 Emilia Rann in the Green Umbrella by Constance Heward 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 Elsie Selwyn Her name was Emilia Rann Stiggins. She was a pale child with black hair, which she wore in curl rags from Friday night till Sunday morning. Her mother was poor and took in washing, because besides Emilia Rann, who was the eldest, there were some five other little Stiggins to feed. Now it happened one day just before Christmas that the five little Stiggins had colds in their heads, so Mrs. Stiggins sat them in a ring in the kitchen with their feet in a tub of mustard and water. After that she put them into a big bed and gave them hot gruel to drink. While Emilia Rann stood gloomily by and shook her head, which was covered with curl rags. The reason for the curl rags was that all the village children had been invited to a grand tea party at the Squires the next day, and Emilia Rann was gloomy because it did not seem as if the five little Stigginsons would be able to go. Sure enough the next day the colds were worse and at three o'clock in the afternoon Emilia Rann's hair was taken out of the rags and she put on her Sunday dress coat and hat and started off to the tea party with twenty-five ringlets bobbing round her neck. And the five little Stigginsons sat up in the big bed and howled horribly with disappointment, but Emilia Rann had hardly gotten out of the front door before she was back again. I want the umbrella, she said, and she took it from the corner in the parlor where it lived. It was large and green with a goose's head for a handle. It's never going to rain, Emilia Rann, said Mrs. Stiggins. Whatever do you want to take the umbrella for, I don't know. But Emilia Rann tossed her head and said she wasn't so sure about the rain and she started off again with the green umbrella clasped in one arm. The Squire was a jolly old man with a round red face and a beard like Father Christmas. But the Squire's sister, Miss Josephine, was a cross old maid and she thought it was a stupid thing to give a tea party to the village children. She was always there to see that they behaved themselves. Now Miss Josephine's eagle eye was upon Emilia Rann as she took her seat at the great long table with the other children and, Emilia Ann Stiggins! She said, What are you doing with that great umbrella in here? You ought to have left it in the hall with your coat and hat. Oh, nothing please, Mom. Stammered Emilia Rann, trying to hide the umbrella under the table and Miss Josephine stared very hard at her and then went on to find fault with somebody else. The tea that was, there were cakes with pink icing and cherries on the top and jammed hearts that melted in one's mouth and biscuit with creamy insides and scones and buns. Emilia Rann seemed to be terribly hungry for her plate was nearly always empty but though she did not reach out and help herself she was never allowed to wait long because there was a great many smiling maids to pass the cakes and fill up the tea cups. When tea was over, the children went back to the hall and put on their hats and coats. As they went out, a smart footman at the door gave each child an orange and apple and a bag of sweets. Emilia Rann took her orange and apple and bag of sweets and said, Thank you, sir. Emilia Rann was almost the last to go because she had taken the wrong hat and had to go back into the house. She was ready to go through the door again when suddenly Miss Josephine stepped forward. Emilia Ann Stiggins! She said, I will put up your umbrella for you! And she took it firmly out of Emilia Rann's hand. Oh, Mom! cried Emilia Rann and clutched Miss Josephine's arm. But Miss Josephine shook her off and held up the umbrella and shot it open and out upon the floor in the bright light that came from the hall lamp fell jammed hearts and iced cakes and biscuits and scones. Grady child! said Miss Josephine. And Emilia Rann covered her face with her hands and wept. But the squire looked down at the feast on the floor and patted Emilia Rann kindly on the shoulder. Come, come! he said. It was your own tea you put in the umbrella. I know because I watched you and you never ate anything at all. Oh, sir! cried Emilia Rann on covering her face. I'm glad you saw because I didn't take a bit more than what I could easily have ate. And the five of them got colds in their heads and they were all howling something awful. And I couldn't bear to go home and tell them everything and them not have a bite as you might say. Well. Well. So the squire. I thought there was somebody missing. And of course there will be five teas left over and I think we could find a sixth as this one is spoiled. John. To the smart footman. A basket, please, with cakes for six people. And John went like a shot while Miss Josephine dropped the umbrella and walked slowly past Emilia Rann and the squire with her nose in the air and a look of horrified disgust on her face. In two minutes, John was back again with a huge basket covered with a white cloth and 15 minutes later, Emilia Rann staggered into the Stiginson's house and upstairs to the bedroom with a huge basket on one arm and the green umbrella clutched in the other. And the five little Stiginsons sat up in bed with their eyes nearly starting out of their heads and Mrs. Stigins sat bump upon a chair because she said it gave her quite a turn when Emilia Rann took off the cover of the basket. Four inside that basket were cakes enough for six and Mrs. Stigins as well and oranges and apples and bags of sweets and when everybody had finished Emilia Rann was sure that she must have eaten quite twice as much as she had meant to bring home in the green umbrella. End of Emilia Rann and the green umbrella by Constance Heward read by Elsie Selwyn The Black Cats and the Tinker's Wife by Margaret Baker 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 phone The Black Cats and the Tinker's Wife Once upon a time there was a tinker He tramped about the country with this bundle of tools slung over his shoulder and his little wife tramped beside him Would you like to know what was in the bundle she carried? Why a silk handkerchief of golden yellow to tie over her hair on holiday and fair days and a ball of yarn with which she was always knitting and a loaf of bread and all the money they had and that was never more than a few silver pieces Although the two bundles held all they possessed the tinker and his wife were as happy as could be and as they trudged along from one farmhouse to another and one village to the next he would whistle as merrily as a blackbird and she would sing and laugh and dance along the short cropped grass by the roadside poising on her pretty bare feet as lightly as a fairy When at sound of his call some good wife came out with a broken kettle or a leaking pan he would sit down on a doorstep to mend it and while he worked his wife told tales of elves and dwarfs and water sprites to the children who gathered round Then one night came they would take their supper of bread and a little bowl of milk and lie down to sleep wherever they could find shelter sometimes out of doors sometimes in a cottage or barn You would think there was no pleasanter way of living yet sometimes when they passed through a village and saw through open doorways into the cozy sunny little rooms where the women were busy about their work the tinker's wife would sigh and turn to look back many, many times and at that the tinker would sigh too and think sadly of how little he could earn but perhaps he would never be able to give her a home at all Now one day it happened that there was a great storm and toward evening it grew wilder and wilder the wind came whirling and sweeping along driving the rain and the hail before it in blinding sheets the country was bleak and bare not so much as a hedge or roll behind which should take shelter and presently it grew so dark that one could not see in arm's length ahead the tinker wrapped his wife in a stattered cloak and they struggled on and on but it was weary work fighting the storm then suddenly they saw a light before them it comes from some cottage said the tinker we will knock and ask shelter but when they came near they found it was not a cottage but a cave there was a bright fire burning within above it hung an iron pot and nearby stood a three-legged stool and a water pitcher there was nothing strange in all that but there was something very odd about the cave all the same for sitting round the fire were more black cats than could easily be counted big ones and little ones fat ones and lean ones old ones and young ones long-haired long-haired and short-haired all kinds who dare within cried the tinker such a flurry as there was about the fire some of the cats ran to hide themselves some sprang to the entrance some with arched backs and stiffened tails stayed by the fire who dare friend cried the tinker again and as no one answered the inside and his wife followed strange that there should be no one here said he and there are more cats than I care about myself but on such a night one must be grateful for any lodging so they sat down by the fire his wife on the three-legged stool and he on the ground beside her and they warmed and dried themselves and presently from this corner and from that the cats came creeping back and sat down opposite staring and staring with their great green eyes puss puss puss coaxed the tinker's wife but the cats only twitched their ears and stared till their eyes glistened red as though they were on fire inside they will be friendly enough when they see we wish them no harm said she and truly before long a little black kitten came rubbing against her foot and jumped into her lap so the night passed away and the storm went down and it was morning the tinker's wife packed up her little bundle ready to start again I wish she said and at that all the cats pricked up their ears I wish I could give the die wish said the tinker I wish I had a little home to care for I wish we might live in this cave at that the tinker laughed why if that is not