 off the junior classics Volume 3, Tales from Greece and Rome, edited by William Patton, 1868 to 1936. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Gillian Hendry. The Winning of Atalanta by Elsie Finnemore Buckley Once upon a time, there ruled in Arcadian to Gaia a proud hearted king named Sconus, a tamer of horses was he and a man mighty in the hunt and in battle. Above every other thing he loved danger and sport and all kinds of manly exercise. Indeed these things were the passion of his life and he despised all women kind because they could take no part nor lot in them. And he wedded Clemente, a fair princess of a royal house because he wished to raise up noble sons in his halls who should ride and hunt with him and carry on his name when he was dead. On his wedding day he swore a great oath and called upon all the gods to witness it. Never, he swore in his pride, shall a maid child live in my halls. If a maid is born to me she shall die ere her eyes see the light and the honour of my house shall rest upon my sons alone. For many a long year no child was born to him and when at last he had hopes of an heir the babe that was born was a maid. When he saw the child his heart was cut in two and the pride of a father and the pride of his oath did battle within him for victory. The pride of his oath conquered for he was afraid to break his word in the face of all his people. He hardened his heart and gave orders that the child should be cast out upon the mountains to die of hunger and cold. So the babe was given to a servant who bore it forth and left it on the slope of bleak Perthinium. When Diana, the maiden goddess, saw the child cast forth to die she was filled with anger against schoinus and swore that it should live. Wherefore she sent a she-bear to the place where the child lay and softened the heart of the beast so that she lifted it gently in her mouth and bore it to the cave where her own cubs lay hid. Then she suckled it with her own young ones and tended it night and day till it grew strong and could walk and the cave rang with its laughter as it played and gambled with the young bears. When Diana knew that the child was old enough to live without its foster mother she sent her nymphs to fetch it away and when they bore it to her she was well pleased to find it fair and strong. Her name shall be Atalanta, she said to them. She shall dwell on the mountains and in the woods of Arcadia and be one of my band with you. The mighty huntress shall she be and the swiftest of all mortals upon earth and in time she shall return to her own folk and bring joy and sorrow to their hearts. Thus it came to pass that Atalanta lived with the nymphs in the woodlands of Arcadia. They taught her to run and to hunt and to shoot with bow and arrows till soon the day came when she could do these things as well as any of their band. Diana loved her and delighted to do her honour and when the land of Caledon cried to her for mercy because of the bore she had sent to ravage it in her wrath she decreed that none but Atalanta should have the glory of that hunt. The tale of how she came to Caledon and how the bore was slain at last through her, I have told you before and of how death came to Meliegar because he loved her and would not let any man insult her while he stood idly by. By the fame of that hunt her name was carried far and wide through Greece so that when she came to the funeral games of Pilius there was no need to ask who she was. She ran in the foot race against the swiftest in the land and won the prize so easily that when she reached the goal the first man had scarce past the turning point though he was no sluggered to make a mock off. When the games were over she went back to Arcadia without a tear or a sigh but her face and her memory lived in the heart of many a man whose very name she had not known. The tale of how Atalanta went back to her own folk and of how she was wooed and won is as follows. One day when King Scoinus held a great hunt in the forest on the edge of his domain it chanced at Atalanta had come to those parts and when she heard the Blair of the Bugles and the Birking of the Hounds her heart leapt with joy. Full often had she joined in a hunt on the uplands of Arcadia and run with the hounds. So now she joined in the chase as the stag broke loose from cover and her white feet flashed in the sunlight as she followed the hounds across the open moorland. King Scoinus when he saw her was glad. It is Atalanta the maiden huntress he cried. See that she be treated with due courtesy for she is the only woman on earth who is fit to look a man in the face. And he rode eagerly after her. But the best horse in all that company was no match for Atalanta. Far ahead of them all she shot like an arrow from the bow and when at last the stag turned at bay in a pool she was the first to reach him. When the rest had come up and the huntsman had slain the stag the king turned to her. Atalanta, he said, the trophy of this chase is thine and my huntsman shall bear the head of the stag whether so ever thou shalt bid him. In token of our esteem I beg thee to accept this ring. When thou lookest upon it think kindly of an old man whose heart is lonely and who would feign have a daughter like thee. As he spoke he took off a gold ring from his finger and held it towards her. The tears stood in his eyes and his hand shook as he looked on her fair young form and remembered the babe he had cast out on the mountains to die. If she had lived she would have been at an age with Atalanta and perchance as fair and as strong as she and his heart was bitter against himself for the folly of his oath. When Atalanta heard his words she had a mind at first to refuse his gift. Many a man before had offered her gifts and she had refused them everyone for she had no wish to be beholden to any man. But when she saw the eyes of the old king dim with tears and how his hand shook as he held out the ring her heart was softened and yearned with a strange yearning towards him. Coming forward she knelt at his feet and took the ring and held his hand and kissed it. May the gods grant the prayer of thy heart sire, she said, and give thee a daughter like unto me but fairer and more wise than I. As he looked down on the hand that held his own the old king trembled more violently than before for above the wrist was a birthmark like the birthmark above the wrist of the babe he had cast forth to die and he knew that he made no mistake for that mark had lived in his mind as though it had been branded with red hot steel. Atalanta, he said, the gods have heard thy prayer this is not the first time thy fingers have closed about mine. What meanest thou sire, she asked. As many years ago as the span of thy young life, he said, I held in my arms a new born babe, the child that the gods had given me and its little hand with a birthmark above the wrist closed about my finger trustfully. But because of my foolish pride I hardened my heart. I cast away the gift of the gods and sent the child to die upon the mountains. But the birthmark on its wrist was branded on my brain so that I could not forget it. Never till this day have I seen that mark again and now I see it on thy wrist, my child. He bowed his head as he spoke and the tears from his eyes fell upon her hand which lay in his as she knelt before him. Oh my father, she cried and bent forward and kissed his hand. When he found that she did not turn from him though she knew what he had done he was more deeply moved than before. Atalanta, he said, when I cast thee forth to die I gave back to the gods the life they had given me and now I have no right to claim it again yet would thy presence be as sunshine in my halls if thou wert to come back to me, my child. Thus did the call come to Atalanta to return to her own folk and the choice lay before her. On the one side was her free life in the forest with Diana and her nymphs, the hunt, the fresh air and all the things that she loved. On the other was life within the walls of a city and the need to bow her head to the customs and the ways of men. Her heart misgave her when she thought of it. My lord, she said, will a