Story Hour Readers Book Three
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Ida Coe and Alice J. Christie >> Story Hour Readers Book Three
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STORY HOUR READERS
THIRD YEAR
BOOK THREE
BY
IDA COE, Pd.M.
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, PUBLIC SCHOOLS
CITY OF NEW YORK
AND
ALICE J. CHRISTIE
PRIMARY TEACHER. PUBLIC SCHOOLS
CITY OF NEW YORK
CONTENTS
THE LAND OF STORY BOOKS _Robert Louis Stevenson_
HANSEL AND GRETEL _Fairy Tale_
THE EAGLE AND THE FOX _Fable_
HIAWATHA'S BROTHERS _Henry W. Longfellow_
THE BEAVERS' LODGE _Indian Folklore_
MANITOU AND THE SQUIRRELS _Indian Folklore_
THE SWIFT RUNNER _Indian Folklore_
BROTHER RABBIT _Indian Folklore_
QUEEN MAB _Thomas Hood_
CINDERELLA _Fairy Tale_
THE WIND _Robert Louis Stevenson_
THE BAG OF WINDS _Greek Mythology_
DIANA AND APOLLO _Greek Mythology_
THE TREE _Adapted from Bjornson_
THE FAIRY TREE _Fairy Tale_
HIAWATHA'S SAILING _Henry W. Longfellow_
GRAY MOLE AND THE INDIAN _Indian Folklore_
THE WATER LILIES _Indian Folklore_
WHERE GO THE BOATS? _Robert Louis Stevenson_
WHY THE SEA IS SALT _Northern Folklore_
SENNIN THE HERMIT _From the Japanese_
GREAT AND LITTLE BEAR _Greek Mythology_
THE BOY AND THE SHEEP _Ann Taylor_
THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF _Aesop_
THE LION'S SHARE _Aesop_
ROBIN REDBREAST _William Allingham_
THORN ROSE _Fairy Tale_
THE WOLVES AND THE DEER _Fable_
THE CORNFIELDS _Henry W. Longfellow_
THE GIFT OF CORN _Indian Folklore_
A BOY'S SONG _James Hogg_
THE FROGS' TRAVELS _From the Japanese_
THE MERCHANT'S CARAVAN _East Indian Tale_
QUEEN HULDA AND THE FLAX _European Folklore_
ALADDIN'S LAMP _Ida Coe_
ALADDIN AND THE MAGIC LAMP _Arabian Nights_
THE WHITING AND THE SNAIL _Lewis Carroll_
THE BONFIRE IN THE SEA _Australian Folklore_
ROBINSON CRUSOE _Daniel Defoe_
THE WONDERFUL WORLD
THE MAGIC GIRDLE _The Brothers Grimm_
THE LAND OF STORY BOOKS
At evening when the lamp is lit,
Around the fire my parents sit;
They sit at home and talk and sing,
And do not play at anything.
Now with my little gun I crawl,
All in the dark, along the wall.
And follow round the forest track
Away behind the sofa back.
There in the night, where none can spy,
All in my hunter's camp I lie,
And play at books that I have read,
Till it is time to go to bed.
* * * * *
So, when my nurse comes in for me,
Home I return across the sea,
And go to bed with backward looks
At my dear Land of Story Books.
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
HANSEL AND GRETEL
In a little cottage at the edge of a forest in Germany, lived Peter, a
poor broom maker, and his wife Gertrude. They had two children, Hansel
and Gretel.
One day Hansel and Gretel were left alone at home. Their father had gone
to the village to sell brooms. Their mother was away, too.
The children were left busily at work. The boy was mending brooms, the
girl knitting stockings.
After a time they became tired of their hard work.
"Come, Gretel, let us have some fun!" cried Hansel.
As he spoke, he threw the broom upon the floor, and pulled the stocking
from his sister's hand.
"Oh, yes!" said Gretel. "I will teach you a song, and you can learn the
steps of the dance."
