still heard nothing. Then he got right up close and peered down into the well.

 All this time Brer Rabbit was lying in the bucket scared out of his skin. If he moved the bucket might tip over and spill him out into the water. As he was saying his prayers, old Brer Fox hollered out,

 "Heyo, Brer Rabbit, who are you visiting down there?"

 "Who? Me? Oh, I'm just fishing, Brer Fox", says Brer Rabbit. "I just said to myself I'd sort of surprise you with a lot of fishes for dinner, so here I am, and here are all the fishes. I'm fishing for suckers, Brer Fox", says Brer Rabbit.

 "Are there many down there, Brer Rabbit?" says Brer Fox.

 "Lots of them, Brer Fox. Scores and scores of them. The water is alive with them. Come down and help me haul them in".

 "How am I going to get down, Brer Rabbit?"

 "Jump into the bucket, Brer Fox. It will bring you down safe and sound".

 Brer Rabbit sounded so happy, that Brer Fox jumped into the other bucket and it began to fall. As he went down into the well, his weight pulled Brer Rabbit's bucket up. When they passed one another, half-way up and half-way down, Brer Rabbit called out,

 "Goodbye, Brer Fox, take care of your clothes,

 For this is the way the world goes,

 Some goes up and some goes down,

 You'll get to the bottom safe and sound".

 Brer Rabbit's bucket reached the top of the well and he jumped out. He galloped off to the people who owned the well and told them that Brer Fox was down in the well muddying their drinking water. Then he galloped back to the well and hollered down to Brer Fox,

 "Here comes a man with a great big gun,

 When he hauls you up, you jump and run".

 Well, in about half an hour both of them were back on the ground that was being cleared, working as though they'd never heard of any well, except every now and then Brer Rabbit burst out laughing. And Brer Fox, he looked mighty sore.

 Now this is how Brer Fox got his revenge. One day he got some tar, mixed it with some turpentine and fixed up a contraption which he called a Tar-Baby. He took this Tar-Baby and he sat her in the middle of the road and then he lay in the bushes to see what was going to happen.

 Brer Fox did not have to wait long because by and by along came Brer Rabbit all dressed up as fine as a jay-bird. Lippity-clippity clippity-lippity, Brer Rabbit pranced along until he spied the Tar-Baby. He stopped in Astonishment.

 "Morning!" says Brer Rabbit. "Nice weather this morning!" he says. But the Tar-Baby said nothing and Brer Fox, he lay low.

 "Are you deaf?" says Brer Rabbit, "for if you are, I can holler louder". And he hollers, "can you hear me now?"

 The Tar-Baby stayed still and Brer Fox, he lay low.

 "You're stuck up, that's what you are", shouts Brer Rabbit.

 "I'm going to teach you how to talk to respectable folks. If you don't take that hat off, I'll hit you".

 But of course the Tar-Baby stayed still and Brer Fox, he lay low. Brer Rabbit drew back his fist and blip, he hit the side of the Tar-Baby's head. His fist stuck and he couldn't pull loose.

 "If you don't let me - loose I'll hit you again", says Brer Rabbit, and he swiped at the Tar-Baby with his other hand and that stuck too.

 "Let me loose before I kick the stuffing out of you", hollers Brer Rabbit.

 But the Tar-Baby said nothing. She just held on and Brer Rabbit soon found his feet stuck in the same way. Then he butted the Tar-Baby with his head and that stuck too.

 Now Brer Fox sauntered out of the bushes, looking as innocent as a mocking-bird.

 "Howdy, Brer Rabbit", he says, "you look sort of stuck up this morning", and he rolled on the ground with laughter.

 As Brer Rabbit struggled on the ground with the Tar-Baby, Brer Fox crowed triumphantly,

 "Had! I've got you this time and it's your own fault. No one asked you to strike up and acquaintance with the Tar-Baby. You just stuck yourself on to it, and now I'm going to make a fire and barbecue you".

 Then Brer Rabbit began to talk in a very humble voice.

 "I don't care what you do to me", he says, "as long as you don't throw me in that briar patch".

 "It's so much trouble to kindle a fire, I think I'll hang you or drown you instead," says Brer Fox.

 "Hang me as high as you please, drown me as deep as you please, Brer Fox, but don't fling me in that briar patch".

 Now Brer Fox wanted to hurt Brer Rabbit as much as possible, so he picked him up by the hind legs and slung him right into the middle of the briar patch. With that, Brer Fox turned his back on Brer Rabbit and sauntered off down the road, looking mighty pleased with himself.