young lion step into the cage of his own free will, thank you? The old king bowed his head at her words. Alas, what other answer could I look for? he said. I thank the gods that they have shown me thy fair face this day. For chance when we hunt again in these parts thou wilt join us for love of the chase. Till then, my child, farewell. With trembling hands, he raised her from her knees and kissed her on the forehead. Then he signed to his men to lead forward his horse and mounted and rode sadly home through the forest with his company. When he had gone, she sighed and turned and went upon her way. But her eyes were blind and her ears were deaf to the sights and sounds she loved so well and that night she tossed restlessly upon her couch of moss. For before her eyes was the figure of an old man bowed with sorrow and in her ear his voice pleaded, trembling with longing and love. In the early dawn, she rose up from her couch and bathed in a stream close by and gathered up her shining hair in a coil about her head. Then she put on her sandals and a fresh white tunic, slung her quiver about her shoulders and so in hand went forth through the forest. Looking neither to the right nor to the left she went on her way till she came to the white road that led to the city. Then she turned and looked back at the forest. Dear trees and woods, she said, farewell, and she nymphs that dwell in the streams and dance on the green sward of the mountains. When I have trodden the white road and gone up to the city, I know more. As for thee, great Diana, who saved me in the beginning, I will be thy servant for ever and dwell a maiden all my days and a lover of the hunt. So saying, she stepped out bravely on the white highway and went up into the city till she came to the gate of the palace. When she had entered the hall she stopped and looked about her. At first all seemed silent and deserted for the folk had gone there several ways for the work of the day. But at length she spied an old man sitting on a curved chair in one of the alcoves between the pillars. It was the king her father. He sat with his head upon his hand and his eyes downcast upon the floor and his face was sad and full of longing. And she went and knelt at his feet. The old man gazed for a moment in her face as though he did not see her. Then he started from his chair and laid his hand upon her shoulder. At a lanta he cried. My father, she said, I have come back to thee. Then he gathered her up in his arms. Oh, my child, my child, he said. The gods are kind beyond my dessert. Thy voice cried out to me in the night time, she said, and I could not shut my heart till I pleaded. The call of the free earth was strong but the call of my blood was stronger. Thus did Atalanta come back to her own folk and bring joy to the heart of her father and the mother who had never held her in her arms. A great feast was held in the palace in her honour and through all the city the people rejoiced because of her. Suthurs flocked from far and wide to seek her hand in marriage but she treated them one and all with scorn and vowed that she would never wed. At first her father smiled upon her and looked on her refusal to wed as the sign of a noble nature that was not to be won for the asking of the first chance-comers. So he gathered about him the noblest princes in the land in the hope that among them all there would be one who could win her heart. But the months passed by and still she vowed that she would never wed. All her delight was in running and hunting and to ride by her father's side. At length the king grew anxious. Surely my child, he said, among all these princes there is one whom thou couldst love. I shall never love any man but thee, my father, she replied. Nothing that he could say would persuade her to go back from her resolve but still he reasoned with her night and day till at length she grew so weary of the matter that she bethought of a plan that would rid her of all the suitors. My father, she said, I will wed any man who shall ask for my hand if he will fulfil one condition. My child, cried her father, I knew that in the end thou wouldst listen to reason. Tell me thy condition that I may spread it abroad among those who are suing for thy hand. Tell them, she said, that I will wed the first man among them who will run a race with me. If he win, I will be his bride but if he lose, he must die. The king's face fell when he heard her words. Surely thou speakest in mockery, Atalanta, he said. No man in all the world can run as swiftly as thou canst and they know it. Thou wilt drive thy suitors from thee or if any be foolhardy enough to run with thee they will run to a certain death. No man will run to a certain death, my father, she answered. When they know that to sigh for me is to sigh for death, they will go back to their own folk and I shall be troubled with suitors no more. So he published abroad among the suitors the condition she had made. When they heard it, there was great consternation among them and they consulted together as to what they should do and some sent a deputation to her to find out the meaning of her words. Lady, they asked, when thou speakest of death, thou speakest perchance in parables. Those who run in the race with thee and are outstripped must give up all hope of thee and look upon thy face no more and this would be death indeed to them that love thee. But she laughed in their faces. He who courts death may race with me at daybreak and at sunset he shall drink the poison cup without fail and look neither on my face again nor the face of any living thing. Have I spoken plainly now? The next day there was great confusion in the halls of King Sphinus. There was shouting and bustling and attendance ran this way and that. Chariots clattered through the gateway and drew up in the court and baggage was piled high behind the horses and Atalanta laughed aloud at the success of her scheme for sooter after sooter came and kissed her hand and bade her farewell. That night the gathering about the board was scantier than it had been for many a long day yet a few of the sooters remained and seemed in no haste to be gone. They are waiting for thee to fulfil thy condition said the king. Then Atalanta herself went and pleaded with them. But they replied, Lady thou hast given the condition of thy marrying and we are waiting to fulfil it. Thus was she forced to keep her word and the lists were made ready for the race and the lots were cast among the sooters as to which of them should be the first to run against her. In the early morning before the sun was strong the race was run and all the city crowded to the court to watch it. The man ran well and bravely but his speed was as child's play to Atalanta. She put forth her strength like a greyhound that is content to run for a while before the horses but when he sensed the hair can leave them far behind. Even so did Atalanta run and came in cool and fresh to the go whilst her rival ran in hot and panting behind her. Thus did it come to pass that the first man drank the poison cup because of his love for Atalanta with a smiling face did he drink it as a man drinks at a feast. And now a time of darkness and mourning fell upon the land and many a day in the year the city was hung with black for the sake of some noble suitor who had chosen death rather than life without Atalanta. And Atalanta's heart was sore within her because of the rash condition she had made in her ignorance. When she would feign have recalled her words it was too late for the sutters bound her to her promise. Either give thyself of thine own free will to one of us or else let us take our chance of winning thee or death, they said. And she was forced to run with them for in her heart she knew that even death was happier for a man than to win her without her love. Thus were the words of Diana fulfilled when she said in time she shall return to her own folk and bring joy and sorrow to their hearts. One day it chanced that a stranger came to the city on a morning that a race was to be run. The night before he had slept in a village nearby and the people had told him the tale of Atalanta and how on the moral