The Adventures of Reddy Fox by Thornton Burgess

Peter Rabbit Makes a Discovery

H ARDLY had jolly, round, red Mr. Sun thrown off his nightcap and come out from his home behind the Purple Hills for his daily climb up in the blue, blue sky, when Farmer Brown's boy started down the Lone Little Path through the Green Forest.

Peter Rabbit, who had been out all night and was just then on his way home, saw him. Peter stopped and sat up to rub his eyes and look again. He wasn't quite sure that he had seen aright the first time. But he had. There was Farmer Brown's boy, sure enough, and at his heels trotted Bowser the Hound.

There was Farmer Brown's boy, sure enough.

Peter Rabbit rubbed his eyes once more and wrinkled up his eyebrows. Farmer Brown's boy certainly had a gun over one shoulder and a spade over the other. Where could he be going down the Lone Little Path with a spade? Farmer Brown's garden certainly was not in that direction. Peter watched him out of sight and then he hurried down to the Green Meadows to tell Johnny Chuck what he had seen. My, how Peter's long legs did fly! He was so excited that he had forgotten how sleepy he had felt a few minutes before.

Half way down to Johnny Chuck's house, Peter Rabbit almost ran plump into Bobby Coon and Jimmy Skunk, who had been quarreling and were calling each other names. They stopped when they saw Peter Rabbit.

"Peter Rabbit runs away

From his shadder, so they say.

Peter, Peter, what a sight!

Tell us why this sudden fright,"

shouted Bobby Coon.

Peter Rabbit stopped short. Indeed, he stopped so short that he almost turned a somersault. "Say," he panted, "I've just seen Farmer Brown's boy."

"You don't say so!" said Jimmy Skunk, pretending to be very much surprised. "You don't say so! Why, now I think of it, I believe I've seen Farmer Brown's boy a few times myself."

Peter Rabbit made a good-natured face at Jimmy Skunk, and then he told all about how he had seen Farmer Brown's boy with gun and spade and Bowser the Hound going down the Lone Little Path. "You know there isn't any garden down that way," he concluded.

Bobby Coon's face wore a sober look. Yes, Sir, all the fun was gone from Bobby Coon's face.

"What's the matter?" asked Jimmy Skunk.

"I was just thinking that Reddy Fox lives over in that direction and he is so stiff that he cannot run," replied Bobby Coon.

Jimmy Skunk hitched up his trousers and started toward the Lone Little Path. "Come on!" said he. "Let's follow him and see what he is about."

Bobby Coon followed at once, but Peter Rabbit said he would hurry over and get Johnny Chuck and then join the others.

All this time Farmer Brown's boy had been hurrying down the Lone Little Path to the home old Granny Fox and Reddy Fox had moved out of the night before. Of course, he didn't know that they had moved. He put down his gun, and by the time Jimmy Skunk and Bobby Coon and Peter Rabbit and Johnny Chuck reached a place where they could peep out and see what was going on, he had dug a great hole.

"Oh!" cried Peter Rabbit, "he's digging into the house of Reddy Fox, and he'll catch poor Reddy!"

The Real Mother Goose by Blanche Fisher Wright

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Sing a song of sixpence,

A pocket full of rye;

Four-and-twenty blackbirds

Baked in a pie!

When the pie was opened

The birds began to sing;

Was not that a dainty dish

To set before the king?

The king was in his counting-house,

Counting out his money;

The queen was in the parlor,

Eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden,

Hanging out the clothes;

When down came a blackbird

And snapped off her nose.

The Japanese Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins

Going to School

O NE morning Taro and Take heard their Father and Mother talking together. They thought the Twins were asleep, but they weren't. The Mother said, "Honored Husband, don't you think it is time Taro and Take went to school?"

"Yes, indeed," the Father said; "they have many things to learn, and they should begin at once. Have you spoken to the teacher yet?"

"I saw him yesterday," the Mother answered. "He said they might enter to-day. I have everything ready."

Taro and Take looked at each other.

"Do you suppose we shall like it?" Take whispered.

"I don't know," Taro whispered back. "I've liked everything so far, and I think going to school must be some fun, too. But of course, if I don't like it, I shall not say a word. A son of the Samurai should never complain, no matter how hard his lot."

"No, of course not," Take answered.

Before they were dressed, the Mother came into their room. "The bath-tub is ready, Taro," she said. "Hop in and get your bath early to-day, for you and Take are to begin school."

The Twins had a hot bath every day, but they usually took it before going to bed. The bath-tub was in a little room by itself. It was shaped a little like a barrel, and it had a stove set right in the side of it to heat the water. Taro went to the bathroom and climbed over the edge of the tub. It was hard to get up because the tub was high. He dropped into the water with a great splash. Take and her Mother heard the splash.

