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 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924027805864 
 
EVENING TALES 
 
 Done into £nglteb from tbe #tencb o( 
 
 BY 
 
 JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS 
 
 AUTHOR OF '*UHCLB RBMUS" 
 
 AUTHORIZED EDITION 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 1919 
 
Copyright, 1893, by 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I 
 
 rAGS 
 
 A French Tar-Baby, i 
 
 II 
 
 Teenchy Duck 13 
 
 III 
 Mr. Snail and Brother Wolf, ... 34 
 
 IV 
 The Lion's Secret, ...... 39 
 
 V 
 The King and the Lapwings, ... 64 
 
 VI 
 The Rooster, the Cat, and the Reap-Hook, 75 
 
 VII 
 The Mysterious Island loi 
 
iv Contents 
 
 VIII 
 
 PAGB 
 
 BRbTHER Tiger and Daddy Sheep, . , 109 
 
 IX 
 " Jump IN My Sack ! " 128 
 
 X 
 A Search for a Friend 155 
 
 XI 
 A Child of the Roses 163 
 
 XII 
 The King of the Lions 189 
 
 XIII 
 
 The Vizier, the Monkey, the Lion, and 
 THE Serpent 198 
 
 XIV 
 The Enchanted Princess 222 
 
 XV 
 Loony John 261 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Once upon a time Mr. Wendell P. 
 Garrison, the literary editor of The Na- 
 tion, sent me a picture he had found in a 
 catalogue of French books. It represent- 
 ed a very interesting scene. There were 
 the Tar-Baby and Brother Rabbit as 
 natural as life ; but Brother Fox was miss- 
 ing. His place had been supplied by 
 Brother Billy Goat, whose formidable 
 horns and fierce beard seemed to add to 
 the old episode a new danger for poor 
 Brother Rabbit. 
 
 The picture was an advertisement of 
 Les Contes de la Veillde, by Fr6d6ric 
 Ortoli. After a while the book itself 
 came to hand, forwarded no doubt by 
 
vi Introduction 
 
 some thoughtful American tourist who 
 had been interested in the Tar-Baby in 
 French. The volume was examined, and 
 in some sort relished, laid aside for future 
 reference, and then forgotten. 
 
 But one night after supper the children 
 of the household were suddenly missing. 
 There was no romping going on in the 
 hall. There were no voices to be heard 
 on the lawn. There was no rippit taking 
 place in the bedrooms. What could the 
 matter be ? Had the storm-centre moved 
 in the direction of our innocent neigh- 
 bors ? The silence was so unusual that it 
 created a sudden sense of loneliness. 
 
 But the investigation that followed 
 showed that the youngsters had merely 
 made a temporary surrender of their privi- 
 leges. Their mother was reading to them 
 some of the stories in M. Ortoli's book, 
 and they were listening with an interest 
 
Introduction vii 
 
 that childhood can neither affect nor dis- 
 guise. I begged permission to make one 
 of the audience. 
 
 " But you have writing to do," said one 
 of the lads. 
 
 " It will disturb you," said one of the 
 girls. 
 
 Nevertheless, the lady, who was and is 
 the centre of this family circle, graciously 
 made room for one more listener ; and 
 thus it happens that this little volume of 
 M. Ortoli's stories is in the nature of a 
 family affair. The lady, for the benefit of 
 the intruder, was pleased to go over the 
 stories again, and to read them more slow- 
 ly, and thus they were put in their pres- 
 ent form. Most frequently I have pre- 
 served the swift and piquant rendering, 
 the fluent interpretation that fell from the 
 lady's lips. 
 
 My apologies are perhaps due to M. 
 
viii Introduction 
 
 Ortoli for a certain freedom of treatment 
 that has been deemed necessary in some 
 of the stories, I trust this has not been 
 carried too far ; but in some instances it 
 has been necessary to English the char- 
 acters and incidents as well as the text. 
 Nevertheless, an effort has been made to 
 preserve something of the individuality of 
 M. Ortoli, and I think that at least the 
 flavor of it will be found in the stories 
 that follow. 
 
 J. C. H. 
 
 Wbst End, Atlanta, Ga. 
 
EVENING TALES 
 
 A FRENCH TAR-BABY 
 
 In the time when there were hobgob- 
 lins and fairies, Brother Goat and Brother 
 Rabbit lived in the same neighborhood, 
 not far from each other. 
 
 Proud of his long beard and sharp horns, 
 Brother Goat looked on Brother Rabbit 
 with disdain. He would hardly speak to 
 Brother Rabbit when he met him, and his 
 greatest pleasure was to make his little 
 neighbor the victim of his tricks and 
 practical jokes. For instance, he would 
 say: 
 
Evening Tales 
 
 " Brother Rabbit, here is Mr. Fox," and 
 this would cause Brother Rabbit to run 
 away as hard as he could. Again he would 
 say : 
 
 "Brother Rabbit, here is Mr. Wolf," 
 and poor Brother Rabbit would shake and 
 tremble with fear. Sometimes he would 
 cry out : 
 
 "Brother Rabbit, here is Mr, Tiger," 
 and then Brother Rabbit would shudder 
 and think that his last hour had come. 
 
 Tired of this miserable existence, Broth- 
 er Rabbit tried to think of some means by 
 which he could change his powerful and 
 terrible neighbor into a friend. After a 
 time, he thought he had discovered a way 
 to make Brother Goat his friend, and so 
 he invited him to dinner. 
 
 Brother Goat was quick to accept the 
 invitation. The dinner was a fine affair, 
 and there was an abundaince of good eat- 
 
A French Tar-Baby 
 
 ing. A great many different dishes were 
 served. Brother Goat licked his mouth 
 and shook his long beard with satisfaction. 
 He had never before been present at such 
 a feast. 
 
 "Well, my friend," exclaimed Brother 
 Rabbit, when the dessert was brought in, 
 " how do you like your dinner ? " 
 
 " I could certainly wish for nothing bet- 
 ter," replied Brother Goat, rubbing the 
 tips of his horns against the back of his 
 chair; "but my throat is very dry and a 
 little water would hurt neither the dinner 
 nor me." 
 
 "Gracious!" said Brother Rabbit, "I 
 have neither wine-cellar nor water. I am 
 not in the habit of drinking while I am 
 eating." 
 
 "Neither have I any water. Brother 
 Rabbit," said Brother Goat. " But I have 
 an idea ! If you will go with me over 
 
Evening Tales 
 
 yonder by the big poplar, we will dig a 
 well." 
 
 " No, Brother Goat," said Brother Rab- 
 bit, who hoped to revenge himself — "no, 
 I do not care to dig a well. At daybreak 
 I drink the dew from the cups of the 
 flowers, and in the heat of the day I milk 
 the cows and drink the cream." 
 
 "Well and good," said Brother Goat. 
 " Alone I will dig the well, and alone I 
 will drink out of it." 
 
 " Success to you. Brother Goat," said 
 Brother Rabbit. 
 
 " Thank you kindly, Brother Rabbit." 
 
 Brother Goat then went to the foot of 
 the big poplar and began to dig his well. 
 He dug with his forefeet and with his 
 horns, and the well got deeper and deeper. 
 Soon the water began to bubble up and 
 the well was finished, and then Brother 
 Goat made haste to quench his thirst. He 
 
A French Tar-Baby 
 
 was in such a hurry that his beard got. in 
 the water, but he drank and drank until 
 he had his fill. 
 
 Brother Rabbit, who had followed him 
 at a little distance, hid himself behind a 
 bush and laughed heartily. He said to 
 himself: "What an innocent creature you 
 are!" 
 
 The next day, when Brother Goat, with 
 his big beard and sharp horns, returned to 
 his well to get some water, he saw the 
 tracks of Brother Rabbit in the soft earth. 
 This put him to thinking. He sat down, 
 pulled his beard, scratched his head, and 
 tapped himself on the forehead. 
 
 " My friend," he exclaimed after a while, 
 " I will catch you yet." 
 
 Then he ran and got his tools (for 
 Brother Goat was something of a carpen- 
 ter in those days) and made a large doll 
 out of laurel wood. When the doll was 
 
6 Evening Tales 
 
 — ) — 
 
 finished, he spread tar on it here and there, 
 on the right and on the left, and up and 
 down. He smeared it all over with the 
 sticky stuff, until it was as black as a 
 Guinea negro. 
 
 This finished. Brother Goat waited 
 quietly until evening. At sunset he placed 
 the tarred doll near the well, and ran and 
 hid himself behind the trees and bushes. 
 The moon had just risen, and the heavens 
 twinkled with millions of little star-torches. 
 
 Brother Rabbit, who was waiting in his 
 house, believed that the time had come 
 for him to get some water, so he took his 
 bucket and went to Brother Goat's well. 
 On the way he was very much afraid that 
 something would catch him. He trembled 
 when the wind shook the leaves of the 
 trees. He would go a little distance and 
 then stop and listen ; he hid here behind a 
 stone, and there behind a tuft of grass. 
 
A French Tar-Baby 
 
 At last he arrived at the well, and there 
 he saw the little negro. He stopped and 
 looked at it with astonishment. Then he 
 drew back a little way, advanced again, 
 drew back, advanced a little, and stopped 
 once more. 
 
 " What can that be ? " he said to himself. 
 He listened, with his long ears pointed for- 
 ward, but the trees could not talk, and the 
 bushes were dumb. He winked his eyes 
 and lowered his head : 
 
 "Hey, friend ! who are you ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 The tar-doll didn't move. Brother Rab- 
 bit went up a little closer, and asked again : 
 
 " Who are you ? " 
 
 The tar-doll said nothing. Brother Rab- 
 bit breathed more at ease. Then he went 
 to the brink of the well, but when he 
 looked in the water the tar-doll seemed to 
 look in too. He could see her reflection 
 
8 Evening Tales 
 
 in the water. This made Brother Rabbit 
 so mad that he grew red in the face. 
 
 " See here ! " he exclaimed, " if you 
 look in this well I '11 give you a rap on the 
 nose ! " 
 
 Brother Rabbit leaned over the brink of 
 the well, and saw the tar-doll smiling at 
 him in the water. He raised his right 
 hand and hit her — bam ! His hand 
 stuck. 
 
 " What's this ? " exclaimed Brother Rab- 
 bit. " Turn me loose, imp of Satan ! If 
 you do not, I will rap you on the eye with 
 my other hand." 
 
 Then he hit -her — bim ! The left hand 
 stuck also. Then Brother Rabbit raised 
 his right foot, saying : 
 
 " Mark me well, little Congo ! Do you 
 see this foot ? I will kick you in the 
 stomach if you do not turn me loose this 
 instant." 
 
A French Tar-Baby 
 
 No sooner said than done. Brother 
 Rabbit let fly his right foot — vip! The 
 foot stuck, and he raised the other. 
 
 " Do you see this foot ? " he exclaimed. 
 " If I hit you with it, you will think a 
 thunderbolt has struck you." 
 
 Then he kicked her with the left foot, 
 and it also stuck like the other, and Brother 
 Rabbit held fast his Guinea negro. 
 
 " Watch out, now ! " he cried. " I 've 
 already butted a great many people with 
 my head. If I butt you in your ugly face 
 I '11 knock it into a jelly. Turn me loose ! 
 Oho ! you don't answer ?" Bap ! 
 
 " Guinea girl ! " exclaimed Brother Rab- 
 bit, "are you dead? Gracious goodness! 
 how my head does stick ! " 
 
 When the sun rose, Brother Goat went 
 to his well to find out something about 
 Brother Rabbit. The result was beyond 
 his expectations. 
 
lO Evening Tales 
 
 "Hey, little rogue, big rogue!" ex- 
 claimed Brother Goat. " Hey, Brothef 
 Rabbit ! what are you doing there ? I 
 thought you drank the dew from the cups 
 of the flowers, or milk from the cows. 
 Aha, Brother Rabbit ! I will punish you 
 for stealing my water." 
 
 " I am your friend," said Brother Rab- 
 bit ; " don't kill me." 
 
 "Thief, thief!" cried Brother Goat, 
 and then he ran quickly into the woods, 
 gathered up a pile of dry limbs, and made 
 a great fire. He took Brother Rabbit 
 fromi the tar-doll, and prepared to burn 
 him alive. As he was passing a thicket 
 of brambles with Brother Rabbit on his 
 shoulders. Brother Goat met his daughter 
 Bdledie, who was walking about in the 
 fields. 
 
 "Where are you going, papa, muffled 
 up with such a burden ? Come and eat 
 
A French Tar-Baby ii 
 
 the fresh grass with me, and throw wicked 
 Brother Rabbit in the brambles." 
 
 Cunning Brother Rabbit raised his long 
 ears and pretended to be very much fright- 
 ened. 
 
 "Oh, no, Brother Goat!" he cried. 
 " Don't throw me in the brambles. They 
 will tear my flesh, put out my eyes, and 
 pierce my heart. Oh, I pray you, rather 
 throw me in the fire." 
 
 " Aha, little rogue, big rogue ! Aha, 
 Brother Rabbit ! " exclaimed Brother 
 Goat, exultingly, "you don't like the 
 brambles? Well, then, go and laugh in 
 them," and he threw Brother Rabbit in 
 without a feeling of pity. 
 
 Brother Rabbit fell in the bram- 
 bles, leaped to his feet, and began to 
 laugh. 
 
 " Ha-ha-ha ! Brother Goat, what a sim- 
 pleton you are ! — ha-ha-ha ! A better bed 
 
12 Evening Tales 
 
 I never had ! In these brambles I was 
 born ! " 
 
 Brother Goat was in despair, but he 
 could not help himself. Brother Rabbit 
 was safe. 
 
 A long beard is not always a sign of in- 
 telligence. 
 
II 
 
 TEENCHY DUCK 
 
 Once upon a time there lived in a vil- 
 lage in some country (I do not know 
 where, but certainly nowhere near here), 
 an old man and an old woman who were 
 very poor indeed. They had never been 
 able to save a single penny. They had no 
 farm, not even a garden. They had noth- 
 ing but a little Duck that walked around 
 on her two feet every day, singing the 
 song of famine. " Quack ! quack ! Who 
 will give me a piece of bread ? Quack ! 
 quack ! Who will give me a piece of 
 bread ? " This little Duck was so small 
 that she was named Teenchy Duck, 
 
 It so happened one day that Teenchy 
 
14 Evening Tales 
 
 Duck was paddling in the water near the 
 river's edge when she saw a fine purse 
 filled with gold. At once she began to 
 flap her wings and cry : " Quack ! quack ! 
 Who has lost his beautiful money ? 
 Quack ! quack ! Who has lost his beauti- 
 ful money ? " 
 
 Just at that moment the Prince of the 
 Seven Golden Cows passed along the 
 road. He was richer than all the kings 
 and emperors, but he was mean and mi- 
 serly. He walked along with a stick in 
 his hand, and as he walked he counted in 
 his mind the millions that he had stored 
 away in his strong-box. 
 
 " Quack ! quack ! Who lost his beauti- 
 ful money ? Quack ! quack ! Who lost 
 his beautiful money ? " cried Teenchy 
 Duck. 
 
 " I have lost it," brazenly exclaimed the 
 Prince of the Seven Golden Cows, and 
 
Teenchy Duck 15 
 
 then he seized the purse full of money that 
 Teenchy Duck held in her bill, and went 
 on his way. 
 
 The poor Puddle Duck was so aston- 
 ished at this that she could scarcely stand 
 on her feet. 
 
 " Well, well ! " she exclaimed, " that 
 rich lord has kept all for himself and 
 given me nothing. May he be destroyed 
 by a pestilence ! " 
 
 Teenchy Duck at once ran to her mas- 
 ter, and told him what had happened. 
 When her master learned the value of 
 what Teenchy Duck had found, and the 
 trick that had been played on her by the 
 Prince of the Seven Golden Cows, he 
 went into a violent rage. 
 
 '' Why, you big sirnpleton ! " he ex- 
 claimed, " you find money and you do not 
 bring it to us ? You give it to a big lord, 
 who did not lose it, when we poor people 
 
1 6 Evening Tales 
 
 need it, so much. Go out of this house 
 instantly, and don't dare to come back 
 until you have brought me the purse of 
 gold!" 
 
 Unfortunate Teenchy Duck trembled in 
 all her limbs, and made herself small and 
 humble ; but she found voice to say : 
 
 " You are right, my master ! I go at 
 once to find the Prince of the Seven 
 Golden Cows." 
 
 But once out of doors the poor Pud- 
 dle Duck thought to herself sorrowfully : 
 " How and where can I find the Prince 
 who was so mean as to steal the beautiful 
 money ? " 
 
 Teenchy Duck was so bewildered that 
 she began to strike her head against the 
 rocks in despair. Suddenly an idea came 
 into her mind. She would follow his 
 tracks, and the marks that his walking- 
 stick made in the ground until she came 
 
Teenchy Duck 17 
 
 to the castle of the Prince of the Seven 
 Golden Cows. 
 
 No sooner thought than done. Teenchy 
 Duck went waddling down the road in the 
 direction taken by the miserly Prince, cry- 
 ing, with all her might : 
 
 " Quack ! quack ! Give me back my 
 beautiful money ! Quack ! quack ! Give 
 me back my beautiful money ! " 
 
 Brother Fox, who was taking his ease a 
 little way from the road, heard Teenchy 
 Duck's cries, and knew her voice. He 
 went to her and said : 
 
 " What in the world is the matter with 
 you, my poor Teenchy Duck ? You look 
 sad and broken-hearted." 
 
 " I have good reason to be," said 
 Teenchy Duck. "This morning, while 
 paddling in the river, I found a purse 
 full of gold, and gave it to the Prince of 
 the Seven Golden Cows, thinking it was 
 
1 8 Evening Tales 
 
 his. But now, here comes my master and 
 asks me for it, and says he will kill me if 
 I do not bring it to him pretty soon." 
 
 " Well, where are you going in this 
 style ? " asked Brother Fox. 
 
 " I am going straight to the Prince of 
 the Seven Golden Cows," said Teenchy 
 Duck. 
 
 " Shall I go with you ? " asked Brother 
 Fox. 
 
 " I'd be only too glad if you would," 
 exclaimed Teenchy Duck. 
 
 "But how can I go?" said Brother 
 Fox. 
 
 " Get in my satchel," said Teenchy 
 Duck, "and I'll carry you the best I know 
 how." 
 
 " It isn't big enough," said Brother 
 Fox. 
 
 " It will stretch," said Teenchy Duck. 
 So Brother Fox got in the satchel, and 
 
Teenchy Duck 19 
 
 Teenchy Duck went waddling along the 
 road, crying : " Quack ! quack ! Give me 
 back my beautiful money ! " 
 
 She had not gone far when she met 
 Brother Wolf, who was passing that way. 
 
 "What are you crying so for?" he in- 
 quired. " One would think you were go- 
 ing to die on the journey." 
 
 " It is only too true," said Teenchy 
 Duck, and then she told Brother Wolf 
 about finding the money-purse, just as she 
 had told Brother Fox. 
 
 "Perhaps I can be of some service to 
 you," said Brother Wolf. " Shall I go with 
 you?" 
 
 " I am willing," said Teenchy Duck. 
 
 " But how can I go so far ? " Brother 
 Wolf asked. 
 
 "Get in my satchel," said Teenchy 
 Duck, " and I'll carry you as I can." 
 
 " It is too small," said Brother Wolf. 
 
20 Evening Tales 
 
 " It will stretch mightily," said Teenchy 
 Duck. 
 
 Then Brother Wolf went to keep com- 
 pany with Brother Fox. 
 
 Teenchy Duck went on her way again. 
 She didn't walk very fast, for her satchel 
 was heavy ; but she never ceased crying : 
 " Quack ! quack ! Give me back my 
 beautiful money." 
 
 Now it happened, as she was going 
 along, she came up with a Ladder, which 
 said, without asking after her health : 
 
 " My poor Teenchy Duck ! You do 
 not seem to be very happy." 
 
 " I should think not ! " exclaimed 
 Teenchy Duck. 
 
 " What can the matter be ? " the Lad- 
 der asked. 
 
 Teenchy Duck then told her story over 
 again. 
 
 "I am not doing anything at pres- 
 
Teenchy Duck 21 
 
 ent," said the Ladder; "shall I go with 
 you?" 
 
 " Yes," said Teenchy Duck. 
 
 " But how can I go, I who never walk ? " 
 inquired the Ladder. 
 
 "Why, get in my satchel," said Teenchy 
 Duck, "and I'll carry you the best I know 
 how." 
 
 The Ladder was soon in the satchel 
 with Brother Fox and Brother Wolf, and 
 Teenchy Duck went on her way, following 
 the tracks of the Prince of the Seven 
 Golden Cows, and always crying : 
 
 "Quack! quack! Give me back my 
 beautiful money ! " 
 
 Going along and crying thus, Teenchy 
 Duck came to her best and oldest friend, 
 the River, 
 
 "What are you doing here?" said the 
 River, in astonishment, "and why are 
 you crying so? When I saw you this 
 
22 Evening Tales 
 
 morning you seemed to be very hap- 
 
 py." 
 
 " Ah ! " said Teenchy Duck, " would you 
 believe it ? I have not eaten since yester- 
 day." 
 
 " And why not ? " asked the sympathet- 
 ic River. 
 
 " You saw me find the purse of gold," 
 said Teenchy Duck, "and you saw the 
 Prince seize it. Ah, well ! my master will 
 kill me if I do not get it and return it to 
 him." 
 
 " Sometimes," the River replied, " a 
 little help does a great deal of good. Shall 
 I go with you ? " 
 
 " I should be very happy," said Teenchy 
 Duck. 
 
 " But how can I follow you — I that 
 have no limbs ? " said the River. 
 
 "Get in my satchel," said Teenchy 
 Duck. "I'll carry you as I can." 
 
Teenchy Duck 23 
 
 Then the River got in the satchel by the 
 side of the other friends of Teenchy Duck. 
 
 She went on her journey, keeping her 
 eyes on the ground, so as not to lose sight 
 of the tracks of the thief, but still crying 
 for her beautiful money. On her way she 
 came to a Bee-Hive, which had a mind to 
 laugh because Teenchy Duck was carrying 
 such a burden. 
 
 "Hey, my poor Teenchy Duck ! What 
 a big, fat satchel you have there ! " said the 
 Bee-Hive. ' 
 
 "I'm not in the humor for joking, my 
 dear," said Teenchy Duck. 
 
 "Why are you so sad?" 
 
 "I have been very unfortunate, good 
 little people," said Teenchy Duck, ad- 
 dressing herself to the Bees, and then she 
 told her story, 
 
 "Shall we go with you?" asked the 
 Bees. 
 
24 Evening Tales 
 
 " Yes, yes ! " exclaimed Teenchy Duck. 
 "In these days of sorrow I stand in need 
 of friends," 
 
 "How shall we follow you?" asked the 
 Bees. 
 
 "Get in my satchel," said Teenchy 
 Duck. " I '11 carry you the best I know 
 how." 
 
 Then the Bees shook their wings for 
 joy and swarmed into the satchel along 
 with the other friends of Teenchy Duck. 
 
 She resumed her journey, always crying 
 for the return of her beautiful money. 
 She walked and walked without stopping 
 to rest a moment, until her legs almost 
 refused to carry her. At last, just as 
 night was coming on, Teenchy Duck saw 
 with joy that the tracks of the Prince of 
 the Seven Golden Cows stopped at the 
 iron gate that barred the way to a splendid 
 castle. 
 
Teenchy Duck 25 
 
 "Ah! "she exclaimed, "I have arrived 
 at my journey's end, and I have no need to 
 knock on the gate. I will creep under." 
 
 Teenchy Duck entered the grounds and 
 cried out : " Quack ! quack ! Give me my 
 beautiful money ! " 
 
 The Prince heard her and laughed scorn- 
 fully. How could a poor Teenchy Duck 
 compel a great lord to return the purse of 
 gold? 
 
 Teenchy Duck continued to cry : 
 
 " Quack ! quack ! Give me back my 
 beautiful money!" 
 
 It was night, and the Prince of the 
 Seven Golden Cows ordered one of his 
 servants to take Teenchy Duck and shut 
 her up in the hennery with the turkeys, 
 the geese, and the chickens, thinking that 
 these fowls would kill the stranger, and 
 that her disagreeable song would forever 
 be at an end. 
 
26 Evening Tales 
 
 This order was immediately carried out 
 by the servant, but no sooner had Teenchy 
 Duck entered the hennery than she ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 " Brother Fox, if you do not come to 
 my assistance I am lost ! " 
 
 Brother Fox came out of the satchel 
 promptly, and worked so well at his trade 
 that of all the fowls he found there not 
 one remained alive. 
 
 At break of day the servant-girl, whose 
 business it was to attend to the poul- 
 try-yard, opened the door of the hen- 
 nery, and was astounded to see Teenchy 
 Duck come out, singing the same old 
 song: 
 
 " Quack ! quack ! Give me back my 
 beautiful money ! " 
 
 The astonished girl immediately ran and 
 told her master, the Prince, what had hap- 
 pened, and the wife of the Prince, who 
 
Teenchy Duck 27 
 
 -^ , ,,, III. 
 
 had at that moment learned all, said to her 
 husband : 
 
 " This Duck is a Witch. Give her the 
 money, or it will bring us bad luck." 
 
 The Prince of the Seven Golden Cows 
 refused to listen to any advice. He be- 
 lieved that the fox had only happened to 
 enter his hennery by accident. 
 
 Teenchy Duck made herself heard all 
 day, and at night the Prince said to his 
 servants : 
 
 "Take this squaller and throw her in 
 the stable under the feet of the mules and 
 horses. We will see in the morning what 
 she will say." 
 
 The servants obeyed, and Teenchy Duck 
 immediately cried : 
 
 " Brother Wolf, if you do not come 
 quickly to my aid I shall be killed." 
 
 Brother Wolf made no delay, and it 
 was not long before he had destroyed the 
 
28 Evening Tales 
 
 horses and the mules. Next morning, 
 before day, the servants went to get the 
 animals to put them to the ploughs and 
 wagons ; but when they saw them lying 
 dead their astonishment was indescribable. 
 In the stable Teenchy Duck stood alone, 
 singing, in her most beautiful voice : 
 
 " Quack ! quack ! Give me back my 
 beautiful money ! " 
 
 When the Prince of the Seven Golden 
 Cows heard of this disaster he became 
 white with rage, and in his fury he wanted 
 to give his servants a thousand lashes for 
 not having taken necessary precautions 
 against the Wolf. But his wife calmed 
 him little by little, saying : 
 
 "My husband, give back to Teenchy 
 Duck this purse you have taken, or else 
 we shall be ruined." 
 
 " No," cried the Prince, " she shall 
 never have it ! " 
 
Teenchy Duck 29 
 
 All this time Teenchy Duck was prom- 
 enading up and down, to the right and to 
 the left, singing, at the top of her voice : 
 
 " Quack ! quack ! Give me back my 
 beautiful money ! " 
 
 " Heavens ! " said the Prince, stopping 
 his ears, " I am tired of hearing this ugly 
 fowl squall and squawk. Quick ! throw 
 her in the well or the furnace, so that we 
 may be rid of her." 
 
 " What shall we do first ? " the servants 
 asked. 
 
 "It matters not," said the Prince, "so 
 long as we are rid of her." 
 
 The servants took Teenchy Duck arid 
 threw her in the well, thinking this the 
 easiest and the quickest way to dispose of 
 her. 
 
 As Teenchy Duck was falling, she cried : 
 " Come to my assistance, good Ladder, or 
 I am undone." 
 
30 Evening Tales 
 
 The Ladder immediately came out of 
 the satchel, and leaned against the walls 
 of the well. Teenchy Duck came up the 
 rounds, singing : 
 
 " Quack, quack ! Give me back my 
 beautiful money ! " 
 
 Everybody was astonished, and the 
 Prince's wife kept saying : " Give this 
 witch her money." 
 
 "They would say that I am afraid of a 
 Teenchy Duck," said the Prince of the 
 Seven Golden Cows. " I will never give 
 it up." Then, speaking to his servants, 
 he said : " Heat the oven ; heat it to a 
 white heat, and throw this witch in." 
 
 The servants were compelled to obey, 
 but they were so frightened that none 
 dared touch her. At last, one bolder than 
 the rest seized her by the end of the wing 
 and threw her in the red-hot oven. Every- 
 body thought that this was the end of 
 
Teenchy Duck 31 
 
 Teenchy Duck, but she had had time to 
 cry out : 
 
 "Oh, my dear friend River, come to 
 my assistance, or I shall be roasted." 
 
