NDERSEN 
 
 HAIRY TALES 
 
 MADE IN TMt U. O. A. 
 
THE STORY 
 
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 One day as the sun was setting there came a great 
 
 flock of splendid birds out of the bushes. 
 
 They were pure white with long necks; 
 
 they were swans. 
 
 aiFT<Ml 
 

 T H E 
 UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 In the lovely country it was summerrtime. The 
 cornfields were ripe. The oats were green. The 
 hay stood in its tall stacks, and the storks Walked 
 about on their long red legs. 
 
 Yes, it was a fair, fair country. In the midst of 
 all this beauty and sunshine there stood an old 
 farm with deep canals around it. Near the water 
 was a high wall with bushes growing tall; it was 
 like a deep wood among those bushes and there, 
 upon her nest, sat 
 a duck to hatch 
 her young ones. ' 
 
 Day after day 
 she kept at her 
 task and ere the 
 little ones came 
 she was very tired. 
 She was lonely too 
 
 ^93S92 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 L \ 
 
 wMj 
 
 for no one came to see her. The other ducks would 
 rather swim on the canals than talk to her. 
 
 But at last one of the eggs cracked. How eagerly 
 the duck now watched her nest! Another and an- 
 other egg did the same. 
 
 "Peep! Peep!" cried 
 each little duck as it 
 put forth a soft, 
 downy, yellow head. 
 
 And "What a big, 
 big world!" they all 
 exclaimed, for surely 
 the nest was larger 
 than the egg shell. 
 "Do you think that 
 this is all the world?" asked the proud mother. 
 "Why, this is not much! The world runs way up 
 there across the garden. I have never been so far, 
 but it is quite true for all that." 
 
 "Now are you all here?" she asked as she carefully 
 looked about. "No. That large egg is still not 
 hatched. How long is that to last, I wonder?" 
 But she sat down again. 
 
 "How goes it?" asked an old Duck who had 
 heard the news about the new family and had 
 waddled down to see for herself. 
 
 "This one egg lasts a very long time," replied 
 the patient mother. "It will not burst. But just 
 
 1 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 look at the little ducks! Are they not sweet? They 
 all look exactly like their father, the dears!^ But 
 he, the bad fellow, does not come to see me."^ 
 
 "Let me see the egg that will not burst," said the 
 old Duck. "Ah, it is a turkey egg! I was once 
 fooled that way. I had great trouble, for turkeys 
 are afraid of the water. They will never venture 
 on it. You had better leave that egg and go and 
 teach your other children how to swim." 
 
 "I'll stay a little longer," answered the mother. 
 "I have sat so long that a few more days now will 
 not matter." 
 
 "Just as you please," said the old Duck coldly 
 as she walked off. 
 
 At last the egg burst. 
 
 "Peep! Peep!" said the little one, and out it crept 
 from the shell. 
 
 It was very ugly. 
 
 "It is not like the others!" wailed the mother. 
 "Can it be a turkey chick.^ We will soon find out. 
 It shall go into the water if I have to push it in!" 
 
 
 wm' 
 
 %^.-;. 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 The next 
 day was 
 bright and 
 fair. The 
 mother duck 
 went early 
 to the pond 
 with all her 
 little ones, and it was indeed a pretty sight. 
 "Splash!" into the water she went. 
 ''Quack! Quack!" she called. That meant 
 ''Come! Gome!" as every one of the little ducks 
 knew and in they followed one after the other. The 
 water closed over them — but what did they care.^ 
 Their legs went as easily as could be. It was great 
 sport! 
 
 And the ugly little duck was there too, swimming 
 with the rest. 
 
 "It is not a turkey chick!" exulted the mother 
 duck. "It is 
 
 my very own 
 child. And if 
 you look at it 
 the right way 
 it is not very 
 ugly. Come, 
 my dears, I 
 will take you to the barnyard and show you the 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 great world. Now keep close to me. Some one 
 might tread on you. And look out for cats!" 
 
 There was a hot battle going on in the barnyard. 
 Two parties were fighting desperately for a fish's 
 head, and in the end the cat got it all. 
 