another suitor was to run to his death. But he scoffed at their words. No man would run to certain death, he said, where they made as fair as Venus. Go and see for thyself, they replied. Soon we shall hear that thou too wilt run in the race. Never, he said, no woman can cheat my life from me. But they shook their heads unconvinced. Many before thee have spoken likewise, said they, and yet they have run. If I run, I will run to win, he answered. Can a snail outstrip a deer, they asked. It might so chance, said he. Thou art mad, they cried. Better to be mad on earth than sane in Hades, he replied. But they shook their heads the more and tapped wisely with their fingers on their foreheads to show that he was mad and spoke at random. Well, well, he said with a laugh, we shall see what we shall see. The next morning he set forth early for the city, and mingling with the crowd he made his way to the race course and found for himself a place where he could watch the whole sight with ease. The race was run and ended as it always ended, and once again the city was hung with black. But in the mind of the stranger an image remained which had not been there before. The image of a maid whose white feet flashed in the sunlight and her tunic swung to and fro as a flag swings in the breeze. Great Hercules, he thought within himself. To run shoulder to shoulder with her for a moment, even in a race for death, might be worth the while after all. I will make myself known at the palace and see what the gods will give me. For some days he lay hid in the city, till he thought the time was ripe for him to go up to the palace of the king. Then he went for a walk along the highway, and when he was covered with dust and grime, he returned to the city and made his way at once to the palace. When Atalanta saw a stranger at the board, her heart sank within her, and she kept her eyes turned away as though she had not seen him. For she made sure that he too had come to run in the race with her. It chanced that night that the company was scanty and no man talked in private to his neighbour, but the conversation leapt from one end of the board to the other as each one took his share in it and said his say. The stranger too took his part with the rest of them in no wise abashed, and so shrewd were his words and so full of wit that soon he had a smile upon the face of each one at the table. For many a long day the talk had not been so merry, nor the laughter so loud at the table of King Scoinas. Atalanta too forgot her restraint and talked and laughed freely with the stranger, and he answered her back as though it had been man to man, and showed no more deference to her than to the others of the company. When the meal was over, the king approached the stranger, and Atalanta stood beside him. Sir, said the king, thy name and thy country are still hid from us, but we are grateful for thy coming, and would be feigned for thee to stay as long as it shall please thee. I thank thee, Sire, said the stranger, but I am bound by a strange vow. I may not reveal my name, nor accept hospitality for more than one night from any man, till I come to a house where none other than the king's daughter shall promise me her hand in marriage. From the tales I have heard in the neighbouring country I have learnt that I may not hope to end my vow beneath this roof. Though indeed, he said, turning to Atalanta, I would feign press my suit if there were any chance of success. But Atalanta threw back her head at his words. Thou hast doubtless heard the condition, she said, by the fulfilment of which alone a man may win my hand. Alas, sir, said the king, I would press no man to try his luck in that venture. Since that is so, said the stranger, I will go forth once more upon my journey at break of day and see what luck the gods will give me. I thank thee for thy kindly hospitality this night, and beg thee to excuse me. I have travelled far, and would feign rest now, as I must bow a long distance ere I can rest again. Thereupon he took his leave of king Skynus and his daughter, but she, for all her pride, could not forget the man who seemed to bid her farewell with so light a heart. It was her custom to rise early in the morning before the rest of the household was stirring, and to go forth alone into the woods, and it was the lot of one of the slaves to rouse himself betimes to give her food ere she went, so that when she appeared, as was her want, he thought nothing of it. The stranger had risen even earlier than she, and the slave was waiting upon him. Good morrow, sir, she said. It is not often I have a companion when I break my fast. Then she turned to the slave. Thou mayst get thee back to thy bed, she said, and sleep out thy sleep in peace. I will see to the wants of our guest and speed him on his way. Thereupon Atalanta sat down at the board beside the stranger, and they fell too with all the appetite of youth and health, and as they ate they laughed and joked, and topped off strange lands they both had seen, and adventures that had befallen them. In the space of one half hour they were as good friends as though they had known each other all their lives. When they had finished their meal the stranger rose. I must bid thee farewell, lady, he said. Nay, not yet, she replied. I will set thee on thy way, and show thee a road through the forest that will bring thee to the city thou seekest. I know every track and path, as well as the wild deer know them. He tried to dissuade her, but she would not listen, and led him out from the palace by a side gate, which she unbarred with her own hands. Down through the sleeping streets they went, where the shadow of the houses lay long upon the ground, and out across the open downs in the shade of the forest. At length they came to a broad track that crossed the path they were in, and Atalanta stopped short and pointed to the right. From here, she said, thou canst not miss thy way. Follow the track till it lead thee to the high road, and when thou strikeest the high road turn to the left, and thou wilt come to the city thou seekest. Then she held out her hand to him. I must bid thee farewell, she said, and good luck to the ending of thy vow. Lady, he said, and took her hand in his. If thou wilt, thou canst release me now from my vow. But she drew her hand away sharply, and tossed back her head. Many kings have daughters besides King Scoinus, she said, and any one of them could release thee from thy vow as well as I. Atalanta, he said, no king's daughter save thee shall ever release me from my vow. From the first moment that I saw thee, I loved thee. Thou knowest how thou mayest win me. Art thou willing to run in the race? Much good will my love do me if I had to drink the poison cup. Nay, nay, he said, I love thee too well to put my death at thy door. When I have some chance of winning the race, I will come back and claim thee. In the meantime, Lady, farewell. And bowing to her, he turned and went his way, without so much as looking back at her, as she stood trembling with astonishment and anger. Day after day passed by, and he came not. He is a man of his word, she thought at last. Till he has some chance of winning, he will not come back. And he is no fool. He knows he can never run as I can run. He will never come back. Yet for all this she watched for him. When she went forth into the road, or into the forest, she looked for his form at every turn of the way. The weeks and months passed by, and still he returned not. Winter came and went, and once again the dew drops shone in the summer sunlight, as Atalanta walked in the forest at break of day. When by chance she raised her eyes, there at the parting of the ways, he stood, as though in answer to her thoughts. I have come back, lady, he said. Oh, she cried from her heart. I am glad thou hast come back. Then he bent and kissed her hand, and once more they walked in silence side by side, along the path they had walked before. As they drew near to the edge of the forest, Atalanta was the first to speak. And thy vow, she asked, has thou found release from it? Not yet, he answered. I am come back to run the race, that I may win release. Once