Then they heard something else. They heard screams! "Ow-ow-ow!" shrieked Taro. "Take me out! take me out! I'm boiled!"

The Mother and Take ran as fast as they could to the tub. Taro's head just showed over the edge. His mouth was open, the tears were streaming down his cheeks, and the air was full of "ows." His Mother reached her arm down into the water.

"It isn't so very hot, Taro," she said; "I can bear my hand in it."

"Ow—ow!" said Taro. He didn't even say, "Ow! ow! Honorable Mother!" as one might have thought such a very polite boy would do.

And he tried to get both feet off the bottom of the tub at the same time!

The Mother put some cold water into the tub. Taro stopped screaming.

"Oh, Taro," Take called to him, "you aren't really and truly boiled, are you?"

"Almost," sniffed Taro; "I'm as red as a red dragon. I think my skin will come off."

"I know you are dreadfully hurt, poor Taro," Take said, "because a son of the Samurai never complains, no matter how hard his lot."

The water was cooler now. Taro's head disappeared below the edge of the tub. He splashed a minute, then he said:—

"I guess a real truly Samurai would scream a little if he were boiled." His words made a big round sound coming out of the tub.

Pretty soon it was Take's turn. She climbed into the tub. She splashed, too, but she didn't scream. Then she stuck her head over the edge of the tub.

"I'm boiled, too," she called to Taro, "but I'm not going to cry."

"Then the water isn't hot," was all Taro said.

When they had finished their baths, they were dressed in clean kimonos. Then they had their breakfast and at seven o'clock they were all ready for school.

Their Mother gave them each a paper umbrella in case of rain. She hung a little brocaded bag, with a jar of rice inside it, on the left arm of each Twin. This was for their luncheon. Then she gave them each a brand-new copy-book and a brand-new soroban. A soroban is a counting-machine.

It is a frame with wires stretched across it and beads hung on the wires. The Twins felt very proud to have sorobans and copy-books.

"Now trot along," the Mother said.

The Twins knew the way. They marched down the street, feeling more grown up than they ever had felt in all their lives. Their Mother watched them from the garden-gate.

When they turned the corner and were out of sight, she went back into the house. She picked up Bot'Chan and hugged him. "Don't grow up yet, dear Sir Baby Boy," she said.

Taro and Take met other little boys and girls, all going to school, too. They all had umbrellas and copy-books and sorobans.

The children got to the school-house before the teacher.

They waited until they heard the clumpty-clump of his wooden clogs. Then all the children stood together in a row. Taro and Take were at the end. The moment the teacher came in, the children bowed very low.

"Ohayo," they called. "Please make your honorable entrance." They drew in their breath with a hissing sound. In Japan this is a polite thing to do. The teacher bowed to the children. Then each child ran to his little cushion on the floor and sat down on it. Taro and Take did not know where to go, because they had not been to school before.

The teacher gave them each a cushion. Then he placed beside each of them a cunning little set of drawers, like a doll's bureau. In the little bureau were India ink and brushes. The teacher sat down on his cushion before the school.

He told the children where to open their books. Taro and Take couldn't even find the place, but O Kiku San, who sat next, found it for them.

The teacher gave Taro and Take each a little stick. "Now I will tell you the names of these letters," he said, "and when I call the name of each one, you can point to it with the little stick. That will help you to remember it."

He began to read. Taro and Take punched each letter as he called it. They tried so hard to remember that they punched a hole right through the paper! But you might have punched something, too, if you had thousands of letters to learn! That's what Taro and Take have to do, while you have only twenty-six letters. They were glad when the teacher said, "Now we will learn how to count."

Taro and Take took out their new sorobans. The teacher showed them how to count the beads. They thought it as much fun as a game.

Then they tried to make some letters in their copy-books with a brush. That's the way they write in Japan.

Taro's and Take's letters were very big and queer-looking, and the paper got so wet that the teacher said, "Children, you may all carry your copy-books outdoors and hang them up to dry, and you may eat your rice out of doors."

The children took their copy-books and their bags of rice and ran out. The Twins found a nice shady place to eat their luncheon.

O Kiku San ate her rice with Taro and Take. They had a real picnic.

At half-past three all their lessons were finished, and the Twins ran home. Their Mother was waiting for them on the porch, with Bot'Chan in her arms.

"See what we made for you!" the Twins cried. They gave her the letters they had made that morning.

"You have made them beautifully, for the first time," she said.

She put the blistered papers with the staggery letters away in the cupboard to keep. "I will show them to Father when he comes home," she said.