surprising said he it is the very wish I should wish myself have die wish till someone else comes and she clapped her hands for joy so the tinker went down the hillside alone with this bundle of tools on his back and his wife started waving goodbye as long as she could see him then she went into the cave and swept down all the cobwebs with a bunch of heather and chased the dust out of the corners and went about and about till the cave was as clean and neat as could be and the cats sat round the fire and stared and stared as though it was the most surprising thing they had ever seen when it drew near evening she sat outside on the three-legged stool with her knitting in her hand ready to wave to the tinker as soon as he came in sight and there he was striding up the hill and she ran to meet him and brought him into the cave and they sat by the fire as they had done before has not anyone come yet asked the tinker no she answered and I am glad it is such a cosy little cave that I wish and at that all the cats looked at their ears I wish I could give deed I wish said the tinker I wish we could live here always and that there was another three-legged stool then thou wouldst not need to sit on the ground why that is not surprising quote the tinker tis the very wish I would wish myself and he laughed and kissed her and what news have he learned today she asked strange news said the tinker there lies a farm yonder with fields all untilled and when I asked what had befallen they told me that a witch had spirited away the plowman because his dog chased her cat and no one has seen or heard of him since at that one of the cats began a most mournful wailing and all the others joined in alas said the tinker's wife what a sad and sorrowful tale next day again the tinker went down the hillside alone and his little wife kept house in the cave and went about and about it till it was as neat and as clean as could be and when he came back at evening there she was sitting at the entrance with all the cats around her watching for him has not anyone come yet he asked when they were seated by the fire no she answered and I am glad it is such a pleasant cave that I wish and that that all the cats pricked up their ears I wish I could give thee thy wish said the tinker I wish we could live here always and that we had a little hive of bees to gather honey from the header blossoms now if that is not surprising for the tinker it is the very wish I would wish myself and he laughed and kissed her and what is the news thou has learned today she asked strange news said the tinker in a home yonder there is an old ragdoll and no little girl to nurse it she made a face at the witch one day and no one has seen or heard of her since and that that the tiniest kitten began a most mournful wail and all the others joined in alas said the tinker's wife what a sad and sorrowful tale and so it happened every day when they sat by the fire at dusk the tinker's wife had always a wish to wish for a little goat to feed on the hillside and give them milk or for a little ground bolt to hold the berries she gathered this time for a rose tree to grow about the cave mouth that time for a broom that she might sweep the dust away the better and the tinker had always a sad and sorrowful tale to tell of people who had disappeared there was the farmer's wife who had given the witch a scorched cake of bread the little boy who had called names after her the dairy maid who had not curtsied to her the strolling player whose music did not please her the lovers who had chosen to sit too near her cave to watch the moon and that each of these tales one of the cats would begin to wail most dismally and all the others would join in so things went on for a long long time and it would have been hard to find anyone as happy as the tinker's wife as she went about and about the cave making it so neat and clean or as the tinker when he came striding up the hillside at the end of the day and saw her waiting to wave to him now sometimes when the tinker told his strange tales his wife would begin to wonder and ponder and cannot be and if it should be so said she and then she would stop and shake her head and sigh one night she sat thinking longer than ever and then I wonder what happened to them when they disappeared and again is it not more than a little strange that there are so many cats here and all black and at last I wish I wish I could give thee and I wish said the tinker I wish these cats were changed back into what they ought to be and behold in less than the flick of an eyelid there they stood a little girl who had made a face the boy who had called names the plowman the lovers the berry maid and all the rest it would take a long long time to tell how they thanked the tinker and his wife how they laughed and cried for joy and how happy they all were do you think my wish should come true marveled the tinker's wife all good wishes come true sometime caused the tinker there is another shall come true cried the farmer's wife for as quickly as it can be led up the hillside my best goat shall be yours and I will bring my little brown ball said the little girl and I will make the finest three-legged stool that ever was seen said the plowman and in the same way spoke all of them but if this is the witch's cave why has she not come back asked the tinker but that was a question they could not answer but I can tell you why she was blown right off her broomstick in that terrible storm suppose I had wished my wish long ago would it have come true then asked the tinker's wife and that was another question they could not answer neither can I though I know that in the end good temper and happiness will always break evil spells presently the tinker was startled to feel something come rubbing against his leg he was a cat which has not changed he cried I could not have wished hard enough said his wife so she wished again and again and she wished this way and she wished that way but nothing happened he must be a real cat she said and so they all agreed then he shall live with us always said the tinker so the tinker and his wife and the black cat lived together in the cave and were as happy as could be all the rest of their lives and never another wish that the tinker's wife had to wish for all her other wishes came true and she had everything she wanted and that is the end of the story end of the black cats and the tinker's wife by Margaret Beaker How the Cobbler Cheated the Devil by Charles John Tibbets This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org It chanced that once upon a time, long years ago in the days when strange things used to happen in the world and the devil himself used sometimes to walk about in it in a bare-faced fashion to the distraction of all good and bad folk alike he came to a very small town where he resolved to stay a while to play some of his tricks How it was whether the people were better or worse than he expected to find them whether they would not give way to him or whether they went beyond him and outwitted him I don't know and so cannot say But sure it is that in a short while he became terribly angry with the folk and at length was so disgusted that he threatened he would make them repent their treatment of him and teach them in a manner which would show them his power With that he flew off in a fury and the folk, knowing with whom they had to deal were very sad thinking what terrible thing would overtake them and at their wit's end to imagine how they might manage to escape the claws of the evil one Accordingly it was decided to call a meeting of the town's folk to which all old and young should come to deliver their opinion as to the best course to be pursued Only those too old to walk the sick and the foolish being not called to the council Very many different courses were proposed and while these were being debated a man rushed into the hall where the council was held and informed them that their enemy was coming for he had himself seen him making his way to the town bearing on his shoulder a stone almost big enough to bury the place under it he reported that the devil was yet a long way off for his load hampered him sadly and he could not travel fast What to do the counsellors did not know when suddenly there came amongst them a poor cobbler whom they had forgotten to call to the meeting for he was indeed looked upon as only half-witted I will go and meet him said he and stop him coming here You stop him cried they all it's mad you must be to think of it I'll go all the same said the cobbler and without saying a word more he goes out and begins to make ready for his journey First of all he collected together as many old boots and shoes as he could find and when he'd got them all in a bundle he finds out the man who had seen the devil coming on and inquired of him the way he should go to meet him the man told him the road and the cobbler set out he walked and walked and walked till at last he came to the devil who was sitting by the roadside resting himself and trying to get cool for the day was warm and he was nearly worn out with carrying the big rock which lay beside him do you know such and such a place asks he of the man naming the town he would be at I do indeed says the man for I ought to seeing I have lived in its neighborhood these many years and I've only left there to travel here and how many days have you been getting here asked the devil anxiously for he had hoped he was near the end of his journey oh days and days replies the man see here and he opens his bundle of old boots that he had ready see here says he these are the boots I've worn out on the hard road and coming from the place to here have you indeed says the devil looking at them amazed little thinking that the man was lying as he showed him pair after pair all in holes and shreds well indeed it must be a long way off and he looks around him and then at the rock and thinks what a terrible long way he has had to bring it and begins to doubt whether after all since he's got so far to go it's worth all the