 Suddenly he heard someone calling him. Way up the hill was Brer Rabbit sitting cross-legged on a log, combing tar out of his fur. Then Brer Fox knew he'd been tricked, and just to rub it in Brer Rabbit called out,

 "Bred and born in a briar patch, Brer Fox, bred and born in a briar patch".

 With that, he skipped off as lively as a cricket and lived to trick Brer Fox another day.

 The Tinder Box.

 A soldier was marching along the road on his way home from the wars one day when an old woman came out from behind a tree and stopped him. She was as ugly as a witch but she seemed friendly enough as she admired the soldier's sword.

 "How would you like to take home with you as much money as you can carry, soldier?" she asked.

 "I'd like it a lot", he said, "only where can I find the money, old woman?"

 "Listen and I'll tell you", the witch woman replied. "If you climb into this tree, you will find it is hollow. Go down inside it and you will find yourself in a deep shaft. At the bottom there is a passage and you will see three doors".

 "The first door leads to a room guarded by a fierce dog with eyes as big as tea cups. In it you will find as much bronze money as you could want. Take this apron of mine and spread it out on the floor. If the dog sits on it he will do you no harm. But if you prefer it, go on to the second door".

 "What shall I find there?" interrupted the soldier.

 "Ah!" said the old woman. "There you will find as much silver as you can carry, and more. But this room is guarded by a dog whose eyes are as big as mill wheels. He too is fierce, but will not hurt you once he has sat on my apron."

 "In the last room you will find gold coins, masses and masses of gold coins, but take care here, for the dog that guards the gold has eyes as big as towers. He is even fiercer, but he too will not hurt you if he sits on my apron".

 "It all sounds very good, old woman", said the soldier cheerfully, "but what are you going to get out of it? I can't believe you would give me this chance to get rich without wanting a favour of some kind yourself".

 "Quite right, soldier", she replied. "You must bring me the tinder box that lies on the table at the end of the passage. My grandmother gave it to me, but I forgot to bring it up last time I was down there. I'm too old now to climb down the shaft to fetch it. Tie this rope round your waist so that I can help pull you up when you have finished".

 The soldier tied the rope round his waist and climbed into the hollow tree. It was just as the old woman had described and the soldier clambered down a long shaft deep into the ground, and found himself in a passage. It was lit by many candles so he could see the three doors quite clearly.

 He opened the first door and gasped with pleasure. There before him were chests and chests of bronze money but standing in front of them was a fierce-looking dog with eyes as big as tea cups. The soldier whistled cheerfully and laid the apron on the floor.

 To his relief the dog sat on the apron and the soldier went over to the chests and stuffed his pockets with the bronze money. Then he picked up the apron and returned to the passage.

 The soldier went on to the second door, and when he peeped inside he saw an even fiercer dog with eyes as big as mill wheels. Behind him were caskets full of silver. The greedy soldier put the witchs apron on the ground and as soon as the dog was sitting on it, he emptied all the bronze money out of his pockets, picked up handfuls of silver coins and filled his pockets and his knapsack. He was so weihed down when he left the room he could scarcely pick up the witch's apron. He then staggered on down the passage to the third door.

 Inside, the whole room seemed to sparkle from the gold the soldier could see, but between him and the gold stood the fiercest-looking dog he had ever seen with eyes as big as towers. The soldier spread the apron on the floor very carefully and to his relief the dog sat on it. The soldier quickly threw out all the silver he had collected, and picked up gold coins as fast as he could, cramming them into his pockets, his knapsack and even his hat.

 The soldier went back to the shaft to climb up into the hollow tree. He tugged at the rope so the old woman could help him, but she called down:

 "Did you get my tinder box, soldier?"

 "Why no, I forgot!" called back the soldier. "I'll get it now". He went back along the passage and found the tinder box where she had said it would be, and he picked it up and returned to the bottom of the shaft.

 As soon as he was out of the hollow tree the soldier asked the old woman why the tinder box was so important to her but she would not tell him.

 "If you don't answer me", he shouted, "I shall cut off your head with my fine sword", but the old woman just held out her hand for the tinder box. The soldier, who was used to getting his own way, drew his sword and with one swift stroke he chopped off her head.

 The soldier went on his way cheerfully, and in the evening he came to a big town and took rooms in the best inn. The innkeeper was surprised that a mere soldier wanted such an expensive room, and the boot boy wondered at the shabby old boots put out to be cleaned, but they said nothing, for they had seen the gleam of gold in the soldier's hand.

 The next day, the soldier went out and bought himself fine clothes and new boots. For many months he stayed in the inn, and lived like a rich gentleman. He made many friends and gave wild expensive parties. Each day his supply of gold got less until the day came when he had nothing at all.