 "That's the way of the world!" cried the mother 
 duck, and she sharpened her beak. Ah! how she 
 wanted the fish head 1 
 
 ''Use your legs!" 
 she commanded her 
 family. ''Hurry 
 about and bow your 
 heads to the old 
 Duck over there. 
 She's the grandest of 
 them all. She has 
 
 Spanish blood in her, and that is why she is so fat. 
 And do you see that she has a red rag around her 
 leg.^ That is something fine — the greatest thing a 
 duck can have. It means that her owner does not 
 want to lose her. Don't turn in your toes! A 
 well-bred duck always turns them out like father 
 and mother. Now bend your necks and say 'Rap I' ' ' 
 
 And they did so; but the other ducks cried coldly: 
 
 ''Were there not enough ducks here without all 
 these.^ And look at that ugly one over there! We 
 won't stand that!" and one flew up and bit the 
 poor little gray thing in the neck! 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 "Oh, shame!" cried out the mother duck. "She 
 is doing no harm!" 
 
 "But she's too large and queer," cried the duck 
 who had bitten it, "and so we will tease her!" 
 
 Just then the old duck with the rag on her leg 
 said slowly: "Those are pretty children that the 
 mother has there, all but one; that one is a failure. 
 I wish she could make it pretty like the rest." 
 
 "That I cannot do, my lady," said the poor 
 mother. "She is not pretty but she is very sweet, 
 
 and she swims just as well as 
 the others. She may grow 
 pretty," and she smoothed 
 its feathers. 
 
 Well, your other children 
 are graceful. Make yourself 
 
 at home and 
 the next fish 
 head you see, 
 take it. But 
 do not eat it — 
 you may bring 
 it tome!" 
 
 Soon after 
 they went 
 home, and all 
 .. ^ along the way 
 the ugly duckling was pushed and hurt and jeered. 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 That was the first day. And as time went on 
 things steadily grew worse and worse. 
 
 Her own brothers and sisters were cruel to her 
 and at every turn she was made to suffer. Even 
 her mother wished that the ugly child was far 
 away. As she grew big she flew over the fence, and 
 the little birds were afraid of her. If she went into 
 the barnyard the girl who fed the fowls kicked her 
 with her foot. 
 
 ''It is because I am so very ugly," cried the poor 
 little thing in despair, and one day she flew away 
 to the wild ducks who lived out on the wide moor. 
 Here she lay sad and tired. 
 
 When the wild ducks saw her, they said, "What 
 sort of a duck are you.^" 
 
 And then when the poor thing tried to make a 
 bow as best she could, they only jeered at her 
 effort to be polite. 
 
 ''You are very ugly," they laughed, "but we do 
 not mind if you do not marry into our family." 
 
 Marry ! Poor little duckling, she had not thought 
 of such a thing. She only wanted to find a home 
 where she could rest and have a quiet drink from 
 the river. 
 
 So she stayed two days. Then a pair of very 
 saucy ganders came by. They were young and 
 wanted to have a good time. 
 
 "You are so ugly that Ave like you," said they. 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 "Will you come with us and be a bird that flies 
 from place to place? Near here there are some 
 lovely wild geese. We are quite sure that one of 
 them would say 'Rap!' to you if you asked one to 
 marry you." 
 
 'Tiff! Paff !" a shot rang out. One of the young 
 ganders fell dead. 
 
 "Paff! Piff !" spoke another gun. And the second 
 saucy young gander fell as the first. 
 
 A great hunt was going on. The water was red 
 with blood. The ugly duckling had never been so 
 frightened. She put her head under her wing, and 
 when she had gathered enough courage to look out 
 again, what do you think she saw.^ 
 
 ^ 5-^. 
 
 A frightful great dog, with his tongue hanging 
 far out! 
 
 He tried to snap at her, but she knew the land 
 was no place for her. Into the water she went, and 
 the dog ran on. 
 
