In the yard the robber ran into the donkey, who gave him a great kick.

The cock on the beam was waked by the! noise, and cried,
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

The man ran as fast as his legs could carry him back to the robber chief.

“Ah!” he cried.  “In that house is a wicked witch, who flew at me and scratched my face with her long nails.

By the door stood a man with a knife, who cut me in the leg.

[Illustration]

Out in the yard lay a great black giant, who struck me a blow with his wooden club.

Upon the roof sat the judge, who cried, ’What did he do?  What did he do?’

When I heard this I ran off as fast as I could.”

The robbers never went near the house again.

The four friends liked the place so well that they would not leave it, and so far as I know, they are there to this day.

WILLIAM AND JACOB GRIMM

    LITTLE BIRDIE

    What does little birdie say,
    In her nest at peep of day? 
    Let me fly, says little birdie,
    Mother, let me fly away. 
    Birdie, rest a little longer,
    Till the little wings are stronger. 
    So she rests a little longer,
    Then she flies away.

    What does little baby say,
    In her bed at peep of day? 
    Baby says, like little birdie,
    Let me rise and fly away. 
    Baby, sleep a little longer,
    Till the little limbs are stronger. 
    If she sleeps a little longer,
    Baby too shall fly away.

    ALFRED TENNYSON

[Illustration]

MOTHER FROST—­I

broad daughters through heart

At the edge of a wood there was a great, clear, bubbling spring of cold water.

Near this spring lived a widow and her two daughters.

One of them was very beautiful and a great help about the house, while the other was ugly and idle.

The mother loved only the ugly one, for she was her own child.

She cared so little for the other daughter that she made her do all the hard work.

Every day the poor girl would sit beside the spring and spin and spin, until her fingers bled.

One day, while she was washing the blood from her hands, the spindle fell into the spring and sank to the bottom.

With tears in her eyes, she ran and told her stepmother what she had done.

The stepmother was angry and said, “You let the spindle fall into the spring.  Now you must go and get it out.”

The maiden went back to the spring to look for the spindle.

She leaned so far over the edge that her hand slipped, and down, down, she sank to the very bottom.

All at once she found that she was in a beautiful field where many wild flowers grew.

As she walked across the field, she came to a baker’s oven full of new bread.