Mother Goose by Frederick Richardson

Wee Willie Winkie

The Farmer's Boy by Randolph Caldecott

The Farmer's Boy

When I was a farmer, a Farmer's Boy,
I used to keep my master's HORSES,
With a GEE-WO here, and a GEE-WO there,
And here a GEE, and there a GEE,
And everywhere a GEE;

Says I, "My pretty lass, will you come

To the banks of the Aire oh?"

When I was a farmer, a Farmer's Boy,
I used to keep my master's LAMBS,
With a BAA-BAA here, and a BAA-BAA there,
And here a BAA, and there a BAA,
And everywhere a BAA;

With a GEE-WO here, and a GEE-WO there,
And here a GEE, and there a GEE,
And everywhere a GEE;

Says I, "My pretty lass, will you come

To the banks of the Aire oh?"

When I was a farmer, a Farmer's Boy,
I used to keep my master's HENS,
With a CHUCK-CHUCK here, and a CHUCK-CHUCK there,
And here a CHUCK, and there a CHUCK,
And everywhere a CHUCK;

With a BAA-BAA here, and a BAA-BAA there,
And here a BAA, and there a BAA,
And everywhere a BAA;

With a GEE-WO here, and a GEE-WO there,
And here a GEE, and there a GEE,
And everywhere a GEE;

Says I, "My pretty lass, will you come

To the banks of the Aire oh?"

When I was a farmer, a Farmer's Boy,
I used to keep my master's PIGS,
With a GRUNT-GRUNT here, and a GRUNT-GRUNT there,
And here a GRUNT, and there a GRUNT,
And everywhere a GRUNT;

With a CHUCK-CHUCK here, and a CHUCK-CHUCK there,
And here a CHUCK, and there a CHUCK,
And everywhere a CHUCK;

With a BAA-BAA here, and a BAA-BAA there,
And here a BAA, and there a BAA,
And everywhere a BAA;

With a GEE-WO here, and a GEE-WO there,
And here a GEE, and there a GEE,
And everywhere a GEE;

Says I, "My pretty lass, will you come

To the banks of the Aire oh?"

When I was a farmer, a Farmer's Boy,
I used to keep my master's DUCKS,
With a QUACK-QUACK here, and a QUACK-QUACK there,
And here a QUACK, and there a QUACK,
And everywhere a QUACK;

With a GRUNT-GRUNT here, and a GRUNT-GRUNT there,
And here a GRUNT, and there a GRUNT,
And everywhere a GRUNT;

With a CHUCK-CHUCK here, and a CHUCK-CHUCK there,
And here a CHUCK, and there a CHUCK,
And everywhere a CHUCK;

With a BAA-BAA here, and a BAA-BAA there,
And here a BAA, and there a BAA,
And everywhere a BAA;

With a GEE-WO here, and a GEE-WO there,
And here a GEE, and there a GEE,
And everywhere a GEE;

Says I, "My pretty lass, will you come

To the banks of the Aire oh?"

When I was a farmer, a Farmer's Boy,
I used to keep my master's DOGS,
With a BOW-BOW here, and a BOW-WOW there,
And here a BOW, and there a WOW,
And everywhere a WOW;

With a QUACK-QUACK here, and a QUACK-QUACK there,
And here a QUACK, and there a QUACK,
And everywhere a QUACK;

With a GRUNT-GRUNT here, and a GRUNT-GRUNT there,
And here a GRUNT, and there a GRUNT,
And everywhere a GRUNT;

With a CHUCK-CHUCK here, and a CHUCK-CHUCK there,
And here a CHUCK, and there a CHUCK,
And everywhere a CHUCK;

With a BAA-BAA here, and a BAA-BAA there,
And here a BAA, and there a BAA,
And everywhere a BAA;

With a GEE-WO here, and a GEE-WO there,
And here a GEE, and there a GEE,
And everywhere a GEE;

Says I, "My pretty lass, will you come

To the banks of the Aire oh?"

When I was a farmer, a Farmer's Boy,
I used to keep my master's CHILDREN,
With a SHOUTING here, and a POUTING there,
And here a SHOUT, and there a POUT,
And everywhere a SHOUT;

With a BOW-BOW here, and a BOW-WOW there,
And here a BOW, and there a WOW,
And everywhere a WOW;

With a QUACK-QUACK here, and a QUACK-QUACK there,
And here a QUACK, and there a QUACK,
And everywhere a QUACK;

With a GRUNT-GRUNT here, and a GRUNT-GRUNT there,
And here a GRUNT, and there a GRUNT,
And everywhere a GRUNT;

With a CHUCK-CHUCK here, and a CHUCK-CHUCK there,
And here a CHUCK, and there a CHUCK,
And everywhere a CHUCK;

With a BAA-BAA here, and a BAA-BAA there,
And here a BAA, and there a BAA,
And everywhere a BAA;

With a GEE-WO here, and a GEE-WO there,
And here a GEE, and there a GEE,
And everywhere a GEE;

Says I, "My pretty lass, will you come

To the banks of the Aire oh?"