 'T am so ugly," cried she, "that even the dog 
 runs away!" 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 So she lay still at 
 the water's edge, hid- 
 den by some over- 
 hanging bushes. She 
 listened intently as 
 the shots grew fur- 
 ther and further 
 apart. Finally they 
 ceased altogether. 
 When she had assured herself that the hunt was 
 really over, she climbed up the bank and walked 
 sadly on. The sun sank lower and lower in the 
 west. Another day was almost done. When it had 
 dipped below the horizon and even the last of its 
 beautiful afterglow had faded and night was indeed 
 near the ugly duckling came to a poor hut. She 
 saw that the one door stood partly open. With 
 the night there had come a storm and as the wind 
 was blowing wildly, the duckling crept into the 
 hovel to find both shelter and rest. 
 
 Now in this poor hut there lived a woman with 
 her cat and her hen. The cat she called Sonnie! 
 He could arch his back, and he could purr, and he 
 could make sparks fly from his eyes. 
 
 The hen had short legs but a long name. The 
 woman called her Chick-a-biddy-short-shanks. And 
 as she laid good eggs and many of them, the woman 
 loved her as her own child. 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 Now when the cat and theTien saw the poor 
 duckling the cat purred and the hen clucked. 
 
 The old woman 
 
 could not see very 
 
 well, and for a time 
 
 she did not see the 
 
 duck. When she did 
 
 she was glad for, as 
 
 she had no duck of 
 
 her own, she thought 
 
 it was quite a prize. 
 
 But the hen and 
 
 the cat did not like to 
 
 have anyone share 
 
 their home, selfish 
 
 creatures that they were, and Avere so cross that the 
 
 duckling sat lonely enough in her corner. 
 
 One day she longed so to have a swim that she 
 told the hen all about it. 
 
 "What a queer thought!" scoffed the hen. "If 
 you had more to do you would not have time to be 
 thinking of such silly things." 
 
 "But it is lovely to swim on the water," insisted 
 the duckling. "It is fine to dive down to the 
 bottom." 
 
 "You must be crazy," replied the hen. "I am 
 sure you are crazy. At any rate, you had better 
 ask the cat about it. He is the wisest creature I 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 know roundabout here. Ask hirn if he likes to 
 swim on the water. Ask the old woman;' I do 
 not think they would care to go diving dbwin to the 
 bottom of the water." 
 
 ''You don't know what I mean!" cried the duck- 
 ling in despair. 
 
 ''No, we do not," answered the hen. "But who 
 does, pray.^ You had better be thankful you have 
 enough food and a warm home, and stop talking 
 so silly." 
 
 "I think I will go 
 away," at last the 
 duckling thought, 
 "away into the 
 great wide world." 
 
 And she went, i^ 
 She soon found the ^ ' 
 swam A 
 
 water and 
 and dived. Oh, it^^ 
 was good! But it M 
 was the same story v^^ 
 — every bird and 4 
 beast hurt her, or 
 was afraid of her. 
 
 Then came the 
 autumn . The 
 leaves fell. The clouds hung gray and low. At 
 last the snowflakes whirled through the chill air. 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 One day as the sun was setting there came a 
 great flock of splendid birds out of the bushes. 
 They were pure white with long necks; they were 
 swans. 
 
 They gave a long, low cry, spread out their beau- 
 tiful strong wings and flew away to warmer lands. 
 
 So high, so high they went! And the ugly duck- 
 ling felt very queer as she watched them go. She 
 turned round and round in the water, and then 
 she too gave a long, low cry. It almost made her 
 afraid, that cry she uttered. 
 
 She could not forget the lovely white birds, and 
 
?r ■ i nif immm^mMmSk 
 
 THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 she knew that soon she would see them no more. 
 
 She dived to the bottom of the river, and when 
 she came up she was almost beside herself with 
 grief. She knew not the name of the wonderful 
 birds, nor where they had gone, but she did know 
 that she loved them every one. 
 
 She did not envy them. She could not be hke 
 them. But oh! she loved them. Poor little ugly 
 duckling! 
 