 The River rushed out and quenched the 
 fire and cooled the oven. 
 
 When the Prince went to see what was 
 left of Teenchy Duck, she met him, and 
 began to repeat her familiar refrain : 
 
 " Quack, quack ! Give me back my 
 beautiful money ! " 
 
 The Prince of the Seven Golden Cows 
 was furious. 
 
 " You are all blockheads ! " he cried to 
 his servarits. "You never knew how to 
 do anything. Get out of here ! I will 
 drive you off the place ! Hereafter I will 
 take charge of this fiend myself." 
 
 That night, before retiring, the Prince 
 and his wife went and got Teenchy Duck, 
 and prepared to give her such a beating 
 
32 Evening Tales 
 
 as they had no doubt would cause her 
 death. 
 
 Fortunately, Teenchy Duck saw the 
 danger and cried out : 
 
 " Friend Bees ! come out and help me." 
 
 A buzzing sound was heard, and then 
 the Bees swarmed on the Prince and his 
 wife, and stung them so terribly that they 
 became frightful to behold. 
 
 " Return the money to this ugly witch," 
 groaned the unfortunate wife. " Run, or 
 we are done for." 
 
 The Prince did not wait to be told 
 twice. He ran and got the purse full of 
 gold, and returned it to Teenchy Duck. 
 
 " Here," said he, " I am conquered. 
 But get out of my grounds quickly." 
 
 Full of joy, Teenchy Duck went out 
 into the road singing : " Quack, quack ! 
 I have got my beautiful money ! Quack, 
 quack ! Here is my beautiful money ! " 
 
Teenchy Duck 33 
 
 On her way home she returned the 
 friends that had aided her to the places 
 where she had found them, thanking them 
 kindly for their assistance in time of need. 
 
 At break of day Teenchy Duck found 
 herself at her master's door. She aroused 
 him by her loud cries. After that, the 
 family was rich, but the master and mis- 
 tress were not happy, for they knew the 
 money did not belong to them. 
 
 Teenchy Duck was well taken care of, 
 and grew to be large and fat. If she went 
 to the village pond at all, it was only to 
 take a bath with her comrades and to tell 
 a certain Duck of her remarkable exploit 
 of recovering the beautiful money. 
 3 
 
Ill 
 
 MR. SNAIL AND BROTHER WOLF 
 
 One night, in the season when the haw- 
 thorn flowers were blooming and perfum- 
 ing the air, Brother Wolf came out of the 
 woods, and ran down the hill in a brisk 
 gallop. A little Snail saw Brother Wolf — 
 a little Snail, who, to accommodate himself, 
 carried his house on his back and his horns 
 on his head. He was a very funny little 
 Snail ; and, as Brother Wolf was passing, 
 he laughed aloud — 
 
 "Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!" 
 
 Hearing this. Brother Wolf paused, 
 turned around, and said : 
 
 "Why do you laugh, little Snail ?" 
 
Mr. Snail and Brother Wolf 35 
 
 "Why do I laugh?" exclaimed Mr. 
 Snail. 
 
 "Yes," said Brother Wolf. "Do you 
 see anything ridiculous about me ? " 
 
 " No, Brother Wolf," said Mr. Snail ; 
 " on the contrary, you make a very fine 
 appearance. You have on your Sunday 
 clothes, and you are handsome indeed. 
 No, Brother Wolf, you are not at all ridic- 
 ulous." 
 
 "Why, then, this laughter?" inquired 
 Brother Wolf. " Answer me at once, for 
 I am in a hurry. Speak this instant, or it 
 will not be well for you." 
 
 " Do not get angry. Brother Wolf; it is 
 not worth while. I only laughed to see 
 you running so fast when neither dogs nor 
 men were pursuing you. Where are you 
 going in such a hurry ? " 
 
 " I am going to the city," said Brother 
 Wolf. 
 
36 Evening Tales 
 
 "To the city?" exclaimed Mr. Snail. 
 "What do you propose to do there ?" 
 
 " I want to see my brother, who is sick 
 in the menagerie. He has written me to 
 come to him." 
 
 "That is very queer," said Mr. Snail. 
 " I am going to the city also," 
 
 "Bosh!" exclaimed Brother Wolf, con- 
 temptuously. " Hens will have teeth and 
 sows side-pockets before you get there." 
 
 Mr. Snail felt hin^self somewhat in- 
 sulted at Brother Wolf's remark, and re- 
 plied : 
 
 "I do not know how long it takes a 
 hen to have teeth ; but one thing I do 
 know, and that is, that I will arrive in the 
 city before you do." 
 
 "' You have no legs, and you carry your 
 house on your back," said Brother Wolf ; 
 " how will you manage to get there ?" 
 
 "Don't trouble about that," said Mn 
 
Mr. Snail and Brother Wolf 37 
 
 Snail. " My house is mine, and I do not 
 need legs. I will be in the city before 
 you." 
 
 "You make me very tired with your 
 talk," said Brother Wolf. " If you are 
 not joking, let us wager a breakfast that 
 you do not get there first — ^that is, if you 
 are not joking." 
 
 " Very well, then," said Mr. Snail, " let 
 it be a breakfast. I even give you three 
 jumps in advance, and after that you may 
 gallop." 
 
 While Brother Wolf was making ready 
 for the start, Mr. Snail crawled up on his 
 tail. When the signal was given, the 
 Wolf hurried on, going very rapidly and 
 without a moment's rest. He arrived in 
 the city the next day ; but found the gates 
 closed. Brother Wolf knocked very hard, 
 and waited for some one to come and 
 admit him. 
 
38 Evening Tales 
 
 During this time Mr. Snail dropped on 
 the ground and climbed on the wall. 
 
 "Is that you, my friend?" he ex- 
 claimed. " I have been waiting for you a 
 long time. I am hungry now, and want 
 my breakfast." 
 
IV 
 
 THE LION'S SECRET 
 
 Once upon a time there were two broth- 
 ers, who were orphans. The oldest was 
 named Mahobane and the youngest Lov^ 
 allec. These unfortunate children had 
 been beggars since they were six years of 
 age. They went from house to house and 
 from village to village, on mountains and 
 in valleys, but wherever they went their 
 cry was the same : 
 
 " Good friends ! give us alms ! Kind 
 friends ! help the unfortunate ! " 
 
 Their lot was a hard one, even as chil- 
 dren, but it was harder as they grew older, 
 for when the oldest was twenty they dis- 
 covered that they had only succeeded, after 
 
40 Evening Tales 
 
 all their efforts, in keeping soul and body 
 together. Finally, one day, Mahobane 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " I know what I shall do to make a 
 great deal of money in a very short time." 
 
 " What is it ? " cried Lovallec. 
 
 " One of us," said the eldest, " will have 
 to become blind and lead the other by the 
 hand, going from house to house and 
 along the public highways asking for alms 
 from the people and from the travellers." 
 
 "You are right," said Lovallec, "but, 
 alas ! neither one of us is blind." 
 
 " It will be easy enough," said the other, 
 "to become so." 
 
 "How can that be ?" asked Lovallec. 
 
 "Oh, easy enough," said the elder. 
 " One of us will have to put out his eyes." 
 
 "Oh, no!" exclaimed the younger; 
 "that would make one of us suffer too 
 much." 
 
The Lion's Secret 41 
 
 " Ah," said Mahobane, to the younger, 
 "you are timid, you are tender-hearted: 
 What is a little suflfering in comparison 
 with the happy times we should have ? the 
 soft beds we should sleep in, the fine meats 
 that will be offered us, and the good wines 
 we have not tasted in so long? But it 
 does not follow that you are to be blind," 
 continued Mahobane ; " the lot may fall to 
 me instead of you." 
 
 "So be it," said the younger; "let us 
 draw straws." 
 
 Mahobane prepared the straws, and ar- 
 ranged very cleverly to cheat his younger 
 brother. He had no sooner carried his 
 point than he put out his brother's eyes 
 with a thorn. 
 
 Lovallec screamed loudly under the 
 pain of this operation, but the only sym- 
 pathy he got from his cruel brother was 
 this : 
 
42 Evening Tales 
 
 " Cry louder, my brother ! cry louder ! 
 for here the people are passing, and when 
 they behold your condition they will give 
 us money," 
 
 It was even so. Silver and pennies fell 
 into the wooden bowl they carried, and 
 this success was continued for more than a 
 yqar. Then a wicked thought entered the 
 head of Mahobane, the eldest, and he 
 made up his mind to get rid of his unfor- 
 tunate brother. So one day he carried 
 him into the great forest and left him to 
 wander alone and find his way out as best 
 he could ; but, being blind, this he was un- 
 able to do. 
 
 "Where am I, my dear brother? 
 Where are you ? " But there was no an- 
 swer to his heart-rending cries. The cow- 
 ardly brother, who had deserted him, was 
 already far away. It was long before Lo- 
 vallec, the blind one, would believe that 
 
The Lion's Secret 43 
 
 his brother could be cruel enough to de- 
 sert him. He called and cried for the ab- 
 sent brother, but the only answer he heard 
 was in the mocking echoes. Night came, 
 and he was tired, hungry, and thirsty. 
 Despair seized him and he continued his 
 lamentations. 
 
 "Ah, my brother! my brother! how 
 cruel you have been to forsake me ! Is it 
 my fate to die of hunger at the foot of 
 this tree, or become the prey of the raven- 
 ous beasts that roam through this forest ? 
 No ! Better a thousand times that I 
 should die at once." 
 
 With this the unfortunate brother 
 climbed the tree, at the foot of which he 
 found himself, groping his way up the 
 trunk, and was preparing to throw himself 
 to the ground to end his existence then 
 and there, when he heard in the forest, 
 near at hand, the terrible roaring of a lion. 
 
44 Evening Tales 
 
 At this sound the leaves and branches of 
 the tree trembled, and the blind unfort- 
 unate paused. The roaring of the Lion, 
 as it seemed, was a call to the Wolf, who 
 soon made his appearance at the foot of 
 the tree. 
 
 " You are late. Wolf ! " exclaimed the 
 Lion ; " where do you come from ? " 
 
 " I have been at Offemborough," said 
 the Wolf, " where I have tasted human 
 flesh. There everyone is dying of thirst, 
 and the people are too weak to protect 
 themselves. That is why I am late." At 
 this the Lion laughed heartily. 
 
 " I know," said he, " how water can be 
 procured for the inhabitants of this city." 
 
 " But how can this be done ? " the Wolf 
 inquired. 
 
 " It is easy enough," said the Lion, in his 
 positive way ; " take a small piece of the 
 root of this very tree under which we are 
 
The Lion's Secret 45 
 
 standing, and strike three times on the 
 rock in the middle of the city, saying : 
 
 " ' Come, gentle Dew, from the skies, 
 Refreshing Fountains rise, 
 Oh, Rivers ! greet men's eyes I ' 
 
 and immediately water, fresh and clear as 
 crystal will flow, and it will flow in suf- 
 ficient abundance to satisfy the needs of 
 all." 
 
 " You are wise," said the Wolf. " Can 
 you not give me some other useful infor- 
 mation ? " 
 
 " Yes," said the lion, " I can tell you a 
 remedy that will cure all sorts of maladies 
 and infirmities." 
 
 " What is that ?" said the Wolf. 
 
 "To succeed in the art of medicine," 
 said the Lion, shaking his mane and beard, 
 " one has only to take the inner bark of 
 this same tree, and apply it to the seat of 
 
46 Evening Tales 
 
 the disease. For example, if one is blind, 
 a portion of the inner bark of the tree 
 would have to be applied to the eyes." 
 
 " That is very strange," said the Wolf, 
 " and I will remember it. But now tell 
 me from whence you come : I have not 
 seen you for many days." 
 
 " I have just arrived from the city of 
 the famous King, whose beautiful daugh- 
 ter now lies dangerously ill." 
 
 " And how did the famous King's beau- 
 tiful daughter come to be ill ? " inquired 
 the Wolf. 
 
 " Well," said the Lion, " as I was pass- 
 ing over the mountain of Aventin, I met 
 the King's daughter riding on a palfrey. 
 She was smiling on all, and giving alms to 
 every unfortunate she met. She was so 
 beautiful, with her great blue eyes, and so 
 simple and so good, that it made me lonely 
 and lovesick, so I caused to be sent her a 
 
The LiorCs Secret 47 
 
 terrible malady which will consume her, 
 and to-day she should be dying." 
 
 "Do you think," said the Wolf, "that 
 the inner bark of this tree would cure the 
 sick princess ? " 
 
 "No," said the Lion. "It would not 
 be sufficient in this case, for the princess 
 has an evil spirit for an enemy, and she 
 will have to be treated differently. To be 
 cured, she must be given the blood of a 
 frog mixed with muscadine wine, and the 
 second day she must eat the frog's heart 
 cooked in the juice of a fig." 
 
 Here the Lion paused, and the Wolf 
 inquired : 
 
 " Have you no more good news for me, 
 good friend ? " 
 
 " No," said the Lion. 
 
 "Then good-by until next year," said 
 the Wolf, "when we will meet at the same 
 time and place." 
 
48 Evening Tales 
 
 The Wolf and the Lion parted, each 
 going his way through the forest. 
 
 " So, then," exclaimed Lovallec, the 
 blind man, who had been sitting in the 
 tree, " I have not been deserted by Provi- 
 dence after all. These beasts have told 
 me secrets that will surely be useful to me 
 hereafter." 
 
 The sun had arisen, and the birds began 
 to sing. Lovallec came down from the 
 tree and took a piece of the inner bark 
 thereof and rubbed it on his eyes. Sud- 
 denly he found that his eyesight had been 
 restored to him, and the happy man danced 
 around in a transport of joy. He saw the 
 skies, the birds, the flowers, and, above 
 all, the sun. He was happy once more. 
 He placed the bark in his bosom and 
 pressed it there, after securing a quantity 
 of the precious medicine. He did not for- 
 get, also, to procure a piece of the root of 
 
The Lions Secret 49 
 
 the tree, in order that he might be able to 
 give water to the unfortunate inhabitants 
 of Offemborough. 
 
 After making these preparations the 
 young man started on his journey. He 
 travelled for many days and crossed many 
 rivers. He was nearly at the end of his 
 journey, but he was as poor now as when 
 he started, and his clothes were in tatters. 
 He had no money, but his riches were 
 all in his heart. He met a priest. 
 
 "Good-morning, parson," said he ; " can 
 I enjoy your hospitality ? " 
 
 "No," said the priest, "my house is 
 too small and I have no place for you." 
 
 He met the mayor. 
 
 "Good-day, Mr. Mayor," Lovallec ex- 
 claimed, "will you give me something to 
 eat?" 
 
 "Go away, you tramp, or I will have 
 you arrested this instant," cried the mayor. 
 
50 Evening Tales 
 
 He met the lord of the castle. 
 
 "Good-day," said the traveller. "I am 
 cold, your lordship ; can you give me some 
 clothing to wear — something to hide my 
 nakedness ? " 
 
 Then the lord of the castle called to 
 his servants and directed them to give the 
 beggar a hundred lashes, and the unfortu- 
 nate young man was beat and left for dead 
 on the way. 
 
 A poor girl, passing by, saw him lying 
 on the ground, and bent over him ten- 
 derly. Then she called assistance, and 
 had him carried to her home, where she 
 watched over him constantly, weeping and 
 praying that he might recover. 
 
 At last Lovallec recovered, and said to 
 the young girl who had rescued him : 
 
 "My guardian angel, what has hap- 
 pened since I have been ill ? What is the 
 news in the city ? " 
 
The Lion's Secret 51 
 
 " There is nothing new," said the young 
 girl. " Every one is the victim of the 
 water-famine." 
 
 " What a misfortune ! " cried the young 
 man ; "let us go at once to the relief of 
 these poor people ! " 
 
 Although Lovallec was scarcely able to 
 walk, he leaned on the arm of the young 
 girl, and was preparing to go, when, all of 
 a sudden, he remembered the pieces of 
 bark he had secreted in his bosom. He 
 took a portion of this, rubbed himself, and 
 at once the pains in his limbs disappeared, 
 and he was made whole again. 
 
 The young girl was astonished at this 
 sudden change, as well she might be, and 
 her surprise continued until they had ar- 
 rived in the centre of the great city. 
 Once there, however, the young man rec- 
 ognized the rock that had been described 
 by the Lion. Without loss of time he 
 
52 Evening Tales 
 
 took the piece of the root of the tree that 
 he had procured, and struck the rock three 
 times, crying : 
 
 " Come, gentle Dew, from the skies. 
 Refreshing Fountains rise, 
 Oh, Rivers ! greet men's eyes ! " 
 
 At once there was a mysterious noise 
 in the rock. It parted in twain, and the 
 water gushed forth in an abundant supply. 
 The news of this miracle spread abroad in 
 the city, and the inhabitants came with 
 their jugs and vessels to obtain a supply of 
 water. All quenched their thirst, and 
 were happy ; they embraced each other 
 and made ready for celebrating the event 
 with festivities. They were so grateful 
 that they could talk of nothing else but 
 the miracle that had given them an abun- 
 dance of water. 
 
 But in the midst of their congratulations 
 
The Lion's Secret 53 
 
 and rejoicings a voice rose above the tu- 
 mult: 
 
 " Friends, let us not be ungrateful. To 
 whom do we owe this abundance of water 
 that has given us renewed strength and 
 life?" 
 
 When Lovallec heard these words he 
 made an effort to escape the notice of the 
 crowd, but the young girl could not resist 
 a desire to make him known to the people. 
 She cried out : 
 
 "Here is the saviour of Offemborough ! " 
 
 At this the young man was surrounded 
 by the priest, the mayor, and the lord of 
 the castle, and they wanted to carry him 
 off in triumph. They offered him great 
 sums of money as a reward for the service 
 he had rendered them ; but simple and 
 modest as the young man was, he an- 
 swered : 
 
 " No, no ! keep all your money. I will 
 
54 Evening Tales 
 
 have none of that. I was without a shel- 
 ter, and you drove me from your door ; I 
 was dying of hunger, and you refused me 
 even the scraps that you fed to your 
 dogs ; I was shivering with cold, and all 
 the clothing you gave me was a beating, 
 and I was left for dead on the pave- 
 ment. Ah ! keep your honors ; keep your 
 money ! " 
 
 At these sad words, and, fearing that 
 the young man would destroy the source 
 of their water as quickly as he had dis- 
 covered it, the men, women, and children 
 fell on their knees before him and begged 
 for mercy. He bade them rise, and he 
 was weeping as he spoke : 
 
 " Your kindness is my best revenge." 
 
 Then the people asked Lovallec to make 
 his home among them. 
 
 " No ! no ! " he answered, " I have a 
 great dfcal of good to do as I journey 
 
The Liotis Secret 55 
 
 through the world, and those who are suf- 
 fering cannot afford to wait." 
 
 The people of Offemborough, however, 
 persuaded him to accept a magnificent car- 
 riage and horses ; they clothed him in fine 
 linen and gave him money to go on his way. 
 
 " When will you return to us ? " inquired 
 the people. 
 
 " Very soon, perhaps, my friends," cried 
 Lovallec, and with that his driver whipped 
 up the horses, and the young man was 
 soon lost to view. 
 
 After so long a time, Lovallec, arriving 
 at the city of the famous King, went im- 
 mediately to the palace-door and knocked. 
 
 " What will you have ? " said the King, 
 who went to the door. 
 
 " Living in a far-off country I heard 
 that your daughter is sick, and I have 
 come to cure her." 
 
 "Alas!" cried the King, "you have 
 
56 Evening Tales 
 
 come in vain. All the great physicians of 
 the world have exhausted their science in 
 her behalf, and I am in despair." 
 
 " You must have courage," said the 
 young man ; "your daughter will be cured 
 in a few days." 
 
 " Stranger," said the famous monarch, 
 " if you can work such a wonderful miracle 
 as this, all that I have is yours. The 
 riches that will fall to you will be beyond 
 computation. You shall have millions of 
 gold pieces, a hundred towns and ten 
 provinces shall be yours, and you may 
 even command my crown if you succeed 
 in curing my daughter." 
 
 Then Lovallec thanked the famous 
 King and said : 
 
 " Leave me alone a little while, as it is 
 necessary that I should gather some herbs 
 that belong to the medicine which I de- 
 sire to give your daughter," 
 
The Liotis Secret 57 
 
 Then the famous King went weep- 
 ing to his daughter's bedside. The 
 young man went down into the garden 
 and caught a frog, and went to the 
 apartments that had been provided for 
 him. 
 
 "Quick!" he exclaimed to one of the 
 servants, "bring me a knife and a plate 
 and some green figs ; and you," he said to 
 another, " make a big fire, and don't forget 
 to fetch a frying-pan." 
 
 Everything was ready in a short time, 
 and Lovallec went to work, having first 
 made sure that there was nobody near to 
 watch him. He first killed the frog and 
 mixed its blood with muscadine wine. 
 Then he took out the heart, and cooked it 
 as the Lion had said. This mixture pre- 
 pared, the young man went before the 
 King's daughter. 
 
 "Powerful princess!" he exclairned. 
 
58 Evening Tales 
 
 "drink of this wine, for it is renewed life 
 that I give you." 
 
 The princess drank one swallow, and 
 immediately pushed the cup from her. 
 
 " I am poisoned ! " she cried ; " I feel 
 that I am dying." 
 
 " Drink, princess, drink ! " exclaimed 
 the young man, " for it is an evil spirit that 
 possesses you." 
 
 Then the young girl took the rest 
 of the draught, and was immediately re- 
 lieved. 
 
 " Ah ! I am better," she exclaimed. 
 " I feel my strength returning. Thanks ! 
 thanks ! my benefactor ! " 
 
 The next day Lovallec presented her 
 with the heart of the frog, cooked accord- 
 ing to the Lion's directions. 
 
 " Eat this meat," the joung man said, 
 " and all your troubles will be over." 
 
 Then the sick girl ate bravely of the 
 
The Lion's Secret 59 
 
 queer morsel, and was immediately re- 
 stored to health. 
 
 " My father ! my father ! " she cried, 
 " here is your daughter who is restored to 
 you. See my bright eyes and my rosy 
 cheeks." Then she laughed and sang, and 
 with a smile she again thanked her bene- 
 factor. 
 
 The old King was nearly crazed with 
 joy, and more than once he went to the 
 young man and embraced him; but that 
 seemed insufficient as an expression of the 
 gratitude that he owed the doctor, and he 
 was loaded with presents of all sorts. He 
 had caskets of gold, precious stones, vil- 
 lages and castles, and more riches than he 
 could wish for. One dav the King said to 
 him : 
 
 " My son, I want to give you my daugh- 
 ter's hand in marriage, and my crown, if 
 you will accept it." 
 
6o Evening Tales 
 
 " Your Majesty," said Lovallec, " permit 
 me to think over your proposition. I de- 
 sire to return to a foreign country to ar- 
 range my affairs, and later I can give you 
 an answer." 
 
 " Go, my son," said the King, " but re- 
 turn quickly. The hours seem long to 
 those who love and wait." 
 
 The young man went away that very 
 day. Where he was going he alone knew, 
 but his horses seemed to know where his 
 heart turned, and he soon found himself 
 on the way to Offemborough, where one 
 poor woman had had pity on him. It 
 was not long before he had reached the 
 end of his journey. He stopped at the 
 best hotel and had a magnificent dinner 
 set before him. After dining he said to 
 the landlord : 
 
 " My friend, what is new in the city?" 
 
 "Nothing," said the landlord, "except 
 
The Lion's Secret 6i 
 
 that the marvellous palace, built for the 
 saviour of this city has been completed." 
 
 " What is his name ? " inquired Loval- 
 lec. 
 
 " Alas ! no one knows," said the land- 
 lord. " He was merely passing through 
 this land to a foreign country, where he 
 had other good deeds to perform. When 
 he returns we hope to have him remain 
 with us, and it is our purpose to give him 
 the most beautiful woman of the country 
 for his bride." 
 
 " Good-night, good-night," said Loval- 
 lec, with a smile, and went to bed. 
 
 But the news of his arrival spread 
 through the village, and on all sides the 
 grateful people came to see him and con- 
 gratulate him. The mayor of the town 
 called on him, made a beautiful speech, 
 and invited him to take possession of the 
 marvellous palace. 
 
62 Evening Tales 
 
 "What will I do with it?" asked Loval- 
 lec. " I am alone and have no family." 
 
 "Then get you a wife," said the mayor. 
 
 "You are right," said Lovallec. "To- 
 morrow I will choose me a wife from the 
 beautiful girls of this village." 
 
 The next day the maidens were gathered 
 on the lawn before the church. The young 
 man inspected them carefully, but he could 
 not find among them the girl who had be- 
 friended him, and for whom he was search- 
 ing. 
 
 The day after, the working-girls were 
 ranged on the lawn, and among these, the 
 simplest and the most beautiful, he found 
 the maiden who had given him aid in the 
 hour of need. This maiden he selected 
 to be his wife in preference to the princess 
 in the far country. 
 
 He married her and was living happily, 
 when one day a beggar, clothed in rags. 
 
The Lioris Secret 63 
 
 made his appearance at the castle-door and 
 asked for alms. 
 
 "You seem to have seen trouble," 
 Lovallec said. 
 
 "Yes," said the beggar, "and I have 
 deserved it all." 
 
 With that he went on to relate, amid 
 tears and sobs, how, many years before, 
 he had robbed a brother of his eyesight. 
 Lovallec had already recognized him, but 
 he permitted the poor man to tell his 
 story, and then made himself known. 
 And after that they both lived happily 
 together in the palace which the gratitude 
 of the people had provided. 
 
THE KING AND THE LAPWINGS 
 
 One day the great King of the Magicians 
 and Sorcerers was leaving his country to 
 visit a neighboring Queen. He was lean- 
 ing on his walking-stick, having been trav- 
 elling since the break of day, when the 
 sun rose and spread his beneficent rays 
 over all nature. The birds sang blithely, 
 and the little crickets in the grass made 
 themselves noisy ; but the King, while en- 
 joying the scene and the sounds around 
 him, went forward without delay. The 
 sun shone brightly, the birds were joyous, 
 and all nature seemed to be happy, but the 
 King suffered from fatigue. Great beads 
 of perspiration broke out on his forehead, 
 
The King and the Lapwings 65 
 
 and he longed for a cloud that would give 
 shade and coolness. The earth seemed to 
 be a furnace. The sun spread its great 
 rays of light and the cloud came not. The 
 King begged for a clump of woods that 
 he might have the benefit of shade, and 
 for a stream of cool and sparkling water 
 that he might quench his thirst. The 
 road was long and dusty, and the wells 
 were dry. 
 
 But in the air, far away, appeared the 
 King of the Lapwings. He bore in 
 his beak a draught of water, and his 
 wings were dripping wet. Faster than 
 the wind he made his way to the dying 
 King. 
 
 "Ah," said the bird, " it was indeed time 
 that I came ; " and with the end of his wing, 
 as tenderly as would a mother, he washed 
 the face of the unfortunate King, and 
 placed between his lips the water he held 
 
66 Evening Tales 
 
 in his beak. The King revived and 
 opened his eyes. 
 
 "Ah, thou," he exclaimed, "who gave 
 me back my life ! I am hereafter under 
 all obligations to you." 
 
 " Wait a moment, your majesty," said 
 the King of the Lapwings ; "thirst still de- 
 vours you, but have hope. Behold in the 
 distance my faithful subjects, who come 
 forth, each one carrying at the end of its 
 wings the delightful refreshment you have 
 longed for." 
 
 The lapwings arrived on all sides. Each 
 one deposited in the mouth of the unfort- 
 unate King the fresh water for which he 
 thirsted. 
 
 "Ah, this is better than bread," said the 
 King, reviving ; " what can I do to show 
 my gratitude ? " 
 
 "Nothing," said the King of the Lap- 
 wings. "Nothing," responded the other 
 
The King and the Lapwings 67 
 
 birds. " Continue your journey, and you 
 will find yourself hereafter under the 
 shadow of our wings." 
 
 Then the King resumed his journey. 
 Night came, and he found himself near 
 the palace of the Queen whom he had 
 intended to visit. The lapwings still con- 
 tinued with him. No matter how bright 
 the sun shone, no matter how suffocating 
 the heat as he journeyed on, a gentle lap- 
 wing came to his assistance. Touched by 
 the solicitude of these birds the King 
 said : i 
 
 " I cannot leave you, my friends, you 
 who had pity on me when I was forsaken 
 by all, without giving you a substantial 
 evidence of my gratitude. Tell me, what 
 can I do for you ? How can I show you 
 how grateful I am ? " 
 
 At these words the King of the Lap- 
 wings advanced and spoke to the King : 
 
68 Evening Tales 
 
 "We desire, your majesty, to be the 
 most beautiful of birds. We want a 
 golden crown on our heads, so that we 
 may be placed before the peacock, who is 
 so proud of his plumage, and before the 
 gay nightingale, who is so proud of his 
 song." 
 