trouble if it had been near says he it would have been a different thing and I would have shown them what it is to treat me as they did but as it's so far off it's another matter and I don't think it's worth the trouble so he just takes up the rock and flings it aside in a field and goes off back again so the cobbler came home and told all the townsfolk what he had done and how he cheated the devil and I can assure you that they all admired his cleverness and the joke of tricking the devil as he had nor did they allow him to lose in consequence of missing his day's work End of How the Cobbler Cheated the Devil by Charles John Tibbets Read by Colleen McMahon who vowed that he would never marry any girl who had not royal blood in her veins one day he plucked up all his courage and went to the palace to ask the emperor for his daughter the emperor was not much pleased at the thought of such a match for his only child but being very polite he only said very well my son if you could win the princess you shall have her and the conditions are these in eight days you must manage to tame and bring to me three horses that have never felt a master the first is pure white the second a foxy red with a black head the third cold black with a white head and feet and besides that you must also bring as a present to the empress my wife as much gold as the three horses can carry the young man listened in dismay to these words but with an effort he thanked the emperor for his kindness and left the palace wondering how he was to fulfill the task allotted to him only for him the emperor's daughter had overheard everything her father had said and peeping through a curtain had seen the youth and thought him handsomer than anyone she had ever beheld so returning hastily to her own room she wrote him a letter which she gave to a trusty servant to deliver begging her war to come to her rooms early the next day and to undertake nothing without her advice if he ever wished her to be his wife that night when her father was asleep he took her softly into his chamber and took out an enchanted knife from the chest where he kept his treasures and hid it carefully in a safe place before she went to bed the son had hardly risen the following morning when the princess's nurse brought the young man to her apartments neither spoke for some minutes but stood holding each other's hands for joy till at last they both cried out that nothing but death should part them then the maiden said and ride straight through the wood towards the sunset till you come to a hill with three peaks when you get there turn first to the right and then to the left and you will find yourself in a sun meadow where many horses are feeding out of these you must pick out the three described to you by my father if they prove shy and refuse to let you get near them draw out your knife and let the sun shine on it so that the whole meadow is lit up by its rays and the horses will then approach you of their own accord and will let you lead them away when you have them safely look about till you see a cypress tree whose roots are of brass whose bowels are of silver and whose leaves are of gold go to it and cut away the roots with your knife and you will come to countless bags of gold load the horses with all they can carry and return to my father and tell him that you have done your task and can claim me for your wife that finished all she had to say and now it depended on the young man to do his part he hid the knife in the folds of his girdle mounted his horse and rode off in search of the meadow this he found without much difficulty but the horses were all so shy that they galloped away directly he approached them and he drew his knife and held it up towards the sun and directly there shown such a glory that the whole meadow was bathed in it from all sides the horses rushed pressing round and each one that passed him fell on its knees to do him honor but he only chose from them all the three that the emperor had described these he secured by a silken rope to his own horse and then looked about for the cypress tree it was standing by itself in one corner and in a moment he was beside it tearing away the earth with his knife deeper and deeper he dug till far down below the roots of brass his knife struck upon the buried treasure which lay heaped up in bags all around with a great effort he lifted them from their hiding place and laid them one by one on his horse's backs and when they could carry no more he led them back to the emperor and when the emperor saw him he wondered but never guessed how it was the young man had been too clever for him till the betrothal ceremony was over and he asked his newly made son-in-law what dowry he would require with his bride to which the bridegroom made answer noble emperor all I desire is that I may have your daughter for my wife and enjoy forever the use of your enchanted knife end of The Enchanted Knife by Anonymous read by Betty B Esop's Fables a version for young readers by Esop and J. H. Stickney the frogs who asked for a king this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org the frogs who asked for a king there were once some frogs who lived together in a perfect security in a beautiful lake they were a large company and were very comfortable but they came to think that they might be still happier if they had the king to rule over them so they sent to Jupiter their god they asked him to give them a king Jupiter laughed at their folly for he knew that they were better off as they were but he said to them well here's a king for you and into the water he drew a big lock it fell with such a splash that the frogs were terrified and hid themselves in the deep mud under the water by and by one braver than the rest peeped out to look at the king saw the lock as it lay quietly on the top of the water soon one after another they all came out of their hiding places and ventured to look at their great king as the lock did not move they swam around it keeping a safe distance away and at last one by one hopped upon it this is not a king said a wise old frog it is nothing but a stupid lock if he had a king Jupiter would pay more attention to us again they sent to Jupiter and begged him to give them a king who could roll over them Jupiter didn't like to be disturbed again by the silly frogs and this time he sent them a stork saying you will have someone to roll over you now as they saw the storks only walking down to the lake they were delighted oh they said see how grand he looks how he strides along how he throws back his head this is a king indeed he shall roll over us and they were joyful to meet him as their new king came nearer he paused, stretched out his long neck picked up the head frog and swallowed him at one mouthful and then the next and the next what is this? cried the frogs and they began to draw back in terror but the stork with his long legs easily followed them to the water and kept on eating them as fast as he could oh if we had only been said the oldest frog he was going to add content but he was eaten up before he could finish the sentence the remaining frogs cried the Jupiter to help them but he would not listen and the stork king ate them for breakfast, dinner and supper every day till in a short time there was not a frog left in the lake who were foolish frogs not to have known when they were well off end of the frogs who asked for a king by Asop and J. H. Stigney the camel got his hump just those stories by Rudyard Kipling this is a LibroBox recording all LibroBox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to find out how you can volunteer please visit LibroBox.org how the camel got his hump now this is the next tale and it tells how the camel got his big hump in the beginning of years when the world was so new and old and the animals were just beginning to work for man there was a camel and he lived in the middle of a howling desert because he did not want to work and besides he was a howler himself so he ate sticks and thorns and tamarisks and milkweed and prickles and most excruciatingly idle and when anyone spoke to him he said humps just humps and no more presently the horse came to him on Monday morning with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth and said camel oh camel come out and trot like the rest of us humps said the camel and the horse went away and told the man presently the dog came to him with a stick in his mouth and said camel oh camel come and fetch and carry like the rest of us hump said the camel and the dog went away and told the man presently the ox came to him with the yolk on his neck and said camel oh camel come and plow like the rest of us hump said the camel and the ox went away and told the man at the end of the day the man called the horse and the dog and the ox together and said three oh three I'm very sorry for you with the world so new and all but the hump thing in the desert can't work or he would have been here by now so I'm going to leave him alone and you must work double time to make up for it that made the three very angry with the world so new and all and they held a palaver and an indaba and a panchayat and a pow wow on the edge of the desert and the camel came chewing on milkweed most excruciating idle and laughed at them then he said and went away again presently they came along the gin in charge of all deserts rolling in a cloud of dust gins always travel that way because it is magic and he stopped to palaver and pow wow with the three she left all deserts said the horse is it right for anyone to be idle with the world so new and all certainly not said the gin well said the horse there's a thing in the middle of your howling desert and he's howler himself with long neck and long necks and he hasn't done a stroke of work since Monday morning he won't trot woo said the gin whistling that's my camel for all the gold in Arabia what does he say about it he says humph said the dog and he won't such a carry does he say anything else only humph and he won't plow said the ox very good said the gin