 All About the Little Small Red Hen by Anonymous This is LibriVox Recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. All About the Little Small Red Hen Once upon a time, though I can't say exactly when, there lived away in the country a little small red hen. She wore a nice little apron and a little sun bonnet, too, and she walked pickety-pickety as little hens always do. She had lived the whole of her little life in the same little house it stood, all by itself in a lonely spot just at the edge of a wood. It was very snug and cozy and warm, and the garden wasn't big, but just what a little small red hen could nicely manage to dig. And once upon a time, just the same time of course, there also lived a wicked old fox among the heath and gorse. Silently, slyly, he crept around the fields, stealing geese and ducks and cocks, dressed in a hat and long great coat, this wicked, cunning old fox. His house was perched on top of the hill. It was made of rock and stone. He and his wife, old mother fox, they lived there all alone. It was large and damp and drafty, ugly and cold and bare. A tidy little small red hen would never be happy there. Now, the wicked old fox had often tried, over and over again, to catch by some sly trick or other the little small red hen. But she was far too clever for him. She never let him find her, and whenever she left her little house, she would lock the door behind her. One morning, very early indeed, before the sun was hot, the wicked old fox said to mother fox, put on the big black pot. I'm going to have another try. I shall soon be back, and then, I promise, you'll see at last, I've caught the little small red hen. So he put on his cap and shoulder to sack, and walked very sly and slow, and after a while he came in sight of the snug little house below. And he laid the sack very softly down on the ground behind a tree, and then lay down to wait and watch as quiet as quiet could be. He was getting tired of waiting there when the house door opened wide, and the little small red hen came forth to gather sticks outside. Walking pickety-pickety, exceedingly neat and prim, and the wicked old fox lay watching, she never once thought of him. While she was picking up the sticks, he slipped behind the door and left ho-ho to himself very low as he put the sack on the floor. He stood there, hiding and chuckling, and peeping through the crack, and he saw the little small red hen in a minute or two come back. She stepped inside with her bundle of sticks, as cheerful as one could be. When the wicked old fox sprang full at her throat, I've got you now, cried he. What good are bolts and bars, he said, how silly you must be to think that they could ever keep out a cunning old fox like me. Of course the poor little small red hen was now in a terrible fright. She gave a scream and dropped her sticks. They tumbled left and right. But she just had time to fly on a beam that went across overhead, quite out of reach of the wicked old fox. But I'll have you yet, he said. Then he began to run round and round and round and round beneath, looking up every now and then, laughing and showing his teeth. It made her dreadfully dizzy and faint. She gave a cluck and a lurch. She gave a flap and a flutter and flop, and fell right off her perch. Then the wicked old fox threw open his sack, and in less than half a minute he had picked her up with a cry of joy and hastily stuffed her in it. He swung it over his shoulder, smiled, and started off for his den. How nice you'll be for supper, said he, my dear little small red hen. So there she was, poor thing you see, shut up quite tight in the sack. She found it most unpleasant there, close and stuffy and black. But she thought of her little scissors in her apron pocket hid. I will cut a hole and see where I am, she said, and so she did. Now the sun was hot, and all the time it was getting hotter still. And the wicked old fox grew very tired as he climbed the healthy hill. He dropped on Mossy Bank and said, It may be lazy, but I think I'll just have forty winks. And his wicked eyes blinked and shut. The little small red hen indeed was also very glad to rest a bit from the jogs and jolts and the bangs and bumps she'd had. And she thought, If I cut a little hole, why not a big one too? And she cut a slit that was long enough to let her hole self through. Wasn't she pleased to be free again? She said, I must run double quick. But before I go, I'll manage to play the wicked old fox a trick. And she took a great big knobby stone, as large as a lump of coal, and heaved and pushed and pushed and heaved till she got it through the hole. And then she scuttled panting home as fast as her legs would go, not walking pickety-peckety this time, oh dear no. She scuttered and fluttered down the hill and scampered through her door. Thank goodness, she said, all out of breath. I'm safe at home once more. But when the wicked old fox woke up, it was getting dark and late. He shouldered the sack and found it now a most remarkable weight. Dear me, he said, she weighs like a goose. I thought she'd be light as a wren. What a splendid supper we'll have tonight, off the little small red hen. So heavily wearily trudged he home and kept shifting the sack about. And when at last he came to his door, there was Old Mother Fox looking out. She said to him, you look tired, my dear. And he answered, ah, she's caught. And he puffed and licked his lips and said, she's twice as fat as I thought. He asked, my love, is the pot on the boil? It's boiling fast, she replied. He said, then take the lid off, my dear, and we'll pop her plump inside. So Old Mother Fox took off the lid, hot and steaming and black, while the wicked old fox, with hurry and haste, untied the mouth of the sack. And splash went in the great big stone. It was a splash, my word. I don't suppose a splash so loud has ever before been heard. The bees and birds and bunnies all who had gone to bed for the night, for miles around woke up with a jump in a most tremendous fright. And the boiling water in the pot splashed out on every side and terribly scalded the wicked old fox and Old Mother Fox, and they died. There they lay, all still in stark, up in the house on the hill. There they lay, and for all I know, there they are lying still. But the hen lived happily just as before, in her dear little house by the wood, walking pickety-peckety, working as hard as she could. I've had a great many troubles. I hope they won't happen again. Anything for a quiet life, said the little, small, red hen. The End End of All About the Little, Small, Red Hen by Anonymous Read by Harmon Busby The Capture of Father Time by L. Frank Baum This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Jim was a son of a cowboy and lived on the broad plains of Arizona. His father had trained him to lasso a bronco or a young bull with perfect accuracy and had Jim possess the strength to back up his skill, he would have been as good a cowboy as any in all Arizona. When he was 12 years old, he made his first visit to the east, where Uncle Charles, his father's brother, lived. Of course, Jim took his lasso with him, for he was proud of his skill in casting it, and he wanted to show his cousins what a cowboy could do. At first, the city boys and girls were much interested in watching Jim lasso post and fence pickets, but soon they tired of it, and even Jim decided it was not the right sort of sport for cities. But one day the butcher asked Jim to ride one of his horses into the country, to a pasture that had been engaged, and Jim eagerly consented. He had been longing for a horseback ride, and to make it seem like old times he took his lasso with him. He rode through the streets demurely enough, but on reaching the open country roads his spirit broke forth into wild jubilation, and, urging the butcher's horse to full gallop, he dashed away in true cowboy fashion. Then he still wanted more liberty, and, letting down the bars that led into a big field, he began riding over the meadow and throwing his lasso at imaginary cattle while he yelled and whooped to his heart's content. Suddenly, on making a long cast with his lasso, the loop caught upon something and rested about three feet from the ground, while the rope drew taut and nearly pulled Jim from his horse. This was unexpected. More than that, it was wonderful, for the fields seemed bare of even a stump. His eyes grew big with amazement, but he knew he had caught something when a voice cried out, Here, let go, let go, I say. Can't you see what you've done? No, Jim couldn't see, nor did he intend to let go until he found out what was holding the loop of the lasso. So he resorted to an old trick his father had taught him, and, putting the butcher's horse to a run, began riding in a circle around the spot where his lasso had caught. As he thus drew near and near his quarry, he saw the rope coil up, yet it looked to be coiling over nothing but air. One end of the lasso was made fast to a ring in the saddle, and when the rope was almost wound up and the horse began to pull away and snort with fear, Jim dismounted. Holding the reins of the bridle in one hand, he followed the rope and an instant later saw an old man caught fast in the coils of the lasso. His head was bald and uncovered, but long white whiskers grew down to his waist. About his body was thrown a loose robe of fine white linen. In one hand he bore a great scythe, and beneath the other arm he carried an hourglass. While Jim Gays wonderingly upon him, this venerable old man spoke in an angry voice. Now then, get that rope off as fast as you can. You've brought everything on earth to a standstill by your foolishness. Well, what are you staring at? Don't you know who I am? No, said Jim stupidly. Well, I'm time. Father time. Now make haste and set me free if you want the world to run properly. How did I happen to catch you? asked Jim, without making a move to release his captive. I don't know. I've never been caught before. growled Father time. But I suppose it was because you were foolishly throwing your lasso at nothing. I didn't see you, said Jim. Of course you didn't. I'm invisible to the eyes of human beings unless they get within three feet of me. And I take care to keep more than that distance away from them. That's why I was crossing this field where I supposed no one would be. And I should have been perfectly safe had it not been for your beastly lasso. Now then, he added crossly, are you going to get that rope off? Why should I? asked Jim. Because everything in the world stopped moving the moment you caught me. I don't suppose you want to make an end of all business and pleasure and war and love and misery and ambition and everything else, do you? Not a watch has ticked since you tied me up here like a mummy. Jim laughed. It really was funny to see the old man wound round and round with coils of rope from his knees up to his chin. It'll do you good to rest, said the boy. From all I've heard, you lead a rather busy life. Indeed I do, replied Father Time with a sigh. I'm doing Kamchatka this very minute and to think one small boy is upsetting all my regular habits. Too bad, said Jim with a grin. But since the world has stopped anyhow, it won't matter if it takes a little longer recess. As soon as I let you go, Time will fly again. Where are your wings? I haven't any, answered the old man. That is a story cooked up by someone who never saw me. As a matter of fact, I move rather slowly. I see, you take your time, remarked the boy. What do you use that scythe for? To mow down the people, said the ancient one. Every time I swing my scythe, someone dies. Then I ought to win a life-saving medal by keeping you tied up, said Jim. Some folks will live this much longer. But they won't know it, said Father Time with a sad smile. So it will do them no good. You may as well untie me at once. No, said Jim with a determined air. I may never capture you again, so I'll hold you for a while and see how the world