 Now the soldier had to move into a small dismal attic room. His new friends disappeared and the soldier found himself alone and cold and hungry. One dark night as he sat huddled in a chair he caught sight of an old candle stub. It was all he had left to give him a few moments of warmth and light. Remembering the old woman's tinder box, he struck it once to light the candle. To his amazement he saw the dog with eyes as big as tea cups in the room with him.

 "What do you want, master?" the dog asked. "Shall I fetch you some money?" and even as the soldier nodded the dog disappeared and returned with a bag of bronze coins in his mouth.

 The soldier struck the tinder box twice and the dog with eyes as big as mill wheels was there, saying, "What do you want, master?" and he too disappeared and came back with a bag of money, but this time it was in silver coins.

 The soldier struck the tinder box again three times, and there was the huge dog with eyes as big as towers. In a flash, he too disappeared and returned with a bag of gold coins.

 "Now I know why the old woman was so anxious to get this tinder box", said the soldier, smiling to himself.

 The next day he moved to fine lodgings and all his friends came to see him again, and the parties started once more. The soldier seemed to have everything he could want, but there was one thing he could not do, and this annoyed him very much. At the end of the town was the king's palace, and it was said the king had a most beautiful daughter. The soldier longed to see her but his friends told him it was impossible.

 "No one is allowed to see her", they said. "The king was once told that she would marry a common soldier so now he keeps her in the palace here she will never meet anyone but a prince".

 The soldier often thought about the princess and wondered how he could arrange to see her. One night he had an idea. He struck the tinder box once and when the dog with eyes as big as tea cups appeared, he did not ask for money as he usually did, but told the dog he wished to see the princess. In no time at all the dog returned carrying the sleeping princess on its back. The soldier found her extremely beautiful and made up his mind that each night one of the dogs should bring the princess to him.

 One morning the princess told her parents of a dream she often had. It is a strange dream, she said. "A huge dog with enormous eyes appears and carries me into the town and then to a room where there is a fine rich gentleman."

 The king and queen were worried and asked one of the ladies-in-waiting to watch the princess during the night. That night the lady-in-waiting kept watch and saw a great dog with eyes as big as mill wheels carry the princess away on its back. Quickly she followed them through the town to the house where the dog took the princess. Then she made a cross on the door with chalk. But the dog saw her and, after he had returned the princess to the palace, he put chalk crosses on all the doors in the town.

 The next day the king and queen, led by the lady-in-waiting, set out to find the scoundrel who sent his dog each night to fetch their daughter, but as they found each door marked with a cross they were completely confused. The queen was determined to find out what happened to their daughter each night, so she made another plan. She filled a little silk bag with fine flour, snipped a small hole in the corner and tied this to her daughter before she went to bed.

 The next morning she and the king were able in follow the trail of flour to the soldier's lodgings. Immediately the king had the soldier thrown into prison, and announced that he would be executed the next day.

 As the soldier sat in his cell waiting for death, a boy outside tripped and lost his shoe through the cell grating. "If you want it back", called the soldier, "go to my lodgings and bring me my tinder box. I'll give you four pence too". The boy went willingly to fetch the tinder box fox he was glad to earn four pence.

 A large crowd gathered to see the soldier executed. As he climbed the scaffold the soldier asked for one last wish.

 "Let me smoke my pipe one last time before I die", he said.

 "Very well, soldier", said the king. "Your wish is granted".

 The soldier took out his tinder box, lie struck it once, then twice, then three times.

 Immediately the three huge dogs appeared and their master shouted, "Save me!"

 The dogs bounded forward and the king and queen and all the guards were slain. Most of the crowd ran away, but those who stayed decided that the soldier should be their new king. They could see he was very powerful!

 The soldier gladly accepted and the first thing he did was to marry the beautiful princess. They lived together in the palace and the soldier always had everything he wanted, for the dog with eyes as big as tea cups, the dog with eyes as big as mill wheels and the dog with eyes as big as towers were always there to carry out his orders. And from that day onwards, the soldier was careful to carry the tinder box with him wherever he went.

 The Old Woman And Her Pig.

 There was once an old woman who found some money under the floorboards of her house. "How lucky I am", she said. "I can go to the market and buy myself a pig".

 So the old woman went to the market and bought herself a fine pig. Now it's easy to take a pig home from market if you have a lorry or truck, or even a cart, but the old woman had none of these and so she had to walk home with the pig.

 On the way she decided to take a short cut through the fields. But she had forgotten that there was a stile between two fields on her way and now, however hard she tried, the old woman could not make the pig climb over the stile.