 The winter grew cold ! The duckling had to swim 
 around a great deal 
 to keep the water 
 from freezing in the 
 river. But in spite of 
 all her efforts each 
 night the hole in 
 which she swam grew 
 smaller and smaller 
 and smaller. She 
 had to keep her legs going all the time until at last, 
 quite worn out with her efforts, she sat still and the 
 water froze about her. But early in the morning a 
 man passing by saw the poor duckling and he 
 broke the ice and carried her to his home. The 
 children wanted to play with her but that made her 
 afraid and she flew into the milk pan and the flour. 
 At which the mother struck at her with a stick and 
 that made her still more afraid. But just then the 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 door was flung open. The poor duckling flew out 
 and dropped half dead upon the snow. 
 
 I will not try to tell you how dreadful that long, 
 cold winter was to the poor duckhng. It would 
 make your hearts far too sad to hear. 
 
 Then spring came. The sun shone warm, the 
 larks sang as they pierced the sky, and the duckling 
 could flap her weak wings. 
 
 Each day her wings grew stronger and soon, 
 without knowing just how it happened, she found 
 herself in a lovely garden where bright flowers blos- 
 somed and shed their perfume on the warm air, 
 and a canal ran near by. 
 
 This was fine indeed! And then one day there 
 came three dear white swans and they swam on 
 
 the canal. 
 
 The duckhng knew them. Had she not thought 
 of them every day the long winter through? 
 
 She said sadly, "I 
 
 will fly to them and 
 tell them how I suf- 
 fer. They may kill 
 me because I am so 
 very ugly, but I do 
 not care. I would 
 far rather die than 
 be beaten and left to 
 live another winter." 
 
THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 The duckling flew out on the canal and the three 
 swans saw it and came with spread wings. 
 
 ''Kill me!" cried the poor _ duckling as she 
 bent her head. 
 
 What did she see.^ She saw herself in the water, 
 and lo! no longer was she a gray ugly duckling, 
 hateful to look upon — she was a swan! 
 
 It did not matter if she were born in a duck 
 yard; she had come out of a swan egg. 
 
 The swans came 
 nearer, and touched 
 her with their 
 beaks. Into the 
 garden came some 
 little children and 
 they threw bread to 
 the swans. The 
 youngest child 
 cried, "There is a 
 new swan!" and all 
 the rest shouted, "Yes, a new one, and it is the 
 sweetest of all! So young! So pretty!" 
 
 She was so happy she did not know what to 
 do; all the old trouble was gone and from her glad 
 heart she cried, ''I never dreamed of so much joy 
 when I was an ugly duckling!" 
 
THE 
 
 TIN 
 
 SOLDIER 
 
 There were twenty-five tin sol- 
 diers once on a time. They were 
 all brothers, for they had all been made out of one 
 old spoon. They had muskets, and they all looked 
 right in front of them. Their clothes were red 
 and blue, and I tell you they were a fine lot. 
 
 The first words they ever heard as the lid was 
 taken off their box were 'Tin Soldiers!" A little 
 boy had spoken the words, and he clapped his 
 hands in joy. 
 
 It was his birthday, and when he had looked at 
 them he put them on the table. 
 
 All the Tin Soldiers were alike but one. There 
 had not been enough tin to finish him so he had 
 only one leg. But he stood on that as well as the 
 others did on two legs, and this soldier was to be 
 greater than all the other twenty-four. 
 
 On the table were many toys besides the soldiers, 
 and the best was a paper castle. 
 
THE TIN SOLDIER 
 
 If one looked in the 
 windows one could see 
 the hall, and in front 
 of it were some trees 
 and a lake made of a 
 bit of glass. 
 
 Wax swans swam 
 on the lake; it was all 
 very pretty, but the 
 sweetest of all was a 
 small lady who stood 
 by the castle door. 
 
 She was made of paper, but she had a dress of 
 thin lace and a ribbon around her waist, and on 
 the ribbon was a paper rose as big as her face. 
 
 The little lady held her arms up for she was a 
 dancer, and she held one leg so high that the Tin 
 Soldier could not see it at all, and he thought that 
 she had but one leg. 
 
 ''She would be just the wife for me," he thought, 
 ''but she is too grand. She lives in a castle, and I 
 have only a box, and so many of us live in the box! 
 It really is no place for her." 
 