wags without you. Then he swung the old man, bound as he was, upon the back of the butcher's horse. And, getting into the saddle himself, started back toward town, one hand holding his prisoner and the other guiding the reins. When he reached the road, his eye fell on a strange tableau. A horse and buggy stood in the middle of the road, the horse in the act of trotting, with his head held high and two legs in the air, but perfectly motionless. In the buggy, a man and a woman were seated, but they had been turned to stone. They could not have been more still and stiff. There's no time for them, sighed the old man. Won't you let me go now? Not yet, replied the boy. He rode on until he reached the city, where all the people stood in exactly the same positions they were in when Jim lassoed father time. Stopping in front of a big, dry goods store, the boy hitched his horse and went in. The clerks were measuring out goods and showing patterns to the rows of customers in front of them, but everyone seemed suddenly to have become a statue. There was something very unpleasant in this scene, and a cold shiver began to run up and down Jim's back, so he hurried out again. On the edge of the sidewalk sat a poor, crippled beggar, holding out his hat, and beside him stood a prosperous looking gentleman who was about to drop a penny into the beggar's hat. Jim knew this gentleman to be very rich but rather stingy, so he ventured to run his hand into the man's pocket, take out his purse, and in which was a $20 gold piece. This glittering coin he put into the gentleman's fingers instead of the penny, and then restored the purse to the rich man's pocket. That donation will surprise him when he comes to life, thought the boy. He mounted the horse again and rode up the street, and he passed the shop of his friend, the butcher. He noticed several pieces of meat hanging outside. I'm afraid that meat'll spoil, he remarked. It takes time to spoil meat, answered the old man. This struck Jim as being queer, but true. It seems time meddles with everything, said he. Yes, you've made a prisoner out of the most important personage in the world, grown the old man, and you haven't enough sense to let him go again. Jim did not reply, and soon they came to his uncle's house where he again dismounted. The street was filled with teams and people, but all were motionless. His two little cousins were just coming out the gate on their way to school with their books and slates underneath their arms, so Jim had to jump over the fence to avoid knocking them down. In the front room sat his aunt, reading her Bible. She was just turning a page when time stopped. In the dining room was his uncle, finishing his luncheon. His mouth was open and his fork poised just before it, while his eyes were fixed upon the newspaper folded beside him. Jim helped himself to his uncle's pie, and while he ate it, he walked out to his prisoner. There's one thing I don't understand, said he. What's that? asked Father Time. Why is it that I'm able to move around while everyone else is... is froze up? That's because I'm your prisoner, answered the other. You can do anything you wish with time now, but unless you are careful, you'll do something you will be very sorry for. Jim threw the crest of his pie at a bird that was suspended in the air, where it had been flying when time stopped. Anyway, he laughed, I'm living longer than anyone else. No one will ever be able to catch up with me again. Each life has its allotted time span, said the old man. When you have lived your proper time, my scythe will mow you down. I forgot your scythe, said Jim thoughtfully. Then a spirit of mischief came into the boy's head, for he happened to think that the present opportunity to have fun would never occur again. He tied Father Time to his uncle's hitching post, that he might not escape, and then crossed the road to the corner grocery. The grocer had scolded Jim that very morning for stepping into a basket of turnips by accident, so the boy went to the back of the grocery and turned on the faucet of the molasses barrel. That'll make a nice mess when time starts, the molasses running all over the floor, said Jim with a laugh. A little further down the street was a barber shop, and sitting in the barber's chair, Jim saw the man that all the boys declared was the meanest man in town. He certainly did not like the boys, and the boys knew it. The barber was in the act of shampooing this person when time was captured. Jim ran to the drugstore, and, getting a bottle of mucilage, he returned and poured it over the ruffled hair of the unpopular citizen. That'll probably surprise him when he wakes up, thought Jim. Nearby was the schoolhouse. Jim entered it and found that only a few of the pupils were assembled, but the teacher sat at his desk, stern and frowning as usual. Taking a piece of chalk, Jim marked upon the blackboard in big letters the following words. Every scholar is requested to yell the minute he enters the room. He will also please throw his books at the teacher's head, signed Professor Sharp. That ought to raise a nice rumpus, murmured the mischief maker as he walked away. On the corner stood policeman Mulligan, talking with old Miss Scrapple, the worst gossip in town, who always delighted in saying something disagreeable about her neighbors. Jim thought this opportunity was too good to lose, so he took off the policeman's cap and brass button coat and put them on Miss Scrapple, while the ladies feathered and ribboned hat he placed gently upon the policeman's head. The effect was so comical that the boy laughed aloud, and, as a good many people were standing near the corner, Jim decided that Miss Scrapple and Officer Mulligan would create a sensation when time started upon his travels. Then the young cowboy remembered his prisoner, and walking back to the hitching post, he came within three feet of it and saw Father Time still standing patiently within the toils of the lasso. He looked angry and annoyed, however, and growled out. Well, when do you intend to release me? I've been thinking about that ugly side of yours, said Jim. What about it? asked Father Time. Perhaps if I let you go, you'll swing it at me the first thing to be revenged, replied the boy. Father Time gave him a severe look, but said, I've known boys for thousands of years, and of course I know they're mischievous and reckless, but I like boys because they grow up to be men and people my world. Now, if a man had caught me by accident, as you did, I could have scared him into letting me go instantly, but boys are harder to scare. I don't know as I blame you. I was a boy myself, long ago, when the world was new, but surely you've had enough fun with me by this time, and now I hope you'll show the respect that is due to old age. Let me go, and in return I will promise to forget all about my capture. The incident won't do much harm anyway, for no one will ever know that Time has halted the last three hours or so. All right, said Jim cheerfully, since you've promised not to mow me down, I'll let you go. But he had a notion some people in the town would suspect Time had stopped when they returned to life. He carefully unwound the rope from the old man, who, when he was free, at once shouldered his scythe, rearranged his white robe and nodded farewell. The next moment he had disappeared, and with a rustle and rumble and roar of activity he came to life again and jogged along as it always had before. Jim wound up his lasso, mounted the butcher's horse, and rode slowly down the street. Loud screams came from the corner, where a great crowd of people quickly assembled. From his seat on the horse Jim saw Miss Scrapple attired in the policeman's uniform, angrily shaking her fist in Mulligan's face while the officer was furiously stamping upon the lady's hat which he had torn from his own head amidst the jeers of the crowd. As he rode past the schoolhouse he heard a tremendous chorus of yells and knew Professor Sharp was having a hard time to quell the riot caused by the sign on the blackboard. Through the window of the barber shop he saw the mean man frantically belaboring the barber with a hairbrush while his hair stood up stiff as bayonets in all directions and the grocer ran out of his door and yelled, here, while his shoes left a track of molasses wherever he stepped. Jim's heart was filled with joy. He was fairly reveling in the excitement he had caused when someone caught his leg and pulled him from the horse. What are you doing here, you rascal? cried the butcher angrily. Didn't he promise to put that beast into Plimpton's pasture? And now I find you riding the poor nag around like a gentleman of leisure. That's a fact, said Jim, with surprise. I clean forgot about the horse. This story should teach us the supreme importance of time and the folly of trying to stop it. For should you succeed, as Jim did, in bringing time to a standstill the world would soon become a dreary place and life decidedly unpleasant. End of The Capture of Father Time Read by Tabby Hart The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Liza Fox The Bird, the Mouse, and the Sausage by the Brothers Grimm Once upon a time a mouse, a bird, and a sausage entered into a partnership and set up house together. For a long time all went well. They lived in great comfort and prospered so far as to be able to add considerably to their stores. The bird's duty was to fly daily into the wood and bring in fuel. The mouse fetched the water and the sausage saw to the cooking. When people were too well off they always began to long for something new. And so it came to pass that the bird while out one day met a fellow bird to whom he boastfully expatiated on the excellence of his household arrangements. But the bird sneered at him for being a poor simpleton who did all the hard work while the other two stayed at home and had a good time of it. For when the mouse had made the fire and fetched the water she could retire into her little room and rest until it was time to set the table. The sausage had only to watch the pot to see when the food was properly cooked and when it was near dinner time he just threw himself into the broth or rolled in and out of the vegetables three or four times and there they were buttered and salted and ready to be served. Then when the bird came home and laid aside his burden they sat down to table and when they finished their meal they could sleep their fill until the following morning and that really was a very delightful life. Influenced by those remark the bird next morning refused to bring in wood telling the others that he'd been their servant long enough and had been a fool into the bargain and that it was now time to make a change and to try some other way of arranging the work. Beg and pray as the mouse and the sausage might it was of no use the bird remained master of the situation and the venture had to be made. They therefore drew lots and it fell to the sausage to bring in the wood and the mouse to cook and the bird to fetch the water. And now what happened the sausage started in search of wood the bird made the fire and the mouse put on the pot and then these two waited till the sausage returned with the fuel for the following day but the sausage remained so long away that they became uneasy and the bird flew out to meet him. He had not flown far however when he came across a dog who having met the sausage had regarded him as his legitimate booty and so seized and swallowed him. The bird complained to the dog of this bare-faced robbery but nothing he said was of any avail for the dog answered that he found false credentials on the sausage and that was the reason why his life had been forfeited. He picked up the wood and flew sadly home and told the mouse all he had seen and heard. They were both very unhappy but agreed to make the best of things and to remain with one another. So now the bird set the table and the mouse looked after the food and wishing