 The old woman saw a dog so she said:

 "Dog! Dog! Bite the pig!

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the dog would not bite the pig.

 Then the old woman saw a stick, and she said:

 "Stick! Stick! Beat the dog!

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the stick would not beat the dog.

 The old woman went a little farther and she found a fire, and she said:

 "Fire! Fire! Burn the stick!

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the fire would not burn the stick.

 The old woman was getting very cross wondering how she was ever going to get the pig over the stile, when she saw a bucket of water. So she said:

 "Water! Water! Put out the fire!

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the water would not put out the fire.

 The old woman went a little farther and she saw a bull standing in the field. So she said:

 "Bull! Bull! Drink the water!

 The water won't put out the fire.

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the bull would not drink the water.

 The old woman went a little farther and met a butcher. So she said:

 "Butcher! Butcher! Kill the bull!

 The bull won't drink the water,

 The water won't put out the fire.

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig.

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the butcher would not kill the bull.

 The old woman went a little farther and saw a rope, and she said:

 "Rope! Rope! Hang the butcher!

 The butcher won't kill the bull,

 The bull won't drink the water.

 The water won't put out the fire,

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the rope would not hang the butcher.

 Then the old woman went a little farther and caught sight of a rat, and she said:

 "Rat! Rat! Gnaw the rope!

 The rope won't hang the butcher,

 The butcher won't kill the bull,

 The bull won't drink the water,

 The water won't put out the fire,

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb oer the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!"

 But the rat would not gnaw the rope.

 The old woman wondered what on earth she was going to do when she saw a cat, and she said:

 Cat! Cat! Catch the rat!

 The rat won't gnaw the rope,

 The rope won't hang the butcher,

 The butcher won't kill the bull,

 The bull won't drink the water,

 The water won't put out the fire,

 The fire won't burn the stick,

 The stick won't beat the dog,

 The dog won't bite the pig,

 The pig won't climb over the stile, and I shan't get home tonight!

 The cat said, "if you bring me a saucer of milk I will catch the rat for you".

 The old woman jumped for joy and ran over to a cow in the next field, crying, "Cow! Cow! Will you give me some milk for the cat?" and the cow said:

 "If you bring me some hay from that haystack over there I will give you some milk".

 So the old woman fetched some hay for the cow and the cow let the old woman milk her. She took the milk to the cat and the cat lapped it up.

 Then the cat began to chase the rat,

 The rat began to gnaw the rope,

 The rope began to hang the butcher,

 The butcher began to kill the bull,

 The bull began to drink the water,

 The water began to put out the fire,

 The fire beg an to burn the stick,

 The stick began to beat the dog,

 The dog began to bite the pig,

 The pig got a tremendous fright and leapt over the stile and the old lady got home that night.

 Alladin And His Wonderful Lamp.

 Far off in a beautiful city in China a ragged urchin called Aladdin used to play in the street. His father, a poor tailor, tried to make him work, but Aladdin was lazy and disobedient, and refused even to help in his father's shop. Even after his father died Aladdin still preferred to roam in the streets with his friends, and did not feel ashamed to eat the food his mother bought with the money she earned by spinning cotton.

 One day a wealthy stranger came to the city. He noticed Aladdin in the street and thought, "That lad looks as though he has no purpose in life. It will not matter if I use him, then kill him."

 The stranger quickly found out that Aladdin's father, Mustapha, was now dead. He called Aladdin over to him.

 "Greetings, nephew", he said, "I am your father's brother. I have returned to China only to find my dear brother, Mustapha, is dead. Take this money and tell your mother I shall visit her".

 Aladdin's mother was puzzled when Aladdin told her the stranger's message. "You have no uncle", she said. "I don't understand why this man should give us money".

 The next day the stranger came to their house and talked about how he had loved his brother and offered to buy a fine shop where Aladdin could sell beautiful things to the rich people in the city. He gave Aladdin some new clothes and in a short while. Aladdin's mother began to believe this man was a relation.

 The stranger now invited Aladdin to go with him to the rich part of the city. Together they walked through beautiful gardens and parks where Aladdin had never been before, until he found himself far from home. At last the stranger showed Aladdin a flat stone with an iron ring set into it.

 "Lift this stone for me, nephew", he said, "and go into the cavern below. Walk through three caves where you will see gold and silver stored. Do not touch it. You will then pass through a garden full of wonderful fruit and beyond the trees you will find a lamp. Pour out the oil and bring the lamp to me. Pick some of the fruit on your return if you wish".