 But he felt he must know her. He lay down 
 behind a box and watched her all day. There she 
 stood on one leg; she did not seem to get tired at all. 
 
 At night the toys began to have their fun. They 
 played war; they gave balls and paid visits. 
 
THE TIN SOLDIER 
 
 The Nut Cracker jumped up and down. The 
 Pencil ran about on a piece of paper, and they all 
 made so much noise that the bird in its cage woke 
 up and began to talk. The only ones who could 
 not join the fun were the Tin Soldiers and the 
 D ancing Lady. 
 (You know the • ^ ^^ 
 soldier with one leg 
 was not in the box 
 with his brothers, 
 but was hid behind 
 another box.) 
 
 The clock struck 
 twelve — and bounce! 
 The lid flew off the 
 box behind which 
 was the Soldier, and 
 as true as I tell you out of the box came a Goblin. 
 You see it was a trick! 
 
 "Tin Soldier," said the Goblin, "do not stare 
 so at what does not concern you." 
 
 The Soldier did not seem to hear. 
 
 "Just you wait until tomorrow!" said the Goblin. 
 
 The next day when the children came the Tin 
 Soldier was put in the window, and I do not know 
 whether it was the Gobhn or the wind who caught 
 him, but heels over head the poor Soldier fell from 
 the third story to the street. 
 
THE TIN SOLDIER 
 
 The nurse and the little boy came down at once 
 to look for him. If he had only cried out, "Here 
 I am!" they 
 would have 
 heard him, but 
 he was too brave 
 to cry. 
 
 Then it began 
 to rain and soon 
 the streets were 
 full of water. 
 Two bovs came 
 by and one 
 cried, ' 'Oh, 
 look! There's a 
 Tin Soldier!" 
 
 A nd t hey 
 made a paper boat and sailed him down the gutter. 
 
 Oh, dear! how high the waves were in that gutter! 
 Still the Tin Soldier stood firm and looked right in 
 front of him, just like a true Soldier does in danger. 
 
 All at once the boat went into a dark place. 
 
 "Where am I going now?" thought he. 'This 
 is the Goblin's fault. Ah! if the httle lady was in 
 the boat with me I would not mind the dark." 
 
 But just then a Water Rat jumped out in front 
 of the boat. "Give me your passport!" said he. 
 The Soldier held his gun close and said not a word. 
 
THE TIN SOLDIER 
 
 But the stream grew stronger. The Tin Soldier 
 could see the light beyond and he heard a great 
 noise that would have made even you afraid. Only 
 think right ahead was a deep river, and for that 
 little Soldier in his tiny boat that was an awful 
 thing. The boat sailed on and the Soldier stood 
 stiff and not even an eye winked. 
 
 The boat turned around three times. The water 
 came in. The Tin Soldier stood up to his neck in 
 it; then it closed over his head. He thought of the 
 sweet lady, and a song came to him as he sank: 
 "Farewell, farewell, thou warrior brave, 
 For this day thou must die!" 
 
 The boat broke in two parts, and just at that 
 moment a great fish snapped the Tin Soldier. 
 
 Well, it was dark in the fish's body! And it 
 was small too. The Tin Soldier could only lie 
 straight and not turn around. The fish swam to 
 and fro, but before long he was caught on a hook, 
 and thenlight shone on the Tin Soldier and some one 
 cried, "The Soldier!" It was strange but the cook 
 at the little boy's house had bought the fish and 
 when she cut it open she saw the Soldier and took 
 him to the room above to show to the children. 
 
 It was the same dear room, and the children and 
 toys, but best of all there was the Dancing Lady! 
 The Soldier almost cried when he saw her, but they 
 looked at each other and said not a word. 
 
THE TIN SOLDIER 
 
 Then one of 
 the boys without 
 any reason took 
 the poor Soldier 
 and flung him in- 
 to the fire. I am 
 sure it was the 
 Goblin who made 
 him do it. 
 
 The Soldier 
 
 stood still in the 
 
 awful heat; the 
 
 color of his coat 
 
 |uj melted away. He 
 
 looked at the dear 
 
 little lady and she 
 
 looked at him. 
 