When I was a farmer, a Farmer's Boy,
I used to keep my master's TURKEYS,
With a GOBBLE-GOBBLE here, and a GOBBLE-GOBBLE there,
And here a GOBBLE, and there a GOBBLE;
And everywhere a GOBBLE;

With a SHOUTING here, and a POUTING there,
And here a SHOUT, and there a POUT,
And everywhere a SHOUT;

With a BOW-BOW here, and a BOW-WOW there,
And here a BOW, and there a WOW,
And everywhere a WOW;

With a QUACK-QUACK here, and a QUACK-QUACK there,
And here a QUACK, and there a QUACK,
And everywhere a QUACK;

With a GRUNT-GRUNT here, and a GRUNT-GRUNT there,
And here a GRUNT, and there a GRUNT,
And everywhere a GRUNT;

With a CHUCK-CHUCK here, and a CHUCK-CHUCK there,
And here a CHUCK, and there a CHUCK,
And everywhere a CHUCK;

With a BAA-BAA here, and a BAA-BAA there,
And here a BAA, and there a BAA,
And everywhere a BAA;

With a GEE-WO here, and a GEE-WO there,
And here a GEE, and there a GEE,
And everywhere a GEE;

Says I, "My pretty lass, will you come

To the banks of the Aire oh?"

The Real Mother Goose by Blanche Fisher Wright

Tommy Tittlemouse

Little Tommy Tittlemouse
Lived in a little house;
He caught fishes
In other men's ditches.

Among the Meadow People by Clara Dillingham Pierson

The Contented Earthworms

A FTER a long and soaking rain, the Earthworms came out of their burrows, or rather, they came part way out, for each Earthworm put out half of his body, and, as there were many of them and they lived near to each other, they could easily visit without leaving their own homes. Two of these long, slimy people were talking, when a Potato Bug strolled by. "You poor things," said he, "what a wretched life you must lead. Spending one's days in the dark earth must be very dreary."

"Dreary!" exclaimed one of the Earthworms, "it is delightful. The earth is a snug and soft home. It is warm in cold weather and cool in warm weather. There are no winds to trouble us, and no sun to scorch us."

"But," said the Potato Bug, "it must be very dull. Now, out in the grass, one finds beautiful flowers, and so many families of friends."

"And down here," answered the Worm, "we have the roots. Some are brown and woody, like those of the trees, and some are white and slender and soft. They creep and twine, until it is like passing through a forest to go among them. And then, there are the seeds. Such busy times as there are in the ground in spring-time! Each tiny seed awakens and begins to grow. Its roots must strike downward, and its stalk upward toward the light. Sometimes the seeds are buried in the earth with the root end up, and then they have a great time getting twisted around and ready to grow."

"Still, after the plants are all growing and have their heads in the air, you must miss them."

"We have the roots always," said the Worm. "And then, when the summer is over, the plants have done their work, helping to make the world beautiful and raise their seed babies, and they wither and droop to the earth again, and little by little the sun and the frost and the rain help them to melt back into the earth. The earth is the beginning and the end of plants."

"Do you ever meet the meadow people in it?" asked the Potato Bug.

"Many of them live here as babies," said the Worm. "The May Beetles, the Grasshoppers, the great Humming-bird Moths, and many others spend their babyhood here, all wrapped in eggs or cocoons. Then, when they are strong enough, and their legs and wings are grown, they push their way out and begin their work. It is their getting-ready time, down here in the dark. And then, there are the stones, and they are so old and queer. I am often glad that I am not a stone, for to have to lie still must be hard to bear. Yet I have heard that they did not always lie so, and that some of the very pebbles around us tossed and rolled and ground for years in the bed of a river, and that some of them were rubbed and broken off of great rocks. Perhaps they are glad now to just lie and rest."

"Truly," said the Potato Bug, "you have a pleasant home, but give me the sunshine and fresh air, my six legs, and my striped wings, and you are welcome to it all."

"You are welcome to them all," answered the Worms, "We are contented with smooth and shining bodies, with which we can bore and wriggle our way through the soft, brown earth. We like our task of keeping the earth right for the plants, and we will work and rest happily here."

The Potato Bug went his way, and said to his brothers, "What do you think? I have been talking with Earthworms who would not be Potato Bugs if they could." And they all shook their heads in wonder, for they thought that to be Potato Bugs was the grandest and happiest thing in the world.