again the spirit of perversity came upon her. Where hast thou learnt to run like the wind? she asked. I have not learnt to run like the wind, he replied. I have learnt something better than that. Few things are better in a race than swiftness, she said. True, he answered. Yet I have found the one thing better. What is this strange thing? she asked. When we have run the race, thou wilt know, he said. I have grown no sluggered, she said, with a toss of her head, as though to warn him that her speed was not a thing to be despised. So they came to the palace, and from the lowest to the highest, the inmates greeted the stranger with joy, for he had won the hearts of them all by his wit and his genial smile. But they sighed when they heard that he too had come to run in the fatal race. Alas, said the old king, shaking his head, I had rather not have looked upon thy face again than see thee back on such an errand. The young man laughed. He who runs with a fair hope of winning, runs swiftly, he said. The others were dragged down by the shackles of their own despair. Thou dost not know my daughter, said the king. May hap I know her better than thou thinkest, and better than thou knowest her thyself, said the stranger. No arguments or entreaties would turn him from his purpose. I must win release from my val, he said. I cannot live all my life a nameless wanderer, yet will I not wed any woman I love not for the sake of my release. Atalanta alone can save me, for I love none other. So the lists once again were prepared, and the course made smooth for the race. The folk were gathered together round the course, and Atalanta and the stranger stood ready and waiting for the word to be given. She had made it a condition of the race that her rivals should have a good start of her, and she stood with her eyes upon the stranger's back as he waited many paces before her. All too soon the word was given, and he sprang forward from his place like a dog which has been straining at his leash, springs forward when the hook is unloosed. And Atalanta too sprang forward, but whereas the man ran like a hunting thing that strains every muscle to save its life, she ran with the swinging grace of a wild deer that far away from the hunters and hounds crosses the spring turf of the lonely moor, fearless and proud as he throws back his antlers in the breeze. Thus did Atalanta run as though she had no thought of the race or of the man who ran for his life. Yet though she seemed to make no effort, she gained upon her rival at every step, and now she was running close behind him, and now she was almost shoulder to shoulder. And out of the corner of his eye he could see the gleam of her tunic. Then for a moment he slackened his pace and it seemed that she would pass him, and on every side the people shouted out to him, Run! Run! Faster! Faster! She will pass thee! But he put his hand into the opening of his tunic and drew forth something from his breast. Then his hand swung up above his head and from it there flashed a dazzling fiery apple. Up and down through the air it flashed like a meteor and rolled along the grass till it stopped far away in the centre of the course and lay shining like a jewel in the rays of the sun. Every eye was turned from the race to watch its gleaming flight and Atalanta stopped short and watched it too. When she saw it stop still in the middle of the course, flashing and sparkling in the grass, a great desire sprang up in her heart to habit, a desire that she could not resist. And she darted aside out of the path of the race and went and picked up the shining golden apple and put it in the bosom of her tunic. Meanwhile the stranger had lost no time and when Atalanta came back to the spot she had left he was far ahead upon the course and she had to run with a will if she wished to overtake him. But once again she gained upon him and the space between them grew less and less till they were running well night shoulder to shoulder and once again he saw the gleam of her tunic beside him and again he slackened his speed for a moment and sent a second gleaming apple into the air. Once more the desire sprang up in Atalanta's heart and leaving the course she picked up the second apple and put it in the bosom of her tunic beside the first. By the time she had returned to the path the stranger had rounded the turning point and was well on his way towards the goal and she put forth all her strength to overtake him but the ease of her running was gone. She ran as one who runs bearing a burden yet she would not cast away the golden apples in her bosom. For though they hampered her she gained upon her rival and for the third time they were running almost shoulder to shoulder and again the third time the same thing happened and Atalanta left the course to pick up the shining fruit. This time when she returned to her place the stranger was close upon the goal and all around the people were shouting and waving their hands. With all the strength that was left in her she made a great spurt to overtake him. If she would cast away the golden apples she might yet win the race but the same mad desire which had spurred her to pick them up forbade her now to let them go. As she ran they seemed to grow heavier and heavier in her bosom yet she struggled and pantied on and step by step did she gain upon him though her eyes were darkened to all but his form and the goal ahead. On every side the people shouted louder than before for they knew not now which of them would win as they drew near to the goal they were again almost shoulder to shoulder and the stranger saw once more the flash of Atalanta's tunic beside him while there were yet some paces to run. Then he gave a great spurt forward and left away from her side. She tried to do likewise but her strength was gone she had made her last effort before thus did it come to pass that the stranger ran in first to the goal and running close upon his heels Atalanta fell breathless into his arms as he turned to catch her she had run twice as far as he but what matter if he had not outbid her he had won the race the tears shone in her eyes but he knew they were not tears of grief and in the face of all the people he kissed her thus was Atalanta the swiftest of all mortals beaten in the race by the stranger and learned from his lips what it was that he had found on his travels that had made speed of no avail in the race for after they had come back to the city surrounded by the joyous folk and had passed hand in hand beneath the gateway after he had revealed to them all that he was millennion the son of Amphidamus and the old king had fallen on his neck and given him his blessing because he proved to be the son of his own boyhood's friend and the man of all others he would have chosen for his son-in-law after all this when the speeches and the merry-making were over they too walked on the moonlit court of the palace tell me their secret she said and held out the fruit in her hands their secret lies in thy heart Atalanta he answered What meanest thou? she asked When I left thee at the parting of the ways he said I travelled many a weary leak by land and on the road I passed many a shrine of meanest but I never passed them by without lifting up my hands in prayer to the goddess for I knew that she could help me if she would and I knew that to them that love truly she is ever kind in the end but I wandered till I was foot sore and weary and yet I had no sign at last I came to the seashore and took ship for the pleasant isle of Cyprus which is her home there at last she came to me walking on the waves of the sea as I lay on the shore in the night time I saw her as a great light afar and she drew near to me with the foam playing white about her feet in her hand she bore three shining golden apples fear not millanian she said I have heard the cry of thy heart here are three apples from mine own apple tree if she whom thou lust loves thee in return she cannot resist the spell of their golden brightness when thou runnest against her cast them one by one into the middle of the course if she love thee she will turn aside to pick them up for her they will be heavy as the