 He felt as if he 
 
 were melting but 
 
 he stood firm. 
 
 Then the wind caught the Dancing Lady, and she 
 
 flew through the air like a bird and came right in 
 
 the fire near the Tin Soldier. A flash, and she 
 
 was gone into the blaze! 
 
 The Tin Soldier melted in a lump at first and 
 then he melted into the shape of a heart. The 
 little lady was all gone, only the rose she had worn 
 was left, and that was black as the coal. 
 
THE 
 PRINCESS ON THE PEA 
 
 There was once a Prince who wanted to be 
 married, but no one quite suited him. You see 
 he wanted a real Princess, not just one who was a 
 King's daughter. He wished her to be a Princess 
 through and through, and it was just as hard to 
 find one then as it is now. 
 
 He went all over the world, and he saw many, 
 many a Princess, but there was something wrong 
 about each one. At last he went home quite sad 
 because he 
 thought there 
 were no more real 
 Princesses. 
 
 One night when 
 he and his father 
 and mother sat in 
 their castle a 
 great storm came 
 up. The wind 
 blew, the rain fell 
 in torrents and 
 the old castle 
 shook and ^ 
 swayed. All at F 
 once there was a 
 loud knock on the door, and the old King went and 
 
THE PRINCESS ON THE PEA 
 
 opened it himself. And there upon the steps stood 
 a Princess! 
 
 The King knew her to be one at once. She was 
 wet and tired and looked forlorn, I can tell you. 
 She said that she was a real Princess and so the 
 Queen said she might come in out of the storm. 
 
 "We shall see if she is a real Princess," said the 
 Queen. "I have a sure way of finding out." 
 
 While the others were at supper she went to make 
 the bed where the Princess was to sleep. 
 
 Now, first she put three little hard peas on the 
 bed spring. She then laid twenty mattresses on 
 and twenty feather beds on top of all. 
 
 And that was the bed for the Princess. 
 
THE PRINCESS ON THE PEA 
 
 The next morning when they were all at break- 
 fast the Queen said, ''Well, my dear, did you sleep 
 well last night?" 
 
 "Oh, no!" replied the Princess. "I did not sleep 
 at all. I do not know what was in my bed, but 
 it was something so hard that my body is all black 
 and blue. It has hurt me very much." 
 
 Now the Queen was sure that here was a real 
 Princess at last. If she could feel those peas 
 through all those mattresses there could be no mis- 
 take. So the Prince married her and they had a 
 fine wedding and were happy as could be. 
 
 The three peas were put where all the people 
 could see them, and they may be there now if they 
 are not lost! 
 
THE 
 
 FIR 
 
 TREE 
 Far in the deep 
 woods there once 
 grew a pretty Fir 
 Tree. It was a bright 
 place. The sun shone 
 on the tree, the breeze kissed it and near it grew 
 other fir trees, some young, some old. 
 
 But the little Fir Tree was not happy. He did 
 not care for wind or sun. He wanted to be tall! 
 He thought of it all the time. When the boys and 
 girls sat neath his shade and said, ''What a dear 
 little tree!" he was much vexed. 
 
 Year by year the Tree grew. A long shoot was 
 sent out each year and by that you could tell how 
 old the Tree was. 
 
 'T want to be tall!" he cried. 'T want to be 
 tall! Then the birds will nest in my branches and 
 my crown shall look out at the great world!" 
 
 When snow came a Httle hare just for fun would 
 run and jump over the Tree. That was hard to 
 bear. Think of a hare jumping over you! The 
 thought of that made the Tree forget the song of 
 birds, the sun and the bright clouds. 
 
 Men came in the Fall and cut the tall trees down. 
 The crash made the Fir Tree shake with fear. There 
 they lay quite dead. Poor trees! Where were they 
 
THE FIR TREE 
 
 to go? Far, far from the deep woods, but where? 
 
 One Spring when the birds had come back, the 
 Tree said, ''Know you where the tall trees have 
 gone, my friends? Did you meet them?" 
 