A Book of Nursery Rhymes by Francis D. Bedford

Three Wise Men of Gotham

The Story-Teller by Maud Lindsay

The Two Brothers

O NCE upon a time there lived two brothers, who, when they were children, were so seldom apart that those who saw one always looked for the other at his heels. But when they had grown to manhood, and the time had come when they must make their own fortunes, the elder brother said to the younger:

"Choose as you will what you shall do, and God bless your choice; but as for me I shall make haste to the court of the king, for nothing will satisfy me but to serve him and my country."

"Good fortune and a blessing go with you," said the younger brother. "I, too, should like to serve my country and the king, but I have neither words nor wit for a king's court. To hammer a shoe from the glowing iron while the red fire roars and the anvil rings—this is the work that I do best, and I shall be a blacksmith, even as my father was before me."

So when he had spoken the two brothers embraced and bade each other good-bye and went on their ways; nor did they meet again till many a year had come and gone. The elder brother rode to the king's court just as he had said he would; and as time went on he won great honor there and was made one of the king's counselors.

And the younger brother built himself a blacksmith's shop by the side of a road and worked there merrily from early morn till the stars shone at night. He was called the Mighty Blacksmith because of his strength, and the Honest Blacksmith because he charged no more than his work was worth, and the Master Blacksmith because no other smith in the countryside could shoe a horse so well and speedily as he. And he was envious of nobody, for always as he worked his hammer seemed to sing to him:

"Cling, clang, cling! Cling, clang, cling!

He who does his very best,

Is fit to serve the king."

Now in those days news came to the king of the country where the two brothers lived that the duke of the next kingdom had made threats against him, and against his people; and there was great excitement in the land.

Some of the king's counselors wanted him to gather his armies and march at once into the duke's kingdom. "If we do not make war upon him, he will make war upon us," they said.

But some of the king's counselors loved peace, and among these was the elder brother, in whom the king had great trust.

"Let me, I pray you, ride to the duke's castle," he said to the king, "that we may learn from his own lips if he is friend or foe, for much is told that is not true; and it is easier to begin a fight than it is to end one."

The king was well pleased with all the elder brother said, and bade him go.

"But if by the peal of the noon bells on the day before Christmas you have neither brought nor sent a message of good will from the duke to me, then shall those who want war have their way," he said, and with this the elder brother had to be content.

Day and night he rode to the duke's castle, and day and night, when his errand was done, he hastened home again. But the way was long and a strong wind had blown away the sign-posts which guided travelers, so, though he stopped neither to sleep in a bed or eat at a table the whole journey through, the early hours of the day before Christmas found him still far from the king's palace.

And to make matters worse, in the loneliest part of the road, the good horse, that had carried him so well, lost a shoe.

"Alack and alas! for the want of a nail
The horseshoe is lost; and my good horse will fail 
For the want of the shoe; and I shall be late
For want of a steed; and my message must wait 
For want of a bearer; and woe is our plight,
For want of the message the king needs must fight!"

cried the elder brother then; and he bowed his head upon his saddle and wept, for where to turn for help he did not know.

The sun had not yet risen and no other traveler was on the road, nor could he see through the dim light of dawn a house or watch-tower where he might ask aid. But as he wept he heard a distant sound that was sweeter than music to his ears:

"Cling, clang, cling! Cling, clang, cling!"

"Only a blacksmith plays that tune!" he cried; and he urged his horse on joyfully, calling as he went:

"Smith, smith, if you love country and king, shoe my horse, and shoe him speedily."

It was not long before he spied the fire of a roadside smithy glaring out upon him like a great red eye, and when he reached the door of the shop he found the smith ready and waiting for his task.

Cling, clang, cling! How the iron rang beneath his mighty stroke! And cling, clang, cling, how the hammer sang as the shoe was pounded into shape!

By the time the sun was over the hill the horse was shod, and the rider was in his saddle again.

But the blacksmith would take no money for his work.

"To serve my country and the king is pay enough for me," he said; and he stood up straight and tall and looked the king's counselor in the eyes.

And lo! and behold, as the morning light fell on their faces, each saw that the other was his brother.

Each saw that the other was his brother.

"God bless you, brother," and "God speed you, brother," was all that they had time to say, but that was enough to show that love was still warm in their hearts.

Then away, and away, and away, through the sun and the dew rode the elder brother—away and away over hill and dale toward the king's palace.

The king and his counselors were watching and waiting there, and as the sun climbed high and the message did not come, those who wanted war said:

"Shall we not saddle our horses, and call up our men?"