to prepare it in the same way as the sausage he rolling in and out of the vegetables to salt and butter them she jumped into the pot but she stopped short long before she reached the bottom having already parted not only with her skin and hair but also with life. Presently the bird came in and wanted to serve up the dinner but he could nowhere see the cook. In his alarm and flurry he threw the wood here and there about the floor called and searched but no cook was to be found. Then some of the wood that had been carelessly thrown down caught fire and began to blaze. The bird hastened to fetch some water but his pale fell into the well and he after it and he was unable to recover himself. He was drowned. End of The Bird, The Mouse and The Sausage Recording by Liza Fox Goodie Two Shoes by Anonymous This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please contact LibriVox.org Goodie Two Shoes Farmer Meanwhile was at one time a very rich man. He owned large fields and had fine flocks of sheep and plenty of money. But all at once his good fortune seemed to desert him. Year after year his crops failed. His sheep died off and he was obliged to borrow money to pay his rent and the wages of those who worked on the farm. At last he had to sell his farm but even this did not bring him in money enough to pay his debts and he was worse off than ever. Among those who had lent money to farmer Meanwhile were Sir Thomas Grite and a farmer named Graspall. Sir Thomas was a very rich man indeed and Farmer Graspall had more money than he could possibly use but they were both very greedy and curvaceous and particularly hard on those who owed them anything. Farmer Graspall abused Farmer Meanwhile and called him all sorts of dreadful names but the rich Sir Thomas Grite was more cruel still and wanted the poor debtor shut up in jail. So poor Farmer Meanwhile had to hasten from the place where he had lived for so many years in order to get out of the way of these greedy men. He went to the next village taking his wife and his two little children with him but though he was free from gripe and Graspall he was not free from trouble and care. He soon fell ill and when he found himself unable to get food and clothes for his family he grew worse and worse and soon died. His wife could not bear the loss of her husband whom she loved so dearly and in a few days she was dead. The two orphaned children seemed to be left entirely alone in the world with no one to look after them or care for them but their heavenly father. They trotted around hand in hand and the poorer they became the more they clung to each other poor, ragged and hungry enough they were. Tommy had two shoes but Marjorie went barefoot. They had nothing to eat but the berries that grew in the woods and the scraps they could get from the poor people in the village and at night they slept in barns or under haystacks. Their rich relations were too proud to notice them but Mr Smith the clergyman of the village where the children were born was not that sort of man. A rich relation came to visit him a kind hearted gentleman and the clergyman told him all about Tommy and Marjorie the kind gentleman pitted them and ordered Marjorie a pair of shoes and gave Mr Smith money to buy her some clothes which she needed sadly. As for Tommy he said he would take him off to sea with him and make him a sailor. After a few days the gentleman said he must go to London and would take Tommy with him and sad was the parting between the two children. Poor Marjorie was very lonely indeed without her brother and might have cried herself sick but for the new shoes that were brought home to her. They turned her thoughts from her grief and as soon as she had put them on she ran into Mrs Smith and cried out two shoes mum, two shoes! These words she repeated to everyone she met and thus it was she got the name of goody two shoes. Little Marjorie had seen how good and wise Mr Smith was and thought it was because of his great learning and she wanted above all things to learn to read. At last she made up her mind to ask Mr Smith to teach her when he had a moment to spare. He readily agreed to do this and Marjorie read to him an hour every day and spent much time with her books. Then she laid out a plan for teaching others more ignorant than herself. She cut out of thin pieces of wood ten sets of large and small letters of the alphabet and carried these with her when she went from house to house. When she came to Billy Wilson's she threw down the letters all in a heap and Billy picked them out and sorted them in lines thus capital A over A capital B over B capital C over C capital D over D capital E over E capital F over F capital G over G capital H over H capital I over I capital J over J capital K over K and so on until all the letters were in their right places. From there goody two shoes trotted off to another cottage and here were several children waiting for her as soon as the little girl came in they all crowded around her and were eager to begin their lessons at once. Then she threw the letters down and said to the boy next to her what did you have for dinner today? bread answered the little boy we'll put down the first letter said goody two shoes then he put down capital B and the next child R and the next E and the next D and there was the whole word bread what did you have for dinner Polly drinks? apple pie said Polly upon which she laid down the first letter capital A and the next put down a P and the next another P and so on until the words apple and pie were united and stood thus apple pie now it happened one evening that goody two shoes was going home rather late she had made a longer round than usual and everybody had kept her waiting so that night came on before her day's work was done right glad was she to set out for her own home and she walked along contentedly through the fields and lanes and roads enjoying the quiet evening the evening was not cool however but close and sultry and be tokened a storm presently a drop fell on goody's face what should she do if she did not make haste she would soon be wet to the skin fortunately there was an old barn down the road in which she could find shelter and goody two shoes gathered her skirts about her and took to her heels and ran as if somebody was after her the owner of the barn had died lately and the property was to be sold and there was a lot of loose hay on the floor which had not yet been taken away goody two shoes cuddled down in the soft hay glad of a chance to rest her weary limbs and quite out of breath with her long run and just then down rattled the rain the thunder roared, the lightning flashed and the old barn trembled and so did goody two shoes she had not been there long before she heard footsteps and three men came into the barn for shelter the hay was piled up between her and them so they could not see her and thinking they were alone they spoke quite loudly they were plotting to rob Squire Truman they lived in the great house in Marjorie's village and would break in and steal all they could that very night this was quite enough for goody two shoes she waited for nothing but dashed out of the barn and ran through rain and mud till she came to the Squire's house he was at dinner with some friends and anyone else but goody would have found it difficult to gain admission to him but she was well known to the servants so kind and obliging that even the big fat butler could not refuse to do her bidding and went and told the Squire that goody two shoes wished very much to see him so the Squire asked his friends to excuse him for a moment and came out and said very well, goody two shoes, my good girl, what is it? oh sir, she replied if you do not take care you will be robbed and murdered this very night then she told all she had heard the men say while she was in the barn the Squire saw there was not a moment to lose so he went back and told his friends the news he had heard they all said they would stay and help him take the thieves so the lights were put out to make it appear as if all the people in the house were in bed and servants and all kept a close watch both inside and outside sure enough at about one o'clock in the morning the three men came creeping creeping up to the house with a dark lantern and the tools to break in with before they were aware six men sprang out on them and held them fast the thieves struggled in vain to get away they were locked in an outhouse until daylight when a cart came and took them off to jail they were afterwards sent out to the country where they had to work in chains on the roads and it said that one of them behaved so well that he was pardoned and went to live in Australia where he became a rich man the other two went from bad to worse and it's likely that they came to some dreadful end for sin never goes unpunished but to return to Goody Tushu's one day as she was walking through the village she saw some wicked boys with a raven at which they were going to throw stones to stop this cruel sport she gave the boys a penny for the raven and brought the bird home with her she gave him the name of Ralph and he proved to be a very clever creature indeed they taught him to spell and to read and he was so fond of playing with the large letters that the children called them Ralph's alphabet some days after Goody had met with the raven she was passing through a field when she saw some naughty boys who had taken a pigeon and tied a string to its legs in order to let it fly and draw it back again when they pleased Goody could not bear to see anything tortured like that so she bought the pigeon from the boys and taught him how to spell and read but he could not talk and as Ralph the raven took the large letters Peter the pigeon took care of the small ones Mrs. Williams who lived in Marjorie's village kept school and taught little ones their ABCs she was now old and feeble and wanted to give up this important trust this being known to Sir William Dove he asked Mrs. Williams to examine Goody Tushu's and see if she was not clever enough for the office this was done and Mrs. Williams reported that little Marjorie was the best scholar and had the best heart of anyone she had ever examined all the country had a great opinion of Mrs. Williams and this report made them think highly of Miss Marjorie as we must now call her so Marjorie meanwhile was now a school mistress and a capital one she made the children all loved her for she was never weary of making plans for their happiness the room in which she taught was large and lofty and there was plenty of fresh air in it and as she knew that children liked to move about she placed her sets of letters all around the school so that everyone was obliged to get up to find a letter or spell a word when it came their turn this exercise not only kept the children in good health but fixed the letters firmly in their minds the neighbors were very good to her and one of them made her a present of a little Skylark whose early morning song told the lazy birds and girls that it was time they were out of bed sometime after this a poor lamb lost its dam and the farmer being about to kill it she bought it off him and brought it home to play with the children soon after this a present was made to Miss Marjorie of a dog and as he was always in good humour and always jumping about the children gave him the name of Jumper it was his duty to guard the door and no one could go out or come in without leave from his mistress Marjorie was so wise and good that some foolish people accuse her of being a witch and she was taken to court and tried before the judge she soon proved that she was the most sensible woman and Sir Charles Jones was so pleased with her that he offered her a large sum of money to take care of his family and educate his daughter at first she refused but afterwards went and behaved so well and was so kind and tender Sir Charles would not permit her to leave the house and soon after made her an offer