gold they seem made of for thee they will be light as the fruit whose form they wear farewell and good luck to thy race there upon darkness came over my eyes and I could find no words to thank her when I awoke I thought it had been a dream but lo by my side upon the sand lay the apples shining in the sunlight and thy vow asked Atalanta how cameest thou to make such a vow he laughed at her words long ago in my father's house I heard of thee and how thou couldst cast such a spell upon the hearts of men that for thy sake they would fling away their lives and a great desire came upon me to see this thing for myself for I could scarce believe it so I set forth alone to find thee and hid my name from all men as I journeyed for thus could I be more free to act as seemed best in mine own eyes and I saw thee run in a race and that glimpse was enough to tell me that I too one day must run with thee yet was I more weary than my rivals I knew that to come as a sooter was the way to turn thy heart to stone wherefore I pretended to be bound by a vow which would bring me as a passing stranger before thee deep in my heart I felt that when a man desires one thing on earth above every other when he loves that thing better than life itself he is likely to win it in the end if you walk patiently step by step in faith he will win that thing or death in his struggle for it and he is content that so it should be End of Section 9 Section 10 of the junior classics, Volume 3 Tales from Greece and Rome Edited by William Patton 1868 to 1936 This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Recording by Gillian Hendry Turning Everything into Gold by Nathaniel Hawthorne Once upon a time there lived a very rich man and a king besides whose name was Midas and he had a little daughter whom nobody but myself ever heard of and whose name I either never knew or have entirely forgotten so because I love odd names for little girls I chose to call her Marygold This king Midas was fonder of gold than of anything else in the world he valued his royal crown chiefly because it was composed of that precious metal if he loved anything better or half so well it was the one little maiden who played so merrily around her father's footstool but the more Midas loved his daughter the more did he desire and seek for wealth he thought foolish man that the best thing he could possibly do for this dear child would be to bequeath her the immense pile of yellow glistening coin that had ever been heaped together since the world was made thus he gave all his thoughts and all his time to this one purpose if ever he happened to gaze for an instant at the gold tinted clouds of sunset he wished that they were real gold and that they could be squeezed safely into his strongbox when little Marygold ran to meet him with a bunch of buttercups and dandelions he used to say poo poo child if these flowers were as golden as they look they would be worth the plucking and yet in his earlier days before he was so entirely possessed of this insane desire for riches King Midas had shown a great taste for flowers he had planted a garden in which grew the biggest and beautifulest and sweetest roses that any mortal ever saw or smelt these roses were still growing in the garden as large and lovely and as fragrant as when Midas used to pass whole hours engaging at them and inhaling their perfume but now if he looked at them at all it was only to calculate how much the garden would be worth if each of the innumerable rose petals were a thin plate of gold and though he once was fond of music in spite of an idle story about his ears which were said to resemble those of an ass the only music for poor Midas now was the chink of one coin against another at length, as people always grow more and more foolish unless they take care to grow wiser and wiser Midas had got to be so exceedingly unreasonable that he could scarcely bear to see or touch any object that was not gold he made it his custom therefore to pass a large portion of every day in a dark and dreary apartment underground at the basement of his palace it was here that he kept his wealth to this dismal hole for it was little better than a dungeon Midas betook himself whenever he wanted to be particularly happy here after carefully locking the door he would take a bag of gold coin or a gold cup as big as a wash bowl or a heavy golden bar or a peck measure of gold dust and ring them from the obscure corners of the room into the one bright and narrow sunbeam that fell from the dungeon like window he valued the sunbeam for no other reason but that his treasure would not shine without its help and then would he reckon over the coins in the bag toss up the bar and catch it as it came down sift the gold dust through his fingers look at the funny image of his own face as reflected in the burnished circumference of the cup and whisper to himself oh Midas, rich king Midas what a happy man art thou but it was laughable to see how the image of his face kept grinning at him out of the polished surface of the cup it seemed to be aware of his foolish behaviour and to have a naughty inclination to make fun of him Midas calls himself a happy man but felt that he was not yet quite so happy as he might be the very tip top of enjoyment would never be reached unless the whole world were to become his treasure room and be filled with yellow metal which should be all his own now I need hardly remind such wise little people as you are that in the old old times when King Midas was alive a great many things came to pass which we should consider wonderful if they were to happen in our own day and country and on the other hand a great many things take place nowadays which seem not only wonderful to us but at which the people of old times would have stared their eyes out on the whole I regard our own times as the strangest of the two but however that may be I must go on with my story Midas was enjoying himself in his treasure room one day as usual when he perceived a shadow fall over the heaps of gold and looking suddenly up what should he behold but the figure of a stranger standing in the bright and narrow sunbeam it was a young man with a cheerful and ruddy face whether it was that the imagination of King Midas threw a yellow tinge over everything or whatever the cause might be he could not help fancying that the smile with which the stranger regarded him had a kind of golden radiance in it certainly although his figure intercepted the sunshine there was now a brighter gleam upon all the piled up treasures than before even the remotest corners had their share of it and were lighted up when the stranger smiled as with tips of flame and sparkles of fire as Midas knew that he had carefully turned the key in the lock and that no mortal strength could possibly break into his treasure room he of course concluded that his visitor must be something more than mortal it is no matter about telling you who he was in those days when the earth was comparatively a new affair it was supposed to be often the resort of beings endowed with supernatural power and who used to interest themselves in the joys and sorrows of men, women and children half playfully and half seriously Midas had met such beings before now and was not sorry to meet one of them again the stranger's aspect indeed was so good-humoured and kindly if not beneficent that it would have been unreasonable to suspect him of intending any mischief it was far more probable that he came to do Midas a favour and what could that favour be unless to multiply his heaps of treasure the stranger gazed about the room and when his lustrous smile had glistened upon all the golden objects that were there he turned again to Midas you are a wealthy man friend Midas he observed I doubt whether any other four walls on earth is so much gold as you have contrived to pile up in this room I have done pretty well, pretty well answered Midas in a discontented tone but after all it is but a trifle when you consider that it has taken me my whole life to get it together if one could live a thousand years he might have time to grow rich what? exclaimed the stranger then you are not satisfied? Midas