Hansel and Gretel danced about the room. Gretel sang, while she and
Hansel danced,
"First your foot you tap, tap, tap,
Then your hands you clap, clap, clap;
Right foot first, left foot then,
Round about and back again."
Presently the mother returned home. She entered the room and found
Hansel and Gretel at play.
"You lazy children!" she exclaimed. "Why have you not finished your
work?"
Taking the broom that Hansel had thrown upon the floor, the mother
started to punish him, but the boy was too quick for her.
Hansel ran nimbly about, and as she was trying to catch him, the mother
upset a jug of milk. It was all the food there was in the house.
"Oh, mother!" cried Gretel. "You have spilled the milk, and we shall
have nothing to eat."
"Go out into the woods and gather some strawberries. Do not return until
you have filled the basket to the brim," commanded the mother. "Hansel,
help your sister pick the berries, and hurry back, both of you, for
there is nothing else for supper."
Towards evening the father returned from the village.
"Ho, ho, good wife!" called Peter. "I have had great luck to-day, and
have sold all my brooms. Now for a good supper! See here--bread and
butter, some potatoes, ham and eggs. But where are the children?"
"They have gone to the woods to gather strawberries," replied Gertrude.
"It is growing dark. Hansel and Gretel should have been here long ago,"
said Peter anxiously.
The wife began to prepare supper. The husband went to the door of the
cottage and looked out into the darkness.
"Alas, my children!" cried Peter. "I fear that the terrible Witch of the
Forest may find them, and that we shall never see them again!"
Meanwhile Hansel and Gretel had filled the basket with strawberries, and
then had wandered into the forest. They sat down upon a mossy bank under
a fir tree, to rest.
"Here is a fine strawberry! Taste it," said Gretel.
She put a berry into Hansel's mouth and took one for herself.
"I am so hungry! Give me another berry," said Hansel.
The children tasted another and another of the strawberries, until all
were gone.
"Oh, Hansel! We have eaten all of the strawberries," cried Gretel. "We
must fill the basket again."
The children began to hunt for more berries, but it was now growing
dark, and they could find none. To make matters worse, they had lost
their way.
Gretel began to cry, but Hansel tried to be very brave.
"I will take care of you, sister," said he.
"Hark!" said Gretel.
They could hear soft voices among the trees. The children became more
frightened than before.
"What is that, near the dark bushes?" whispered Gretel.
"It is only the stump of a tree," replied Hansel.
"It is making faces at me!" said Gretel.
Hansel made faces back again, trying to drive the strange form away.
Suddenly a light came toward them.
"Oh, here are father and mother looking for us!" cried Gretel.
But no, it was only the light of the will-o'-the-wisp.
Hansel called, "Who is there?"
Echo answered, "Who is there?"
Poor Babes in the Wood! They fled in terror, back to the mossy bank
under the fir tree. There they huddled close together.
Presently a little man with a long white beard stood before them. He was
dressed in gray clothes, and he carried a gray sack upon his back.
Hansel and Gretel were not afraid of the little man, for he seemed very
friendly.
The little man sang softly,
"Golden slumbers close your eyes,
Smiles awake you when you rise.
Sleep, pretty darlings, do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby.
Lullaby, lullaby, the Sandman am I."
Then the Sandman threw into their tired eyes the sand of sleep. Soon the
children had gone safely to Slumberland.
At midnight a little elf, whose home was deep in the heart of an oak
tree, came forth and rang a fairy bell. He sang,
"Twelve small strokes on my tinkling bell--
'Twas made of the white snail's pearly shell;--
Midnight comes, and all is well!
Hither, hither, wing your way,
'Tis the dawn of the fairy day!"
At the last stroke of twelve, a troop of fairies and wood nymphs
appeared. They danced merrily to the tune of the flower bells, forming a
ring around the children.
When the sun's rays began to shine through the branches of the trees,
the fairies tripped away. Only the Dew Fairy remained. She sprinkled dew
upon the children's faces with her magic wand.