of marriage the neighbours came in crowds to the wedding and all were glad that one who had been such a good girl and had grown up such a good woman was to become a grand lady just as the clergyman had opened the book a gentleman richly dressed ran into the church and cried Stop! Stop! great alarm was felt especially by the bride and groom with whom he said he wished to speak privately Sir Charles stood motionless with surprise and the bride fainted away in the stranger's arms for this richly dressed gentleman turned out to be little Tommy Meanwell who had just come from sea where he had made a large fortune Sir Charles and Lady Jones lived very happily together and the great lady did not forget the children but was just as good to them as she had always been she was also kind and good to the poor and the sick and a friend to all who were in distress her life was a great blessing and her death the greatest calamity that ever took place in the neighbourhood where she lived and was known as Goodie Two Shoes End of Goodie Two Shoes by Anonymous Read by Craig Franklin Jack and the Beanstalk by Logan Marshall This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Read by Chad Horner Jack was an idle, lazy boy who would do no work to support his widowed mother and at last they both came to such poverty that the poor women had to sell her cow to buy food to keep them from starving She sent Jack to market with the cow telling him to be sure and sell it for a good price As Jack was going along the road to market he met a butcher the butcher offered to buy the cow in exchange for a hatful of coloured beans Jack thought the beans looked very pretty and he was glad to be saved the long hot walk to market So he struck the bargain on the spot and went back to his mother with the beans while the butcher went off with the cow But the poor widow was very disappointed She scolded her son for an idle, lazy good for nothing boy and flung the beans out of the window in a passion Now the beans were magic beans and the next morning when Jack awoke he found some of them had taken root in the night and had grown so tall that they reached right up into the sky Jack was full of wonder and curiosity and being fond of adventure and excitement he set out at once to climb the beanstalk to see what was up at the top of it and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed until at last he climbed right up to the very tip top of the beanstalk Then he found himself standing in a strange country In the distance he could see a big castle and as he was hot and tired with his long climb he thought he would go and ask for something to eat and drink He had not gone very far before he met a fairy who told him that the castle belonged to a wicked ogre who had killed and eaten a great number of people It was he who killed your father, she said and it is your duty to do your utmost to destroy the wicked monster Go now and see what you can do If you can carry off any of his treasures you are at liberty to do so for none of them really belongs to him He has taken them all by force from the people whom he robbed and killed Jack was delighted at the idea of this adventure and set off in high spirits towards the castle The castle was farther off than he thought and by the time he reached the gates it was so late that he made up his mind to ask for a night's lodging There was a woman standing in the doorway but when Jack made his request she was very frightened and said Indeed I dare not take you in and give you food and lodging My husband is an ogre who lives on human flesh If he were to find you here he would think nothing of eating you up in three mouthfuls I advise you to go away at once before he comes home But when she saw how tired and hungry Jack really was she took him into the house and gave him plenty to eat and drink While Jack was eating his food in the kitchen there came a loud knocking at the door The ogre's wife in a great flurry hid Jack in the oven and then hurried to let her husband in Jack peeped through the oven door and saw a terrible looking ogre who came stamping into the kitchen and said in a voice like thunder Wife I smell fresh meat It is only the people you are fattening in the dungeon said the wife So the ogre sat down and ate his supper After supper he commanded his wife to bring him his money bags He then began to count his money thousands and thousands of pieces of gold and silver Jack wished he could take some of this money home to his mother and presently when the ogre fell asleep he crept out of his hiding place and hoisting the bags upon his shoulder slipped quietly away with him The ogre was snoring so loudly that it sounded like the wind and the chimney on a stormy night So he never heard the little noise Jack made and Jack got safely away and escaped down the beanstalk His mother was overjoyed to see him for she had been very anxious about him when he did not come home the night before and she was delighted with the bags of money which were enough to keep them in comfort and luxury for some time For many months Jack and his mother lived happily together but after a while the money came to an end and Jack made up his mind to climb the beanstalk again and carry off some more to the ogre's treasures So one morning he got up early put on a different set of clothes so that the ogre's wife should not recognise him and set out to climb the beanstalk and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed until at last he climbed to the very top and he climbed himself in the ogre's country again When he reached the castle the ogre's wife was again standing in the doorway but when Jack asked for a night's lodging she said she dared not give him one for only a few months before she had taken in a poor boy who seemed half dead with fatigued hunger and in return for her kindness he had stolen some of her husband's money and run away in the night but Jack begged so hard that at last she relented a good supper and hid him in a closet before her husband came home Presently there was a great noise outside in heavy footsteps that shook the castle to its foundations it was the ogre come home As soon as he entered the kitchen he sniffed suspiciously and said I smell fresh meat it is only the crews on the housetops said his wife they have brought home a piece of carrion for their young After supper the ogre told his wife to fetch his hen This hen was a very wonderful bird Whenever the ogre said lay she laid an egg of solid gold Jack thought that if he could only get this wonderful hen to take home to his mother they would never want any more So when the ogre fell asleep as he did after a little while he came out of the closet and seizing the hen in his arms made off with her The hen squawked but the ogre snoring was like the roaring of the sea when the tide is coming in and Jack got safely down the beanstalk The hen laid so many golden eggs that Jack and his mother became quite rich and prosperous and there was really no need for Jack to go again to the ogre's country but he liked the danger and excitement and he remembered that the ferry had told him to take as many of the ogre's treasures as he could and at last without saying a word to anybody he started off once more to climb the magic beanstalk and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed until at last he reached the very tip top and stood in the ogre's country this time when he reached the castle he began to be afraid that the ogre's wife really would not let him in Indeed indeed I dare not she said twice lately I have given shelter to a wayfaring youth and each time he stole some of my husband's treasures and made off with them now my husband has forbidden me on paying of instant death to give food or lodging to any traveller but Jack pleaded and pleaded and at last a good-natured woman moved to pity by his travel-stained appearance gave way and let him into the castle when the ogre came home the wife hid Jack in the copper as usual the ogre's first words were wife, wife, I smell fresh meat and in spite of all his wife could say that upon searching all round the room Jack was in a terrible fright whilst he was hunting but fortunately he forgot to look in the copper and after a time he sat down to his supper when supper was over the ogre told his wife to fetch his harp Jack peeped out of the copper and saw the harp brought in and sat down before the ogre that was marvellously made and when the ogre said play it played the finest music without being touched it was enchanted for he had never before heard such wonderful music and he felt that he must have the harp for his own the ogre was soon lulled to sleep by the sweet sound of the harp and when he was storing heavily Jack crept out of the copper and taking up the harp was about to make off with it but the harp was very harp and it called out loudly master, master, master and although the ogre was snoring so noisily that it was like the sound of a hundred dragons roaring at once yet to Jack's dismay and horror he heard the voice of his harp and starting to his feet with a bellow of anger rushed after the daring thief Jack ran faster than he had ever run in his life before still carrying the precious harp while the ogre ran after him shouting and roaring and making such a noise that it sounded like a thousand thunderstorms all going at once if he had not drunk so much wine for supper the ogre must very soon have caught Jack but as it was the wine had got into his head and so he could not run nearly so fast as usual and Jack reached the beanstalk just in front of him it was a very close shave Jack slid down the beanstalk at his top speed calling at the top of his voice for his mother to fetch him an axe the ogre came tumbling down the beanstalk after him but Jack seized the axe and chopped the beanstalk off close to the root dying came the beanstalk dying came the ogre and falling headlong into the garden he was killed on the spot after this Jack quite gave up his lazy idle ways and he and his mother with the magic hen and the wonderful harp lived in happiness and prosperity the rest of their lives End of Jack and the Beanstalk by Logan Marshall Jesus Conquers Death by Henry A. Sherman and Charles Foster Kent this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org read by Chad Horner when the Sabbath was over Mary of Magdala Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices to embalm Jesus soon after sunrise on the first day of the week they went to the tomb and they said to one another who will roll away the stone for us from the door but they found that the stone although very large had been rolled to one side on entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe sitting on the right and they trembled and were afraid but he said to them do not be afraid you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified he is risen he is not here see the place where he was laid but go and tell his disciples and Peter he is going before you into Galilee where you will see him as he told you then they remembered Jesus' words and returning from the tomb they told these things to the eleven disciples and to all the others but to them the story seemed to be nonsense and they were not believed Peter however rounded the tomb but when he looked in he saw only the linen bandages and he went home wondering what had happened but Mary of Magdala stood weeping outside the tomb as she wept she stood down and looked into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting one at the head and the other at the feet with the body of Jesus had Leon they said to her woman why are you weeping she said because they have taken away my master and I did not know where they have laid him when she had said this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there but she did not know that it was Jesus woman said he why are you weeping for him are you looking supposing that he was the gardener she said sir if you have carried him away tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away Jesus said to her Mary turned to him and cried out master Jesus said do not touch me for I have not yet ascended to the Father but go to my brothers and tell them I am ascending to my Father and to your Father to my God and your God Mary went to the disciples with the news I have seen the master and to tell them what he had said to her End of Jesus' Conqueror's Death by Henry A. Sherman and Charles Foster Kent Jesus heals the sick by Henry A. Sherman and Charles Foster Kent This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org read by Chad Horner Jesus and his disciples entered Capernaum and on the next Sabbath he went into the synagogue and began to teach and people were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one who had authority and not as ascribes In their synagogue that day was a man under the power of an unclean spirit who cried out what have you to do with us Jesus of Nazareth have you come to destroy us I know you are God's Holy One but Jesus reproved the unclean spirit saying be still and come out of him then the unclean spirit came out of him with a loud cry the people were so astonished that they began to ask one another what is this, is it a new teaching with authority he commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him so the news about Jesus spread at once in every direction all through the country about Galilee after leaving the synagogue they were straight to the house of Simon and Andrew and James and John went with them the mother of Simon's wife was ill in bed with a fever so at once they told Jesus about her he went to her and taking her by the hand lifted her up then the fever left her and she began to wait upon them in the evening after the sun had set they brought to him all who were sick are under the control of evil spirits until all the people of the city were gathered at the door he healed many who were sick with different kinds of diseases and cast out many evil spirits but would not let them speak because they knew who he was one day a lever came to him and on bended knees begged him if you will you can make me clean feeling sorry for him Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him and said I will be cleansed at once the leprosy left him and he was cleansed then Jesus after strictly warning him away with the command see that you do not say a word to anyone but go show yourself to the priest and offer what Moses commanded as proof to them that you are clean but the man went away and began to tell everyone about it so that Jesus could no longer enter a city openly but had to stay outside in lonely places and people from everywhere came to see him end of Jesus heals the sick by Henry A. Sherman and Charles Foster Kent King John and the Abbott from 50 famous stories retold by James Baldwin this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org read by Wayne Cook part one the three questions there once was a king of England whose name was John he was a bad king for he was harsh and cruel to his people and so long as he could have his own way he did not care what he became of other folks he was the worst king that England ever had now there was in the town of Canterbury a rich old Abbott who lived in a grand style in a great house called the Abbey every day a hundred noblemen went with him to Dine and fifty brave knights in fine velvet coats and gold chains waited upon him at his table when King John heard of the way in which the Abbott lived he made up his mind to put a stop to it so he sent for the old man to come and see him how now my good Abbott he said I hear that you keep a far better house than I how dare you do such a thing don't you know that no man in the land ought to live better than the king and I tell you that no man shall Elking said the Abbott I beg to say that I'm spending nothing but what is my own I hope that you will not think ill of me for making things pleasant for my friends and the brave knights who are with me think ill of you said the king how can I help but think ill of you all that there is in this broad land is mine by right and how do you dare to put me to shame by living in a grander style than I one would think that you are trying to be king in my place oh do not say so said the Abbott for I not another word cried the king your fault is plain and unless you can answer me three questions your head shall be cut off and all your riches shall be mine I will try to answer them Elking said the Abbott well then said King John as I sit here with my crown of gold on my head you must tell me within a day just how long I shall live secondly you must tell me how soon I shall ride round the whole world and lastly you shall tell me what I think Elking said the Abbott well deep odd questions I cannot answer them just now but if you'll give me two weeks to think about them I will do the best I can two weeks you shall have said the King but if you then fail to answer me you shall lose your head and all your lands shall be mine the Abbott went away very sad and in great fear he rode first to Oxford here there was a great school and he wanted to see if any of the wise professors could help him but they shook their heads and said that there was nothing about King John in any of their books then the Abbott rode down to Cambridge where there was another university but not one of the teachers in that great school could help him at last sad and sorrowful he rode toward home to bid his friends and his brave knights goodbye now he had not a week to live part two the three answers as the Abbott was riding up the lane which led to his grand house he met his shepherd going to the fields welcome home good master tried the shepherd what news do you bring us from great King John sad news sad news said the Abbott and then he told him all that it happened cheer up good master said the shepherd have you never yet heard that a fool may teach a wise man wit I think I can help you out of your trouble you help me but how well answered the shepherd you know that everybody says that I look just like you and that I have sometimes been mistaken for you so lend me your servants and your horse and your gown I will go up to London and see the king if nothing else can be done I can at least die in your place my good shepherd said the Abbott you are very very kind and I have a mind to let you try your plan but if the worst comes to worst you shall not die for me I will die for myself so the shepherd got ready to go at once he dressed himself with great care over his shepherd's coat his shepherd's long gown and he borrowed the Abbott's cap and golden staff when all was ready no one in the world would have thought that he was not the great man himself then he mounted his horse and with a great train of servants set out for London of course the king did not know him welcome sir Abbott he said it is a good thing that you have come back but prompt as you are I am ready to answer my three questions you shall lose your head I am ready to answer them oh king said the shepherd indeed indeed said the king and he laughed to himself well then answer my first question how long shall I live come you must tell me to the very day you shall live said the shepherd until the day you die and not one day longer when you take your last breath not one moment before the king laughed yeah witty I see he said but we shall let that pass and say that your answer is right and now tell me how soon I may ride round the world you must ride with the sun said the shepherd and you must ride with the sun until it rises again the next morning and as soon as you do that you shall have ridden round the world in 24 hours the king laughed again indeed he said I did not think that it could be done so soon you are not only witty but you are wise and we will let this answer pass and now comes my third and last question what do I think that is an easy question said the shepherd the truth I am only his poor shepherd and I have come to beg your pardon for him and for me and with that he threw off his long gown the king laughed loud and long a merry fellow you are said he and you shall be the abbot of Canterbury in your master's place oh king that cannot be said the shepherd for I neither read nor write very well then said the king I will give you something else to pay you for this merry joke I will give you four pieces of silver every week as long as you live and when you get home you may tell the old abbot that you have brought him a free pardon from king John end of king John and the abbot from 50 famous stories retold by James Baldwin the land of the blue flower by Francis Hodgson Burnett this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org part one the land of the blue flower was not called by that name until the tall, strong, beautiful king Amor came down from his castle on the mountain crag and began to rain before that time it was called King Moradeth's land and as the first King Moradeth had been a fierce and cruel king this seemed a gloomy name a few weeks before Amor was born his weak selfish boy father whose name was King Moradeth also had been killed while hunting and his fair mother with the clear eyes died when he was but a few hours old but early in that day she sent for her venerable friend and teacher who was said to be the oldest and wisest man in the world and who long ago had fled to a cave in the mountains that he might see no more of the famine and disorder and hatred in the country spread out on the plains below he was a marvelous old man almost a giant in size and having great blue eyes like deep sea water they too were clear eyes like the fair queens they seemed to see all things and to hold in their depths no single thought which was not fine and great the people were a little afraid of him when they saw him go striding majestically through their streets they had no name for him but the ancient one the lovely queen drew aside the embroidered coverlet of her gold and ivory bed and showed him the tiny baby sleeping by her side he was born a king she said no one can help him but you the ancient one looked down at him he has long limbs and strong ones he will make a great king he said give him to me the queen held out the little newborn one in her arms take him away quickly before he hears the people quarreling at the palace gate keep him there until he is old enough to come down and be king when the sun sinks behind the clouds I shall die but if he is with you he will learn what kings should know the ancient one took the child folded him in his long grey robe and strode majestically through the palace gates through the ugly city and out over the plains to the mountain when he began to climb its steep sides the sun was setting and casting a golden rose colour over the big rocks and the wild flowers and bushes which grew on every side so that there seemed no path to be found but the ancient one knew his way anywhere in the world without a path to guide him he climbed and climbed and little king Amor slept soundly in the folds of his grey robe he reached the summit at last and pushed his way through a jungle of twisted vines starred all over with pale sweet scented buds he stood looking at the castle which was set on the very topmost crag and looked out over the mountains edge at the sea and the sky and the spreading plains below the sky was dark blue now and lit by myriad stars and all was so still that the world seemed thousands of miles away and ugliness and squalor and people who quarreled seemed things which were not true a sweet cool wind blew about them the ancient one took king Amor from the folds of his grey robe and laid him on the carpet of scented moss the stars are very near he said waken young king and see how near they are and know they are your brothers your brother the wind is bringing to you the breath of your brothers the trees you are at home then king Amor opened his eyes and when he saw the stars in the blue darkness above