I'll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute the gin rolled himself up in his dust cloak and took a bearing across the desert and found the camel most excruciatingly idle looking at his own reflection in a pool of water my long and bubbling friend said the gin what's this I hear of you all doing no work with the world so new and all humph said the camel the gin sat down with his gin in his hand and began to think a great magic so the camel looked at his own reflection in the pool of water you've given the three extra work ever since Monday morning all a cart of his cruciating idleness said the gin and he went on thinking magics with his gin in his hand humph said the camel I won't say that again if I were you said the gin you might say it once too often bubbles I want you to work and the camel said humph again but no sooner has he said that then he saw his own back that he was so proud of puffing up and puffing up into a great big lolloping humph do you see that said the gin that's your very own humph that you've brought upon your very own self by not working today is Thursday and you've done no work since Monday when the work began now you are going to work how can I said the camel with his humph on my back that's made a purpose said the gin all because you've missed those three days you will be able to work now for three days without eating because you can live on your humph and don't you say I never did anything for you come out of the desert and go to the tree and behave humph yourself and the camel humphed himself humph and all and went away to join the tree and from that day this the camel always wears a humph we call it a humph now not to hurt his feelings but he has never yet caught up with the three days that he missed at the beginning of the world and he has never yet learnt how to behave camel's humph is an ugly lump which well you may see at the zoo but uglier yet is the humph we get from having too little to do kitties and grown-ups too if we don't have enough to do we get the lump camel's humph the humph that is black and blue we climb out of bed with a frowsly head and a snarly-jarly voice we shiver and scour and we grunt and we growl at our bath and our boots and our toys and there ought to be a corner for me and I know there is one for you when we get the humph camel's humph the humph that is black and blue the cure for this ill is not to sit still or froused with a book by the fire but to take a large hoe and a shovel also and dig till you gently perspire and then you will find that the sun in the wind and the gin of the garden too have lifted the humph the horrible humph the humph that is black and blue I get it as well as you uguh if I haven't enough to do uguh we all get the humph camel's humph kitties and grown-ups too and off how the camel got his humph from just those stories by Rajat Kiplay how the Indians learn to heal an Iroquois wonder story of stories the Iroquois tell their children collected by Mabel Powers this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org a long long time ago some Indians were running along a trail that led to an Indian settlement as they ran a rabbit jump from the bushes and sat before them the Indians stopped for the rabbit still sat up before them and did not move from the trail they shot their arrows at them the arrows came back unstained with blood a second time they drew their arrows now no rabbit was to be seen instead an old man stood on the trail he seemed to be weak and sick the old man asked them for food and a place to rest they would not listen but went on to the settlement and slowly the old man followed them down the trail to the Wigwam village in front of each Wigwam he saw a skin placed on a pole this he knew was the sign of the clan to which the dwellers in that Wigwam belonged first he stopped at a Wigwam where a wolf skin hung he asked to enter but they would not let him they said we want no sick men here on he went toward another Wigwam here a turtle show was hanging but this family would not let him in he tried a Wigwam where he saw a beaver skin he was told to move on the Indians who lived in a Wigwam where a deer skin was seen were just as unkind nor was he permitted to enter the Wigwam where hung hawk, snipe and heron skins at last he came to a Wigwam where a bear skin hung I will ask once more for a place to rest he thought and here a kind old woman lived she brought food for him to eat and spread soft skins for him to lie upon the old man thanked her he said that he was very sick he told the woman what plants to gather in the wood to make him well again this she did and soon he was healed a few days later the old man was again taken sick again he told the woman what roots and leaves to gather she did as she was told and soon he was well many times the old man fell sick each time he had a different sickness each time he told the woman what plants and herbs to find to cure him each time she remembered what she had been told soon this woman of the bear clan knew more about healing than all the other people one day the old man told her that the great spirit had sent him to earth to teach the Indian people the secrets of healing I came sick and hungry to many a Wigwam door no blanket was drawn aside from me to pass in you alone lifted the blanket from your Wigwam door and bade me to enter you are of the bear clan therefore all the other clans shall come to the bear clan for help and sickness you shall teach all the clans what plants and roots and leaves to gather that the sick may be healed and the bear shall be the greatest and strongest of the clans the Indian woman lifted her face to the great spirit to thank him for this great gift and knowledge of healing when she turned again to the man he had disappeared no one was there but a rabbit was running swiftly down the trail this is the end of how the Indians learned to heal by Mabel Powers this recording is in the public domain Good things for breakfast by Olive Hyde Foster this is a LibriVox recording a LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org for these recipes unless otherwise specified make all measurements level the use of measuring cups divided into halves and thirds is strongly urged as well as the tea and table measuring spoons every mother should begin to instruct her little daughter at an early age in the different branches of housekeeping and if taught in the right way none will prove more attractive than cooking when quite young the child will be eager to experiment and generally will be careful and with many of the simple recipes she can scarcely make a mistake and they will prove invaluable to her later on cooking is of great educational value aside from giving a girl that knowledge necessary to the proper conduct of a home in the dexterous handling of utensils and food products the concentration required and the practice of doing certain work for certain results it also gives excellent mental training and brings all round development every girl should become a good practical cook and in the majority of cases the mother for many reasons is the best teacher equipment the small cook should be provided with her own apron sleeves and cap also attached to her belt a tea towel and a small holder for lifting hot pans this will make her feel more important and to impress upon her the need of having everything clean and orderly then emphasize the necessity of always following directions and taking the pains to make each cup full and even cup full each spoonful and even spoonful the pan for baking should be thoroughly greased and set aside ready for use after the fire has first been put in good condition so that the oven will be right and then all the cooking utensils and materials placed conveniently at hand for the first lesson suppose the choice be baking powder biscuit when properly made they are delicious but from the number of times that otherwise good cooks fail on this point I have come to the conclusion that the secret lies in the mixing and handling baking powder biscuit have the child place two even cupfuls of flour in the sifter with two level teaspoonfuls of baking powder half a teaspoonful of salt and then sift do this add one rounded tablespoonful of lard the little maid's hands and nails should be specially cleaned so she can work this thoroughly into the flour and it may take her five minutes to do it properly next dusting her hands have her take a table fork and stir all the time as she adds the milk generally three quarters of a cupful of milk is enough but if the flour was packed in solid it may take a whole cupful mix up well with the fork into a soft dough and turn out on a floured bread board she must not handle it even now sprinkle over just enough flour to keep the rolling pin from sticking while she rolls it out until three fourths of an inch thick next she should be shown how to cut into small rounds without any waste where the dough that is left to be molded over will take up more flour and consequently be thicker and not so light as each biscuit is cut it should be carefully placed in the pan close to its neighbor but not crowding and when all are ready popped into a hot oven for 15 minutes baking this lesson should be repeated in a few days before the child has forgotten any of the details and thereafter it is advisable to let her make the same dough for different purposes at least once a week for a while for meat pies, dumplings or shortcake one half the recipe will be plenty for a family of four and she will feel that she has learned each time how to make a new dish provide a small blank book and have her write down every recipe with the full directions for mixing this will be her very own and as it grows will come to be a valued treasure baked apples as cooked fruits are such nourishing food let the child prepare some kind while the biscuits are baking apples for instance the oven being hot it is best to bake them so show her how to wash core and then fill each opening with sugar cinnamon and a little butter it will take only a few moments to