 At these words a great sadness filled 
 the heart of the King, who could read the 
 future, and he responded, shaking his 
 head : 
 
 " Ah ! you foolish birds, larger of heart 
 than of mind ! you do not know the weight 
 of a crown and of the numberless dangers 
 to which it exposes those who possess it. 
 A golden diadem, say you ? Alas ! it will 
 bring you misfortune ; ambition without 
 bounds is wicked and perilous. Dear 
 friends, demand of me something else." 
 
 "No, no," cried the lapwings, on all 
 sides, young and old, little and big, " that 
 
The King and the Lapwings 69 
 
 is the only gift we desire — a crown on our 
 heads. Ah, what happiness ! We will 
 fly in the air and each bird will envy us." 
 
 The King then saw that nothing he 
 could say would convince his companions. 
 He had promised to satisfy their first re- 
 quest, and his word was sacred. 
 
 " Come with me," said he, " to my 
 friend, the magician Zacchar. No one is 
 more expert in the working of metal. At 
 his touch iron becomes more supple, silver 
 becomes malleable, and gold is mere paste. 
 Come ! and you shall have the diadem 
 you long for." 
 
 During three days the magician worked 
 pure gold. The bellows blew and the 
 hammers thumped. During three nights 
 he chased the marvellous crowns that were 
 to adorn the heads of the lapwings. At 
 the dawn of the fourth day the King ar- 
 rived, with a sad smile on his face. 
 
70 Evening Tales 
 
 " Friends," said he to the birds, " my 
 promise is fulfilled. Take these diadems ; 
 take these diadems, which are masterpieces 
 of art, and go whither your destiny calls 
 you." 
 
 At these words the lapwings uttered 
 loud cries of joy. 
 
 "Go, go," cried the King, "escape from 
 man or you are lost." 
 
 Without understanding his warning, but 
 obeying the command of the powerful 
 King, the lapwings took flight, filled with 
 joy and happiness. They went here and 
 there, flying to the tops of the mountains 
 and descending to the depths of the val- 
 leys, telling of their good fortune to all 
 their friends both far and wide. 
 
 When the other birds saw the crowns 
 with which the heads of the lapwings were 
 encircled they paid due homage to the 
 symbols. Whenever there was a feast or 
 
The King and the Lapwings 71 
 
 an important funeral the lapwings and 
 their friends walked in the place of honor, 
 before the eagles and the peafowls, leav- 
 ing far behind them the humming-bird 
 (that living flower), the linnet, and the 
 nightingale. 
 
 But, unfortunately, it happened one day 
 that a lapwing came too near the abode 
 of man, and a hunter saw it and killed it. 
 
 " What is this ? " exclaimed the sports- 
 man, perceiving the golden crown. Seiz- 
 ing it, he ran quickly to the jeweller's. 
 
 " Worker in metals ! " said he, " see this 
 marvellous diadem the lapwing carries ! 
 Of what metal is it made ? " 
 
 The jeweller took the crown, turned it 
 on all sides, and looking at it with greedy 
 eyes, exclaimed : 
 
 " It is of pure gold, and if you will part 
 with it I will pay you an hundred shek- 
 els." 
 
72 Evening Tales 
 
 When the other sportsmen found out 
 the value of the ornament that the lap- 
 wings wore on their heads, they made 
 haste to go into the country, and they pur- 
 sued the lapwings, wherever they could find 
 them. New weapons were invented, and 
 the hunters watched day and night, killing 
 all the lapwings that were so unfortunate 
 as to appear in sight. 
 
 " Lord, have mercy on us ! " exclaimed 
 the lapwings, " and blind the eyes of the 
 cruel men who are killing us ! " 
 
 But the crown of the lapwings was so 
 brilliant that it resembled the sun's rays, 
 and even in the darkness it shone like the 
 stars. There was no rest or escape for 
 these unfortunate birds. The dark night, 
 even, was as fatal to them as the day. 
 The huntsmen pursued them with so much 
 vigor that only ten remained alive. 
 
 " What shall we do ? " asked the King 
 
The King and the Lapwings 73 
 
 of the Lapwings, who had not yet been 
 destroyed. " Let us go and implore the 
 great King to relieve us of these golden 
 crowns that are the cause of all our mis- 
 fortunes." 
 
 Immediately the lapwings started on 
 their journey in search of the great King. 
 Some of them stopped by the way, so that 
 only a few reached the King's throne, 
 where they were welcomed, the powerful 
 ruler talking to them kindly as he would 
 have talked to faithful friends. 
 
 "Lapwings with the golden diadems! 
 My dear companions, what can I do to 
 please you this day ? " 
 
 "Great Prince! " they replied, "you can 
 give us our lives by removing these unfor- 
 tunate gifts that adorn our heads — ^by tak- 
 ing away these golden crowns that have 
 been the cause of all our misfortunes." 
 
 " I will grant your desire," said the great 
 
74 Evening Tales 
 
 King; "but in remembrance of your kind- 
 ness to me you shall hereafter wear a dia- 
 dem of feathers; but bear in mind that 
 happiness is not in the gift of the great or 
 the rich, but that it only belongs to those 
 who earn it." 
 
 Thereafter the lapwings were no longer 
 pursued by man, and they were happier 
 with their mpdest tuft of feathers than 
 they had been with their golden diadem. 
 
VI 
 
 THE ROOSTER, THE CAT, AND THE 
 REAP-HOOK 
 
 The Story of the Rooster 
 
 Once on a time there were three 
 brothers, who were orphans. The oldest 
 was called Jack, the second was called 
 John, and the youngest was known as 
 Jack-John. Their father was a poor la- 
 borer, who was compelled to get up in the 
 morning when the roosters crew for day- 
 light, and he worked all day, and until very 
 late in the night. He found it a hard 
 matter to earn his daily bread, and it was 
 only with a great deal of toil and trouble 
 that he could provide for his little children. 
 When the mother was alive they could 
 
76 Evening Tales 
 
 manage to make both ends meet, but after 
 she died it seemed that everything was 
 changed. The ground was less fertile, and 
 the rains were less frequent, and the crops 
 were smaller than they had been. In 
 short, matters were in such a condition 
 that the family had fallen into the most ab- 
 ject want ; and to add to all this, during a 
 very cold winter, their father died, leaving 
 them alone. As may be supposed, the 
 children cried and mourned a long time, 
 but, at last, as is natural with children, they 
 ceased to grieve. After a while, when all 
 had ceased to mourn, the oldest said : 
 
 "The land has been a curse to us. Let 
 us divide the inheritance; of our father and 
 go abroad. Perhaps we can make our 
 fortunes elsewhere." 
 
 "What inheritance do you speak of? 
 What riches have we?" inquired Jack- 
 John. 
 
The Story of the Rooster "jy 
 
 " I know not, my dear brother," said the 
 eldest. " Let us make an inventory and 
 then we will see." 
 
 The inventory was made without any 
 trouble, and, after paying a few just debts 
 there was nothing left but a cat, a rooster, 
 and a reap-hook. The brothers thereupon, 
 in order to be perfectly fair, had to draw 
 lots. The short straw gave the rooster to 
 Jack, the cat to John, and the reap-hook 
 to Jack-John. 
 
 Then the three brothers embraced each 
 other affectionately, and promised to meet 
 at the old homestead as soon as they had 
 made their fortune; and each took a dif- 
 ferent road. 
 
 After travelling a long time in the 
 plains and on the mountains, always keep- 
 ing ahead. Jack, the eldest, reached a 
 great kingdom belonging to Prince Cala- 
 mor. Jack's journey had been a long one, 
 
78 Evening Tales 
 
 and the sun was disappearing little by 
 little, and the night coming on rapidly. 
 
 "Ah, how tired I am!" exclaimed 
 Jack. "If I could only find a tavern 
 where I could rest ! " 
 
 He had hardly ceased to speak when, at 
 a turn in the road he saw a beautiful cas- 
 tle, built on a rock, like an eagle's nest, 
 and flanked on both sides by twelve 
 towers. 
 
 "This is the very thing," said the tired 
 traveller, and he announced his arrival by 
 lifting the heavy knocker of a brass door. 
 
 "What do you want?" said a voice 
 from the inside. 
 
 "I want a lodging-place," said Jack, 
 "for myself and my little companion." 
 
 "The master of this house," said the 
 porter, opening the door, "never refuses 
 hospitality to those who demand shelter. 
 Come in, and make yourself at home." 
 
The Story of the Rooster 79 
 
 When Jack had entered, the friendly 
 porter inquired : 
 
 " My friend, have you dined this after- 
 noon ? " 
 
 " My faith, no ! " exclaimed Jack. " My 
 wallet is empty, and it has been empty 
 since morning." 
 
 " Come to the table, then," exclaimed 
 the porter, pushing Jack along the wide 
 hall-way. "Eat and drink and spare noth- 
 ing, for you are the guest of his most pow- 
 erful majesty King Calamor." 
 
 Jack did not wait for a second invita- 
 tion. He hurried to the dining-room and 
 ate his fill, and his rooster — the rooster 
 with the golden feathers — ate heartily of 
 the crumbs that fell from the table. As 
 it was already late, the porter made haste 
 to prepare a bed for the wayfarer, and 
 Jack soon fell asleep, with the rooster 
 perched on the headboard of his bed. 
 
8o Evening Tales 
 
 It so happened that in that country 
 those who served King Calamor had to go 
 and search for Day every morning. They 
 not only had to search for Day, but they 
 had to hunt for the place where it could 
 be found. Jack slept but lightly, and he 
 heard the conversation of the servants, 
 who were in the same room. 
 
 " Get up ! " said one ; " it is time for us 
 to be going. We must be hunting for 
 Day." 
 
 " Wait a little," said the other, " I am 
 very sleepy." 
 
 "No, no," said the first, "we must 
 make haste, or some one who rises earlier 
 might seize the Sun and carry it away, and 
 then the King, our master, would be very 
 angry." 
 
 " Is the wagon ready ? " asked another. 
 
 " Yes, and the axles are all well greased. 
 It is early, and the wagon will not break, 
 
The Story of the Rooster 8i 
 
 as it did last week, and we will be able to 
 go much faster," 
 
 All this time Jack was thinking to him- 
 self in this wise : " Truly this is a queer 
 country that the King's people have to go 
 off to hunt Day." The servants were up 
 and ready to go, when Jack cried out : 
 
 "Friends, get back to bed, an(^ I will 
 take charge of your work. I will fetch 
 the Day." 
 
 " What ! you ! " said a servant. " Only 
 one man ! And do you pretend that you 
 can do what ten horses can hardly accom- 
 plish ? You are making game of us." 
 
 " I make game of no one. You will 
 soon see that I mean what I say," said 
 Jack. 
 
 "That seems very queer," said the head- 
 servant. 
 
 " Fear not," said Jack, " I will help you 
 through this by the assistance of my little 
 
82 Evening Tales 
 
 companion — my rooster with the golden 
 feathers." 
 
 " But, see here ! " exclaimed the head- 
 servant, with an air of sternness, " if you 
 do not bring Day at the appointed hour, 
 the King will be without mercy, and you 
 will be hanged." 
 
 " Nay, let me do as I wish," said Jack, 
 sleepily ; " go to bed quietly." 
 
 With this assurance the servants and 
 the carters did not need to be coaxed. 
 They returned to their beds and slept 
 heavily. Shortly after, the rooster with 
 the golden feathers crew. 
 
 " What is that ? " exclaimed the sleepers 
 arising from their couches in surprise. 
 
 " It is very simple," said one. " Our 
 friend yonder is about to start on his jour- 
 ney in search of Day." 
 
 " That is very strange ! " exclaimed the 
 others as they fell back in their beds. 
 
The Story of the Rooster 83 
 
 An hour afterward the rooster crew 
 again. " Lock-the-Dairy-door / Lock-the- 
 Dairy-door ! " 
 
 The noise awoke them all. 
 
 " What is that ? " exclaimed the ser- 
 vants. 
 
 " It is nothing," said Jack. " My little 
 companion is merely telling me that he 
 has returned from his journey in search of 
 the Day. Get up and see," 
 
 The servants at once arose, and, to the 
 astonishment of them all, they saw the Sun 
 appearing over the mountain-tops more 
 brilliant than ever. Seeing this there was 
 at once a contention among the servants 
 as to which should be the first to carry the 
 strange news to King Calamor. 
 
 " Master ! master ! " cried one, more 
 nimble than the rest, " if you only knew ! " 
 
 "What has happened?" exclaimed the 
 King ; " speak quickly ! " 
 
84 Evening Tales 
 
 " The horses are- 
 
 " Broken down Hke the others," the 
 King interrupted. " Well, it can't be 
 helped." 
 
 " No, no, your Majesty ; the horses are 
 still in their stalls, and the wagons have 
 not been out of the stables. But, get up 
 and look ! Get up and admire the Day." 
 
 " Ah, you rascals ! Do you make game 
 of me ? Did Day come by itself to-day ? " 
 
 " Yesterday, your Majesty," said the ser- 
 vant, " a stranger came and asked for lodg- 
 ing for himself and a queer creature with 
 golden feathers. It carries a bunch of 
 feathers in its tail and a tuft of feathers 
 on its head." 
 
 " Ah, well, what did he do ? " said King 
 Calamor. 
 
 " What has he done ? What has he 
 done ? " 
 
 " Yes," said the King, answer me. 
 
The Story of the Rooster 85 
 
 "Well, then," said the servant, "this 
 insignificant creature, that seems as if it 
 could be crushed by a blow of the hand, 
 is stronger than all your horses put to- 
 gether. Without wagons or assistance of 
 any kind it started out, about two hours 
 ago, and has already returned, bringing 
 the Sun." 
 
 " I cannot believe such a miracle !" ex- 
 claimed the King. 
 
 " Nevertheless it is the truth," said the 
 servant. " What fatigue and trouble this 
 creature would save us ! " 
 
 " Yes," said the King, " how many 
 horses and wagons would I not save ! But 
 what you say does not seem credible." 
 
 " Nothing can be truer," insisted the 
 servant, " and you can easily satisfy your- 
 self." 
 
 " How can that be ?" inquired the King. 
 
 "Well," said the servant, "tell the 
 
86 Evening Tales 
 
 t 
 
 stranger and his companion to remain in 
 the castle, and by watching with us to- 
 night you can be convinced." 
 
 "Tell him to stay," said the King. " I 
 am anxious to witness this queer phe- 
 nomenon." 
 
 These directions were followed, and to 
 the King who was waiting, the day seemed 
 long indeed. Never had he been so im- 
 patient. When night came he went to 
 bed in the granary with the servants. 
 
 " Do not be uneasy," said Jack ; " I shall 
 take charge of these matters again to-mor- 
 row," and everybody went to sleep with 
 the exception of the King, who could not 
 close his eyes, he was so impatient. 
 
 At three o'clock in the morning the 
 rooster crew, '' Lock-the-Dairy-door !" 
 
 " Who is that ? " exclaimed the King. 
 "Who talks in that language ?" 
 
 " It is my little companion, the rooster," 
 
The Story of the Rooster 87 
 
 said Jack. "He is preparing to go into 
 the country in search of Day." 
 
 The King lay quiet. At four o'clock 
 he heard again the sonorous voice of the 
 strange creature with the golden feathers. 
 
 " Hey, my friend ! " the King cried, 
 "what is that?" 
 
 " It is the rooster who has returned," 
 said Jack. "His expedition has been a 
 prosperous one, as you can see. He has 
 brought Day with him, and already the 
 light of it is shining on the mountain-tops 
 and filling the valleys. Rise, your Majes- 
 ty, and see for yourself," 
 
 At these words the King arose and ran 
 to the window. The stranger had spoken 
 the truth. Day — clear, joyous, and re- 
 splendent — shone over the land. Bewil- 
 dered and confused, the King could hardly 
 recover from his astonishment. What 
 would he not give to possess such an 
 
88 Evening Tales 
 
 enchanted rooster! And if he possessed 
 him, how jealous and envious of his good 
 fortune the neighboring kings would be ! 
 Without loss of time the King said to 
 Jack: 
 
 " My friend, your companion pleases me 
 much, and he can be of great service to 
 me. Will you sell him ? " 
 
 " Sell him ! " exclaimed Jack. " By no 
 means! I would not sell him for gold 
 and silver." 
 
 " L6t us see," said the King, " for a hun- 
 dred crown pieces ? " 
 
 "No," said Jack, sturdily, "not for a 
 thousand." 
 
 "By my kingdom!" said the ruler, 
 "you are hard to please. What price 
 have you set on him ? " 
 
 " In exchange for my companion," said 
 Jack, " I want you to give me your most 
 beautiful daughter for a wife." 
 
The Story of the Cat 89 
 
 "What!" cried the King, "for no 
 less?" 
 
 " For no less," said Jack. 
 
 " So be it," said the King. " I give 
 you my youngest daughter, and a hun- 
 dred thousand gold crown pieces for her 
 dowry." 
 
 In a transport of joy Jack threw him- 
 self on the King's neck, and the marriage 
 was celebrated at once, in the midst of 
 pomp becoming so great a princess. 
 
 From that time the good King Cala- 
 mor had no occasion to send his servants 
 and his horses for the Day, 
 
 The Story of the Cat 
 
 We have seen how Jack made his fort- 
 une. Now let us see what became of his 
 brother John, the possessor of tbe cat. 
 We shall soon know whether he wan- 
 
go Evening Tales 
 
 dered over the earth in misery and mis- 
 fortune. 
 
 Satisfied with the lot that had befallen 
 him, the poor fellow went on his way- 
 singing and whistling, feeling no uneasi- 
 ness as to his destination. He paused 
 only to drink the sparkling waters, or to 
 eat the luscious fruit that had been ripened 
 by the golden sun. He travelled thus for 
 many miles, until one day he found him- 
 self in the country where the birds speak 
 the language of men — the country of the 
 Murzipouloums, where the flowers sing 
 songs to themselves, and the cattle fly in 
 the air. He was astonished by these 
 things, but presently he came to a village 
 where a new and a more astonishing spec- 
 tacle presented itself to his sight. More 
 than a hundred people were abroad in the 
 streets, armed with sticks, chasing rats and 
 mice that seemed to laugh at them. At 
 
The Story of the Cat 91 
 
 the sight of this new and peculiar war, 
 John could not keep his countenance. He 
 laughed aloud. At this unseemly display 
 of jollity the people on all sides cried 
 out: 
 
 "What in the world are you laughing 
 at ? " Some were furious and some were 
 curious. 
 
 " I laugh, my poor friends," said John, 
 "because you give yourselves so much 
 trouble for so small a thing." 
 
 "So small a thing!" they cried — "a 
 small thing ! One can tell you are a 
 stranger here, otherwise you would know 
 that the rats and the mice are our most 
 terrible enemies. It would be an easier 
 matter for us to contend with ten thou- 
 sand men." 
 
 "Now, is this true?" exclaimed John. 
 "Well, here is my little companion who 
 will aid you greatly. In one hour's time 
 
92 Evening Tales 
 
 he will do more of this kind of work than 
 all the rest of you could do in a year." 
 
 The people gathered around, admiring 
 the little creature with gray eyes. It 
 seemed to be very mild. 
 
 "Young man," cried they, "do you 
 wish to have a laugh at our expense ? " 
 
 "You can see for yourselves," said John, 
 and with that he turned the cat loose 
 among the rats and mice. You may be 
 sure the cat was very happy. A leap here, 
 a bound there, a jump yonder — to the 
 right and to the left, before and behind — 
 and the rats and the mice were destroyed 
 by hundreds and by thousands. The peo- 
 ple marvelled greatly, the more so since 
 the cat had accomplished in a very short 
 time a work that would have required the 
 aid of an army of rat-killers. 
 
 While this work was going on, the 
 Prince of the country happened to be pass- 
 
The Story of the Cat 93 
 
 ing by. He saw the work the cat had ac- 
 complished, and cried out : 
 
 "Hey, my friends ! Where did you find 
 such a creature as that ? Where did you 
 discover such a warrior ? " 
 
 Thereupon John advanced politely, and 
 said to the Prince : 
 
 " The creature which you see so cleverly 
 amusing itself with the mice is called a 
 cat. It is my faithful friend, and since it 
 came into my possession I have never 
 permitted it to leave me." 
 
 "My young friend," said the Prince, 
 " you have there a fine fortune. My castle 
 is infested with rats and mice; sell me 
 your companion, and you shall be well 
 paid." 
 
 "Be separated from my best friend!" 
 exclaimed John. " Never, never will I do 
 that." 
 
 "Let us see," said the Prince; "will 
 
94 Evening Tales 
 
 you not sell me your companion for a 
 hundred crown pieces ? " 
 
 "No," cried John ; "I would die of 
 grief." 
 
 " I will give you a thousand then," said 
 the Prince. 
 
 " Never," said John, stoutly. 
 
 " My friend," exclaimed the Prince, "be 
 reasonable. I must have your cat. Name 
 the price." 
 
 John scratched his head thoughtfully, 
 and replied : 
 
 " Well, give me a meadow and a mill, 
 a vineyard and a thousand crown-pieces, 
 and a carriage to ride in." 
 
 "They shall be yours," said the Prince. 
 
 "Then," said John, "my beautiful cat 
 is yours." 
 
The Story of the Reap- hook 95 
 
 The Story of the Reap-hook 
 
 We have thus far followed the history 
 of Jack, with his rooster, and John, with 
 his cat. What became of Jack-John, the 
 younger brother, with his reap-hook ? 
 
 Journeying over hills and across valleys, 
 with his reap-hook hung over his shoulder, 
 stopping only to eat and to drink, the 
 younger brother, at the end of thirty days 
 and thirty nights, arrived in the great 
 empire of Malissours. It was in the 
 month of July, and the fields were yellow 
 with the golden grain, which waved lightly 
 in the wind. For the first time since he 
 left home, Jack-John felt tired ; his limbs 
 refused to carry him farther. How happy 
 he would be, he thought, if he could only 
 reach the village near by, where there was 
 an orange -grove. But his efforts were 
 
g6 Evening Tales 
 
 useless, and the young fellow lay down in 
 the shadow of a big oak, and was soon fast 
 asleep. 
 
 How long he remained there he did not 
 know ; but when Jack-John awoke, it was 
 morning, and he was surrounded by a 
 crowd of people who eyed him curiously 
 without daring to approach. 
 
 " Hey, friends ! " he cried, " I am raven- 
 ously hungry. Have you nothing to offer 
 me?" 
 
 " Yes, yes," was the reply on all sides, 
 "but on one condition." 
 
 " And what is that ? " asked Jack-John. 
 
 " You must tell us what the half-moon 
 in a handle, which you have sleeping be- 
 side you, is for." 
 
 " The half-moon that sleeps ? " exclaimed 
 Jack-John in surprise. " What do you 
 mean ? " 
 
 "Your companion that sleeps beside 
 
The Story of the Reap-hook 97 
 
 you on the green moss," said the peo- 
 ple. 
 
 " You make me laugh/' said Jack-John. 
 " It is not my companion — it is not an an- 
 imal. It is simply a reap-hook." 
 
 "A reap-hook," exclaimed the people. 
 " What a strange name ! Never before 
 have we seen such a thing," 
 
 Jack-John was astonished, but in a mo- 
 ment he thought that the time had arrived 
 for him to make his fortune ; so he said : 
 
 " I see that your grain is ripe. It is 
 time to harvest it. How do you cut 
 it?" 
 
 " Like everybody else," said they, " we 
 gnaw it with the teeth." 
 
 " That must be tedious," said Jack-John. 
 
 "Oh, there are hundreds of us to do 
 the work," said the people. 
 
 "And how long does it take you to 
 complete the task ? " asked Jack-John. 
 
 7 
 
98 Evening Tales 
 
 " Two or three months only," the peo- 
 ple replied. 
 
 "Ah, well!" said Jack-John, "what it 
 takes all of you three months to accom- 
 plish my good reap-hook will do in one 
 hour's time. A thousand of you working 
 together could not make as much headway. 
 Under its magic touch the grain falls and 
 you have only to bind it." 
 
 " What ! " they exclaimed, " that little 
 instrument does all the work ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed," said Jack-John, " and if 
 you desire it, I will prove it to you in- 
 stantly." 
 
 Thereupon Jack-John made his way to 
 the fields of ripe golden grain, and in a 
 few minutes had cut quantities of it. The 
 spectators were full of admiration. Never 
 had they seen anything so extraordinary ; 
 and to these people it was indeed a most 
 marvellous thing for them to see aecom- 
 
The Story of the Reap-hook 99 
 
 plished in a minute the work that would 
 require the efforts of a hundred men from 
 sunrise to sunset. On all sides there were 
 shouts of joy and enthusiasm. 
 
 " Oh, the beautiful machine you have 
 there ! " the people cried — " the fairy that 
 runs and cuts the grain. What a treasure 
 to him who possesses it ! " 
 
 " I see that my beautiful reap-hook 
 pleases you," said Jack-John. " How much 
 are you willing to pay for it ? " 
 
 " All the gold in the world would not 
 be sufficient to pay you," said the spokes- 
 man of the people. " Name your price." 
 
 " I want each one of you to give me as 
 many gold-pieces as my reap-hook has cut 
 stalks of wheat." 
 
 "Your demand is modest," they an- 
 swered, "and to-day each one of us will 
 bring the required sum." 
 
 After this Jack- John was lifted on the 
 
icx) Evening Tales 
 
 shoulders of the multitude and carried to 
 the neighboring village, where he was 
 treated with great honor, and for a little 
 more he could have become king. Soon, 
 on all sides, the people brought sacks of 
 gold, and such was its weight that ten 
 mules were required to carry it. Jack-John, 
 however, did not stay very long in this em- 
 pire. He rightly thought that no country 
 is so beautiful as one's birthplace, ar^d, at 
 the end of a few weeks, he arrived at his 
 native village, where he found his two 
 brothers, who had been as successful. 
 
 " Our good fortune," exclaimed the eld- 
 est, " has made us rich, and now it ought 
 to make us happy." 
 
VII 
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND 
 
 A RICH lord, who was at the same time 
 the best of men, wishing to contribute to 
 the happiness of one of his slaves, set him 
 free. He equipped a vessel with a white 
 prow and a golden stern, and said to his 
 old servant : 
 
 " Go out into the world, navigate the 
 seas, and choose a country that will please 
 you, and always remember to do what 
 good you can on the way, and remember 
 also to avoid evil." 
 
 The grateful slave set sail, but he had 
 journeyed only a few hours when a terri- 
 ble tempest arose, and it was so violent as 
 to throw him on an island that seemed to 
 
I02 Evening Tales 
 
 be deserted. The unfortunate man had 
 lost his vessel and all his merchandise, and 
 he was the victim of despair. When he 
 landed on the island, the sole survivor of 
 his expedition, he gave himself up to grief, 
 and went forward friendless, alone, and in 
 the direst poverty, not knowing where to 
 direct his steps. But he was soon to be 
 made supremely happy, for he discovered 
 a path that was scarcely perceptible. He 
 followed it with eagerness, and soon ar- 
 rived at the top of a high mountain, from 
 which he could see a great city. 
 
 He made haste to go in that direction, 
 but what was his astonishment when, 
 on approaching the city, he found him- 
 self surrounded by a great concourse of 
 people, iCrying out in transports of joy. 
 The drums beat loudly and the trumpets 
 sounded, and on all sides the heralds ex- 
 claimed : 
 
The Mysterious Island 103 
 
 " Men ! here is your monarch ! " 
 At last the slave and his cavalcade ar- 
 rived in the city, and with great pomp he 
 was installed in a marvellous palace, where 
 the kings of the country had lived. The 
 fortunate slave was taken in charge by the 
 servants of the palace, and robed in fine 
 purple garments, and his head was crowned 
 with a diadem. Then the principal lords 
 of the realm, in the name of the people, 
 swore allegiance to him and the obedience 
 and fidelity due unto sovereigns. The 
 happy monarch for a long time believed 
 that he was dreaming. His good fortune 
 seemed to him to be a whim — the result of 
 circumstance. 
 