The Dew Fairy sang,
"Awake you, O children dear,
Wake you and rise!
The sun glowing brightly, peeps
Into your eyes!"
Then the Dew Fairy departed.
"O Hansel! Hear the birds singing! Where are we?" exclaimed Gretel.
"Come, Hansel, wake up!"
The children looked about them in wonder. The giant trees had
disappeared, and near them stood a little house.
"What a pretty cottage!" said Hansel. "Why, it is a candy house! The
roof is chocolate, and the windows are sugar plums. What a queer fence!
It is gingerbread!"
Soon they heard some one say, in a squeaky voice,
"Nibble, nibble, little mouse,
Who is nibbling my sweet house?"
The children only ate and sang and laughed.
Suddenly the door of the house flew open. An old witch came out. On her
head she wore a pointed hat, and in her hand she carried a stick.
The candy cottage belonged to the Witch of the Forest.
"Oh, ho!" cried the witch. "You dear children, who led you here? Come
in, and I will give you candies, cakes, apples, and nuts--all that you
wish to eat!"
Hansel and Gretel were frightened. They started to run away, but the old
witch waved her Elder Bush above her head. It cast a spell over the
children. They could not move.
Then the witch put Hansel into a cage. She brought from the cottage a
basket of sugar plums, candies, and nuts. She gave him the sweets to
eat.
"You will soon be fat enough to cook," she muttered. "I will bake the
girl first."
Grasping the little girl's arm, she shook her roughly, saying, "Go into
the house and set the table while I build a fire."
The old witch gathered some wood. As she threw it upon the fire, she
said, "Now for a ride through the air on my broom, while the oven is
heating!"
Astride her big broom, the witch rode high above the cottage. She
circled around like a huge bird, over the trees and back again, while
she sang a strange song.
Hansel, shut up in the cage, watched her in terror.
At last the witch flew down to the ground, on her broom. She alighted
close beside the oven, which stood in the front yard.
Calling the little girl out of the house she said, "Open the oven door.
Then creep inside and see if it is hot enough to bake the bread."
But Gretel guessed that the witch meant to shut the door upon her, so
she said, "I am afraid to creep into the oven."
"Silly child!" said the witch. "The door is wide enough. Why, even I
could pass through!"
As she spoke, she popped her head into the oven.
Gretel sprang toward her and shut the oven door. That was the end of the
old witch!
Then Gretel ran and unfastened the door of the cage.
"We are saved, Hansel!" she exclaimed. Then she danced about, singing
merrily,
"First your foot you tap, tap, tap,
Then your hands you clap, clap, clap;
Right foot first, left foot then,
Round about and back again."
Then, taking the Elder Bush, Gretel waved it above her head as the witch
had done.
Instantly the candy house became a log cabin. Sunflowers and
morning-glories were growing in the front yard, where the witch's cage
and the oven had stood.
Soon voices were heard. The sounds came nearer, and the father and
mother clasped their children in their arms.
Peter and Gertrude lived with the two children in the log cabin in the
forest, for many happy years. And the fairies always took good care of
both Hansel and Gretel.
THE EAGLE AND THE FOX
One morning the fox said to his children, "I will find some eggs for
breakfast."
Then he went to the woods.
The fox saw an eagle's nest in the top branch of a tree. "How can I
reach those eggs?" thought he. "Ha, ha! Now I have a plan."
He put some grass stalks into his ears and knocked on the tree with
them.
"Throw an egg to me," cried the fox. "If you do not throw an egg to me,
I will knock this great tree over with these grass stalks."
The eagle was terribly frightened, and she threw an egg down to the fox.
"Throw another egg down to me at once," demanded the fox, when he saw
that he had frightened the eagle.
"One egg is enough," said the eagle. "I shall not throw down any more
eggs."
"Throw another egg to me, or I shall knock the tree over with these
grass stalks, and take all your eggs," said the fox.
The eagle was still more frightened, and she threw down another egg.