him he smiled and though he was not yet a whole day old he threw up his small hand and it touched his forehead like a king and a soldier he salutes them said the ancient one though he does not know he did it the castle was huge and splendid though it had been deserted for a hundred years for three generations the royal owners had not cared to look out on the world from high places they knew nothing of the wind and the trees and the stars they lived on the plains in their cities and hunted and rioted and levied heavy taxes on their wretched people and the castle had lived through it summers and winters alone it had battlements and towers which stood out clear against the sky and there was a great banquet hall and chambers for hundreds of guests and rooms for a thousand men at arms and the courtyard was big enough to hold a tournament in in the midst of its space and splendor the little king Almore lived alone but for the companionship of the ancient one and a servant as old as himself but they knew a secret which had kept them young in spite of the years they had passed through they knew that they were the brothers of all things in the world and that the man who never knows an angered or evil thought can never know a foe they were strong and straight and wise and the wildest creature stopped to give them greeting as it passed and they understood its language when it spoke because they held no dark thoughts in their minds they knew no fear and because they knew no fear the wild creatures knew none and the speech of each was clear to the other each morning they went out on the battlements at dawn to see the splendid sun rise slowly out of the purple sea the very first things the child Almore remembered in his life and he remembered it always was a dawning day when the ancient one waked him gently and folding him in his long grey robe carried him up the winding and narrow stone stairway until at last they stepped forth on the top of the huge castle which seemed to the little creature to be so high that it was quite close to the wonderful sky itself the sun is going to rise and wake the world said the ancient one young king watch the wonder of it Almore lifted his little head and looked he was only just old enough to be beginning to understand things but he loved the ancient one and all he said and did far below the mountain crag lay the sea in the night while it slept it had looked dark blue or violet but now it was slowly changing its color the sky was changing too it was growing paler and paler next it grew faintly brighter so did the sea then a slight flush crept over land and water and all the small floating clouds were rosy pink King Almore smiled because birds voices were to be heard in the trees and bushes and something golden bright was rising out of the edge of the ocean and sparkling light danced on the waves it rose higher and higher and grew so dazzling and wonderful that he threw out his little hand with a shout of joy the next moment he started back because their rose near him allowed whir and feeding of powerful wings as a great bird flew out of a crag nearby and soared high into the radiant morning heavens it is the eagle who was our neighbor said the ancient one he has awakened and gone to give his greeting to the sun so bright enraptured he saw that from the dazzling brightness at the edge of the world there leaped forth a ball of living gold and fire and even he knew that the sun had risen at every days dawn it leaps forth like that said the ancient one let us watch together and I will tell you stories of it so they sat by the battlement and the stories were told they were stories of the small grains lying hid in the dark earth waiting for the golden heat of the sun to draw them forth into life until they covered the tilled fields with waving wheat to make bread for the world they were stories of the seeds of fair flowers warmed and ripened until they burst into scented blossoms they were stories of the roots of trees and the rich sap drawn upward by the heat until great branches and thick leafage waved in the summer air they were stories of men, women and children walking with light step and glad because of the gold of the sun every day it warms every day it draws every day it ripens and gives life and there are many who forget the wonder of it lift your head high as you walk young king and often look upward never forget the sun at every dawning they rose and saw together the wonder of the day the first time the sky was heavy with gray clouds and the sun did not leap upward from behind the edge of the world the ancient one said another thing the burning gold is behind the lowering gray and purple the clouds are heavy with soft rain when they break they will drop it in showers or splendid storms and the thirsty earth will drink it up the grains will drink it and the seed and the roots and the world will be joyous and rich with fresh life the springs will bubble up like crystal and the brooks will rush babbling through the green of the forest the drinking places for the cattle will be full and clear and men and women will feel rested and cool lift your head high when you walk young king and often look upward never forget the clouds so hearing these things every day king amore learned the meaning of both sun and himself brother to both the first time he remembered seeing a storm the ancient one took him to the battlements again and together they watched the dark clouds pour down their floods while their purple was riven by the dazzling lances of the lightning and the thunder rolled and crashed and seemed to rend asunder things no human eye could see and the wind roared round the castle on the mountain crag and beat against its towers and tossed the branches of the hugest trees and whirled the rain in sheets over the land and king amore stood erect and strong like some little soldier though he wondered where the small birds were and if the eagle were in his nest through all the tumult the ancient one stood still he looked taller than ever in his long gray robe and his strange eyes were deep as the sea at last he said in a slow calm voice this is the voice of power men know not no man has yet quite understood though it seems to speak hearken to it let your soul stand silent listen young king hold your head high as you walk and often look upward never forget the storm so the king learned to love the storm and be one with it knowing no fear but perhaps it might be because he had been laid on the scented moss and had without knowing it saluted them on the first night of his life he felt nearest to and loved most his brothers the stars every fair night through the king's earliest years the ancient one carried him to the battlements and let him fall asleep beneath the shining myriads but first he would walk about bearing him in his arms or sit with him in this splendid silence sometimes relating wonders to him in a low voice sometimes uttering no word only looking calmly into the high vault above as if the stars spoke to him and told him of perfect peace when a man looks long at them he said he grows calm and forgets small things they answer his questions and show him that his earth is only one of the million worlds hold your soul still and look upward often and you will understand their speech never forget the stars part two so as the child king grew day by day the world seemed to grow fuller and fuller of wonders and beauties there were the sun and the moon the storm and the stars the straight falling lances of rain the springing of the growing things the flight of the eagle the songs and nests of small bird creatures the changing seasons and the work of the great brown earth giving its harvests and its fruits all these wonders in one world and you a man upon it said the ancient one hold high your head when you walk young king and often look upward never forget one marvel among them all he forgot nothing he lived looking out on all things from great clear joyous eyes upon his mountain craig he never heard a paltry or unbeautiful word or knew of the existence of unfriendliness or baseness and thought as soon as he was old enough to go out alone he roamed about the great mountain and feared neither storm nor wild beasts shaggy main lions and their mates drew near and fond on him as their kind had fond on young adam in the garden of eden there had never passed through his mind the thought that they were not his friends he did not know that there were men who killed their wild brothers in the huge courtyard of the castle he learned to ride and to perform great feats of strength because he had not learned to be afraid he never feared that he could not do a thing he grew so strong and beautiful that when he was ten years old he was as tall as a youth of sixteen and when he was sixteen he was already like a young giant this was because he had been brother to the storm and had lived close to the strength and splendor of the stars only once when he was a boy of twelve a strange and painful thing happened to him from his kingdom in the plains below there had been sent to him a beautiful young horse which had been bred for him never had so magnificent an animal been born in the royal stable when he was brought into the courtyard the boy king's eyes shone with joy he spent the greater part of the morning and exercising and leaping him over barriers the ancient one in his tower chamber heard his shouts of exultation and encouragement at last the king went out to try him on the winding mountain road when he returned he went out once to the tower chamber to the ancient one who when he raised his eyes from his great book looked at him gravely let us climb to the battlements the boy said we must talk together so they went and when they stood looking out on the world below the curving turquoise sky above them the eyes of the ancient one were still more grave tell me young king something strange has happened king amour answered I felt something I have not felt before I was riding my horse around the field on the plateau and he saw something which he refused to pass it was a young leopard watching us from a tree my horse reared and snorted he would not listen to me but backed and wheeled around I tried in vain to persuade him and suddenly when I saw I could not make him obey me this strange new feeling rushed through all my body I got hot and I knew my face my heart beat faster and my blood seemed to boil in my veins I shouted out harsh ugly sounds I forgot that all things are brothers I lifted my hand and clenched it and struck my horse again and again I loved him no longer I felt that he no longer loved me I am hot and weary and heavy from it still I feel no more joy was it pain I felt pain and I do not know was it pain it was a worse thing answered the ancient one it was anger when a man is overcome by anger he has a poisoned fever he loses his strength he loses his power over himself and over others he throws away time in which he might have gained the end he most desires there is no time for anger in the world so King Amor learned the uselessness of anger for they sat long upon the battlements while the ancient one told him how its poison worked in the veins and weakened the strongest man until he mismade a fool that night Amor lay under the sky looking at his myriad brothers the stars and drawing calm from them if you lie through the night upon the battlements and think only of the stillness and the stars you will forget and its poison will die away if you put into your mind a beautiful thought it will take the place of the evil one there is no room for darkness in the mind of he who thinks only of the stars this had been said to him by the ancient one upon the plateau at the foot of the crag on which the castle stood there were marvelous walled gardens the sad young queen of the first King Mordrath had planted them after the death they had been left to run wild since the baby king Amor had been brought to the mountaintop the ancient one and