prepare them and while the baking is in progress the dishes that have been used should be washed and set in the closet the materials left be put away all must be in order before the lesson is pronounced over and the dish pan wiped and put up where it is desired to serve the apples and biscuits at the same meal the apples should be prepared first as they take longer to bake cornbread cornbread too is easy for any child to make ever mix one and one half cups of sifted flour one half cup of yellow cornmeal three tablespoons of granulated sugar one teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of baking powder add two well beaten eggs one cup milk and one tablespoon of melted butter pour in buttered tin or gem pans and bake in hot oven for 15 or 20 minutes muffins then next try muffins have her sift two cups of flour one teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of baking powder add one cup of milk two tablespoons of melted butter and two eggs with the stiff whites last bake in buttered muffin tins 15 or 20 minutes in a hot oven griddle cakes if successful with these things you will be quite sure with a little care to make good griddle cakes have her sift two cups of flour with two teaspoons of baking powder have a teaspoon of salt a tablespoon of sugar and stir in the yolks of two eggs well beaten in a cup and a half of milk when perfectly smooth and just before baking fold in the stiff whites grease a hot griddle with a piece of suet put down a spoonful of batter at a time and turn as soon as it bubbles well over the top watch carefully to keep from burning but never turn a pancake the second time after a girl has learned how to make biscuit and other light breads she should be shown at once how to prepare eggs in different ways so that she will be able at any time to serve a dainty breakfast boiled eggs the boiling egg would seem to be the easiest matter possible but it requires care just the same scarcely any two people in a family like eggs cook the same length of time and so after ascertaining the way each one prefers have the water boiling hard and then check by adding a little cold water so that the shells will not crack from the heat put in the eggs carefully with a tablespoon to prevent striking each other boil the required number of minutes and remove each when it's time is up sending to the table at once hard boiled eggs to be digestible should be kept just at the boiling point for 30 minutes the yolks will then be mealy poached eggs poached eggs should be dropped in buttered gem pans and then set in a deep dripping pan and covered with boiling water when boiled as long as desired lift gently onto rounds of buttered toast sprinkle with salt and pepper garnish with parsley or small celery leaves and serve on a hot platter plain omelet for an omelet for 4 people separate yolks and whites of 5 eggs beat yolks very light add 1 quarter teaspoon full salt pepper 5 tablespoon fulls milk and lastly the whites beaten very stiff mix slightly but thoroughly and pour in well buttered hot frying pan place on stove about 2 minutes until well puffed up then put in oven for a moment until firm on top on removing fold omelet over with a cake turner place on a hot plate and garnish with parsley fancy omelets after the little daughter has mastered this popular dish show her how to make it into a fancy one by adding various things a small quantity half a cup full of chopped ham stirred in before cooking converts it into a ham omelet a cup full of cold boiled rice mixed thoroughly through the uncooked eggs a rice omelet while a cup full of chopped meat or better, chopped chicken will make a meat or chicken omelet a delicious green corn omelet has the pulp from 2 ears of green corn grated from the cob added just before cooking this should be given a slower fire and more time for a cheese omelet sprinkle half a couple of grated cheese over the eggs after they are cooked before folding over omelet garnishing the wise mother will suggest to the young cook that instead of always using one recipe she try to think of some way of improving or burying it a few green peas left from dinner can be made hot and sprinkled over an omelet the same way as the cheese or the cup of stewed tomatoes left from the day before strained, thickened with a teaspoon full of flour seasoned with butter, pepper and salt and served as a sauce this making a delicious accompaniment to a plain omelet creamed eggs take the desired number of hot, hard boiled eggs cut in quarters lay on pieces of hot butter toast and cover with white sauce this makes a most appetizing dish or breakfast or luncheon garnished with parsley deviled eggs put on in hot water simmer for half an hour then place in cold water to loosen shells when cold cut in half mash and season with salt pepper, a dash of prepared mustard and a teaspoon full of vinegar with a half teaspoon full of soft butter for each egg rub to a smooth paste and pack back in the whites for picnics, fasten two halves together with a wooden toothpick scrambled eggs beat the desired number enough to break the yolks season with salt and pepper and add a tablespoon full of milk for each egg put in a hot pan half a teaspoon full of butter for each egg and when melted pour in the beaten eggs stir constantly scraping from the bottom of the pan until cooked enough to suit individual taste but watch closely for the longer they cook the drier they become garnish with parsley or with dried beef frizzled in a hot skillet with a small quantity of butter bacon and eggs place thin slices of bacon in a skillet turn frequently to keep from curling and remove to a hot plate when cooked as much as desired break eggs in a saucer one at a time to see that they are fresh then drop gently into the hot fat when done to suit individual taste lift carefully to the center of a hot platter and garnish with the bacon the secret of an attractive table which should be made clear to every girl is clean linen with dishes carefully arranged each article of food however simple should be carefully placed in the center of its dish and vegetables meats and salads garnish with parsley, celery leaves or occasionally rings of hard boiled eggs the eggs are especially nice on salads and on such a vegetable as spinach a kitchen lesson would be incomplete without a few words regarding the care of the all important dish towels and dishcloth however many may be on hand it is a wise plan to teach the little cook to take warm water and plenty of soap and wash them out each time being careful to rinse them thoroughly after she is through then hang out in the air to dry end of Good Things for Breakfast by Olive Hyde Foster The Princess Nobody A Tale of Fairyland by Andrew Lay after the drawings by Richard Doyle this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Ballad of Dedication to all you babes at Branksholm Park this book I dedicate a book for winter evenings dark to dark to ride or skate I made it up out of my pate and wasted midnight oil interpreting each cut and plate the works of Dickie Doyle when weary winter comes and hark the treviate roars in spate when half you think you'll need the arc the floods so fierce and great think of the prince and of his mate their triumph and their toil and mark them drawn in all their state the works of Dickie Doyle now if my nonsense hits the mark if Winnie Popp and Kate think tales of phase and giants stark not wholly out of date another time perchance I'll pray and keep a merry coil though nearer I'll match the drawings great the works of Dickie Doyle and boy girls may you near know fear nor hate boys feel like Mr. Royal and please don't say I desecrate the works of Dickie Doyle Chapter one the princess nobody once upon a time fairies were much more common than they are now they lived a king and a queen their country was close to fairyland and very often the little elves would cross over the border and come into the king's fields and gardens the girl fairies would swing out of the bells of the fuchsias and lull on the leaves the little drops of dew that fell down the stems here you may see all the fairies making themselves merry at a picnic on a fuchsia and an ugly little dwarf is climbing up the stock now the king and queen of the country next to fairyland are very rich and very fond of each other but one thing made them unhappy they had no child neither boy nor girl to sit on the throne when they were dead and gone often the queen said she wished she had a child even if it were no bigger than her thumb and she hoped the fairies might hear her and help her but they never took any notice one day when the king had been counting out his money all day the day when the tributes were paid in he grew very tired he took off his crown and went into the garden all around his kingdom and said I would give it all for a baby no sooner had the king said this then he heard a little squeaking voice near his foot you shall have a lovely baby if you will give me what I ask the king looked down and there was the funniest little dwarf that ever was seen he had a high red cap like a flower a big mustache and a short beard that curled outwards his cloak was red like his cap and his coat was green and he rode on a green frog many people would have been frightened but the king was used to fairies you shall have a beautiful baby if you will give me what I ask said the dwarf again I'll give you anything you like said the king I was to give me Nianti said the dwarf certainly said the king who had not an idea what Nianti meant how will you take it I will take it said the dwarf in my own way on my own day with that he set spurs to his frog which cleared the garden path at one bound and he was soon lost among the flowers well next day a dreadful war broke out between the ghosts and the giants and the king had to set forth and fight on the side of his friends the giants a long long time he was away nearly a year at last he came back to his own country and he heard all the church bells ringing merrily what can be the matter said the king and hurried to