IN THE LAND OF SOULS [21][21] From the Red Indian.Far away, in North America, where the Red Indians dwell, therelived a long time ago a beautiful maiden, who was lovelier thanany other girl in the whole tribe. Many of the young bravessought her in marriage, but she would listen to one onlyahandsome chief, who had taken her fancy some years before. Sothey were to be married, and great rejoicings were made, and thetwo looked forward to a long life of happiness together, when thevery night before the wedding feast a sudden illness seized the...
SCHIPPEITAROIt was the custom in old times that as soon as a Japanese boyreached manhood he should leave his home and roam through theland in search of adventures. Sometimes he would meet with ayoung man bent on the same business as himself, and then theywould fight in a friendly manner, merely to prove which was thestronger, but on other occasions the enemy would turn out to be arobber, who had become the terror of the neighbourhood, and thenthe battle was in deadly earnest.One day a youth started off from his native village, resolvednever to come back till he had done some great deed that
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENA LEAF FROM HEAVENby Hans Christian AndersenHIGH up in the clear, pure air flew an angel, with a flowerplucked from the garden of heaven. As he was kissing the flower a verylittle leaf fell from it and sunk down into the soft earth in themiddle of a wood. It immediately took root, sprouted, and sent outshoots among the other plants."What a ridiculous little shoot!" said one. "No one will recognizeit; not even the thistle nor the stinging-nettle."...
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENDELAYING IS NOT FORGETTINGby Hans Christian AndersenTHERE was an old mansion surrounded by a marshy ditch with adrawbridge which was but seldom let down:- not all guests are goodpeople. Under the roof were loopholes to shoot through, and to pourdown boiling water or even molten lead on the enemy, should heapproach. Inside the house the rooms were very high and had ceilingsof beams, and that was very useful considering the great deal of smokewhich rose up from the chimney fire where the large, damp logs of wood...
BOOK II: OF THEIR TOWNS, PARTICULARLY OF AMAUROTHE that knows one of their towns knows them all, they are so likeone another, except w here the situation makes some difference. Ishall therefore describe one of them; and none is so proper asAmaurot; for as none is more eminent, all the rest yielding inprecedence to this, because it is the seat of their SupremeCouncil, so there was none of them better known to me, I havinglived five years altogether in it.It lies upon the side of a hill, or rather a rising ground: its...
THE COMPARISON OF FABIUS WITH PERICLESby Plutarchtranslated by John DrydenWE have here had two lives rich in examples, both of civil andmilitary excellence. Let us first compare the two men in their warlikecapacity. Pericles presided in his commonwealth when it was in itsmost flourishing and opulent condition, great and growing in power; sothat it may be thought it was rather the common success and fortunethat kept him from any fall or disaster. But the task of Fabius, whoundertook the government in the worst and most difficult times, was...
Preface Of The Author.It is not my intention to detain the reader by expatiatingon the variety or the importance of the subject, which I haveundertaken to treat; since the merit of the choice would serve torender the weakness of the execution still more apparent, andstill less excusable. But as I have presumed to lay before thepublic a first volume only ^1 of the History of the Decline andFall of the Roman Empire, it will, perhaps, be expected that Ishould explain, in a few words, the nature and limits of mygeneral plan....
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE LITTLE MATCH-SELLERby Hans Christian AndersenIT was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening of theold year, and the snow was falling fast. In the cold and the darkness,a poor little girl, with bare head and naked feet, roamed throughthe streets. It is true she had on a pair of slippers when she lefthome, but they were not of much use. They were very large, so large,indeed, that they had belonged to her mother, and the poor littlecreature had lost them in running across the street to avoid two...
CONCLUSION.There was one time of the year which was held in Raveloe to beespecially suitable for a wedding. It was when the great lilacs andlaburnums in the old-fashioned gardens showed their golden andpurple wealth above the lichen-tinted walls, and when there werecalves still young enough to want bucketfuls of fragrant milk.People were not so busy then as they must become when the fullcheese-making and the mowing had set in; and besides, it was a timewhen a light bridal dress could be worn with comfort and seen toadvantage.Happily the sunshine fell more warmly than usual on the lilac tufts
THE HAZEL-NUT CHILD [29][29] From the Bukowniaer. Van Wliolocki.There was once upon a time a couple who had no children, and theyprayed Heaven every day to send them a child, though it were nobigger than a hazel-nut. At last Heaven heard their prayer andsent them a child exactly the size of a hazel-nut, and it nevergrew an inch. The parents were very devoted to the littlecreature, and nursed and tended it carefully. Their tiny son toowas as clever as he could be, and so sharp and sensible that allthe neighbours marvelled over the wise things he said and did....
were clever and wise, but the third did not speak much, and wassimple, and was called the simpleton. When the king had become oldand weak, and was thinking of his end, he did not know which of hissons should inherit the kingdom after him. Then he said to them, goforth, and he who brings me the most beautiful carpet shall be kingafter my death.And that there should be no dispute amongst them, he took themoutside his castle, blew three feathers in the air, and said, youshall go as they fly. One feather flew to the east, the other to thewest, but the third flew straight up and did not fly far
Once there was a miller who was poor, but who had a beautifuldaughter. Now it happened that he had to go and speak to theking, and in order to make himself appear important he saidto him, I have a daughter who can spin straw into gold. Theking said to the miller, that is an art whichpleases me well, if your daughter is as clever as you say, bringher to-morrow to my palace, and I will put her to the test.And when the girl was brought to him he took her into a roomwhich was quite full of straw, gave her a spinning-wheel and areel, and said, now set to work, and if by to-morrow morning...
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE BUTTERFLYby Hans Christian AndersenTHERE was once a butterfly who wished for a bride, and, as maybe supposed, he wanted to choose a very pretty one from among theflowers. He glanced, with a very critical eye, at all the flower-beds,and found that the flowers were seated quietly and demurely on theirstalks, just as maidens should sit before they are engaged; butthere was a great number of them, and it appeared as if his searchwould become very wearisome. The butterfly did not like to take too...
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE LAST PEARLby Hans Christian AndersenWE are in a rich, happy house, where the master, the servants, thefriends of the family are full of joy and felicity. For on this daya son and heir has been born, and mother and child are doing well. Thelamp in the bed-chamber had been partly shaded, and the windows werecovered with heavy curtains of some costly silken material. The carpetwas thick and soft, like a covering of moss. Everything invited to...
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE ANGELby Hans Christian Andersen"WHENEVER a good child dies, an angel of God comes down fromheaven, takes the dead child in his arms, spreads out his greatwhite wings, and flies with him over all the places which the childhad loved during his life. Then he gathers a large handful of flowers,which he carries up to the Almighty, that they may bloom more brightlyin heaven than they do on earth. And the Almighty presses theflowers to His heart, but He kisses the flower that pleases Him...
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE SHIRT-COLLARby Hans Christian AndersenTHERE was once a fine gentleman who possessed among other things aboot-jack and a hair-brush; but he had also the finest shirt-collar inthe world, and of this collar we are about to hear a story. The collarhad become so old that he began to think about getting married; andone day he happened to find himself in the same washing-tub as agarter. "Upon my word," said the shirt-collar, "I have never seenanything so slim and delicate, so neat and soft before. May I...