Then the fox laughed and said, "How could I knock down a great tree with
these small grass stalks?"
The eagle became very angry. She flew down from her nest and grasped the
fox with her talons.
Then she lifted the fox up and flew with him far out to sea. She dropped
him upon a lonely island.
The fox was left on the lonely island. One day he said to himself, "Am I
going to die on this island?"
Then the fox began to sing softly. Seals, walruses, porpoises, and
whales swam near the island.
"What are you singing about?" asked the sea people.
"This is what I am singing about," said the fox. "Are there more large
animals in the waters of the sea, or on dry land?"
"Certainly there are more animals in the waters of the sea than on dry
land," replied the sea people.
"Well, then, prove it to me!" said the fox. "Come up to the surface of
the water and form a raft that will reach from this island to the
mainland. Then I can walk over all of you, and I shall be able to count
you."
So the large sea people--seals, walruses, porpoises, and whales--came up
to the surface of the water.
The sea people formed a great raft, that reached from the island across
to the mainland.
This was what the fox wanted. He ran over the great raft, pretending to
count the animals.
When at last the fox reached the mainland, he jumped ashore and hastened
home.
HIAWATHA'S BROTHERS
Of all beasts he learned the language,
Learned their names and all their secrets,
How the beavers built their lodges,
Where the squirrels hid their acorns,
How the reindeer ran so swiftly,
Why the rabbit was so timid,
Talked with them whene'er he met them,
Called them "Hiawatha's Brothers."
HENRY W. LONGFELLOW.
THE BEAVERS' LODGE
Big Chief had traveled a long distance through the forest. At last he
reached the shore of a lake.
He was very tired, so he sat down upon a rock to rest.
Suddenly a large beaver came up from the water and stood before Big
Chief.
"Who are you, that you dare to enter my kingdom?" demanded the beaver.
"I am Big Chief," replied the Indian. "The Great Spirit has given me
power over all the animals. Who are you?"
"I am Master Beaver. All the beavers follow me and obey my commands. We
are busy people. We always have plenty to do."
Big Chief was not afraid. He showed Master Beaver his bow and arrows and
his wampum belt, saying, "These gifts were bestowed upon me by the Great
Spirit. I am ruler over the animals of field and forest, over the birds,
and over the fish."
When Master Beaver saw the bow and arrows and the wampum belt, he knew
that the Indian was very powerful. So he said, less proudly, "Will you
come with me and see how the beavers build their lodges?"
Big Chief followed Master Beaver for a short distance along the shore of
the lake. He saw many beavers at work cutting down trees with their
sharp teeth.
Some of the trees had fallen across the water and reached to an island
in the lake.
On the island, other beavers were plastering the spaces between the
trees with mud and leaves.
Master Beaver said that this was the way the beavers built a dam.
Then he led Big Chief to the beavers' village on the island. Here were
many lodges, built of sticks, grass and moss, and plastered with clay.
At last Master Beaver paused before one of the lodges.
"Enter! This is my home. You are welcome, Big Chief," said Master
Beaver.
The Indian followed the beaver through a long, winding tunnel. They came
to a large room. The floor of the room was covered with grass and bark.
Big Chief admired the dainty house with its dome-shaped roof.
Master Beaver's wife and his daughter gave the stranger a hearty
welcome. They at once prepared a meal of poplar, birch and willow bark,
and roots of water lilies.
This was choice food for beavers, but it was not the kind of dinner that
Big Chief liked. Nevertheless he was very happy.
Master Beaver's daughter waited upon her father and his guest. She was
so very fair that she won the heart of Big Chief.
He no longer wished to live alone. He asked Master Beaver to give the
maiden to him, to be his bride. This pleased Master Beaver very much,
for he liked Big Chief.
All the beavers and their neighbors were invited to the wedding. The
next morning, some of the beavers arrived bringing clay. Then came
otters, each carrying a large fish in his mouth as a present for the
bride.
They were followed by the weasels, the minks, and the muskrats.