his palace where all the courtiers rushed out and told him the queen had got a baby girl a boy says the king a princess your majesty says the nurse with a low curtsy correcting him well you may fancy how glad the king was though he would have preferred a boy what have you called her he asked till your majesty's return we thought it better not to christen the princess said the nurse called her by the italian name for nothing nianti the princess nianti your majesty when the king heard that he remembered that he had promised to give nianti to the dwarf he hid his face in his hands and groaned nobody knew what he meant or why he was sad so he thought it best to keep it to himself he went in and kissed the queen she had a baby never was there a baby so beautiful she was like a fairy's child and so light she could sit on a flower and not crush it she had little wings on her back and all the birds were fond of her the peasants and common people who said they could not see why the first royal baby should be called nianti always spoke of her as the princess only the courtiers called her nianti the water fairy was her godmother but for a fairy reason they concealed her real name and of course she was not christened nianti here you may see her sitting teaching the little birds to sing they are all round her in a circle each of them singing his very best great fun she and all her little companions had with the birds here they are riding on them and tumbling off when the bird kicks and here again you may observe the baby princess riding a parrot while one of her maids of honor teases an owl never was there such a happy country of birds and babies playing together singing and as merry as the day was long while this joyful life went on till the princess nianti was growing quite a big girl she was nearly fourteen then one day he made a tremendous knock at the palace gates out rushed the porter and saw a little dwarf in a red calf and a red cloak riding a green frog tell the king he is wanted said the dwarf the porter carried this rude message and the king went trembling to the door I have come to claim your promise you give me nianti said the dwarf in his froggy voice now the king had spoken long ago about his foolish promise to the queen of the water fairies a very powerful person and godmother of his child the dwarf must be one of my people if he rides a frog the queen of the water fairies had said just send him to me if he is troublesome the king remembered this when he saw the dwarf so he put a bold face on it that's you is it said the king to the dwarf just you go to the queen of the water fairies and she will have a word to say to you when the dwarf heard that it was his turn to tremble he shook his little fist at the king he half drew his sword I'll have nianti yet and he set spurs to his frog and bound it off to see the queen of the water fairies it was night by the time the dwarf reached the stream where the queen lived among the long flags and rushes and reeds of the river here you see him by the river how tired his frog looks he is talking to the water fairy well he and the water fairy had a long talk and the end of it was very found only one way of saving the princess she flew to the king and said I can only help you by making the princess vanish clean away I have a bird here on whose back she can fly away in safety the dwarf will not get her but you will never see her again unless a brave prince can find her where she is hidden and guarded by my water fairies then the poor mother and father cried dreadfully but they saw there was no hope it was better that the princess should vanish away than that she should be married to a horrid rude dwarf who rode on a frog so they sent for the princess and kissed her and embraced her and wept over her and gradually she faded out of their very arms and vanished clean away then she flew away on the bird's back chapter 2 in Mushroomland now all the kingdom next fairyland was miserable and all the people were murmuring and the king and queen were nearly melted in tears they thought of all ways to recover their dear daughter and at last the queen hit on a plan my dear she said to the king we will offer to give our daughter for a wife to any prince who will only find her and bring her home who will want to marry a girl he can't see said the king if they have not married pretty girls they can see they won't care for poor Nienti never mind we can only try said the queen so she sent out messengers into all the world everywhere and proclaimed that the beautiful princess Nienti and no less than three quarters of the kingdom would be given to the prince that could find the princess and bring her home and there was to be a great tournament or sham fight at the palace to amuse all the princes before they went on the search so many princes gathered together all full of hope and they rode against each other with spears and swords and knocked each other about and afterwards dined and danced and made merry some fairy knights too came over the border and they fought with spears riding beetles and grasshoppers instead of horses here's a picture of a joust or tournament between two sets of fairy knights by all these warlike exercises they fought with their courage till they felt brave enough to fight all the ghosts and all the giants if only they could save the beautiful princess well the tournaments were over and off all the princes went into fairy land what funny sights they saw in fairy land they saw a great snail race the snails running so fast that some of the fairy they saw a fairy boy dancing with a squirrel and they found all the birds and all the beasts quite friendly and kind and able to talk like other people this was the way in old times but now no beasts talk and no birds except parrots only now among all the scound army of princes one was ugly and he looked old and odd and the rest laughed at him and called him the prince comical but he had a kind heart one day when he was out walking alone and thinking what he could do to find the princess he saw three bad little boys teasing a big daddy long legs they had got a hold of one of his legs and were pulling at it with all their might when the prince comical saw this he ran up and drove the bad boys away and rubbed the limb of the daddy long legs till he gave up groaning and crying then the daddy long legs sat up and said in a weak voice you have been very kind to me what can I do for you oh help me said the prince to find the princess nienty you fly everywhere don't you know where she is I don't know said the daddy long legs mournfully I have never flown so far but I know that you are all in a very dangerous part of fairyland and I will take you to an aged black beetle who can give you the best advice so saying the daddy long legs walked off with the prince till they came to the black beetle can you tell the prince said the daddy long legs the princess nienty is hidden I know it is in mushroom land said the beetle but he will want a guide will you be my guide asked the prince yes said the beetle but what about your friends the other princes oh they must come too it would not be fair to leave them behind said the prince comical he was the soul of honor after him he would not take advantage of his luck and run away from them well you are a true knight said the black beetle but before we go into the depths of mushroom land just you come here with me then the black beetle pointed out to the prince a great smooth round red thing a long way off that is the first mushroom in mushroom land said the beetle come with me and you shall see what you shall see so the prince followed the beetle till they came to the mushroom climb up and look over said the beetle so the prince climbed up and looked over and there he saw a crowned king sound asleep here is the prince comical you see he is not very handsome and here is the king so sound asleep try to wake him said the beetle just try to wake in the king but it was of no use now take warning by that said the black beetle and never go to sleep under a mushroom in mushroom country you will never wake if you do till the princess Nienti is found again well the prince comical said he would remember that and he and the beetle went off and found the other princes they were disposed to laugh and they were led by a black beetle but one of them who was very learned reminded them that armies had been led before by woodpeckers and wolves and hummingbirds so they all moved on and at night they were very tired now there was no houses and not many trees in mushroom land big mushroom it was in vain that the black beetle and prince comical warned them to beware as they marched through mushroom land the twilight came upon them and the elves began to come out for their dance for elves only dance at dusk and they could not help joining them which was very imprudent as they had plenty to do the next day and it would have been wiser if they had gone to sleep the elves went on with their play till midnight and exactly at midnight the elves stopped their play and undressed and got up into the boughs of a big tree and went to sleep you may wonder how the elves know when it is midnight as there are no clocks in mushroom land of course but they cannot really help knowing it is exactly at 12 that the mushrooms begin to grow and the little mushrooms came up now the elves covered every branch of the tree as you can see in the picture and the fairies did not know where to lie down at last they decided to lie under a very big mushroom nonsense they said you may sleep out in the open air like we mean to make ourselves comfortable here so they all lay down under the shelter of the mushroom and Prince Comical slept in the open air in the morning he awakened feeling very well and hungry and off he set to call his friends but he might as well have called the mushroom itself there they all lay under its shade and though some of them not one of them could move the Prince shook them dragged them shouted at them and pulled their hair but the more he shouted and dragged the louder