 Aladdin lifted the stone and saw some steps leading down into a cave. He was frightened to go down but the stranger placed a gold ring with a great green emerald on his finger.

 "Take this ring as a gift", he said, "but you must go or I shall not buy you a shop".

 Now the stranger was in fact a magician. He had read about a lamp with magical powers and he had travelled far to find it. He knew the magic would not work for him unless the lamp was fetched from the cavern and handed to him by someone else. After Aladdin had brought him the lamp the magician planned to shut him in the cave to die.

 Down in the cavern Aladdin found all as he had been told. He hurried through the rooms filled with silver and gold, and passed through the garden where the trees were hung with shimmering fruit of all colours. At the far end stood an old lamp. Aladdin took it, poured out the oil, and then picked some of the dazzling fruit from the trees as the magician had suggested. To his surprise they were all made from stones. Aladdin took as many as he could carry and returned to the steps.

 "Give me the lamp", demanded the magician as soon as Aladdin came into sight.

 "Help me out first", replied Aladdin who could not hand him the lamp because his arms were so full. They argued fiercely until crash, the stone slab fell back into place. The magician could not move the stone from the outside, nor Aladdin from within. He was trapped. The magician knew he had failed in his quest and decided to leave the country at once.

 For two days Aladdin tried to get out of the cave. He became weak with hunger and thirst and finally as he sat in despair he rubbed his hands together. By chance he rubbed the gold ring that the stranger had given him. There was a blinding flash and a genie appeared. "I am the genie of the ring. What can I do for you, master?" it said.

 "Get me out of here", Aladdin gasped. He was terrified of the great burning spirit of the genie glowing in the cavern. Before he knew what had happened he was standing on the ground above the entrance to the cavern. Of the stone slab there was no sign. Aladdin set off for home and collapsed with hunger as he entered the house.

 His mother was overjoyed to see him. She gave him all the scraps of food she had and when she said she had no more Aladdin suggested selling the lamp to buy some food.

 "I'll get a better price for it, if it's clean", she thought, and she rubbed the lamp with a cloth. In a flash the genie appeared. Aladdin's mother fainted in horror but Aladdin seized the lamp. When the genie saw him with the lamp it said:

 "I am the genie of the lamp. What can I do for you, master?"

 "Get me some food", ordered Aladdin.

 By the time his mother had recovered there were twelve silver dishes of food and twelve silver cups on the table. Aladdin and his mother ate as they had never eaten before. They had enough for several days, and then Aladdin began to sell the silver dishes and cups. He and his mother lived comfortably in this way for some time.

 Then it happened that Aladdin saw the sultan's daughter, Princess Badroulboudoir. Aladdin loved her at first sight and sent his mother to the sultan's court to ask the sultan's permission for the princess to marry him. He told her to take as a gift the stone fruits he had brought from the cave.

 It was several days before Aladdin's mother could speak with the sultan, but at last she was able to give him the stone fruits. The sultan was truly amazed.

 "Your son has such fine jewels he would make a good husband for my daughter, I am sure", he told Aladdin's mother.

 But the sultan's chief courtier was jealous. He wanted his son to marry the princess. Quickly, he advised the sultan to say he would decide on the marriage in three months time. Aladdin was happy when he heard the news. He felt sure he would marry the princess in three months time.

 But at the palace, the chief courtier spoke against Aladdin and when Aladdin's mother returned in three months, the sultan asked her:

 "Can your son send me forty golden bowls full of jewels like the ones he sent before only this time carried by forty servants?"

 Aladdin rubbed the lamp once more and before long forty servants each carrying a gold bowl filled with sparkling jewel were assembled in the courtyard of their little house.

 When the sultan saw them, he said:

 "I am sure now that the owner of these riches will make a fine husband for my daughter".

 But the chief courtier suggested yet another test. "Ask the woman", he said, "if her son has a palace fit for your daughter to live in".

 "I'll give him the land and he can build a new palace", declared the sultan, and he presented Aladdin with land in front of his own palace.

 Aladdin summoned the genie of the lamp once more. Overnight the most amazing palace appeared with walls of gold and silver, huge windows, beautiful halls and courtyards and rooms filled with treasures. A carpet of red velvet was laid from the old palace to the new, for the princess to walk on to her new home. Aladdin then asked the genie for some fine clothes for himself and his mother, and a glorious wedding took place with a splendid banquet eaten off golden dishes.

 Aladdin took care always to keep the wonderful lamp safe. One day the princess gave it to an old beggar who was the magician in disguise, but that story, and the story of how Aladdin got it back again, will have to keep for another time.