shook his head and pray what would satisfy you? asked the stranger merely for the curiosity of the thing I should be glad to know Midas paused and meditated he felt a presentiment that this stranger with such a golden luster in his good-humoured smile had come hither with both the power and the purpose of gratifying his utmost wishes now therefore was the fortunate moment when he had but to speak and obtain whatever possible or seemingly impossible thing it might come into his head to ask so he thought and thought and thought and heaped up one golden mountain upon another in his imagination without being able to imagine them big enough at last a bright idea occurred to King Midas it seemed really as bright as the glistening metal which he loved so much raising his head he looked the luster stranger in the face well Midas observed his visitor I see that you have at length it upon something that will satisfy you tell me your wish it is only this replied Midas I am weary of collecting my treasures with so much trouble and beholding the heap so diminutive after I have done my best I wish everything that I touch to be changed to gold the stranger's smile grew so very broad that it seemed to fill the room like an outburst of the sun gleaming into a shadowy dell where the yellow autumnal leaves for so looked the lumps and particles of gold lie strewn in the glow of light the golden touch exclaimed he you certainly deserve credit friend Midas for striking out so brilliant a conception but are you quite sure that this will satisfy you how could it fail said Midas and will you never regret the possession of it what could induce me asked Midas I ask nothing else to render me perfectly happy be it as you wish then replied the stranger waving his hand in token of farewell tomorrow at sunrise you will find yourself gifted with the golden touch the figure of the stranger then became exceedingly bright and Midas involuntarily closed his eyes unopening them again he beheld only one yellow sunbeam in the room and all around him the glistening of the precious metal which he had spent his life in hoarding up whether Midas slept as usual that night the story does not say asleep or awake however his mind was probably in the state of a child's to whom a beautiful new plaything has been promised in the morning at any rate day had hardly peeped over the hills when King Midas was broad awake and stretching his arms out of bed began to touch the objects that were within reach he was anxious to prove whether the golden touch had really come according to the stranger's promise so he laid his finger on a chair by the bedside and on various other things but was gravely disappointed to perceive that they remained of exactly the same substance as before indeed he felt very much afraid that he had only dreamed about the lustrous stranger or else that the latter had been making game of him and what a miserable affair would it be if after all his hopes Midas must content himself with what little gold he could scrape together by ordinary means instead of creating it by a touch all this while it was only the grey of the morning with but a streak of brightness along the edge of the sky where Midas could not see it he lay in a very disconsolate mood regretting the downfall of his hopes and kept growing sadder and sadder until the earliest sunbeam shone through the window and gilded the ceiling over his head it seemed to Midas that this bright yellow sunbeam was reflected in rather a singular way on the white covering of the bed looking more closely what was his astonishment and delight when he found that his linen fabric had been transmuted to what seemed a woven texture of the purest and brightest gold the golden touch had come to him with the first sunbeam Midas started up in a kind of joyful frenzy and ran about the room grasping at everything that happened to be in his way he seized one of the bed posts and it became immediately a fluted golden pillar he pulled aside a window curtain in order to admit a clear spectacle of the wonders which he was performing and the tassel grew heavy in his hand a mass of gold he took up a book from the table at his first touch it assumed the appearance of such a splendidly bound and gilt edged volume as one often meets with nowadays but on running his fingers through the leaves behold it was a bundle of thin golden plates in which all the wisdom of the book had grown illegible he hurriedly put on his clothes and was enraptured to see himself in a magnificent suit of gold cloth which retained its flexibility and softness although it burdened him a little with its weight he drew out his handkerchief which little Marygold had hemmed for him that was likewise gold with the dear child's neat and pretty stitches running all along the border in gold thread somehow or other this last transformation did not quite please King Midas he would rather that his little daughter's handiwork should have remained just the same as when she climbed his knee and put it into his hand but it was not worthwhile to vex himself about a trifle Midas now took his spectacles from his pocket and put them on his nose in order that he might see more distinctly what he was about in those days spectacles for common people had not been invented but were already worn by kings else how could Midas have had any to his great perplexity however excellent as the glasses were he discovered that he could not possibly see through them but this was the most natural thing in the world for on taking them off hard crystals turned out to be plates of yellow metal and of course were worthless as spectacles though valuable as gold it struck Midas as rather inconvenient that with all his wealth he could never again be rich enough to own a pair of serviceable spectacles it is no great matter nevertheless said he to himself very philosophically we cannot expect any great good to predict being accompanied with some small inconvenience the golden touch is worth the sacrifice of a pair of spectacles at least if not of one's very eyesight my own eyes will serve for ordinary purposes and little merry gold will soon be old enough to read to me wise King Midas was so exalted by his good fortune that the palace seemed not sufficiently spacious to contain him he therefore went downstairs he smiled on observing that the balustrade of the staircase became a bar of burnished gold as his hand passed over it in his descent he lifted the door latch it was brass only a moment ago but golden when his fingers quitted it and emerged into the garden here as it happened he found a great number of beautiful roses in full bloom and others in all the stages of lovely bud and blossom very delicious was their fragrance in the morning breeze their delicate blush was one of the fairest sights in the world so gentle, so modest and so full of sweet tranquility did these roses seem to be but Midas knew a way to make them far more precious according to his way of thinking than roses had ever been before so he took great pains in going from bush to bush and exercised his magic touch most indefatigably until every individual flower and bud and even the worms at the heart of some of them were changed to gold by the time this good work was completed King Midas was summoned to breakfast and as the morning air had given him an excellent appetite he made haste back to the palace what was usually a king's breakfast in the days of Midas I really do not know and cannot stop now to investigate to the best of my belief however on this particular morning the breakfast consisted of hot cakes some nice little brook trout roasted potatoes fresh boiled eggs and coffee for King Midas himself and a bowl of bread and milk for his daughter Marygold at all events this is a breakfast fit to set before a king and whether he had it or not King Midas could not have had a better little Marygold had not yet made her appearance her father ordered her to be called and seating himself at table awaited the child's coming in order to begin his own breakfast to do Midas justice he really loved his daughter and loved her so much the more this morning on account of the good fortune which