they snored and the worst of it was that he could not pull them out of the shadow of the magic mushroom so there he had to leave them sound asleep the Prince thought the elves could help him perhaps so he went and asked them how to awaken his friends they were all awake and the fairies were dressing the baby elves but they only said it's their fault for sleeping under a mushroom anybody would know that is a stupid thing to do besides we have no time to attend to them as the sun will be up soon and we must get these babies dressed and be off before then why where are you going to said the Prince ah nobody knows where we go to in the daytime said the elves and nobody does well what am I to do now said the Prince to the black beetle I don't know where the princess is said the beetle but the blue bird is very wise and he may know now your best plan will be to steal two of the blue bird's eggs and not give them back till he tells you all he can so off they set for the blue bird's nest and to make a long story short the Prince stole two of the eggs and would not give them back till the bird promised to tell him all it knew and the end of it was that the bird carried him to the court of the queen of mushroom land and she looked very funny and mischievous here you see the Prince with his hat off kissing the queen's hair and asking for the princess oh she's quite safe so the queen of mushroom land but what a funny boy you are you are not half-handsome enough for the princess nienty the poor Prince blushed they call me Prince comical said he I know I'm not half-good enough oh you are good enough for anything said the queen of mushroom land but you might be prettier then she touched him with her wand and he became as handsome a Prince as ever was seen in a beautiful red silk doublet slashed with white and a long gold colored robe now you will do for my Princess Nienty said the queen of mushroom land blue bird and she whispered in the blue bird's ear take him away to the Princess Nienty so they flew and they flew all day and all night and next day they came to a green bower all full of fairies and butterflies and funny little people and there with all her long yellow hair around her there sat the Princess Nienty and Prince Charming laid his crown at her feet and knelt on one knee and asked the Princess to be his love and his lady and she did not refuse him so they were married in the church of the elves and the glow worm sent his torches and all the bells of all the flowers made a merry peel and soon they were to travel home to the king and to the queen Chapter 3 Lost and Found Now the Prince had found the Princess and you might think that they had nothing to do but go home again the father and mother of the Princess were wearying very much to hear about her every day they climbed to the partisan of the castle and looked across the plane hoping to see dust on the road but she never came and their hair grew grey with sorrow and time the parents of other Princess too who were all asleep under the mushroom were alarmed about their sons and feared that they had all been taken prisoners or perhaps eaten up by some giant but Princess Nienty and Prince Charming were lingering in the enchanted land too happy to leave the flowers, the Brooks and the fairies the faithful black beetle often whispered to the Prince that it was time to turn homewards but the Prince paid no more attention to his ally than if he had been an earwig so there in the valley magical the Prince and the Princess might be wandering to this day but for a very sad accident the night they were married the Princess to the Prince now you may call me Nienty or any pet name you like but never call me by my own name but I don't know it said the Prince don't tell me what it is never said the Princess you must never seek to know it why not said the Prince something dreadful will happen to the Princess if ever you find out my name and call me by it quite as if she could be very angry now ever after this the Prince kept wondering what his wife's real name could be till he made himself quite unhappy is it Margaret he would say when he thought the Princess was off her guard or is it Joan is it Dorothy he can't be civil can it but she would never tell him now one morning the Princess woke very early but she felt maybe that she could not sleep she lay away can listen to the bird singing and then she watched a fairy boy teasing a bird which saying so the boy said out of tune and another fairy baby riding on a fly at last the Princess who thought the Prince was sound asleep began to croon softly a little song she had made about him and her she had never told him about the song partly because she was shy for another reason so she crooned and hummed to herself oh hand in hand with Gwendolyn well yet our locks are gold he'll fare among the forest green and through the gardens old and when like leaves that lose their green our gold has turned to gray then hand in hand with Gwendolyn he'll fade and pass away oh Gwendolyn is your name is it said the Prince who had been wide awake and listening to our song and he began to laugh at having found out her secret and tried to kiss her but the Princess turned very very cold and white like marble so that the Prince began to shiver and he sat down on a fallen mushroom and hid his face in his hands and in a moment all his beautiful hair vanished and his splendid clothes and his gold train and his crown he wore a red cap and common clothes and was Prince comical once more but the Princess arose and she vanished swiftly away opposite you see the poor Prince crying and the Princess vanishing away thus he was punished for being curious and prying it is natural you will say like to call his wife by her name but the fairies would not allow it and what is more there are still some nations who will not allow a woman to mention the name of her husband well here was a sad state of things the Princess was lost as much as ever and Prince charming was changed back into Prince comical the Black Beetle sighed and mingled his tears with those of the Prince but neither of them knew what to do they wandered about the Valley Magical and though it was just as pretty as ever it seemed quite ugly and stupid to them the worst of it was that the Prince felt so foolish after winning the greatest good fortune and the dearest bride in the world he had thrown everything away he walked about crying oh Gwen, I mean oh Nianti, dear Nianti return to your own Prince comical and all will be forgiven it is impossible to say what would have happened and probably the Prince would have died of sorrow and hunger for he ate nothing if the Black Beetle had not one day met a bat which was the favourite charger of Puck now Puck as all the world knows the jester at the court of Fairyland he can make Oberon and Titania the king and queen laugh at the tricks he plays and therefore they love him so much that there is nothing they would not do for him so the Black Beetle began to talk about his master the Prince to the bat Puck commonly rode and the bat a good natured creature told the whole story to Puck now Puck was also in a good humour so he jumped at once on his bat's back and rode off to consult the king and queen of Fairyland well they were sorry for the Prince he had only broken one little fairy law after all and they sent Puck back to tell him what he was to do this was to find the blue bird again and get the blue bird to guide him to the home of the Fairy the godmother of the princess long and far the Prince wandered but at last he found the blue bird once more and the bird very good naturedly promised to fly in front of him till he led him to the beautiful stream where the water fairy held her court so they reached it at last and then the blue bird harnessed himself to the chariot of the water fairy and the chariot was a white cup of the water lily when he pulled and pulled at the chariot here he is dragging along the water fairy till he brought her where the Prince was waiting at first when she saw him she was rather angry why did you find out my goddaughter's name she said and the Prince had no excuse to make he only turned red inside this rather pleased the water fairy do love the Princess very much said she oh more than all the worlds of the Prince then back you go to Mushroomland and you will find her in the old place but perhaps she will not be pleased to forgive you at first the Prince thought he would chance that but he did not say so he only bowed very low and thanked the water fairy then off he set with the bluebird to guide him in search of Mushroomland at long and at last he reached it and glad he was to see the little sentinel on the border of the country all up and down Mushroomland the Prince searched and at last he saw his own Princess and he rushed up and knelt at her feet and held out his hand to ask for having disobeyed the fairy law but she was still rather cross and down she jumped and ran round the Mushroom and he ran after her so he chased her for a minute or two and at last she laughed and popped up her head over the Mushroom and pursed up her lips into a cherry and he kissed her across the Mushroom and knew he had won back his own dear Princess and they felt even happier than if they had never been parted. Journeys end in lovers meeting and so do stories the Prince has his Princess once again and I can tell you they did not wait long this time in the Valley of Magical off they went straight home and the black beetle guided them flying in a beeline just on the further border and they came to all the Princess fast asleep but when the Princess drew near they all wakened and jumped up and they slapped the fortunate Prince on the back and wished him luck and cried hello comical old chap we hardly knew you why you've grown quite handsome and so he had he was changed into Prince Charming again but he was so happy he noticed it for he was not conceited but the Princess noticed it and she loved him all the better then they all made a procession with the black beetle marching at the head indeed