 A big stork replied, "Yes, I saw them! As I 
 flew here I met some ships. Those ships had great 
 masts. Those tall masts were your friends, I think ; 
 they smelled hke fir. You may be proud of them, 
 they sailed so finely." 
 
 Then the Fir Tree said, ''Oh, that I were tall so I 
 might sail the sea! What is the sea? Tell me, 
 what does it look like?" 
 
 "It would take too long to tell you," said the 
 stork, and away he flew. 
 
 When Christmas drew near, a great many young 
 trees were cut down, some not as tall as the Fir 
 Tree. Then horses drew them from the woods. 
 
 "Where do they go?" asked the Fir Tree. "They 
 are not as tall as I." 
 
 "We know," cried the birds. "We saw them in 
 the town. There they grow in a warm room. No 
 more cold or snow. Bright things are hung on 
 them, and gay lights shine from their boughs." 
 
 "Oh, I wish that I might go too!" sighed the Fir 
 Tree. "I long to go and see the world! If I am 
 tall next year it may be they will take me. I must 
 grow and grow!" 
 
 So through the cold and the heat the Tree grew. 
 
THE FIR TREE 
 
 Christmas drew 
 near again. Some 
 one saw the Fir Tree 
 and cried: ''See that 
 fine tree!" and then 
 the great ax struck 
 on him and with a 
 groan he fell to the 
 ground. A sharp 
 pain was all he felt. 
 He forgot his joy. 
 
 He saw his old 
 friends, the dear sun 
 and wind . He knew he would never see them more, 
 and at last his heart was sad. Poor little Tree! 
 ~ The next he knew, two men took him from the 
 cold and dark into a bright room. There were 
 toys and boys and girls, and there was a lady who 
 hung gay things upon his branches. 
 
 *To-night," they said, "we will light the Tree." 
 
 The Fir had not thought of anything so fine. 
 ''Oh, that the trees would come from the wood to 
 see me!" he thought. 'This is life! This is joy!" 
 
 Night came. The candles were lighted. Oh, 
 what a blaze of hght! Then the doors of the room 
 were flung back, and in came the boys and girls 
 laughing in their dehght. "Tell us a tale," cried 
 they to a man who stood near. 
 
THE FIR TREE 
 
 Then he told them about Humpty Dumpty. 
 
 ''Ah, me!" thought the Tree. "Is this true? 
 Who knows, I too may fall down stairs, win a 
 throne and wed a princess!" 
 
 Poor, poor Tree! You see how vain and silly he 
 had grown. He thought about the story all night. 
 In the dim dawn the maids came into the room. 
 
 ''More joy," thought the Tree. But he was 
 wrong. They took him with rough hands and 
 bore him to a dark attic and there left him alone. 
 
 "It is cold!" cried the Fir Tree, "and it is so 
 lonely here!" 
 
 "It is cold," squeaked 
 the mice, "but it is nice 
 here. Tell us what you 
 know." 
 
 "I know of the woods, 
 where the sun shines and 
 the wind blows." Then 
 he told them of the night 
 in the warm room. 
 
 "Those dear times 
 may come again. 
 Humpty Dumpty fell 
 down stairs, yet won the 
 princess." 
 
 Then the Fir Tree 
 thought of the sweet Birch Tree in the dear old 
 
THE FIR TREE 
 
 woods. What a princess she would be for him, to 
 be sure! 
 
 One day a maid came to the attic and when she 
 saw the Tree she took it down stairs and out into 
 the Hght and air. 
 
 ''Quir-ri-vir-ri-vit!" sang the birds. ''My love 
 is come!" 
 
 He knew what they meant. "I shall hve!" he 
 sang back. But no, he was thrown on a heap of 
 weeds and boys and girls tore his branches and 
 cried, ''See the ugly old tree!" 
 
 ^ "Oh, if I had only been content with the sun and 
 air and birds! 
 Too late! All 
 is gone of my 
 old glad hfe!" 
 he thought. 
 
 All tales must 
 end, and so the 
 Fir Tree was 
 burnt, and all 
 was past. 
 
r 
 
 14 DAY USE 
 
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 (P2357sl0)476— A-32 Universiry of California 
 
 BcTkelcy 
 
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