had befallen him it was not a great while before he heard her coming along the passageway crying bitterly this circumstance surprised him because Marygold was one of the cheerfulest little people whom you would see in a summer's day and hardly shed a thimble full of tears in a twelve month when Midas heard her sobs he determined to put little Marygold into better spirits by an agreeable surprise so leaning across the table he touched his daughter's bowl which was a china one with pretty figures all around it and transmuted it to gleaming gold meanwhile Marygold slowly and disconsolently opened the door and showed herself with her apron at her eyes still sobbing as if her heart would break oh no my little lady cried Midas pray what is the matter with you this bright morning Marygold without taking the apron from her eyes held out her hand in which was one of the roses which Midas had so recently transmuted beautiful exclaimed her father and what is there in this magnificent golden rose to make you cry oh dear father answered the child as well as her sobs would let her it is not beautiful but the ugliest flower that ever grew as soon as I was dressed I ran into the garden to gather some roses for you because I know you like them and like them the better when gathered by your little daughter but oh dear dear me what do you think has happened such a misfortune all the beautiful roses that smelled so sweetly and had so many lovely blushes are blighted and spoilt they're grown quite yellow as you see this one and have no longer any fragrance what can have been the matter with them oh my dear little girl pray don't cry about it said Midas who was ashamed to confess that he himself had wrought the change which so greatly afflicted her sit down and eat your bread and milk you'll find it easy enough to exchange a golden rose like that which will last hundreds of years for an ordinary one which would wither in a day I don't care for such roses as this cried Marygold tossing it contemptuously away it has no smell and the hard petals prick my nose the child now sat down to table but was so occupied with her grief for the blighted roses and she did not even notice the wonderful transmutation of her china bowl perhaps this was all the better for Marygold was accustomed to take pleasure in looking at the queer figures and strange trees and houses that were painted on the circumference of the bowl and these ornaments were now entirely lost in the yellow hue of the metal Midas meanwhile had poured out a cup of coffee and as a matter of course the coffee pot whatever metal may have been when he took it up was gold when he set it down he thought to himself that it was rather an extravagant style of splendour in a king of his simple habits to breakfast off a service of gold and began to be puzzled with the difficulty of keeping his treasures safe the cupboard and the kitchen would no longer be a secure place of deposit for articles so valuable as golden bowls and coffee pots amid these thoughts he lifted a spoonful of coffee to his lips and sipping it was astonished to perceive that the instant his lips touched the liquid it became molten gold and the next moment hardened into a lump ha! exclaimed Midas rather aghast what is the matter father asked little Marygold gazing at him with the tears still standing in her eyes nothing child nothing said Midas eat your milk before it gets quite cold he took one of the nice little trouts on his plate and by way of experiment touched its tail with his finger to his horror it was immediately transmuted from an admirably fried brook trout into a goldfish though not one of those goldfishes which people often keep in glass globes as ornaments for the parlor no but it was really a metallic fish and looked as if it had been very cunningly made by the nicest goldsmith in the world its little bones were now golden wires its fins and tail were thin plates of gold and there were the marks of the fork in it and all the delicate frothy appearance of a nicely fried fish exactly imitated in metal a very pretty piece of work as you may suppose only King Midas just at that moment would much rather have had a real trout in his dish than this elaborate and valuable imitation of one I don't quite see thought he to himself how I am to get any breakfast he took one of the smoking hot cakes and had scarcely broken it when to his cruel mortification though a moment before it had been of the whitest wheat it assumed the yellow hue of Indian meal to say the truth if it had really been a hot Indian cake Midas would have prized it a good deal more than he now did when its solidity and increased weight made him too bitterly sensible that it was gold almost in despair he helped himself to a boiled egg which immediately underwent a change similar to those of the trout and the cake the egg indeed might have been mistaken for one of those which the famous goose in the storybook was in the habit of laying but King Midas was the only goose that had had anything to do with the matter well this is a quandary thought he leading back in his chair and looking quite enviously at little Marygold who was now eating her bread and milk with great satisfaction such a costly breakfast before me and nothing that can be eaten hoping that by dint of great dispatch he might avoid what he now felt to be a considerable inconvenience King Midas next snatched a hot potato and attempted to cram it into his mouth and swallow it in a hurry but the golden touch was too nimble for him he found his mouth full not of mealy potato but of solid metal which so burnt his tongue that he roared aloud and jumping up from the table began to dance and stamp about the room both with pain and a fright father dear father cried little Marygold who was a very affectionate child pray what is the matter have you burnt your mouth dear child I don't know what is to become of your poor father and truly my dear little folks did you ever hear of such a pitiable case in all your lives here was literally the richest breakfast that could be set before a king and its very richness made it absolutely good for nothing the poorest labourer sitting down to his crust of bread and cup of water was far better off than King Midas whose delicate food was really worth its weight in gold and what was to be done already at breakfast Midas was excessively hungry would he be less so by dinnertime and how ravenous would be his appetite for supper would undoubtedly consist of the same sort of indigestible dishes as those now before him how many days, thank you would he survive a continuance of this rich fare these reflections so troubled wise King Midas that he began to doubt whether after all riches are the one desirable thing in the world or even the most desirable but this was only a passing thought so fascinated was Midas with the glitter of the yellow metal that he would still have refused to give up the golden touch for so paltry a consideration as a breakfast just imagine what a price for one meal's vitals it would have been the same as paying millions and millions of money and as many millions more as would take forever to reckon up for some fried trout an egg, a potato a hot cake and a cup of coffee it would be quite too dear thought Midas nevertheless so great was his hunger and the perplexity of his situation that he again groaned aloud and very grievously too our pretty Marygold could endure it no longer she sat a moment gazing at her father and trying with all the might of her little wits to find out what was the matter with him then with a sweet and sorrowful impulse to comfort him she started from her chair and running to Midas through her arms affectionately about his knees he bent down and kissed her he felt that his little daughter's love was worth a thousand times more than he had gained by the golden touch my precious, precious Marygold cried he but Marygold made no answer alas what had he done how fatal was the gift which the stranger bestowed the moment the lips of Midas touched Marygold's forehead a change had taken place her sweet rosy face so full of affection as it had been assumed a glittering yellow colour with yellow