 However, after a long time he realized 
 the full measure of his responsibility, and 
 thought to himself — "What does all this 
 signify ? What does Providence wish me 
 to do ? This worried him night and day, 
 
I04 Evening Tales 
 
 and finally he sent for the wisest lord in 
 his kingdom. 
 
 "Vizier," he asked, "who made me 
 your King? Why do the people obey 
 me ? And what is to become of me ? " 
 
 " You must know, great King," re- 
 sponded the minister, " that the genii who 
 inhabit this island have asked the good 
 Lord to send them each year a child of 
 Adam to reign over them. These vows 
 the great Being has deigned to answer, 
 and every year, on the same day, a man 
 lands on our coast. At such time the 
 people are filled with transports of joy; 
 they meet him with loud acclaim, as they 
 met you, and crown him King ; but the 
 extent of his reign can only be for one 
 year. When the twelve months are out, 
 the King, who has been so powerful is 
 stripped of his honors, clothed in coarse 
 garments, and his soldiers, unmercifully 
 
The Mysterious Island 105 
 
 pursuing a custom, seize and convey him 
 on board a black ship, which carries him 
 away to a deserted island, which has been 
 rendered sterile by the winds and waves. 
 He that was only a few days before a rich 
 and powerful monarch, now finds himself 
 without subjects, friends, or consolers. 
 Thereafter he lives a sorrowful life, and 
 the people who have obeyed his will for- 
 get even his name." 
 
 "Were my predecessors," said the King 
 to his minister, "advised of the fate that 
 awaited them?" 
 
 "None of them were ignorant of it," 
 the minister replied ; " but they lacked the 
 courage and the thoughtfulness to contem- 
 plate such a future. They were dazzled 
 by the pomp and grandeur of their posi- 
 tion; and, in their eagerness for passing 
 pleasures they refused to contemplate the 
 sad end that awaited them. The year of 
 
io6 Evening Tales 
 
 their prosperity and power passed away 
 almost before they knew it, and when the 
 fatal day came they had done nothing to 
 render their inevitable fate less insupport- 
 able." 
 
 At these words from his minister the 
 King was filled with fear. He thought 
 with terror of the precious time that had 
 already passed, and with tears in his eyes 
 he said : 
 
 " Wise friend ! you have announced to 
 me the misfortunes that are in store for 
 me ; who but you can tell me how to pro- 
 vide a remedy ? " 
 
 " Remember, your Majesty," said the 
 minister, " that naked and in poverty you 
 came upon this island, and naked and in 
 poverty you must leave it. There is but 
 one way for you to avoid the misfortunes 
 that threaten you. You must send to the 
 island to which you are to be exiled a 
 
The Mysterious Island 107 
 
 number of workmen and order them to 
 construct vast storehouses and fill them 
 with such provisions as seem to you neces- 
 sary for sustaining life. You must prepare 
 for the inevitable. Go quickly to work, for 
 time presses. Time is approaching, time 
 is passing away, and you must remember 
 that you will only find at the place of exile 
 the treasures you will be able to send there 
 during the remaining few days of your 
 reign." 
 
 The King thanked his minister, and 
 resolved to follow the wise man's advice. 
 Workmen of experience were despatched 
 to the Island of Exile, and it was not long 
 before a vast palace was built. The King 
 conveyed an abundance of treksure there, 
 and a thousand men were sent to render 
 the island more inhabitable. 
 
 The day came when the King was to 
 leave his throne; but, far from regretting 
 
io8 Evening Tales 
 
 it, he sighed for the hour when he would 
 be able to take possession of his new es- 
 tates. He was banished from the throne, 
 divested of his royal robes, and sent on 
 board a ship that conveyed him to the 
 Island of Exile. 
 
 Having provided himself a place of 
 refuge, he lived long and happily there. 
 
VIII 
 
 BROTHER TIGER AND DADDY 
 SHEEP 
 
 During the time when the animals 
 could talk, Daddy Sheep was the terror of 
 all the plains and the woods. When he 
 walked abroad, with his sharp horns hang- 
 ing on his head, the creatures that met 
 him saluted him with the utmost polite- 
 ness, and then ran away, glad to escape 
 with their lives. In order for Daddy Sheep 
 to have such a reputation as this, it would 
 seem to be necessary that he had made a 
 great many victims, devouring some with 
 his teeth, and tearing others with his ter- 
 rible horns ; but in regard to these mat- 
 ters I am not able to testify. I am of 
 the opinion, moreover, that old Mammy 
 
no Evening Tales 
 
 Sheep, who knew him well, could not say 
 any more. She and her friends, and, in- 
 deed, all the other animals, justified the 
 proverb that is applied to those who are 
 lazy and cowardly : " It is better to be- 
 lieve what you hear than to go and inves- 
 tigate the matter." As often happens, the 
 repetition of a statement gives it currency, 
 and all the creatures came to believe that 
 Daddy Sheep was as terrible as rumor had 
 described him to be. 
 
 One day, as Daddy Sheep was going 
 out of the pasture, where he had been 
 grazing on wild thyme, he came to a beau- 
 tiful river and concluded to quench his 
 thirst. He approached the water, and 
 started to drink, but the terrible reflection 
 he saw there — a frowning face surrounded 
 by wrinkled horns frightened him to such 
 a degree that he scampered home as fast 
 as his legs could carry him. 
 
Brother Tiger and Daddy Sheep iii 
 
 One day a Tiger, who lived not far from 
 this so-called king of the forest and plain, 
 mustered up courage, and resolved to cul- 
 tivate the good-will of his powerful neigh- 
 bor by making him a visit. So he took 
 with him his son, the young Tiger, who 
 was already well grown. While yet at 
 a distance the Tiger saw the powerful 
 Sheep, and saluted him very humbly. 
 Coming nearer, the Tiger, still humble 
 and polite, inquired after the health of 
 Daddy Sheep's family. 
 
 " I came, dear neighbor," said Brother 
 Tiger, " to pay you a visit of respect. My 
 good wife would have come also, but she 
 is unavoidably detained at home expecting 
 a visit from a friend, and she is compelled 
 to postpone this pleasure to another day." 
 
 "Come in, neighbor — come in!" ex- 
 claimed Daddy Sheep. " To whom does 
 this charming child belong ? " 
 
112 Evening Tales 
 
 " It is my child," said Brother Tiger. 
 
 " Then you must accept my sincere con- 
 gratulations," said Daddy Sheep. 
 
 " And your own son ? " exclaimed 
 Brother Tiger, with effusive politeness ; 
 "how is he?" 
 
 "He is very well, I thank you," said 
 Daddy Sheep, " he is in the house." 
 
 While the two fathers were gravely dis- 
 cussing the affairs of the country, the 
 young Tiger and the young Sheep went 
 out into the garden to play. After a 
 while. Brother Tiger became so uneasy 
 that he could scarcely keep still. 
 
 " Excuse me a moment," he said to 
 Daddy Sheep, " I will return directly." 
 
 " Certainly, certainly ! " exclaimed Dad- 
 dy Sheep. " Do not stand on ceremony 
 here." 
 
 At once Brother Tiger went out and 
 whispered to his son : 
 
Brother Tiger and Daddy Sheep 1 1 3 
 
 " Be careful, my child ! You must be 
 very polite with the little Sheep, and do 
 not get angry, or he will eat you up." 
 
 The Tiger went back to the house, and 
 the two young friends returned to their 
 play. Soon the young Tiger forgot the 
 counsel of his father, and, during their 
 frolic, he jumped on the little Sheep and 
 tickled him. This made the little Sheep 
 laugh and show his teeth. 
 
 " Why, what small teeth you have ! " 
 cried the little Tiger. 
 
 "They are all like that in my family," 
 said the little Sheep, "and those of my fa- 
 ther are not any longer." 
 
 This set the little Tiger to thinking, and 
 as soon as the visit was ended he ex- 
 claimed, almost before Daddy Sheep's 
 door was shut : 
 
 " Pappy, pappy ! did you see the little 
 Sheep's teeth ? They are very short, and 
 
114 Evening Tales 
 
 he says that those of all his family are no 
 longer than his." 
 
 " Hush ! " exclaimed Brother Tiger. 
 " Speak low, you little rascal, or Daddy 
 Sheep will hear you and eat us both." 
 
 Brother Tiger, however, who had a 
 mind of his own, thought that there might 
 be something in what his son had said, and 
 the idea gave him pleasure. Daddy Sheep 
 was so fat, and his flesh must therefore be 
 so delicate and tender. For a long time 
 the suggestion of the little Tiger worried 
 Brother Tiger, and he was absorbed in 
 deep thought. Finally, one day, he mus- 
 tered up all his courage, and declared 
 that he would taste the flesh of Daddy 
 Sheep. 
 
 But, he thought to himself, how could 
 he see Daddy Sheep's teeth ? At last the 
 opportunity presented itself, for Daddy 
 Sheep and his son paid Brother Tiger a 
 
Brother Tiger and Daddy Sheep 115 
 
 visit Brother Tiger received Daddy 
 Sheep with the greatest politeness, and 
 saluted him. He invited Daddy Sheep 
 into his house, and begged him to make 
 himself at home. For the refreshment of 
 his guests Brother Tiger set out wine. 
 The little Sheep drank some and went out 
 to play ; but Daddy Sheep, who was very 
 fond of his glass, remained inside. 
 
 "How do you like my wine, neighbor?" 
 asked Brother Tiger. 
 
 " It is most excellent ! " exclaimed 
 Daddy Sheep, with enthusiasm. 
 
 " Then have another glass," said Brother 
 Tiger. 
 
 "Very well," said Daddy Sheep; "I 
 thank you and drink to your health." 
 Then he laughed loudly and said : " The 
 weather is warm, and it is not out of 
 place to take a glass of wine to arouse 
 one." 
 
ii6 Evening Tales 
 
 "That is true," said Brother Tiger, "my 
 wine cleans the cobwebs from the throat 
 and clarifies the brain." 
 
 They drank together many times, but, in 
 spite of all. Brother Tiger was unable to 
 see Daddy Sheep's teeth. He talked softly 
 and modestly, and minced his words in a 
 surprising way, as you have seen a young 
 girl do. But Brother Tiger did not de- 
 spair; he determined to accomplish his 
 object, and so he again called attention to 
 the wine. 
 
 "Wake up. Daddy Sheep!" he ex- 
 claimed ; "I believe you are asleep. 
 Arouse yourself and help me to finish this 
 bottle," 
 
 "Thanks, thanks!" said Daddy Sheep, 
 " but I am not thirsty." 
 
 " Tut, tut, neighbor," said Brother Tiger, 
 "that is not the way to talk. Thirst is 
 only for the gnomes and the sprites who 
 
Brother Tiger and Daddy Sheep 117 
 
 seek the dew. As for us, the kings of 
 this country, we must drink to divert our- 
 selves." 
 
 Feeling himself flattered and enjoying 
 it. Daddy Sheep extended his glass. It 
 was promptly filled and he emptied it. It 
 was as promptly filled once more, and he 
 emptied it again. 
 
 " Here's to your health," said Brother 
 Tiger. 
 
 "And to yours, my dear host," said 
 Daddy Sheep, and he again emptied his 
 glass at one gulp. 
 
 The more Daddy Sheep drank the gayer 
 he became, and the louder he talked. He 
 lost his customary reserve, but he had not 
 yet condescended to laugh. Brother Tiger, 
 however, continued to press wine on his 
 guest, and it finally came to pass that 
 Daddy Sheep sat back in his chair, and 
 laughed in the foolish way common to 
 
ii8 Evening Tales 
 
 those whose brains are befuddled by the 
 fumes of liquor. 
 
 Brother Tiger saw the short teeth of his 
 guest, and, without hesitating a moment, 
 he leaped on Daddy Sheep and strangled 
 him. Hearing the loud outcry made by 
 his father, the little Sheep ran as quickly 
 as he could to his mother. 
 
 "The wicked Tiger," he exclaimed, as 
 he ran home, "has killed my father, and 
 has no doubt devoured him ! " 
 
 At these terrible words the Mother 
 Sheep almost fainted with fright, and her 
 grief was pitiful to behold. The little 
 Sheep joined his mother in her wailings, 
 and the mournful noise they made at- 
 tracted the attention of the Queen of 
 the Birds, who came out of the forest 
 and perched herself on a tree near their 
 house. 
 
 " What is the matter, good Sheep ?" she 
 
Brother Tiger and Daddy Sheep 119 
 
 asked, "and what is the cause of your 
 grief?" 
 
 "Alas, alas! Brother Tiger has de- 
 voured my poor husband ! " 
 
 "Ah, the infamous villain!" exclaimed 
 the Queen of the Birds. 
 
 "We will not dare to venture out any 
 more," continued the Mother Sheep, 
 "The vile assassin will hide around here 
 and try to devour us also." 
 
 Touched by the tears of the Mother 
 Sheep and her son, the Queen of the Birds 
 tried to console them the best she could, 
 and promised them that they should be 
 revenged, and in a moment she had flown 
 away to the neighboring forests. She 
 gave utterance to her well-known cry — 
 
 " Pingle, pingle ! 
 Dingle, dingle ! " 
 
 and in a very short time her faithful sub- 
 jects could be seen coming from all sides. 
 
I20 Evening Tales 
 
 birds of high and low degree, of bright 
 plumage and dull — the red-breast and the 
 white-cap, the bald eagle and the green 
 parrots. The Queen of the Birds uttered 
 her musical call again — 
 
 " Pingle, pingle ! 
 Dingle, dingle ! " 
 
 And then all the smaller birds that had 
 wandered off into the woods flew to her 
 side, and begged to know what her wishes 
 were. Their Queen then related to them 
 the murder of Daddy Sheep by the hypo- 
 critical and cruel Brother Tiger. Her 
 story was full of emotion and good feel- 
 ing, and she concluded by saying : 
 
 " This assassin, my faithful friends, must 
 die in his turn. Such a monster should 
 not be permitted to live on earth." 
 
 All the birds applauded with their wings 
 at these words of the Queen, and they 
 
Brother Tiger and Daddy Sheep 121 
 
 could not help congratulating their sov- 
 ereign. 
 
 "Go, my friends and subjects," said the 
 Queen, " into the far countries, and say to 
 the birds who have not heard my call, that 
 I am about to give a grand ball, and that 
 I will await them to-morrow. Meanwhile 
 I will go myself and invite Brother Tiger, 
 who cannot refuse to assist at the feast." 
 
 " But how will you kill this odious mon- 
 ster ? " inquired the great eagle. 
 
 " Have confidence, my friend. Am I 
 not the Queen ? To-morrow you will be 
 satisfied. While you wait, aid in prepar- 
 ing everything for the feast." 
 
 Singing, whistling, and screaming, all 
 the birds began to work. The brambles 
 were removed, the stones thrown away, 
 and the grass alone, green and tender, was 
 left in the space they had chosen for the 
 ball. The next day the Queen of the 
 
122 Evening Tales 
 
 Birds was arrayed in the most beautiful 
 dress imaginable. Escorted by her pages, 
 she went to the house of Brother Tiger. 
 Flattered by the visit of the Queen of 
 the Birds, he vowed that he would go to 
 the grand ball in the forest. 
 
 " I promise you a dance," said the 
 Queen, smiling. 
 
 " Beautiful Queen," exclaimed Brother 
 Tiger, " all the honor will be mine." 
 
 He could not sleep that night — not that 
 he suffered from remorse for his crime, but 
 because he was carried away by the gra- 
 ciousness of the great Queen of the Birds. 
 The next morning Brother Tiger brushed 
 his clothes, curled his mustache, and went 
 to the spot where the grand ball was to 
 be given. As soon as it was seen that he 
 was coming, the Queen of the Birds ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 "Take your places for a quadrille, and 
 
Brother Tiger and Daddy Sheep 123 
 
 let all dance with their heads under their 
 wings. Music, play ! trumpets, sound ! 
 and you, drums, beat ! Whereupon, the 
 orchestra began to play one of its most 
 delightful airs for the dance : 
 
 " Tumpy, tumpy, tum-tum ! 1 
 
 Tum-tum, tum-tum ! 
 Tumpy, tumpy, tum-tum ! 
 Tum-tum ti ! " 
 
 Then the Queen of the Birds flew and met 
 Brother Tiger, and made him welcome. 
 
 " My dear friend, you are late ! " she ex- 
 claimed. "The festivities have already 
 begun." 
 
 " I trust your maj6sty will excuse me," 
 said Brother Tiger, "my clock stopped 
 during the night." 
 
 "That is nothing," said the Queen; 
 "come!" 
 
 Oh, what a delicious feast ! what fine 
 music ! Brother Tiger was dazzled. 
 
124 Evening Tales 
 
 "My Queen!" he exclaimed, "I am 
 glad you thought of me. A ball like this 
 at your court is a rare occurrence." 
 
 Long rows of birds stood facing each 
 other, and birds of all degrees danced to- 
 gether. 
 
 After the quadrille the orchestra struck 
 up a waltz, and the Queen courteously 
 said to her guest : 
 
 " This time you shall be my partner ! " 
 
 Filled with pride the Tiger took his 
 place by the side of the beautiful Queen 
 of the Birds. Then the birds, all with 
 their heads under their wings began to 
 dance. Brother Tiger wanted to join in 
 the first steps of the dance, but all of a 
 sudden the Queen of the Birds called out 
 to him : 
 
 " Brother Tiger ! really you are not 
 thinking ! The etiquette of my court is 
 that the invited guest, in order to take 
 
Brother Tiger and Daddy Sheep 125 
 
 part in the dance, should appear without a 
 head. Look around you. All here would 
 think themselves guilty of the most un- 
 pardonable rudeness if they dared to raise 
 their eyes in the presence of their sover- 
 eign. The simplest rules of politeness re- 
 quire that you should follow their exam- 
 ple. Do as they are doing, if you desire 
 to dance with the Queen of the Birds." 
 
 "Your Majesty," exclaimed Brother 
 Tiger, blushing violently, " I had no in- 
 tention of wounding you, and I humbly 
 beg you to pardon my ignorance. I am 
 merely a poor country person who is used 
 to spending his days and nights in quiet 
 places, and I am unused to the ways and 
 customs of the court. Promise me an- 
 other dance, I beg you, and I will return 
 immediately." 
 
 " I never had any ill-will against you. 
 Brother Tiger," said the Queen of the 
 
126 Evening Tales 
 
 Birds. "One cannot know everything. 
 Go ! I await you ! " 
 
 Brother Tiger rushed to his home, and 
 in a very short time he arrived. 
 
 "Wife, wife!" he exclaimed, "get an 
 axe. In order to have the honor of danc- 
 ing with the great Queen of the Birds, one 
 must appear before her without a head." 
 
 " My poor husband," said Mrs. Tiger, 
 " I really believe you are losing your mind 
 or that you are making fun of me." 
 
 "No, no!" said Brother Tiger, "it is 
 the etiquette of the court. All the other 
 guests were dancing without heads. Get 
 the axe, wife ! The Queen awaits me." 
 
 Mrs. Tiger did not want to obey ; but 
 when she saw that her angry husband was 
 disposed to show his sharp claws, she took 
 the sharp axe and cut off his head with 
 one blow. It is needless to say that 
 Brother Tiger expired instantly. The 
 
Brother Tiger and Daddy Sheep 127 
 
 good news was carried to the Queen of the 
 Birds by two green paroquets, and when 
 the announcement was made the birds 
 took their heads from under their wings. 
 All the other animals in the forest were 
 invited to the feast, and Mother Sheep 
 and her son were special guests. They 
 were still in mourning, and therefore did 
 not take part in the dance, but they re- 
 ceived special attention and consideration 
 on all sides, and the wonderful orchestra 
 kept up its playing. 
 
 Now, big sheep and little children, let 
 me whisper something in your ears : It is 
 better not to open your mouths at all than 
 to be too familiar with people you do not 
 know well. 
 
IX 
 
 "JUMP IN MY SACK!" 
 
 In a barren and an unproductive coun- 
 try there lived, a long time ago, a father 
 and his twelve children. A terrible fam- 
 ine came on the country, and the unfor- 
 tunate father said to his sons : 
 
 " My children, I have nothing whatever 
 to give you. Go out into the world, knock 
 at each door, ask for work, and perhaps 
 you will find the means of making your 
 living." 
 
 At these words the youngest of the 
 twelve brothers, Abdallah, began to crv, 
 and said : 
 
 " I am crippled, and it is difficult for me 
 to walk. How can I gain my livelihood ? " 
 
" yump in My Sack!" 129 
 
 " Dry your tears," said the father ; 
 " your brothers will take you along with 
 them. They have good hearts, and if for- 
 tune smiles on them you may be sure that 
 you will not be forgotten." 
 
 Early next morning the twelve brothers 
 started out, after having faithfully promised 
 their father that they would never be sepa- 
 rated. But the deceitful brothers did not 
 mean what they said. After several days 
 of travel the eldest said to the others : 
 
 " Our little brother Abdallah is a con- 
 tinual burden. He delays our journey day 
 by day, and if he continues to do so we 
 will never get out of this miserable coun- 
 try. Let us forsake him on the way and 
 perhaps some charitable person will find 
 and take pity on him." 
 
 This advice was followed by the broth- 
 ers. The little cripple was deserted by the 
 way-side, and the other brothers continued 
 
130 Evening Tales 
 
 on their way, begging from every one they 
 met. In this way they went on until they 
 came to a settlement of poor fishermen, 
 where it was difficult to find a lodging- 
 place. Fortunately for them the night 
 was beautiful, the moon shone brilliantly 
 in the sky, and a soft breeze tempered 
 the heat that had filled the atmosphere 
 during the day. 
 
 Overcome with fatigue the eleven broth- 
 ers stretched themselves out at the foot of 
 a tree, and they were soon sound asleep. 
 After a while the dawn made its appear- 
 ance, the brothers awoke, and the eldest 
 said: 
 
 " For days and weeks we have been 
 travelling without meeting with the good 
 fortune we had hoped for. Let us leave 
 this country for good and all. Only a 
 strip of water lies between us and a land of 
 plenty." 
 
"Jump in My Sack!" 131 
 
 The unfortunate brothers soon saw an 
 empty sloop. They took possession of it, 
 and at once began to drift out to sea. It 
 was an unfortunate voyage. All the hopes 
 of the brothers were deceptive. Their 
 cruelty to their crippled brother Abdallah 
 was to be severely punished. A frightful 
 tempest arose, and the sea overwhelmed 
 them ; the sloop was wrecked and the 
 cruel brothers found their graves in the 
 cold and creeping waters. 
 
 Meanwhile what had becoine of Abdal- 
 lah, the poor cripple whom the brothers 
 had deserted ? Overwhelmed with sorrow 
 and fatigue, he had fallen asleep where he 
 had been abandoned. Fortunately for him 
 a good fairy, who had seen all, took pity 
 on him, and while he lay asleep she cured 
 his crippled leg ; and then, disguising her- 
 self as a poor beggar, the fairy sat on a 
 stone by the roadside. ' Abdallah soon 
 
132 Evening Tales 
 
 opened his eyes, his heart filled with sad- 
 ness. He arose for the purpose of contin- 
 uing his painful journey, but what was his 
 astonishment to find that he could walk 
 without any trouble whatever. He was no 
 longer a cripple. He felt of himself, and 
 ran and jumped to convince himself that 
 he was not dreaming. He laughed and 
 cried at the same time, and was filled with 
 happiness and joy. 
 
 All of a sudden he saw an old woman 
 by the roadside who looked at him smil- 
 ingly. 
 
 " Do you know, madam," he cried, "if 
 a great physician has passed this way ? " 
 
 " And why, my friend ? " inquired the 
 old woman. 
 
 " It is because that, during my sleep, he 
 has rendered me the greatest of services. 
 He has cured my leg that was too short, 
 and I want to thank him for his kindness." 
 
"Jump in My Sack!" 133 
 
 "Well, well," said the old woman, "the 
 physician is myself. I gathered a few 
 herbs that I alone know, and it was easy 
 to perform the miracle that makes you so 
 happy." 
 
 Abdallah could not restrain his trans- 
 ports. He fell on the old woman's neck 
 and embraced her, and then, to prove his 
 gratitude, he asked her : 
 
 " My good woman, what can I do for 
 you? I am young, but, as for you, age 
 has already begun to bear heavily on you. 
 Command, and I will obey you in all 
 things." 
 
 But imagine Abdallah's surprise when, 
 instead of the old woman, he saw before 
 him the most charming young girl that it 
 is possible to imagine. Her long blond 
 hair floated on her shoulders, and her rich 
 garments fell in gracious folds around her. 
 
 Overcome with admiration and respect 
 
134 Evening Tales 
 
 Abdallah fell on his knees in the dust ; 
 but the good fairy said to him : 
 
 " Arise ! I am happy to see that you are 
 not ungrateful. Make two wishes, and 
 they will be immediately granted, for I am 
 the queen of the fairies." 
 
 The young man reflected a moment and 
 said: 
 
 "I desire above all things a bag in 
 which everything I want will be found in 
 an instant." 
 
 "Your demand is certainly original," 
 said the fairy, smiling. " What can you do 
 with such a sack ? " 
 
 " A great many things," exclaimed the 
 young man, enthusiastically ; " will you 
 grant my request ? " 
 
 "So be it," said the fairy; "and what is 
 your second wish ? " 
 
 " A stick that will do my bidding." 
 
 " Very well, then," and the fairy disap- 
 
" Jump in My Sack!" 135 
 
 peared, leaving at Abdallah's feet a sack 
 and a stick. 
 
 Overcome and delighted by his good 
 fortune, the young man hastened to test 
 the powers that had been conferred on 
 him by these gifts. As he was feeling 
 very hungry Abdallah said : 
 
 " Let a dozen roasted partridges get 
 into my sack," and in an instant he found 
 a dozen well-cooked partridges in his 
 sack. 
 
 To eat without drinking was a very un- 
 usual thing in that country, so, presently, 
 Abdallah cried out : 
 
 " A bottle of wine in my sack ! " 
 
 Immediately his commands were obeyed. 
 After his meal he felt as light as a bird, 
 and he continued on his journey in good 
 spirits, and the next day he reached the 
 end of it. At the gate of the city he 
 paused to rest and to gaze at the people 
 
136 Evening Tales 
 
 who were continually passing, when a beg- 
 gar approached him and said : 
 
 " Brother, we are poor ; let us unite our 
 misfortunes and live together." 
 
 " How do you know that, my friend ? " 
 said Abdallah ; " I do not solicit alms in 
 order to stay here," 
 
 "Your ragged clothes and your bare 
 feet, my brother, tell a very different tale." 
 
 "That is true," thought the young man, 
 and he immediately asked his sack to fur- 
 nish him with two magnificent suits, such 
 as were worn by the noblemen of that 
 country. He gave one to the unfortunate 
 beggar at his side and clad himself in the 
 other, and the two went into the city re- 
 splendent with gold and precious stones, so 
 that everyone thought that two rich and 
 powerful noblemen had come into the city. 
 
 Soon the name of Abdallah was on 
 everybody's tongue, and the most brilliant 
 
" yump in My Sack!" 137 
 
 people of the city considered it an honor 
 to call themselves his friends. 
 
 In that city Abdallah found an Evil 
 Spirit, which presented itself to him one 
 day and said : 
 
 " Magnanimous chief, the most respect- 
 ful of your admirers is here before you." 
 
 "What do you desire?" inquired Ab- 
 dallah. 
 
 " I want nothing," said the Evil Spirit, 
 " but your reputation at the games is such 
 that I desired to see you." 
 
 " You flatter me a great deal," said Ab- 
 dallah ; " but, really, I cannot play. The 
 game is entirely unknown to me. How- 
 ever," he went on to say, " I desire to make 
 one of your party in the hope that you 
 will teach me something about the games." 
 
 The Evil Spirit and Abdallah made no 
 delay in beginning the game, and the lat- 
 ter lost such large sums of money that the 
 
138 Evening Tales 
 
 Evil Spirit thought that the young man 
 was ruined. Contented with himself and 
 satisfied with the results of his journey, he 
 was making ready to depart, when Abdal- 
 lah saw the cloven foot that the Evil Spirit 
 had not been able to disguise. 
 
 " Ah, ha ! " exclaimed Abdallah to him- 
 self. ■ ' It is with the Evil One I have been 
 playing. So much the better! I will 
 show him that he made a mistake when he 
 addressed himself to me." Satisfied with 
 his discovery, the fortunate possessor of 
 the sack and the wonderful stick was con- 
 tent to wait until the next day. 
 