The guests enjoyed the wedding breakfast in the lodge of Master Beaver.
After the feast, the beavers invited the other animals to meet them on
the bank of the lake. There they held a council.
They said, "We will build a lodge, which shall be the wedding gift of
the beavers."
Then they chose a place under the birch trees that grew near the shore
of the lake. Here the beavers began to build a lodge, of sticks of wood
and the clay which they had brought with them. Soon the cozy lodge was
finished.
Now came the greatest wonder of all. It pleased the Great Spirit to
change the bride into a beautiful woman--a wife suited to the noble and
handsome Big Chief.
Amid the cheers of their friends, Master Beaver led the happy couple to
the cozy lodge near the lake. There they made their home.
MANITOU AND THE SQUIRRELS
"Please tell me one more story about the great Manitou, Grandmother,"
begged the little Indian boy.
The grandmother liked to tell stories to the boy. She sat down facing
him and told him the story of the great Manitou and the squirrels.
This was the story she told:
Once upon a time, there was scarcely any food to be found. The great
Manitou and his wife had fasted for many days, and they were very
hungry.
"We must have meat," said Manitou.
Then he thought of a plan.
He lifted his bow and aimed a magic arrow through the door of the
wigwam.
The arrow sped onward in the forest, until it passed through the body of
a bear. It held the bear fast to a tree.
Manitou and his wife went into the forest together. There they found the
bear.
Then Manitou said, "We will have a feast and invite our friends."
The birds and beasts were glad to accept the invitation. A large company
arrived.
The woodpecker was the first to taste the food. He began to eat
greedily, for he was very hungry.
When he put the meat into his mouth, it turned to ashes.
The woodpecker began to cough. "This is very impolite; I must not let
Manitou hear me cough," thought he.
The fox was the next to taste the meat. It turned to ashes, and he began
to cough.
All the other guests began to cough as soon as they had tasted the meat.
They tried very hard not to let Manitou hear them.
They kept on tasting, but the more they tasted the harder they coughed.
At last Manitou became very angry.
"I will make you remember this," said he.
In an instant, the woodpecker, the fox, and all the other guests had
disappeared. In their place were many squirrels, running up and down the
trees and coughing as squirrels always do when taken by surprise.
To this day, squirrels do not eat meat, but instead they nibble acorns
and nuts.
"If you have sharp eyes," added the grandmother, "you will find hollow
places in the trees, where the squirrels hide their acorns and nuts."
THE SWIFT RUNNER
In the olden times, the animals were fond of sports. They often held
contests, with prizes for those that won.
Once a prize was offered for the animal who could prove himself the
swiftest runner.
The reward was to be a pair of great antlers. Each animal was to carry
the antlers on his head, while running the race. The animal that should
win, would have the antlers for his own.
A path through the woods was chosen for the race course. There were many
bushes and brambles along the way.
All the animals gathered at the place of meeting. They chose Black Bear
to be judge of the race. It was decided that the rabbit and the deer
alone should try for the prize.
"They are the best runners. None of the rest of us could hope to win,"
said the other animals.
White Rabbit was given the first chance.
"I am willing to try for the prize," White Rabbit said, "but I would
like first to look over the ground where I am to run."
So White Rabbit disappeared in the woods. He was gone so long that Red
Fox was sent to look for him.
Red Fox found the rabbit hard at work, cutting off twigs to clear a path
along which to run.
Red Fox went back and told the other animals what White Rabbit was
doing.
Pretty soon White Rabbit came out of the woods. He was all ready to put
on the antlers and begin the race for the great prize.
"Oh, no!" said Judge Bear. "We cannot allow you to enter the great race.
You are too fond of gnawing twigs. You may keep on gnawing twigs instead
of trying for the prize."
So little White Rabbit was not allowed to run for the prize.
Red Fox placed the horns upon the head of the deer and said, "It is your
turn to try to win the race."
Then the animals gave three loud cheers and told the deer to do his
best.