"The bells in the steeple have yet to ring for noon," said the peace-lovers; "and we see a dust on the king's highway."

"Dust flies before wind," said the warriors, "and it is likelier that our messenger lies in the duke's prison than rides on the king's highway."

But with the dust came the sound of flying hoofs. Faster, faster, faster, they came. When the first stroke of the noon hour pealed from the church steeple the king's messenger was in sight, and the last bell had not rung when he stood before the palace gate to deliver the duke's message:

"Peace and good will to you and yours;

And to all a Merry Christmas."

Then the king sent for fine robes and a golden chain to be brought for the elder brother, and put a purse of gold in his hand, for he was well pleased with what he had done.

But the elder brother would have none of these things for himself alone.

"Try as I would, I must have failed had it not been for my brother, the blacksmith, who shod my horse on the road to-day," he said; "and, if it please your majesty, half of all you give to me I will give to him."

"Two good servants are better than one," said the king, and he sent for the younger brother that he might thank him also.

Then the two brothers were clothed alike and feasted alike, and each had a purse of gold; and whenever one was praised, so was the other.

And they lived happily, each in his own work, all the days of their lives.

The Real Mother Goose by Blanche Fisher Wright

The Derby Ram

As I was going to Derby all on a market-day,
I met the finest ram, sir, that ever was fed upon hay;
Upon hay, upon hay, upon hay;
I met the finest ram, sir, that ever was fed upon hay.
This ram was fat behind, sir; this ram was fat before;
This ram was ten yards round, sir; indeed, he was no more;
No more, no more, no more;
This ram was ten yards round, sir; indeed, he was no more.
The horns that grew on his head, sir, they were so wondrous high,
As I've been plainly told, sir, they reached up to the sky.
The sky, the sky, the sky;
As I've been plainly told, sir, they reached up to the sky.
The tail that grew from his back, sir, was six yards and an ell;
And it was sent to Derby to toll the market bell;
The bell, the bell, the bell;
And it was sent to Derby to toll the market bell.

The Sandman: More Farm Stories by Willliam J. Hopkins

The Perch Story

dropcap image NCE upon a time there was a farm-house, and it was painted white and had green blinds; and it stood not far from the road. In the fence was a wide gate to let the wagons through to the barn. And the wagons, going through, had made a little track that led up past the kitchen door and past the shed and past the barn and past the orchard to the wheat-field.

One morning, in summer, little Charles and little John came out of the kitchen door, after breakfast, and they looked up and saw that it was cloudy, and it wasn't very hot. So they both thought it would be a good day to go fishing. And they both began to speak at the same time, and they said, "Let's go fishing." Then they both laughed and said, "All right. Let's."

So little Charles looked in the shed and he found a little old wooden pail, and he took it. Then the two little boys started down the little track and ran out the wide gate and along the road until they came to the horsie field. There they climbed over the bars and walked across the field until they came to a place that they knew about, near the river, and there they stopped. There wasn't any horse in the field that day, so they weren't afraid of being chased. Then little John got a stick and little Charles had a stone, and they both began to dig. And pretty soon they found a lot of worms. Some were long and fat and some were little, but they took all that they found, and little Charles found some and little John found some. They put these worms in the pail, and when they had about twenty, they stopped digging and they ran along by the river until they came to the swimming-tree. Little Charles set his pail of worms down on the ground and he went to the tree and reached up behind one of the big branches and took down a pole.

The pole that little Charles took down was a little longer than a bean-pole, and a little slimmer. He had made it, himself, from one of the little slim trees; and on the little end of the pole was tied a string. The string was about as long as the pole, and on the other end of it was a hook, with a little stone tied on near it, for a sinker. And a little way above the stone was a round piece of wood that the boys called a bob. The bob was fastened on so that the hook would be just far enough under the top of the water. Then little John reached up and took down another pole almost exactly like little Charles's, and the two little boys sat down on the edge of the bank, with their feet hanging over.

Then little Charles and little John each took a worm out of the pail and stuck it on the hook, and they let the hooks go into the water. But the bobs floated and held the hooks just as deep as the fish were swimming. Then the little boys held the poles so that the lines were loose, and they sat there on the bank and watched the bobs. And after awhile, little John saw his bob go part way under the water and then it bobbed around so that he knew a fish was biting. So he gave a great jerk with the pole, and he jerked so hard that the fish came flying up out of the water and went over his head into the grass behind him. But he pulled it back with the line, and took it off the hook and left it flopping about in the grass. It was not a very big fish, and it had sharp stickers in the fins in its back and there was some red colour on the other fins. That kind of fish they call perch.

Little John put another worm on the hook.