 Faithful to the engagement that had 
 been made, the young man found himself 
 on the morrow face to face with the Evil 
 One. The game began, Abdallah lost 
 many gold pieces, and still he continued 
 to lose. This time the Evil Spirit won 
 so rapidly and so continuously that he be- 
 
" yump in My Sack!" 139 
 
 lieved Abdallah was reduced to misery. 
 Addressing himself to the young man, he 
 exclaimed : 
 
 "Illustrious lord, the games of these 
 last two days must have made a consider- 
 able hole in your fortunes. Through me, 
 however, you can recover a good part of 
 it ; but on one condition only." 
 
 "What condition is that?" inquired 
 Abdallah. 
 
 " Let us understand each other. Let us 
 become partners, and thus we can win all 
 the money that the other players have." 
 
 But Abdallah would not permit the 
 Evil Spirit to conclude his proposition. 
 
 " Satan !" cried he, "your elegant dis- 
 guise has not prevented me from recogniz- 
 ing you, and your cloven foot has betrayed 
 you. The gold you have taken from me 
 is nothing to that which I still possess. 
 Had you won all the money in the world, 
 
140 Evening Tales 
 
 I would not be less rich. However, the 
 day has arrived when you must expiate all 
 your vile crimes. The hour has struck ! " 
 At these unexpected words the Evil 
 One took on a sinister aspect, and with a 
 frightful laugh he began to mock Abdal- 
 lah. At this exhibition Abdallah ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 "Jump into my sack!" and the Old 
 Boy danced into the bag. " Stick ! beat 
 on him ! " cried the young man, and the 
 stick began to beat on him in fine style, so 
 much so that the Evil One yelled : 
 
 "Stop, or I will be dead! Let me 
 out ! " 
 
 "What a delightful misfortune this 
 would be!" exclaimed Abdallah. "Are 
 you not content with matters as they 
 are?" 
 
 There was great rejoicing among the 
 people who were gathered there. At last, 
 
" yump in My Sack I " 141 
 
 after the stick had been beating the Evil 
 One for two hours, Abdallah said : 
 
 " Enough ! that is sufficient for to-day." 
 
 "What!" said the Evil One, "is not 
 that enough ? Is the trouble not yet fin- 
 ished ? Am I to have my bones broken 
 another time ? " 
 
 "Another time and always," said Ab- 
 dallah. " I want you to perish, so that you 
 will not continue to cut up your capers." 
 
 There was some further parley between 
 Abdallah and the Evil One, which result- 
 ed in returning many unfortunate young 
 people to their homes — ^young people who 
 had been lost through their passion for* 
 gaming. When these unfortunates were 
 restored to their friends, Abdallah per- 
 mitted the Evil One to leave his sack. 
 
 After a little, Abdallah, who was always 
 trying to make people happy, had a great 
 desire to return to his own home, so that 
 
142 Evening Tales 
 
 he could see whether his father was still 
 unfortunate. On his way thither he met 
 a big boy who was crying at the top of 
 his voice and wringing his hands. 
 
 "Well, young man," said Abdallah, "is 
 your profession that of making faces ? If 
 so, what do you ask for them by the 
 dozen ? " 
 
 "I am not in a laughing humor, my 
 good sir," said the other. 
 
 " What are you doing, then ? " ex- 
 claimed Abdallah. 
 
 " My father," said the boy, " has fallen 
 from a horse and broken his arm. I ran 
 to the village for a physician, but, know- 
 ing that we were poor no one of them 
 would stir themselves in my father's be- 
 half." 
 
 "Is that all?" said Abdallah; but the 
 child continued to weep. "Calm your- 
 self," said Abdallah, "your father shall not 
 
"Jump in My Sack!" 143 
 
 lack for anything. Tell me the name of 
 the first physician you went after." 
 
 "His name," said the boy, " is Abdel- 
 Meddin." 
 
 " Observe well," said Abdallah. " Dr. 
 Abdel-Meddin, jump into my sack ! " and 
 immediately a man appeared and fell into 
 the wonderful sack. At the order of its 
 master the stick began to beat him. 
 
 "Oh," said the boy, "what a beauti- 
 ful sack you have ! Will you give it to 
 me?" 
 
 "I cannot," said Abdallah, "but take 
 this purse of gold ; it will do you more 
 good." 
 
 All this time the doctor in the sack was 
 yelling at the tQp of his voice, and writh- 
 ing and moaning. Abdallah stopped the 
 stick, and then said : 
 
 " Mr. Physician, take advantage of this 
 opportunity to rub your bruised limbs, for 
 
144 Evening Tales 
 
 you shall not come out of here until you 
 are mashed into a jelly. 
 
 " Mercy," cried the doctor, "what have 
 I done to deserve so terrible a chastise- 
 ment ? " 
 
 " Do you dare to ask me ? " cried Ab- 
 dallah. " Do you not recognize this un- 
 fortunate child ? " 
 
 " Have mercy ! take pity on me !" cried 
 the physician. 
 
 " You did not take pity on others," said 
 Abdallah, " and I shall be inexorable to- 
 ward you. Beat him, stick ! " 
 
 The wicked physician howled with pain 
 and fear, until finally Abdallah said : 
 
 " Stop, stick ! " 
 
 " I implore your mercy," cried the phy- 
 sician. 
 
 "Will you give me your word to take 
 care of this poor boy's father if I release 
 you?" 
 
"Jump in My Sack!" 145 
 
 " I will do whatever you say," said the 
 unfortunate doctor ! "He shall lack for 
 nothing." 
 
 " Then come out of the sack," said Ab- 
 dallah. 
 
 The doctor came out, and he was so 
 badly bruised that he could scarcely stand 
 on his feet, but Abdallah made him walk. 
 
 Returning to the village, the doctor was 
 so attentive to the poor sick man that there 
 could be no doubt of his recovery, and 
 Abdallah went on his way, anxious to see 
 his father. 
 
 After several days of travelling he came 
 to a dense forest, through which he was 
 compelled to pass. Looking closely, he 
 saw a pathway, which was scarcely discern- 
 ible, and it was bordered on each side by 
 thorns and brambles. This path led to a 
 castle belonging to a terrible and cruel 
 giant. The sun had gone down and night 
 
146 Evening Tales 
 
 had set in, and Abdallah knocked at the 
 door of the castle. 
 
 " Who are you ? " said a voice. 
 
 " A poor traveller who begs for lodging." 
 
 " I receive no one unless it is giants 
 who desire to have a tilt with me. We 
 feast at night, and in the morning I hang 
 them to a tree in the forest." 
 
 " Well," said Abdallah, " I will have a 
 tilt with you in the morning. Open the 
 door and let me come in." 
 
 " Poor fool," said the giant, " will you 
 dare to contend with me ?" 
 
 " I will do my best," said Abdallah. 
 " Open the door, I beg you." 
 
 " Go away," said the giant, " I do not 
 wish to crush you." 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Giant ! would you be afraid 
 to-day, and have I the power to make 
 you tremble?" 
 
 " Poor creature, your impudence shall 
 
"Jump in My Sack!" 147 
 
 have its punishment. Come in ! but to- 
 morrow you shall be hanged." 
 
 "While I am waiting to balance my- 
 self on a limb," said Abdallah, cheerfully, 
 " have my supper prepared. My appetite 
 is large." 
 
 The cruel giant smiled at Abdallah's 
 pretensions, and as he was a charming 
 man himself, he took occasion to divert 
 Abdallah. The supper was fine, and the 
 evening was very pleasant. The giant 
 related his exploits. He had fought a 
 lion, and he had vanquished a sea-serpent 
 with seven heads which had attacked him. 
 One day, when an army came to attack 
 him, he had the soldiers hung to the trees 
 that surrounded his castle. 
 
 "Great giant," said Abdallah, smiling, 
 "you make me tremble. It would be 
 easy for you to get satisfaction out of a 
 poor unfortunate creature like me." 
 
148 Evening Tales 
 
 " Miserable creature ! " said the giant, 
 " I warned you before you came into my 
 castle. But eat and drink — above all, 
 drink, for to-morrow shall be your last 
 day." 
 
 " Let us drink, Mr. Giant ! let us drink, 
 since the night still belongs to me. Here's 
 to your health ! " 
 
 Overcome with fatigue, Abdallah left 
 the giant and went to sleep, for he stood 
 greatly in need of rest, and in the morning 
 he was still asleep when the giant came to 
 awake him. 
 
 "Get up !" the giant exclaimed. "You 
 have lived long enough. Let us cross 
 swords and see who will be the victor." 
 
 " It is useless," said Abdallah ; " the 
 combat would be too unequal. Let me 
 go, I pray you." 
 
 "No," said the giant, severely; "you 
 must die. Come quickly, I am in a hurry." 
 
"Jump in My Sack!" 149 
 
 "Well, then," said Abdallah, "since you 
 insist on it, we will fight, but I regret it, I 
 assure you, for I really do not want to k'ill 
 you." 
 
 " Enough ! " exclaimed the giant ; " your 
 insolence will soon be punished." 
 
 At this the giant raised his greav hand 
 with the intention of crushing his oppo- 
 nent, when Abdallah suddenly cried out : 
 
 " Jump in my sack ! " 
 
 The giant made a horrible grimace, and 
 seemed to hesitate, but, at last, with a loud 
 cry, he threw himself into the marvellous 
 sack. 
 
 " Stick, do your duty ! " exclaimed Ab- 
 dallah, and the magic stick, in a livelier 
 manner than ever began to whack the 
 cruel giant with great energy. 
 
 " Do have mercy ! " exclaimed the giant. 
 " Take pity on me ! " Abdallah had mercy 
 and the stick stopped. 
 
150 Evening Tales 
 
 p- , , , 
 
 "What do you think of our contest?" 
 asked Abdallah. " Have you a mind to 
 renew it ? " 
 
 " You are a terrible sorcerer," said the 
 giant, "and I have never seen one like 
 you." 
 
 "Then," said Abdallah, "you are con- 
 quered." 
 
 " Have it as you will," said the giant. 
 " What can I say to the contrary ? " 
 
 " You are right," said Abdallah. " Good- 
 by, Mr. Giant. You should be more hos- 
 pitable another time." 
 
 The giant was anxious to accompany 
 Abdallah, and he persisted in going with 
 him until he had passed through the for- 
 est. Abdallah continued on his journey, 
 and it was not long before he arrived at 
 home, where he was gratified to embrace 
 his old father. 
 
 " My dear father ! " he exclaimed, " I am 
 
" yump in My Sack!" 151 
 
 very rich. I am powerful and I come to 
 you." 
 
 "My dear child," said the old man, 
 "you deceive yourself, or my eyes have 
 become very weak ; for I only see a sack 
 on your back and a stick in your hand." 
 
 "No, father," the son cried, "we are 
 rich, very rich. Hereafter we shall enjoy 
 everything in abundance, and since the 
 famine still continues, our neighbors will 
 enjoy our good fortune." 
 
 In a few words, Abdallah told his father 
 how he had been abandoned by his broth- 
 ers ; and he told the old man also of the 
 wonderful virtues of his enchanted sack, 
 
 " Your kind-heartedness, my son," said 
 the old man, " has had its reward, but let 
 us not, in our prosperity, forget those who 
 are sad and cry because they are hungry." 
 
 "Do not trouble yourself, my father. 
 For such as these our table will always be 
 
152 Evening Tales 
 
 spread, and our doors will never be closed 
 against them." 
 
 While the famine in that country lasted, 
 Abdallah established a tavern, where every- 
 body could get a meal without money and 
 without price. The marvellous sack was 
 always ready to carry out the will of its 
 master, and it was always ready to furnish 
 the most savory dishes and the most ex- 
 quisite wines , and this went on as long as 
 the famine lasted. 
 
 When the famine had subsided, Abdal- 
 lah would not give any more, fearing that 
 he would encourage the unworthy and 
 thus render very indifferent service to the 
 country. 
 
 Abdallah ought to have been happy, but 
 he was not. He had such a good and 
 tender heart that he easily forgot and for- 
 gave all the injury that had been done 
 him, and he was sad because he did not 
 
"Jump in My Sack!" 153 
 
 see around him all the wicked brothers 
 who had forsaken him on the way. 
 
 He called their names daily and com- 
 manded them to jump in his sack. Each 
 time, however, he found in his sack 
 only a pile of bones. His brothers were 
 surely dead, and when Abdallah came 
 to understand this fact, he shed bitter 
 tears. 
 
 In his turn, Abdallah's father died, and 
 Abdallah himself grew very old. When 
 he felt that his end was approaching he 
 drew a sigh of relief, nevertheless he did 
 not want to die without seeing the good 
 fairy who had been his benefactor. 
 
 Feeling thus, Abdallah started on a 
 journey, trembling with emotion, and it 
 was not long before he reached the spot 
 where he had met the gracious fairy. He 
 seated himself on a stone and waited for 
 the good fairy to appear ; but she came 
 
154 Evening Tales 
 
 not. He continued to wait, and, after a 
 time, Death came along the road. 
 
 " I am hunting for you," said the grim 
 traveller. 
 
 " Not for me, surely," said Abdallah. 
 
 " Yes, for you," said the other. 
 
 " I am waiting here for a friend," said 
 Abdallah. 
 
 " Do I seem to be an enemy ? " asked 
 Death. 
 
 " No, no," cried Abdallah, " you are 
 welcome, but I want an opportunity to 
 greet my benefactor. I cannot go with 
 you." 
 
 But Death fixed his eyes on Abdallah, 
 smiled a little, and said : 
 
 "Jump in my sack ! " 
 
X 
 
 A SEARCH FOR A FRIEND 
 
 A RICH merchant of Bagdad had a son 
 that he loved most tenderly. The child 
 had been reared with the utmost care, and 
 no pains were spared to cultivate his mind 
 as well as his affections. When the young 
 man's education was almost completed his 
 father determined that he should travel in 
 foreign parts. 
 
 " My son," said the old man, " I have 
 gray hairs and a white beard, and in my 
 long career it has been given to me to 
 know and appreciate the real value of men 
 and things. You must learn, then, my 
 son, that among the pressing necessities of 
 life the greatest of all is a good friend. 
 
156 Evening Tales 
 
 Riches take wings — a touch of providence, 
 a turn of the wheel of fortune, throws the 
 richest into the depths of despair; but 
 death alone, which carries all off, can take 
 away a friend. 
 
 " A true friend is the only thing in this 
 world that is always faithful. Find this 
 rare pearl, my son, and you will have found 
 the rarest of gems. I want you, then, my 
 son, to travel over the world, travel alone 
 gives the real experience. The more we 
 see of men the better we know how to live 
 among them. The world is a great and a 
 beautiful book, that instructs those who 
 know how to read it. It is a faithful mir- 
 ror that reflects all the objects we ought 
 to see. 
 
 "Go, my son," said the merchant of 
 
 Bagdad ; " take this travelling-stick, and 
 
 . in your journeyings think, above all other 
 
 things, of the necessity of securing a true 
 
A Search for a Friend 157 
 
 friend. In pursuing this object sacrifice 
 everything else, even what is most rare and 
 most precious." 
 
 The young man embraced his father and 
 took his departure. He went to a foreign 
 country and remained there some time, and 
 then he returned to his own country. 
 When he arrived, his father, astonished at 
 his quick return, said : 
 
 " I did not expect you so soon." 
 
 " You told me to seek a friend," said the 
 young man. "Well, I have returned with 
 fifty who are all that you have described." 
 
 " My poor child ! " responded the old 
 merchant, " do not speak so flippantly of 
 so sacred a name. A true friend is so rare 
 that he cannot be found in droves, and 
 those who pretend to be such are only so in 
 name. They resemble a summer-cloud that 
 melts beneath the first rays of the sun." 
 
 " Father ! " exclaimed the young man. 
 
158 Evening Tales 
 
 "your attack is unjust, and those that I 
 look upon as my friends — those whom I 
 regard as my friends — would not see me 
 suffering or in adversity unless their hearts 
 went out to me." 
 
 " I have lived seventy years," responded 
 the old man, "and I have been tried by 
 good and bad fortune. I have known a 
 great many men, and during these long 
 years it has been well-nigh impossible for 
 me to acquire a friend. How, at your age, 
 and in such a short time, have you been 
 able to find fifty friends ? Learn from me, 
 my son, to know human nature." 
 
 The old merchant strangled a sheep, 
 put the carcass in a sack, and stained his 
 son's clothing with the blood of the animal. 
 At night the young man was told what he 
 must do, and he took the carcass of the 
 sheep on his shoulder and went out of the 
 city. 
 
A Search for a Friend 1 59 
 
 Soon he arrived at the house of his first 
 friend, and knocked at the door, which 
 was promptly opened to him. His friend 
 asked him what he wanted. 
 
 "It is in the midst of misfortune that 
 friendship is put to a trial," responded the 
 young man, " I have often told you of 
 an old feud that has existed between our 
 family and that of a lord of the court. 
 Not long ago we met in a secluded spot. 
 Hatred placed arms in our hands, and he 
 fell lifeless at my feet. For fear of being 
 pursued by justice I seized his body ; it is 
 in the sack you see on my shoulders. I 
 beg you to hide it in your house until this 
 affair has blown over." 
 
 " My house is so small," said the friend, 
 with an air of sorrow and embarrassment, 
 "that it can scarcely contain the living 
 who dwell in it. How could I find room 
 for the dead?" 
 
i6o Evening Tales 
 
 The young man begged his friend to 
 have pity on him, but without avail, and 
 the ungrateful man shut the door in his 
 face. 
 
 "You see, my son," said the old mer- 
 chant, "these are the kind of friends on 
 whom you were depending." 
 
 "To tell you the truth, father," said the 
 young man, " I have always suspected that 
 this particular friend was a hypocrite, but 
 all are not so. Wait, and you shall see." 
 
 The younger man continued to knock 
 at the doors of his friends. Fifty times he 
 met with the same reception. No one 
 wanted to do him the kindness to hide 
 the body. 
 
 "My son," said the old merchant, "you 
 must see at last how little you can depend 
 on man. What has become of the friends 
 whom you were praising to me a little 
 while ago ? In your supposed misfortune 
 
A Search for a Friend i6i 
 
 each one has forsaken you. I will show 
 you the diflference between the one real 
 friend that I have and the fifty false ones 
 whom you have tested." 
 
 As they talked, the father and son 
 reached the door of the house of the one 
 whom the old merchant had represented 
 as the model of perfect friendship. The 
 merchant related to his friend the imagi- 
 nary misfortunes that had befallen his 
 son, and begged the friend to hide the 
 compromising sack. 
 
 " Oh, happy day and blessed hour ! " 
 exclaimed the faithful friend. " My house 
 is large, and herein you may hide whatever 
 you choose." 
 
 " Think," said the young man, " of the 
 great dangers to which you expose your- 
 self ! Who knows but you may be accused 
 of the murder, or, at least, of favoring the 
 
 assassin." 
 
 II 
 
i62 Evening Tales 
 
 "Well," said the other, smiling, "one 
 must expose one's self to many perils 
 when one desires to save the son of a 
 friend. Go to my summer residence, 
 where you will be safe from the clutches 
 of the law. I will come to you from time 
 to time, and keep you company, and if 
 ever misfortune happens to you it will 
 likewise fall on me." 
 
 At this the merchant of Bagdad opened 
 his arms and pressed to his heart the de- 
 voted friend, thanking him for his gener- 
 ous offers, and relating to him the simple 
 artifice by which he had taught his son 
 how rare true friendship is in this world. 
 
XI 
 
 A CHILD OF THE ROSES 
 
 Once upon a time there was a King who 
 had three daughters as beautiful as the 
 stars that shine in the skies, and as differ- 
 ent in their beauty. One day the King 
 was sitting on his gorgeous throne, and he 
 called his children, and said : 
 
 " I love you all better than I do my life. 
 Now tell me in turn the nature of the af- 
 fection you feel for me. According to 
 your answer I shall give each of you the 
 husband that you deserve. The eldest ap- 
 proached, and said : 
 
 "I love you better than I do my golden 
 hair and my blue eyes, and I would do any- 
 thing in the world to be agreeable to you." 
 
164 Evening Tales 
 
 " My beloved daughter," exclaimed the 
 Monarch, "the King of Syra shall become 
 your husband." 
 
 The second daughter spoke thus : 
 
 " I love you, my father, a thousand times 
 better than a queen loves her crown, a 
 thousand times better than a dove loves 
 her young, and to please you I would vol- 
 untarily throw myself into a burning fur- 
 nace." 
 
 " Oh, my child ! let me embrace you ! 
 The Prince Miraz, the handsomest of men, 
 shall be your husband." 
 
 The youngest daughter, the favorite of 
 the fairies, the charming Mirza, exclaimed : 
 
 " I love you, my father, as we love the 
 salt in the bread, as the fish loves water, 
 and as the May rose loves the dews of the 
 morning." 
 
 At these words the King turned pale 
 with anger, and exclaimed : 
 
A Child of the Roses 165 
 
 " Go away ! Leave me ! You are an 
 ungrateful daughter who cares for no one. 
 Is it thus that you show gratitude for the 
 pains I have taken with you? The love 
 you have for me goes no further than the 
 salt in the bread. Go away ! " 
 
 The King drove his daughter from the 
 palace, and ordered one of the waiting- 
 maids to follow her everywhere, and to 
 return only to announce her death. The 
 waiting -maid took with her her own 
 daughter, Calamir, and the three women 
 travelled at haphazard for three days and 
 three nights. Finally they perceived an 
 abandoned cabin, and the Princess cried 
 out: 
 
 " Let us stop here ! " whereupon the 
 women took up their abode there. 
 
 One day Mirza was sitting by the road- 
 side, her head in her hands, weeping sadly. 
 She was thinking of the great palace 
 
i66 Evening Tales 
 
 where she was born, and of her more fort- 
 unate sisters, who lacked for nothing, and 
 who had bracelets of gold and diamonds. 
 She thought also of her cruel father, 
 whom she still loved with all her heart. 
 Suddenly Mirza felt a hand on her shoul- 
 der, and began to tremble with fear. It 
 was the Queen of the Fairies, who looked 
 at her with a smile. 
 
 "My beautiful child, why lament?" 
 said the Queen. "All things are possible 
 to me. Make three wishes and you will 
 be satisfied at once." 
 
 Mirza, however, did not answer. She 
 remained silent ; she could only weep. 
 
 " Grief fills your heart," said the Queen 
 of the Fairies, "and you can only weep. 
 You are thinking of your father, your sis- 
 ters, and the palace where you were born. 
 Calm yourself. Hereafter you will be as 
 rich and as fortunate as they. Weeping 
 
A Child of the Roses 167 
 
 or smiling, walking or standing, no person 
 in the wide world will be as fortunate as 
 you." 
 
 At these words the young girl smiled, 
 and beautiful roses fell from her lips. 
 She took a few steps to embrace her bene- 
 factress, and a thousand precious stones 
 fell under her feet. The tears that shone 
 in her eyes, in falling, became pearls. 
 
 " Kind fairy," exclaimed Mirza, behold- 
 ing these things, " what wishes could I 
 have made that would have been compara- 
 ble to these gifts you have heaped upon 
 me ? A thousand thanks ! " 
 
 The young girl pressed the queen of the 
 fairies to her heart, kissed her hands and 
 her lips, and gave full play to her hap- 
 piness. Some days afterward, the Princess 
 Mirza said to her waiting-maid : 
 
 " Go into the neighboring city, inquire 
 for the best architect to be found and tell 
 
1 68 Evening Tales 
 
 him to bring a hundred experienced work- 
 men." 
 
 The maid went into the city, secured 
 the architect, and when three days had 
 passed the workmen arrived. 
 
 "Queen of women," said the architect, 
 "what can I do to please you?" 
 
 " I want you to build me a marvellous 
 palace of pure gold, with ten doors of dia- 
 monds and a thousand windows of crystal. 
 Build me a palace supported by a hun- 
 dred columns of rubies and emeralds. I 
 want it to be so resplendent that the 
 neighboring kings and princes will stand 
 amazed when they behold it." 
 
 The builders went to work, and in the 
 course of a year the masterpiece of archi- 
 tecture was completed. One day the sis- 
 ters of the princess passed that way. 
 They were going to see their parents, and 
 a joyous escort accompanied them, play- 
 
A Child of the Roses 169 
 
 ing on a thousand instruments in order to 
 make the journey pleasant. 
 
 "My gentle pages," exclaimed the eld- 
 est, perceiving the palace, "to whom does 
 this magnificent building belong ? Is it 
 the home of the fairies ? " 
 
 " Gracious queen," responded one of the 
 pages, "no one knows." 
 
 " Go, then," said the princess, "and find 
 out, and say that we desire to visit this 
 wonderful palace." 
 
 When the messengers announced to 
 Mirza the wishes of the princess, she ex- 
 claimed, rapturously : 
 
 " These are my sisters — the children of 
 my mother — ^who come to visit me. Hap- 
 py day ! Pages, return and tell them that 
 I await them." 
 
 But the pages did not move. Each one 
 seemed to be petrified with surprise and 
 admiration. While Mirza was speaking 
 
170 Evening Tales 
 
 the most beautiful and fragrant roses fell 
 from her lips, and at her feet hundreds of 
 precious stones, pearls, rubies, amethysts, 
 and diamonds sparkled and glittered. 
 Finally the messengers returned to the 
 princesses, and when the latter found that 
 this beautiful palace belonged to their 
 younger sister, they could not refrain from 
 shedding tears of joy. Immediately they 
 made their way to the palace, and soon 
 they had the pleasure of embracing the 
 sister whom they had long given up for 
 lost. 
 
 The two princesses stayed a long time 
 at the grand palace, their eyes dazzled at 
 everything they saw. They were much 
 astonished at the magnificent gifts show- 
 ered on them by their sister. They went 
 away from the palace with regret, and they 
 were very sorry they could not carry awa.y 
 with them, in addition to their gifts, pieces 
 
A Child of the Roses 171 
 
 of the precious stones with which the 
 courtyard was paved. 
 
 The renown of Mirza soon spread 
 throughout all the neighboring kingdoms, 
 and everyone praised her beauty and mar- 
 velled at her riches. The prince of a 
 strange country fell desperately in love 
 with her, and he sent an ambassador to sue 
 for her hand. Mirza consented, and prom- 
 ised to become the wife of the prince as 
 soon as the orange-trees blossomed. The 
 ambassador was delighted, and hastened to 
 announce the joyous news to his master. 
 Magnificent feasts were given at the court 
 of the prince, and soon everything was 
 ready for the wedding. 
 
 As soon as the orange -trees bloomed, 
 Mirza started on her journey to the home 
 of the prince, accompanied by the waiting- 
 maid who had served her in her misfortune. 
 On the way, the princess became very 
 
172 Evening Tales 
 
 hungry, and asked for something to eat. 
 Instead of giving her sweet cakes and 
 luscious fruits, the maid gave her bread 
 that was so salty and so bitter the princess 
 could scarcely swallow it. Soon she was 
 seized with a devouring thirst. 
 
 "My good friend," she exclaimed to 
 her maid, "what have you for me to 
 drink?" 
 
 "Nothing, my amiable mistress," said 
 the maid. 
 
 "What! not even a glass of water?" 
 said the princess. 
 
 " No, your majesty." 
 
 The princess withstood the thirst as 
 long as she could, and finally said : 
 
 " I pray you, my good friend, go and 
 find a stream, and bring me some watef 
 to quench my thirst — only a few drops." 
 
 At this, the waiting-maid said : 
 
 " Alas ! we are in a very strange country. 
 
A Child of the Roses 173 
 
 Here, water is the dearest of all bever- 
 ages." 
 
 " Well," said the princess, " take a hand- 
 ful of diamonds and offer them to the 
 charitable person who will take pity on me 
 and give me some water." 
 
 The waiting-maid started out, but she 
 did not go a hundred steps when she hid 
 herself behind a bush. Very soon she re- 
 turned with an air of distress, and with a 
 sad voice she spoke thus : 
 
 "Powerful princess, in this country, 
 water is so dear that you will have to pay 
 for a single goblet-full with one of your 
 eyes." 
 
 In her despair, the young princess pulled 
 out an eye, and gave it to the waiting- 
 maid. 
 
 " Go," said the princess, " run quick, or 
 I die." 
 
 The cruel waiting-maid returned, bring- 
 
174 Evening Tales 
 
 ing a little water, but scarcely did it quench 
 her thirst for an instant. Not long after- 
 ward the princess began lamenting again : 
 
 " I am still thirsty," said she, " and I feel 
 that I am perishing." 
 
 " Give me your remaining eye," said the 
 servant, " and hereafter you shall be satis- 
 fied." 
 