The deer ran swiftly along the woodland path. He carried the antlers so
skillfully that they were not once caught in the bushes.
When the deer returned to the place of meeting, Judge Bear proclaimed
him winner of the race.
As Black Bear gave the prize to the deer, he said, "Henceforth you shall
wear the antlers on your head. You shall always be called the Swift
Runner."
BROTHER RABBIT
One autumn day in the long ago, Eagle Eye, the great Indian chief, was
very sad.
All summer long there had been no rain. The prairie grass was crisp and
brown. The little streams were dry.
The animals, finding neither water nor green grass, had gone to the
mountains many miles away. The Indians of the plains had no food to eat.
"I will go and search for the place where the animals have gone, so that
I may tell my hunters and save the lives of my people," said Eagle Eye.
So, carrying his canoe to the river, Eagle Eye paddled up the stream for
many days and nights. He watched to see if any of the animals came to
the river to drink, but there was not even a squirrel.
One night the clouds hung low in the sky.
"There will be snow before morning," said Eagle Eye.
Then the great chief hauled his canoe up the river bank. He made a
shelter with branches of trees. Here he slept through the night.
In the morning, the ground was covered with snow.
"The Great Spirit is kind," said Eagle Eye. "Now I shall see the
footprints of some of the animals, and I can follow them."
Soon he found the footprints of deer that had been to the river to
drink. Eagle Eye followed the footprints for many miles. At last he
found where the animals lived.
Eagle Eye marked some trees, so that he might find the place again.
Then he started to return to the river bank where he had left his canoe.
Snow had fallen, and everything was white. Eagle Eye could not find the
canoe.
"I am lost!" cried Eagle Eye. "If only there were some way of finding my
canoe!"
Just then he saw a rabbit peering out from behind the stump of a tree.
"O Brother Rabbit!" called Eagle Eye. "How glad I am to see you! I am
lost. I cannot find the river bank."
"Let me lead the way," Brother Rabbit replied. "If you will watch my
dark fur against the snow, you can easily follow close behind me."
So Brother Rabbit hopped along, and Eagle Eye, watching the dark fur
against the snow, followed close behind.
At last they reached the river bank, and there they found Eagle Eye's
canoe.
Eagle Eye pushed the canoe into the water and stepped in.
Before he paddled away he said, "You have saved my life, Brother Rabbit.
Hereafter your brown fur shall be white when the cold winter comes. Then
no one will see your body against the snow, and you will always be
safe."
The rabbit turned pure white.
He looked like a ball of snow beside the bushes.
Then Eagle Eye smiled.
"Your enemies will have a long chase after this," he said, "before they
will find Brother Rabbit!"
After many days, Eagle Eye reached his home once more.
The chief told his people that he had followed the footprints of deer,
and had found where the animals lived.
The Indians went with Eagle Eye after the deer, and soon they had plenty
of food.
QUEEN MAB
A little fairy comes at night,
Her eyes are blue, her hair is brown,
With silver spots upon her wings,
And from the moon she flutters down.
She has a little silver wand,
And when a good child goes to bed,
She waves her hand from right to left,
And makes a circle round its head.
And then it dreams of pleasant things--
Of fountains filled with fairy fish,
And trees that bear delicious fruit,
And bow their branches at a wish.
Of arbors filled with dainty scents
From lovely flowers that never fade;
Bright flies that glitter in the sun,
And glowworms shining in the shade.
And talking birds with gifted tongues,
For singing songs and telling tales,
And pretty dwarfs to show the way
Through fairy hills and fairy dales.
But when a bad child goes to bed,
From left to right she weaves her rings,
And then it dreams all through the night
Of only ugly, horrid things!
Then lions come with glaring eyes,
And tigers growl, a dreadful noise,
And ogres draw their cruel knives,
To shed the blood of girls and boys.
Then stormy waves rush on to drown,
Or raging flames come scorching round,
Fierce dragons hover in the air,
And serpents crawl along the ground.
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