teardrops congealing on her cheeks her beautiful brown ringlets took the same tint her soft and tender little form grew hard and inflexible within her father's encircling arms oh terrible misfortune the victim of his insatiable desire for wealth little Marygold was a human child no longer but a golden statue yes there she was with the questioning look of love grief and pity hardened into her face it was the prettiest and most woeful sight that ever mortal saw all the features and tokens of Marygold were there even the beloved little dimple remained in her gold chin but the more perfect was the resemblance the greater was the father's agony at beholding this golden image which was all that was left him of a daughter it had been a favourite phrase of Midas whenever he felt particularly fond of the child to say that she was worth her weight in gold and now the phrase had become literally true and now at last when it was too late he felt how infinitely a warm tender heart that loved him exceeded in value all the wealth that could be piled up betwixt the earth and sky it would be too sad a story if I were to tell you how Midas in the fullness of all his gratified desires began to wring his hands and bemoaned himself and how he could neither bear to look at Marygold nor yet to look away from her except when his eyes were fixed on the image he did not possibly believe that she was changed to gold but, stealing another glance there was the precious little figure with a yellow teardrop on its yellow cheek and a look so piteous and tender that it seemed as if that very expression must needs soften the gold and make it flesh again this however could not be so Midas had only to wring his hands and to wish that he were the poorest man in the wide world if the loss of all his wealth might bring back the faintest rose colour to his dear child's face while he was in this tumult of despair he suddenly beheld a stranger standing near the door Midas bent down his head without speaking for he recognised the same figure which had appeared to him the day before in the treasure room and had bestowed on him this disastrous faculty of the golden touch the stranger's countenance still wore a smile which seemed to shed a yellow luster all about the room and gleamed on little Mary Gold's image and on the other objects that had been transmuted by the touch of Midas well friend Midas said the stranger pray how do you succeed with the golden touch Midas shook his head I am very miserable said he very miserable indeed stranger and how happens that have I not faithfully kept my promise with you have you not everything that your heart desired Gold is not everything answered Midas and I have lost all that my heart really cared for ah so you have made a discovery since yesterday observed the stranger let us see then which of these two things do you think is really worth the most the gift of the golden touch or one cup of clear cold water oh blessed water exclaimed Midas it will never moisten my parched throat again the golden touch continued the stranger or a crust of bread a piece of bread answered Midas is worth all the golden earth the golden touch asked the stranger why is she gold warm soft and loving as she was an hour ago oh my child my dear child cried poor Midas ringing his hands I would not have given that one small dimple in her chin for the power of changing this whole big earth into a solid lump of gold you are wiser than you were King Midas said the stranger looking seriously at him your own heart I perceive has not been entirely changed from flesh to gold where it so your case would indeed be desperate but you appear to be still capable of understanding that the commonest things such as lie within everybody's grasp are more valuable than the riches which so many mortals sigh and struggle after tell me now do you sincerely desire to rid yourself of this golden touch it is hateful to me replied Midas a fly settled on his nose but immediately fell to the floor for it too had become gold Midas shuddered go then said the stranger and plunge into the river that glides past the bottom of your garden take likewise a vase of the same water and sprinkle it over any object that you may desire to change back again from gold into its former substance if you do this in earnestness and sincerity it may possibly repair the mischief which your avarice has occasioned King Midas bowed low and when he lifted his head the lustrous stranger had vanished you will easily believe that Midas lost no time in snatching up a great earthen picture but alas me it was no longer earthen after he touched it and hastening to the riverside as he scampered along and forced his way through the shrubbery it was positively marvelous to see how the foliage turned yellow behind him as if the autumn had been there and nowhere else on reaching the river's bank he plunged headlong in without waiting so much as to pull off his shoes poof poof snorted King Midas as his head emerged out of the water well this is really a refreshing bath and I think it must have quite washed away the golden touch and now for filling my picture as he dipped the picture into the water it gladdened his very heart to see it change from gold into the same good honest earthen vessel which it had been before he touched it he was conscious also of a change within himself a cold, hard and heavy weight seemed to have gone out of his bosom no doubt his heart had been gradually losing its human substance and transmuting itself into insensible metal but had now softened back again into flesh perceiving a violet that grew on the bank of the river Midas touched it with his finger and was overjoyed to find that the delicate flower retained its purple hue instead of undergoing a yellow blight the curse of the golden touch had therefore really been removed from him King Midas hastened back to the palace and I suppose the servants knew not what to make of it when they saw their royal master so carefully bringing home an earthen picture of water but that water which was to undo all the mischief that his folly had wrought was more precious to Midas than an ocean of molten gold could have been the first thing he did, as you need hardly be told, was to sprinkle it by handfuls over the golden figure of little Marygold no sooner did it fall on her than you would have laughed to see how the rosy colour came back to the dear child's cheek and how she began to sneeze and sputter and how astonished she was to find herself dripping wet and her father still throwing more water over her Pray to not, dear father cried she see how you have wet my nice frock which I put on only this morning Marygold did not know that she had been a little golden statue nor could she remember anything that had happened since the moment when she ran with outstretched arms to comfort poor King Midas her father did not think it necessary to tell his beloved child how very foolish he had been but contented himself with showing how much wiser he had now grown for this purpose he led little Marygold into the garden where he sprinkled all the remainder of the water over the rose bushes and with such good effect that above 5,000 roses recovered their beautiful bloom there were two circumstances however which as long as he lived used to put King Midas in mind of the golden touch one was that the sands of the river sparkled like gold the other that little Marygold's hair had now a golden tinge which he had never observed in it before she had been transmuted by the effect of his kiss this change of hue was really an improvement and made Marygold's hair richer than in her babyhood when King Midas had grown quite an old man and used to trot Marygold's children on his knee he was fond of telling them this marvellous story pretty much as I have told it to you and then would he stroke their glossy ringlets and tell them that their hair likewise had a rich shade of gold which they had inherited from their mother and to tell you the truth my precious little folks Quoth King Midas diligently trotting the children all the while ever since that morning I have hated the very sight of all other gold save this End of section 10