 The bewildered young princess con- 
 sented to make the sacrifice. This time, 
 she thought, she could drink to her heart's 
 content. Night came and the sun sank 
 behind the horizon, and the perfidious ser- 
 vant stripped her mistress of her fine 
 clothes and gave them to her own daugh- 
 ter, Calamir. The poor blind girl was left 
 by the roadside, and the waiting-maid and 
 her daughter continued their journey tow- 
 ard the city where the prince resided. 
 
 When they arrived all the bells in the 
 churches rang out their joyous chimes. 
 
A Child of the Roses 175 
 
 Th? people went out to meet her, and the 
 prince tenderly embraced the one whom 
 he thought was his betrothed. Never had 
 such a scene been witnessed in that city. 
 The wedding feast was brilliant and splen- 
 did. One thing, however, disturbed the 
 prince. He had been told that a rose fell 
 from the lips of the princess at each smile, 
 and that under her feet diamonds sprung. 
 He did not see any of these things. Puz- 
 zled at this, he inquired of his wife's 
 mother : 
 
 " Madam, how is it that roses do not 
 fall from the lips of your child, and that 
 precious stones do not appear when she 
 walks ? " 
 
 " My dear prince, my child is fatigued 
 at the long journey she undertook to come 
 to you. Have patience, and you will soon 
 be satisfied." 
 
 During all this time, the poor Mirza, 
 
176 Evening Tales 
 
 the real princess, wandered alone in the 
 frightful desert in which she had been for- 
 saken. She called for help, but no one 
 came to her assistance. Her cries grew 
 louder, and at last they attracted the atten- 
 tion of an old woman who was gathering 
 herbs for the purpose of making medicine. 
 
 " What do you wish, my beautiful 
 child ? " inquired the old woman. 
 
 " Good mother, what are you doing 
 here ? " cried the princess. 
 
 " I am looking for herbs that are neces- 
 sary to make my medicine." 
 
 " You can do better than that," said the 
 princess. " Pick up the pearls that you 
 find at my feet, and go into the city and 
 sell them." 
 
 The old woman obeyed, and returned 
 with an apron full of gold, saying : 
 
 " My child, what shall I do with this 
 fortune?" 
 
A Child of the Roses 177 
 
 " It is for you, my good woman, but on 
 one condition." 
 
 " What is that ? " 
 
 The poor blind girl smiled, and from her 
 lips fell a rose so beautiful and sweet that 
 there had been none like it before. Mirza 
 answered : 
 
 " Take this rose and go into the prince's 
 city, and call out, ' Who will buy this 
 flower ? who will buy this rose ? ' " 
 
 " And in order to please you," said the 
 old woman, " how much must I sell it 
 for ? " 
 
 "You must give it," said the princess, 
 " for neither gold nor silver," 
 
 "And for what shall I sell it?" said the 
 old woman. 
 
 "You shall demand an eye for it," said 
 the princess. 
 
 The old woman followed the direc- 
 tions to the letter. When she arrived 
 
178 Evening Tales 
 
 in the city of the prince, she cried 
 out : 
 
 " Who will buy this flower ? Who will 
 buy this rose ? " 
 
 At these words, Mirza's deceitful ser- 
 vant ran to the window of the palace and 
 asked : 
 
 "Tell me, good woman, for what will 
 you sell such a beautiful rose ? " 
 
 " I will sell it for an eye," said the old 
 woman, 
 
 " Heavens ! what would you do with an 
 eye ? " said the maid-servant. 
 
 "That is my affair," said the old woman. 
 
 "Well, then," said the waiting -maid, 
 " stay a moment ; and she ran to her 
 room ; and as she had been careful enough 
 to save the eyes of her mistress, she took 
 one and gave it to the old woman. 
 
 "Take this, good woman," she ex- 
 claimed. 
 
A Child of the Roses 1 79 
 
 " And here is your rose," said the old 
 woman. 
 
 At night, when the prince returned 
 to the palace, his mother-in-law said to 
 him : 
 
 " See this beautiful rose. There is none 
 like it in the flower-gardens. My daughter 
 made it with a smile." 
 
 " It came in good time," said the young 
 prince, " but I can scarcely believe it. A 
 thousand times I have seen your daugh- 
 ter smile, and nothing has fallen from her 
 lips." 
 
 All this time, the old woman, who had 
 sold her rose for the eye, was on her way 
 to the Princess Mirza. But as she went 
 along, the eye fell from her hand and was 
 lost. She hunted for it a long time, but 
 meanwhile the eye, apparently directed by 
 the good fairies, made its way to the blind 
 girl, who put it in its place and immedi- 
 
i8o Evening Tales 
 
 ately she saw clearly. The old woman re- 
 turned disconsolate. 
 
 " Alas ! my beautiful child," she ex- 
 claimed, weeping, " I sold your rose as 
 you directed me, but, unfortunately, the 
 eye I received as the price escaped from 
 my hands and I could not find it, though 
 I hunted for it far and wide." 
 
 " Do not trouble yourself, my good 
 woman," and Mirza smiled, and another 
 rose fell from her lips. 
 
 " Go," said she again, " and sell this 
 flower on the same conditions." 
 
 The rose was carried to the castle as the 
 other had been, and sold for the other eye. 
 
 The princess recovered her sight, and 
 regained her beauty. Shortly afterward, 
 the beautiful Mirza said to her companion : 
 
 " Go into the towns and villages, and in- 
 quire by which road the king of this coun- 
 try goes on his hunting excursions." 
 
A Child of the Roses i8i 
 
 This order having been obeyed, the 
 young princess sent for a number of work- 
 men and an architect. On her way in 
 search of these, the old woman met a little 
 gray man who had a hump on his back. 
 
 "Where are you going, Margaret?" 
 cried the little hunchback. 
 
 " I am hunting for workmen and for an 
 architect," she replied. 
 
 " I am your man," exclaimed the dwarf. 
 
 "Are you capable?" asked the old 
 woman. 
 
 " Patience, Margaret ! patience ! " ex- 
 claimed the little gray man. " Of that 
 you will have to judge later." 
 
 Mirza accepted the dwarf as her archi- 
 tect, but she could not help saying to 
 him: 
 
 " Little gray man, where are your work- 
 men ? Do you think to build by yourself 
 the palace I desire ? " 
 
1 82 Evening Tales 
 
 Scarcely had she finished speaking, 
 when, at the sound of a low whistle from 
 the little gray man, there appeared on all 
 sides hundreds and thousands of brownies, 
 who were cutting all sorts of antics and 
 capers. Some jumped, some ran, some 
 walked on their hands, and some floated in 
 the air as light as thistle-down. But each 
 of them, when he passed before the little 
 gray man, said : 
 
 " Your Majesty, what do you wish to- 
 day of your faithful subjects ? " 
 
 To these questions the little gray man 
 replied : 
 
 " Make the most beautiful palace to be 
 found in all the world." 
 
 Mirza, the princess, was filled with as- 
 tonishment. Never before had she seen so 
 many brownies gathered together in one 
 place, and she said to herself, " Surely 
 these must be the children of the fairies ; " 
 
A Child of the Roses 183 
 
 and, full of happiness, she went here and 
 there, speaking a kind word to all, and at 
 every step she took hundreds of precious 
 stones were scattered under her feet, and, 
 at each smile a rose fell. 
 
 At last all the brownies were set to work 
 under the direction of the little gray man. 
 Some felled the great trees of the forest and 
 trimmed them, some delved in the mines 
 for marble and preqious stones, and others 
 forged the rare metals out of which the vast 
 columns of the palace were to be made. 
 
 Rapidly the new palace was built, and 
 when it was finished it shone in the land 
 like a rare jewel in the bosom of a beauti- 
 ful woman. 
 
 " Now, then," said the little gray man 
 to the beautiful Mirza, " are you satisfied 
 with my work, and do you repent having 
 chosen me for your architect ? " 
 
 " Powerful and most generous King of 
 
184 Evening Tales 
 
 the Brownies," she said to the little gray 
 man, " how can I be dissatisfied at the 
 sight of this rare palace, which you have 
 built for me ? " 
 
 "This being so," said the little gray 
 man, " what is to be my reward ? " 
 
 At this the young girl smiled, and a 
 beautiful rose dropped from her lips. 
 
 " This shall be your reward," said she, 
 giving him the flower. 
 
 " Thanks ! thanks ! " exclaimed the lit- 
 tle gray man, and he instantly disappeared. 
 The brownies were paid in the same way, 
 and the young girl soon found herself 
 alone with the old woman. 
 
 One day passed, then two, then three, 
 and still the prince did not come hunting. 
 At this Mirza grew impatient, and she 
 said to the old woman. 
 
 " Go to the top of the hill and see if the 
 prince is not coming." 
 
A Child of the Roses 185 
 
 The old woman went to the top of the 
 hill, and looked around on all sides, but 
 there was nothing in sight. The roads on 
 every side were dusty and deserted, and 
 she returned to her mistress. 
 
 "What did you see?" inquired the 
 princess. 
 
 "Nothing, your majesty, but the float- 
 ing clouds and the beautiful flowers." 
 
 " Go, then, and look again," said Mirza. 
 
 The old woman looked again and then 
 returned. 
 
 "What have you seen?" inquired the 
 princess. 
 
 " The waters flowing, the grasses grow- 
 ing, and in the limbs of the trees I heard 
 the breezes murmuring." 
 
 " Return and look again." 
 
 So the woman went, and when she had 
 come back the princess said : 
 
 " What have you seen ? " 
 
1 86 Evening Tales 
 
 "Away in the distance, on the dusty 
 road, I saw horsemen coming." 
 
 " It is the prince," said Mirza ; and, sure 
 enough, the prince, followed by his retain- 
 ers, his huntsmen, and his dogs, soon made 
 his appearance. Suddenly, the prince, 
 seized with admiration, paused and looked 
 around him. Here, where there had been 
 only briars and brambles, there arose be- 
 fore his view the marvellous palace that 
 had been erected by the little gray man. 
 
 "To whom does this dazzling palace be- 
 long ? " asked the prince, but no one could 
 answer him. " Await me here," said the 
 prince to his followers, " I will go and in- 
 quire, but I will return immediately." 
 
 He approached the door and knocked, 
 but there was no response, and one would 
 have supposed the palace was uninhabited. 
 He knocked again, but everything was si- 
 lent except the clamorous echoes which he 
 
A Child of the Roses 187 
 
 himself had aroused. Then the prince 
 climbed up to the nearest window, opened 
 the blinds, and found himself in a marvel- 
 lous saloon which was uninhabited. He 
 pursued his way through beautiful halls 
 and apartments, until he came to a room 
 more beautiful than the rest. 
 
 On a bed of gold, Mirza was reclining, and 
 as he approached she arose and exclaimed : 
 
 " Who has dared enter my palace ?" 
 
 "Powerful princess," said the young 
 man, "I am your slave. Do with me as 
 you will." 
 
 " Who are you ? " she cried." 
 
 " The king of all this country — ^the most 
 unfortunate of men since I have seen 
 you." 
 
 At these words the young girl smiled, 
 and from her lips fell a rose. She took a 
 few steps forward, and precious stones 
 covered the carpet where she walked. 
 
1 88 Evening Tales 
 
 " What do I see ? " exclaimed the 
 prince, filled with astonishment. "Are 
 you not Mirza, my affianced ? " 
 
 " Yes," cried the happy girl, " I am 
 Mirza, who loves you ; I am Mirza, whose 
 hand you demanded in marriage through 
 an ambassador." 
 
 At the remembrance of her misfortunes 
 tears shone in her eyes, and pearls fell 
 therefrom. 
 
 The prince was overjoyed ; he had been 
 deceived, but he was now happy. Mirza 
 told him all, and he would have had the 
 deceitful servants burned at the stake, but 
 the princess interceded for them and they 
 were banished from the country. The 
 prince and Mirza lived long and happily 
 together. 
 
XII 
 
 THE KING OF THE LIONS 
 
 A Donkey one day thought that the 
 time had come for him to go and seek his 
 fortune; so he broke his halter and ran 
 away into the broad fields. The grass was 
 high and rank, and there was no lack of 
 thistles. Happy over his good fortune, 
 Brother Donkey brayed so loud and so 
 joyously that Mr. Lion, who happened to 
 be passing that way, stopped to inquire 
 what the matter could be. 
 
 At the sight of Brother Donkey, Mr. 
 Lion was paralyzed with astonishment. 
 Never, in all his wanderings, had he seen 
 such a creature. Mr. Lion looked at 
 
igo Evening Tales 
 
 Brother Donkey from a distance. Then 
 he approached a little nearer, and finally 
 mustered up courage to say : 
 
 " Who are you, and what is your 
 name ? " 
 
 " My name is Brother Donkey," replied 
 the other, "and I am the ruler of all 
 Donkeydom." 
 
 " I do not know that country," said Mr. 
 Lion, " but I myself am a monarch, and 
 the most of the other animals have chosen 
 me for their king." 
 
 "If that is the case," said Brother Don- 
 key, "we are brothers, and we will con- 
 tinue our travels together." 
 
 " With the greatest pleasure," respond- 
 ed Mr. Lion. " One can only gain by be- 
 ing in good company." 
 
 So the two started on their journey to- 
 gether. As they went along, Mr. Lion 
 thought he saw that Brother Donkey 
 
The King of the Lions 191 
 
 was not as formidable as he had at first 
 appeared. There was something in his 
 gait, something in his appearance, that led 
 to this suspicion, and when he saw a tiger, 
 he seemed to be so frightened that the 
 King of the Desert said : 
 
 " Come, my friend, and let us wrestle 
 together for fun." 
 
 "No, no, my comrade," exclaimed 
 Brother Donkey, " for I am so strong that 
 in spite of myself I should be compelled 
 to crush you with my feet." 
 
 Mr. Lion, thinking this was true, made 
 a profound bow to the King of Donkey- 
 dom, and the two continued on their jour- 
 ney together. It so happened that they 
 had to cross a river. With one bound Mr. 
 Lion reached the other side, but, on the 
 contrary, Brother Donkey went down into 
 the water and began to swim in a very 
 awkward manner ; so awkward, indeed. 
 
192 Evening Tales 
 
 that it seemed he was in danger of drown- 
 ing. 
 
 " How is it," exclaimed Mr. Lion, in 
 astonishment, " that you cannot swim ? " 
 
 " What, I ? " said Brother Donkey. " I 
 split the water more rapidly than a boat, 
 and the fishes themselves could not beat 
 me in a race." 
 
 " If that is true," said Mr. Lion, " why 
 does it take you so long to cross a stream ?" 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed Brother Donkey, "it 
 was because I had caught with my tail an 
 eel so large and heavy that I was about to 
 sink, and I was compelled to turn it loose 
 in order to rejoin you." 
 
 Mr. Lion was satisfied with this answer, 
 and the two friends resumed their journey. 
 As they went along they soon came to a 
 high stone wall. Mr. Lion leaped over it 
 at a bound, but Brother Donkey was 
 unable to get over so quickly. He raised 
 
The King of the Lions 193 
 
 himself on his hindlegs, placed his forefeet 
 on the wall, and hung suspended there, 
 Mr. Lion, seeing this, cried out : 
 
 "What are you doing there?" 
 
 " Do you not see," said Brother Don- 
 key, "that I am weighing myself? I 
 want to see if the part of my body in front 
 is as heavy as the part that is behind." 
 
 Brother Donkey, after great effort, at 
 last succeeded in getting over the wall. 
 Mr. Lion then said to his companion : 
 
 " Powerful King of Donkey dom, my es- 
 teemed friend ! I believe that you are 
 making sport of me. I believe that your 
 strength, at its best, is no greater than that 
 of a child." 
 
 " Do you have such a thought as that ? " 
 said Brother Donkey, with a smile. " You 
 make a serious mistake, great King of 
 Beasts. Let us make a trial of strength 
 
 right here. Let us see which of us is able 
 13 
 
194 Evening Tales 
 
 to destroy that great wall. The one that 
 is victorious will be known as the king of 
 the animals." 
 
 "This is a good idea," exclaimed Mr. 
 Lion, heartily, " and I accept your condi- 
 tions with pleasure." 
 
 Immediately Mr. Lion made an effort 
 to show his power. He struck the wall 
 with his paws, and then with his tail. He 
 struck it on the right and on the left, but 
 he only wounded himself. He did not 
 succeed in making one stone fall. At the 
 end of a quarter of an hour he gave up in 
 despair. 
 
 " I cannot make an impression on this 
 strong wall," said Mr. Lion. " Let us see 
 if you will be more fortunate." 
 
 At once Brother Donkey began to bray 
 and kick, and he used his heels with such 
 effect that in a few minutes the wall was 
 knocked down and destroyed. 
 
The King of the Lions 195 
 
 "What do you think of this?" cripd 
 Brother Donkey. "Do you still think 
 you are stronger than I am ? " 
 
 " No," said Mr. Lion, humbly. " Until 
 to-day I had thought myself the king of 
 animals, but I was mistaken, and the title 
 belongs to you hereafter." 
 
 " But even yet," said Brother Donkey, 
 " you do not know what I can do." 
 
 " Then," said Mr. Lion, " what can you 
 do that is so extraordinary ? " 
 
 "Well," replied Brother Donkey, "I 
 can eat thorns." 
 
 " Thorns ! " exclaimed Mr. Lion. " Do 
 you really mean what you say ? " 
 
 " Of course," said Brother Donkey, " I 
 am telling you the simple truth." 
 
 " I would not dispute your word," said 
 Mr. Lion, " but I am really anxious to see 
 you perform this wonderful feat." 
 
 " Do you see the thistles growing over 
 
196 Evening Tales 
 
 there in that field ? " inquired Brother 
 Donkey, 
 
 " I do, indeed," said Mr. Lion. 
 
 "Well," said Brother Donkey, "I am 
 going to eat them." 
 
 Then Brother Donkey, who had not 
 eaten since morning, began to devour the 
 thistles. Astonished at this, Mr. Lion 
 said to Brother Donkey : 
 
 " I think you are the most extraordinary 
 creature I ever saw, and I want you to be 
 recognized as King of the Lions. Do you 
 consent ? " 
 
 "With pleasure," Brother Donkey re- 
 plied. 
 
 The next day, or shortly thereafter, a con- 
 vention of all the lions was held, and 
 Brother Donkey was elected king without 
 any opposition whatever. He reigned over 
 them many years, and he was the better 
 able to do this from the fact that he never 
 
The King of the Lions 197 
 
 disputed with his subjects over their prey. 
 Brother Donkey ate his thistles and the 
 lions ate their fresh meat, and all was 
 peace in that country. 
 
XIII 
 
 THE yiZIER, THE MONKEY, THE 
 LION, AND THE SERPENT 
 
 Once on a time a ruler who was the 
 king of men, as well as the king of beasts, 
 called his Vizier, Rustem, to whom he 
 had confided the education of his only 
 son, and said : 
 
 "Tell me, does my son follow your ad- 
 vice, and does he give promise of making 
 a worthy successor of his father ? " 
 
 " Though he is still youthful, the young 
 prince bids fair to become the king of 
 men," said Rustem ; " your son is already 
 fitted to rule both man and beast." 
 
 Never was a vizier so untruthful ; never 
 had a tutor so corrupted a young prince. 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 199 
 
 He had implanted in his pupil's mind the 
 vices which were his own. He had made 
 him greedy, unjust, and impatient at the 
 least contradiction. The Vizier had made 
 the young prince believe that the people 
 whom he was one day to govern were a 
 lot of miserable cattle who were to be im- 
 posed on at the King's will. 
 
 It happened in those days that a mer- 
 chant came to the King's palace, having 
 for sale a collection of rich jewels. He 
 had them of all kinds and all prices — dia- 
 monds, pearls, rubies, and emeralds — all 
 heaped together in a beautiful casket of 
 carved cedarwood. The Prince remained 
 for hours admiring this marvellous collec- 
 tion of treasures. 
 
 "Ah," he exclaimed, "how I wish I 
 had money enough to buy all that I 
 see ! " 
 
 " Prince," said the Vizier, " are you not 
 
2cx> Evening Tales 
 
 the master? Command, and these treas- 
 ures are yours." 
 
 "Well, then," said the Prince, "so be 
 it ; " and with that his slaves took posses- 
 sion of the casket and drove the poor mer- 
 chant away from the palace. 
 
 The merchant, however, was not willing 
 to submit to such an injustice. He went 
 about making his charges and his com- 
 plaints in the public places, until at last 
 the matter became a scandal that could 
 not be overlooked. So the powerful 
 young Prince had him whipped with such 
 severity that he expired not far from the 
 palace. 
 
 The news of this terrible crime came 
 speedily to the ears of the King, who be- 
 came enraged with his son and with the 
 perfidious Rustem. He drove them both 
 from the palace. The tutor was banished 
 from the court, and the young Prince was 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 201 
 
 placed in a castle at some distance from 
 his father's palace. Forgetting the irrepar- 
 able injury he had caused, the Vizier one 
 day went to see his former pupil. He 
 fancied he would be received with open 
 arms, as in the past ; but what was his 
 surprise to find himself loaded with re- 
 proaches. With a significant gesture the 
 young Prince ordered his old tutor from 
 his presence. The Vizier retired in con- 
 fusion. It was nig'ht, and for a long time 
 he wandered in the forests 
 
 Vaguely walking about he fell in a pit 
 that had been set as a trap for wild ani- 
 mals. What was his terror to find himself 
 in the company of a Lion, a Monkey, and 
 a Serpent, each of whom had fallen into 
 the pit. When morning came the ex- 
 vizier found himself in the midst of sad 
 reflection. He was fearful that he would 
 lose by hunger the life these beasts had 
 
202 Evening Tales 
 
 left him, when, all of a sudden, he saw a 
 man peering over the edge of the pitfall 
 Then the Vizier set up a terrible cry, and 
 the traveller, touched with pity, threw him 
 a rope so that he could escape from his 
 perilous position. 
 
 The Monkey, nimbler than the Vizier, 
 seized the rope and ran up it, much to the 
 surprise of the traveller, who had expected 
 a different visitor. 
 
 " You will not be sorry for this," said 
 the Monkey, by way of apology. " I 
 know how to be grateful for a service, 
 and I know how to cherish a benefactor. 
 To prove to you that I am in earnest, I 
 will give you a piece of advice. Do not 
 rescue the man whose voice you heard in 
 the pitfall. He is a knave, and he will 
 soon cause you to repent of your gener- 
 osity. I live at the foot of the mountain 
 yonder, where I hope to meet you some 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 203 
 
 day and be of service to you. Fare- 
 well ! " 
 
 The traveller was not much impressed 
 with the words of the Monkey, but he al- 
 lowed the creature to go its way, and threw 
 the rope again into the pitfall in the hope 
 of rescuing his fellow-man, whose voice he 
 had heard. 
 
 In a moment he felt a considerable 
 weight on the rope, and he thought that 
 he was now rescuing the man, but, to his 
 utter surprise, a terrible Lion came climb- 
 ing up. His mane was shaggy, his teeth 
 were white and cruel, and his claws were 
 long and crooked. It seemed to the trav- 
 eller that he would be compelled to drop 
 this terrible creature back into the pitfall, 
 but the Lion's voice reassured him. 
 
 "Do not be afraid," said the Lion. 
 " You have won a protector whose ser- 
 vices are not to be disdained. You have 
 
204 Evening Tales 
 
 given me my life to-day and perhaps I 
 may be able to save yours. Your fel- 
 low-man, who is still in the pitfall, will 
 never be able to be of such service to 
 you." 
 
 The traveller thereupon redoubled his 
 efforts and drew the lion to the top. 
 
 " Friend," said the Lion, " my den is in 
 this forest, opposite the mountain. Come 
 and see me, and you will always be wel- 
 come." 
 
 There still remained two prisoners to 
 deliver, and the rope was thrown back in 
 the pit. The Serpent wound himself 
 around it, and was drawn up. 
 
 " Generous friend," cried the Serpent, 
 " I want to give you a piece of advice, and 
 as advice is considered to be cheap, I 
 have no idea that you will follow it. Ser- 
 pents are considered to be wise. I have 
 left in the bottom of this pitfall the most 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 205 
 
 outrageous impostor the world has ever 
 seen. Leave him to his fate if you do not 
 wish to regret your kindness. You seem 
 to be too kind, but on the faith of a ser- 
 pent I will deliver you out of the first dif- 
 ficulty into which your good heart gets 
 you. My house is all along the walls of 
 the neighboring city." 
 
 But in spite of all this advice the travel- 
 ler was too generous to permit his fellow- 
 man to die in the pitfall, and for the 
 fourth time he dropped the rope. The 
 Vizier seized it and was saved. It is im- 
 possible to describe the joy of the Vizier 
 at this turn of affairs. His expressions of 
 gratitude were effusive. He embraced his 
 deliverer and called him his saviour. He 
 wanted to relate his history to the travel- 
 ler, and, in doing so began to deceive his 
 benefactor. He spoke only of the injus- 
 tice of the King, and his discourse seemed 
 
2o6 Evening Tales 
 
 to be so full of truth that the traveller was 
 grateful that it had fallen to his lot to res- 
 cue so admirable a person. 
 
 " I live in the adjoining village," said 
 the deposed Vizier, "and I offer you a 
 home there. You shall be made welcome." 
 
 The traveller thanked him heartily, but 
 he had other ends in view. He was on 
 his way to the Ganges to purchase mer- 
 chandise, and he proceeded thither with 
 that inward satisfaction that arises from 
 the accomplishment of a good deed. On 
 the shores of the Ganges, in India, the 
 traveller entered into trade, and his for- 
 tunes prospered. He soon found him- 
 self possessed of a large sum of money, 
 and he was filled with a desire to see his 
 native country. He returned by the same 
 road, and, after travelling for some time, 
 he found himself once more in the forest 
 where, on a former occasion, his rope had 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 207 
 
 been of such assistance to the unfortunates 
 who had fallen into the pit. 
 
 He remembered with pleasure the elo- 
 quent words of the grateful Rustem, and 
 he regretted that he could not see his old 
 friend. As for the three animals — the 
 Monkey, the Lion, and the Snake — their 
 remarks had made but little impression on 
 his mind ; he was only grateful to them 
 for not having devoured him. 
 
 While he was thinking of these things 
 the rich traveller found himself surrounded 
 with enemies even more ferocious than 
 the animals he had rescued. He found 
 himself in the midst of a band of thieves. 
 The robbers seized the traveller, compelled 
 him to dismount from his horse, took pos- 
 session of his treasxires, and were prepar- 
 ing to take his life, when the captain of 
 the band remarked that it would be a use- 
 less murder. But the thieves bound the 
 
2o8 Evening Tales 
 
 traveller at the foot of a tree, and left him 
 to die there of- hunger. 
 
 The cries of the unfortunate traveller 
 reached the ears of the big Monkey that 
 had been rescued from the pitfall. His 
 instinct recognized the voice of his de- 
 liverer, and he came to the rescue of the 
 traveller. The Monkey seized the bonds 
 in his strong teeth, and they soon fell 
 apart, and it was not long before the trav- 
 eller was free to go his way. 
 
 But the grateful Monkey took him to 
 his home, where fresh fruits appeased his 
 hunger, and cool and pure water quenched 
 his thirst. To the Monkey the traveller 
 related his sad adventure, and the recital 
 touched the heart of the grateful animal. 
 
 The Monkey had lived in the forest so 
 long that he was not only familiar with 
 the habits of the robbers, but knew where 
 their abode was. To that he made haste 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 209 
 
 to go. He found the robbers asleep, with 
 many treasures by their side. He seized 
 bags of gold and silver and precious 
 stones, together with a supply of rich ap- 
 parel, and carried them to his benefactor. 
 
 Having recovered his hard-earned for- 
 tune, the traveller thanked the Monkey, 
 and continued on his journey. He was 
 astonished that such a creature could be so 
 grateful, and reproached himself for never 
 having thought of the animal. He was 
 walking along in the midst of these reflec- 
 tions when he heard a terrible roaring, and 
 a ferocious-looking Lion appeared before 
 him. The traveller was seized with terror. 
 He was so frightened that he leaned 
 against a tree to keep from falling to the- 
 ground. To his surprise, the King of the 
 Forest spoke to him thus : 
 
 "Good-day, my friend, my deliverer! 
 It was you that saved my life. I want to 
 14 
 
2IO Evening Tales 
 
 show you my gratitude. Come into my 
 cavern and take a few moments' rest." 
 