his servitor had made them bloom again as soon as he was old enough to hold a small spade Amor had worked in the beds all things grew for him as if his touch were a spell birds and bees and butterflies flocked round him as he labored he knew what the bees hummed and where they flew to load themselves butterflies lighted upon his hands and taught him strange things birds told him of their travels and brought him seeds from far countries which he planted in his gardens and which bloomed into marvelous flowers a swallow who loved him very much and who had seen many wonderful lands once brought him a seed from an emperor's secret garden which none before of his own slaves had ever seen these slaves had been born in the garden and would never leave it while they lived King Amor planted the seed in a pleasant of its own it grew into the most beautiful blue flower the world had ever known it was of a blue so pure and exquisitely intense that it was a rapture to look at it its blossoms hung from a tall stem and in its first year it gave a thousand seeds each year Amor planted more flowers and each year it grew taller and more wonderful and blossomed a longer time when the summer wind blew it shook out clouds of delicate fragrance which sometimes floated down the mountain until the wretched dwellers in King Mordrat's land forgot their quarrels and misery and even lifted their heavy heads to inhale it and ask each other what was being done upon the mountain each year King Amor gathered the seeds and stored them in an unused tower of his castle taller and stronger he grew and each day wiser and more beautiful each plant, each weed each four-footed thing, each wind each star of heaven taught him its wonders and its wisdom his eyes were so marvelous in their straight glance splendor that when he looked at a man they seemed to read his soul and command its truth to answer him he was so powerful that he could break an iron bar two pieces with his hands when he was twenty years old the ancient one took him up on the battlements and giving him a strong glass told him to look down upon the capital city on the plain and see what was being done there I see many people gathered in crowds Amor said when he had looked for a few moments I see bright colors and waving penance and triumphal arches it is as if some great ceremony were being prepared for the people are making ready for your coronation said the ancient one tomorrow you will be led in state down the mountain and acclaimed king it was to fit you to reign over your kingdom that I taught you to know all the wonders of the world and have shown you that no thing is useless but folly and dishonoring thought that which you have learned from your brothers here you go down the mountain to teach your brothers there you will see things which are not beautiful and those which are unclean but hold your head high when you walk young king and never forget the sun the wind and the stars to himself as he looked on the ancient one said when he stands before them they will think he is a young god the next morning a splendid procession wound its glittering way up the mountain road to the castle there were princes and nobles and chieftains rich colors glowed in their attire and gorgeous banners and penance waved over them while music from gold and silver trumpets accompanied them as they rode and their many followers marched behind the ancient one in his long robe of gray stood by king amour on the broad stone terrace guarded by its crouching carved lions this is your king oh people he said and when the people looked it was what it would be they drew back a little and gazed in fear and many of the followers fell upon their knees they thought they saw a beautiful young giant and god but he was only a splendid and powerful young man who had never known a dark thought and had lived near to his brothers the stars his horse adorned with golden trappings was brought and he was led down the mountainside king's kingdom he desired that the ancient one should ride by his side what he saw as he rode to the place of coronation he had never seen before notwithstanding the embroidered silk and velvet hanging decorating the fronts of the rich people's houses he caught glimpses of filthy side streets squalid alleys and tumbled down tenements he saw fourlorn little children scut away like rats into their holes and wretched vicious looking men and women fighting with each other for places in the crowd sharp miserable faces peered round corners at him and nobody smiled because everyone hated or distrusted his neighbor and they dreaded and disliked the young king because all the king Mordraths had been evil and selfish and he was their descendant when they saw that he was so tall and powerful and carried his handsome head so high looking upward they feared him still more as their own heads hung down they never saw anything but the dirt and dust beneath their feet or the quarrels about them so their minds were full of fears and ugly thoughts and they at once began to be afraid of him and suspect him of being proud he could do twice as much evil as the other kings they said since he was twice as strong and twice as handsome it was their nature to first think an evil thought thinking or anybody and to be afraid of all things at the outset the princes and nobles who rode in the procession tried to prevent King Amor seeing the wretched looking people and ill kept streets they pointed out the palaces and decorations and beautiful ladies throwing flowers in his path from the balconies he praised all the splendors and saluted the balconies looking up with such radiant and smiling eyes that the ladies almost threw themselves flowers and cried out that never never had there been crowned such a beautiful young king before do not look at the rabble your majesty the prime minister said they are an evil ill tempered lot of worthless male contents and thieves I would not look at them answered King Amor if I knew that I could not help them there is no time to look at dark things if one cannot make them brighter I look at these because there is something to be done I do not yet know what there is such hatred in their eyes that they will only make you angry sire said a handsome young prince who rode near there is no time for anger said Amor holding his crowned head high it is a worthless thing after sunset there was a great banquet and after it a great ball and the courtiers and princes were delighted by the beauty and grace of the new king he was much brighter and more charming than any of the King Mordriths had been his life was full of gaiety and the people who stood near him felt happier though they did not know why but when the ball was at its height he stepped into the center of the room and spoke aloud to this blended company I have seen the broad streets and the palaces and all that is beautiful in my capital he said now I must go to the narrow streets and the dark ones I must see the miserable people the cripples, the wretched ones everyone clamored and protested these things they had hidden from him they said King should not see them I will see them he said with a smile which was beautiful and strange I go now on foot and unattended except for my friend the ancient one let the ball go on he strode through the glittering throng with the gray clad ancient one at his side he still wore his crown upon his head because he wished his people to know that the king had come to them through dark and loathsome places they went through narrow streets and back alleys and courts where people scurried away like rats as the gutter children had done in the daytime King Amor could not have seen them but that he had brought with him a bright lantern and held it up in the air above his high head the light shining upon his beautiful face and his crown made him look more than ever like a young god and giant the people cowered terrified before him asking each other what such a king would do to wretches like themselves but just a few very little children smiled at him because he was so young and bright and splendid no one in the black holes and corners could understand why a king should come walking among them on the night of his coronation day most of them thought that the next morning he would order them all to be killed and their houses burned because he would only think of them as vermin once as he passed through a dark court a madman darted out on his path shaking his fist we hate you! he cried out we hate you! the dwellers in the court gasped with terror wondering what would happen but the tall young king stood holding his lantern above his head and gazing at the madman with deep thought in his eyes there is no time for hatred in the world he said there is no time and then he passed on the look of deep thought was in his face throughout the hours in which he strode on until he had seen all he had come to see the next day he rode back up the mountain to his castle on the crag and when the night fell he lay out upon the battlements under the sky as he had done on so many nights the soft wind blew about him as he looked up at the stars he did not know my brothers he said to them tell me and he lay silent until the great sweet stillness of the night seemed to fill his soul and when the stars began to fade he slept in rapturous peace the people in his kingdom on the plane waited wondering what he would do during the next few days they quarreled and hated each other more than ever the rich ones because they all wanted to gain his favor and each was jealous of the other the poor ones because they were afraid of him and each man feared that his neighbor would betray the things he had done in the past only two boys working together in a field having stopped to wrangle and fight one of them suddenly stood still remembering something and said a strange thing and a strange voice there is no time for anger there is no time well to work again his companion did the same and when they had finished their task of weeding they talked about the thing and remembered that when they had quarreled the day before they had not finished their task at all and had not been paid and had gone home sore from the blows they had given each other and had had no supper no there is no time they decided at the beginning of the following week there were rumors that a strange law had been made the strangest ever known in the world it was something about a blue flower what had flowers to do with laws or what had laws to do with flowers people quarreled about what the meaning of such a law might be those who thought first of evil things and fears began to say that in rich people's gardens was to be planted a blue flower whose perfume would poison all the poor the only ones who did not quarrel were the two boys and their friends who had already begun to make a sort of password of there is no time for anger one of them who was clever added a new idea to the saying there is no time for fear he cried out in the field let us go on with our work and they finished their task early and played games at last one morning it was made known that the new king was to give a feast in the open air to all the people it was to be on the plane outside the city and he himself had to proclaim to them the law of the blue flower now we shall know the worst graveled and shivered the afraid ones as they shuffled their way to the plane and the boys who used the password heard them there is no time to think of the worst shouted the clever one at the top of his voice there is no time we shall be late for the feast and a number of people actually turned to listen because there was a high strong gay sound in his voice which has had never been heard in King Mordred's land before the plane was covered in thick green grass and beautiful spreading trees grew on it there was a richly draped platform for King Amor's gold and ivory chair but when the people gathered about he stood up before them a beautiful young giant with eyes like fixed