they called him Black Rod now and he was quite a courtier so with flags flying and music playing they returned to the home of the Princess and the King and Queen met them and fell on the neck of the Prince and Princess and kissed them and laughed and cried for joy and kissed them again you may be sure the old nurse was among the foremost her face quite shining with pleasure and using longer words than the noblest there and she admired the Prince very much and was delighted that her girl as she called the Princess had got such a good husband so here we leave them and that country remained always happy and so it has neither history nor geography therefore you won't find it on any map nor can you read about it in any book but this book lastly there is a picture of the Prince and Princess at home sitting on a beautiful rose as a fairy's god child can do if she pleases as to the black beetle he was appointed to a place about the court but he never married he had no children and there were no other black beetles consequently in the country where the Prince and Princess became King and Queen autant j'allice as Perot says in half forgotten fairy days there lived a King once and a Queen as few there are as more have been ah still we love the well worn phrase still love to tread the ancient ways to break the fence to thread the maze to see the beauty we have seen autant j'allice here's luck to every child that strays in fairyland among the phrase that follows through the forest green Prince Comical and Gwendolyn that reads the tales we use to praise autant j'allice end of the Princess a tale of fairyland by Andrew Lang after the drawings by Richard Doyle the Roosevelt Bears arrive in London by Seymour Eaton this is a LibraVox recording all LibraVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibraVox.org the Roosevelt Bears arrive in London we've reached a very giddy height said Teddy B. quite late that night in Windsor Castle where they slept in a room a valet said was kept for kings and queens for royalty of this foremost rank and high degree for don't you know this valet said that in this room and in this bed slept Charles I who lost his head and John and James and Henry VIII and George III whom Yankees hate and foreign kings and queens a score who came as guests to England shores it makes me nervous said Teddy G. to think of the things that might happened me if I should wake tonight in bed and find myself without a head or if tomorrow when you ring you found me turned into a king then what would happen tell me Bob with two kings working on the job but they slept all night in this royal bed in canopy overhead and at 9 a.m. on the following day Teddy G. poked out his head to say to the valet who had pressed their suits and brush their hats and shine their boots please close the door I didn't ring for another hour let me be king and said Teddy B. this place suits me I slept like a prince and feel like three as they left for London at noon that day they thank the king for the royal way he had entertained and this said they if you'll visit us in the USA when we get back to our home again and stop with us in our mountain den we'll give you food and not to do and let you sleep all winter through and dream of castles and suck your paw it beats all the kingdoms you ever saw the king just laughed as the train pulled out but he said to himself as he turned about it would help me the country's cares if every home had teddy bears we're off to London said Teddy B and all of London I want to see its famous bridge with the Thames beneath and Charing Cross and Hampstead Heath and the London tower with this massive keys and I'd like to see old Cheshire cheese and eat beefsteak pudding piping hot in the very chair on the very spot where Dr. Samuel Johnson sat while Boswell listened to his chat and Whittington I'd like to see and his famous cat and kittens three never mind the kittens said Teddy G the thing you named that pleases me is that beefsteak pudding piping hot served with onions in a pot let's go there first and get it down and then go out to see the town and thus they talked as on they went to London town on pleasure bent where they went and what they did would fill ten books from lid to lid they walked right into the London swim and saw the town from hub to rim and made the old place Whirl and Creek each day and night for about a week a scattered money left and right and stayed up till morning every night we'll order suit said Teddy B from the tailor to his Majesty a lot of clothes the king sees this tailor everywhere if he does this up in London style home all will laugh and Bond Street smile we'll cut a swath where we go as swell and wide as rotten row the order given two suits were made which put Fifth Avenue in the shade they went one day for a rambling walk to view the town and to have a talk with boys they met on street and square about things they and there said Teddy G to a horseman guard as he gave his name without a card could sir get down give me your suit from head to toe from cap to boot with Teddy B you stay right here and let me be a grenadier the guard obeyed to see the fun for a newest horse would enjoy a run and run he did around a square with Teddy G high up in air on neck and tail and upside down and backwards to like circus clown the house of lords and commons too had an hour's recess to see him do the cowboy ride as grenadier and applauded loud with cheer on cheer that very day they lost their way and lost their guide who lost his pay and lost the sun and lost its light in a London fog as black as night they lost the stores and handsome cabs and men and gave them jabs and some they scared from head to feet to meet two bears on the public street they lost their hats and Teddy B his glasses lost and couldn't see but he saw as well as any bear or darkness filled in everywhere the things they saw were shadows black with lights like ghosts across their track which way to turn or where they go or what to do they didn't know the things they saw were whistles loud for cabs and handsoms for the crowd but the whistles came and the calls rang out from overhead and all about in such a tangle twist and mix that all were in the self same fix Teddy G said he would find the street if he had to crawl on hands and feet and try he did but he couldn't see and he lost himself and Teddy B the last thing heard from him that day he rambled off in the fog to stay was a whistle shrill then a record shout to get Sherlock Holmes to help him out end of the bears arrive in London by Seymour Eaton read by Betty B the discontented stone cutter adapted from the Japanese from Journeys through Bookland by Charles H. Sylvester 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 once upon a time there was a man who worked from early morning to late at night cutting building stones out of the solid rock his pay was small and hardly enough to keep his wife and children from starving although the poor stone cutter grew discontented and sighed and moaned bitterly over his hard lot one day when his work seemed harder than usual and his troubles more than he could bear he cried out in despair oh, I wish I could be rich and lie at ease on a soft couch with a curtain of red silk just then a beautiful fairy floated down from heaven and said, thy wish is granted thee so the poor stone cutter found himself rich and powerful and resting easily on his silk and couch with its red curtain as he gazed out however he saw the king of the country right by with many horsemen before and behind him and with a great golden sunshade held over his head it irritated the rich man to have no parasol over his head and to see another more powerful than himself and in his discontentment he exclaimed would that I were a king such as that one once again his good fairy appeared waved his wand and said it shall be as thou desirous immediately the man was king and before him and behind him rode his men at arms and over his head was a golden sunshade nowhere the sun shone fiercely down and dried up the visitation with his terrible heat it was reflected into the face of the king so that even the golden sunshade did not keep him from suffering once more he sighed discontentedly if I could only be the sun almost before he spoke he found himself to be the sun and he began joyously to send his fiery rays above below and everywhere around about him he scorched the grass of the earth and burned the faces of its rulers and felt his power unlimited until a little cloud placed itself between him and the earth and threw back his scorching rays it still angered him to find something more powerful than himself and he wished aloud that he might be the cloud again his wish was granted and he found himself floating through the sky he ran between the sun and the earth and sheltered the latter so that the grass grew green the trees leaved out again and everything rejoiced in a new growth then he set great floods of rain upon the earth filled the river still they overflowed swept homes and herds into the sea and destroyed the works of man in every direction but try as he would there was one great rock that stood right across his way though he sent waters that roared around its base and pushed hard against it yet it remained immovable such a failure angered the man cloud and again he cried out would that I were a rock so strong and immovable is it this time also his guardian angel interfered and he found himself a rock that withstood the sun and the waters but then one day there came along a rude stone cutter who with chisel and heavy hammer began to cut the great rock into small regular building stones what does this mean cried the rock has this man power to cut me in pieces surely I am weaker than he would I were a stone cutter as thou wishest so shall it be said his guardian angel and immediately he was again a stone cutter working hard as before into for small wages but happy and content with his lot end of the discontented stone cutter adapted from the Japanese from Journeys through Bookland by Charles H. Sylvester