 The conduct of the Monkey had some- 
 what reconciled the traveller to the ani- 
 mals. Whatever fear he might have had 
 in the presence of the Lion, the traveller 
 hoped that the King of Beasts would not 
 be less generous than the Monkey. 
 
 "I am happy to tell you," said the 
 Lion, after having heard about the Mon- 
 key, "that gratitude ought to be the first 
 virtue of beasts, since it is not that of 
 man." At the same time the Lion 
 thought to himself — " How can I show 
 my gratitude to my dear deliverer, and 
 what can I do for him so as not to appear 
 inferior to the Monkey ? " 
 
 He was filled with these reflections 
 when they arrived at the cavern. The 
 traveller was well taken care of by the 
 Lion. He dined most sumptuously, drank 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 211 
 
 of the best wines, and ate of the most 
 delicious fruits. But while they were dis- 
 cussing the dessert, the same distressing 
 thought came into the Lion's head — 
 " What can I do to retain my dignity and 
 pay the sacred debt I owe my deliverer ? " 
 
 But he could not think of anything 
 suitable, and the traveller observed it. So 
 he said : 
 
 " What is the matter, my friend ? You 
 seem disconsolate." 
 
 "Nothing," said the Lion. "But you 
 must promise me that you will not leave 
 this place until I return." 
 
 " But why ? " inquired the traveller. 
 
 " You will know later," responded the 
 lion. 
 
 " Very well," said the traveller, "here I 
 will remain." 
 
 The Lion bounded away, and he was 
 soon in the middle of the forest, looking 
 
212 Evening Tales 
 
 this way and that, to the right and to the 
 left, in search of something marvellous to 
 give to the traveller, when all of a sudden 
 he saw the young Prince, the Vizier's 
 pupil, who had been exiled, promenading 
 in his castle grounds. On the Prince's 
 head there was a turban, which was or- 
 namented with a superb cluster of dia- 
 monds. 
 
 "That is the very thing," exclaimed the 
 Lion, and with one bound he seized the 
 Prince and strangled him. Thus was the 
 jeweller avenged, and his diamonds were 
 returned to him. The traveller, who had 
 been robbed and beaten by order of the 
 young Prince and his Vizier, was glad to 
 get his jewels back, and he did not know 
 how to be grateful enough to the Lion, of 
 whom he had formerly been afraid. 
 
 The traveller then set out toward the 
 city in hopes of finding his excellent friend 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 213 
 
 Rustem. He hoped, indeed, to spend 
 some time with this philosopher, whom 
 he had rescued, and who had offered to 
 share his house with his benefactor. With 
 a happy heart and a light step the traveller 
 went on his way, and the next morning at 
 the break of day he reached the city where 
 the former Vizier had taken up his abode. 
 In spite of the early hour the streets were 
 crowded, and the squares were filled with 
 people. On all sides the populace spoke 
 to each other in subdued tones, as if some 
 dreadful calamity were pending. 
 
 The curiosity of the traveller was ex- 
 cited, and he approached a group, and lis- 
 tened. Some one was relating that the 
 young Prince, who had been exiled from 
 the court, had been found bleeding and 
 dead in the park of the castle. It was 
 thought that the murder of the Prince was 
 the work of some thief who desired to get 
 
214 Evening Tales 
 
 possession of the beautiful jewels that the 
 young man wore. 
 
 Having his curiosity satisfied, the trav- 
 eller made his way to the house of his 
 friend, the philosopher Rustem, where he 
 was received with open arms. According 
 to the wishes of his friend, the traveller 
 related all the particulars of his journey, 
 which were even more wonderful than are 
 related here. He told, in short, his whole 
 history. He told Rustem of all his troubles 
 — how he had been rescued by a Monkey, 
 and how he was met by a terrible Lion, 
 who was rejoiced to see him, and who had 
 given a sumptuous feast in his honor ; and 
 who, thinking this not enough, had pre- 
 sented him with a magnificent cluster of 
 diamonds. 
 
 After relating this extraordinary adven- 
 ture, the traveller made bold to exhibit 
 to Rustem the beautiful diadem, who re- 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 215 
 
 , . . . .... . , . , (^ — 
 
 garded it with a greedy and knowing 
 look, and who made many exclamations 
 of surprise and admiration. The worthy 
 traveller did not foresee the troubles that 
 this unfortunate diadem was to cause 
 him. He did not know that it had been 
 the cause of the death of the son of the 
 King. 
 
 Meanwhile, Rustem was thinking to 
 himself, " I recognize these diamonds. 
 They belonged to my young master. 
 What a reward must be in store for the 
 one who will inform the monarch of the 
 murderer of his child ! " 
 
 Night came, and the traveller was fast 
 asleep. The cluster of diamonds was lying 
 on a table. The cowardly Vizier seized it 
 and ran to the palace. The ingrate, cow- 
 ardly as he was, would not hesitate to sac- 
 rifice his benefactor, provided he could 
 recover his lost power. 
 
aid Evening Tales 
 
 "Here is the property of the son whom 
 you have so rigorously punished. Do you 
 recognize these diamonds ? I have in my 
 power the assassin who had possession of 
 this diadem." 
 
 The unfortunate King wept on seeing 
 the familiar ornament which his favorite 
 son had worn. He kissed it, and pressed 
 it to his heart as if it had been his favor- 
 ite child. 
 
 "Let the murderer be brought before 
 me," he exclaimed, "and he shall be 
 thrown into the darkest dungeon." 
 
 The unfortunate traveller, who was 
 ignorant of the crime of which he was 
 accused, was brought before the King 
 with trouble and confusion imprinted on 
 his features. He saw the perfidious Rus- 
 tem in the crowd that surrounded him, 
 and, remembering the wise counsels of the 
 Monkey and the Serpent, suspected that 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 217 
 
 he hac| been made the victim of this treach- 
 erous person. 
 
 "I deserve," he said, sadly, "the cruel 
 lot that is in store for me." 
 
 The King, mistaking the true meaning 
 of these words, thought that the prisoner 
 had been frightened into making a confes- 
 sion. He was thereupon condemned to 
 be burned in the public square. 
 
 Fortunately, as this punishment was to 
 be witnessed by the whole populace, it 
 was postponed until after the funeral of 
 the young Prince. The poor traveller 
 was cast into the dungeon set apart for 
 the condemned. It was dark and clammy, 
 and on entering it he bade farewell to life 
 and happiness. 
 
 A friend, however, was watching over 
 the poor traveller. It was the Serpent he 
 had delivered from the pitfall. Cautious- 
 ly he crawled along the damp walls and 
 
2i8 Evening Tales 
 
 under the doors, and avoided the observa- 
 tion of the jailers. The traveller recog- 
 nized him at once. 
 
 " Fear nothing," said the Serpent, " I 
 come to deliver you." 
 
 "How can you do that, my friend?" 
 asked the traveller. 
 
 " I have promised to redeem you from 
 the results of your own generosity, and I 
 am faithful to my promise. You refused 
 to believe that man is the most ungrateful 
 of the animals, and that he returns evil for 
 good. You have forgotten the good ad- 
 vice given you by the Lion and the Mon- 
 key. However, let us forget that. I will 
 be more cunning than the vile wretch who 
 is seeking your ruin." 
 
 " What must be done ? " the traveller 
 asked. 
 
 " Take this herb. It alone has virtue to 
 cure the poison with which I have inocu- 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 219 
 
 lated the King's favorite wife. The mon- 
 arch has now become a victim of the keen- 
 est grief, and you alone can appease it. 
 He will soon forget the crime of which 
 you are accused. He who can make him- 
 self useful is always innocent. Advertise 
 your talents ; that is the way to success. 
 Apply the herb I have given you, and you 
 will perform miracles. Farewell ! time 
 presses. Here comes the King to visit 
 you." 
 
 The traveller took the advice of the 
 Serpent, and it soon became known at the 
 court that he had an infallible remedy for 
 all sorts of poisons, and he was taken from 
 the dungeon and carried to the palace, and 
 to the apartment of the Queen. This esti- 
 mable lady was sick and pale, and it was 
 apparent that she was dying little by little. 
 
 The first application of the herb revived 
 the dying Queen, and when the remedy 
 
220 Evening Tales 
 
 was applied the second time the gracious 
 lady found herself fully recovered. 
 
 " Your Majesty," said the traveller, "the 
 Queen will never feel again the cruel pains 
 that she has suffered, and her life is here- 
 after safe; but I am on the eve of ter- 
 minating mine — a fate that I have not 
 deserved. You are too just to punish an 
 innocent person, and I am not the mur- 
 derer of your son. That monster, Rustem, 
 had contaminated the Prince's youth, and 
 it was through his corrupt counsels that 
 the young Prince was dragged into dis- 
 grace. You will know this villain better 
 when I prove to you that he is the most 
 ungrateful of human beings." 
 
 Then the traveller related to the King 
 the adventure in the pitfall and all that 
 followed. Convinced that the traveller 
 was telling the truth, the King ordered 
 that the ingrate Rustem should suffer all 
 
The Vizier, the Monkey, Etc. 221 
 
 the tortures that had been reserved for 
 the man who was a prisoner. 
 
 This perfidious creature, Rustem, was ig- 
 norant of all that had taken place at the 
 palace, and was waiting with impatience 
 for the success of his treasonable plots. 
 He was aroused from his vain dreams of 
 greatness, seized, and hurried off to his 
 doom. 
 
XIV 
 THE ENCHANTED PRINCESS 
 
 Once upon a time there lived in a far 
 country a young Prince, who desired noth- 
 ing better than to take to himself a wife, 
 but none of the women who had been pre- 
 sented to him suited his fancy or touched 
 his heart. 
 
 "How is it," he cried, " that in all my 
 father's kingdom I am unable to find a 
 wife that suits me ? " 
 
 The poor young Prince became discon- 
 solate. He shed burning tears, refused to 
 eat or drink, and dwindled away in the 
 sight of the sun. The King saw his son's 
 despair and took pity on him. So one 
 day he called the young Prince to him 
 and said: 
 
The Enchanted Princess 223 
 
 " My son, here is a gold key. Go to 
 the top of the highest tower of my castle, 
 and there you will find a door. Open it 
 and enter, and you will then see before 
 you the most beautiful and the most vir- 
 tuous women in the world. You can 
 have your choice. I hope you will find 
 among them the wife you desire." 
 
 Filled with joy. Prince Erian took the 
 golden key, climbed the long stairs lead- 
 ing to the tower, and soon arrived at the 
 door his father had described. But there 
 was no lock in which he could place the 
 key. He searched in vain. Disappointed, 
 he returned to his father. 
 
 " I found the door," he said, " but the 
 key was useless. There was no lock." 
 
 "All that is necessary," the King re- 
 plied, " is to touch the door with your key, 
 and immediately it will swing back on its 
 ruby hinges, so that you may enter." 
 
224 Evening Tales 
 
 The Prince made haste to return to the 
 castle tower, and he had no sooner touched 
 the door with the key than it swung on its 
 ruby hinges. 
 
 Never since the day when the sun first 
 shone on this poor earth of ours, never 
 since the golden stars sparkled in the fir- 
 mament, has such a scene been presented 
 to the human eye as that which Prince Bri- 
 an saw before him. An immense hall, in- 
 laid with thousands of glistening diamonds, 
 sapphires as blue as the sky, and opals 
 with their changing hues, lay spread out 
 before the King's son, who stood dumb 
 with astonishment and admiration. There 
 were soft carpets everywhere, unmatch- 
 able pictures, and bright-colored flowers. 
 Silver perfuming-pans swinging from their 
 golden chains, and filling the air with rich 
 incense, burned incessantly in this en- 
 chanted place. 
 
The Enchanted Princess 225 
 
 There were twelve windows in this 
 wonderful hall, and in each window a 
 young girl stood, a living picture in a 
 frame. All were so beautiful and so grace- 
 ful that the young Prince was dazed. 
 Never in his wildest dreams had he caught 
 a glimpse of fairies quite so beautiful, and 
 even the water-nymphs that he had seen 
 disporting themselves on the water's edge 
 were not so charming. 
 
 Dazed and delighted as he was, there 
 was, nevertheless, a mystery that puzzled 
 the young Prince. In the first of the 
 twelve windows stood a young girl whose 
 head was covered with a gauze veil. She 
 alone had not turned when the King's 
 son entered. Prince Erian stepped to her 
 side and removed the veil. 
 
 " Why do you look at me ? " she asked, 
 sadly. 
 
 " Because," he replied, you are the most 
 
 IS 
 
226 Evening Tales 
 
 charming of all the marvellous beauties 
 that surround you; because you are like 
 the moon among the stars — ^like the rose 
 among the flowers of a garden." 
 
 "What do you desire of me?" the 
 young girl asked. 
 
 " Something that makes me tremble to 
 say it," responded Prince Erian. " I want 
 to make you my Queen, and live at your 
 side." 
 
 " Alas ! to marry me you must rescue 
 me. I am the prisoner of the most pow- 
 erful magician of the earth. I am held 
 captive by Magor, the King of the Sor- 
 cerers." 
 
 " No matter ! " cried the young Prince. 
 " I shall rescue you. I shall die if I do 
 not make you mine." 
 
 " May you be victorious over my deadly 
 enemy ; but, unfortunate that I am ! " 
 sighed the beautiful prisoner, " I fear you 
 
The Enchanted Princess 227 
 
 will share the sad fate of the many gallant 
 young princes who have wished to deliver 
 me from my bonds." 
 
 Quite happy, Prince Erian returned to 
 his father, 
 
 "Well," said the King, "did you meet 
 the lady of your dreams ? " 
 
 " Yes, my father." 
 
 "Tell me : which did you choose ? " 
 
 " The most beautiful of all," exclaimed 
 the Prince ; " the fairest of the stars, the 
 rose that perfumes the gardens." 
 
 "The stars are all brilliant," said the 
 King, " and each flower sheds its per- 
 fume. Answer me, my son ; which is the 
 lady of your choice ? " 
 
 " My father, it is the veiled lady." 
 
 " Unfortunate boy, you are lost ! " cried 
 the monarch. " It is the Queen of Gol- 
 conda, the prisoner of Magor, the King of 
 the Magicians, that you have chosen. My 
 
228 Evening Tales 
 
 poor son! to make her your queen you 
 must take her away from that terrible sor- 
 cerer." 
 
 " Well, my father," cried the enthusias- 
 tic young prince, " I will be her deliver- 
 er !" 
 
 " Alas, my son ! " said the King, " I 
 fear you will fail, and then you will be 
 turned into a statue of stone." 
 
 "The risk is mine," cried Prince Erian. 
 " I shall overcome him." 
 
 " Ah, my son ! your defeat is certain. 
 Remain with me. " 
 
 " It is too late, my father, I cannot. " 
 
 The princely lover lost no time in set- 
 ting out to conquer Magor, the King of 
 the Magicians, who held the beautiful 
 Princess in enchantment. 
 
 Prince Erian had been travelling for 
 several days, when he came to a gloomy 
 forest. Unfortunately, in passing through 
 
The Enchanted Princess 229 
 
 this dark forest, he lost his way, and in 
 spite of all his efforts, he could not find it 
 again. He wandered about in the woods 
 for some time when, suddenly, and as if 
 by magic, a stranger appeared before him. 
 
 "Good-day, friend!" exclaimed Prince 
 Erian. "What are you doing, and what 
 is your name ? " 
 
 " My name is Long," replied the other ; 
 "and I am looking for a master who 
 needs my services." 
 
 " The master is already found," said the 
 young Prince. " If you give your consent 
 you shall serve me." 
 
 "Agreed!" exclaimed Long. "From 
 this day I am entirely subject to your 
 orders." 
 
 "For the present," said Prince Erian. 
 " I ask nothing of you except to help me 
 find my way out of this terrible forest." 
 
 " Is that all ? Wait a moment." With 
 
230 Evening Tales 
 
 this, Long stretched himself to such an 
 amazing extent that his head was above 
 the tallest trees of the forest. 
 
 " What are you doing ? " asked the as- 
 tonished Prince. 
 
 " I am trying to find our way out." In 
 a little while Long made himself short 
 again, no taller than an ordinary man. 
 
 " Well, have you found the road ? " the 
 Prince inquired anxiously. 
 
 "Surely," replied Long. "We must 
 take the one to the right of you, and soon 
 we shall be out of this jungle." 
 
 So the Prince and his companion took 
 the road to the right and soon found them- 
 selves clear of the impenetrable forest. 
 As they came to its borders they saw a 
 stout man sitting at the foot of a tree. 
 He was round as any barrel, and he sat 
 breathing heavily and wiping his face with 
 the back of his hand. 
 
The Enchanted Princess 231 
 
 "Good -day, my slim friend," said the 
 Prince. "What are you doing here, and 
 what is your name ? " 
 
 "My father named me Large," replied 
 the stout man ; " and I am resting in the 
 shade here, waiting for some one who 
 needs my services." 
 
 " Your services ? And what can you 
 do, my man ? " inquired the Prince. 
 
 Large made no reply. He simply 
 caused his body to expand to such an ex- 
 tent that he filled the open field. Before 
 Prince Erian and Long could recover 
 from their astonishment. Large caused 
 himself to subside, being careful however, 
 not to collapse so suddenly as to create a 
 great storm. 
 
 " Now, then," said he, " can I be of ser- 
 vice to any one ? " 
 
 " I think you can," the Prince answered ; 
 '• and since you possess such an extraordi- 
 
232 Evening Tales 
 
 nary talent, I will take you as my servant. 
 Come with me." 
 
 " Gladly ! " exclaimed Large, and the 
 Prince and his two servants continued on 
 their way. 
 
 As the travellers drew near their jour- 
 ney's end, they saw a man leaning against 
 an immense oak. He had a bandage over 
 his eyes, and he stood motionless, appear- 
 ing to be very much preoccupied. 
 
 "Take this unfortunate person into 
 your service," Long suggested to the 
 Prince. " Who knows but he may prove 
 to be of great assistance to you later on ? " 
 
 " My friend," said Prince Erian, address- 
 ing the stranger, "what is your name?" 
 
 "My father named me Keen Eyes," 
 said the other. 
 
 " A pretty neat name for a blind man," 
 remarked the Prince. "What can you 
 do?" 
 
The Enchanted Princess 233 
 
 " My trade is to see clearly," replied 
 Keen Eyes. " My eyes are bandaged so 
 that my sight may do no damage to the 
 objects I fix my gaze on." 
 
 " Really ! " exclaimed Prince Erian ; "if 
 your power is so great, give us an exam- 
 ple of it." 
 
 " Look !" cried Keen Eyes. " Do you 
 see that immense rock yonder ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Keep your eyes on it ! In an instant 
 it shall fly to pieces." 
 
 Keen Eyes removed his bandage, 
 looked steadily upon the imposing mass of 
 granite, and it seemed to melt before his 
 eyes ; it crumbled and fell to pieces. 
 
 " My friend," said the Prince, " you are 
 an extraordinary man. If you will come 
 with me, I will take you as my servant." 
 ' Keen Eyes gladly accepted the offer. 
 
 After travelling a little farther. Prince 
 
234 Evening Tales 
 
 Brian and his servants, Long, Large, and 
 Keen Eyes, came upon a magnificent castle, 
 the walls of which were armored with iron 
 and brass. This castle belonged to the ter- 
 rible Magor, the King of the Magicians, 
 who held the Princess of Golconda in the 
 spell of his enchantment. 
 
 "This is the end of our journey." said 
 Prince Erian. 
 
 He then explained to his servants the 
 bold scheme he had in mind, and they 
 made an effort to enter at once into the 
 castle, but the door was made of brass and 
 it was barred and locked. 
 
 "What shall we do?" said the young 
 Prince. 
 
 "Wait!" answered Keen Eyes. He 
 raised his bandage, gave the door one 
 glance and it crumbled into pieces. With- 
 out further cerernony, the four travellers 
 entered the castle. 
 
The Enchanted Princess 235 
 
 It was a wonderful place, this home 
 of the King of the Sorcerers. On every 
 side statues of gold and silver were to be 
 found, luminous flowers, and amidst all 
 the beauty, charming birds that spoke the 
 language of human beings. 
 
 In one room of the castle the travellers 
 found a table already set and covered 
 with the most palatable dishes and per- 
 fumed wines. The Prince and his com- 
 panions were very hungry ; so they sat 
 themselves down to the feast spread be- 
 fore them, and ate a great deal and drank 
 a great deal more. After this excellent 
 meal. Prince Erian and his three servants 
 went out to walk in the beautiful garden. 
 They had scarcely gone ten paces when . 
 they met Magor and his charming captive. 
 At sight of these unknown persons, the 
 Sorcerer stood dumb with amazement. 
 At last, full of rage, he cried out : 
 
236 Evening Tales, 
 
 "Why did you come here, miserable 
 creatures? Dare you even pretend to 
 take from me the pearl of pearls, the 
 beauty without rival that I have on my 
 arm, my pretty prisoner, the Princess of 
 Golconda ? " 
 
 " Yes, " said the Prince ; " and all your 
 magic will serve to confound you, if you 
 do not use your superhuman art." 
 
 " So be it," assented Magor. " I will not 
 crush you like an earthworm. I will do 
 better. I will give you the lady of your 
 dreams, but upon one condition only." 
 
 " Name it ! " cried Prince Erian. 
 
 "It is this : that during three days in 
 succession, and precisely at twelve o'clock, 
 you must present the Princess of Golconda 
 to me in the large hall of the Castle." 
 
 "That is an easy thing to do," said 
 Prince Erian. 
 
 "You are mad ! " cried Magor. " Re- 
 
The Enchanted Princess 237 
 
 fleet before you accept the challenge, for 
 if you permit the Princess to escape all 
 will be over with you. That moment you 
 and your companions shall be changed 
 into statues." 
 
 "No matter," said the Prince. "I 
 accept." 
 
 " If; at the appointed hour," the King 
 of the Sorcerers explained, "you present 
 to me the Princess of Golconda, one of 
 the iron rings that I wear around my waist 
 will fall off, and if all three should break, 
 one after the other, you will be victorious 
 over me — over Magor, the King of the 
 Magicians." 
 
 Then Prince Erian took the arm of the 
 lady of his dreams, the beautiful Princess 
 of Golconda, and conducted her to the 
 hall that Magor had pointed out to him. 
 After the three days of the trial, the 
 charming Princess would be his own — 
 
238 Evening Tales 
 
 all his own. With what happiness, he 
 thought, would he present her to his 
 father! "Here," he would say, "is the 
 wife I have chosen. Magor, the King of 
 the Magicians, disputed my right to her, 
 and him I have overthrown ! " 
 
 But what precautions they were com- 
 pelled to use ! Prince Erian closed the 
 door carefully and then ordered Long to 
 stretch himself all around the hall. Large 
 was told to expand himself so as to stop 
 up the windows, and Keen Eyes was made 
 to loosen the bandage around his eyes. 
 When all these preparations had been 
 made, there was only a small space left for 
 the beautiful Princess and Prince Erian. 
 
 " Keen Eyes," said the young Prince, 
 "we must be careful; we must not fall 
 asleep ; we must watch to-night." 
 
 "Yes, master," responded Keen Eyes, 
 "we must drive away sleep." 
 
The Enchanted Princess 239 
 
 Nevertheless, worn out as they were, 
 they soon closed their eyes, and in a few 
 moments they were sound asleep. 
 
 At dawn the next day. Prince Erian 
 was the first to awake. But the beautiful 
 Princess had disappeared. The young 
 Prince, filled with mingled grief and as- 
 tonishment, called out to his companions : 
 
 " Awake, my friends ! Awake ! " 
 
 "What is the matter, master? What is 
 the matter ? " they cried : 
 
 "An irreparable misfortune has befall- 
 en me ! The Princess has disappeared ! 
 Search and see if you can find her any- 
 where." 
 
 Long, Large, and the young Prince 
 searched everywhere, examining every 
 piece of furniture, but they did not find 
 the beautiful young Princess. 
 
 '' Alas! " they cried, "what shall we do? 
 we are lost ! " 
 
240 Evening Tales 
 
 " Wait ! " said Keen Eyes ; " not yet ! " 
 He had also been searching for the 
 Princess. 
 
 " What ! " exclaimed the young Prince, 
 " can you have found her ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied Keen Eyes. "Four 
 hundred leagues away there is a forest. 
 In this forest there is a tree. On this tree 
 there is a limb. On this limb there is an 
 acorn." 
 
 "Well— well ?" cried Prince Erian. 
 
 " And in that acorn is the Princess." 
 
 " Then all is lost ! " exclaimed the young 
 Prince. " To travel four hundred leagues 
 and return by noon is an impossibility." 
 
 " Do not give up all hope, my master," 
 said Long. " Wait a little while." 
 
 Keen Eyes got on Long's shoulders, and 
 Long stretched himself out so that with a 
 few leaps he was in the forest and then at 
 the tree. Keen Eyes took possession of 
 
The Enchanted Princess 241 
 
 the precious acorn. Long drew his great 
 length together, and in a moment they had 
 returned. 
 
 Prince Erian took the acorn, broke it 
 open, and out stepped the Princess, more 
 beautiful and more resplendent than ever. 
 
 All this time, Magor, the King of the 
 Sorcerers, was laughing to himself and en- 
 joying the neat trick he had played on the 
 young Prince and his companions. At 
 precisely twelve o'clock he presented him- 
 self at the door of the hall, and cried out : 
 
 "Ah, well ! faithful guardian ! Can you 
 show me the beautiful Princess ? " 
 
 " Most certainly," replied Prince Erian. 
 " Behold her here ! " 
 
 A cry of rage broke from the Magician, 
 
 A band of iron broke from his body and 
 
 fell at his feet. 
 
 "But wait!" cried Magor. "Watch 
 
 well to-night." 
 16 
 
242 Evening Tales 
 
 " Be not uneasy," said Prince Erian. 
 " Meanwhile permit us to promenade in 
 your magnificent garden." 
 
 They inspected the palace from top to 
 bottom and went through the garden. 
 They saw some very strange things, and 
 much that they saw was calculated to 
 make a very serious impression on their 
 minds. That which most affected the 
 friends of the young Princess was the 
 spectacle of a wall along which were 
 ranged the statues of many Knights. 
 
 Some stood with clubs uplifted as if for 
 combat. Others were in an attitude of 
 supplication, while still others, with mus- 
 cles strained and eyes filled with fire, 
 seemed to be having a hand-to-hand con- 
 test with the terrible Sorcerer ; but they 
 had all been vanquished and turned to 
 stone by his power. 
 
 "These unfortunate men," said the 
 
The Enchanted Princess 243 
 
 Princess, " have been transformed into 
 statues for attempting to rescue me from 
 the King of the Magicians. I have been 
 the innocent cause of the misfortune of 
 these brave men, and I bring misery to 
 all who interest themselves in my sad 
 fate." 
 
 "Then why do you not fly from 
 this desolate palace ? " Prince Erian asked. 
 "Are you never free from this Magician ? 
 He has such power* over you ? " 
 
 "Alas!" replied the Princess, "I am 
 not the mistress of my destiny, and when 
 the King of the Magicians commands 
 me I must obey. His power over me is 
 boundless. He can change me into a 
 bird that flies, into a grain of dust blown 
 about by the wind, or into a flower that 
 perfumes the garden. He can send me 
 a million leagues away, and I can neither 
 resist his caprice nor oppose his cruel 
 
244 Evening Tales 
 
 tyranny. Those who love me perish. 
 He is so powerful, the others are so 
 weak ! " 
 
 " Ah, well ! " exclaimed the Prince, 
 " I shall not die, I will deliver you 
 from the talons of this cruel vulture ! I 
 will take you away from this castle, a 
 thousand times accursed since it is your 
 prison ! " 
 
 " Alas ! " said the Princess, " I fear that 
 you also will suffer defeat. Are you a 
 magician, are you a sorcerer, that you 
 can contend against Magor ? " 
 
 " I am neither magician nor sorcerer," 
 replied the enthusiastic young Prince ; 
 "but I have all the power of both, since 
 I love you. Do not despair. Let me do 
 as I wish. My friends, with their ex- 
 traordinary gifts, are your friends, and 
 they are devoted to your cause." 
 
 "We will deliver you!" "We will de- 
 
The Enchanted Princess 245 
 
 liver you ! " exclaimed Long, Large, and 
 Keen Eyes. 
 
 " May you succeed ! " sighed the un- 
 happy Princess. "But my hopes have 
 been dashed to the ground so many times 
 that I dare not depend on anyone." 
 
 All day long the young Princess of 
 Golconda and Prince Erian walked to- 
 gether and were happy, forgetting for the 
 time the terrible contest that was to take 
 place, the outcome of which was wrapped 
 in so much uncertainty. 
 