stars and head held high and he read his law in a voice which wonderful to relate to every man woman and child even by the little cripple crouching alone in the grass on the very outskirts of the crowd and not expecting to hear or see anything this is what he read in my plesuance on the mountaintop there grows a blue flower one of my brothers the birds brought me its seed from an emperor's hidden garden it is as beautiful as the sky at dawn it has a strange power it dispels evil fortune and the dark thoughts which bring it there is no time for dark thoughts there is no time for evil listen to my law tomorrow seeds will be given to every man woman and child in my kingdom even to the newborn every man woman and child even the newborn is commanded by the law to plant and feed and watch over the blue flower it is the work of each to make it grow the mother of the newborn can hold its little hand and make it drop the seeds into the earth as the child grows she must show it the green shoots when they pierce the brown soil she must babble to it of its blue flower by the time it is pleased by color it will love the blossoms and the spell of happiness and good fortune will begin to work for it it is not one person here and there who must plant the flower but each and every one to those who have not land about them all land is free you may plant by the roadside in a cranny of a wall in an old box or glass or tub in any bare space in any man's field or garden but each must plant his seeds and watch over and feed them next year when the blue flower blossoms I shall ride through my kingdom and bestow my rewards this is my law what will be fall if some of us do not make them grow grown some of the afraid ones there is no time to think of that shouted the boy who was clever plant them when the prime minister and his followers told the king that larger and stronger prisons must be built for the many criminals and that heavier taxes must be laid upon the people to rescue the country from poverty his answer to them was wait until the blooming of the blue flower in a short time everyone was working in the open air digging in the soil tiny children as well as men and women drunkards and thieves and idlers who had never worked before came out of their dark holes and corners into the light of the sun it was not a hard thing to plant a few flower seeds and because the king Amor looked so much more powerful than other men and had eyes so wonderful and commanding they did not know what punishment for them and were afraid to disobey him but somehow after they had worked in the sweet scented earth for a while and had seen others working the light of the sun and the freshness of the air made them feel in better humor the wind blew away their evil fancies and their headaches and because there was so much talk and wondering about the magic of the blue flower they became interested and wanted to see what it would do for them when it blossomed scarcely any of them had ever tried to make a flower grow before and they gradually thought of it a great deal there was less quarrelling because conversation with neighbors all about a blue flower gave no reason for hard words the worst and idlest were curious about it and everyone tried experiments of his own the children were delighted and actually grew happy and rosy over their digging and watering and caretaking gradually all sorts of curious things happened people who were growing blue flowers began to keep the ground around them in order they did not like to see bits of paper and rubbish lying about so they cleared them away one quite new thing which occurred was that sometimes people even helped each other a little cripples and those who were weak actually found that there were stronger ones who would do things for them when they're backsaked and it was hard to carry water or dig up weeds the king Mordred's land had ever helped another before the boy who was clever did more than all the rest he gathered together all the children he could and formed them into a band using the passwords in time it became quite like a little army they called themselves the band of the blue flower and each boy and girl was bound to remember the passwords and apply them to all they did so often when a number of people were together and things began to go wrong a clear young voice would cry out somewhere like a silver battle cry there is no time for anger or there is no time for hate or there is no time to fret there is no time among the great and rich people also singular things came to pass those who had wasted their days loitering or rioting were obliged to get up in the morning to work in their gardens and finding that exercise and fresh air improved their health and spirits they began to like it court ladies found it good for their complexions and tempers busy merchants discovered that it made their heads clearer ambitious students found that after an hour spent evening and morning over their blue flower beds they could study twice as long without fatigue the children of the princes and nobles became so full of work and talk of their soil and their seeds that they quite forgot to squabble and be jealous of each other's importance at court never in one story could it be told how many unusual, interesting and wonderful things occurred in the once gloomy king Mordrith plant just because every person in it rich and poor, old and young good and bad had to plant and care for and live every day of life with a blue flower oh the corners and crannies and queer places it was planted in and oh the thrill of enjoyment everywhere when the first tender green shoots thrust their way through the earth and the wave of excitement which passed over the whole land when the first buds showed themselves by that time everyone was so interested that even the afraid ones had forgotten to ask each other what king Amor would do to them if they had no blue flower somehow people had gained courage and they knew the blue flower would grow and they knew there was no time to stop working while they worried and said suppose it didn't there was no time sometimes the young king was on the mountaintop with the wind and the eagle and the stars and sometimes he was in his place in the city but he was always working and thinking for his people he was not seen by the people however until a splendid summer day came when it was proclaimed by heralds in the streets that he would begin his journey through the land by riding through the capital city to see the blossoming of the blue flowers and there would be a feast once more upon the plane it was a wonderful day the air was full of golden light and the sky of such a blueness as had never been seen before out of the palace gates he rode and he wore his crown and his eyes were more brilliant than the jewels in it and his smile was more radiant than the sun rise as he looked about him for every breath he drew in was fragrant every ugly place was hidden and every squalid corner filled with beauty for it seemed as if the whole world were waving with blue flowers tumbledown houses and fences were covered with them because some of them climbed like vines neglected fields and gardens had been made neat so that they would grow rubbish and dirt had been cleaned away to make room for the trees and patches of them you could not grow the blue flower among dirt and disorder any more than you could grow it while you were spending your time in drinking and quarrelling by the roadsides in courts in windows in cracks in walls in broken places in roofs in great people's gardens on the window sills or about the doorways of poor people's hovels fair and fragrant and waving grew the blue flower dirt and rubbish and suddenly even the dullest people began to see that the face of the whole land was changed as if by some strange magic and the whole population seemed changed with it everybody looked fresher and more cheerful people had actually learned to smile and to keep themselves clean and there was not one who was not healthier they had in fact been noticing this for some time and they had said to each other of which the king had spoken was beginning to work the children had grown gay and rosy and the boy who was clever and all his companions had found time to earn themselves new clothes because they had never forgotten their passwords all the farmers wanted them to work in their fields because they said there was no time to idle no time to fight no time to play evil tricks on the king road and on and on and the farther he went the more splendid and joyous grew his smile but at no time during the day was it more beautiful than when he met the little cripple who had sat on the outside of the crowd on the first feast day not expecting to see or hear anything the cripple lived in a tiny hovel on the edge of the city and when the glittering procession drew near it the small patch of garden was quite bare and had not a blue flower in it the little cripple was sitting huddled upon his broken doorstep sobbing softly with his face hidden in his arms King Amor drew up his white horse and looked at his bear garden what has happened here he said this garden has not been neglected it has been dug and kept free of weeds but my law has been broken there is no blue flower then the little cripple got up trembling and hobbled through his rickety gate and threw himself down upon the earth before the king's white horse sobbing hopelessly and heartbrokenly oh king he cried I am only a cripple and small and I can easily be killed I have no flowers at all when I opened my package of seeds I was so glad that I forgot the wind was blowing and suddenly a great guest carried them all the way forever and I had not even one left I was afraid to tell anybody and then he cried so that he could not speak go on said the young king gently what did you do I could do nothing said the little cripple only I made my garden neat and kept away the weeds and sometimes I asked other people to let me dig a little for them and always when I went out I picked up the ugly things I saw lying about the bits of paper and rubbish and I dug holes for them in the earth but I have broken your law then the people gasped for breath for king Amor dismounted from his horse and lifted the little cripple up in his arms and held him against his breast you shall ride with me today he said and go to my castle on the mountain craig and live near the stars and the sun when you kept the weeds from your bare little garden and when you dug for others and hid away ugliness and disorder you planted a blue flower every day you have planted more than all the rest and your reward shall be the sweetest for you planted without the seeds and then the people shouted until the world seemed to ring with their joy and somehow they knew that King Mordreth's land had come into fair days and they thought it was the blue flower magic but the earth is full of magic Amor said to the ancient one after the feast on the plain was over most men know nothing of it and so comes misery the first law of the earth's magic is this one if you fill your mind with a beautiful thought there will be no room in it for an ugly one this I learned from you and from my brothers the stars so I gave my people the blue flower to think of and work for it led them to see beauty and to work happily and filled the land with bloom I their king and their brother and soon they will understand this and I can help them and all will be well they shall be wise and joyous and no good fortune the little cripple lived near the sun and the stars in the castle on the mountain crag until he grew strong and straight then he was the king's chief gardener the boy who was clever was made captain of his band which became the king's own guard and never left him and the gloom of King Mordreth's land was forgotten because it was known all throughout the world as the land of the blue flower and of the land of the blue flower by Francis Hodgson Burnett read by Anne Schwartz for LibriVox