Then little John put another worm on the hook, and while he was putting it on, he looked at little Charles's bob, and that was bobbing around in the water. So he said, "Look at your bob, Charles!" Little Charles had been watching little John's fish and he had forgotten to look at his own bob. But he looked when little John called, and he saw it bobbing about, and he gave a hard jerk with the pole, and a fish came flying up out of the water and went over his head. But little Charles had jerked so hard that the fish had gone off the hook and far away in the grass, and he couldn't find it. So, after he had looked for it, he came back and put another worm on the hook and both the boys had their hooks in the water again.

Then they sat there on the bank, and pretty soon little Charles caught another fish, and this time he didn't lose it in the grass. And then little John caught another. After awhile, each boy had a little pile of fish in the grass beside him. Little John had caught seven and little Charles had caught six, and they were so busy fishing that they didn't know that it was raining a little. And then little Charles looked up and saw that it was raining, and he thought they ought to stop fishing and go home. Little John didn't want to stop fishing, but Charles was a bigger boy than he was, so he thought he ought to do what Charles said.

So the two little boys stopped fishing and put their poles up in the swimming-tree again, out of sight. And each boy broke a twig from the tree and strung his fish on the twig, and then they started to go home. And while they were walking along through the grass, they looked down, and there was the fish that little Charles had lost. So Charles put it on the twig with the rest, and each boy had seven.

Then they walked along by the river to the horsie field and across the field to the road and along the road to the farm-house, and in at the wide gate and up the little track to the kitchen door, and there was Aunt Deborah waiting for them. And little Charles put the pail in the shed. It had some worms in it, and he thought they would do for another time. But they all dried up before another time. And Aunt Deborah took all the perch and said they looked very nice and she was glad the boys had caught them.

The next morning they all had perch for breakfast and they were very nice. And they had the rest of the perch for supper, and they were very nice, too.

And that's all.

Ring o' Roses by L. Leslie Brooke

The Three Wise Men of Gotham

Three wise men of Gotham

Went to sea in a bowl:

If the bowl had been stronger,

My song would have been longer.

The Nursery Book of Bible Stories by Amy Steedman

Queen Esther

T HERE was a great stir in the palace of Shushan, the beautiful palace which King Darius, the friend and master of Daniel, had built. King Darius was dead now, and Ahasuerus sat upon the throne of Babylon; and he had just chosen for his queen, Esther, the Jewish maiden, one who belonged to that race of people who had been carried away captive from Jerusalem.

It was little wonder that Ahasuerus had chosen her as his queen, for there was no other maiden in all the land as beautiful as she was; and he was one of those selfish, greedy kings who want everything that pleases their eyes. And Esther's beauty pleased Ahasuerus more than all the riches and treasures he possessed. He did not know she was a Jewess—it would not have troubled him if he had known; but Mordecai, her kinsman, had bade her keep that a secret.

Queen Esther

It was Mordecai who had brought up the little orphan Jewish girl, and she obeyed him as if he were her father. His heart was filled with joy to think that Esther had been chosen to be queen, for he hoped that some day she might be able to help her poor people, and speak a good word for them to the king.

But before that time came he and Esther between them were able to do the king himself a great service, and this was how it happened.

Mordecai, who held an important post in the court, spent a good deal of his time in what was called the king's gate, a beautiful hall outside the palace, where men waited to have an audience with the king.

It was while waiting there one day that he discovered that a plot was on foot to kill the king, and he immediately sent secretly and told Esther. She, of course, took the news to the king; and it was all so quickly done that the plotters were seized at once and put to death, and the king's life was saved. No one thought of rewarding Mordecai, and it was all soon forgotten. But the account was written down in the king's book just as it happened.

Soon after this trouble began to gather round Mordecai. The king had put a man called Haman at the head of all the princes of the palace, to be obeyed as if he were the king himself. All the servants and officers of the court bowed before him as he swept proudly through the waiting throng at the king's gate—all except one old man, the Jew Mordecai.

It was not pride which made Mordecai refuse to bow his head to Haman. It was quite a different reason. To bow to a heathen ruler was considered just the same as bowing to the god whom he represented; and Mordecai, who loved and obeyed the true God, would do no reverence to any other. He knew it was dangerous to refuse; but, like Daniel, he was not afraid to show that he served God. People whispered as they watched him, and the whispers grew louder and louder, until they reached the ears of Haman and made him furiously angry.

Day by day the same thing happened, and as Haman saw that upright figure and unbowed head, he hated Mordecai more and more. What was the use of all his state and power as long as that unbending figure stood in his way?

So Haman thought, and he planned a terrible vengeance. The punishment should fall not only on Mordecai, but upon all his people too. The Jews in every part of the country should be swept out of existence. It would be necessary, of course, to work with great cunning; but, after all, the selfish king was easily managed.