 Suddenly the Princess disappeared. Ma- 
 gor, the King of the Magicians, had called 
 her. 
 
 The sun was disappearing little by lit- 
 tle below the horizon, and its golden 
 rays were fading before the approaching 
 night. 
 
 All disconsolate, Prince Erian turned 
 his steps toward the castle. His anxiety 
 
246 Evening Tales 
 
 for the Princess was extreme, but, with 
 joyful surprise, he found her awaiting him 
 at the door. 
 
 " Welcome, my Prince ! " she said, and 
 together they entered the castle. 
 
 An elegant repast was spread. The 
 most delicate dishes, the most exquisite 
 wines, burdened the table. 
 
 "Come^ my friends!" cried the Sor- 
 cerer, "eat, drink, and be merry! This 
 may be your last meal." 
 
 " Don't worry yourself, gentle sir," an- 
 swered Long. "To-morrow you may be 
 kept busy in the kitchen again. Rest 
 assured you will always find us in good 
 health and with hearty appetites." 
 
 "We shall see about that," said Magor. 
 " You found my prisoner in an acorn ; you 
 travelled four hundred leagues to bring 
 her back to this palace ; but all that is a 
 very simple matter. To-morrow your task 
 
The Enchanted Princess 247 
 
 will not be such an easy one. Am I not 
 the King of the Magicians ? " 
 
 "Just so," remarked Long; "but you 
 are one and we are four." 
 
 When supper was over, the Princess 
 was given into the care of Prince Erian, 
 
 "Good -night!" said Magor with a 
 mocking smile. " Be sure that you watch 
 more faithfully to-night, or the fair lady 
 of your dreams will elude you." 
 
 "Make yourself easy," replied the 
 Prince. "Should she escape we know 
 how to find her." 
 
 When they arrived at the hall where 
 the trial was to be renewed, the Princess 
 said to her companions : 
 
 " I know that you are very powerful, 
 but the cruel Magor is still more power- 
 ful. Redouble your precautions ; remain 
 awake and perhaps you may succeed in 
 rescuing me." 
 
248 Evening Tales 
 
 " Trust to us," answered Prince Erian. 
 
 The most extraordinary precautions 
 were taken, but all to no purpose. While 
 Prince Erian and the Princess of Gol- 
 conda were chatting together, sleep fell 
 upon the small company little by little. 
 The wicked Sorcerer had drugged their 
 wine, and the effect was irresistible. 
 
 " Keen Eyes," said the Prince, drowsily, 
 " are you awake ? " 
 
 " Yes, my master," answered Keen 
 Eyes with a yawn. " Fear nothing ! " 
 
 But immediately his eyelids became 
 heavy, and every effort he made to keep 
 awake only made him sleep all the more 
 soundly. 
 
 Magor, the King of the Magicians, found 
 it an easy matter to carry off his lovely 
 captive through a very small aperture that 
 Large had left open when he fell asleep. 
 
 At sunrise Prince Erian awoke and dis- 
 
The Enchanted Princess 249 
 
 covered that the Princess of Golconda had 
 disappeared. He called to his compan- 
 ions : 
 
 " Long ! Large ! Keen Eyes ! where are 
 you ? Quick ! the Princess has disap- 
 peared ! This is our last day if we do not 
 find her at once ! " 
 
 They searched on all sides, but without 
 success. 
 
 "Do not distress yourself," said Keen 
 Eyes, to the young Prince, who was la- 
 menting. " See ! A thousand leagues 
 from here — farther than the sea, farther 
 than the mountains — there is a broad and 
 waving field of wheat. In that field of 
 wheat there is a ridge. On that ridge there 
 is a stalk. On that stalk there is an ear. 
 In that ear there is a grain. In that grain 
 the beautiful Princess is hid." 
 
 Once more Keen Eyes mounted the 
 shoulders of Long, who stretched himself 
 
250 Evening Tales 
 
 again — stretched and took such long steps 
 that in an hour's time he had crossed seas 
 and mountains and reached the wheat- 
 field. The two friends released the Prin- 
 cess from her floury prison, and in a short 
 time were back at the castle. 
 
 Prince Brian had been awaiting theii' 
 return, tortured by the agony of suspense. 
 It is impossible to describe his joy in be- 
 holding once more the beautiful lady of 
 his dreams. He laughed and sang and 
 seemed almost beside himself. He could 
 scarcely keep his eyes off the Princess 
 even for a moment. Suddenly there ceime 
 a knocking at the door. 
 
 Blam — blam ! Blam ! 
 
 " Come in ! " said the Prince Erian. 
 
 It was the King of the Magicians who 
 entered. He smiled mockingly. 
 
 '• Ah, well, my heroes ! " he exclaimed, 
 " are you as joyous to-day as you were yes- 
 
The Enchanted Princess 251 
 
 terday at this hour, and can you present 
 the Princess to me ? " 
 
 " It is my pleasure to do so," said Prince 
 Brian, with mock courtesy. " Behold the 
 Princess here ! " 
 
 The Sorcerer grew pale with anger, and 
 his eyes shot forth fire. A second band 
 of iron fell from his waist and broke, 
 
 '' One day still remains, and this time 
 we shall see who is the conqueror," said 
 Magor, furious with rage. Thus speaking 
 he retired to an apartment in his palace, 
 where he remained throughout the day, 
 scheming to outwit Prince Erian and his 
 companions. He now realized that he 
 had met adversaries who were dangerous, 
 and he knew that the contest of the next 
 day would be final. What could he do to 
 hide the beautiful captive ? At last he 
 thought he had found a way and a sigh 
 of relief escaped his lips. 
 
252 Evening Tales 
 
 Meanwhile Prince Erian and his com- 
 panions were taking counsel together. 
 They were filled with anxiety. They 
 knew that the King of the Magicians 
 would use all his art to carry oflf and con- 
 ceal the beautiful Princess. They knew, 
 too, that if they failed to find her their 
 fate was sealed. They would take their 
 places among the unfortunate knights 
 who had been transformed into statues. 
 
 That night they took unusual pre- 
 cautions, but all was in vain, for when 
 they awoke the next morning the Princess . 
 of Golconda had again disappeared. 
 
 " Awake, friends ! Arise ! " cried the 
 young Prince, when he made the discov- 
 ery. " The Princess is gone ? Let us 
 search for her." 
 
 Long and willingly they searched, but 
 all in vain. Keen Eyes himself was puz- 
 zled. He looked into the sky and on the 
 
The Enchanted Princess 253 
 
 earth, penetrated the mountains, and 
 looked into the bottom of the precipice. 
 He could see nothing that resembled the 
 beautiful young Princess. 
 
 " Ah, well ! " cried Prince Brian. " The 
 Sorcerer is stronger than we. This time 
 we are lost." 
 
 The sun was already high up in the 
 heavens, and the time was approaching 
 when the King of the Magicians was to 
 make his appearance and demand the 
 Princess. 
 
 But Keen Eyes did not despair. His 
 keen glance searched everywhere. Sud- 
 denly he gave a cry of joy. 
 
 " Victory ! victory ! The Princess is 
 ours ! I have discovered her hiding- 
 place." 
 
 " Where is it ? " cried Prince Erian. 
 " Quick ! Time is precious." 
 
 " Do you see yonder — away yonder in 
 
254 Evening Tales 
 
 the Black Sea," said Keen Eyes, pointing 
 as eagerly as if all eyes were as keen as his 
 — " do you see that wave rocked by the 
 hurricane, ascending to the surface and 
 descending to the depths of the abyss, 
 pushed here and thrown there by the 
 storm ? In the centre of that tremendous 
 wave there is a void. In that void is a ring. 
 In that ring is your beautiful Princess." 
 
 " What shall we do, my friends ? What 
 shall we do ? " cried the young Prince. 
 
 " Large," said Keen Eyes, by way of an- 
 swer, " get on Long's shoulders with me. 
 He will take us to the shore of the sea 
 where the storm-tossed wave is swim- 
 ming." 
 
 Large obeyed, and at once and swiftly 
 they made their way to the sea — swifter 
 than the north wind they travelled, over 
 plains and over mountains, past rivers and 
 hills. 
 
The Enchanted Princess 255 
 
 " Faster, faster ! " cried Keen Eyes. 
 
 They reached the sea, but their difficulty 
 was not over. How should they get pos- 
 session of the storm-tossed wave ? Long 
 stretched himself and pursued it, but when 
 he thought he held it, it would slip from 
 his hands and disappear. 
 
 "Wait," said Large. "I am going to 
 get it." 
 
 Then he began to drink, drink, drink, 
 so rapidly that the wave with the void in 
 its centre was at last brought within reach, 
 so that the ring could be seized. 
 
 What an extraordinary sight it was to 
 see a man as big as the thickest mountains, 
 casting his shadow over the entire coun- 
 try, his head reaching beyond the clouds 
 that floated in the sky. Large's immense 
 size can be imagined. He had been com- 
 pelled to drink the greater part of the sea 
 so as to get possession of the ring. 
 
256 Evening Tales 
 
 Having found the Princess at last, Long 
 and Keen Eyes started on their return 
 journey to the magician's castle. 
 
 But they had lost so much time trying 
 to capture the ring that contained the 
 Princess that the hour of noon was about 
 to strike. 
 
 " Courage — courage ! " cried Long. His 
 immense strides carried him over hills 
 and ravines, vast plains and dense for- 
 ests. In a minute they will be at the 
 castle. Forward ! Quick ! Fast and still 
 faster. 
 
 " We are lost ! " exclaimed Keen Eyes. 
 
 "No!" cried Long, "we are here!" 
 He made a supreme effort, and, at one 
 stride, reached the castle. As he came to 
 the door, he saw the Magician about to 
 enter. 
 
 " Let me pass ! " demanded Keen Eyes. 
 "After me, if you please," said Magor. 
 
The Enchanted Princess 257 
 
 " Infamous Sorcerer ! " exclaimed Keen 
 Eyes, " I must enter ! " 
 
 " After me, I said," responded Magor. 
 
 But while they were disputing Long 
 threw the enchanted ring through the win- 
 dow, and when the King of the Magicians 
 entered the hall, the Princess of Golconda, 
 more beautiful than ever, received him. 
 
 The clock struck the hour of noon ! 
 
 At sight of the Princess, the King of 
 the Magicians trembled and a terrible cry 
 burst from his lips. Then, transforming 
 himself into a raven, he disappeared in 
 space. 
 
 The third iron band had fallen from 
 Magor's waist and broken. 
 
 Meanwhile a marvellous change was 
 taking place. The spell of the wicked 
 Sorcerer was destroyed. The statues 
 came to life. On all sides gay laughter 
 and joyous songs could be heard, and one 
 17 
 
258 Evening Tales 
 
 might have thought that these people, 
 Knights and Princes, were the invited 
 guests at a wedding. 
 
 And so they were, for the marriage of 
 the beautiful Princess of Golconda took 
 place at once, and the guests were the 
 Knights and Princes who had been re- 
 stored to life. All of them took part in 
 the festivities, and at daybreak they were 
 still dancing in the Sorcerer's castle. 
 
 As soon as possible Prince Erian and 
 his charming Princess turned their steps 
 in the direction of that distant city where 
 the aged King was waiting with impa- 
 tience for his beloved son. Large had 
 not yet returned, but Long went after 
 him, and, all together, they wended their 
 way toward the palace where Prince Erian 
 first saw the light. 
 
 The joy of the Prince's parents cannot 
 be described. They were never tired of 
 
The Enchanted PHncess 259 
 
 embracing their child. They overwhelm- 
 ed him with questions, and then kissed and 
 caressed him, and thus prevented him from 
 talking. Nor was the beautiful Princess 
 forgotten ; each one embraced her, and re- 
 ceived her as Prince Brian's wife should 
 be received. 
 
 The festivities lasted many days, and 
 when they were over. Long, Large, and 
 Keen Eyes asked to leave the Prince. 
 
 •'Why leave me?" said Prince Erian. 
 "You know how much I owe you, and 
 whether I love you. Remain with me 
 always." 
 
 " No," replied Keen Eyes, " the palace 
 stifles us, and the fine clothes we wear are 
 uncomfortable. We are useless at this 
 court." 
 
 " I will make you princes," said Prince 
 Erian ; " I will make you kings, if you will 
 assist me in all my undertakings." 
 
26o Evening Tales 
 
 "Men of our kind," said Long, "give 
 kingdoms but receive none. At odd times, 
 dear prince, we shall visit you. May we 
 always find you happy and contented." 
 
 Then bowing low to Prince Brian, 
 Long, Large, and Keen Eyes sighed and 
 disappeared. 
 
XV 
 LOONY JOHN 
 
 When Loony John was born, his 
 mother leaned her head sadly on her hand 
 and murmured : 
 
 "What will become of this boy later? 
 Will he be wicked or innoCent, rich or 
 poor, intelligent or a simpleton ? " 
 
 "He will be rich," answered a little 
 fairy. Her voice seemed to come from 
 the rafters. 
 
 " He will be poor," said a second one. 
 
 " Intelligent," said a third. 
 
 Then a fourth voice made itself heard — 
 " Your child will never be anything but 
 a simpleton." 
 
 The unhappy mother recognized that 
 
262 Evening Tales 
 
 voice. She had heard it one day when 
 she refused to take pity on an old beg- 
 gar-woman, and now she knew that the 
 woman was no other than the Queen of 
 the Fairies in disguise. 
 
 The child grew and thrived, and when 
 he was sixteen, his mother said : 
 
 " My son, I have many trials. We are 
 poor and I want you to learn a trade. 
 What do you want to do ?" 
 
 " Nothing." 
 
 " You do not want to work ?" 
 
 "Oh, no," answered Loony John; 
 "work is tiresome." 
 
 " Ah ! " thought the poor mother, " the 
 Queen of the Fairies is taking her re- 
 venge." 
 
 Some days afterward the good wom- 
 an needed a trivet, and sent her son to 
 buy it. 
 
 Loony John ran to the city and bought 
 
£.oony yohn 263 
 
 a splendid one, and was returning home 
 contentedly, when he found that the trivet 
 was too heavy. So he sat it down and 
 addressed it : 
 
 "There is the road that leads to our 
 home. You have three feet and I have 
 but two. Run on ahead and be sure not 
 to stop on the way, for my mother needs 
 your services." 
 
 Loony John put his hands in his pock- 
 ets and went whistling along the road. 
 
 " Where is the trivet ? " demanded his 
 mother when he reached home. 
 
 " Well, well ! " exclaimed Loony John, 
 "is it not already here? The lazy thing 
 must have lagged on the way. With its 
 three feet it should have been here a good 
 quarter of an hour ago." 
 
 "Alas !" said the mother, "the trivet is 
 lost. What a simpleton you are to talk 
 to a piece of iron as if it had life. You 
 
264 Evening Tales 
 
 should have put it in your sack and carried 
 it on your shoulders." 
 
 " Well, mother," answered Loony John, 
 "another time I shall know what to 
 do." 
 
 One day Loony John's mother con- 
 cluded to celebrate the birthday of her 
 oldest daughter, and some wine was 
 needed for the invited guests, and Loony 
 John was sent after it to a neighboring 
 village. As he was returning, he remem- 
 bered what his mother said about putting 
 the trivet in a sack. 
 
 " Oh — ho ! " he cried. " I was about to 
 make a serious blunder. If I carry this 
 wine to the house in a jug they will scold 
 me. If a trivet should be put in a sack 
 why not the wine ! " 
 
 So he poured it into his sack. 
 
 " Where is the wine ? " he was asked 
 when he returned home. 
 
Loony yohn 265 
 
 " I had no sooner put it in the sack than 
 it ran away on all sides." 
 
 " Did you not have a jug ? " 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " What a misfortune ! " his mother said. 
 "You should have carried it on your head." 
 
 Loony John said he would do better 
 next time. 
 
 Not long after this, he was sent for a 
 servant who had been engaged to watch 
 the young turkeys. 
 
 " This time," said Loony John, " I shall 
 be careful to make no mistake." 
 
 He soon found the servant, who was a 
 young girl, and said to her : 
 
 "We have no time to lose. Let us be 
 off. Come ! get on my head and let's 
 
 go." 
 
 " Oh, I thank you, sir," the young girl 
 
 answered, laughingly. " You are too good. 
 
 I can walk very well on my feet" 
 
266 Evening Tales 
 
 But Loony John was not to be put off 
 in this way. He remembered that he had 
 been told to carry the wine on his head, and 
 as the new servant showed no inclination 
 to obey him he gave her a terrible beating. 
 She fell almost lifeless by the roadside. 
 
 "Oh — ho!" cried Loony John, "you 
 think you will have me scolded again to- 
 day ; but I am not so fond of a scolding, 
 I can assure you." 
 
 Without delay he placed the poor girl 
 on his head and carried her home, where 
 he arrived well-nigh exhausted. 
 
 " What is it you have there ? " his 
 mother cried. 
 
 " It is our new servant I bring you." 
 
 " Oh, what an unhappy creature I am ! " 
 exclaimed the mother. She hastened to 
 put the servant to bed. The poor girl's 
 arms were broken and her shoulders 
 bruised. 
 
Loony yohn 267 
 
 During the fortnight that followed, 
 Loony John was sent on no errands. But 
 the servant girl grew steadily worse, and 
 one morning the doctor had to be sent 
 for. There was no one to go but Loony 
 John, and accordingly he was sent. 
 
 "Ask for only one," his mother cau- 
 tioned him, 
 
 ""Have no fear," answered Loony John, 
 and he went on his way yelling as loud 
 as he could : 
 
 " Let only one come ! Let only one 
 come ! " 
 
 The road led by a river, and as Loony 
 John was going along, he saw a fisher- 
 man who, since early morning, had been 
 throwing out his line without success. 
 Loony John's son^ did not please him, 
 
 " Silly scamp ! " he exclaimed, " say 
 'Let a thousand come!' if you want to 
 save your bones," 
 
268 Evening Tales 
 
 Immediately Loony John cried out : 
 " Let a thousand come ! Let a thou- 
 sand come ! " 
 
 He went on and came to a wood where 
 a shepherd was struggling with a fierce- 
 looking wolf. The contest seemed to in- 
 terest him. He sat down quietly on a 
 stone and awaited results. 
 
 The struggle was long and furious, but 
 the man at last overpowered the beast, 
 and the wolf fell mortally wounded. 
 While the shepherd was recovering from 
 his exertions he heard a strange refrain. 
 Loony John was yelling : 
 
 " Let a thousand come ! Let a thou- 
 sand come ! " 
 
 The shepherd rose to his feet, furious. 
 
 " You young rascal ! Say, rather, ' May 
 the Imp seize him ! ' " 
 
 At once Loony John took up the new 
 refrain and went on his way crying : 
 
Loony yohn 269 
 
 " May the Imp seize him ! May the 
 Imp seize him ! " 
 
 Presently he met a funeral procession, 
 but he still continued his cry. 
 
 " Will you hush ? " said one in the pro- 
 cession. " If you must go yelling along 
 the road, cry out, ' May the Lord protect 
 him ! ' " 
 
 Loony John was willing — none more 
 so — and very soon the echoes were re- 
 peating : 
 
 "May the Lord protect him! May 
 the Lord protect him ! " 
 
 At the entrance of the village where 
 the doctor lived, a house was on fire, and 
 a crowd of people were trying to put it 
 out. Some wicked person had set it on 
 fire and he had been caught. He was 
 safely tied, and those who were not helping 
 to put out the fire were engaged in jeer- 
 ing and insulting the wicked incendiary. 
 
270 Evening Tales 
 
 Loony John also wanted to see the cul- 
 prit, but for fear he would forget what he 
 had been told to say, he kept on repeat- 
 ing : 
 
 "May the Lord protect him ! May the 
 Lord protect him ! " 
 
 The crowd was indignant, and on all 
 sides were heard cries of " Here is his ac- 
 complice ! " Immediately Loony John was 
 seized and beaten, and, in spite of his tears 
 and entreaties, was thrown into prison. 
 
 How he escaped need not be told. 
 There is an old saying, "A fool for luck !" 
 and it is a true one. Loony John got back 
 home somehow. 
 
 Some time afterward Easter Sunday 
 came, and when Loony John's mother 
 started to church she said : 
 
 "Above all things, don't forget to put 
 the hen in the stew-pan." 
 
 " I will certainly do that," he answered. 
 
Loony John 271 
 
 The good woman went off, leaving Loo- 
 ny John very much perplexed. He did 
 not know which hen his mother wanted. 
 So, after thinking the matter over, he went 
 into the hen-house and said : 
 
 " Which one of you is to be cooked for 
 dinner ? " 
 
 " Cluck — cluck — cluck ! " answered a 
 setting hen. 
 
 " Pshaw ! don't talk Dutch ! " protested 
 Loony John ; " I can't understand you," 
 
 "Cluck — cluck — cluck!" said the set- 
 ting hen. 
 
 Loony John was more puzzled than ever, 
 but he repeated the question : 
 
 " Answer ! Which one of you is to be 
 eaten for dinner to-day ? " 
 
 By this time the frightened chickens 
 had all run out of the house into the gar- 
 den, leaving only the old setting hen who 
 had been answering Loony John in Dutch. 
 
2/2 Evening Tales 
 
 "Oh ! you are the one ! Very well ! " 
 
 Loony John seized her and put her in 
 the stew-pan alive. Then he began to 
 think, and he remembered that the eggs 
 were not hatched and that the nest was 
 without a hen. 
 
 "My mother did not think of that," 
 said Loony John, and at once he went and 
 sat on the nest in the hen's place. 
 
 When his mother returned home she 
 called for her son. 
 
 " John ! Oh, John ! where are you Y' 
 
 " Here, in a corner of the hen-house ! " 
 
 ^' Where ? " exclaimed the mother. " I 
 do not see you." 
 
 "Cluck — cluck — cluck!" said Loony 
 John. 
 
 "Why don't you answer?" cried his 
 mother. 
 
 ' ' Cluck — cluck — cluck ! " said Loony 
 John. 
 
Loony John 273 
 
 His mother at last found him quietly 
 sitting on the eggs. 
 
 "What are you doing there?" she 
 asked, angrily. 
 
 " Sh— h ! " replied Loony John. " Don't 
 make any noise. I am setting." 
 
 "Did you put the hen in the stew- 
 pan?" 
 
 " Cluck— cluck— cluck ! " 
 
 " What do you mean by that ? " in- 
 quired the good woman, " Speak ! " 
 
 " I say that I am setting ! " said Loony 
 John, "and I will fly off the nest and 
 scratch in the garden if you continue to 
 disturb me in this manner." 
 
 "Why do you set?" his mother asked. 
 
 " Because the hen that sat on these eggs 
 is about to boil." 
 
 " Why, that is not the hen that was to 
 
 be cooked for dinner to-day, but the one 
 
 that I picked yesterday and put in the 
 18 
 
274 Evening Tales 
 
 cupboard ! " The good woman shook her 
 head in despair and went away. 
 
 How long Loony John sat on the nest 
 cannot be told, but one day, some time 
 afterward, he was passing by a farm where 
 he saw a woman picking a chicken and 
 carefully placing the feathers to one side. 
 Loony John was very much interested in 
 this, and so he said to her : 
 
 " Please, ma'am, tell me what you are 
 doing with those feathers ? " 
 
 The woman was not without humor, 
 and she replied : 
 
 " Why do you ask such a simple ques- 
 tion ? I am going to plant the feathers, 
 of course. Doesn't your mother plant the 
 feathers she picks from chickens ? " 
 
 " My gracious ! No ! " 
 
 "Well, then, it is because she doesn't 
 own any Catchmeddler hens." 
 
Loony yohn 275 
 
 "Why do you plant the feiathers?" in- 
 quired Loony John. 
 
 " Well, well ! your country must be a 
 very poor place, young man. Is it pos- 
 sible you don't know that one of these 
 feathers, carefully cultivated, will yield 
 each mohth a fat, frying-size chicken ? " 
 
 " If that is so," said Loony John, " sell 
 me two hundred dollars' worth of your 
 largest and finest feathers." 
 
 The woman laughed in her sleeve. She 
 had never dreamed that an old hen could 
 bring her so much money. She hastened 
 to close the trade with Loony John, and, 
 to show that she was not at all picayunish, 
 she threw in the two feet of the old hen 
 for good measure. 
 
 Loony John went on his way happy. 
 When he reached home he got the hoe, 
 went out into the garden, and began to 
 plant his fine feathers. 
 
276 Evening Tales 
 
 " How everybody will admire my fine 
 square of feathers ! " he said to himself, 
 " I will call to every passer-by and say, 
 ' Behold the beautiful hen-patch ! Has 
 ever such a wonder been seen before ? ' " 
 
 The next week, however, Loony John 
 went all in tears to find the farm-woman. 
 
 "Well, well! my good young man T" 
 exclaimed the woman when she saw him, 
 "what do you cry for? Has your house 
 been burnt ? " 
 
 "That would be but a trifle," replied 
 Loony John. 
 
 " Alas ! is your mother dead ? " 
 
 " That would be an irreparable misfort- 
 une, but after awhile we should become 
 reconciled." 
 
 " What plagite has fallen upon you ? " 
 
 "The hail!" cried Loony John; "the 
 hail that uprooted my beautiful chicken 
 feathers. The wind also came among 
 
Loony "jfohn 2'j'j 
 
 them and scattered them over the coun- 
 try. Do not scold me ! I have hunted for 
 them, but I cannot find a single one." 
 
 " We should have thought about the 
 possibility of a storm," said the shrewd 
 woman. " It was not hens you should 
 have cultivated, my young friend, but 
 sausages — for sausages will withstand the 
 wind and hail." 
 
 " But how would the sausages grow ? " 
 asked Loony John, drying his tears. 
 
 " Why, like apples and cherries ; but the 
 trees, instead of producing these fruits, 
 bear beautiful sausages. People who are 
 not educated think that sausages are only 
 made by those who deal in meat. But 
 surely you know better," said the shrewd 
 woman. 
 
 Loony John tried to hide his astonish- 
 ment, 
 
 " Who would be so simple-minded as 
 
278 Evening Tales 
 
 not to know that ? " he replied. " For how 
 much, ma'am, will you sell the sausages 
 you speak of ? " 
 
 " Twenty dollars apiece, if they are for 
 yourself," answered the woman. 
 
 " I'll take a dozen," said Loony John, 
 with the air of a fine trader. " I shall 
 need no more to-day." 
 
 The shrewd woman brought Loony 
 John a dozen old sausages and carefully 
 wrapped them up. He paid for them on 
 the spot, and then, forgetting his first mis- 
 fortune — the wind and the hail — ^he re- 
 turned home singing. 
 
 Loony John grew older as the days 
 went by. A beard appeared on his face. 
 He even took to himself a wife ; but he 
 still remained Loony John. 
 
 One day, when the sun was shining 
 brightly, he dressed himself in his new 
 suit of clothes, put on his best hat and 
 
Loony yokn 279 
 
 gloves, and went to the f^ir in the neigh- 
 boring village. He enjoyed himself, and 
 created a great deal of amusement for 
 others by his queer blunders. In the af- 
 ternoon the thought occurred to him that 
 his wife would be expecting him at home, 
 and so he started to return. 
 
 Unfortunately, a shower came up, just 
 as he was crossing a bridge. Big drops of 
 rain were falling on all sides. In a little 
 while his fine hat, his new clothes, and his 
 gloves that he was so proud of would be 
 ruined. 
 
 " Goodness gracious ! " cried Loony 
 John, " if I suffer myself to get wet like 
 this I shall be called a simpleton indeed, 
 and my friends will have good cause to 
 laugh at me. What shall I do ?" 
 
 Suddenly he shouted for joy. A won- 
 derful idea had struck him. 
 
 " I will throw myself in the river ! " he 
 
28o Evening Tales 
 
 exclaimed. " Once in the water, it will 
 be impossible for the rain to wet my 
 clothes." 
 
 No sooner said than done. Into the 
 water jumped Loony John. He couldn't 
 swim and so he was drowned. The next 
 day the miller found the body in the 
 water. He drew it out, and Loony John 
 was buried with great pomp. On his 
 tombstone was an inscription in Latin, 
 which, being interpreted, reads : 
 
 Here Lies 
 LOONY JOHN 
 
 WHO 
 
 Jumped Into the Water 
 
 TO keep 
 
 From Getting Wet. 
 
Cornell University Library 
 PZ 23.078C72 
 
 Evening tales / 
 
 3 1924 027 805 864 
 
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