"These strange people, the Jews, who are scattered about all thy kingdom, are always giving trouble," he said to Ahasuerus one day. "They have different laws, and refuse to keep the king's law. If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed."

Then he went on to offer to pay a large sum of money if he were allowed to carry out the plan. But the king needed no bribe—he was more than willing to grant such a request; and he at once gave his signet ring to Haman, that he might seal the letters that ordered all Jews to be killed.

With a joyful heart Haman set to work at once to write out the letters and fix the day of the massacre, and messengers were sent out to carry the orders into every land.

It was a terrible vengeance, and Mordecai was troubled beyond words. There was but one thing to do: Esther must be told, and she must try to save her people. She must not think of herself. God had given her power, and the time had come when she must use it for His people.

It was no easy thing for Esther to do. No one dared to go in and speak to the king without special permission. Any one who went uninvited might be put to death. It was only if the king should hold out his golden sceptre in token of forgiveness that the intruder would be allowed to live.

But Esther took her courage in both hands. She dressed herself in all her most beautiful, queenly robes and then entered into the royal hall, where the king sat upon his golden throne.

The king looked up with an angry frown to see who it was who dared to come into his presence uninvited; but as soon as his eye fell upon his queen, standing there in all her beauty, with her head humbly bent, his anger died away, and he held out to her his golden sceptre.

No wonder that the king's heart softened as he looked at Esther. She was always beautiful, but to-day there was something almost dazzling about her loveliness, the beauty of her soul shining through the earthly beauty; and as she came forward to touch the sceptre held out towards her, the king was ready to do anything that she asked.

"What wilt thou, Queen Esther?" he said, "and what is thy request? It shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom."

But Esther did not tell him at once what she wanted. Perhaps she thought it wiser to wait. Instead, she only asked that the king and Haman should come to a feast she had prepared for them.

The feast put the king in a better temper than ever, and again he asked her what it was that she wanted. But once more Esther hesitated, and merely asked that he would be her guest again next day.

Meanwhile Haman's heart overflowed with joy and pride, because he had been chosen to sit at the queen's table, and because soon all the hated Jews would be killed, and Mordecai would stand no longer in his path. He could scarcely wait for the day of the massacre to dawn, and he began to make ready a great gallows on which Mordecai should be hanged.

But that very night it so happened that the king was wakeful; and as he could not sleep he ordered that his books should be brought, and the records read aloud to him. And what should be read to him but the story of how Mordecai the Jew had saved the king's life!

The king was quite interested as he listened. "What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this?" he asked.

"There is nothing done for him," answered the servants.

"That must be put right at once," said the king; and he immediately sent for Haman, and asked him, "What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour?"

Now Haman, of course, thought he must be the man whom the king meant, so he suggested the most splendid honours he could think of. The man should be dressed in the king's own royal robes, he said, and ride upon the king's horse, and the most noble of all the princes should bring him on horseback through the streets of the city.

This answer pleased the king. "Make haste," he said, "and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken."

It was a bitter moment for proud Haman, and there was no escape from the bitterness. The king must be obeyed. Only when it was all done, and he had been obliged to act as the servant of the man he hated, he hid himself in his house and gave vent to his furious anger. But even then he was obliged to quickly hide his feelings, for the king's servants came to tell him that Esther's feast was ready, and he must come at once.

And now the time had come for Esther to risk all. And when the king asked her again to tell him her request, she went and knelt at his feet, and begged for her own life, and for the life of her people.

"Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to threaten thy life?" thundered the king.

Then Esther rose up and pointed to the terrified Haman, who stood trembling before them. Well might he tremble, for the king's wrath was a terrible thing to see; and the order was given that they should hang Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.

It was impossible to change the wicked order that Haman had written, for it was sealed with the king's signet. But yet there was another way of granting the queen's request, and the king sent out other letters, ordering that all the Jews should be allowed to arm and defend themselves. And so Queen Esther's people were saved. She had willingly risked her own life, and now she had her reward, for there was joy and gladness amongst all the Jews. Mordecai was given a post of great honour, and was dressed in royal robes of blue and white, covering a garment of fine linen and purple, and he had, too, a golden crown; while Esther, the queen, had all that she could desire, and never forgot to thank God that He had used her to save His people.

Peter Rabbit Makes a Discovery

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Going to School

Wee Willie Winkie

The Farmer's Boy

Tommy Tittlemouse

The Contented Earthworms

Three Wise Men of Gotham

The Two Brothers

The Derby Ram

The Perch Story

The Three Wise Men of Gotham

Queen Esther

The Hobby-Horse